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2010 Tournament Results Tournament (Seed) Surface Round Opponent W/L Score Australian Open (14) Hard First Round Maria Kirilenko L 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 4-6 Jan 17 - Jan 31 Videos: Sports News NEWS (Click Here to submit news, articles & rumors) Sharapova out; Safina wins at Australian Open (1/17/10) Maria Sharapova tumbled out of the Australian Open on Monday in her worst performance at a Grand Slam event since 2003, falling 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 to Maria Kirilenko in the first round. The 14th-seeded Sharapova was unable to defend her 2008 Australian Open championship while sidelined 10 months because of right shoulder surgery. She then failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals in the other three majors last year. The loss to Kirilenko was her earliest exit at a major since her first-round loss at the 2003 French Open. “Just didn’t win the match … bottom line,” said Sharapova, summing up the match in a matter-of-fact manner. “Certainly had my chances and just didn’t execute. “I felt like I was—when she was up and then I’d get back there, back in the game—I just didn’t take advantage of that and let her … control the situation again.” Kirilenko, whose best run at a major was to the fourth round in Melbourne two years ago, put her fingers to her lips late in the match to remind herself to remain calm, not to silence a crowd that sensed an upset. “Normally, it was for me actually, that everything is calm,” she said of the gesture. “Because of course it’s a great win, but it’s only the first round I pass. It’s nothing big actually.” Russia’s Dinara Safina also advanced, beating Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-4 in the first match completed on a rainy day at Melbourne Park. The second-seeded Safina lost the final to Serena Williams last year. Kim Clijsters played on Rod Laver Arena immediately after Sharapova’s loss and needed less than an hour to beat Valerie Tetreault of Canada 6-0, 6-4. Clijsters won the U.S. Open in September in her third tournament back from time off after getting married and having a baby. Andy Roddick sat through a needless rain suspension before beating Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. The match at Hisense Arena, the tournament’s second covered court, was suspended at 2-2 in second set so that organizers could close the roof, which had been opened despite rain in the area. In between rain delays on outside courts, No. 11-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 and Florian Mayer had an impressive comeback to beat Philipp Petzschner 0-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 6-2. No. 24 Ivan Ljubicic had a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over 16-year-old wild-card entry Jason Kubler, the youngest player in the draw. On the women’s side, No. 30 Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine had a 6-2, 7-6 (6) win over Romania’s Raluca Olaru, Zheng Jie rallied to beat Peng Shuai 0-6, 6-1, 6-2 in an all-China match, and Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-4. Sharapova kept going for winners despite twice being only two points away from losing the match. She ended up with 72 unforced errors and 11 double-faults. The Marias, both Russian and both 22, clubbed 71 winners and made 110 unforced errors between them as they traded heavy ground strokes in a match that lasted 3 hours, 22 minutes and allowed the No. 58-ranked Kirilenko to even their four career head-to-head matches. The crowd favored Kirilenko but a few voices chimed in to support Sharapova, or express exasperation. “Come ON Sharapova,” one shouted after the three-time major winner chased down a forehand but returned it to the net. The former No. 1-ranked Sharapova rallied from 2-5 down in the deciding set, holding serve and then breaking Kirilenko to stay in the match. She dropped her own serve after giving Kirilenko double match point, though, her last forehand landing out. “It’s never easy. I’m good friends with Maria,” Kirilenko said, but “I tried my best to win today—I came here quite confident.” Safina was erratic at times, but had no serious problems handling the No. 47-ranked Rybarikova in her second tournament since a back problem forced her out of the season-ending championship in October. “I had some good moments and bad moments, but overall I’m happy I went through, and I’m pretty satisfied with everything,” Safina said. “It was a solid game by me. Just from this I can start to build up much more confidence and using more my shots,” she said. Safina and Kirilenko played on the two covered courts at Melbourne Park. Matches on outside courts were delayed 45 minutes by rain and others were later suspended by showers, a change to the heat that usually confronts players at the first Grand Slam event of the season. Police