The fourth-seeded Sharapova, who was nursing a left ankle injury prior to the Australian Open, has dropped only five games in her first three matches.
Sharapova, the 2008 Australian Open champion, will next play former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova or Sabine Lisicki.
Five-time champion Serena Williams is a potential quarterfinal opponent while Petra Kvitova, who beat Sharapova for the Wimbledon title last year, looms in the semifinals.
The 2008 Australian Open winner had a 6-0, 6-1 second-round win over U.S. qualifier Jamie Hampton in 64 minutes on Thursday, two days after beating Argentina’s Gisela Dulko by the same margin.
Sharapova did not play in any warmup events and spent nearly two weeks in Melbourne ahead of the season’s first major while she rested an injured left ankle.
There was no indication of any problems with the ankle on Thursday, but the 24-year-old Russian wasn’t really tested by No. 144-ranked Hampton, who has only ever won one match at a Grand Slam.
“It was more about getting my feet going … worrying about myself,” Sharapova said. “Yeah, started my preparations in the offseason a little late, took a bit of extra time in practice instead of rushing into a tournament.”
She’ll meet either Stephanie Dubois of Canada or 30th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany in the next round.
Seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva, a two-time semifinalist at Melbourne Park, had a 6-1, 7-6 (3) over Lucie Hradecka. No. 21 Ana Ivanovic also advanced, beating Dutch player Michaella Krajicek 6-2, 6-3.
Sharapova is one of three former champions still in contention. Serena Williams was bidding to extend her winning streak to 16 matches at Melbourne Park when she played Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the subsequent match on Rod Laver Arena. Williams won back-to-back titles in 2009 and ’10 but missed last year’s tournament due to injuries.
Defending champion Kim Clijsters is into the third round on the other half of the draw.
Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki is aiming for her first major tile, and is one of four women in the draw who can finish the tournament at No. 1.
After her 6-1, 7-6 (4) second-round win over Anna Tatishvili on Wednesday, she asked how her boyfriend might be able to help.
She smiled, paused, then relayed some of the advice Rory McIlroy offered that helped him overcome similar pressure and win a golf major.
“Well, it’s just about you can’t really do anything about the past,” Wozniacki said. “You just need to look forward. You have a tournament now, and you want to do the best you can. That’s it.
“Then if it goes well, it’s great. If not, you have the next one. It’s like tennis.”
McIlroy was considered a major golf talent on the cusp of a breakthrough when he blew a four-stroke lead and lost last year’s Masters. He handled it with such humility that it didn’t surprise anyone when he rebounded to win the U.S. Open two months later, when he was 22.
Wozniacki is into a third-round match against No. 31 Monica Niculescu. A win could put her on course for a quarterfinal match against Clijsters, who routed Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-0, 6-1.
Clijsters will face longtime friend Daniela Hantuchova in the third round, and a win there could set up a fourth-round match against French Open champion Li Na, a rematch of the 2011 Australian final.
Third-seeded Victoria Azarenka advanced in a night match with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Australian wild card Casey Dellacqua. Former top-ranked player Jelena Jankovic stayed alive in the draw after beating Chang Kai-chen 6-4, 6-2 and could be a fourth-round rival for Wozniacki.
On the men’s side, No. 2 Rafael Nadal advanced without much trouble from his injured right knee or from German veteran Tommy Haas in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win. Four-time champion Roger Federer didn’t even need to pick up a racket because Andreas Beck withdrew from their second-round match.
The top-ranked American man bowed out when No. 8 Mardy Fish lost to Alejandro Falla of Colombia 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (6). But No. 16 John Isner survived a five-setter to beat former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian, who was enraged by an umpire who didn’t allow him to challenge a disputed line call because he took too long to ask for a review.
No. 7 Tomas Berdych, 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and No. 18 Feliciano Lopez all advanced.
Andy Roddick was scheduled to play the last match Thursday against Lleyton Hewitt in a battle between two former No. 1-ranked players. Defending champion Novak Djokovic has an earlier center court match against Santiago Giraldo. Andy Murray, who has lost the last two Australian Open finals, takes on Edourd Roger-Vasselin.
The 24-year-old Russian had been heading for a ‘double bagel’ 6-0 6-0 victory until she temporarily lost control of her serve in the third game of the second set and was broken.
Dulko, who had beaten Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2009 in their only other meeting, punched the air in delight after winning the game while the crowd on the second show court of Hisense Arena gave her a massive cheer and sustained applause.
Sharapova, however, was not prepared to stay on court any longer than she had to in the intense heat, breaking Dulko’s next two service games and while the Argentine had three break points when the fourth seed was serving for the match she was unable to stave off the inevitable.
Sharapova told Brisbane tournament officials in a statement released Saturday that “unfortunately my ankle is not 100 percent and I won’t be able to make it this year.” It would have been her first appearance at the Brisbane event which begins Jan. 1.
She said the injury, which also forced her to withdraw from the China Open and later the WTA Championships in Istanbul after two losses, should not affect her chances of competing at the Australian Open, which she won in 2008 and which begins Jan. 16 in Melbourne.
“Not sure if everyone knows, but I will be playing Fed Cup for Russia versus Spain after (the Australian Open),” the Florida-based Russian said on her official website (www.mariasharapova.com).
“So glad we get to play in Moscow! I will have four weeks in the Australian summer and then a week in the Moscow winter.”
Russia host Spain in the Olympic indoor arena on Feb. 4-5.
Sharapova has not played for her native country since losing to France’s Virginie Razzano in straight sets in the Fed Cup quarter-finals last February before being replaced for the reserse singles the following day.
Russia went on to beat France 3-2, then crushed Italy 5-0 in the semi-finals before losing to the Czech Republic 3-2 in the Moscow final last month.
The women’s Tour, while thriving commercially, has struggled to match the exposure of a men’s game enjoying a golden generation of players and WTA chief Stacey Allaster spoke this week of her support for a joint event.
While initial impressions of the WTA Championships’ debut in Istanbul’s huge Sinan Erdem Arena, where it will remain until 2013, have been positive, Sharapova believes the tournament would sit well next to the men’s ATP World Tour finals which are staged in London at the end of November.
“It would definitely be nice to see,” Sharapova told reporters. “I think that would be a lot more fun for the fans to see the men and women together.”
Scheduling would be a major hurdle, however, with the men’s season stretching a month longer than the women’s. “I think right now our schedules are pretty far off,” Sharapova said.
“They have another couple of weeks until they play their Champs, so unless they make some drastic schedule changes I don’t see that happening very soon. But it would be nice all the same.”
World number one Wozniacki, whose lack of a grand slam title is used as stick to beat the WTA Tour over its quality, said aligning the men’s and women’s games could hold advantages for both.
“I think that would be great,” she said. “Just not in December. The men should definitely cut their season if that was to happen, but I think that would be a good idea.”
Asked if there was a danger the women’s year-ender would suffer by comparison with the men’s event, which this year features Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, she said it would not be a problem.
“I think we have some very good players and some very big names, as well,” she said.
“I know they have obviously Rafa and Roger and Novak and Murray really dictating most of it, but at the same time you can just see out there today we also have a lot of fans coming and watching us.”
On the eve of the Championships, Allaster said she was in favour of combined non-Grand Slam events like those at Miami and Indian Wells. “They are very successful for our sport,” Allaster said. “There’s no doubt that fans enjoy seeing men and women compete on the same stage.
“We’ve talked about combining the two year-end championships, but there’s no easy solution with our calendar and the guys’ calendar.”
The WTA confirmed Sharapova - who has been enfeebled of late with an ankle injury - had decided to quit the tournament after two successive defeats, robbing the organisers of their biggest drawcard and the player of the chance of regaining the title after a seven year gap and also finishing world number one.
For French Open champion Li it was a great relief as she recorded her first win in two months.
Li has been suffering from knee problems which has restricted her to a mere seven victories since her history-making triumph in Paris in June when she became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Sharapova did try and take some positives from her appearing here.
"I just have to be pleased that I recovered quickly enough to allow myself a chance of playing here," she said.
She both moved better and hit the ball better than during Tuesday’s loss to Samantha Stosur, the US Open champion, and sometimes hit the ball with enough pace and consistency to suggest she might beat Li.
However she missed good chances of getting into a dominant position when she failed to convert two points for a double break and a 5-2 lead in the first set, and then let slip a lead of 4-0 in the tie-break.
Sharapova did though play some full-blooded rallies with Li, who took some bold risks to grab the initiative, which caused both players to display some great fighting qualities in the second set.
Li admitted that her confidence had taken a bit of a dive since her moment of glory in Paris.
"Of course it's a little bit different from the French Open, but you know this is sport. This is tennis. You have to win, you have to lose," she said.
Nevertheless she looked very pleased to win, and if she wins again against Azarenka on Thursday, she will have a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.,P>Azarenka, who won the title in Luxembourg last week, again showed herself in good form, by earlier outplaying Stosur 6-2, 6-2, and maintained her one hundred percent winning record against the Australian.
The Belarusian's ground strokes were too heavy and too consistent, and she may also be pleased with some very good statistics on her serving, one aspect of her game she has most been trying to improve.
"I didn't really expect to play that well in my first match," Azarenka said.
"But I was glad that I could and was really dominant from beginning to end."
The only time her mood darkened was when she fielded yet another of the many queries she has received about the level of noise she makes when she hits the ball, the questioner alleging that world number one Caroline Wozniacki wished she would stop.
"Caroline never spoke to me about that, and I don't really have a comment about that," Azarenka replied.
"It's the way I played since I was eight, so I can’t change it, and I ain't gonna."
Sharapova has gradually worked her way back to world number two after an operation in 2008 on a rotator cuff, the kind of shoulder injury from which most players never fully recover.
Arguably the former Wimbledon, US Open, and Australian Open champion still isn’t quite the player she was, but has nevertheless achieved her highest ranking in three years and qualified for the tour’s climax for the first time since 2007.
There is even an outside chance of Sharapova regaining the world number one ranking, but she would have to win the WTA Championships title whilst Caroline Wozniacki did poorly.
"I just feel a sense of evolvement," said Sharapova.
"You know, this year I feel like I've grown as a player and I've gotten better. It gives me a lot of confidence moving forward."
When Sharapova restarted her career in May 2009 after 10 months out she was only able to serve with a very limited action and was ranked down at 126.
She still does not have the range of overhead function she once had but makes up for some of the loss with better placement.
"I feel like my movement has definitely improved this year," she added. "I think that's because I played a lot of matches. That helps you."
Sharapova has also improved the angles, and changes of pace in her ground strokes with her new coach this year, Thomas Hogstedt, a Swede who has been a very rhythmic ground-stroker himself.
Despite all her setbacks Sharapova’s profile has remained high enough for her to remain the highest paid female in sport, and last year she signed an eight-year contract with Nike, worth $70 million, the most lucrative deal ever for a sportswoman.
She was also awarded the WTA Tour’s fan favourite singles player, the WTA humanitarian of the year, the WTA most fashionable player (on court), WTA most fashionable player (off court), and even the WTA Tour player with the most dramatic expression!
And this year Sharapova has been named in Forbes magazine as one of the world’s 100 most powerful celebrities.
Her comeback is another example of the extraordinary determination, courage, and adaptability which the Russian first showed when leaving home at the age of seven to build a career in what was then to her a very alien country, the United States.
She has also had to recover from a left ankle injury sustained serving against Petra Kvitova in Tokyo, causing her to retire, and then to pull out of the China Open.
Since then Sharapova has said on her official website that the "good news is that the MRI showed no big damage in the ankle", and last week she was quoted on Facebook as saying: "my physio Juan has done an amazing job the last two weeks."
Her earlier than expected arrival in Istanbul created an opportunity to recuperate by re-visiting her childhood haunts at Sochi, on the other side of the Black Sea, little more than 500 miles away.
Sharapova and Wozniacki will be joined at the Sinan Erdem Dome by three of the four Grand Slam winners this year—Li Na, the French Open champion from China, Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion from the Czech republic, and Samantha Stosur, the US Open champion from Australia.
The other qualifiers, who compete in two round robin groups of four, are Vera Zvonareva, the former runner-up from Russia, Victoria Azarenka, the world number three from Belarus, and Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland who snatched the last place from Marion Bartoli of France only four days before the tournament.
The favourite is Wozniacki, who has made it clear that her greatest ambition is to finish the year as world number one for the second successive time.
However the Dane may also be keen to atone for last year’s final, when she held a 3-1 final set lead before losing an enthralling showdown with Kim Clijsters.
The Russian has recovered from the ankle injury she suffered in Tokyo last month and needs to reach the final in Istanbul to have a chance of overtaking the Dane.
“It’s tough to talk about (number one) coming off the injury in Tokyo and not even knowing if I’d be able to compete for the rest of the year,” Sharapova told reporters on Monday.
“I think I’m just fortunate enough to say that I’m here and I’m going to be competing. That, to me, is a big accomplishment by itself.
“So whether it’s number one or number two, whatever it is. I’m very pleased that I made it here and that I have a chance to compete and do well.”
The former Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open champion has won two titles in 2011, cementing her return to the top after a career-threatening shoulder injury almost caused her to quit in 2009.
It will be her fifth appearance in the season-ending event but her first since 2007 and she said she was delighted to be back among the elite.
“It means a lot,” she said. “The last couple of years at this time I was sipping a margarita on the beach and now I have another tournament. So I’m quite excited about it.”
Wozniacki has won six titles this year and though she has yet to win a grand slam title, she is relishing everything that goes with being top of the pile.
“Of course when you’ve been number one the whole year, you’d like to finish the last week as number one as well,” she said.
“That would mean a lot to me since not a lot of people have finished the year two times in a row as number one.”
Wozniacki is joined in the red group by Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska. Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, French Open champion Li Na and U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur are in the white group.
Each player meets the other three players in their group, and the top two in each pool move into the semifinals. The final is on Sunday.
“I think we all know what to expect going into the groups,” Sharapova said. “It’s the top eight girls of the year. You’re going to get a tough group either way and a tough opponent. I think it’s just a matter of being ready from the first round on.”
Thirteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams failed to qualify for the tournament, as did her sister Venus.
Wozniacki, who has won six titles this year but has yet to win a major, said she was preparing for tough matches.
“I’m going in there just hoping to play my best tennis and we’ll see what happens,” she said.
Play begins Tuesday at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, which will host the $5 million event through 2013. Qatar hosted the tournament for the last three years.
The men’s competition in Beijing also suffered a major setback earlier this week when world number one Novak Djokovic pulled out with a back injury.
World number two Sharapova twisted her ankle against Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the Pan-Pacific Open quarter-finals on Thursday and was forced to quit the Tokyo tournament.
“The good news is the MRI scan showed no big damage to my ankle. I will do my best to recover in time for Istanbul [the WTA season-ending championship],” the Russian said on her website (www.mariasharapova.com).
Former world number one Williams has pulled out of the Beijing event for the second year in a row.
The tournament website (www.chinaopen.com) said the American was due to arrive in the city on Friday but failed to show up.
Her absence means neither of the crowd-pulling Williams sisters will be in attendance after Venus said last month that she had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue.
There will now be added pressure on world number five Li Na to do well at the China Open which takes place during national holidays in the country.
The Chinese won this year’s French Open, becoming the first player from an Asian nation to claim a grand slam singles title, but her form has since nosedived and she was knocked out in the first round of the U.S. Open.
World number one and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, third-ranked Victoria Azarenka and number four Vera Zvonareva are among the players vying for the $775,500 first prize.
Former men’s world number one Pete Sampras and Russian past master Marat Safin play an exhibition match later on Friday to open the newly-built Centre Court at Beijing’s National Tennis Centre which hosted the 2008 Olympics.
Kvitova was ahead 4-3 in the first set when Sharapova was injured. Sharapova limped to her chair and pulled out after speaking with her trainer. She went to a hospital for an MRI.
“I hit a serve and then landed awkwardly on my left ankle,” said Sharapova, seeded second. “I felt a sharp pain and next thing I knew I was on the floor. It swelled up immediately and I knew there was no way I could continue.”
Added Kvitova: “It’s sad because we were both playing so well. It was a great match but I could see (the ankle) was really big. Hopefully, she will be OK.”
At the Wimbledon title match in July, Kvitova beat Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 for her first major championship.
Kvitova, the fifth-seeded Czech, will next face fourth-seeded Vera Zvonareva, who defeated Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3 in an all-Russian match.
“I played her already three times, the last time in Madrid on clay when I beat her,” Kvitova said. “She’s a very good player. She has a great serve and hits the ball well so it will be a tough match.”
Zvonareva had five aces and improved to 6-0 against Kirilenko.
“I’m really happy that my serve helped me today,” Zvonareva said. “The first serve was good and my second serve even caused her some problems, and that made a big difference.”
Kirilenko knocked out U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur on Tuesday and beat 12th-seeded Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday. But she struggled with her serve against Zvonareva and was broken three times.
“Maria is a great player and a great fighter, and proved it by beating two tough opponents on her way to the quarterfinals,” Zvonareva said. “There is no secret to beating her. I just tried to make some shots that caused her some discomfort and was able to do that.”
Third-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli of France 7-5, 6-0 to reach the final four. She will next face Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who downed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 7-6 (7).
After taking the first set in 30 minutes behind a blistering forehand, the second-seeded Russian quickly went up 3-0 in the second set before faltering. Tanasugarn suddenly came to life, breaking in the fourth game and winning five of the next seven games to make it 5-5.
Sharapova dug in during the 11th game, however, breaking again and then closing the match with an ace at a covered Ariake Colosseum.
“I served really well today,” Sharapova said. “It was important for me to serve well because she reads the ball really well. I had a bit of letdown in the second set. She started playing really well. I was glad I was able to come back and win it in two sets.”
Also advancing were seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli of France and two top Serbians, eighth-seeded Jelena Jankovic and 12th-seeded Ana Ivanovic.
Sharapova said the players are happy to support this tournament following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
“The commitment the players have shown is incredible,” she said. “With nearly a full draw, I think the players have shown their dedication.”
The annual WTA Tour tournament is normally outdoors, but late-morning rain forced the closure of the roof over the main court and suspension of play on outdoor courts.
Bartoli defeated Ayumi Morita of Japan 6-3, 0-6, 6-3, and Jankovic beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2.
Bartoli prevailed in a baseline battle despite a second-set whitewash. She overpowered Morita with a strong backhand in a final set featuring service breaks in the first three games. Morita committed several unforced errors in the third set, leading to her defeat. Serving to stay in the match, Morita staved off four match points before succumbing.
Qualifier Mandy Minella of Luxembourg rallied past Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Ivanovic defeated qualifier Anastasia Rodionova of Australia 6-4, 6-0.
Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, seeded first in the $2 million tournament, has a first-round bye and on Tuesday plays the winner of the match between Rebecca Marino of Canada and Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia.
U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia also opens Tuesday, facing Maria Kirilenko of Russia or Erika Sema of Japan.
But the popular Russian said that the presence of seven of the world's top 10 women's players in Tokyo should serve as "a big statement" of support for Japan in a time of crisis.
"There was definitely a lot of talk before the tournament, a lot of players having concerns whether it's safe to come here," Sharapova said.
"I know that a few actually didn't come here because they were a little bit scared."
Before the matches began Sunday, organisers and players held a short ceremony to mourn the devastation wrought by the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 dead or missing along Japan's northeastern Pacific coast.
The disasters triggered a series of meltdowns and explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant northeast of Tokyo.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki said she had been deeply moved at the Japanese people's stoicism.
"It's amazing to see how people are just staying strong and they are living… trying to get back to normal life, even though I know a lot of families have been affected," said the Dane.
"I really think that Japan and Japanese people have done a great job to come back."
Federer and Roddick will play a best-of-three-sets match as part of the annual BNP Paribas Showdown exhibition March 5, which also will include Maria Sharapova against top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki.
Federer owns a record 16 Grand Slam titles, and he’s 20-2 against Roddick, including 4-0 in major finals.
Federer faced Pete Sampras in an exhibition at MSG in 2008; Roddick never has played at the arena used for New York Knicks and New York Rangers games.
Tickets go on sale Oct. 3.
Sharapova was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-4 in the biggest upset of the tournament so far before Murray clawed his way back to defeat Haase 6-7 2-6 6-2 6-0 6-4 in the second round and avoid another early exit at the last grand slam of the year.
Defending champion Rafa Nadal strolled through to the third round when his opponent, Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, retired in the first game of the third set with the Spaniard well in control, leading 6-2 6-2.
