Day 4 at the 2014 Australian Open saw officials finally put the tournament’s Extreme Heat Policy into effect, but there was still plenty of action worth watching beforehand, including No. 3 seed Maria Sharapova barely escaping her unseeded opponent, Karin Knapp. Many were calling for organizers to take more caution and enforce the policy, but it was called into effect during the final set of Thursday’s match (Wednesday night for fans from the United States) between Sharapova and Knapp.
Australian Open 2014 results: Maria Sharapova battles extreme heat, holds off Karin Knapp to advance
Play was suspended on Thursday at the Australian Open, but Maria Sharapova managed to finish her match amid the extreme heat, besting Karin Knapp in three sets.
Clive Brunskill
Australian Open 2014
The rules dictated that play would pause following the completion of the in-progress set when the policy was enacted, but as they were already playing the third set, the match played to its completion. Unfortunately for Sharapova and Knapp, it was quite a long set.
Sharapova played the longest set of her career in the third, winning it, 10-8 for the 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 victory. Knapp looked in control in the second set, and even had the edge for a time in the third. Sharapova was sidelined for the later part of last season with a shoulder injury, and she struggled with her serve on Thursday, making 12 double faults.
Sharapova fought off three match points in the final set and committed a whopping 67 unforced errors in victory. Still, the 3 hour 28 minute match is a thing of the past and she can prepare for facing Alize Cornet, the No. 25 seed, in the third round.
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