The top two seeds in the women’s draw of the 2012 Madrid Open won their second round matches in straight sets on Tuesday to advance to the tournament’s Round of 16. No. 1 Victoria Azarenka and No. 2 Maria Sharapova are still on track to meet in the finals for now.
Madrid Open 2012 Scores: Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova Advance On Day 3
Azarenka encountered a lot of trouble from Andrea Hlavackova in the second set of the match, however. After winning the first 6-3, Azarenka was broken in the 10th game of the next set. She went down 6-5 before double faulting in the 12th game to give Hlavackova a chance at set point. Azarenka regained her composure to win 10 of the final 12 points and take the second set 7-6 (2).
Sharapova had a relatively easier time against Klara Zakopalova, winning 6-4, 6-3 to advance Tuesday. She took a 4-1 lead in the first set recording two of her five break points in the first and fifth games. Zakopalova broke back, then held serve to push the set to 4-3. The players held from there, however. Sharapova took a 5-2 lead in the second set and forced match point before Zakopalova came back to break. Sharapova promptly broke back to take the set and the match when her opponent double faulted.
Azarenka will face No. 13 Ana Ivanovic in the next round, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Nadia Petrova. Sharapova draws Lucie Safarova, who won 6-3, 6-4 over Carla Suarez-Navarro on Tuesday.
You can check out the full men’s and womens’ draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation’s dedicated tennis hub.
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