were busy despite the rain, ejecting 11 people from Melbourne Park for disruptive behavior and smuggling flares onto the grounds. In another incident, police said a group of Croatian supporters were denied entry to the grounds Monday after setting off a flare. Sharapova back at a winning place, 2 years later (1/16/10) Whatever Maria Sharapova does at the Australian Open, she figures it’ll be better than what she was doing last January when she should have been defending her title here. The 2008 Australian Open champion was watching the season’s first major on television from her home in Florida last year, tending to her injured right shoulder. “I got to watch a lot of it because it was around 5 or 6 p.m. back home that the coverage started,” Sharapova said Saturday. “I remember … my little TV control room. It was many months after I had the surgery, so I was actually excited to watch the tennis.” The surgery she speaks of was on her right shoulder, one that caused her to take 10 months off the tour leading up to May of last year. First up, she missed the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. Open in 2008, a period she called “tough.” “After a while, I pretty much got over it … the pity party was over, and I just started appreciating the game and I wanted to watch it on TV, whereas a few months before that I necessarily made it a point to turn it off,” Sharapova said. It would have been easy to feel sorry for herself the way 2008 ended, particularly after the way it started: a 27-2 record before the French Open, including her third major at the Australian Open. At Melbourne Park she’d defeated Lindsay Davenport in the second round, top-ranked Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, Jelena Jankovic in the semis and Ana Ivanovic in the final. Sharapova returned to the No. 1 ranking on May 19 of that year, the week after Henin suddenly retired. After losing in the second round at Wimbledon, she withdrew prior to her third-round match at Montreal with a right shoulder injury that eventually caused her to pull out of all events for the rest of the season. During the layoff she dropped out of the top 100, but her return in May 2009 started a streak of 31 wins in 40 matches that helped her ranking improve to No. 14 in the year-end rankings. Sharapova knew during her lengthy layoff that tennis was what she wanted to do with her life. “If it was something bad, if I didn’t have great thoughts about it, I think it would have been a lot tougher to come back,” the 22-year-old Sharapova said. “There’s so many ways out during that period of time … excuses you could make to not want to be back out there. There was never really that thought in my mind, that I didn’t want it again.” She spent the offseason doing more rehabilitation work. Australia Open women's draw (1/15/10) Women’s singles draw conducted on Friday for the Australian Open in Melbourne which begins on Monday (prefix number denotes seeding): 1-Serena Williams (U.S.) v Urszula Radwanska (Poland) Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) v Jill Craybas (U.S.) Qualifier v Andrea Petkovic (Germany) Ayumi Morita (Japan) v Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 21-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) v Petra Martic (Croatia) Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) v Alberta Brianti (Italy) Kristina Barrois (Germany) v Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) Qualifier v 13-Sam Stosur (Australia) 9-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) v Kristina Kucova (Slovakia) Chang Kai-chen (Taiwan) v Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) Qualifier v Gisela Dulko (Argentina) Qualifier v 20-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 28-Elena Vesnina (Russia) v Tathiana Garbin (Italy) Kimiko Date Krumm (Japan) v Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) v Melinda Czink (Hungary) Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (France) v 7-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 4-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) v Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) Tamira Paszek (Austria) v Julia Goerges (Germany) Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) v Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) v 29-Shahar Peer (Israel) 22-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) v Viktoriya Kutuzova (Ukraine) Jarmila Groth (Australia) v Qualifier Stephanie Dubois (Canada) v Agnes Szavay (Hungary) Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) v 16-Li Na (China) 10-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) v Tatjana Malek (Germany) Melanie Oudin (U.S.) v Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) Julie Coin (France) v Alicia Molik (Australia) Alize Cornet (France) v 17-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 25-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) v