Sharapova, who won the U.S. Open in 2006 but has not won a grand slam title since the 2008 Australian Open, became the biggest casualty of a tournament that has mostly gone according to the script.
The Russian third seed was one of the favourites to win the crown after winning a lead-up event in Cincinnati but made a whopping 60 unforced errors and served 12 double faults, including two in the final game.
“It’s disappointing to lose in New York. Losing isn’t fun for anyone because we work to win,” she said. “We don’t work to try to lose. So when we’re faced with a position where we can win and we didn’t in the end, it’s tough.”
For Pennetta, a quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2008 and 2009 who is seeded 26th, it was a moment to savour as she celebrated her victory on a baking hot day at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I think this one is one of the best victories in my career, and is gonna be like this forever,” the Italian said.
“It’s a good moment. I’m really happy right now but it’s just a match. It’s over, and I have to be focused for the next one.”
Pennetta’s next opponent is China’s Peng Shuai, the 13th seed, who advanced with a 6-4 7-6 win over Julia Goerges of Germany in an increasingly wide open women’s draw.
None of the remaining players in the bottom half of the draw have won a grand slam title and the only two to have played in a final are last year’s runner up, Vera Zvonareva of Russia, and Australia’s Sam Stosur.
Zvonareva, seeded second, beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4 7-5 Friday while Stosur, a finalist at the French Open last year, was due to face Nadia Petrova later in the day.
The fourth-seeded Murray, who also won in Cincinnati, was in danger of bowing out after his Dutch opponent won a first set tiebreaker and won the next set.
But the Scotsman, who has played in three grand slam finals but is yet to win a major, assumed control, winning the next two sets and opening up a 4-0 lead in the fifth.
Haase, who needed treatment to his back, fought back to level the final set at 4-4 before Murray broke his served then held to seal victory.
Murray will face Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the third round and remains on course for a semi-final showdown with Nadal, who has been struggling for form but could not have asked for an easier day as Mahut became the 14th player this week to retire or withdraw from their match.
Former champion Juan Martin Del Potro sailed through with a 6-2 6-1 7-5 win over his fellow Argentine Diego Junqueira, while big-serving American John Isner blasted past his countryman Robby Ginepri 6-4 6-3 6-4.
The competitive pair have been rivals since they trained as young girls at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
A tennis source told us, “Jelena and her manager mother, Snezana, were hostile to Maria when they were training together in Florida. They are both fiercely competitive. They respect each other as players, but there is no love lost between them.”
Russian Sharapova, 24, currently ranked fourth, arrived in the US at age 7, and Jankovic, 26, ranked 12th, arrived at Bollettieri at 12.
Sharapova’s agent, Max Eisenbud, told us, “It’s a competitive thing. They’ve played against each other since they were [young]. They’re competitive. No, they don’t socialize, but Maria doesn’t really socialize with any of the girls on the tour. She socializes in different circles.” But he said talk of an ongoing feud between them was “not right.” Jankovic’s rep added, “They are friendly and have known each other for a long time. There are no problems.”
Tennisreporters.net’s Matthew Cronin recently reported that, “Sharapova doesn’t like how Jankovic frequently makes excuses when she loses and doesn’t give enough credit to her foes. Perhaps that traces back to Bollettieri’s, when it’s possible that the older Jankovic ... wouldn’t give the Russian credit for victories.” He quotes Jankovic, “We always wanted to be better than one another ... We were fighting, competing against each other, we were doing anything to win. We were girls at a young age that had rivalries.”
In 2007, Jankovic infuriated her competitor by saying she didn’t deserve to be ranked No. 2 in the world. Sharapova fired back, “I’m ranked No. 2 and she [Jankovic] is ranked No. 3, and that’s based on criteria that has been in place for years.” Sharapova had kinder words before she beat Jankovic at Cincinnati this month: “We had many battles ... She’s a great player."
This was the second meeting between the Russians and third-seeded Sharapova has won them both. After a bit of a slow start, Sharapova turned it into a mismatch. She had 28 winners to two for her opponent. She won 59 points to 32 for Yakimova and saved all five break points against her.
It was very different from Sharapova’s opening match, a three-set struggle over Britain’s Heather Watson.
In search of her fourth major title, Sharapova will play No. 26 Flavia Pennetta in the third round.
The three-time major champion picked up her game in time to avoid an upset against 102nd-ranked Heather Watson, rallying for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory Monday in the opening round.
After being thoroughly outplayed in the first set, third-seeded Sharapova let a 4-1 lead in the second slip, as well. She shored things up at 5-all in the second to pull out that set. She also led 4-1 in the third, but gave back a break. After that, Sharapova broke right back then served out her match against the 19-year-old Brit, who was making her first appearance in the main draw at Flushing Meadows.
Sharapova improved to 12-0 this year in third sets.
“In the end, that’s kind of where it counts,” she said after a match that lasted 2 hours, 34 minutes. “No matter how tired or whether you’re playing your best tennis or sometimes your worst, you keep fighting for it.”
Not showing the same kind of fight was fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova, who became the first reigning Wimbledon champion to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open. She made 52 unforced errors in a 7-6 (3), 6-3 loss to Alexandra Dulgheru and has won only two matches since hoisting the trophy at the All-England Club last month.
“After I made some mistakes, I was mentally down,” Kvitova said.
Last year’s U.S. Open and Wimbledon runner-up, second-seeded Vera Zvonareva, defeated Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France, 6-3, 6-0.
Other women’s winners included No. 13 Peng Shuai, No. 19 Julia Goerges and No. 27 Lucie Safarova.
But Sharapova-Watson was the best match of the afternoon.
With Watson nimbly covering a court that players say is playing slower than usual this year, Sharapova had to fight, and the match turned into a showdown of styles—the Russian’s punishing, aggressive baseline game vs. Watson’s grinding, retrieving relentlessness. The final stats were no surprise: Sharapova finished with 41 winners and 58 unforced errors, compared to nine winners and 30 unforced errors for her opponent.
“There’s no doubt that she’s a great up-and-coming player who showed some of her best tennis today,” Sharapova said. “She played really smart in the first. I was making too many errors. Consistency at the end helped me get through the match.”
The early headliner for the men was American Mardy Fish, who at No. 8 is the highest-ranked U.S. player in the tournament.
Fish lived up to his billing, opening his stay at Flushing Meadows with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Tobias Kamke of Germany.
The 29-year-old from Los Angeles opened the match by losing his serve, but that turned out to be the only hiccup. He is one of 14 American men entered in the U.S. Open, as the host country continues the quest to find its next great champion. No U.S. man has won a major since Andy Roddick won in New York in 2003.
“Andy’s been the No. 1 player in our generation for years,” Fish said. “This is extremely different for me, this feeling coming out here and trying to show everything you can, to show you’re the No. 1 guy, at least for this tournament. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Also winning in early play Monday was 27th-seeded Marin Cilic, who defeated 19-year-old American Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (6). Harrison, who made headlines last year with his first-round upset of 15th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic, had chances to serve out the second and third sets, but was broken each time.
He also squandered a 4-1 lead in the third-set tiebreaker—and took nothing away from this match but a few scratched-up rackets, the result of the multiple times he bounced them, kicked them and skidded them along the ground at Louis Armstrong Stadium. He also kicked a ball into the stands.
“I didn’t break any rackets; I didn’t say swear words on court,” Harrison said. “It could have gotten better and I could have been better. I didn’t really go nuts.”
Other early winners included ninth-seeded Tomas Berdych, 20th-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, No. 31 Marcel Granollers, No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov and No. 13 Richard Gasquet.
No. 3 Roger Federer and Venus Williams—unseeded after missing time with injuries and illness—were scheduled for night matches.
Sharapova, meanwhile, was due for a rest after her longer-than-expected grind.
“I knew I wasn’t playing my best tennis,” she said. “I think the goal sometimes on this is just to get through it and keep waiting for that opportunity.”
Certainly the signs are good. Even without the benefit of a top-10 world ranking Williams has established herself as the favourite with two dominant hardcourt victories at Stanford and Toronto.
The titles came in her third and fourth tournaments back from an 11-month absence due to injury and illness—including dangerous blood clots in her lungs.
A mid-week withdrawal with a sore toe at Cincinnati appears to have been just a blip—a precautionary move to insure she'd be healthy for Flushing Meadows.
With the little holiday, the 13-time Grand Slam champion said: "I have more opportunity to rest up and get 200 percent healthy—which could be a very dangerous thing."
The injury absence of two-time reigning champion Kim Clijsters along with the struggles of world number one Caroline Wozniacki put the spotlight firmly on Williams and another resurgent champion, Maria Sharapova.
Wozniacki comes in as the top seed but lost in the semi-finals in Australia, the third round at Roland Garros and the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Her build up to the US Open began with three early tournament exits, but the Dane, who has dropped her father Piotr as her coach, nabbed a confidence-building victory in the New Haven final on Saturday.
Sharapova, who made it to the final at Wimbledon, rides the momentum of a victory in Cincinnati into the Open.
"It's great to have a win under your belt going into a major," said Sharapova, who said she was looking forward to the US Open even with the pressure that a Grand Slam fortnight brings.
"Pressure is part of our sport, and nerves and adrenaline. I think if nobody feels that, it's pretty unhuman.
"So it's really about how you deal with it. It's a Grand Slam. It's a huge event for us, and the matches and the opponents and the pressure and the crowd, it's all part of the package."
Two new names have shown this year they can handle that pressure—French Open champion Li Na and Czech Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon winner.
Li, China's first Grand Slam singles champion, has struggled since her French triumph. She was outgunned by Germany's Sabine Lisicki in the second round at Wimbledon, lost her first match in Toronto and in the third round at Cincinnati.
Kvitova, 21, who spent some time after Wimbledon resting and recovering from a thigh injury, has also had modest results in the build-up to the Open, but still hopes to show her first Grand Slam title was no fluke.
Then there's the rest of the current top-five, starting with world number two Vera Zvonareva.
She reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, but her best Grand Slam performance in 2011 was her semi-final appearance at the Australian Open.
"I always believe in myself and I always believe if I can play my best tennis I can beat anyone," Zvonareva said.
The Russian, who earned her 12th career WTA title at Baku in July, would like nothing better than to claim a breakthrough Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows, where the everyday rough-and-tumble of New York lends an edge to the atmosphere.
"I like the US Open a lot," she said. "I like the atmosphere. I like the crowd. I like the center court matches, the whole thing.
"Just the energy of it. It makes you maybe a better competitor.
"You really want to go there and really want to compete and be on the big stage."
World No. 5 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus is also in search of a first Grand Slam title. She made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon—her best showing in a major to date.
However, she suffered an injury setback when a strained right hand forced her out of Cincinnati.
Plenty of other women have battled injuries and ailments in recent weeks.
A viral illness has sidelined former winner Venus Williams. Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska has been nursing shoulder and back problems. Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova has an abdominal strain and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands has battled a sore shoulder.
Germany's Andrea Petkovic played her Cincinnati semi-final with her leg heavily taped after tearing cartilage in a knee, while China's Peng Shuai pulled out of the quarter-finals with a sore hip.
It all seems further reason to focus on Serena and Sharapova, battle-tested veterans who are on the rise after injury troubles of their own.
"I consider myself a favorite to just do what I can do best, if that means winning the US Open, obviously I want to," Williams said. "I went through a lot of things physically and mentally and emotionally, and going through so much, I'm just taking it one day at a time and just going with it."
Officials at the final Grand Slam of the season had already taken the precaution of cancelling Saturday's Arthur Ashe Kids' Day festivities, preferring not to draw thousands of people to the National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows on a day when residents of low-lying areas of the New York area have been instructed to evacuate.
A few players hustled through an abbreviated schedule of pre-tournament Media Day interviews, while others opted not to make the trip to the facility in the Queens borough of New York City.
The center was to be closed on Sunday, when the fury of the storm was expected to peak in the area.
"I kind of usually always take a break anyway shortly before the tournament," said world number three Roger Federer of Switzerland, who said he would have planned to wrap up his practice on Saturday in any case.
"I won't be playing tomorrow. I'm not even going to try to. It wasn't on the plan anyway to do so.
"But sure it's somewhat scary, because we don't know how hard it's going to hit us. I've got family. We're in New York City. It's not just a regular city. It's quite something with all the buildings.
"So it's unusual, but we'll follow the news closely and we'll try to stay as safe as we can so we get through it."
Another former US Open champion, Maria Sharapova, was a bit blase.
"Well, I'm a Florida girl so I'm used to this stuff," said the Russian who has lived in Florida for years. "I think everyone's a bit overreacting about everything, but of course you have to take precaution and all that.
"But, I mean, where are we going to go? So I just hope that our hotel is nice and tough and sturdy. That's all we can do, right?"
Sharapova said she wasn't sure if the impending storm had affected the atmosphere of New York City, famous for its hustle and bustle.
"So I'm not really sure if everyone was sleeping in in New York on a Saturday morning or if it's the hurricane effect, but it was pretty quiet," she said.
Despite the disruptions, including the closure of New York-area airports just as many were due to arrive for the tournament, officials expected the event to begin as scheduled on Monday.
Qualifying matches were completed on Friday.
Irene blasted ashore in North Carolina on Saturday, a weakened but still massive category one storm.
Sustained winds of 85 miles (140 kilometers) an hour lashed coastal areas as Irene made landfall near the southern end of a chain of barrier islands that ring the North Carolina coast, the National Hurricane Center said.
Trees were uprooted, highways closed and streets flooded, as powerful winds and heavy rain battered the coast and a local power company announced that 300,000 people were without electricity.
Top American Mardy Fish, a Florida native, said the prospect of seeing a hurricane in New York was "pretty surreal".
"Obviously, it doesn't happen a lot," said Fish, whose biggest concern so far was that he had a hard time finding an open coffee shop.
He said his Californian wife, Stacey, "is a little freaked out about it".
"Stacey went to shop quite a bit last night, got a bunch of magazines and flashlights. She's preparing for Armageddon, I think."
Ranked/Seeded: 4/3
Age: 24
Country: Russia
2011 Match Record: 39-10
2011 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 24
Major Titles: 3—Wimbledon (’04), U.S. Open (’06), Australian Open (’08)
Last 5 U.S. Opens: ’10-4th, ’09-3rd, ’08-DNP, ’07-3rd, ’06-Won Championship
Topspin: Got a boost by winning hard-court tuneup at Cincinnati. … 11-0 in three-set matches this season. … Returning to near the top of her game, reached semifinals at French Open, final at Wimbledon this year, but had a lot of trouble with her serve, piling up the double-faults.
The former world number ones are favourites to win the last grand slam of the year, partly because they rediscovered their touch at the right time but mostly because it is a period when the women’s game has never been more open.
Unlike the men’s game, which has long been at the mercy of an elite group, there are few certainties about women’s tennis right now and the world rankings offer few reliable guidelines to finding the winner.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki has still not won a grand slam and the Dane has played in just one final, at the U.S. Open two years ago.
The world number two, Russia’s Vera Zvonareva, is also chasing her first grand slam title after making the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, the fourth seed at Flushing Meadows, has only once even made the semi-finals of a grand slam, meaning three of the top four ranked players for the Aug. 29-Sept. 11 tournament have yet to win a major.
The lone exception is Sharapova, who won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008.
The 24-year-old has been plagued with health problems in recent years but returned to near her best this year, reaching the Wimbledon final and winning last week’s Cincinnati Open.
Williams, the most dominant player of her generation, missed last year’s U.S. Open as part of an 11-month layoff caused by injury and health problems.
The American returned to the courts in June and captured back-to-back tournaments in California and Toronto to climb back to 29th in the rankings.
She was bumped up one place to 28th seed after last year’s U.S. Open champion and current world number three Kim Clijsters withdrew because of a stomach muscle injury, and remains a master of peaking for the big events.
“It’s center stage, it’s New York, it’s the last grand slam of the year,” Williams said.
Clijsters provided one of the great fairytales of tennis when she won the U.S. Open for a second time in 2009 after quitting the sport to start a family.
She successfully defended her title last year and won the Australian Open in January but injuries slowed her down and eventually caused her to pull out this year.
Women’s tennis has been waiting a long time for the arrival of the next generation and while there have been some new grand slam winners in recent years, it has been the experienced players rather than brash newcomers who have come through.
Italy’s Francesca Schiavone won last year’s French Open and China’s Li Na won in Paris this year. The Wimbledon champion this season was Czech Petra Kvitova.
All three are seeded in the top eight for New York but have not played with enough consistency to climb higher, leaving the U.S. Open wide open.
1. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)
2. Vera Zvonareva (Russia)
3. Maria Sharapova (Russia)
4. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
5. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic)
6. Li Na (China)
7. Francesca Schiavone (Italy)
8. Marion Bartoli (France)
9. Samantha Stosur (Australia)
10. Andrea Petkovic (Germany)
11. Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
12. Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)
13. Peng Shuai (China)
14. Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia)
15. Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
16. Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)
17. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia)
18. Roberta Vinci (Italy)
19. Julia Goerges (Germany)
20. Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium)
21. Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia)
22. Sabine Lisicki (Germany)
23. Shahar Peer (Israel)
24. Nadia Petrova (Russia)
25. Maria Kirilenko (Russia)
26. Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
27. Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)
28. Serena Williams (U.S.)
29. Jarmila Gajdosova (Australia)
30. Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain)
31. Kaia Kanepi (Estonia)
32. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain)
Sharapova, 24, earned her second title of the season after a triumph in Rome. She improved on her runner-up finish to Kim Clijsters here last year and gave herself a momentum boost prior to the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season that starts on August 29 in New York.
But it was no easy matter.
After an aggressive start saw Sharapova take a 4-1 lead, Jankovic went on a roll, breaking the Russian three times in a row and taking the opening set when Sharapova double-faulted.
The shift recalled last year's final, when Sharapova failed to convert three match points against Clijsters and ended up losing 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.
Despite a stream of unforced errors—including a total of 11 double faults—Sharapova finally took the second set, winning the last five points of the tiebreaker.
The third set started with six straight breaks of serve before Sharapova held for a 4-3 lead.
Jankovic double-faulted twice to surrender the next game, leaving Sharapova to serve out the match after two hours and 49 minutes.
Jankovic, who has battled back, wrist and ankle injuries, was playing in just her second final of the season, after her runner-up finish in Monterrey.
With her game in shape, this week appeared to offer her a golden opportunity thanks to wealth of injury absences.
Clijsters withdrew with the abdominal strain that will keep her from trying for a third straight US Open title.
Venus Williams was sidelined by a virus, Serena Williams pulled out early with a toe injury and a hand injury forced out third-seeded Victoria Azarenka.
Jankovic reached the semi-finals on a walkover when China's Peng Shuai withdrew with a hip injury.
Sharapova, ranked seventh in the world, will play for her 24th career title against either Andrea Petkovic of Germany or Serb Jelena Jankovic, who play later on Saturday.
The former world number one will be aiming for her second title of the season following her victory in Rome after coming from a set down to beat Zvonareva.
“I had a slow start, to say the least,” said Sharapova.
“I needed to get my energy back and when I did that I started to make some shots and was able to turn it around.”
The seventh-ranked Sharapova, who lost in last year’s finals to Kim Clijsters, won a challenge on match point to improve to 3-0 this year and 9-0 in her career against Stosur.
“I did many good things today that caused her a lot of trouble,” Sharapova said. “I didn’t give her much time to do the things she likes to do.”
Stosur is confident that she’ll eventually beat Sharapova.
“It’s possible to win,” she said. “I’ve got to believe that, but I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”
The 10th-ranked Stosur was making her first appearance at this U.S. Open tuneup after losing in the final last week at Toronto.
Sharapova will play the winner of the match between unseeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and No. 2-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia, the highest seed remaining in the tournament.
Fourth-seeded Andy Murray, the 2008 champion, advanced to the men’s semifinals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 10th-seeded Gilles Simon of France. The Scot, who has beaten Simon in seven consecutive matches, will play the winner of the match between second-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain and No. 7-seeded Mardy Fish of the United States.
Australia’s Samantha Stosur defeated French Open winner Li for the second successive week with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 win to set up a last eight showdown with Sharapova.
Stosur is hitting some good form in the run up to the U.S. Open, where she reached the quarter-finals last year.
The 10th seeded Australian was runner-up in Toronto last week and with the field wide open in Cincinnati has a real chance at her third career WTA title.
“It would be the biggest title I’ve ever won,” Stosur told reporters. “It would be fantastic but there is still a fair way to go before that can happen.
“I guess making the final last week gives me good confidence going into this week.”
