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Sharapova courts controversy with 'blatant' rule breaches

Maria Sharapova skirted the rules and got away with it as a lax chair umpire let multiple time breaches slide by in the Russian’s defeat to Ashleigh Barty.

The No.30 seed repeatedly exceeded the 25 seconds allowed between points while serving directly into the blazing midday sun.

The chair umpire chose to ignore the shot-clock breaches for much of the match, until a violation was finally dished out in the third set – much to the delight of the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

The 2008 champion also kept Barty waiting with a seven-minute toilet break between the second and third sets.

That move that drew more jeers from the crowd – and backfired as Barty raced out to a 4-0 lead.

Quizzed by a reporter over the time issues, Sharapova brushed the questions aside without an explanation:

Sharapova had methodically seized the opening set with the only break in the ninth game before Barty settled in the second set as Sharapova’s notoriously unreliable serve deserted the 2008 champion.

With the former world No.1’s double-fault tally mounting up, Barty reeled off five successive games to draw level at a set apiece.

Sharapova then coughed up two consecutive doubles to drop serve for a third straight game to start the deciding set.

Maria Sharapova took her time on serve and then upset the Australian Open crowd further with a long toilet break between sets. Pic: Getty
Maria Sharapova took her time on serve and then upset the Australian Open crowd further with a long toilet break between sets. Pic: Getty

The Russian’s astonishing collapse continued with another pair of double-faults which gifted Barty a 4-0 lead in the third set.

But, after dropping serve and then failing to convert either of two match points in the ninth game, Barty had to draw on all her trademark cool to put Sharapova away.

The 22-year-old prevailed 4-6 6-1 6-4 after two hours and 22 minutes, sealing victory on her fourth match with her sixth ace.

“Yeah, it was a little bit close, wasn’t it?’ the relieved Queenslander said.

“I gave myself an opportunity in the third set in a lot of of games and couldn’t take it.

“I had to take a deep breath and trust the work that I have done with my team. Go up and hit my spots and whatever happens, happens.

“She’s an absolute champion. She was never going to go away. I knew I had to keep chipping away, in a sense trust the work we’ve done.

“I know that I can match it with the best and when I execute I know I can.”

Australia’s first women’s quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park since Jelena Dokic a decade ago, the 15th-seeded Barty will play Czech world No.6 Petra Kvitova on Tuesday for a spot in the semi-finals.

Kvitova beat Barty in a third-set tiebreaker in the final of the Sydney International eight days ago.

“It doesn’t get any easier at all,” Barty said.

“It’s just another challenge and another opportunity for me to come out and try to play my best tennis.

“I have come agonisingly close against Petra before so I can come out and Tuesday, play a fun, free brand of tennis and see how we go.”

with AAP