Zheng beats Sharapova in Paribas Open third round

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INDIAN WELLS, California, Mar 15 (AFP): China's Zheng Jie has battled past former champion Maria Sharapova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Zheng, whose run to the Australian Open semi-finals along with that of compatriot Li Na electrified Chinese tennis, next faces Alicia Molik, with a chance to avenge her first round loss to the Australian in Dubai last month.
Molik, a 29-year-old who is on the comeback trail after a second career-threatening ailment, cruised into the round of 16 with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over British qualifier Elena Baltacha.
But Zheng toiled for two hours, 43 minutes to dispatch the 10th-seeded Sharapova - the second set alone taking 68 minutes.
"It was a tough match," Zheng said. "The second set, I still had some chances, a lot of games went to deuce."
Sharapova was impressed by Zheng's tenacity.