She then dominated the rest of the way Saturday to beat Karin Knapp 7-6 (4), 6-0 in the third round of the French Open.
The top-ranked Sharapova needed 81 minutes to win the opening set. She squandered a lead and fell behind in the tiebreaker, then benefited from some shaky shots by Knapp.
In the second set, Sharapova played her best tennis of the week.
“It was like my twin sister was here, and then Maria actually made her flight and made it for the second set,” Sharapova said. “I definitely became a lot more aggressive and stepped in and didn’t give her too many easy balls.”
With no U.S. women left in the tournament, perhaps Americans can claim 18-year-old Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, who has lived and trained the past two years in Scottsdale, Ariz. The No. 16-seeded Azarenka beat No. 18 Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-1 and has lost only six games in three matches this week.
Azarenka took advantage of Schiavone’s weak second serve, winning 23 of those 28 points. Since the start of the year, Azarenka has climbed in the rankings from 30th to a career-high 17th.
“This year I improved a lot my forehand, which was my weak shot,” she said. “Now it’s like my weapon, which helps me a lot.”
Azarenka will next play No. 4-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, who faced only one break point and beat Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-1. Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, beat Azarenka in their two previous meetings, both on hardcourt.
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