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Sharapova and Zheng serve up a classic

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Maria Sharapova came to town looking to test her fitness before she heads down under for the Australian Open.

And Zheng Jie gave the former world No1 one everything she wanted and a little bit more on the opening night of the Hong Kong Tennis Classic.

The Team Russia captain was pushed all the way by Zheng before winning 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-2, the Chinese player only succumbing to Sharapova's power as the match ticked towards the three-hour mark.

'I'll take whatever comes my way,' said the world No14. 'If that means losing the first set and finding a way to battle back and win, then that's what I'm going to try to do.'

The pair had only played once before on tour - a straight-sets win to Sharapova in Japan in 2003 - and both came to Hong Kong following seasons that were blighted by injuries, Sharapova to her shoulder and Zheng to her wrist.

But there were no signs of such ailments from either last night as they produced power-packed tennis to thrill the sold-out Victoria Park crowd.

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