Maria Sharapova celebrates her via d.yimg.com

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In a second round China Open match that came down to guts and experience as much as it did tennis, Maria Sharapova came back to defeat ninth-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5. 

The match, which lasted just a minute shy of three hours, was full of wild momentum swings and drama, with both playing surprisingly high-quality tennis throughout, despite their go-for-broke, flat shots.

Azarenka appeared to have all the momentum through the end of the second set and into the third, climbing to a two-break, 5-2 lead as Sharapova made sarcastic remarks about Jelena Jankovic.

But Sharapova steeled herself as her younger opponent failed to seize the moment.  Sharapova reeled off five tough games in a row, including three breaks, to defeat Azarenka in front of an incredibly vocal, pro-Sharapova Chinese crowd.  After the respectful but largely silent crowds in Tokyo, the loud, packed stadiums in China have been a nice change.

Sharapova's serve didn't completely abandon her, but it was nowhere near as good as it had been in Tokyo.  She served eight double faults, including a couple on break points, but she compensated with thirteen aces and a first-serve percentage of 71%.

There's something intrinsically intriguing about the Sharapova-Azarenka match-up.  They're both Soviet blondes who make a lot of noise while smacking the crap out of the ball.  They're both unapologetic about on court behavior that leaves many with a bad taste in their mouth, while simultaneously being unassailable for their clear desires to win at any cost.  Both have been marketed heavily by Nike and others as "golden girls" (more Anna Kournikova than Bea Arthur, mind you), and both make more money off the court than they do on it. 

Of course the main difference between the two, aside from a slight age difference, is their results.  Sharapova is a former #1 and has three grand slam titles and seventeen other WTA titles to her name, while Azarenka only has three WTA titles to call her own, all of which she won this year.

If Azarenka can sustain her current trajectory, there should be a lot more great battles between these two.  The tennis played between the two may be loud, and it may be migraine-inducing, but it sure is entertaining.