The top-ranked Russian dominated the first set, breaking Hsieh three times and looked headed for an easy victory.
But as the wind picked up in the second set, Sharapova's serving problems surfaced again.
She double-faulted five times in the second, including one serve that bounced on her own side of the net, and trailed 4-2 before taking the last four games.
Sharapova is looking for her second Wimbledon title after losing last year's final to Petra Kvitova. She is coming off her first French Open title, which completed a career Grand Slam