Wimbledon champion Kvitova fell to emerging German Andrea Petkovic, ranked 11th in the world, who enjoyed a 6-3 6-3 win in front of a smattering of fans on an outside court.
At the same time, on centre court, Sharapova was making quick work of her compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in a 6-2 6-3 victory.
“I felt really good considering I was playing a pretty tough opponent,” said Sharapova. “We’ve had really tough matches in the past, usually three setters. So it was quite nice to get that win in two.
“She’s someone who has a tremendous amount of experience and is a really solid player, always dangerous.”
World number two Zvonareva crunched Croatian qualifier Petra Martic 6-2 6-2.
Another Russian Nadia Petrova enjoyed a 6-3 6-3 victory over American teenager Christine McHale, who upset world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the second round.
The 26-year-old from Kazakhstan, ranked just 135th in the world, dispatched No. 5 Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-5, on a day that not only marked the ousting of one of the sport's biggest stars, but the ejection of a couple of newly-minted Grand Slam champs.
Voskoboeva, who cruised past Marion Bartoli and Flavia Pennetta to earn her date with Sharapova, beat the Russian veteran with lovely drop shots and had the six-foot-two Sharapova chasing balls back to the baseline all game long.
Sharapova became the latest casualty of the Rogers Cup women's draw, which has seen 11 of the 16 seeds bow out.
The tour's top 10 women hail from nine different countries, there aren't one or two stars who dominate every tournament, and on any given day, anybody can win.
Thursday was proof of that.
"It makes for an exciting story because at the end of the day it doesn't matter what you're ranked or seeded, the reason we go out and play the matches is to know who's going to be the winner on that day," said Sharapova, who has 23 career singles titles -- Voskoboeva reached her first career semifinal earlier this year.
"Whether you're number one in the world or you're facing someone that's 100 or so, you still have to go out and win. That's what the sport is all about," Sharapova added.
Hours earlier, No. 6 seed Li Na was knocked out of the third round's action with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to No. 10 seed Samantha Stosur of Australia. Li became the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title two months ago at the French Open.
And No. 11 Andrea Petkovic of Germany joined Stosur in the quarter-finals after cruising by seventh-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2. Kvitova won Wimbledon last month to claim her first Grand Slam title.
No. 3 seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia is also out, losing 6-4, 7-6 (4) to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
Voskoboeva and Sharapova battled point for point before the Kazakh player nearly lost her composure, allowing Sharapova an opening in the match that lasted an hour 47 minutes. The 24-year-old Sharapova was facing match point three times but Voskoboeva double-faulted twice and then fired a shot into the net. Voskoboeva hurled her racket to the ground in frustration a couple of times pulling herself together, sealing the victory when Sharapova's shot fell short.
"Obviously she played really well this tournament and you could tell today that she came to the match with a lot of confidence, swinging away and going for serve and her shots," Sharapova said. "If she could consistently play like that, she wouldn't be ranked where she is today. She showed that she can play really great tennis."
No. 4 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus booked her spot in the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain, while Roberta Vinci of Italy defeated Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
American Serena Williams, the tournament's remaining big star, was facing Jie Zheng of China in the late match.
Thursday's loss of star power came a day after No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki was ousted. Also gone: second-seeded Kim Clijsters, who withdrew earlier this week due to an abdominal injury, and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic and No. 9 seed Marion Bartoli, who were dispatched in their opening matches.
No Canadian players remain in the singles draw.
Two months after powering her way to title on the clay courts at Roland Garros, Li Na spent her first and last match of the tournament trying to rediscover the form that propelled her to superhero status in China.
"I felt like a junior on the court," Li said.
Li was playing her first game of the week after being handed a bye through the first round and then a walkover victory when Shuai Peng of China withdrew with an injury.
The rust was obvious as she fired numerous returns long on another blustery day at Rexall Centre, eventually bowing out when she smacked a forehand into the net.
"It's always tough after a break to come back for the first match, because I had six or seven weeks that I didn't play a tournament," Li said. "At the beginning of the match I didn't even know what I should do on the court, not like during the clay-court season."
The Li-Stosur match was held during a power outage at the venue -- a Toronto Hydro problem, according to Rogers Cup organizers. The main scoreboard remained dark for just over an hour, while the corner scoreboard periodically worked, powered by a backup generator.
The lack of electricity was mirrored by a match that was absent of any sizzle, as the 27-year-old Stosur, who has two career singles titles, used her powerful serve to topple Li. And for the second straight day, the wind was factor, swirling around the stadium at 25 kilometres an hour, wreaking havoc for the players and providing a chilly match for spectators.
"If you watched the match, everyone can see, she has a huge, big serve ... Not a normal girl serve. It's tough for me to return," Li said. "Also today was so, so windy, I couldn't use my serve a lot in the first serves."
The 29-year-old Li defeated Italian Francesca Schiavone in the French Open final, the most-watched tennis match in China's history, and returned home to a hero's welcome. But sitting in the post-match press conference, black therapeutic tape wrapped around her right knee, Li deflected questions about her Grand Slam victory.
"French Open in over," she said bluntly. "Of course it was a good experience, exciting moment for me, but right now I should focus on the hard-court season."
Petkovic said she was surprised by how one-sided her match with Kvitova was, but pointed out that Toronto marked her opponent's first tournament since her heady week at Wimbledon's All England Club.
"I was expecting a really tough match," said the 23-year-old Petkovic. "But the conditions were not easy at all, they were really tricky. And she didn't play for so long, I know how I feel the first two matches when I come back after one or two months.
"And her tennis, with her very flat strokes in those kinds of conditions is really, really tough."
Kvitova, who's won four titles this year, admitted to feeling flat after taking a couple of weeks off after Wimbledon.
"I'm ready for the tournament but I have to play more matches," Kvitova said. "I'm OK, I'm not too sad. Of course I lost, but I'm OK and I know it's preparation for the U.S. Open and still I have to work."
Patrick, who's competing in her seventh IZOD IndyCar Series season, has one victory and 60 top-10 finishes in 109 races. Her ninth-place finish in the Edmonton Indy on July 24, in which she advanced from the 22nd starting position, was voted the Firestone Tire-ific Move of the Race via the poll on www.indycar.com.
Patrick will be among the 27 competitors in the Honda Indy 200 this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the No. 7 Team GoDaddy car for Andretti Autosport.
Maria Sharapova, who only recently has bounced back on the court, is the world’s highest-paid female athlete for the seventh consecutive year. She earned $25 million over the past 12 months, which is double No. 2 on the list -- 21-year-old tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.
Forbes' earnings estimates were for the 12 months ending July 1 and factored in prize money, salaries, appearance fees, licensing income and endorsements. Tennis players dominate the list (seven of top 10).
The unseeded Williams put on a clinic with precision serving and a sharp ground game to get the better of second-seeded Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic.
Playing in just her third tournament since winning Wimbledon last year, and her first on American soil since the 2009 U.S. Open, Williams looked as good as she did when she topped the rankings.
The fifth-ranked Sharapova had eight unforced errors before she hit her first winner and the slow start cost her in the battle of former No. 1s.
Williams, currently ranked No. 169, beat Sharapova for the sixth straight time and improved to 7-2 overall against her.
Sharapova last beat Williams at the 2004 WTA championships.
Germany’s Sabine Lisicki knocked off her second straight seeded opponent, beating fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2. She will meet Williams in the semifinals.
Lisicki was a semifinalist at Wimbledon and has improved her ranking to 26th after being No. 218 in March.
“I’m looking forward to the match,” Lisicki said. “I love competing in the big matches. I have nothing to lose.”
Sharapova beat Lisicki in the semis at Wimbledon.
“Coming from grass to hardcourt is always a challenge,” Lisicki said. “It comes down to who plays the best that given day.”
Last year, Lisicki missed five months with a left ankle injury. She says she has more endurance now than before her injury.
“I’m much better than I was before the injury,” she said. “I’ve had to focus on so many aspects of my game. Last year I couldn’t even walk. Now I feel I can rely on my serve when I need it at crucial moments.”
Lisicki recorded 14 aces to Radwanska’s seven.
The 14th-ranked Radwanska was a semifinalist at Stanford last year. She’s still looking for her first tour title since 2008.
Third-seeded Marion Bartoli of France advanced when Japan’s Ayumi Morita retired after dropping the first set 6-1. Bartoli will meet eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, who beat qualifier Marina Erakovic 6-1, 6-1.
The 20th-ranked Cibulkova, looking for her first tour title, reached her second semifinal of the year.
“I was pretty solid the whole match,” Cibulkova said. “I hope to keep playing at this level.”
The fifth-ranked Sharapova, who reached the Wimbledon final, questioned an out call that would have ended the match. She regrouped and won the next two points to set up the possible match between two former world No. 1s.
“I feel great,” Sharapova told the crowd as she left the court to a huge ovation.
Williams, playing in her first tournament on American soil since the 2009 U.S. Open, meets Maria Kirilenko on Thursday afternoon.
France’s Marion Bartoli reached her seventh quarterfinal of the year, beating Rebecca Marino of Canada 6-4, 6-3.
The ninth-ranked Bartoli, who won this event two years ago, has won 18 of her last 21 matches.
“I love this tournament. It’s a great way for me to start back,” Bartoli said. “I lost to Rebecca last year in Quebec, so it was good for me to take revenge. I really felt like I was moving well. I was hitting the ball well for having three weeks off.”
Marino, ranked 40th, beat Bartoli at Quebec City last year—her only win over a top-20 player.
In other matches, eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia beat American Christina McHale 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, and fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland topped taiwan’s Chang Kai-chen 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.
“It was really difficult to play,” Cibulkova said. “I didn’t play my best and it’s not always easy to win matches like this.”
The 20th-ranked Cibulkova reached her seventh quarterfinal of the year and will meet the winner of Thursday’s match between top-seeded and defending champion Victoria Azarenka and qualifier Marina Erakovic.
“Sometimes a match like this gives you more confidence because you have to fight and play through it when you are struggling. Now in the next match, you can play even better knowing you just won a real tough match.”
The Russian and the American are both on comebacks from health problems and could meet in the quarter-finals at Stanford as they launch their U.S hard court seasons in California.
“I love playing against her,” Sharapova said. “We’ve had very, very tough matches against each other.
“I don’t have a great record against her and I would love to change that. There is no doubt I would love to play her this Summer at some point.”
The pair have played each other eight times, with Williams winning six and the Russian twice. Sharapova beat Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final but the American has won their last five in a row.
“Rivalries are exciting for me and for the sport,” Sharapova said.
“That’s what women’s tennis really needs and men’s tennis doesn’t lack. To be able to create those types of rivalries in the women’s game is important.”
Sharapova is also planning to play at Toronto and Cincinnati before heading to New York for the U.S. Open.
The three-time Grand Slam winner made the finals at Stanford and Cincinnati last year but ran out of steam at Flushing Meadows, falling to Caroline Wozniacki after an error-strewn performance, but said she would be better prepared this time.
“I played some great matches during last summer,” she said.
“There’s no doubt about it. The problem was it wasn’t enough for the U.S. Open. For some reason, that level didn’t come to the one where it really mattered most. That’s just the way it goes.”
Sharapova has won four titles since returning from shoulder surgery in 2009 but has not won a grand slam since 2008. However, she showed signs this year she is getting closer to her peak, reaching the semi-finals at the French Open then the final at Wimbledon.
“I was glad I didn’t come home after Wimbledon empty handed,” the fifth-ranked Russian said.
“To have that moment where you’re walking out in the final stage of Wimbledon, even though you didn’t leave with the big trophy, gives me a tremendous amount of confidence that I’ve been doing something right in the last few months and I’ve been getting better.”
Russian Sharapova, stunned by Czech Petra Kvitova in the women’s Wimbledon final earlier this month, has twice won the $2.05 million Tokyo event, which begins on Sept. 25.
Sharapova and Danish rival Wozniacki, the defending champion, will fly to Japan early to take part in charity events in support of the victims of the deadly earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
Organisers told Reuters, children would be invited from disaster-hit Fukushima Prefecture, where a power plant suffered a nuclear meltdown after being crushed by the tsunami wave.
“I was deeply saddened by the terrible disaster,” Chinese trailblazer Li said in the statement, the first Asian to win a grand slam adding: “I continue to think about you during these difficult times.”
Looking further ahead, Sharapova, currently ranked number five in the world, will open next year’s campaign with January’s Brisbane International, which was upgraded by the WTA to premier status for 2012, to warm up for the Australian Open.
“I have never been to Brisbane before and coming into the Australian Open I felt like Brisbane would be a good place for me to start the year,” the glamour girl of women’s tennis was quoted as saying on the tournament website(www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/) on Tuesday.
“It is the first tournament of the year and it’s kind of here you see where your game is and how good your off-season has been and so you try and get in as many matches as you can before the Australian Open.”
Kvitova’s first major title won’t be her last.
She cracks forehands and backhands like Indiana Jones’ whip. Her left-handed serve, particularly when thumped down out wide, is as slippery as snakes in soapsuds for righties like Sharapova to grab hold of. Kvitova showed the same brand of fearlessness that Sharapova wowed Centre Court with as an insouciant 17-year-old champion in 2004. The wavy-haired blonde from the Czech Republic is the complete tennis package, with the cool-under-pressure poise that allows champions to convert mere opportunities into actual trophies.
“I don’t think this is the only time she’ll win here,” said 18-time major winner Martina Navratilova. “It’s very exciting. A new star.”
Since the Open era began in 1968, most women—two-thirds, to be precise— have lost their first Grand Slam final.
Kvitova, whose previous Grand Slam best was a Wimbledon semifinal last year, looked at home on the unfamiliar stage. Nerves and over-hit forehands cost Kvitova her first service game. But those in the crowd who wondered whether she might simply wilt from that point quickly got their answer when Kvitova immediately broke back.
Against players who roll over far easier than the ever-gritty Sharapova, the final score could have been 6-1, 6-1, not 6-3, 6-4—so convincing was Kvitova’s play.
“And serving it out with an ace, now that’s fashion,” said Martina Hingis, the 1997 champion.
Sharapova studied the runner’s-up trophy with a detached, half-interested air.
“Obviously, I would have wanted that big one,” the Russian said.
Well, perhaps next time. That can be said with more, although not absolute, confidence now. But it would not have been said a year ago. Then, it seemed that the former No. 1 might never recapture the strength she lost when her right shoulder first started creaking like an ungreased cog in 2007 and then ultimately failed her in 2008.
She had a cortisone shot to get her through the 2007 French Open, where “I basically played without a shoulder,” and anti-inflammatories and 2 1/2 hours of treatment each day—acupuncture, massage, ice, “you name it, I do it,” she said—at Wimbledon that year.
She went on an 18-match winning streak after winning the 2008 Australian Open. But the shoulder problems returned with a vengeance not long after she lost in the second round of Wimbledon that year, her earliest Grand Slam exit since her first full season on tour in 2003. She couldn’t play at the Beijing Olympics, nor at the U.S. Open. The medical verdict: not only had she torn the rotator cuff tendon that helps to stabilize the shoulder but had been playing with the injury for months.
From there, it has been a long and winding road back. Ten weeks of shoulder rehab in Arizona with similarly injured pitchers and quarterbacks didn’t stop the pain, so she had surgery. At that point, many others might have given up. Not Sharapova. With her semifinal this year at Roland Garros and, now, her second Wimbledon final, she’s undeniably back.
For athletes who once felt invincible, injury confronts them with their own vulnerability. It can make confident world beaters more timid. There is the shock of discovering that while they are sidelined, the sport they once ruled carries on without them and, sometimes, depression for those, like Sharapova, who can’t be sure how quickly they will heal.
“It’s a little terrifying,” said Sean McCann, the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Sport Psychology department. “Some people don’t have the willpower and drive to pull that off.”
Willpower is not something Sharapova lacks.
“Even among top athletes, it’s a rather unique story—her ability to fight back multiple times from injury,” McCann said. “Impressive.”
But when Williams, a fourth-round Wimbledon loser, is back to her best after her 11 months out with a cut foot and blood clots on the lungs, and when absentee Kim Clijsters’ right ankle is better, how will Sharapova fare then? Her serve is still a weakness. She had successive double-faults that not only gave the sixth game of the first set to Kvitova but gave the future champion the momentum, too.
Billie Jean King said Sharapova has “fought her shoulder and had to change her swing on her serve.”
“Her shoulder is so loose, the joint, that she had trouble knowing where the face of the racket is on the back swing,” she said. “She’s much better now. If you notice she has a shorter, abbreviated—it’s not abbreviated abbreviated—but it’s shorter and doesn’t come back as far on the back part of her swing as it did when she won here when she was 17.”
Still, you can be sure that Sharapova will be out working the practice courts as soon as this disappointment wears off.
This wasn’t an epic final. It wasn’t a bore, either.
Kvitova and women’s tennis were both winners.
The three-time Grand Slam champion had experience on her side Saturday in the Wimbledon final. Petra Kvitova was just plain better, beating the fifth-seeded Russian 6-3, 6-4.
“She was hitting really powerful and hitting winners from all over the court. She made a defensive shot into an offensive one,” Sharapova said. “And, yeah, just kind of laid on a lot of those shots. I think she was just more aggressive than I was, hit deeper and harder, and got the advantage in the points.”
Instead of using her serve to set up easy winners, Sharapova seemed more concerned with just landing them. And she was probably right to think that.
Sharapova finished with six double-faults, including three in a row over two games at one point in the first set. That, however, was fewer than the 13 she misfired in her semifinal victory over German wild card Sabine Lisicki.
“I think there were a lot of things that I could have done better besides the serve,” Sharapova said. “It’s also about the serve and the first ball, the return and the first ball, and she was just doing that a lot better than I was.”
Sharapova did give herself a chance in the second set, however. After going down an early break, she broke to get to 2-2.
Sasha Vujacic, the New Jersey Nets guard and Sharapova’s fiance, stood in the players’ box and screamed, pumping his fists while his gray T-shirt showed signs of sweat. But despite another break to 3-3, Vujacic’s vocal support didn’t work.
“She wasn’t able to come back. It happens,” Vujacic said. “When you lose, people look for alibis. … We lost today, but we’ll move forward. She knows what she has to do moving forward.”
Sharapova won her three Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon in 2004, before shoulder surgery in October 2008. This was her first major final since then.
“I knew that she had experiences. She won here,” said Kvitova, who lost in the Wimbledon semifinals last year. “But I had it from the last year also, so I knew a little bit how I feeling on the court and I (did) a great job here today.”
Sharapova said she will take a couple of days off after heading home for the first time in weeks, but her long-term plans are still centered on tennis.
And just reaching the final at the All England Club seven years after winning it when she was 17 is a move in the right direction.
“It’s a big step because my game is improving, and it’s a big step because it gives me a tremendous amount of confidence going forward,” Sharapova said. “We still have many tournaments in this year and the next and the following. You know, I just want to be a better player and I want to keep working.”
This was, after all, Kvitova’s first Grand Slam championship match, while Sharapova already owned three major titles, including one from the All England Club. So Kvitova decided to pretend she was heading out on Centre Court to play in the fourth round.
That mindset worked. So, too, did nearly everything Kvitova tried once play began, particularly her big, flat left-handed groundstrokes that pushed Sharapova back on her heels. In a surprisingly lopsided final, Kvitova beat the higher-seeded, yet shakier, Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 Saturday to win Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam trophy.
“I was surprised how I was feeling on the court,” Kvitova said, “because I was focused only on the point and on the game and not on the final.”
If there were those who wondered how the eighth-seeded Kvitova would handle the setting and the pressure, her coach did not.
Indeed, David Kotyza had an inkling his new pupil possessed the right stuff to win titles shortly after they began working together about 2 1/2 years ago. That’s because he was wowed by the several pages of handwritten answers Kvitova supplied for a questionnaire he gave her back then—and has kept to this day.
“I was really surprised about how she thinks about tennis, how clever she is. She told me her advantages, disadvantages, what she has to improve,” Kotyza said, then pointed a finger to his temple and added: “Her brain is a big advantage for this game.”
When she was a kid growing up in Fulnek, Czech Republic—population: 6,000 — and practicing an hour or so after school each day, Kvitova didn’t count on becoming a professional tennis player. She simply wasn’t that good, yet. Clearly, she’s a quick study.
Before Wimbledon in 2010, Kvitova’s career record on grass was 0-4. She is 16-2 on the slick surface since, including a run to the semifinals here last year before losing to Serena Williams.
At 21, Kvitova is the youngest Wimbledon champion since—you guessed it— Sharapova was 17 in 2004. Kvitova is also the first Czech to win the tournament since Jana Novotna in 1998.
