THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Lightning and torrential rains delayed play, but couldn’t keep Maria Sharapova from advancing to the quarter-finals Thursday at the Rogers Cup.
After stormy weather suspended their match for over an hour, Sharapova defeated Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the third round of the US$2-million WTA event.
Having knocked off the seventh-seeded Zvonareva, the 22-year-old Russian star now finds herself in uncharted Canadian territory. Sharapova has never played deeper than the third round at the tournament.
The result was another positive step for the 49th-ranked Sharapova, who returned in May from shoulder injury that kept her out of action for nine months. She said after the match it was important to keep the pressure off the shoulder by winning quickly.
"I thought it was a step up, definitely," said Sharapova. "I had to (play) against somebody that I’ve had trouble against in the past who I usually play three sets against. It was good to finish the match in two, but I really had no choice. I had to pick it up."
After strolling through the first set, Sharapova had trouble holding serve and found herself behind in the second, when Zvonareva won four straight games.
Not that it mattered. Sharapova hit Zvonareva for five break points and stretched the match to a tiebreaker that she won easily.
"I think this is definitely a great result," said Sharapova. "I’ve already played against three great opponents and I’m going to play another opponent tomorrow and you just hope that with each match you can raise your level and play better."
Fans watched from damp seats after a lightning storm rolled over Rexall Centre shortly after 6 p.m. ET. Crowds and outside staff were evacuated to cover to wait out the winds and heavy rains.
.Nearby Vaughan, Ont., declared an emergency after tornadoes were suspected to have touched down, but once Sharapova’s match with Zvonareva began there were only intermittent rains falling on the court.
The weather wasn’t a factor for Sharapova, who said she didn’t worry about tornadoes from the safety of the locker room.
"I didn’t hear much… We were around cement, so that was good."
.Sharapova, who will next face No. 14. Agnieszka Radwanska, has Serena Williams as company in the quarter-finals. Williams advanced after dispatching Alona Bondarenko 6-1, 6-4.
At first, it looked like another easy day for the No. 2 American. After cruising through the first set, Williams appeared ready for the next round when Bondarenko found her swing in the second.
But Williams took a breath, relaxed, and won three straight games to move on.
Williams chalked up the minor hiccup in her quest for a second Rogers Cup title to a momentary loss in composure.
"I was just trying to be perfect and then I just couldn’t get my serve in and got frustrated," said Williams. "You know, I’ve been practising a lot on my serve, it just hasn’t been well, so I think in any case it can be frustrating."
Earlier, Elena Dementieva also stumbled in the second set but rallied against a persistent Shahar Peer, defeating the Israeli 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
The fourth-seeded Russian will face Australia’s Samantha Stosur in the quarter-finals. Stosur swept France’s Virginie Razzano 6-3, 6-1 in third-round match.
Meanwhile, Aravane Rezai couldn’t repeat the magic of her huge upset over top seed Dinar Safina, falling 6-3, 6-4 to Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, Czech Lucie Safarova beat China’s Jie Zheng 7-6 (3), 6-4 and Radwanska of Poland downed Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 7-5, 6-3.
.Williams, who will face Safarova in the quarter-finals, has rarely been challenged at the Rexall Centre. She easily beat Yaroslava Shvedova on Wednesday and may not face a seeded player until the semifinals.
But she knows she has to keep her cool if she’s going to make it that far.
"I get really emotional on the court," she said. "Sometimes I’m really into the game too much, and I’ve just got to (remain calm). I can’t help myself when I do that, I think it’s just something natural and hopefully it helps me. I think towards the end I was able to relax and just calm down and then just try to stay positive more than anything."
She admitted she was disappointed in Thursday’s performance after a strong start to the tournament.
"I thought that if I could keep up that form, I’m on my way into glory and today I didn’t play as well so hopefully I can get it back," said Williams.
The victory may have been extra sweet for Williams, the highest-seeded player left at the tournament after Safina was eliminated. Kateryna Bondarenko, Alona’s sister, ousted Serena’s sister Venus on Tuesday.
Williams needed just over an hour to beat Bondarenko, hitting three aces while committing three double faults. Williams, who will compete at the U.S. Open, said she is focused on winning the Rogers Cup for the first time since 2001
"I’m just trying to play well," she said. "There’s a huge gap so I’m just trying to do what I can and stay alive here. This is my first focus."