Olympics: Sharapova sweats to oust Robson in round 2

London, Aug 1 – Maria Sharapova beat Britain’s Laura Robson, ranked 98 in the world, in the second round of the Olympic tournament Tuesday, but the Russian No. 1 was made to sweat.

The players exchanged breaks in the first set, with Sharapova needing a tie-break to clinch it on her first set point.

Sharapova then shifted gear, charging to a 7-5(6), 6-3 win.

In the third round, Russian Olympic flag bearer will encounter 15th seed Sabine Lisicki, who battled through the fierce resistance of Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedoda in a three-set thriller 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

It will be the second match between the two players over the last month, as it was the German right-hander who upset Sharapova in the fourth round of Wimbledon at the beginning of July.

Elsewhere, Germany’s Julia Goerges, who slayed second seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the first round, eliminated Varvara Lepchenko of the US 6-3, 7-5.

Goerges, 23, will face the winner of Maria Kirilenko, seeded 14, and Britain’s Heather Watson.