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NASDAQ-100 OPEN


March 29, 2006


Maria Sharapova


MIAMI, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Maria, please.
Q. Can you talk about Golovin and your next round match, what kind of challenges she presents?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, well, she's had a really good week here. She's beaten some good players. Just have to keep improving with every match. It's going to get tougher and tougher as you go along in the tournament. I think I played a lot better than I did in my three previous matches, which is a really good sign, and hopefully I keep improving in my fifth.
Q. 26 winners tonight. Did you feel more consistency in going for your shots?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, well, I knew I had to be consistent against her. That's her biggest strength, being consistent. She's not going to overpower me on the court. She's just going to try to make me hit another ball. I thought I did that really well. I took my opportunities, took my chances, and that was important.
Q. What's the difference between her now and French Open champion?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know. It's been a while. I really don't know.
Q. Were you pretty pleased with the way you played?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Am I, yeah. I'm very pleased. I definitely stepped it up in this match, and I knew I had to. You know, kind of had some letdowns in my first three matches, and I knew that wouldn't be able to get away with it today.
So it was very important that I did step it up.
Q. How many challenges did you have today?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm not sure. One, I think one.
Q. You haven't gotten one right?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, it's pretty sad. Some are pretty close, though. Actually, the one tonight was really close. I'll keep trying.
Q. Are you of a mind when you only challenge when you really are sure that you saw it as being the other way, or would you take a chance when it is a close call?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think it depends on what point it is in the match and how many challenges you have left. If it's later in the set and I feel like, you know, I'm not too sure, and I still have two challenges left, I'm definitely going to ask. You know, why not? It's not going to hurt me.
Q. Have you changed your mind at all about the way the officiating -- your preconceptions about officiating and whether officials are wrong a lot or right a lot because of this whole HawkEye system?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I never really thought they were wrong all the time. It's just that crucial, crucial situations in a match, it can be a little frustrating, especially, you know, when it can cost you the match.
So you can tell that the umpires are not making as many overrules as they, you know, were before. You know, they just let the calls kind of go into our own hands. They want us to challenge it if we feel like the call is wrong. You know, we have to challenge it.
Q. Do you like that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, in a way, sometimes I feel like if they really saw it clearly, then I'd rather them overrule it than having me challenge it. Then the girl can challenge it if she feels that was the wrong overrule.
I mean, I don't know.

End of FastScripts...

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