MARIA IN ACE FORM

Anthony Clavane, sundaymirror.co.uk 1/07/2007

MARIA SHARAPOVA squeezed in a controversial victory between downpours at Wimbledon yesterday to book her place in the fourth round.

Shazza beat Ai Sugiyama in two sets - 6-3, 6-3 - but her opponent was furious the contest wasn't called off at match-point.

Sugiyama blasted officials for keeping the third-round match going. "It was very wet at the end," she said. "It became very slippery. I was very concerned. Before the match-point it started to rain - it was pretty wet.

"It's not easy to stop there but I didn't want to give it away. I told them it was too slippery. I wanted to play in nice conditions. I was disappointed."

But Sharapova, looking serene in her Swan Lake dress, gave the veteran's moaning the bird.

"I didn't feel it was too slippery," she said. "I saw the rain in the middle of the second set. I knew the grass would get wet if it kept going.

"I didn't want it to be too dangerous out there."

The Court One match had been held up for two hours because of the weather but the world No.2 eventually overcame the elements, her gritty opponent - and a sunglasses-wearing umpire!

After twice successfully challenging line calls she joked: "At 40-love the linejudge called it out. The umpire overruled it. It was the third call that guy got wrong.

"I looked at him and he was wearing sunglasses. He lost all credibility at that point. It was a tense moment."

The match, played under leaden skies on a stop-start day, was a test in concentration for the 2004 champ.

After clinching victory she made a hasty dash off the court so the covers could be pulled over the grass - with little time to bask in the applause.

Sharapova, who showed little sign of her shoulder injury, was frustrated by the nagging ability of her opponent to keep getting the ball back.

The pivotal moment came when she broke Sugiyama's serve in the fifth game. Her stubborn rival had saved five break-points before a perfectly judged lob created a sixth, and the Russian beauty put a forehand away to finally secure the break.

But the 20-year-old dropped her serve in the opening game of the second set after an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration, and it took her until the sixth game to claw back the break.

Sharapova levelled when Sugiyama netted a half-volley, and broke again in the eighth game after her opponent was unsuccessful when challenging an over-rule. She then squandered two match-points before serving out for a win - much to the displeasure of Sugiyama.

Amelie Mauresmo cruised into the fourth round, beating Mara Santangelo 6-1, 6-2.

It took the defending women's champion only one hour to dispatch Santangelo.

Mauresmo seems to be coming good at the right time, and has dropped only ten games in her matches so far.

She said: "I played a good match, a really going-forward type of tennis.

"This championship is pretty open. It's been quite open for some years now. But I'm only focusing on my own game right now.

"I'm confident about how I play. I know what I've got to do in my next match.

"It's all gone well so far, but there is still plenty of room for improvement."

There was a touch of carelessness about some of Mauresmo's play, but that was probably due to an undemanding task. She paid the price, though, when the Italian, seeded 28, cashed in on some over-hitting to stay in contention at 2-3 down in the second set.

The champion saved her serve, and a two-game cushion, with the help of a 108mph ace - her third of the match - and Santangelo's game unravelled completely as she double-faulted to a 2-5 deficit. That put the fate of the contest beyond real doubt.

Mauresmo hit back to save two break-points with further aces either side of a double fault, and then ended a long rally with a superb backhand pass on the run before another ace clinched a 6-1, 6-2 success.

The French star was glad to be back on Centre Court.

She said: "I'm fine on Court Two, but it was nice to be back. I'm going through my matches the way I want to."