Maria Sharapova tops Begu, reaches Madrid Open last-16

Maria Sharapova

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova on Monday defeated a second Romanian opponent at the Madrid Open, advancing to the round of 16 after knocking out Irina Camelia Begu 7-5, 6-1. The 2014 Madrid champion needed one hour and 34 minutes to earn her fourth win against Begu in as many career matches, reports Efe.

Making her eighth appearance at the tournament, Sharaporva, a former World No. 1, reached the third round of the WTA clay-court event for the sixth time. Sharapova, currently world No. 52, managed to recover from an early break to seal the first set in 65 minutes.

Things went more easily for Sharapova in the second set, as she managed to win six straight games. The 31-year-old began her Madrid Open campaign on Sunday by defeating Romania's Mihaela Buzarnescu in straight sets. Sharapova is set to take on Kristina Mladenovic of France, who beat China's Shuai Zhang 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.