New York: Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova survived a scare to beat 11th seed Marion Bartoli in the US Open women`s singles quarterfinal here at the Flushing Meadows.
The match was suspended late Tuesday due to the rain with Bartoli leading 4-0 in the first set but Sharapova responded to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 when the match resumed Wednesday, reports Xinhua.
The 27-year-old Bartoli took the first set, the first time she had won a set against Sharapova, and was a break up in the second before the Russian found a way back into the match.
Sharapova said she had to dig deep to win.
"The third set is last set out there, so there`s no reason why you shouldn`t leave everything out there on the court," Sharapova said.
In the semifinals, Sharapova will face World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus who knocked out defending champion Sam Stosur Tuesday.
Elsewhere Wednesday, Olympic champion Serena Williams breezed past 12th seed Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-3.
Williams, seeking her third US Open title, will play Sara Errani in the semifinal after the Italian knocked out her compatriot and 20th seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
IANS
First Published: Thursday, September 06, 2012, 20:21