For the second straight time, Maria Sharapova guaranteed the Italian Open title. The reigning champion had to sweat to defeat China's Li Na (4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)), "in a match full of momentum shifts, a lengthy rain delay, and noisy distractions from football fans", reported AFP.
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| Rain at the Foro Italico. Credit: Getty Images |
Both players had a lot of swings during the match, and that had a lot to do with several events such as the heavy rain and the intense noise made by football fans heading for the Italian Cup final between Juventus and Napoli, at the Olympic Stadium, just a few hundred metres away.
In the third-set just, before the tie-break was about to commence, the match was delayed due to the weather. "It was a crazy match. It was tough having to wait two hours. It's difficult to have a loser and a winner, but I'm happy." said Sharapova in the press conference.
Li Na was more eloquent. "The match was a joke, it was like playing a football match in the rain". The Chinese admitted it was tiring for both players and it was hard to concentrate.
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