Maria Sharapova edges Wozniacki in Key Biscayne semis

Associated Press : Key Biscayne, Florida, Fri Mar 30 2012, 15:39 hrs

A disputed line call on match point meant Maria Sharapova's win over Caroline Wozniacki in the Sony Ericsson Open semifinals on Thursday ended in ill feeling.
Sharapova won the disputed final point after an overrule by the umpire, edging Wozniacki 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“You don't want it to end that way,” said Sharapova.
At 40-30 in the last game, Sharapova hit a second serve that the linesman called long, which would have been a double-fault, but umpire Kader Nouni immediately reversed the ruling and ordered the point replayed. The call couldn't be reviewed because Wozniacki had no challenges left, although TV replays showed Nouni was correct to overrule.
Sharapova was awarded two serves and took advantage with a big first serve to set up an overhead slam for the victory.
Wozniacki, angry about the overrule, declined to shake Nouni's hand and had words with him as she walked to the exit.
“It was a pretty crucial point,” she said.
“When the ball is so close, he should give her a chance to challenge, at least when I don't have any challenges,” she added.
Sharapova said she didn't realize Wozniacki had no challenges left, and added she would have challenged the call herself had it not been overruled.
“It's a tough situation to be in because it's so close to the end of the match, and both of us had fought so hard for over two hours,” said Sharapova.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic advanced to the men's semifinals without argument, beating No. 5 David Ferrer 6-2, 7-6 (1). Djokovic lost a remarkable 40-shot rally that had spectators gasping as it progressed, but he played a nearly flawless tiebreaker to seal the victory.