Maria Sharapova vs. CoCo Vandeweghe: Score and Reaction from 2015 Wimbledon

Maria Sharapova had to dig deep to beat CoCo Vandeweghe during Tuesday's 2015 Wimbledon quarter-final, needing three sets to book passage to the next round. The former Wimbledon champion took the first set before suffering a meltdown in the second, but she rebounded in the third to win 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2.  

Sharapova's experience made the difference in the final set; however, the Russian star was far from her best and struggled during long stretches of the match, an ominous sign with the semi-finals right around the corner.

Before the start of the match, Wimbledon uploaded this official preview, noting how Sharapova had yet to drop a set and had looked excellent up until this point:

From the opening game, however, Vandeweghe made it clear she intended to change that. The American was aggressive and had the 28-year-old running, before securing several break chances during Sharapova's first service game.

The Russian star battled her way back, but in her very next service game, the pattern continued. Sharapova struggled with her serve, hitting multiple double-faults, leading the Press Association's Nick Purewal to suggest Vandeweghe could have done a lot more to give herself an early lead:

Controversy arose in the next game. The 23-year-old Vandeweghe, who had already expressed her frustrations with Sharapova's grunting, complained to the umpire when Sharapova appeared to be hopping and moving during Vandeweghe's toss, which she felt was distracting, per USA Today's Nick McCarvel:

The tactic appeared to work as Vandeweghe dropped her serve for the first time, although the American bounced back straight away. But Sharapova showed her class in the next game, breaking Vandeweghe again―amid more complaints of movement during the toss―and calmly controlled the set from that point forward.

Vandeweghe's strong and aggressive play became erratic at times, allowing Sharapova to be a little more patient and rely on her opponent to beat herself. The New York Times' Ben Rothenberg noted the inexperienced youngster was starting to lose her grip a bit:

She hit only four errors during the first set but stopped aggressively chasing winners late, and before long, Sharapova had captured the opening set, winning 6-3.

The score seemed harsh on Vandeweghe, who actually led Sharapova in most statistical categories, per the event's official Twitter account:

The former Wimbledon winner made the right plays when she needed to, although her five double-faults indicated she struggled a lot more than she would have liked.

Early in the second set, Vandeweghe rediscovered her top form. The American put excellent range on her strokes, driving Sharapova well behind the baseline and negating her awesome power.

But once again, the favourite bounced back, breaking her opponent in the third game to take the lead and a firm grip on the match. However, the crowd got behind the underdog, per ESPN.com's Melissa Isaacson, and Vandeweghe drew inspiration from the support, narrowly holding her serve and giving herself a chance:

She came close to breaking back in the sixth game and easily held her serve in the seventh, despite more movement during her toss. She again addressed the issue, per Tenis Portugal's Gaspar Lanca:

Sharapova didn't let the distractions and breaks in play get to her, however, holding serve until 5-4. But serving for the match, she again struggled, allowing Vandeweghe to finally break back. The crowd at the Centre Court cheered, while Sharapova couldn't believe she hit yet another double-fault at such a crucial time.

The New York Times' Christopher Clarey wasn't happy with how much time she was taking between serves, either:

What followed was one of the longest games of the match, with Sharapova having several break chances and Vandeweghe desperately clinging on for dear life. The next game, the roles were reversed, as Sharapova fought off two break chances to force a tiebreak.

In that tiebreak, Vandeweghe easily took control and never looked back, forcing a deciding third set. McCarvel was impressed:

Sharapova started the final set on fire, easily winning the first game before breaking Vandeweghe's serve with a handful of dominant returns. The American started to make silly errors, and while she managed to break back in the fifth game, Sharapova immediately responded. Vandeweghe seemed to crack, and one more break put the final score on the board.

ESPN Tennis pointed out the victory was a milestone for the Russian:

"

World No.4 #Sharapova finds her way thru to her 20th Major semifinal w/6-3 6-7(3) 6-2 win over Vandeweghe. #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/9cT6cwYS86

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) July 7, 2015"

"You have to give everything you have on a special occasion, on a special court," Sharapova said after the match, according to the tournament's Twitter feed.

Vandeweghe was hugely disappointed after the loss, and she didn't hide her frustration toward Sharapova or the umpire. As reported by the New York Daily News' Filip Bondy, she said: “She was moving around in the middle of my motion on my second serve. That's why I spoke to the umpire. What I experienced, what I felt from her moving around in between my serving motion was not, I don't think, sportsmanlike, in my opinion. I try to play as fair as I can. She said she didn’t believe she was doing it during the motion. I strongly disagreed.

Sharapova will play the winner of the match between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in the semi-finals, and if Tuesday's performance is any indication, she will have her work cut out for her. Vandeweghe deserves credit for giving the former champion a tough match, but Sharapova didn't look sharp at all, and her serve was a mess.

Against an established top contender like Williams or Azarenka on a surface as fast as grass, a wonky serve means trouble. Sharapova needs to find some answers fast if she is to have any hope of winning Wimbledon for the second time in her career.