Many of this tournament's best matches have taken place outside Rod Laver Arena, which we were reminded of as Maria Sharapova was laying an egg against Andrea Petkovic. Simultaneously, in Hisense Arena, Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova were contesting the longest women's match in Grand Slam history. When the four hour, 44 minute epic finally ended, and the cameras turned back to the tennis on Laver, it seemed more out of obligation than for its entertainment value.
You can chalk that up to Sharapova, who proved many of her critics right tonight by striking 30 unforced errors in a desultory 6-2, 6-3 loss. With a shaky serve and a penchant for leaking errors, the three-time Grand Slam champion has been thought of in a lesser competitive light of late. Petkovic was the latest beneficiary of Maria 2.0 (or maybe, Maria negative 1.0?), though she nearly let the Russian back in this one. Petkovic served for the match up 5-1, promptly gave one break back and nearly did it a second time. The German converted her third match point after Sharapova sprayed a return long.
Petkovic is now in the quarterfinals and will face Li Na—a great opportunity for both women. Na, a semifinalist here last year, is clearly the favorite, but if Petkovic can keep her error count down—she had just nine tonight—she'll have a chance. Expect to hear about her alter ego, "Petkorazzi," for at least another couple of days. Petkovic has two sides to her, and it appears that Sharapova does as well: the imposing, confident youngster and the unreliable, post-surgery veteran.
—Ed McGrogan