A SUG'MA (Jpn) 26 v M SHAR'VA (Rus) 2

3-6 3-6

By Sam Lyon

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SECOND SET

Sugiyama 3-6 3-6 Sharapova
That's it. With the players kept on despite increasing rainfall, Sharapova bludgeons her way to three match points with more remarkable passing winners and, despite double faulting on the first and finding the net with the second, secures the victory with a forehand winner. Sugiyama is rightly indignant that they were kept on with the rain falling, while Sharapova almost gets caught under the covers waving to the crowd with the ground staff desperate to protect the surface. That's one way of bagging a date for Saturday night I suppose. Anyway, Sharapova will play either Venus Williams or Akiko Morigami in the next round. If the rain ever stops, that is.

Sugiyama 3-6 3-5 Sharapova
Danger, Danger! High voltage! Erm, sorry about that, but Sharapova moves to within a game of the fourth round with more dead-eye accuracy on her groundstrokes. Sugiyama, struggling to cope with the Russian's power, saves one break point with a fine cross-court backhand pass, but is forced to replay the second break point when her challenge on the umpire's call of 'in' is incorrect. The umpire's smug riposte is lacking only the snapping of fingers either side of her face and a muttered snipe of "yeah girlfriend", and it's a costly call for Sugiyama, who is broken next point thanks to a Sharapova forehand winner.

Sugiyama 3-6 3-4 Sharapova
Sharapova underlines her superiority with a consummate service game to love and she's in front for the first time in this set. The bad news is that the drizzle is threatening to return. Calls for the ladies to play it out in the crashing rain like some kind of Lawn Tennis stag do effort are likely to be resisted, but we're playing on for the moment.

"Sharapova has really hit her straps in the last few games and these are dangerous times for Sugiyama."
BBC Sport pundit Sam Smith

Sugiyama 3-6 3-3 Sharapova
Sugiyama, still chasing every possible point down all over the court, is starting to emit her own little grunt on her shots. Not very threatening, though, kind of like a pesky chipmunk sneaking up on a bowl of Crunchy Nut cornflakes. Sharapova, meanwhile, growling like a Grizzly in Yellowstone park, has never looked more invulnerable. Sugiyama has no answer to a series of blistering passing shots and the Russian breaks to 15 thanks to an unforced error at the net from the Japanese player. We're back on serve, but the momentum is definitely with the Grizzly.

Sugiyama 3-6 3-2 Sharapova
Game Sharapova - booming serves and a couple of backhand winners - and it's the third game to love of the match on serve for the Russian.

"You can't fault Sharapova's service games, really, she just needs to get that first return in off Sugiyama's serve so that she can get into rallies, because that is where she is really dominating."
BBC Sport pundit Sam Smith

Sugiyama 3-6 3-1 Sharapova
A second successful challenge from Sharapova - much to the delight of the crowd and annoyance of the elderly lady judge, brilliant - gets her going in the game but Sugiyama recovers well to hold to 15.

Sugiyama 3-6 2-1 Sharapova
Another forehand error, this time missing the open court on the run at the net, puts Sharapova 0-15 down, but she recovers with a series of crunching groundstrokes to hold to 30. Not that it pleases Sharapova's father in the stands, who gestures rather rudely - a backward peace sign if you will - at the 20-year-old as she takes her seat. A glimpse of the "Yuri fury" so famous on the tour that, but he shouldn't be allowed to get away with it at Wimbledon - this is England, home of the stiff upper lip lad! Pure cheek.

Sugiyama 3-6 2-0 Sharapova
We have a challenge people! Man I love these things. The utter randomness of it is brilliant - Sharapova successfully appeals an out call by a matter of four millimetres in this instance for example (she can't have known can she) - but the best bit is watching the look of sheer indignation on the line judges' face. Pure theatre. It should have set the Russian on the way to a break-back, but two loose forehand go long and Sugiyama holds with the benefit of a net cord. That's three unforced errors in this set already, 11 overall from Sharapova, and she needs to cut those out pronto.

"Sometimes maybe you think you're playing too well and you lose a fraction of concentration. Sharapova needs to re-focus here."
BBC Sport pundit Sam Smith

Sugiyama 3-6 1-0 Sharapova
Well well well, Sugiyama roars out of the blocks in the second set, breaking Sharapova to love. Two fierce forehand winners bring up three break points and the Russian pushes a return long to hand the Japanese player her first break. Could that be the start of a turnaround?