Plus, Kvitova is only the third left-handed woman to win the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. The last was Martina Navratilova, who won her ninth Wimbledon title in 1990, a few months after Kvitova was born.
“I’m thrilled for her. She played brave tennis, and she deserved to win. She was by far the better player,” said Navratilova, who was born in Czechoslovakia and sat near Novotna in the Royal Box on Saturday. “I don’t think this is the only time she’ll win here. It’s very exciting. A new star.”
That last phrase was being uttered by many people around the grounds after Kvitova managed to make Sharapova look rather ordinary.
Consider: Until Saturday, Sharapova had won all 12 sets she played over the last two weeks. But, as Sharapova’s coach Thomas Hogstedt summed up afterward: “One played well. The other didn’t play well. Maria didn’t play as good as she can.”
That was, at least in part, Kvitova’s doing.
She compiled 19 winners, most by zipping her heavy forehands and backhands from the baseline, where her tall frame and long arms helped her get to seemingly out-of-reach balls.
“She created offensive opportunities from tough positions on the court,” Sharapova said. “Sometimes it’s just too good.”
Kvitova also broke Sharapova five times, anticipating where serves were headed.
It helped that Sharapova double-faulted six times, although at least those were fewer than the 13 the Russian hit in the semifinals.
“She performed incredible. Sometimes, when you don’t know what to expect and you don’t know how you’re going to feel, sometimes you play your best, because you have that feeling of nothing to lose,” said the fifth-seeded Sharapova, who was playing in a major final for the first time since right shoulder surgery in October 2008. “She went for it, absolutely.”
What really was odd was seeing the experienced and normally gritty Sharapova bothered by distractions such as the swarms of tiny greenflies that showed up Saturday or the occasional clap or yell that came from the stands during points.
Even more stunning was the way Sharapova crumpled at key moments. One example: She double-faulted twice in a row to lose serve and fall behind 4-2 in the first set. Sharapova turned her back to the court and gave herself a little lecture, then smacked herself on her left palm with her racket.
Kvitova—now 4-1 in tournament finals this year—broke again to begin the second set, capping that game with a running forehand that caught the back edge of the baseline. The women exchanged four consecutive breaks in the middle of that set, before Kvitova—not Sharapova—gathered herself.
Ahead 4-3, but trailing 15-30 while serving, Kvitova hit three straight service winners to get to 5-3.
“She served quite hard. Her second serve was pretty big as well. She was going for it, for the second serve,” Sharapova said. “I felt like I could have reacted a little bit better.”
Credit Kvitova also for being at her steadiest in the most resolve-testing moments. She served out both sets at love, including with an ace on match point.
What was running through her head right then?
“I have to do it now,” she would say later.
After that last point—one last nerve-free point—Kvitova raised both arms, then dropped to her knees. A raucous celebration ensued in her guest box, including some overzealous chest-bumping that left one man knocked off his feet. Kvitova’s allotted seats were completely filled—with her coach, parents, two brothers and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, among others—while Sharapova’s section had only her agent, coach, hitting partner and fiance, New Jersey Nets guard Sasha Vujacic.
“When you lose in the final, you feel like the biggest loser in a way, but Maria is on the right track. She’s working hard,” Vujacic said. “She needed a lot of time to come back, and I think if she stays on the same road, there are many good things ahead of us.”
Now there will be similar expectations of Kvitova.
Kotyza, her coach, said Kvitova’s best quality probably is that “she’s just an ordinary girl. She’s standing with both feet on the ground. And I think it’s very, very important for … these matches. Because she’s ‘OK, just hit the ball, and we will see.”’
Asked after Saturday’s victory when she first realized she might one day win a Grand Slam title, Kvitova smiled, tucked some strands of hair behind her ear and replied: “Probably yesterday.”
Czech Petra Kvitova does not have the glamorous appeal of the ice-cool Russian, her face will probably never adorn billboards and magazine covers and advertising executives will not be clamouring for her signature but she does boast a slicing left-handed serve which is no respecter of reputations.
Not that she has reached eighth in the rankings with only one shot in her armoury but, according to one of the greatest left-handers the game has known, the Kvitova serve spells danger for Sharapova’s chances of winning a second Wimbledon title.
“I think Petra will return better and it will be easier for her to hold serve. That lefty serve will pay off a little bit more,” Czech-born American Martina Navratilova, winner of 20 Wimbledon titles in singles and doubles, told reporters.
“It just opens up the court a little bit. It seems that the lefties always have a good slice serve. You could hit it in your sleep. With the serves, I think Kvitova will get on top of the rally a little bit earlier than Maria maybe.”
Kvitova is the first Czech to reach the women’s final since Jana Novotna in 1998 and only the fourth left-hander to do so in the Open Era.
After dropping just two sets so far she presents a formidable obstacle for fifth seed Sharapova.
However, Sharapova has stormed into the final without dropping a set and despite 13 double-faults in her semi-final win over Sabine Lisicki has looked in her best shape since shoulder surgery threatened her career in 2008.
MONOTONOUS REGULARITY
Her thundering groundstrokes have been landing inches from the baseline with monotonous regularity and the steely look in her blue eyes suggests she is not about to let her chance of a fourth grand slam title slip from her grasp.
Relaxed as she appears, though, the Kvitova serve may disturb the extra long nap she was preparing to take on Friday.
“She’s got a lot of confidence coming in here, the sense of feeling of having nothing to lose, as it’s her first grand slam final,” she told reporters. “Also being a lefty, I think that’s quite dangerous on grass, because she’s been using a lot of her strengths as a lefty and playing really well throughout.
“I think on grass, with the way the spin comes out, it’s a big advantage, coming from a lefty. It’s a matter of seeing the ball a little bit faster and reacting.”
Kvitova, one of a bunch of eastern Europeans to climb the rankings over the past year but who could still stroll through most cities unnoticed, was giving precious little away as she prepared for the biggest day of her career.
Hard as reporters dug for titbits of detail, Kvitova, who belongs to the same tennis club as last year’s men’s runner-up Tomas Berdych, was reluctant to play ball.
“I didn’t speak to him about the final,” she said of the Berdych link. “No, nothing special…” was her response to how she will prepare for Saturday. “It was on TV but I don’t think I watched it,” she shrugged about Sharapova’s stunning win over Serena Williams in 2004.
Kvitova is clearly letting her tennis do the talking and so far, apart from a couple of brief lapses, it has looked capable of taking her all the way to the Venus Rosewater Dish.
“It’s such a toss-up,” Navratilova said. “It basically comes down to who serves better. Once the ball is in play, Sharapova has an edge, but not so big.”
Petra Kvitova is preparing for her first Grand Slam final. The 21-year-old Czech might be dreaming of a debut like that of her Russian rival, who overpowered the top-seeded Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4 in 2004 to make her mark as a future superstar of the game.
The gap between Wimbledon finals might surprise some, but she was sidelined by a shoulder injury and had surgery in 2008. She’s slowly made her way back to the final week of a Grand Slam.
“That’s the way it goes,” Sharapova said Friday. “You obviously hope that you can be in the final stages every single year, but I guess it’s just not meant to happen. This is the year I’m supposed to be back in the final. I don’t know why. I’m not going to question it.”
Since 2004, Sharapova has added the 2006 U.S. Open and the 2008 Australian Open titles. But shoulder surgery in October 2008 took her off the singles court for nearly 10 months and required a change in her service motion.
The match Saturday against Kvitova will be her first Grand Slam final since 2008. It is these moments that Sharapova visualized while nursing her shoulder back to health.
“I had time to reflect on my career and things that I’ve achieved,” Sharapova said. “But I think I was always looking towards the future more than anything than in the past, because that’s where I was trying to envision myself at some point to be getting back out there.”
Looking back to the 2004 final, Sharapova said she spent the day trying to recover from illness. As she looked ahead to the biggest match of her career, Kvitova dismissed talk of nerves.
“No, I’m not nervous,” she said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, for sure. I slept well. It’s OK.”
If Kvitova can hold her nerve, the final could come down to the serve. The left-handed Kvitova has hit 35 aces in her six matches so far and it was her serve that was a determining factor in her semifinal win over fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka.
Sharapova managed to beat Sabine Lisicki despite 13 doubles-faults and a first-serve percentage of 48.
Martina Navratilova, the last left-handed women’s champion at Wimbledon in 1998, said Kvitova “matches up well” against Sharapova.
“It’s such a tossup. It basically comes down to who serves better,” Navratilova said. “Once the ball is in play, Sharapova has an edge with Petra. I think Petra will return better (than Lisicki did) and it will be easier for her to hold serve.”
Kvitova has described 9-time Wimbledon winner Navratilova as her idol.
“She’s very sweet,” Navratilova said. “It’s funny because I haven’t had that many players that said, ‘You’re my hero.’ It’s nice. I thought she was too young for that.”
Kvitova hadn’t won a match on grass before her run to the semifinals at the All England Club last year.
Since then, she has won three WTA Tour titles and surged into the top 10. The 21-year-old trained at the same club in Prostejov as 2010 Wimbledon men’s finalist Tomas Berdych. Martina Hingis also practiced there.
Kvitova said Friday her parents are flying over from Prostejov to watch her attempt to become the first Czech woman to win Wimbledon since Jana Novotna in 1998.
Sharapova will be supported by her fiance, New Jersey Nets guard Sasha Vujacic, who has been at the championships throughout the two weeks. Less a carefree teenager, the 24-year-old Sharapova will go into the final with a different perspective.
“I’m a few years older, more mature. I hope so at least,” she said, smiling. “You develop, not only as a player, but as a person as well.
“Obviously a big part of my life is tennis, but at the end of the day I’m not going to be playing for my whole life. It’s great to have someone that will be sharing my life with onwards. I want to explore life. There are many other things in life as well that I’d want to do.”
The 24-year-old Russian served 13 double faults on her way to a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Germany’s Sabine Lisicki to reach the final for the first time since she burst into the spotlight by winning the 2004 title as a carefree 17-year-old.
Eighth seed Kvitova silenced the wailing Victoria Azarenka 6-1 3-6 6-2 to reach her first grand slam final.
Neither match will live long in the memory though after a day that did little to alter the perception that the women’s game is struggling without the rivalries that have fuelled interest in the men’s game.
Not that Sharapova was too concerned.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s been many years, but it’s a really great feeling,” said Sharapova, who has filled the vacuum left by the fourth-round exits of champion Serena Williams, five-times winner Venus Williams and top seed Caroline Wozniacki.
“Today wasn’t my best match of the championships so I was real happy to get through in two sets. So yeah, it’s pretty amazing to be back on that stage.”
Czech Kvitova and Belarussian fourth seed Azarenka thrashed around for an hour and 44 minutes on the hallowed turf but their “heavy metal” variety of tennis hardly captivated a Centre Court liberally sprinkled with empty green seats.
The famous arena was still not full either when Sharapova, the only genuine A-lister to survive until the semis, strode out under cloudy skies to take on wildcard Lisicki.
For three games the fifth seed could hardly get the ball in court, struggling on serve, lashing forehands into the net and shooting panicky glances to fiance Sasha Vujacic as he tried his best to offer encouragement from the players’ box.
She improved steadily but her progress to the final was helped by an opponent whose belief drained away as quickly as Sharapova ramped up the volume on the “grunt-o-meter”.
When the ninth service break ended the contest, the long-limbed Russian blew kisses to all four stands and added an extra one for her boyfriend before aiming another at the sky in gratitude for the looming rain clouds staying away.
After storming through the draw without losing a set to reach her first grand slam final since her career was threatened by shoulder surgery in 2008, Sharapova will be odds-on favourite to collect her fourth major title.
“But the next match starts from scratch. Everything that kind of went before, that doesn’t really matter,” said the Florida-based Russian, who gets to enjoy a few of the perks of being a member of the All England Club.
Azarenka’s defeat will at least help keep the volume down on Saturday as left-handed Kvitova is relatively quiet when she smites the ball over the net.
The Belarussian, whose sound effects again brought giggles from the crowd, was briefly drowned out by an alarm blaring across Centre Court at one point of the match but it was Kvitova’s accuracy that was the real danger.
The first set whizzed by in 27 minutes with hardly a rally to speak of but Azarenka got a foothold with an early break in the second and went on to level the contest.
With similar playing styles, both smashing the felt off the ball from the baseline, there was a muted atmosphere in the stands as Kvitova pulled away again in the decider.
Kvitova completed victory on her second match point when Azarenka served a double fault.
“I think it was a nervous match for sure,” Kvitova, the first left-hander to reach the women’s final since Czech-born American Martina Navratilova in 1994, told reporters.
“It was tough mentally but it’s something unbelievable to be in the final at Wimbledon.”
Andy Murray’s quest to became the first British man to win Wimbledon for 75 years takes centre stage on Friday when he takes on world number one and holder Rafa Nadal in the men’s semis after Novak Djokovic plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Fourth seed Azarenka of Belarus, whose wailing during matches has upset the All England club, meets Czech Petra Kvitova in the first semi on Centre Court.
Sharapova, the favourite as former champion despite being a seed lower than Azarenka, will grunt her way through against Sabine Lisicki knowing the German wildcard has already knocked out French Open champion Li Na and the fiery Marion Bartoli.
The 2004 winner has not dropped a set all tournament, though, and it will take another Herculean effort from Lisicki to deny the Russian.
At 24, the Russian is the oldest of the women’s semifinalists at the All England Club, and by far the most experienced. Being the veteran is new for Sharapova, who was just 17 when she won her only Wimbledon title in 2004.
The other three semifinalists—Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova and Sabine Lisicki—are all 21 and have no Grand Slam finals among them. Only Kvitova has reached a Grand Slam semifinal before, having made the last four at Wimbledon last year.
“I think a few years don’t really make that much of a difference,” the fifth-seeded Sharapova said. “I think maybe if I achieved big things when I was a little bit older, not 17, maybe I wouldn’t be seen as more of a veteran. I’d still be considered young.
“But I don’t regret for a second that I had a lot of success when I was young, because I feel like I got to learn so much more than players at my age.”
On Thursday, Sharapova will play Lisicki, the 62nd-ranked German who became only the second wild card to reach the women’s semis at Wimbledon after Zheng Jie in 2008. The fifth-ranked Azarenka of Belarus plays No. 8 Kvitova of the Czech Republic.
Sharapova followed up her Wimbledon title by winning the 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open. However, shoulder surgery in 2008 derailed her for the next 10 months and forced a drastic change of her service motion. After dominating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-1 on Tuesday, she finally looks close to being the same player who reached the No. 1 ranking in 2005.
Sharapova hasn’t been this far at Wimbledon since 2006. The Williams sisters have dominated the grass-court Grand Slam, winning nine of the last 11 crowns. Venus and Serena were eliminated in the fourth round—along with top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki—leaving Sharapova as the favorite to emerge with another title.
First, she has to get past those young challengers. None are exactly new faces in women’s tennis, the way Sharapova was when she had her breakthrough.
“In one sense, yeah, they’re coming up, because they’re reaching the bigger stages of the Grand Slams and they’re trying to win their first one as well,” Sharapova said. “But I also feel it’s not the first time I’m seeing them in the draw or seeing them at the tournament. It’s not like they’re 15 or 16 years old.”
Still, regardless of who wins this year, it will be the youngest women’s champion since Sharapova’s victory.
While the Russian’s opponent on Thursday is the only remaining player outside the top 10, Lisicki’s low ranking belies her talent. She slipped out of the top 200 last year after spending seven weeks on crutches with an ankle injury.
Lisicki has won 11 straight grass-court matches this year, taking the title at the warmup tournament in Birmingham. She is the first German woman since Steffi Graf in 1999 to reach the last four at the All England Club. On her way there, she knocked out French Open champion Li Na in three sets after saving two match points on Centre Court.
“I have absolutely nothing to lose,” Lisicki said. “I just enjoy myself out there on the court so much. It’s just so great, and I’m so thankful to be out there on the court again that I’m enjoying every minute of it.”
Kvitova is looking to become just the third left-handed woman to win Wimbledon after Ann Jones in 1969, along with her countrywoman and nine-time champion Martina Navratilova.
“It’s (an) advantage here for sure,” Kvitova said about being left handed.
Azarenka is the highest-ranked player left in the draw, but has never experienced a Grand Slam semifinal before.
“Looking at the rankings everybody says, ‘You should have been already in the semifinals,”’ Azarenka said. “It was a great win for me to go through that. It was important. I’m just happy to be in the semifinal, and looking forward to work even harder.”
Still only 24, the Siberia-born six-footer has earned multi millions since becoming the golden girl of the sport by beating Serena Williams in the 2004 final but the grand slam titles she craves have been harder to come by.
She takes on German wildcard Sabine Lisicki on Centre Court on Thursday with world number five Victoria Azarenka or eighth seed Petra Kvitova awaiting the winner in Saturday’s showpiece.
While the other three will be hoping to be holding aloft the Venus Rosewater Dish on Saturday, the steely look in Sharapova’s eyes as she destroyed Dominika Cibulkova in the quarter-finals was that of a player who expects nothing less.
This time, however, after the “dead ends” she experienced while battling back from career-threatening shoulder surgery, it would mean even more than it did when she was a carefree teenager.
“Absolutely it would have more meaning,” she told reporters. “When you’re put into a situation where you don’t quite know if you’re ever going to play at a very high level where you’re beating and trying to beat players day in and day out, absolutely it would mean more to me.”
Once the Williams sisters departed in the fourth round along with world number one Caroline Wozniacki, the draw opened up invitingly for Sharapova and she may never have a better chance to claim a fourth grand slam title before the new generation take over.
Not that she will be taking anything for granted, especially against the dangerous Lisicki, the hardest server in the women’s draw this year, blocking her path.
“She’s really playing great grasscourt tennis and is always very dangerous,” Sharapova said.
“It’s a big stage of a grand slam and I’m playing against a tough opponent. She hits very hard. She has probably one of the hardest serves on the tour, and that’s very beneficial. She’s used that very well on the grass. So that will be challenging.”
Lisicki reached the quarter-finals two years ago as a 19-year-old before an ankle injury stalled her progress.
However, she has fully justified the organisers decision to hand her wildcard and a game which used both heavy artillery and stealthy drop shots has made her something of a crowd favourite at this year’s championships.
She hopes the underdog tag will work in her favour against the ice maiden Sharapova.
“They (the crowd) really have been amazing,” Lisicki, the first German woman to reach the semis since Steffi Graf in 1999, said.
“Here throughout the tournament it was just amazing, and they really helped me in the match against (French Open champion) Li Na when I was down two match points.
“I have absolutely nothing to lose.”
While Sharapova will start as clear favourite against Lisicki, the other semi-final is tougher to call.
Czech Kvitova, bidding to become the first left-hander to win the women’s singles since Martina Navratilova in 1990, has rocketed into the top-10 this year and will have the advantage of also contesting the semi-final last year when she lost to Serena Williams.
She also beat Azarenka at Wimbledon last year although the Belarussian is the highest-ranked player in the last four and looks in prime form to finally deliver on her grand slam winning potential after an impressive year.
“It’s going to be a different story. It’s a completely different game even from we played last year here,” Azarenka said.
“She’s in a great form and she’s playing well, so I really have to play my best game.”
Kvitova, 21, initially struggled to deal with the spotlight after last year’s Wimbledon run, losing in the first round of her next five tournaments, but she is now living up to the hype and is in confident mood.
“I know I can play on the grass and I can beat everybody who is playing against me and some top players also,” said Kvitova.
The Russian fifth seed, the stand-out name in an unfamiliar looking last eight, roared to a 6-1 6-1 win over shell-shocked Dominika Cibulkova under Centre Court’s roof and now only wildcard Sabine Lisicki stands between Sharapova and her first final here since she won the tournament in 2004.
Lisicki continued her heart-warming run when she outlasted French livewire Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-7 6-1 to become the first German woman to reach the semis since Steffi Graf in 1999.
Both matches were played out in the slightly surreal atmosphere of a covered show court after Monday’s sticky heat gave way to rumbling storms.
Play was eventually possible on the roof-less Court One where Czech Petra Kvitova beat Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3 6-7 6-2 in just over two hours to set up a semi-final against fourth seed Victoria Azarenka.
Belarussian Azarenka reached her first grand slam semi-final when she thrashed 20-year-old Austrian Tamira Paszek 6-3 6-1 in match that started on Court One but was switched to Centre Court after rain returned.
Azarenka, whose on-court decibel level has often eclipsed her tennis, said a talk with her mother earlier this year had helped her become a grand slam contender rather than a student.
