Daniilidou Earns Sharapova Meeting at Miami

Former Top 15-ranked Greek Eleni Daniilidou came from a set down Wednesday to defeat Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-1 in the third, earning a second-round meeting with the struggling Maria Sharapova at the WTA stop in Miami.

In her last match Sharapova was at the receiving end of a 6-0, 6-0 blowout at the hands of world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport.

"That's just part of our sport," said Sharapova on the double bagel. "You're not going to be at your best all the time. I didn't really find a way to fight out there. Usually I find a way to get a rhythm in the match, and I wasn't able to do that. It was good for me to take a few days off and forget about it."

Two of the seven qualifiers in action Wednesday advanced into the second round in Colombian conqueror Catalina Castano (d. (Q) Foretz) and Israel's Shahar Peer (d. Domachowska in three).

Other winners on the all-unseeded day of play were Czechs Kveta Peschke (d. (WC) Karatantcheva) and Denisa Chladkova (d. countrywoman Benesova who retired in the third with injury), Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues (d. Weingartner who retired with injury) and Nuria Llagostera Vives (d. Lee-Waters, bagel in the second), Russians Vera Douchevina (d. Loit) and Alina Jidkova (d. (Q) A.Bondarenko, bagel in the second), Americans Marissa Irvin (d. (Q) Serna), Abigail Spears (d. Stosur 6-1 in the third), Meghann Shaughnessy (d. (Q) Fedak, bagel in the second), and Jill Craybas (d. Razzano in three), Puerto Rico's Kristina Brandi (d. (WC) J.Jackson), Aussie Nicole Pratt (d. Tanasugarn), and Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld (d. countrywoman (Q) Schruff).

With the win the American Spears advances for face former No. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne in her 2005 debut.

On court Thursday in Miami on another day of all-unseeded play are (Q) Kloesel vs. the former No. 1 Clijsters, Randriantefy vs. (Q) Peterson, Srebotnik vs. Vaidisova, (WC) Jessica "Captain" Kirkland vs. Morigami, Mashona "Little Sis" Washington vs. Raymond in an all-American, (WC) Haynes vs. (Q) Diaz-Oliva, (WC) Uberoi vs. (Q) Voskoboeva, Ivanovic vs. (Q) Granville, Chakvetadze vs. Kirilenko in an all-Russian, (WC) Kutuzova vs. Ruano Pascual, Parra Santonja vs. the 15-year-old (WC) Tatishvili, Strycova vs. Mandula, Martina "Nurse, I Need a" Sucha vs. Linetskaya, Vento-Kabchi vs. Schaul, Perebiynis vs. Marrero, and India's new darling (WC) Mirza vs. Sanchez Lorenzo.