A match that didn’t have a clear winner ended in dramatic fashion at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Tuesday evening. Caroline Garcia fought in the last two sets against former champion Maria Sharapova to advance with a 3-6, 7-6(6) 6-4 on Centre Court at Porsche Arena. It was Garcia’s first win over the Russian that brought an end to her four-match losing streak to show that her tenacity paid off against the world number 41.
She began the set holding Garcia before watching her opponent struggle on her opening serve with two double faults. The former number one made it 3-0 which woke up Garcia to do work on her second try to get on the board. While that was a need for her game, Sharapova continued to dictate her serve and regained her three-game lead which led to Garcia taking a conference with her father and coach during the break.
When play resumed, the advice she received resulted in another service hold trying to secure a close of the gap. She had a 30-0 lead on the Russian but a break from Sharapova allowed her to gain control back on serve and get up 5-2 playing for the set. Garcia was once again 0-30 down but somehow held her end together to avoid giving another freebee.
Sharapova brushed off Garcia’s new push in the set landing a second ace on her serve that shutout the French star securing the match lead in 34 minutes. While there was effort on the count of Garcia, her lack of winners and eight unforced errors showed that Sharapova had a lock on her own game serving 87 percent on first serve points and seven of ten on the second.
The second set saw a better turnout for Garcia as she battled Sharapova to gain a lead in the third. After five, Garcia remained out front earning a second straight in the sixth as Sharapova double faulted a second time in the game and fifth overall. She recovered from the struggles and battled back Garcia’s surge picking up a break to sit a game down. The Russian’s serve to love leveled the playing field at four all with every shot at getting back control.
Garcia showed signs of desperation as she rushed her serve getting into trouble on the score. She recovered in time to force deuce where the pressure grew for both players. After a few breaks, it was Garcia who contained her serve to step ahead 5-4 and threaten a third set into action. Sharapova denied her that chance sending the set further on but was still down a game with Garcia still leading. With a good hold in the 12th, the Russian managed to force a tiebreaker giving her a chance to hold the match in straight sets.
It was the first tiebreaker between one another and right off the mark, Garcia showed her strengths were alive and well. She took it heavily against Sharapova who committed a double fault during the tiebreak that gave the French star a sure chance at sending the match the distance. Garcia had three set points on Sharapova but saw all of them disappear with the former number one playing gutsy tennis landing two winners and an ace.
The tiebreak continued with Sharapova leaving room for match point while Garcia hunted down the set point. Garcia took the first break leading 7-6 before an unforced error into the net gave her the win completing and a shot for her to fight on in a third set. It took them 1 hour and 13 minutes where although the fight for control was tight near the end, Garcia clearly had the edge on Sharapova. The Russian made costly mistakes recording six double faults and 13 unforced errors despite having a dozen aces and 21 winners.
She made up for her downfall in the second holding serve in the first before gaining a breaking on Garcia in the second. The short margin didn’t bother the world number seven as she recovered lost ground and got into a tight race to the finish. Both stayed tight through the next few games making it anyone’s to win. The sixth seed made the big point to win game nine and serve for the match. She battled Sharapova to gain a match point but erred to force deuce. She made up for it landing a solid winner before a ball landing wide on the return gave Garcia a huge victory after 2 hours and 44 minutes.
“I think it was a very close match,” Garcia said during her on court interview. “I was expecting her to fight and in the end being very difficult. I was a little but more aggressive today and I returned a little bit better. Finally, I can say after seven years that I beat her.”
The sixth seed would continue her quest for a title this season facing 15-year-old qualifier Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the second round Thursday.
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