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| November 13, 2005 | Sunday | Shawwal 10, 1426 |
Sharapova falls as Pierce rolls on
LOS ANGELES, Nov 12: Mary Pierce rallied to beat French Fed Cup teammate Amelie Mauresmo in three sets 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday, as round-robin play concluded at the WTA Tour Championships amid a feeling of anti-climax.
With the four semifinalists already decided and only the exact match-ups to be determined, there was little sense of urgency at the Staples Center.
With a spotless 3-0 round-robin record, Pierce locked up first place in the Black Group and a semi-final clash with world number one Lindsay Davenport.
Defending champion Maria Sharapova, already guaranteed to finish first in the Green Group ahead of Davenport, couldn’t match Pierce’s unbeaten record. She fell 6-1, 6-2 to fellow Russian Nadia Petrova and will meet Mauresmo in the semis.
Sharapova, who triumphed in a tough three-setter against Davenport on Thursday, blamed the hangover from that effort for her listless showing.
Results
Round Robin: Black Group: Mary Pierce (FRA) bt Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Kim Clijsters (BEL) bt Elena Dementieva (RUS) 6-2, 6-3
Green Group: Nadia Petrova (RUS) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS) 6-1, 6-2.—Agencies
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