Sharapova defeats defending Australian Open champion Wozniacki

IANS  |  Melbourne 

Russia's defeated defending champion 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 here on Friday.

The 30th-seeded 2008 champion recorded her first win against Denmark's Wozniacki (seeded third) in a grand slam, as Sharapova was defeated by the Dane at the 2010 and 2014 US Opens, reports

"I knew I was going to get a tough match, she is the defending champion and it's no secret that she loves this arena," Sharapova said after the match.

"I haven't played many matches in the last year, especially against top players, and these are the types of matches that I train for. It's really rewarding to win that last point," she added.

Sharapova is set to play against the local favourite, Australia's 15th-seed Ashleigh Barty, who defeated Greece's 6-1, 6-4.

--IANS

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First Published: Fri, January 18 2019. 15:00 IST