“After the tournament in Doha I didn’t really want to play tennis,” she told reporters. “I just wanted to go home and rest. My mom asked me, Oh, what are you going to do? I said, I’m going to study. She laughed out loud.”
Sharapova became the clear favourite for the title after Monday’s fourth-round carnage in which defending champion Serena Williams, her sister Venus, the five-times winner, and world number one Caroline Wozniacki all bowed out.
The broad-shouldered 24-year-old lived up to that billing with an unrelenting display of high-voltage tennis to demolish a player she towered above both in stature and class.
“I haven’t been at this stage in Wimbledon in a few years, so this feels great,” former world number one Sharapova, who had not lasted beyond the quarter-finals at the grasscourt slam since 2006, told reporters after her winning in an hour.
“I would have loved for it not to have taken that long, but I’m not complaining. It’s the road that you sometimes have to take. It’s not always straight. There are a lot of zigzags.”
There were few zigzags against the overwhelmed Cibulkova, just straight line speed as Sharapova thumped 23 clean winners and countless more unreturnable drives.
Even when 24th-ranked Cibulkova, who knocked out Wozniacki on Monday, earned a break point in the final game Sharapova simply cuffed a fizzing ace down the middle, a pinpoint shot that would have been appreciated by U.S. Open golf champion Rory McIlroy who watched from the Royal Box.
NO CONTEST
Impressive as it was, Sharapova’s match was never really a contest, unlike the humdinger that preceded it.
With torrential rain drumming loudly on the Centre Court roof Lisicki and 2007 runner-up Bartoli went toe-to-toe in some before Bartoli’s reserves of energy finally ran out.
“My legs were cramping, my mind was working but I ran out of gas and there’s nothing I could do,” the 26-year-old told, whose antics between points included frantic practice swings, sprinting on the spot and various skips, hops and slaps.
Lisicki missed five months in 2010 with an ankle injury, slumping to 179th in the rankings from a high of 22nd in 2009 when she also reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
The bubbly German, who beat French Open champion Li Na in the second round, also suffered a health scare in Roland Garros where she was carried off on a stretcher following a second- round defeat by Vera Zvonareva.
There was nothing wrong with her on Tuesday, though, as she pummelled the tenacious Bartoli with massive serves and pounding groundstrokes to reach her first grand slam semi-final despite an attack of nerves when she served for the match at 5-4 in the second set.
“It just feels amazing to be in the semi-finals, especially after all I went through,” Lisicki, who met Graf in Las Vegas last year, told reporters.
She took the opening set in 42 minutes and recovered from a break down in the second to lead 5-4 with her potent serve to come. A netted backhand cost her the first match point, she then agonisingly hit the tape with an attempted drop shot, one of the few occasions she failed with her favourite stroke.
A third match point went begging when she fired a forehand wide and a revved-up Bartoli seized her moment to break back before levelling the match in the tiebreak.
A sweat-streaked Bartoli was visibly suffering with fatigue in the decider, however, and Lisicki ruthlessly ran her around as she powered to victory.
Despite it being women’s quarter-final day all the early talk around the grounds was about the state of men’s defending champion Rafa Nadal’s left foot which he injured in his four-hour victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Monday.
The Spaniard had feared it could scupper his title defence but after an MRI scan he issued a statement saying there was no serious injury and he would be fit to face the last-standing American Mardy Fish on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Nadal practised later on Tuesday and looked to be moving freely while knocking with a compliant junior.
“I thought I had something serious but as the match went through the pain got better and thankfully the tests don’t show an injury,” Nadal said.
Only once since 1998 has the quarter-final lineup not included Serena or Venus, in 2006, and with fifth seed Sharapova the only grand slam champion left the title now seems hers to lose.
However, the Russian three-times grand slam champion is not the highest seed still in the tournament, fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus just pips her, and she has feisty 24th seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia to contend with next.
Cibulkova sprung into life after a first-set pummelling by world number one Caroline Wozniacki to produce some devastating ground strokes of her own and will test all of Sharapova’s skill.
First up on Centre Court is Sabine Lisicki of Germany, seeking to become the first wildcard to win the women’s singles, against ninth seed Marion Bartoli of France who is fresh from a morale-boosting win over Serena.
Over on Court One, last year’s surprise semi-finalist Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic plays Bulgarian 32nd seed Tsvetana Pironkova, who also upset the odds to reach the last four in 2010.
Finally, the unseeded Tamira Paszek of Austria takes on the noisy Azarenka.
The fifth-seeded Russian, who won the 2004 title at the All England Club, broke for the first time to take a 5-4 lead in the first set Monday. From that break, she won seven straight games to take control.
Sharapova has also won the U.S. Open and Australian Open, but has only recently returned to top form after shoulder surgery in 2008.
Sharapova will next face either top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki or Dominika Cibulkova.
The fifth-seeded Russian won the title at the All England Club in 2004, but last reached the semifinals in 2006.
Sharapova has also won the U.S. Open and Australian Open, but would need to win the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.
The 2004 champion at the All England Club trailed 4-1 in the first set, and then 4-2 in the tiebreaker, before rallying for the win against the 17-year-old Robson.
Sharapova is looking for her fourth Grand Slam title. The Russian also won the 2006 U.S. Open and the 2008 Australian Open.
Robson won the junior title at Wimbledon in 2008, and earned her first Grand Slam tournament victory in the first round when she beat Angelique Kerber.
Sharapova next plays Klara Zakopalova.
The No. 52-ranked Chakvetadze managed to break once in the second set but was otherwise outclassed by her sixth-seeded opponent in just over an hour.
Sharapova, who won the tournament in 2004 but hasn’t gone beyond the fourth round since 2006, is the only former champion in the women’s tournament other than Venus and Serena Williams.
“If I do achieve that—if it’s here, if it’s somewhere else—I think it would be my biggest achievement in my career,” she said Saturday at Wimbledon, where play begins Monday.
Sharapova’s most recent major title came at the Australian Open in January 2008. In October of that year, she needed surgery on her right, racket-swinging shoulder—a rather important part of a tennis player’s body, it seems safe to say—and she was sidelined for the better part of 10 months.
“I’ve said it since I came back from my injury. I said that if I could win another Grand Slam, it would mean more than the previous ones that I have. … All of a sudden, one day, it was kind of taken away from you,” Sharapova said.
“You kind of have to step back and look at things from a different angle,” she said of her time away from the game. “And then when you get back there, you basically start from zero. You try to get yourself to a level where you can compete with the top players, beating them day in, day out. Yeah, it’s a long process.”
She won her first Grand Slam championship at the All England Club in 2004, when she was all of 17. Her second came two years later at the U.S. Open, followed by her victory in Australia.
Sharapova then went more than three years without making it back to the semifinals at any major tournament until getting that far at the French Open this month.
That proved to her—and to everyone else—that Sharapova, who briefly was No. 1 in the WTA rankings, is still capable of contending for tennis’ top prizes.
She’s seeded fifth at Wimbledon, and will play 2007 U.S. Open semifinalist Anna Chakvetadze of Russia in the first round.
“At the end of the day, you really just do this for yourself,” Sharapova said. “It’s really about your commitment and your drive; whether you want it or not. You can have as many positive words, and it’s really helpful and beneficial, but if you wake up and you don’t want it, then you’re never going to achieve anything.”
Ranked/Seeded: 6/5
Age: 24
Country: Russia
2011 Match Record: 26-7
2011 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 23
Major Titles: 3—Wimbledon (’04), U.S. Open (’06), Australian Open (’08)
Last 5 Wimbledons: ’10-4th, ’09-2nd, ’08-2nd, ’07-4th, ’06-SF
Topspin: Was 17 when she won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam title, but has struggled there in recent years. … Came close to completing a career Grand Slam at the French Open, but lost in the semifinals there, undone by 10 double-faults, including on match point.
While Woods has seen his annual earnings plunge $50 million over the past two years, he remained atop the Top 50 list with $75 million over the past 12 months to outpace NBA star Kobe Bryant, the runner-up at $53 million.
The list considers not only player salaries but all endorsement and sponsor income, with Woods having become the first career $1 billion sports pitchman before his epic fall from grace when a sordid sex scandal was revealed in 2009.
Woods lost such sponsors as Accenture, AT&T, Gillette and PepsiCo but retained Nike and EA Sports, who together bring more than half of Woods' income over the 12-month period ending May 1.
The golf videogame bearing his name was a big seller this year as it was the first of its kind to feature Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.
Woods was the catalyst for a Nike Golf division that had sales of $638 million last year while the 14th edition of the Woods videogame had record first-week sales of 225,000 units.
The drop by Woods and lack of a fight by boxer Floyd Mayweather, last year's No. 2 on the list with $65 million, led a drop of 11 percent by the combined list to a total income of $1.4 billion.
Another factor was an NFL lockout that kept new deals from being signed last March and April for American football star free agents. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots led three gridiron stars on the 2011 list at $31 million.
Bryant tops 15 basketball players on the Forbes list, with his $24.8 million salary topping any NBA rival by $4 million.
LeBron James, playing in the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, ranks third on the list with $48 million.
The only woman on the list was Maria Sharapova, who was ranked 29th with $24.2 million, in large part thanks to apparel deals with Nike and Cole Haan shoes.
Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was fourth on the list at $47 million followed in order by US golfer Phil Mickelson at $46.5 million, English footballer David Beckham at $40 million, football's Cristiano Ronaldo at $38 million, US baseball star Alex Rodriguez at $35 million, German auto racer Michael Schumacher at $34 million and football's Lionel Messi at $32.3 million.
At the bottom of the list of the richest were two NBA stars, Spanish playmaker Pau Gasol of the Lakers in 49th at $18.9 million, a mere $100,000 above American Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The minimum to make last year's list was $21 million.
The 24-year-old Russian, who lost in the semifinals of the French Open, said Friday she would be unable to play because of illness.
Sharapova has played in Birmingham seven times, winning the title twice and reaching the final on two other occasions.
Fellow French Open semifinalist Marion Bartoli of France also pulled out of the tournament, citing an injury, leaving Kaia Kanepi of Estonia as the top-seeded player.
The former world number one’s hopes of completing a career grand slam will have to wait for at least another year after she was beaten 6-4 7-5 by Chinese sixth seed Li Na in the Roland Garros semi-finals on Thursday.
Despite her disappointment, the Russian seventh seed put a positive spin on her performance in the French capital.
“This was a great result for me here. I got to the semi-finals here after not being in this stage of a grand slam for a long time,” Sharapova told a news conference after her first last-four outing at a major since winning the 2008 Australian Open.
“I’m quite proud of what I’ve achieved here but I still feel like I have a lot of work to do.
“As an athlete you want to win. There’s no doubt. But, you know, good retail therapy and I’ll be fine.”
Even though she has matured into a better mover on clay, Sharapova was glad that she would soon be stepping on to the luscious green lawns in her personalised tennis shoes.
“I enjoy going out to the grass from clay,” Sharapova, who won her first grand slam crown at Wimbledon aged 17, said.
“The whole summer swing of things, the warmup tournament and Wimbledon and then the summer swing in the U.S., it’s probably my favourite part of the season.
“I feel like I have a lot to look forward to. The beauty of tennis is that there is a lot of tournaments during the year.”
The 24-year-old Sharapova, who has never made it past the last four at Roland Garros in nine attempts but has won each of the other slams once, did not want to get too obsessed with completing a career grand slam.
“It’s a coincidence that the three grand slams I won were different,” she said. “I would have been just as happy if I won two of one and one of the other. Obviously it’s great that I have an opportunity to win all four.
“It didn’t happen this year but if I won another grand slam, whether it’s here or not… it will mean just as much to me in my career.”
The Australian Open runner-up will play either defending champion Francesca Schiavone or Marion Bartoli in Saturday’s final.
Sharapova was bidding to complete a career Grand Slam this year at Roland Garros, the only major she has not won.
The sixth-seeded Li broke back to even the score at 4-4 in the second set. She held with a forehand winner before being handed the match when Sharapova double-faulted on the first match point.
The three-time major champion, who can complete a career Grand Slam with a title at Roland Garros, last reached this stage when she won the 2008 Australian Open.
“I put a lot of work in to be in this stage of the Grand Slams,” Sharapova said. “I’m really happy that it’s here. I’m going to have a chance to go further.”
Sharapova had little trouble against Petkovic, a German who lost in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Sharapova won the opening eight games and overcame two breaks to take the second set.
Sharapova will face Li Na of China on Thursday. The Australian Open finalist defeated fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-2.
Five-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal faces two-time finalist Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals Wednesday and Andy Murray meets Juan Ignacio Chela.
Sharapova improved her Grand Slam quarterfinal record to 11-3 by beating Petkovic. All three of her losses came at Roland Garros.
Petkovic wasn’t able to use her dominant serve against her opponent on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
“Definitely my serve wasn’t as good as the previous matches before, so she took full advantage of it,” said Petkovic, who beat Sharapova in the fourth round at the Australian Open. “In the second set I came back, and it was just maybe for an instant I could have turned the match. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the chances that I had.”
The one time Sharapova previously reached the semifinals in Paris, she lost to runner-up Ana Ivanovic in 2007.
“There’s no doubt that I’ve improved on this surface,” Sharapova said. “There’s no doubt that I felt, as the years went on, that I felt better and better.”
Besides the Australian Open title, the seventh-seeded Russian also won Wimbledon in 2004 and the U.S. Open in 2006. With a title at Roland Garros, Sharapova can become the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam.
“This is my second time (in the semifinals) at Roland Garros, and my goal, just looking at myself, is just to take it a step further and try and take it to the finals and see what happens,” Sharapova said.
Li is more of a surprise in the French Open semifinals.
Although she became the first Chinese player to reach a major final when she lost to Kim Clijsters at this year’s Australian Open, the sixth-seeded Li seemed stunned.
“After I win the match I was feeling, ‘Wow! I can play semi in Roland Garros,”’ Li said. “I never think about that before. So many people think I’m not so good in clay court, but I think now they should change a little bit.”
Monday’s edition of “Quotidien” carries a front-page headline in all capital letters with Sharapova’s name. Underneath appear the words, “Lame Slave.”
In French, the word “lame” means “sword”—and it is pronounced “lahm,” so it sounds like “l’ame,” which means “soul.” The term “l’ame slave” refers in French to the “Slavic soul,” a concept meant to describe a nostalgia and romanticism felt by Eastern Europeans.
Sharapova, who was born in Russia, was shown the publication after her victory Monday. Her reaction: “Oh, there have been so many headlines throughout my career, and this is just another one.”
Seventh seed Sharapova, who has yet to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, went 4-1 down in the opening set as she sprinkled the court with unforced errors but fought back to force a tiebreak she won 7-4.
The Russian went a break down in the second set, argued with the umpire over a few line calls and then saved five set points before sealing a two-hour win when Radwanska sent a backhand wide.
Sharapova blew kisses to the crowd in delight as she set up a meeting with countrywoman Maria Kirilenko, the 25th seed, or German 15th seed Andrea Petkovic.
Sharapova played her best match of this year’s tournament on Saturday, dominating Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan 6-2, 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I felt like I was in control most of the match. I only got broken once I believe in the second set, and I served really well throughout the match,” Sharapova said. “So I was quite pleased after playing a three-set match that I had a quicker one today.”
In the last round, Sharapova survived a scare against French wild card Caroline Garcia. She lost the first set and then trailed 4-1 in the second before winning 11 straight games.
With 2002 French Open champion Serena Williams missing due to injury and top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and No. 2 Kim Clijsters already eliminated from the tournament, Sharapova is in position to complete a career Grand Slam.
But looking too far ahead is not on Sharapova’s agenda.
“You just try to fight for every point in order to win the match. And then when you do, you have the next match ahead of you, and that keeps going,” the 24-year-old Russian said. “Every day is different, and you face different opponents. And you can never be overly confident, because if you are, then I don’t think you push yourself.”
In the fourth round, Sharapova will be up against No. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska. The Pole beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-4, 6-4.
“It will be a really tough match because I think this is one of her best surfaces,” said Sharapova, who lost to Radwanska in three sets at the 2007 U.S. Open. “She’s a really good mover and moves well on clay and gets a lot of balls back.”
With the two top-seeded players out before the round of 16 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in the Open era, Sharapova is one of three remaining women with Grand Slam titles. Defending champion Francesca Schiavone and 2009 French Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova are the others.
“Well, the draw is very open,” Wickmayer said after losing to Radwanska. “Sharapova plays very well right now. She might win.”
Also in the mix is Australian Open finalist Li Na, who this year became the first Chinese player to get to the final at a major tournament. She advanced to the fourth round Saturday by beating Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-2, 6-2.
But if Sharapova can keep controlling points like she did Saturday, she may finally add the elusive French Open to her championship titles from Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open—even if the grind of the tour can wear down top players, such as top-ranked Rafael Nadal said it does.
“We started playing tennis from a very young age, and we’ve done this for almost all our lives,” Sharapova said. “So we feel like we’re on this sort of hamster carousel and we just keep going.”
“I think I relaxed and just let things happen,” the relieved Russian former world number one said after romping through the last 11 games just when a major shock looked on the cards.
“I was way too concerned about the conditions and wasn’t moving my feet and just was really slow, and she was playing aggressive and hitting great shots.
“I just felt flat-footed in the beginning. I just hit the ball finally.”
The cool, gusty conditions played havoc with Sharapova’s trademark baseline power as she littered court Philippe Chatrier with errors during a terrible first half of the match.
She rarely ducks a scrap though and from trailing 6-3 4-1 against the 17-year-old she upped her tempo and began to hit her stride, reeling in her inexperienced opponent.
Sniffing an upset, the crowd turned up the volume midway through the second set but world number 188 Garcia, who was playing only her fourth match on the main tour, admitted the atmosphere got to her with a shock victory in sight.
“4-1, the Ola (Mexican wave), that was not easy to manage. I tried, but I didn’t succeed,” she told reporters.
“I had many things going in my head, because I was leading. I was playing well. She was not really in the court. Then she reacted just like a champion, because she is a great champion.
“Then I started being very nervous, and I started playing more from the baseline and it was difficult to come back.”
LONG JOURNEY
Former Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open champion Sharapova is no stranger to comebacks, having notably pulled two consecutive matches out of the fire at Roland Garros in 2009 from matchpoints down.
“As far as the fighting, I think it’s important to fight. It’s not my job to compare myself to other players, but I’ll never give up out there,” she said.
Garcia’s display caught the eye and men’s number four Andy Murray predicted the teenager could one day reach top spot in the WTA rankings.
“I’ve watched Sharapova play a lot of times, and quite often when she plays younger opponents they struggle to deal with sort of her power,” the Scot told a press conference.
“If anything, I thought Garcia was hitting the ball harder, didn’t have a problem. When Sharapova was hitting the ball big to her, she was returning her serve no problem.”
He was not alone in his praise with former women’s great Martina Navratilova also impressed.
Garcia was not looking too far ahead though.
“I have this dream, but it’s very difficult,” she said. “I realise I need to work a lot.”
Sharapova, who won Wimbledon at 17 and knows everything about early bloomings, urged caution.
“I think time will definitely tell. It’s a long road and a long journey,” she said. “There will be many wins and many losses. It’s tough for me to tell, but she’s on her way up.”
The three-time major champion had little trouble beating Mirjana Lucic of Croatia 6-3, 6-0 on Tuesday, winning the final nine games to reach the second round of the French Open. But it wasn’t only her serve or groundstrokes that made an impression on center court.
“I wear Tiffany earrings at Grand Slams,” Sharapova said of the drop earrings with circles of rose-cut diamonds of various sizes set in platinum. “Unfortunately, I have to give them back after the tournament. I would prefer to keep them as I think these are one of my favorite pairs I’ve worn.
“But, yeah, I might keep them for a couple of tournaments.”
Titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open put her at the top of the game until injuries and shoulder surgery slowed her.
Now, she’s moved back into the top 10 at No. 8 and quickly made her way past Lucic on Tuesday. She never faced a break point on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“It was a tough beginning because she started off serving really big, and I didn’t get too many looks on second serves,” Sharapova said. “Once I got a good rhythm, I felt like I started playing better and better.”
Lucic is a 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist, but the 29-year-old Croat fell out of the tennis elite long ago. And against Sharapova, she just didn’t have her best game.
“She was playing well. She was making balls,” Lucic said. “I couldn’t get a hold of my return and I just started missing, and the more I started missing the more I went down.”
Sharapova will face French qualifier Caroline Garcia. But for a player like Sharapova, the questions aren’t always about the quality of her next opponent.
