CAMILA GIORGI ADVANCES IN INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN. SHARAPOVA OUT.

Italian Camila Giorgi is no stranger to reaching the Round of 16 as a qualifier. She did it two years ago at Wimbledon, where she recorded her first two Top 20 wins over Flavia Pennetta and Nadia Petrova. She did it again last year at the US Open, courtesy of a win over a No. 8-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the third round. On Monday at the BNP Paribas Open, the 22-year-old Giorgi accomplished the feat for a third time as she prevailed against defending champion Maria Sharapova 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. "It was really good match," said Giorgi, who is making her Indian Wells debut. "I think so. Wasn't too consistent, but was great."
The 79th-ranked Giorgi was unable to serve out the match at the first time of asking, but broke the World No. 5 at love in the next game and made good on her second opportunity to clinch her third win against a Top 10 player. Sharapova, who also claimed the Indian Wells title in 2006, dropped serve a total of eight times and committed 58 unforced errors.

“I did not play a good match at all, and I started very poorly,” said Sharapova. “Never played against her, but she's someone that doesn't give you much rhythm. She's quite aggressive, but some shots she hits incredible for a long period of time. Sometimes they go off a bit. But, if I'm speaking about my level, it was nowhere near where it should have been.” Giorgi will look to defeat Pennetta once again, when she meets her countrywoman for a place in the quarter-finals. Pennetta, the No. 20 seed, beat 16th-seeded Australian Sam Stosur 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.