LONDON: Fifth seeded Maria Sharapova recovered from 4-1 down in the first set to reach the Wimbledon third round on Friday with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over gutsy British teenager Laura Robson.
Sharapova, the 2004 champion, will face Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic for a place in the last 16 on Saturday.
But she faced a real test in the opening exchanges, as well as the closing stages, against 17-year-old Robson, ranked 254 in the world and playing on a wildcard.
“She started so well. She was going for her shots and serving well that I couldn’t get too many looks on her first serve,” said Sharapova. “I didn’t play my best and I feel like I made more errors than I had to.” (Agencies)