Karolina Sprem (Croatia) Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarus) v Casey Dellacqua (Australia) Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) v Sybille Bammer (Austria) Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) v 6-Venus Williams (U.S.) 5-Elena Dementieva (Russia) v Vera Dushevina (Russia) Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) v Justine Henin (Belgium) Sorana Cirstea (Romania) v Olivia Rogowska (Australia) Jelena Dokic (Australia) v 27-Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 18-Virginie Razzano (France) v Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) v Sara Errani (Italy) Qualifier v Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) v 12-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 15-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) v Qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan) v Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) Chan Yung-jan (Taiwan) v Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) Edina Gallovits (Romania) v 19-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 26-Aravane Rezai (France) v Sania Mirza (India) Olga Govortsova (Belarus) v Qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) v Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) Anastasia Rodionova (Australia) v 3-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 8-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) v Monica Niculescu (Romania) Patricia Mayr (Austria) v Katie O’Brien (Britain) Qualifier v Polona Hercog (Slovenia) Qualifier v 31-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) 24-Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) v Evgeniya Rodina (Russia) Zheng Jie (China) v Peng Shuai (China) Coco Vandeweghe (U.S.) v Sandra Zahlavova (Czech Republic) Rossana de Los Rios (Paraguay) v 11-Marion Bartoli (France) 14-Maria Sharapova (Russia) v Maria Kirilenko (Russia) Qualifier v Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) v Roberta Vinci (Italy) Vania King (U.S.) v 23-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 30-Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) v Ioana Raluca Olaru (Romania) Pauline Parmentier (France) v Elena Baltacha (Britain) Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) v Qualifier Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) v 2-Dinara Safina (Russia). Capsules on women to watch at 2010 Australian Open (1/14/10) MARIA SHARAPOVA (14) Age: 22 Country: Russia 2009 Match Record: 31-9 2009 Singles Titles: 1 Career Singles Titles: 20 Major Titles: 3—U.S. Open (’06), Australian Open (’08), Wimbledon (’04) Last 5 Australian Opens: ’09-DNP, ’08-W, ’07-F, ’06-SF ’05-SF. Topspin: Win in Tokyo represented first tournament title since she returned to tour after missing nearly 10 months of singles action because of right shoulder injury. … Unable to defend her Australian title last year following the shoulder surgery. … Surface and conditions at Melbourne Park suit her game, making her a perennial contender in Australia. … Her run to the French Open quarterfinals was her best at a major last year. 2010 Australian Open women's seeds (1/14/10) List of seeded women for the 2010 Australian Open, starting Jan. 18. 1. Serena Williams (U.S.) 2. Dinara Safina (Russia) 3. Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 4. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 5. Elena Dementieva (Russia) 6. Venus Williams (U.S.) 7. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 8. Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 9. Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 10. Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 11. Marion Bartoli (France) 12. Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 13. Samantha Stosur (Australia) 14. Maria Sharapova (Russia) 15. Kim Clijsters (Belgium) 16. Li Na (China) 17. Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 18. Virginie Razzano (France) 19. Nadia Petrova (Russia) 20. Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 21. Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 22. Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 23. Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 24. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) 25. Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 26. Aravane Rezai (France) 27. Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 28. Elena Vesnina (Russia) 29. Shahar Peer (Israel) 30. Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) 31. Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) 32. Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) Sharapova back in Melbourne for tilt at second Open crown (1/13/10) There were no tell-tale grunts and squeals echoing around the Rod Laver Arena, but the booming serves and sweetly timed groundstrokes were all too evident as Maria Sharapova practiced ahead of next week’s Australian Open. A year ago, the former world number one was not even in Melbourne. She withdrew from a tournament she had dominated in 2008 via a statement issued by organisers. Her surgically repaired shoulder had not had enough time to heal and the defence of her third grand slam title was over without her even arriving Down Under. Fast foward 12 months and the tall Russian is firmly ensconced as one of the favourites for the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after a successful return last May following a layoff that stretched to almost 10 months. The 22-year-old returned to tournament play at Warsaw, winning her first two matches before losing in the quarter-finals to Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko. Once the season moved to the North American hardcourts, the powerful groundstrokes were returning and she was again running deep into tournaments. Problems adapting to a modified service action, however, was not helped when she suffered a shock loss at the hands of American teenager Melanie Oudin in the U.S. Open third round when she made 21 double faults. Sharapova refused to blame her troublesome shoulder and a month later she ended any questions about her recovery when she won her 20th WTA title in Tokyo. A loss to China’s Peng Shuai in Beijing, however, ended her season in early October—significantly earlier than previous years though the work had been done. A 31-9 record in singles rocketed her back up the rankings to 14th by the end of the year, after beginning her comeback at 126th. GREAT MATCHES She began her quest for a second Australian Open title with a victory over Venus Williams in an exhibition match in Bangkok. That win was followed by a hard-fought win over China’s Zheng Jie and then a demolition of world number four Caroline Wozniacki in another exhibition tournament in Hong Kong. “I have had three great matches against three different types of players,” she was quoted as saying by the BBC website (www.news.bbc.co.uk/sport) after the Hong Kong tournament. “It’s a great field and a good test for the Australian Open. Whether I have a good feeling or not, you never know the future.” Sharapova, however, did indicate in Hong Kong she would be managing her workload more this year and still needed continuous rehabilitation work on her shoulder. That may be one of the few weaknesses an incredibly strong women’s field may be able to exploit when play begins at the year’s first grand slam next week. World number one and champion Serena Williams will again prove a tough task for the Russian, with the American having won their last four encounters—including twice at Melbourne Park. Joining the pair will be Serena’s sister Venus, French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and the returned Belgian duo Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. The last time Henin met Sharapova, however, was in 2008 when the Russian steamrolled over the Belgian 6-4 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on her way to the title. Coincidentally, it was the same time she entered the year healthy and rested, something the rest of the field may need to take heed of. Sharapova rates Wimbledon ahead of French Open (1/9/10) Former world number one Maria Sharapova rates the Wimbledon tennis championships ahead of the French Open even though the Roland Garros title is the only major missing from her collection. "Of course, I have the ambition to win Roland Garros but it's not the most important thing for me," the 22-year-old Russian told the Bulgarian website www.sportal.bg. "It's Wimbledon that is something special and it's the Wimbledon titles that are the most precious to me. "There's no better feeling than winning the Wimbledon. It was my first grand slam and I did it at such a special place." Sharapova, the first Russian woman to reach the top rank, said she retained her enthusiasm for her sport. "I just love to compete," she said. "It makes me keep working to improve my play and to try to become a better performer." Sharapova said she was excited that Belgian pair Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters had returned to action. Clijsters defeated Henin in the final of the Brisbane Open on Saturday. "I think it's great that Kim and Justine are back," she said. "Women's tennis needs them and we're just lucky that they're among us once again." "I love to play against the best and I'm really thrilled of the possibility to meet them at the court." Sharapova beats Venus in exhibition (1/2/10) Maria Sharapova outplayed an error-prone Venus Williams to take a 6-3, 6-4 victory in an exhibition match Saturday. In a warm-up ahead of this month’s Australian Open, Sharapova converted 75 percent of her break points, against just 13 percent by Williams. Both players appeared in trouble in the basking heat and low sun at this beachside resort, but Williams particularly struggled