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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 JUNE 2014 54 Sport TENNIS Sharapova strides into fourth round MARIA Sharapova completed a clinical march through Wimble- don's first week with a straight- sets victory over American Alison Riske. The 2004 champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament, booking her slot in the last 16 with a rou- tine 6-3 6-0 victory over the world number 44. Sharapova unpicked 23-year-old Riske's game plan, overturning a break deficit in the first set and then striding to her triumph with ease. Sharapova's sluggish start was underlined by a double fault that gifted Riske an immediate break- point chance that she did not waste. The American's pinpoint service st yle right into the corner of the box then had Sharapova clamber- ing to adjust. Riske maintained her advantage, upholding the pressure on her Russian opponent - that was until the five-time grand slam winner rediscovered her poise to chilling effect. The fifth seed clawed a deuce from 40-15 down on Riske's serve, then forcing a double-fault as the pressure got to the Pittsburgh na- tive. Acutely aware the early advan- tage was slipping, Riske then al- lowed Sharapova to break again and take control at 5-3. The reigning French Open queen then clinched the set with- out issue, comfortably back in the groove. Sharapova's ruthlessness shone through from then on in, the 27- year-old refusing to relinquish her stranglehold. Dismissing Riske with peremp- tory ease, Sharapova blitzed through the second set without dropping a game. Maria Sharapova of Russia in action against Alison Riske of USA during their third round match of the Wimbledon Championships. Photo by EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH Nadal reaches fourth round after hiccup RAFAEL Nadal started slowly again but the prospect of a Wim- bledon upset was swiftly doused as poor Mikhail Kukushkin felt the full force of the Spaniard at his best. After dropping the opening sets in his earlier matches against Martin Klizan and Lukas Rosol, Nadal astonishingly did the same again against the world number 63 from Kazakhstan. But his recovery spelt out Nad- al's ambition for the week ahead as he sprinted home 6-7 (4/7) 6-1 6-1 6-1 under the Centre Court roof. Watched from the Royal Box by sporting stars including former Real Madrid star David Beckham, Spaniard Nadal - a supporter of the Bernabeu giants - finished with his arms aloft, f linging his wristbands and headband into the adoring crowd, and departed with a broad smile across his face. Three matches in, and it ap- pears Nadal has played himself into peak form, comfortable again on grass after the transition from clay, and unmistakeably in the frame to land what would be his third Wimbledon title. He made sure of a fourth-round place by ripping a forehand into the left corner, Kukushkin power- less to prevent the obviously su- perior man in the contest racking up a 41st winner. A particularly frugal 12 unforced errors came from the Nadal racquet. The 28-year-old from Majorca has done the French Open and Wimbledon double in the same season twice before, and after his ninth Roland Garros triumph earlier this month he expected it would take him time to adjust to the grass. Once Kukushkin had played well above his station to take the opening set, Nadal was untrou- bled. But there might have been real trouble on the very first point. With the roof having been closed long before they got un- der way, the increased humidity in what had become effectively an indoor arena meant the grass became slightly more moist than usual. Nadal, playing a forehand at close to full stretch, took a heav y fall but was back to his feet almost before the crowd had an opportu- nity to gasp. They were soon transfixed by what began as a most engaging battle, the f lat, swishing forehand of Kukushkin proving a fearsome weapon that left Nadal f lat-footed at times. The little-known 26-year-old, coached by wife Anastasiia, had played Nadal twice previously and not won more than three games in a set, but he twice made the world number one serve to stay in the opener, at 5-4 and 6-5 behind. Nadal coped with the pressure, and then snatched an early ad- vantage in the tie-break, but that was soon wiped out, and on his second opportunity Kukushkin took set point when a backhand landed long. It was either the start of some- thing big - memories of Rosol in 2012 and Steve Darcis last year sprang to mind - or Kukushkin had burned himself out with the extraordinary effort he mustered to edge ahead. The sorry truth for Kukushkin was that he had little left in the tank. Nadal slipped again in the sec- ond game of the second set but he was back on his feet and finally into his stride in the match. He swept through the second and third sets, as Kukushkin proved unable to maintain the high standard he produced in the early stages. The fourth was a similar story, with Kukushkin in the fifth game stumbling into the awnings be- hind the baseline, seemingly punch-drunk after being hit with one too many punishing shots. The end was swift in coming, Nadal through to tackle Nick Kyr- gios or Jiri Vesely next, with the youngsters hauled off Court 17 after just six completed games of their opening set, as driving rain fell every where but under the roof on Centre.

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