FIRST SET

Sugiyama 3-6 Sharapova
Stay away from her backhand should be the message to Sugiyama, but it might have come a little two late. Two crunching two-handed backhand returns bring Sharapova two break points and Sugiyama gifts the Russian the first set with her first double fault of the match.

"I can imagine Sharapova's odds for the tournament are tumbling right now with a performance like she's producing out there."
BBC Sport pundit Sam Smith

Sugiyama 3-5 Sharapova
Apparently, Sugiyama's singing section - all three of them - have only just arrived in the stands, how very rude. Someone needs to inform them that, occasionally, it does stop raining at Wimbledon. They don't have a great deal to cheer, though, as Sharapova storms through another service game to love, finishing off with a superbly disguised drop shot.

Sugiyama 3-4 Sharapova
Sharapova is looking awesomely mean out there, in a delightfully angelic and cute way obviously, and much to BBC commentator David Mercer's delight, she has upped the grunt level to 6.7 on the Richter scale. Sugiyama finds her first serve just in time, though, battling back from 15-30 to hold.

Sugiyama 2-4 Sharapova
Sharapova consolidate the break comfortably, bringing out her first two aces in the match and two other unreturnable serves.

Sugiyama 2-3 Sharapova
A remarkable game for Sharapova, who breaks at the sixth time of asking. Sugiyama does well to hang onto the Russian's coattails early in the game, despite a less-than 50% first-serve success rate, saving five break points at advantage thanks to some desperate defence and her remarkable mobility. But the pressure finally tells following a succession of blistering Sharapova groundstrokes and a forehand winner onto the line hands the 20-year-old the early initiative.

"Great defence from Sugiyama but Sharapova just kept pummelling away and eventually broke the door down."
BBC Sport pundit Sam Smith

Sugiyama 2-2 Sharapova
A glimmer for Sugiyama who moves to break point with a super forehand winner down the line. A stunning forehand winner on the run saves it for Sharapova, though, the Russian chasing down a fine Sugiyama pass and firing it over the high part of the net and onto the line. A 114mph unreturnable serve brings up game point for Sharapova but Sugiyama levels it up again, coming out on top from the rally of the match. Sharapova goes on to hold thanks to two big serves but already the quality of tennis is right up there on Court One.

Sugiyama 2-1 Sharapova
Sugiyama is definitely targeting the Sharapova forehand and it is paying off at the moment. It helps that the 31-year-old has a deceptively big serve on her and her second ace seals her second game to 30. Some wag in the crowd gives it a cry of "Come on Tim" much to the amusement of those around him. Yes, very drole son, now get back to your Pimms.

Sugiyama 1-1 Sharapova
Two big serves from the Russian and she eases to 30-0, but her notoriously vulnerable forehand again lets her down as Sugiyama forces the error. A big serve and winner at the net brings her two game points, though, and she needs just the one.

Sugiyama 1-0 Sharapova
Sugiyama, petite little thing that she is, faces early problems in the face of some crunching Sharapova forehands as she concedes two early break points. A wide serve and forehand winner into the open court saves one, and a long Sharapova return saves the second. A first ace of the match helps her through and that's an important hold.

1456: That said, she will have to hope her shoulder continues to hold after months of problems. Her career record is 2-0 against Sugiyama, and each time she has lost the first set. So we could be in for a bit of a marathon here. Jubbly. And the players are ready now, Sugiyama to serve first.

1454: I'll be honest, I've just come away from covering the French Grand Prix qualifying so apologies if I start comparing either player to finely-tuned engines and the like. Good to see young Lewis Hamilton continuing to fly the flag for us Britons in F1, which is more than can be said of the efforts of our home-grown players at Wimbledon. Still, it gives us all an opportunity to choose who to get behind in SW19, so I'm backing Sharapova to ease through this test.

1448: Finally, after hours of annoying rain - fine rain, soaks you through, as Peter Kay would say - the players emerge to begin their warm-ups. Lord only knows who I have wronged to be stuck with covering Maria Sharapova again but, hey, I'm willing to take this one for the team. It's a hard life...