to keep the ball in play. Sharapova, the world No. 14, displayed a solid baseline game in putting away Williams in 1 hour, 34 minutes, and recording her first win over the American since 2007. Sharapova broke Williams three times to take the first set in 49 minutes. The second set was on serve until the final game when Williams missed two forehands to lose the match. “It’s good to be back. I’m glad to play against Venus in my first match of the year,” the 22-year-old Russian said. “I still remember when I first came here (in 2005). I was still young and had a great match with Venus,” Sharapova added. Williams, who is chasing her first Australian Open title, acknowledged she was a little off the pace after the offseason. “Maria played so well,” Williams said. “I was slow in my first match of the season. It’s good to be here hitting the ball.” Sharapova won the Australian Open in 2008, but was not able to defend her title last year due to a shoulder injury. Sharapova has designs on fashion career (12/1/09) Tennis former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova is interested in trying her hand at designing clothing. The Russian player, who left her fashion mark wearing gold tennis shoes in Wimbledon in 2005, doesn't want to be a model but plans to focus on design instead. "I love designing. I love the fact that it's very creative," Sharapova told reporters on a visit to Santiago, where she will play an exhibition match against Argentina's Gisela Dulko called the "Beauty Challenge." "The world of tennis has opened up many doors in my career and I've been able to experience many of them and fashion is certainly one of them and I definitely hope that after my career I'll be able to expand on that." Ranked No. 14 in the world, Sharapova has attracted a huge online fan base, in part for her striking looks, and is often featured in magazines as a model. Venus, Sharapova sign on for Thailand (11/12/09) Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova will warm-up for the Australian Open with a exhibition match in Thailand to mark the 100th anniversary of the Hua Hin seaside resort, according to organisers. The tennis superstars will spend New Year's Eve in Hua Hin before their match on January 2, which will be followed by a mixed doubles clash alongside local heroes Paradorn Srichaphan and Danai Udomchoke. "I am delighted to be able to spend my New Year in Hua Hin, Thailand," said Sharapova, who is battling to find her best form again after arthroscopic surgery a year ago to repair her right shoulder. "I am sure it will be an exciting time and I am looking forward to competing in the Centennial Invitation." Williams, who lost to sister Serena in the final of the season-ending WTA Championships this month, is also excited. "I have very fond memories of my previous visits to Thailand and am really looking forward to returning for the Centennial Invitation match in Hua Hin," she said. After their match, both players move to Hong Kong for the Tennis Classic team event, which features players representing Europe, Russia, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific. They then head to Australia for the opening Grand Slam of the season. Sharapova beaten by China shock specialist Peng (10/7/09) A tired Maria Sharapova bowed out in the third round of the $6.6 million China Open on Wednesday, beaten 6-2 6-4 by China’s Peng Shuai to the delight of the crowd at the Olympic tennis centre. Second seed Novak Djokovic later claimed a place in the men’s quarter-finals with a ruthless 6-3 6-0 demolition of fellow Serb Viktor Troicki. Sharapova, who claimed her first title since returning from a shoulder injury in Tokyo on Saturday, had to come from 5-2 down in the third set to win a three-hour opening match on Tuesday. There was to be no way back against Peng, however, and the world number 53 converted her third match point to produce an upset for the second evening in a row after her second-round win over holder Jelena Jankovic. “My energy level was not where it should have been … there’ve been occasions where I’ve been able to fight back, today was just not one of those days unfortunately,” Sharapova told reporters. “She played really solid and really aggressive and did all the right things to win the match.” Peng, who went straight back out to play doubles, must next beat either second seed Serena Williams or Nadia Petrova for a place in the China Open semi-finals for the third time. Fourth seed Elena Dementieva immediately restored order in the second Russia versus China clash of the evening, rattling through her third-round match against Li Na 6-2 6-0 in just under an hour to move into the quarter-finals. “That’s the worst match I’ve played in the last six months,” said a defensive Li, whose relations with the Chinese media have often been strained. “It’s normal to win and lose, why do you always question my attitude when I lose? Sharapova also lost today, would you say she has psychological problems?” Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2006 champion, overcame a misfiring serve to claim her place in the last eight with a 6-3 4-6 6-0 victory over Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko. The sixth-seeded Russian will face compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals after the teenager beat Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak 6-4 6-4. Sharapova wins as Jankovic retires in Japan final (10/3/09) Maria Sharapova won her first tournament since returning from a 10-month injury layoff when Jelena Jankovic retired because of an arm injury in the first set of the Toray Pan Pacific final Saturday. Sharapova was up 5-2 at Ariake Colosseum when the seventh-seeded Serb took a timeout to have her right arm examined by the trainer. Jankovic returned to the court and lost the first two points of the eighth game before retiring. “It’s disappointing,” said Sharapova, who had arthroscopic surgery to repair a rotator cuff in her right shoulder nearly a year ago. “It’s toward the end of the year and there are a lot of injuries so I wish Jelena a speedy recovery.” It was Sharapova’s first win since Amelia Island in April 2008. Sharapova won her first tournament as a professional at the Japan Open in 2003 and won this tournament in 2005, defeating Lindsay Davenport in the final. Jankovic got off to a strong start, breaking Sharapova’s serve in the first game and taking a 2-0 lead. But Sharapova fought back and took control of the first set when she broke Jankovic to go up 4-2. “She started off so strong,” Sharapova said. “But it’s my second final of the year so I wanted to play strong. I played well all week so I felt I could give her a good match.” Sharapova also reached the final in Toronto in August, losing to Elena Dementieva. “It’s exciting,” Sharapova said. “We put in so much work and to be able to go out and compete in front of thousands of fans is great. You realize what a gift it is to hit a tennis ball.” Sharapova, Jankovic to meet in Pan Pacific final (10/2/09) Maria Sharapova will have a chance to add to two previous career successes in Japan after advancing Friday to the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. The Russian will face seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in Saturday’s final at Ariake Colosseum, hoping to break a title drought that extends back to April last year. She has won four of her previous five matches against Jankovic, who defeated China’s Li Na 6-4, 6-3 in Friday’s other semifinal. “She’s a very solid player,” Sharapova said of Jankovic. “She’s a great mover and makes you hit a lot of balls. The points are never easy so it will be a tough match.” Radwanska saved two match points in the final game to pull back to 30-40 but Sharapova closed out the match with a crosscourt backhand. Sharapova has struggled since returning from a 10-month injury layoff but has a record of strong performances in Japan. She won her first tournament as a professional at the Japan Open in 2003 and won this tournament in 2005, defeating Lindsay Davenport in the final. Sharapova lost to American Melanie Oudin in the third round of the U.S. Open last month and said that gave her time to get ready for this event. “I’ve done way better than I thought,” Sharapova said. “When you lose early in a Grand Slam, you have more time to prepare but you never know how that will translate in a match.” Jankovic took a medical timeout early in the second set but worked through pain in her win over Li. Li had just broken Jankovic to go up 2-1 when the Serb took a timeout to have her right arm treated. Jankovic broke back in the fourth game and never looked back. “I started to feel some pain in my arm,” the former top-ranked Jankovic said. “The ball was heavy in this humidity. I received some treatment and tried not think about it and just fight for every point.” Jankovic has won two titles this year at Cincinnati and Marbella. “If I can win my third title of the year, that would be pretty good,” Jankovic said. “It’s been a difficult year so it would be nice to finish strong.” Jankovic, the highest seeded player left in the tournament, said she was looking forward to facing Sharapova. “It will be a difficult match,” Jankovic said. “She is a strong hitter. I haven’t played her in a while and don’t know how she is playing so it will be an interesting match.” Top-ranked Dinara Safina of Russia, Venus Williams and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova all lost their opening matches after first-round byes. Sharapova powers into Tokyo semi-finals (10/1/09) Former world number one Maria Sharapova stormed into the Pan Pacific Open semi-finals by outfoxing Czech Iveta Benesova 6-4 7-5 on Thursday. Earlier, seventh seed Jelena Jankovic eased past France’s Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-3 