Defending champion Maria Sharapova fought back from a 6-0 whitewash in the first set to beat former top-ranked Jelena Jankovic 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 to book a semifinal berth at the ongoing Roland Garros 2013 tournament. Up next for the Russian is Victoria Azarenka, the latter having reached the French Open semifinal for the first time.
“I started the match off with a large number of unforced errors and her playing really well, smart, doing the right things, being consistent,” Sharapova said of her dismal first set performance. “It was really the opposite for me.
“So I was really happy I was able to win the first two games of the second set. That was really important. You know, at least give her something to think about – she was a bit in cruise control for a long period of time. That was really important, and I’m really happy that I pulled through,” she added.
Despite this, Sharapova kept her composure and fought her way back in the match.
“I wanted to put that chapter behind me,” Sharapova said. “No matter how many errors I made or how disappointed I was with the way I started the match, I knew I could still create chances out there; obviously taking them is another question. But I knew I was capable of doing much better. It was just a game at a time. And obviously the third set was still extremely tough. But I was happy with it.”
