Maria Sharapova turned on the style at the WTA Finals in Singapore as she picked apart Simona Halep's game on her way to a straight-sets victory Tuesday.
The world No. 4, who has only played once since Wimbledon prior to the start of the season-ending tournament due to injury, looked fresh and revitalized as she dominated the top-seeded Halep, winning 6-4, 6-4 to boost her semifinal hopes.
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U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta will face Sharapova in the final Red Group match on Thursday, with Halep facing Agnieszka Radwanska in the round-robin pool. With a win or a Radwanska victory, the 28-year-old Russian will advance to the semifinals.
Sharapova was immediately on the front foot as she looked to dominate proceedings, a string of thundering forehands giving her the first break of the match in the second game.
The Russian quickly let Halep back in, though, as double faults plagued her next service game.
After a host of thrilling games with competitive rallies, the opening set finally had its decisive moment when Sharapova put pressure on the Halep serve in the 10th, another powerful forehand proving too good as she converted her third set point.
Buoyed by her progress, Sharapova turned the screw at the start of the second set to take the first three games, this time her backhand shining as Halep tried in vain to stay in the match.
Another break gave Sharapova a 5-1 lead, but Halep sensed a chink in her armor and rallied to 5-4, winning three in a row as her opponent's game crumbled.
However, her comeback was short-lived as motivating words from Sharapova's coach inspired a fifth break of the match, a final piercing backhand securing back-to-back victories after beating Radwanska in her WTA Finals opener on Sunday.