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Sharapova comes from behind to avoid upset at Open
Groth hit 14 double-faults, including on the final point of the second set. She was by far the more aggressive of the two, taking risks that sometimes paid off and sometimes did not. She hit 24 winners to 19 for Sharapova, and made 48 unforced errors to 17 for Sharapova. “She came out firing; didn't give me many opportunities,” Sharapova said. “You just want to hang in there, get through it.” There was a lot of hanging in there on a steamy Day 2 at the US Open, when the temperature rose high enough for tournament organizers to invoke the “extreme weather policy” for women's singles matches, which allows players to request a 10-minute break after the second set. More than a dozen women's matches went three sets, and seven men's matches lasted the full five sets, including 2007 runner-up Novak Djokovic's 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over his friend and Serbian Davis Cup teammate Viktor Troicki.
Top-seeded Rafael Nadal found himself in a surprisingly competitive match but still won in straight sets, getting past 93rd-ranked Teymuraz Gabashvili 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-3 at night. There were only two breaks of serve -- both by Nadal, the last two times Gabashvili served under the lights. While he's trying to complete a career Grand Slam, the No. 1-seeded woman, Caroline Wozniacki, is bidding for her first major title anywhere. Wozniacki opened her bid for that title by defeating American Chelsey Gullickson 6-1, 6-1 in the last match of the day.
Under a sizzling sun several hours earlier, Djokovic and Troicki played for more than three-and-a-half hours. Djokovic was down a break in the fourth set while already trailing, before righting himself. “You kind of start panicking a little bit when you don't feel great physically,” the third-seeded Djokovic said, ”and your opponent takes advantage.”
Mardy Fish, an American seeded 19th, also won in five sets, but fan favorite James Blake needed only three to reach the second round.
Sharapova never has lost earlier than the second round in seven US Opens. But she also hasn't made it past the third round since taking the championship. She lost at that stage in 2007 and 2009, and missed the tournament in 2008 shortly before having right shoulder surgery.
Sharapova made adjustments to her service motion after that operation, then missed nearly two months this season with a right elbow injury. But she has seemed lately to be on her way back to being a contender at the biggest tournaments, reaching the finals at two hard-court tournaments this summer.
She only double-faulted twice Tuesday, and it was Groth who donated points with shaky serving, including on the last point of the second set. “Maybe if I would have served differently,” Groth said, ”everything would be easier.”
At the start, though, it was Sharapova who hardly was at her best. When Groth pounded a return winner off a second serve, she broke Sharapova to take the opening set.
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