Keeping quiet

Sharapova wins at DFS Classic, will meet Dementieva

Something wild LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) -- Maria Sharapova has been given a wild card into the Wimbledon championships later this month, organizers said on Thursday. The blonde Sharapova was one of eight women to receive a berth in the main draw of the grass-court Grand Slam. Five went to British players ranked too low to automatically qualify. The wild card is a reward for the player who won through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw in both the Australian and French Opens earlier this year.

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) -- Russian teenager Maria Sharapova reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal Thursday, beating 11th-seeded Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian 6-0, 7-5 at the DFS Classic grass-court tournament.

And, this time, she didn't upset anybody with her grunting.

Sharapova, 16, followed up her straight-set win the previous day over No. 5 Nathalie Dechy.

She'll next face top-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva, who came from a set down to beat 18-year-old Marion Bartoli of France 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Sharapova had been warned Wednesday to tone down her high-pitched shrieking after complaints from Dechy and players on an adjacent court. One British newspaper reporter turned up Thursday with a decibel counter.

Sharapova turned down the volume and nobody complained.

"I had it in my mind that this time I was going to be quiet -- and my dad said I played a much better game today," Sharapova said after her fourth match victory on the main tour.

In other third-round matches, sixth-seeded former champion Lisa Raymond was beaten 6-2, 6-2 by No. 10 Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, and Japan's Shinobu Asagoe ousted Els Callens of Belgium, 7-6 (7), 6-1.

Sharapova overwhelmed Mikaelian in the first set with her flat, fierce ground strokes. Sharapova saved four break points at 1-2 in the second set. She hit a backhand winner down the line to earn three break points in the 11th game, converting the second with a deep service return. She served out the match in the next game.

"It's hard to say what level I am playing at but I can say that it is a level higher than yesterday," Sharapova said. "It's good for me because it's telling me that I am getting stronger and perhaps I can raise my level to that of the top girls."

 

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