Maria Sharapova's back was to the court as she whipped her racquet through the air repeatedly before turning around to face Angelique Kerber. Even when the ball wasn't in play, a supremely focused Sharapova struck a predatory posture.
Sharapova served with purpose and smacked sledgehammer shots in winning eight straight games to deconstruct the 30th-seeded Kerber, 6-1, 6-2, and storm into the fourth round of the Australian Open for the sixth time in her last seven appearances.
Lingering questions about the state of her ankle surrounded Sharapova at the start of this fortnight. She's responded by stomping the opposition, surrendering just five games in three tournament victories. It's been her most impressive Melbourne performance since she beat Ana Ivanovic to capture the 2008 championship. Kerber, who failed to survive the second round in 13 of her prior 16 major appearances, mader her Grand Slam breakthrough in reaching the U.S. Open semifinals last September and represented a step up in class from Sharapova's prior opponents.
The fourth-seeded Russian came out hitting her targets, winning eight straight points to open the match. She ripped returns down both lines, breaking twice in the first five games to seize a 5-1 lead just 28 minutes in. A Kerber double fault gave Sharapova set point, and she sealed it with a backhand error that rattled Kerber's racquet.
Since undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2008, Sharapova's serve has been a sporadic stroke, with double faults sometimes piling up faster than her endorsement deals. But she struck the shot with confidence today, making 11 straight serves in one stretch, and serving 73 percent for the match—with just one double fault.
Sharapova bullied the German around the court in building a 6-0, 2-0 lead. To her credit, Kerber competed with resistance rather than resignation. A stubborn Sharapova withstood five break points in the third game of the second set before netting a backhand, as Kerber broke to get on the board for the first time. The left-hander scrambled side-to-side to save a break point in the ensuing game and surprised Sharapova with a drop shot winner to level the set, 2-2.
That would be Kerber's last meaningful stand , however, as Sharapova began to open her shoulders and swing with even more authority over the final four games. She finished with 34 winners compared to 14 for Kerber in playing her most complete match this week.
"I felt I played a really good first set; she certainly stepped up in the second," Sharapova said. "She's been at this big stage before. I knew she could really produce some good tennis. I think that second set was closer than the score says."
The three-time Grand Slam champion awaits either 15th-ranked Sabine Lisicki, whom she beat in the 2011 Wimbledon semifinals, or former Fed Cup teammate Svetlana Kuznetsova, for a spot in the quarterfinals.
—Richard Pagliaro