“These have a lot more diamonds in them,” Sharapova said of her French Open earrings, comparing them to the ones she wore at the U.S. Open.
Belgian Clijsters was a major doubt for the tournament after injuring her ankle while stumbling at her cousin’s wedding two months ago but has recovered in the nick of time.
“It’s always difficult to not play for a few weeks and come back at a grand slam being your first tournament,” the 24-year-old Sharapova, who could possibly have to beat Clijsters in the quarter-finals if she is to win the only slam to elude her, told reporters at Roland Garros after Friday’s draw.
“But, you know, she has a tremendous amount of experience behind her. I don’t think this is the first time that she’s come back after having a long lay-off.
“She’s been able to do really well when she’s taken time off, so you can never count her out. It might take her a few matches to get into form. That’s normal when you haven’t played for a while. But she’s a great champion, she’s won the last couple of grand slams, is number two in the world.
“She’s certainly the one to beat here.”
Sharapova has never prospered on the Parisian clay, her best run coming in 2007 when she reached the semi-final, losing heavily to Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic, but the signs are that her power game is beginning to adapt to the unique surface.
“I was really happy with the way last week turned out,” world number seven Sharapova, who beat Samantha Stosur in Rome last week, said.
“I played great tennis. I had some great matches and wins over good players, especially on clay.So it’s definitely a confidence booster. Just hoping to take this form and bring it over to Roland Garros.”
Ranked: 7
Age: 24
Country: Russia
2011 Match Record: 21-6
2011 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 23
Major Titles: 3—Wimbledon (’04), U.S. Open (’06), Australian Open (’08)
Last 5 French Opens: ’10-3rd, ’09-QF, ’08-4th, ’07-SF, ’06-4th
Topspin: After winning Italian Open title on clay for first title this season, moved up to her highest ranking since November 2008. … French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament she hasn’t won—or even reached the final. … Has been a semifinalist once, quarterfinalist three other times at Roland Garros.
“It’s a new journey. It’s not about me looking back and getting better or worse,” said the 24-year-old Russian who defeated Australian Stosur 6-2 6-4 in a one-sided final. “This is about starting from the beginning and getting better than I was before and improving.
“I don’t think about how I played years ago. I’m not a 17-year-old girl anymore and the tour has changed with different players. You can’t rely on what you had in the past how you were in the past. You have to look to be better.”
Although the victory was her third on clay from a career total of 23, the Russian said she was confident going into Roland Garros.
“It would be the most challenging grand slam for me to win but I accept challenges,” she said. “I love them and that’s why I’m a tennis player It would be wonderful to be able to achieve that. It’s just a coincidence I have won other grand slams.”
Sharapova, who took a long period off the circuit following surgery two years ago, said she kept to herself on the circuit.
“It is tough to have really good friends on the tour,” she said. “I find it difficult to be having dinner with someone one night and then having to play them two days later because it is at the end of the day an individual sport and we are all very competitive.
“It’s typical in sport to try to beat each other. You know we are not on a team and as far as really close friends goes I have my family who come with me on the road.
“I don’t hang around in the locker room - it’s my least favourite place in the world. I do my job at the site, I play matches do what I have to do and live my world away from the site and don’t talk tennis all day. It’s not in my best interests.”
After a three-hour rain delay, the seventh-seeded Sharapova won the opening four games, then cruised from there to follow up her victory over top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals.
This tournament is a key warmup for the French Open, the clay-court Grand Slam that begins in one week, and Sharapova will now clearly be one of the favorites in Paris.
Sharapova is a three-time Grand Slam winner, and Roland Garros remains the only major title she hasn’t won.
“This is just the beginning of many things to come. This is just the start of everything,” Sharapova said during the trophy presentation.
Stosur hadn’t reached a final since losing to Francesca Schiavone at Roland Garros last year, and the Australian is now 0-8 in her career against Sharapova.
A former No. 1, Sharapova had been struggling to regain her top form since undergoing right shoulder surgery in October 2008 - which caused her to miss 10 months.
The Russian won her last title in Strasbourg, France, a year ago.
With her fiance and New Jersey Nets guard Sasha Vujacic watching from the stands, Sharapova didn’t drop a set all week, and she needed just 1 hour, 23 minutes to beat Stosur.
The seventh-seeded Russian, who has reached her first final this year, broke the Dane’s serve in the second game of the first set before holding at 6-5 after four breaks in a row.
Wozniacki, who has won three titles this year, fought back to go 3-1 up in the second but Sharapova, a three-time grand slam winner before a shoulder injury kept her out the game, confirmed her return to form ahead of the French Open as she reeled off five games in a row against the 20 year old.
Sixth seed Stosur overpowered China’s fourth-seeded Li Na 7-6 6-0 to reach her first final since last year’s French Open.
The seventh seed was in irrepressible form ahead of Roland Garros, breaking her ragged opponent’s serve in the first game and then at will as she hit 19 winners to flatten Makarova.
“I started with two three set matches in Madrid, so I wanted to get the job done faster today,” said Sharapova, who had defeated Makarova in three sets in last week’s Madrid Open. “My energy was up and I didn’t have as many let downs.”
Sharapova has often struggled with her serve since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2008 but on Tuesday she was virtually unplayable as she bullied her opponent with a high first service percentage.
“I’ve been working on my serve and especially placement,” she said. “I was happy with it today and with my stats, especially on clay.”
Sharapova will be joined in the third round by French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.
Schiavone, 12 years older than McHale who turns 19 on Wednesday, used her far greater experience to defeat American upstart Christina McHale 6-3 6-1 in sweltering conditions and said she was pleased with her form as Roland Garros approaches.
Cheered on by the local crowd, the second seed broke the New Jersey qualifier’s serve midway through the first set and never looked back, racing to victory in 71 minutes.
“Everything went according to plan today and it’s given me confidence,” said Schiavone, who suffered a third round loss to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Madrid Open last week.
“It was nice and hot with the court playing very fast so your reactions have to be sharp. It wasn’t a great game for the crowd to shout for every point but the encouragement still helped a lot.”
There was more Italian success in the first round when wildcard Alberta Brianti beat China’s Zheng Jie 6-4 7-5 and Sara Errani went through against compatriot Roberta Vinci who retired injured after losing the first set 6-2.
Brianti will face Hungary’s Greta Arn, who defeated defending champion Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Monday, while Errani faces third seed Victoria Azarenka in the second round.
Australia’s Anastasia Rodionova beat Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 6-4 6-4 to set up a second round clash against top seed Caroline Wozniacki.
The eighth-seeded Sharapova broke Makarova three times and dropped serve only once in Monday’s match.
Alisa Kleybanova of Russia provided the first upset by defeating ninth-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-2.
On the men’s side, ninth-seeded Gael Monfils of France beat Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-3, 7-6 (6) and France’s Michael Llodra beat Sam Querrey of the United States 6-2, 6-3.
The top-seeded Wozniacki did not give Ayumi Morita of Japan a single break opportunity in rolling to a 6-2, 6-3 win at the clay-court event.
The eighth-seeded Sharapova won on her second match point when Rus netted a forehand.
After dropping the first set, Sharapova broke Rus three times in the second set. Sharapova then forced Rus from corner to corner with powerful groundstrokes as the Dutch player was eventually overwhelmed.
Arantxa Parra Santonja ousted former top-10 player Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 7-5 as the unseeded Spanish challenger hit eight aces on her way to saving eight break points and breaking her opponent’s serve four times.
Third-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy beat Shuai Peng of China 7-5, 7-6 (2).
Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova eliminated Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan 6-3, 6-3.
The No. 8-seeded Azarenka was the steadier player Saturday and swept nine consecutive games to take charge. Sharapova committed 43 unforced errors, held serve only once and came up short with a late comeback bid.
“I played real well the first set,” Azarenka said. “Maria is such a great fighter, I knew she was going to fight to the end. She came up with great tennis at the end, and I had to hang in there. That’s what paid off.”
Azarenka also won at Key Biscayne in 2009, stopping Serena Williams in the final. The two titles are the biggest of the Belarussian’s career.
Sharapova, whose most recent title came at Strasbourg in May 2010, has lost her past four finals. She fell to 0-3 in finals at Key Biscayne, where she was also the runner-up in 2005 and 2006.
No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal will play for the men’s championship Sunday against No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who is 23-0 this year.
The women’s final matched two of the most notorious grunters in tennis. Beforehand, Azarenka suggested fans wear earplugs, and the two players traded shrieks on every rally, drawing giggles from the crowd at one point.
However, Sharapova was flat at the start. She broke serve to reach 1-all, but it was an hour before she won another game to make it 4-1 in the second set.
She failed to convert 11 game points on her serve before holding for the only time to trail 4-2, then began to steady her strokes. She overcame two match points to break for 5-4.
“I didn’t feel like I was doing anything wrong,” Azarenka said. “She was just playing really good, so I just had to hang in there.”
But Sharapova was too erratic to sustain her rally or the rallies. When she dumped a forehand into the net on the final point, Azarenka dropped her racket in disbelief and celebrated by spinning and dancing across the court.
Serena and Venus Williams, who between them have won eight times at Key Biscayne, missed the tournament for health reasons. But Azarenka still had a tough path to the final, beating No. 2 Kim Clijsters and No. 3 Vera Zvonareva in straight sets.
Azarenka is projected to be ranked No. 6 next week, matching a career-best. Sharapova is projected to climb to No. 9, the highest she has been ranked since early 2009.
Russia's Sharapova, seeded 16th, rallied for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over the 21st-seeded German to reach the Miami final for the third time.
In Saturday's Sharapova will face either third-seeded compatriot Vera Zvonareva or eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who were playing later.
Sharapova rallied to beat No. 26-seeded Alexandra Dulgheru 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) in a match that ended at 12:19 a.m. Sharapova’s opponent Thursday will be No. 21 Andrea Petkovic, who reached the semifinals with her second upset in two days, beating No. 6 Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Petkovic eliminated No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round.
Sharapova’s match took 3 hours, 28 minutes. She won despite 17 double-faults and twice as many unforced errors as Dulgheru.
Sharapova turned her ankle late in the third set and required treatment from a trainer in the middle of a game, but the injury didn’t appear to affect her.
The Australian who lost the French Open final last year to Francesca Schiavone suffered with five double-faults and no aces in a contest lasting 81 minutes.
US-based Russian Sharapova refused to give Stosur an early birthday present as the Australian, who turns 27 on Wednesday, was broken five times.
Stosur's loss left her short of her performances at the last two editions at Crandon Park, where she reached the quarter-finals.
Two-time Miami finalist Sharapova saved three of the four break points she faced as clouds gathered over the stadium prior to possible forecast rain.
Sharapova produced her best result so far this year at Indian Wells this month as she played her first semi-final since last August.
The Russian who owns three Grand Slam titles improved to 20-20 against Top five players, and broke a loss streak against the elite after going down in her last six against top players.
Away from the lucrative endorsements, the former world number one Russian’s appetite for hard work remains unchanged as she targets the two prizes that would complete her Cinderella journey—an Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon next year and a French Open title.
Sharapova, 23, missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of a shoulder injury. It remains a painful memory for a young woman who, despite the American accent and Florida mansion, still loves the country of her birth.
“It’s a huge, huge goal for me,” she told Reuters by telephone en route to the launch of the WTA’s Xperia Hot Shots — an internet-based show that will follow six Tour players around the world, on and off the court.
“It was massively disappointing for me to miss the Beijing Olympics because I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian.
“Growing up in Russia it was always a big part of our culture and more than anything I could feel what an honour it was to represent our country and watch the flag go up.
“I used to cherish watching it and hopefully I can look forward to becoming an Olympian in London next year but first I have to make the team because that’s a tough ask in Russia with so many good players.”
Sharapova came to prominence as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon when she stunned Serena Williams to win the title in 2004. A U.S Open title followed two years later and she won the Australian Open in 2008. The French Open, however, has always proved frustrating with a 2007 semi-final place her best effort.
“I’ve always said the clay court season is the toughest part of the year for me,” Sharapova said. “But it’s also one that I really enjoy. I love challenges. Physically, I feel I’m getting better and better at the claycourt season.
“It’s the one grand slam I haven’t won and I’d love to have that on my resume.”
With Serena Williams sidelined by injury and health issues, her sister Venus also struggling and Justine Henin retired again, the women’s game lacks the rivalries that illuminate the men’s grand slams.
“There is a newer generation coming up,” said Sharapova who heads to Miami in confident mood after reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals last week, losing to world number one Caroline Wozniacki. “I think it’s an exciting time in our sport.
“Rivalries take time to develop and with Serena missing and Justine now retired I hope that that will be the case this year,” added the world number 13.
“Serena is a big champion, a big icon in our sport so to see her away from the game for a long while is obviously disappointing. Hopefully we’ll see her return very soon because I enjoy competing against her.”
With the virus that laid her low after the Australian Open clear and her shoulder in good shape, Sharapova is relishing the prospect of playing in Miami after missing the tournament for the last three years.
“It’s almost like home,” she said. “I love the eclectic Latin fans there and it’s one of my favourite events. I’m happy with my form too after my run at Indian Wells. I feel like I’m getting to where I want to be.”
Runner-up here last year, Wozniacki outslugged Russian Maria Sharapova from the baseline 6-1 6-2 after Bartoli had shrugged off the lingering effects of a stomach bug with a 6-1 6-3 demolition of Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.
World number one Wozniacki, making very few mistakes against a harder hitting opponent in their evening encounter, broke an error-prone Sharapova three times in each set to triumph in 80 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
“I played very well tonight,” the 20-year-old Dane said courtside after reaching her third consecutive WTA final this year. “It is always tough against Maria and it was very important that I kept my feet moving.
“She hits very hard and I was just trying to get into the right position every time.”
Bartoli, at 26 the oldest player left in the draw, broke a listless Wickmayer five times in dazzling afternoon sunshine to claim a lopsided victory in 85 minutes.
The Frenchwoman squealed in delight after hitting a backhand winner down the line to beat her 23rd-seeded opponent for a third time in three meetings.
“I’m very excited to be in the final,” Bartoli, a runner-up at Wimbledon in 2007, told reporters after ending a run of seven successive defeats in the last four of WTA events.
“It was just a matter of time. I had everything in my game to be there, but it was just a matter of putting everything together at the right time and being tough on the court.”
The Frenchwoman, who fired 10 aces and won 83 percent of her first serve points against Wickmayer, has not appeared in a WTA final since she won the biggest title of her career in Stanford in 2009.
“And knowing I could be there, like I did in the final of Wimbledon, helped me mentally to really stay positive, even when I had some bad results, and to really stay focused,” Bartoli said.
ENERGY SAPPED
The Frenchwoman was still battling the stomach bug that had sapped her energy during the quarter-finals where she beat 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-4 7-6.
“Today was better, but still definitely not 100 percent,” Bartoli said. “My level dropped after the first set because I am still not able to fully eat normally before the match, so I didn’t have many fuels in my body to hang on.
“But I stayed mentally very focused and I stayed positive toward the end. I knew if I was playing not 100 percent but at a good level, I will still be able to come out on top.
Bartoli broke Wickmayer three times to breeze through the first set in 27 minutes, losing just four points on her serve and converting three of seven breakpoint opportunities.
She double-faulted four times in a marathon game to start the second set, gifting Wickmayer the break, but immediately got back on serve before breaking the Belgian in the fifth to take a commanding 5-3 lead.
Serving for the match, Bartoli came from 0-40 down to book her place in Sunday’s final.
“She’s a good player,” said Wickmayer who upset 10th-seeded Shahar Peer 6-3 6-3 in the last eight.
“She made it tough on me. I never really got the chance to get into the match. I didn’t really feel really good out there.”
The eighth-seeded Azarenka, a close friend of Wozniacki, suffered the injury while trying to play a forehand during the second point of the third game in the opening set.
Denmark’s Wozniacki will next meet Russian Maria Sharapova, who recovered from a dismal serving display in the second set to battle past China’s Peng Shuai 6-2 5-7 6-3 on the showpiece stadium court.
Champion here in 2006, 16th seed Sharapova appeared to be in cruise control after sweeping through the first set and going 2-0 up in the second but she then double-faulted seven times for Peng to level the match.
The final set began with four successive breaks of serve before the Russian, regaining form with her crunching forehand, broke Peng in the seventh and ninth games to seal victory in two hours and 22 minutes.
“I turned it on for the first set and a half and then my level definitely dropped,” Sharapova said courtside after serving up a total of 13 double faults.
“She took advantage of that and it was important for me to stay tough. I knew the match wasn’t over until the last point.”
In the day’s first match, world number one Wozniacki broke Azarenka in the second game to lead 2-0 and then 30-0 on serve before her opponent summoned her trainer, laid down on a towel and had her upper left thigh massaged.
After taking a 10-minute medical timeout, Azarenka returned to play two more points for Wozniacki to take a 3-0 lead before the Belarussian forfeited the match.
Aftershocks and radiation leaks from damaged nuclear power plants in Japan raised fears of a meltdown, a grim development on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Sharapova’s native Russia.
“It’s crazy and something that you can’t even prepare for,” the former world number one told reporters after overpowering 20th-seeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-2 6-2 in the third round on Monday.
“It happens, and you see the coverage on it and the videos, and it’s really incredible that something like that can even happen in the world. Can you believe one disaster 25 years ago? Now another?
“It opens your eyes, and obviously puts a lot of perspective in your life. It’s a country where I have very great memories from. I started playing there when I was very young and I always loved my experiences there.”
While speaking at her post-match news conference, Sharapova wore a T-shirt commemorating Chernobyl’s 25th anniversary.
The world’s worst nuclear accident in the Ukraine spewed clouds of radioactive dust into parts of Europe, Russia and especially Belarus, making large areas uninhabitable.
In 2007, Sharapova became a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Development Fund and donated $100,000 to help victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
“In the beginning, my job was raising awareness to the world really,” the three-times grand slam singles champion said.
“Even though something like that happened such a long time ago… kids that were born and now are having kids, you also find that they have something in their body that’s not allowing them to live a normal life from the pollution.”
Sharapova’s family left Gomel in Belarus after the Chernobyl accident. She was born in Nyagan in Siberia a year later but left Russia for the United States at the age of nine to study tennis.
The 23-year-old Russian is now based in Bradenton, Florida.
The Russian former world number one swept through the first set tiebreaker 7-2 and charged 4-2 up in the second before holding off a late fightback by the Australian.
Despite being broken twice herself in the second set and serving up a staggering total of 16 double faults in an error-strewn match, Safina held her nerve to seal victory in just under two hours at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Stosur, trailing 4-5 and 15-40 down on her own serve, struck an overhead smash long after a protracted rally to give an emotional Safina a place in the fourth round.
“I am so excited and so happy,” the Russian said courtside after thrusting both arms skywards in a mixture of relief and celebration. “The emotions are pouring out.”
Safina, who has slipped to 108th in the rankings after being troubled by a back injury last year, will next meet compatriot Maria Sharapova, a 6-2 6-2 winner against 20th-seeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai.
“It’s another tough match, another tough challenge,” Safina said of her next encounter with the 2006 champion at Indian Wells. “I hope it’s going to be another great match.”
Sharapova, who needed almost three hours on court to win her first match here against Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues, recovered from losing her opening service game to complete a commanding victory in 73 minutes.
“It started slow,” said the 23-year-old Russian. “I started like I didn’t have my cup of coffee or something… so that was disappointing. But I got it together.
“She had a lot of errors today and I had good return games. I served a lot better in the second set.”
RUTHLESS DEMOLITION
Top seed Caroline Wozniacki finally found a way to beat Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez with a ruthless 6-1 6-3 demolition in the first match of the day on the showpiece stadium court.
Wozniacki, who had lost to the left-handed doubles specialist in their three previous meetings, broke her opponent four times to triumph in 72 minutes.
Under a cloudless blue sky, the Danish world number one dominated most of the exchanges from the baseline and needed just one match point to advance to the next round after a Martinez Sanchez forehand sailed long.
“I’m happy to be through,” a beaming Wozniacki said after ending the 28th-ranked Spaniard’s run. “She’s a tough player, so I knew that this was not going to be an easy one.
“You don’t get any rhythm against her. It was important to move my feet, try to get as many returns back. As long as I kept her on the baseline, then I felt like I was in control of the point.”
Wozniacki, starting her 22nd week as world number one after losing it for one week to Kim Clijsters, broke Martinez Sanchez’s serve twice to breeze through the opening set in 27 minutes in bright morning sunshine.
