England, Jun28: Maria Sharapova overcame a second-set blip as she returned to the court for a second straight day to finish off a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-0 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria on Thursday to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
The top-ranked Russian led 3-1 in the second set when the match was halted on Wednesday because of bad light, but she was broken in the first game when play resumed. She then sent a forehand long to give Pironkova the second set but overpowered the Bulgarian in the decider, reeling off six straight games in less than 30 minutes.
Sharapova is coming off her first French Open title, which completed a career Grand Slam, and is looking for a second Wimbledon crown after winning here in 2004 as a 17-year-old.