to reach the last four of the $2 million tournament in Tokyo. Sharapova, 25th in the world after shoulder surgery last October, kept the nervous event organisers happy after a glut of early exits by top-seeded players. “I feel like it’s almost automatic again,” the three-times grand slam winner told reporters. “Figuring things out and being patient. It didn’t come easy to me at first. “The goal is to be aggressive no matter what the situation is. It’s about execution and not making errors when you have to step up and win big points.” The Russian, still looking for her first title since her return from injury, rattled off four straight games to take the opening set. Sharapova’s big-match experience told again at the business end of the second when she broke her opponent’s serve at 6-5 with a ferocious backhand to close out the quarter-final. The 2005 Tokyo champion will face 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in Friday’s semi-finals after the Pole swept aside Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3 6-1 in the late match. Sharapova gives Pan Pacific Open a facelift (9/30/09) Former world number one Maria Sharapova continued her salvage operation at the Pan Pacific Open by screeching into the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Wearing a pink dress, the Russian beat compatriot Alisa Kleybanova 2-6 6-2 6-2—to the relief of Tokyo organisers after a flood of early upsets at the $2 million event. “It took a while to get my reaction and instincts back today,” Sharapova, ranked 25th in the world following shoulder surgery last October, told reporters. Seventh seed Jelena Jankovic, the highest-ranked survivor, avoided the rush for the exit after Russian Elena Vesnina retired with a thigh strain while trailing 6-1 3-0. A tournament which began with nine of the world’s top 10 players at least kept its remaining two as eighth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus also powered on. The world number nine, a three-times title winner on the women’s WTA Tour this year, beat Czech Lucie Safarova 7-5 6-4 to set up a quarter-final with China’s Li Na. Sharapova recovered from an error-strewn first set to reach the last eight of a tournament she won in 2005. The 22-year-old called coach Michael Joyce on court for advice at the end of the set before storming through the second to level the match and turn the tide in her favour. Pumping up the volume as the ferocity of her hitting increased, Sharapova secured the crucial break at 2-2 in the decider by smashing a forehand return across court. The three-times grand slam winner sealed victory with a vicious kick serve that bamboozled Kleybanova and celebrated by blowing kisses to all corners of the crowd. FRESH BREATH “Michael’s come on court a few times this year,” said Sharapova, referring to the on-court coaching rule approved for this season by the WTA Tour. “I use it to give me a little boost of energy, not change anything drastically. He just gave me a few pointers. It pumps you up a little bit, gives you that fresh breath of air.” Sharapova’s next opponent is Czech Iveta Benesova, who knocked out Taiwanese qualifier Chang Kai-chen—shock conqueror of world number one Dinara Safina—with a 7-5 6-2 win. Jankovic, who finished 2008 as the world number one, was cruising when Vesnina threw in the towel in cold conditions under a closed centre court roof as rain lashed Tokyo Bay. “My goal is to make the (WTA Tour’s season-ending) championships,” the world number eight said. “I’m really not worrying about what’s happening to the other seeds.” Jankovic next plays 14th seed Marion Bartoli after the Frenchwoman scored a 4-6 6-2 7-5 win over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Safina, second seed Venus Williams and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova all lost their opening matches on Monday after first-round byes. Sharapova wins in Japan (9/29/09) Maria Sharapova cruised past Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-0, 6-1 Tuesday in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. The former top-ranked Russian, who has been struggling since returning from a 10-month injury layoff, will face Alisa Kleybanova, who defeated sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. “This is the first time I’ve really had to make adjustments in my game,” said Sharapova, referring to her injury layoff. “After coming back from a long period, you have to adjust to the speed, reaction time, stuff that usually comes natural to you.” Sharapova won her first tournament as a professional at the Japan Open in 2003 and won in Tokyo in 2005. With more seeded players losing Tuesday, including third-seeded Elena Dementieva, she is positioned well for another shot at a title. “The more rounds you play, the tougher it gets,” Sharapova said. “You’ve got to take it one match at a time and not think too far down the road.” News Archive