The pony-tailed Dane maintained control with further breaks in the fifth and ninth games of the second to stay on track for her second WTA title this year, following her success at last month’s Dubai championships.
In other matches, eighth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat Poland’s Urszula Radwanska 7-6 6-3 but there was better news for her ninth-seeded sister Agnieszka Radwanska, who battled past Russia’s Maria Kirilenko 6-0 2-6 7-5.
The 23-year-old Russian player skipped the reverse singles match in last weekend’s Fed Cup win over France, but had hoped to recover in time to play Thursday against Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Paris.
Sharapova says that “upon seeing the doctor this morning, I have taken his advice and reluctantly had to withdraw,” adding that “I did everything possible to be ready to play.”
Organizers had given Sharapova a wild-card invitation.
Mattek-Sands will play either sixth-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany or Kristina Kucova of Slovakia in Friday’s quarterfinals.
France had stung highly favored Russia on Saturday, when Alize Cornet and Virginie Razzano swept the opening singles.
Pavlyuchenkova replaced Maria Sharapova in Sunday’s first reverse singles and beat Cornet 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Kuznetsova then downed Razzano 6-4, 6-4 before the Russians teamed to defeat Cornet and Julie Coin, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Russia will host two-time defending champion Italy in the semifinals on April 16-17.
Virginie Razzano defeated Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 after Alize Cornet rallied to beat Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Reverse singles and a doubles match will be Sunday in the best-of-five series.
A set and 4-1 down, Sharapova won three consecutive games to even it 4-4. But Razzano broke for a 5-4 lead and served out the match at love.
“Unfortunately we’ve lost two matches today,” Sharapova said. “I tried to fight for every ball today but it didn’t work. We both had chances in our matches and it seemed we’d found our games, but then it all vanished.”
Sharapova played her first home Fed Cup match for Russia. She won both singles in her Fed Cup debut against Israel in 2008.
Sharapova had defeated Razzano in the second round of the Australian Open. The Frenchwoman learned from the loss.
“The key for my victory was that I put pressure on her on her serve,” Razzano said. “And she felt that pressure throughout the whole match. A low percentage of her first serve speaks to it.”
Sharapova put in only 30 of 53 first serves and had eight double-faults.
The 67th-ranked Cornet was a set and 2-0 down when she tied it 2-2 in the second set and broke Kuznetsova in the eighth game. After trading breaks three times in the third set, Cornet broke for a 5-4 lead and served the match out with a forehand cross-court winner.
“I didn’t feel that I would win,” Cornet said. “I just tried to fight for every point. And just at the match point, when I finally made the winner and won the match, I realized what I’d done—and that was a great moment.”
Serving at 40-30 in the fourth game of the third set, Cornet stumbled and appeared to have twisted her right ankle. She took a medical time out and had her ankle bandaged.
“I really twisted my ankle and it was very painful at the moment,” Cornet said. “But with the tension and the motivation that I was feeling on the court, I just tried to forget about the pain.”
Kuznetsova said the injury didn’t seem to slow Cornet.
“It’s always hard to play someone who is injured,” Kuznetsova said. “But in the end, I understood that nothing mattered—she moved the same way as before.”
The 23rd-ranked Russian had 62 unforced errors and converted only five of 16 breakpoints.
“I have no excuses,” Kuznetsova said. “I’ve lost a match that I should have won, in any case. I opened strongly but then started to hurry and do strange things, and that’s the result of it.”
Sharapova said Russia had not lost yet.
“There will be a new day tomorrow and new struggle,” Sharapova said. “We have the whole day ahead and we’ll do our best.”
In Sunday’s first reverse singles, Sharapova was drawn to play Cornet. In the second match, Kuznetsova was to face Razzano. However, reverse singles and the doubles players are subject to change.
The winner of the match will play either Australia or Italy in the semifinals on April 16-17.
The three-time major winner, and former world number one who has struggled to rediscover her best form since a 2008 shoulder injury, suffered a tame fourth round defeat at the Australian Open.
Her straight sets defeat to Germany's Andrea Petkovic in the heat of Melbourne has now given way to the chilly streets of Moscow where Russia open their 2011 Fed Cup World Group campaign against France on Saturday.
"Cold, cold, cold," wrote Sharapova on her Facebook page.
"Just spent the last week in Munich training and now I am off to Moscow for Fed Cup. I am looking forward to getting on the court and competing, did not like that feeling I had walking off the court last time I played."
Sharapova, who will share singles duties with Svetlana Kuznetsova, is making her first Fed Cup appearance since 2008.
France have been hit by the absence of their top two, Marion Bartoli and Aravane Rezai, leaving Alize Cornet as the team's leading player.
Four-time champions Russia have won the most recent two ties between the nations, but France triumphed on their last visit to Moscow's Olympic Stadium in 2003.
In the opening singles match of the best-of-five series, two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova will face Alize Cornet.
“It will be my first time playing for Russia in Moscow,” Sharapova said. “And I think my experience of playing in a team environment a couple of years ago will definitely help me.”
Sharapova made her debut for Russia in the first round against Israel in 2008, winning both her matches. She beat Razzano in the second round of the Australian Open.
Kuznetsova has played in three of Russia’s four Fed Cup title wins and has a 18-6 record.
France will be without its two highest-ranked players, Marion Bartoli and Aravane Rezai. In their absence, coach Nicola Escude chose the 67th-ranked Cornet to lead the team.
Cornet lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the third round of the Australian Open for the best showing among French women in the event. But Cornet, who is 1-8 in the Fed Cup, hopes she is ready to challenge the Russian stars.
“I played two good matches at the Australian Open and it was a good start of the season,” Cornet said. “I came to Moscow really self-confident and I hope I can now forget about the two poor last seasons in my career.”
The Frenchwoman beat Kuznetsova in their only previous meeting on the WTA Tour in 2008.
“Our chances are good,” Escude said. “We know we are not favorites for the tie but we are fit perfectly and we are ready to do our best to win.”
But Russia captain Shamil Tarpischev downplayed Escude’s enthusiasm.
“If we put away the rankings, I can say that both Cornet and Razzano can play a single match on a very high level,” Tarpischev said. “But frankly speaking, the result of the tie will depend on us.”
Russia is 8-0 at home since losing to France in the 2003 semifinals. The streak includes a win over France in the 2004 final. Russia prevailed again in the 2005 final, the last time the teams met.
In Sunday’s reverse singles, Sharapova will play Cornet, while Kuznetsova will take on Razzano. In the doubles match, the Russian pair of Dinara Safina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will face the French duo of Julie Coin and Pauline Parmentier.
The reverse singles and doubles nominations can be changed depending on the results of the previous matches.
The winner will play either two-time defending champion Italy or Australia in the semifinals on April 16-17.
“The Olympics is my biggest goal in tennis and my dream is to represent Russia in London,” Sharapova told reporters on Wednesday.
The U.S.-based Russian missed the 2008 Beijing Games due to a shoulder injury.
Sharapova, 23, is in Moscow for this weekend’s Fed Cup first-round tie against France, making her eligible to compete for Russia in London.
She won three grand slam titles before turning 21 but has struggled for form since a nine-month lay-off following a shoulder operation at the end of 2008.
Sharapova is ranked 13th in the world and was knocked out in the fourth round of last month’s Australian Open, a tournament she won three years ago.
The Russian is especially excited about the 2012 Olympic tennis event because it will be played on the grass courts of Wimbledon where, as a virtually unknown 17-year-old, she captured her first grand slam in 2004.
Sharapova also said she was eager for her Fed Cup home debut after making her first and only other appearance for Russia in the women’s team competition against Israel three years ago.
“It was very tough playing in Israel because the crowd was really noisy and didn’t behave very well,” added Sharapova who led Russia to a 4-1 victory in February 2008 by winning both her singles matches.
“I’m sure we’ll have the crowd on our side here in Moscow and they won’t throw nuts and other things at us during matches like we had in Israel.”
The 13th-ranked Sharapova will be making only her second Fed Cup appearance. Former No. 1 Dinara Safina also will play for Russia on the hard courts at the Olympic indoor stadium.
Sharapova made her Fed Cup debut with two straight victories in a 4-1 first-round win in Israel in 2008. She said some in the crowd threw food onto the court while she was playing.
“That was a perfect experience for me,” Sharapova said Wednesday. “I think mentally it will be much easier this time. The crowd will cheer for us and no one will be throwing walnuts.”
The 23rd-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova has a 18-6 record in 11 matches for Russia. She was on the team that beat France 3-2 in the final in 2004 for its first Fed Cup title.
Russia has won its two last matches against France and leads 5-3 overall. Russia is unbeaten at home in eight matches since losing to France in the 2003 semifinals.
France, which won the title in 1997 and 2003, will be without Aravane Rezai, who pulled out for personal reasons. Captain Nicola Escude has chosen the 67th-ranked Aliz Cornet to lead the team.
Cornet lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the third round of the Australian Open for the best showing among French women.
The French team also includes Virginie Razzano, Pauline Parmentier and Julie Coin.
The four Russians have a winning record against their French opponents.
Sharapova beat Razzano in the second round of the Australian Open—the only match between the eight players this season.
“I really enjoyed playing her and now I know her strong and weak sides much better,” Razzano said.
Russia is on home turf for the first time since routing China 5-0 in the first round in 2009. Russia won its fourth title in 2008 and reached the semifinals the next two seasons.
The draw is Friday. The winner will play either defending champion Italy or Australia in the semifinals on April 16-17.
Under pressure from the start, Sharapova committed 30 unforced errors in a performance which underlined her struggles since shoulder surgery in 2008, the year she won the last of her three grand slam singls titles in Melbourne.
Bosnian-born Petkovic celebrated reaching the last eight of a major for the first time with an on-court jig.
“It started off as a bet with my coach,” Petkovic told reporters of the cheeky dance of delight she peformed after her upset win.
“I’m very superstitious and since I started doing the dance I’m playing much better, so I’ll try to keep it up,” added the 23-year-old, who faces China’s Li Na in the quarter-finals.
Squealing mightily on every shot, 14th seed Sharapova could do little right in the first set, spraying wild shots all over Rod Laver Arena.
The Russian showed a few signs of a possible fightback during the second set after going 2-0 down but the hole she had dug for herself was too big against a dangerous opponent.
She fended off two match points with a pair of rocket forehand returns but Petkovic completed victory in 79 minutes with a deep serve Sharapova could only push into the net.
“It definitely wasn’t there,” said a rueful Sharapova, who since winning here three years ago has reached just one grand slam quarter-final.
“Last year I was gone on Monday. I stayed here a little bit longer this year.
“But there are many things that didn’t work today. I didn’t get my first break point until it was a set and 5-1. That’s not the type of tennis I want to be playing.”
The Russian tsarina told Reuters at the Australian Open that, despite branching out into fashion design, her hunger for hitting tennis balls, was undiminished.
“I’m not in a place in my career where I need to prove something, to the outside, to myself,” Sharapova, the world’s highest-paid sportswoman, said in an interview.
“I’ve done that numerous times with grand slams and being number one in the world,” added the 23-year-old, a huge diamond ring glittering on her finger.
“But bottom line: I play because I really love it. I had so many opportunities to think that I didn’t.”
Sharapova, a three-times grand slam singles champion and Melbourne winner in 2008, underwent shoulder surgery later that year and is still looking to rediscover her best form.
She knocked out one of her ‘models’ in German pin-up Julia Goerges in the third round of the year’s first grand slam to set up a meeting with another German, Andrea Petkovic.
“I hope Julia still wears (my clothes)!” said Sharapova with a laugh after a patchy 4-6 6-4 6-4 victory.
“A year and a half ago when we sat down with Nike and discussed who was going to wear my collection she was one of the girls we were really interested in,” she added, lighting up on the subject of fashion.
“We knew that some day she would start winning a lot of matches.”
CATWALK TENNIS
Sharapova insisted, however, she never caught herself checking out her own designs during matches.
“You don’t think about it when you’re playing,” she said, screwing up her nose. “It’s really cool thinking about it when you’re designing.
“I don’t think you’ll ever see me do that (complimenting opponents for wearing her designs) but maybe after the match!
“It’s really cool, it’s great to see the other girls wanting to wear it and giving you compliments about it.”
In her day job, Sharapova has biffed and grunted her way to grand slam titles at Wimbledon (2004) and the U.S. Open (2006) as well as in Melbourne three years ago.
Only a French Open crown stands between her and a career grand slam.
“The French is always a motivation, ever since I won the Australian Open and knowing it’s the one I haven’t won,” said Sharapova, earrings dangling almost to the top of a red T-shirt.
“I don’t know if I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t won three of one grand slam, but absolutely I’ve found the French to be my biggest challenge.
“Even though I grew up playing a lot on the clay in juniors, it was never one of my favourites.
“But I feel as the years go on I’m physically much fitter and I can be a competitor if I play the right way.”
For now, Sharapova has designs on a second Australian Open title. “Absolutely,” she nodded when asked if a fourth major success would be the sweetest.
“If I’m able to win a grand slam after what I went through with my shoulder it would certainly be the biggest achievement in my career.”
“This is where I’m trying to find my groove after being gone for a while,” said Sharapova, who missed nine months because of a shoulder injury after winning the 2008 Australian Open. “I’m enjoying that.”
The injury denied her the chance to defend her title in 2009, and she was ousted in the first round last year in Melbourne. The 16th-ranked Sharapova says she no longer feels the need to prove herself.
“It’s really a matter of being in the zone, being in your own zone,” she said.
Sharapova advanced Wednesday to the third round by beating Virginie Razzano of France, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
The 2004 Wimbledon and 2006 U.S. Open champion realizes that sooner or later, someone will come along to take her place.
“In the time when you’re playing, you want to make your mark,” she said. “That’s what I try to do.
“I’ve been No. 1. I’ve won Grand Slams. I’ve been in a position where … I’ve faced tough opponents and had to beat them on order to be a champion. This is a different stage of my career.”
Off the court, Sharapova designs her own tennis clothes with Nike. At the Australian Open, she’s been wearing a V-neck blue and peach tennis dress that is part of the “Maria Sharapova Collection.” She promotes her own perfume brand and has numerous endorsements, which makes her one of the most highly paid athletes.
Next she’ll play No. 38-ranked Julia Goerges of Germany, who wears Sharapova’s tennis designs.
“She’s liked all of it so far, since she started wearing it,” Sharapova said. “It’s good news.”
Wailing like a banshee on virtually every point, the former world number one took a shade over two hours to advance after an error-strewn performance arguably more memorable for its volume levels.
"It was my first time to play her and I didn't know she cried like this," Razzano told Reuters, referring to Sharapova's deafening shrieks. "It was difficult, but I got used to it."
Sharapova spotted Razzano a 3-0 head-start before pegging her back and finally taking the first set on a tiebreak 7-3.
The 2008 Melbourne champion pumped her fists shrieking "Come on!" after pounding down a big serve to win the breaker, but the Russian's erratic play continued in the second set.
The 14th seed roared with relief when she belted a forehand crosscourt to take a 5-3 lead and threatened to break the sound barrier when she fired down another huge serve to seal victory.
"Obviously you want to play faster matches but it's also good to play tough matches where you have to find a way to win," said Sharapova after a minor panic over a misplaced handbag.
"It was definitely a slow start but I stayed tough in the end which is the important thing. I really needed to step it up and that was gratifying."
Sharapova, still struggling to find her top form since shoulder surgery in late 2008, will next play Germany's Julia Goerges, who wears the Russian's tennis fashion designs.
"This is a different stage in my career," said the three-times grand slam champion. "I've been there, I've been number one, I've won grand slams.
"This is a stage where I'm trying to find my groove after being gone for a while. It's just a matter of being in your own zone and not feeling you need to prove something."
Sharapova produced a Jekyll and Hyde performance in out-slugging her Thai opponent for a first victory in Melbourne since winning the tournament in 2008.
"I wish I could be number one in the world today," said Sharapova, whose career was disrupted by shoulder surgery after her Australian Open triumph.
"But every day is a process. I had a really long time to think about whether I wanted it or not, and I certainly did. Now it's a challenge to get back to where I want to be, trying to win grand slams and get to number one."
As a teenager, Sharapova was frequently compared with glamour girl Kournikova, who left women's tennis in 2003 without winning a singles title.
Sharapova has since won three grand slam crowns to firmly silence the doubters, but she performed more like Kournikova -- whose serve often let her down -- against Tamarine.
Ten double-faults twanged from the racquet of Sharapova, striking the first fashion statement of the tournament in a lilac dress and orange visor.
Her blazing ground strokes came to the rescue, however, and carried the 14th seed safely through.
"I was definitely a little bit nervous in the first game," said the 23-year-old Sharapova after exorcising the ghosts of her 2010 first round flop.
She did not compete at the event in 2009.
FEROCIOUS RETURNING
"Last year I played first match on centre (court) and lost. I really didn't want that to happen again. In the middle of the first set, I started swinging a little bit."
Sharapova, who has failed to hit the heights since shoulder surgery in late 2008, opened the match horribly flat, coughing up two double-faults and dropping the game to love.
However, she cranked up the volume and hit back immediately, some ferocious returning giving her a love break and she continued trying to hit the fur off the ball, taking the first set in 25 minutes.
Sharapova, whose model looks have helped make her the world's highest-paid sportswoman, suddenly lost her way at the start of the second and had to fight back from 3-1 down.
The trademark Sharapova grunting grew louder as she dug deep, going up 5-3 with a scorching forehand and sealing the win with a clinical crosscourt backhand put-away.
Showered and smiling, Sharapova credited new coach Thomas Hogstedt for helping turn her game around.
"I've worked with Thomas since the middle of November," said the Russian, who has taken a break from coach Michael Joyce after six years together.
"I like the work ethic that's he's brought."
Before leaving, Sharapova found time to jokingly admonish a smitten reporter from New Zealand whom she had earlier accused of being a stalker for carrying a cardboard sign saying "I am NOT a stalker."
"I don't know why you're here. That shouldn't have happened," she said with a laugh. "You even have a sign. Oh my goodness, that's wrong!"
The opening day schedule was released Saturday, with 2008 winner Maria Sharapova to play Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn and Wozniacki to face Gisela Dulko of Argentina. Defending champion and second-seeded Federer will play Lukas Lacko of Slovakia.
Third-seeded Novak Djokovic, the 2008 champion, takes on Spain’s Marcel Granollers, while American Andy Roddick plays Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic.
Venus Williams will meet Sara Errani, and seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin has been draw to play a qualifier.
The Russian spent as much time off the court as she did on it last year as niggling injuries blighted her efforts to rebuild her game after the serious shoulder injury that kept her out for nine months in late 2008 and early 2009.
Though she has climbed back as high as 16th in the rankings she failed to make it past the fourth round in any of the four grand slams, prompting some to suggest a radical overhaul of her natural, all-or-nothing attacking game.
Sharapova, however, said she knew what works in her game and what does not.
“I’m not going to change my game completely to suit certain opponents,” the 23-year-old told reporters at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
“I know what my strengths are, I know what my weaknesses are and I try to work on the things that need to be improved.”
Having won three grand slam titles, including victory in Melbourne in 2008, Sharapova knows what it takes to win the sport’s biggest prizes.
But since returning to the tour in May 2009, she has had to lower her expectations significantly.
“I didn’t know what I would ever be when I was out of the game for a while and I didn’t know if I would ever be back,” she admitted. “That was a challenge in itself, just to try to get myself back to playing the sport again.
“It certainly took me a lot longer to get back to playing and getting the reactions back. But it’s still coming along.”
Her form may not be as good as she would like but the competitive spirit still burns.
“My ambitions are still very much there,” she said. “I’ve been a competitive girl ever since I was pretty much born and I love the sport.”
Tournament officials said Thursday that Sharapova joins Melanie Oudin (oo-DAN’) and defending champion Samantha Stosur as early entries at the WTA Tour event.
Sharapova, a former world No. 1 who is currently ranked No. 16, played in Charleston in 2003 and reached the quarterfinals in 2008. An elbow injury kept the 23-year-old Russian out of the tournament a year ago.
The tournament will be held April 2-10 at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island.
The former top-ranked Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam winner, looked sluggish in three matches in Auckland. She struggled with her serve throughout the week in her first tournament since October’s China Open.
The Russian dropped serve in the first and fifth games of the first set Thursday to concede the set in 30 minutes, then squandered a 4-2 lead in the second.
Earlier, defending champion and No. 2 seed Yanina Wickmayer breezed past Simona Halep of Romania 6-0, 6-2.
