WIMBLEDON, England (AP) Former champion Maria Sharapova struggled with her game but reached the fourth round at Wimbledon by defeating Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday.
The fifth-seeded Russian, the only champion in the women's draw other than the Williams sisters, had 21 unforced errors and four double-faults in an inconsistent baseline performance in windy conditions on Court 2.
But, after falling behind 3-1 in the second set, Sharapova lifted her game to win five games in a row to finish off the 35th-ranked Czech player.
Zakopalova struggled with her footing, slipping at least four times along the baseline.
Sharapova, who won Wimbledon in 2004 at age 17, hasn't reached the semifinals since 2006. She will face 20th-seeded Peng Shuai of China, who defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-2, 7-6 (5).