On Monday, Maria Sharapova defeated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 to advance to the women's quarterfinals. Despite coasting through the initial rounds of the tournament, Sharapova struggled to eliminate Zakopalova largely due to a difficult second set that Zakopalova ultimately won. In addition, Sharapova also struggled with 12 double faults and 41 unforced errors as well as a feud with the umpire. All of these issues Sharapova views as a positive.
Courtesy of Sports Illustrated:
"It was,'' Sharapova summed up, "a good test for me.''
The biggest problem for Sharapova throughout the day was dealing with chair umpire, Julie Kjendile of Norway who she engaged in several arguments with.
"The first one was the most questionable one, I guess, because she couldn't find the mark. ... What do you say to that? You can't find the mark? I mean, it was like, `Well, isn't that your job?'... I mean, we're on clay courts. Usually when there is no mark, it means it's on the line,'' Sharapova said. "She had an answer for everything out there.''
Sharapova will face No. 23 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the quarterfinal. Kanepi hasn't been beyond the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam tournament.
Check out the full French Open scoreboard at SI.com for up-to-the-second updates on what's happening at Roland Garros.
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