Sharapova mostly spluttered, but at times roared, to a 6-3 7-5 victory over Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic, while second seed Wickmayer had to battle to beat German qualifier Sabine Lisicki 6-2 3-6 6-2.
Third seed Kuznetsova was bundled out 2-6 6-4 6-4 by China's Peng Shuai after she blew what should have been a match-winning lead in the final set in the first match on centre court.
Sharapova followed Kuznetsova onto the newly laid blue Plexicushion courts and after going 3-1 down in the first set she blasted the 27-year-old Voracova away, losing just one point in the final four games of the set.
The second set was just as erratic, with Voracova jumping out to a 5-3 lead before the U.S.-based Russian stormed back to win the next four games and book a quarter-final against Hungary's Greta Arn.
"On days like this you just have to be happy to be playing another match," Sharapova told reporters. "(It was) a little bit sloppy.
"It was up and down, and I adjusted when I had to, I didn't serve that great, but I felt I stepped up on the big points (and)... these are the type of matches, when you haven't been playing for a while where you just have to get through."
Kuznetsova, however, will make an earlier than planned flight for next week's tournament in Sydney after she failed to capitalise on her opportunities against Peng.
She romped through the first set but tightened up in the second to let the Chinese player force the second-round match to a decider.
Kuznetsova raced to a 3-0 lead in the final set but again failed to hammer home the advantage and instead Peng ground the 25-year-old Russian down, sealing the victory in two hours, 13 minutes.
"The only person I can blame is me because I was leading all the time," Kuznetsova said. "The first set I won easy, the second set I got a break and when you don't take chances, your opponent will.
"I had so many possibilities. Even though I lost the second set I was leading 3-0 in the third and (it was like) ... I was stopping every time when all I needed to do to close it was take that one more step."
Sharapova was scheduled to play Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, but fifth-seeded Anastasija Sevastova’s late withdrawal because of illness led to a reshuffle of the draw.
Brianti entered the main draw as a lucky loser after falling the final round of qualifying for the Australian Open tuneup event.
Sharapova said her decision to bypass lucrative exhibition tournaments in Australia to play in the ASB Classic in New Zealand from Monday underscored her determination to lift her world ranking.
The 25-year-old Russian, ranked 18, will vie with compatriots Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova and defending champion Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium in her first WTA tournament in three months.
“I have come back from an awful lot, something that could have taken me away from the game. I see myself back on the court, training and getting better and I look at that as a positive.
“Now I have to take that onto the court and build on it little by little.
“If I am able to win a Grand Slam after my injury, it would be my greatest achievement in my career.”
Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 but has since endured shoulder injuries which have seen her ranking drop as low as 126. She said the knowledge of what she has previously achieved would give her strength in her latest comeback.
“One of the advantages I have is the experience behind my back of knowing that I’ve achieved a tremendous amount and more than I ever thought I would as a child,” Sharapova said.
“I have that in my bag.”
Sharapova said she remained positive throughout her battle with injury, never doubting her ability to return.
“I stayed really positive throughout the time,” she said.
“It gave me time to spend holidays at home and that was a great positive out of it all.
“It was challenging to know there was a tournament in a couple of weeks and you’re not going to be playing in it. That was frustrating but I was pretty confident that I’d be back. I certainly thought it would be a bit sooner though.”
Despite elbow and foot injuries last year, Sharapova won her 21st and 22nd career titles, at Memphis in February and Strasbourg in May, and was runner-up three times.
Sharapova said her decision to play in Auckland ahead of the Australian Open showed her determination to give herself the best possible chance of improving her ranking.
“When I was looking as my schedule for this year I wanted to change things up,” she said.
“New Zealand was a place at the top of my list. I wanted to play a tournament, called them up and said I really wanted to participate and change it up and not play an exhibition as I’ve done in the last couple of years.”
Shamil Tarpischev, who is also the Fed Cup captain, said Sharapova has agreed to play in the competition for the first time since making her debut in Russia’s 4-1 first-round victory over Israel in 2008.
“Sharapova has agreed to play the first round,” Tarpischev said at a news conference. “She has fully recovered from the problems with her shoulder and again could challenge for the No. 1 spot.”
Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, former world number one Dinara Safina, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will also be on the team for the tie on a hardcourt at the Olympic indoor stadium on Feb. 5-6.
World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva will miss the tie because of contractual obligations to play at a WTA tour event but will join the team if Russia advances to the semifinals of the competition.
“Vera will help the team no matter where we play—in Australia or at home against Austria,” Tarpischev said.
Four-time champion Russia has won five of eight meetings with France.
The world number 17, who won two tournaments and made three other finals in 2010, joins champion Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium as confirmed entrants for the Jan. 3-8 event, which serves as a warm-up to the Australian Open from Jan. 17-30.
The 23-year-old, who won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008, has been hampered by injury over the past two seasons but organisers expected her to be a huge drawcard for the tournament in central Auckland.
“Having Maria come to the … Classic is a major boost to the tournament and to the sport,” said tournament director Richard Palmer. “Her popularity is huge and she will be one of the leading players at the (tournament) in 2011.”
"We are engaged and are both really happy," Vujacic said Thursday night before the Lakers' exhibition game against Golden State. "It's good and now we can focus on other things."
The agent for three-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova confirmed the news in an email to The Associated Press.
Vujacic said he proposed on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting at a friend's barbecue.
"It's was probably old school," Vujacic said. "I had to do it like a gentleman."
Vujacic said a wedding date hasn't been set.
The Slovenian guard returned to action Thursday, a week after getting a concussion when teammate Lamar Odom accidentally elbowed him in the face during practice. Vujacic averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 67 games for the Lakers last season, his sixth with the club.
Sharapova won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2004, when she was 17. She went on to win the 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open and also reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
After shoulder surgery and an elbow injury forced her to miss time the past two seasons, Sharapova is currently ranked 18th.
The 12th-seeded Sharapova bounced back after losing in the first round of the Pan Pacific Open last Monday.
“I faced a tough opponent today,” Sharapova said. “At the end of the day I found a way to win, and that was the most important thing.”
Caroline Wozniacki was set to begin her bid to become the top-ranked player in the world. She arrived in Beijing fresh from winning last week’s tournament in Tokyo, and if she reaches the quarterfinals in Beijing, the Dane will take over the No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams.
Wozniacki’s path in the $4.5 million tournament has been eased by the withdrawal of Serena and her sister Venus because of injuries. Ailing U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters also has pulled out. And defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and fourth-seeded Sam Stosur both lost Sunday.
Kuznetsova was beaten 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 by Italian Roberta Vinci, and Stosur lost 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 to Latvian qualifier Anastasija Sevastova.
Fifth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia advanced with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Czech Klara Zakopalova, as did local favorite Li Na with an easy 6-2, 6-0 win over Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia.
The main draw of the men’s side of the China Open starts Monday, with No. 2-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia defending his title. Andy Murray of Britain, Sweden’s Robin Soderling and Nikolay Davydenko of Russia also are competing.
Date Krumm, who is one day shy of her 40th birthday, broke the 23-year-old Russian to go up 5-3 in the third set and won the final game when Sharapova’s backhand went wide.
“To play against a former World No. 1 and defending champion, I knew I had to play to the best of my ability,” said Date Krumm, who returned to competitive tennis in 2008 after a 12-year layoff.
In second-round matches, third-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia defeated Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-4, 6-1 and sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland coasted to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus.
Sharapova, the tournament’s 12th seeded player, had 11 double-faults in the match that lasted 2 hours, 9 minutes at Ariake Colosseum.
Sharapova broke to go up 3-2 in the final set and was leading 40-love in the sixth game when she double-faulted twice before being broken.
“Momentum is so big in tennis,” Sharapova said. “If you give your opponent a chance they can get confident and take the momentum away.”
It was the players’ first meeting. Sharapova said she was impressed with Date Krumm’s ability and fitness after such a long layoff.
“It’s incredible,” Sharapova said. “It just shows you how she has stayed in such great shape while away from the game. She is incredibly fit.”
Date Krumm had just returned from Seoul where she lost in the quarterfinals of the Korea Open on Friday. She said the quick turnaround was not easy.
“I just came back from Korea yesterday and was really tired,” she said. “My body felt a little better today but this surface was a lot faster that the one in Korea.”
Billed as the Battle of the Blondes, the 20-year-old Dane won through 6-3, 6-4, but not before a fired-up Sharapova had brought out the best in her.
Wozniacki next plays the unseeded Dominika Cibulkova for a place in the semi-finals as she bids to go one better than last year, when she lost in the final to Kim Clijsters.
Cibulkova topped 2004 US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final for the second time in her career.
Also through was Estonian 31st seed Kaia Kanepi, who bounced back from being blitzed in the first set to defeat Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 0-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-1.
Her quarter-final opponent would be decided in a night session match at the Arthur Ashe Centre Stadium court with Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva of Russia taking on the unseeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany.
The Wozniacki-Sharapova match had been expected to come down to the Russian's explosiveness against the Dane's dogged consistency and so it turned out to be.
Sharapova, back to near her best after a long battle against injury, had 32 winners to 16 for Wozniacki, but had 36 unforced errors against 10 for her opponent.
But more tellingly, Sharapova's serve let her down at key points in both sets, handing breaks to Wozniacki that she was able to capitalize on.
"Even with those unforced errors, I still had my chances and I was one-for-eight on breakpoints," she said.
"Against someone that's playing really well, playing with a lot of confidence, it's really important to take those chances that you have, the very few that come your way.
"I felt like I played a couple of good points and then made an easy error, hit a return long or miss a first serve, give her many looks at second serve returns."
Wozniacki said that her run into the final last year had given her healthy doses of confidence and experience.
"I definitely think I've improved a lot, not only physically, but also I believe in myself more," she said.
"I believe I can do it. Also I think I can mix up my game a little bit more than I could last year."
Kanepi, who matched her run into the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July, said that her 0-6 start to her match against Wickmayer did not totally surprise her.
"I have problems starting the matches. Sometimes I'm very slow. Then sometimes it's too late to get going. I think I'm getting better now. But, still, it's the point where I have to improve," she said.
"Then in the third set I think I was like in the zone or something. I was just fighting every point. I tried to relax, also not think about the win. I played well."
Cibulkova matched her run into the quarter-finals at the 2009 French Open with a second win this year over Kuznetsova, who won the title here as a 19-year-old in 2004.
At just 5 feet 3 inches (1.59 metres), one of the smallest players in the tournament, she said that her stature gave her other advantages that had worked well in New York.
"I'm pretty fast on the court," she said.
"I have no problem with long rallies, and I really like to step into the court and play fast and not give time to my opponent.
"I'm still working on my serve, because it still can be better. My game is just trying to play fast and not let my opponent push me."
The quarter-final line-up in the bottom half of the draw was decided on Sunday with defending champion Kim Clijsters set to play Australian fifth seed Samantha Stosur and third seed Venus Williams paired with French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy. Both matches will be played on Tuesday.
In last year’s third round, Sharapova lost to Melanie Oudin, who ended up making a magical run to the quarterfinals. Capra was hoping to fashion a similar story, but her third-round meeting against the 14th-seeded Russian was a totally different story.
With whipping winds pushing hot dog wrappers, napkins and even, at one point, Capra’s visor all over the court, Sharapova handled the conditions remarkably better. She won 59 points to 29 for Capra and advances to play top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round.
Her third-round match at the US Open on Saturday will see her take on 18-year-old American wildcard Beatrice Capra, who idolised the Russian glamour girl as she was growing up.
It all comes as a bit of a shock to Sharapova, who won Wimbledon in 2004 as a precocious 17-year-old and who was ranked number one in the world a year later.
"It's pretty crazy because I still somewhat consider myself pretty young, as well - I'd like to think so, at least," she said.
"You know, to see someone coming up that's 18, that's a lot younger than I am, in the third round of the Open is great.
"I think it shows a lot about the younger generation that's coming up. To see someone especially that's an American and doing well at the Open is really great."
Sharapova, who is bidding to win her second US Open crown, four years after winning her first when she was barely older than Capra is now, does have words of warning, however, for wide-eyed rivals like Capra.
"It's really strange because I've always had a difficult time accepting when little kids, whether I'm doing a clinic, talking to them, when they tell me they want to be just like me," she said.
"Not only is a bit overwhelming and a bit of a shock, it's kind of strange.
"I mean, I'm certainly far from perfect. I have many things I'm not good at. I always say to them, 'You should want to be better than me or anyone else.'"
Sharapova is best known for her movie-star looks and prime-time star appeal, but her work ethic and mental toughness is widely recognized in the tennis world with her rise to the top of the rankings, from Siberia to Florida a classic rags to riches story.
During that time, she explained, she was never one to place players on a pedestal or stick posters of them on her bedroom wall.
"Growing up, I idolized a certain part of someone's game, but I never thought that someone was so good that I wanted to be like them," she said.
"I think that's a good point—probably one of my strengths.
"Obviously, that's something that's gotten me through so many matches in my career. In tennis, being strong and steady mentally, sometimes more than physically, is more important on certain days."
Sharapova says she will be wary of the Capra threat even though the Baltimore youngster is playing in a WTA Tour main draw for the first time, having won a wildcard playoff event at the last moment.
It was in the same round here just a year ago that she was humiliated by another American teen, Melanie Oudin, who went on to reach the quarter-finals.
Asked what she remembered about that match Sharapova shot back: "Why do we need to remember that one?"
The 14th-seeded Sharapova had as much trouble with the wind at Arthur Ashe Stadium as with her 68th-ranked opponent Thursday night. Sharapova is looking for her second U.S. Open title and fourth overall in the Grand Slam tournaments.
Playing under the lights in New York, Sharapova came suitably dressed. Her dark blue dress had a black collar and lapels, giving it a tuxedo-like effect.
Her next match is against 18-year-old American Trice Capra, the 371st-ranked wild-card who is putting on a Melanie Oudin-like run at the Open so far. Oudin knocked Sharapova out last year.
Sharapova, the 2006 champion at Flushing Meadows, played solidly and often safely while putting together a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over 60th-ranked Jarmila Groth of Australia on Tuesday.
Groth hit 14 double-faults, including on the final point of the second set. She was by far the more aggressive of the two, taking risks that sometimes paid off and sometimes did not. She hit 24 winners to 19 for Sharapova, and made 48 unforced errors to 17 for Sharapova.
“She came out firing; didn’t give me many opportunities,” said Sharapova, who is seeded 14th. “You just want to hang in there, get through it.”
There was a lot of hanging in there on a steamy Day 2 at the U.S. Open, when the temperature rose into the mid-90s. More than a dozen women’s matches went three sets, and a half-dozen men’s matches lasted the full five sets, including 2007 runner-up Novak Djokovic’s 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over his friend and Davis Cup teammate Viktor Troicki.
They played for more than 3 1/2 hours, and the on-court temperature approached 110 degrees. Djokovic was down a break in the fourth set while already down, before righting himself.
“You kind of start panicking a little bit when you don’t feel great physically,” the third-seeded Djokovic said, “and your opponent takes advantage.”
Mardy Fish, an American seeded 19th, also won in five sets, but fan favorite James Blake needed only three to reach the second round.
Sharapova never has lost earlier than the second round in seven U.S. Opens. But she also hasn’t made it past the third round since taking the championship. She lost at that stage in 2007 and 2009, and missed the tournament in 2008 shortly before having right shoulder surgery.
Sharapova made adjustments to her service motion after that operation, then missed nearly two months this season with a right elbow injury. But she has seemed lately to be on her way back to being a contender at the biggest tournaments, reaching the finals at two hard-court tournaments this summer.
She only double-faulted twice Tuesday, and it was Groth who donated points with shaky serving, including on the last point of the second set.
“Maybe if I would have served differently,” Groth said, “everything would be easier.”
At the start, though, it was Sharapova who hardly was at her best. When Groth pounded a return winner off a second serve, she broke Sharapova to take the opening set.
During the changeover, Sharapova sat in her sideline chair and took deep breaths, briefly shutting her eyes. Back on the court, her play improved.
“It’s still Sharapova, so it’s not like she’s going to go, ‘There you go,”’ Groth said.
Sharapova-Groth was the day’s third match in Arthur Ashe Stadium that went the full number of sets, making for a night session that started about 1 1/2 hours later than the 7 p.m. schedule. The tournament’s two No. 1-seeded players, Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki, were to play at night.
Earlier, No. 4-seeded Jelena Jankovic, like Sharapova, needed to turn things around after losing the first set. Jankovic, the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Open, managed to get past 18-year-old Simona Halep of Romania 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Jankovic was two points from defeat at 5-4 in the third set before taking the last three games to close out the match.
“The conditions were tough,” Jankovic said. “But I didn’t want to think about that. I just wanted to focus as much as I could on the match and play each point one point at a time.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, needed three sets, too, before eliminating 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm.
Wozniacki, last year’s runner-up in New York, and Jankovic both have a chance to overtake Serena Williams at No. 1 in the rankings by winning the title. Next for Jankovic comes a matchup against Mirjana Lucic, who beat Alicia Molik 7-6 (5), 6-1 to win a U.S. Open match for the first time in 11 years.
The first seeded woman to exit was No. 8 Li Na, who lost to Kateryna Bondarenko 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, and she soon was followed by No. 26 Lucie Safarova and No. 30 Yaroslava Shvedova. Winners included Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva, No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska and 2009 semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer.
In men’s action, No. 16 Marcos Baghdatis, No. 24 Ernests Gulbis, No. 28 Radek Stepanek, and No. 30 Juan Monaco were eliminated.
Belgium's Kim Clijsters beat the Danish star 7-5, 6-3 in last year's final to complete her remarkable comeback after two years away from the game to start a family and is seeded second this year behind Wozniacki.
But Wozniacki, who opens against American Chelsey Gullickson when the Flushing Meadows fortnight begins Monday, had the misfortune of landing Sharapova for a potential fourth-round foe in her bid a first Grand Slam title.
Sharapova, the 2006 US Open winner, pulled out of Montreal last week with a foot injury but was runner-up at Cincinnati in the other main US Open tuneup. The three-time Grand Slam champion opens against Australian Jarmila Groth.
World number one Serena Williams is absent, sidelined by a right foot injury suffered after she won Wimbledon last month for her 13th career Slam crown. That opens the door for a host of players to claim the title.
"It's always great to have Serena in the draw. You know you are going to have a tough battle," Clijsters said. "Not to have her here, it's sad for the organizers and for the fans."
Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic opens against Romanian Simona Halep and could meet Aussie Alicia Molik or a qualifier in round two with Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonareva a possible quarter-final foe.
US third seed Venus Williams drew Italy's Roberta Vinci as her opening opponent with Italian sixth seed Francesca Schiavone, the French Open champion, the top-ranked rival in her quarter of the draw.
Clijsters, who won the Cincinnati title as well as crowns at Brisbane and Miami this year, will open her title defense against Hungary's Greta Arn with a possible quarter-final against Aussie fifth seed Samantha Stosur.
While being nagged by a hip injury, Clijsters will put off a medical check until after the tournament.
"Practicing this week, it felt much better," Clijster said. "Even if it's bad, it's not like I'm not going to play the US Open. If it still bothers me after the Open, I will go get it tested."
Clijsters has played a minimal schedule to maximize family time, but expects to improve with every match.
"It takes some time to find my rhythm, be in control of my game. Once I play a few matches my game gets better and better," Clijsters said.
"I know when I play good tennis I can beat anybody out there. People are going to want to put me as one of the favorites. I'm just going to try to be the best player on the day of the match and beat my opponents."
Wozniacki could face 2006 champion Sharapova in the fourth round and 2004 champion Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.
Other possible women’s quarterfinals set up by Thursday’s draw are defending champion Kim Clijsters against French Open runner-up Sam Stosur, 2000-01 U.S. Open winner Venus Williams against French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, and 2008 U.S. Open finalist Jelena Jankovic against Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva.
The men’s draw is to be completed later Thursday.
No. 1-ranked Serena Williams and 2009 men’s champion Juan Martin del Potro previously withdrew.
After suffering a shoulder injury in 2008 that required surgery, the three-time grand slam winner spent several months on the sidelines and dropped as far as 126th in the rankings.
But Sharapova is now ranked 16th in the world heading into the Aug. 30-Sept. 12 tournament and said reaching the finals of two straight tournaments in recent weeks has convinced her she can snap a grand slam drought nearing three years.
“I feel like I’m getting there,” Sharapova, who pulled out of the WTA tournament in Montreal last week with a heel injury, told Reuters.
“I’ve had great successful memories in New York as well as tough ones. Having to miss it two years ago because of my shoulder and then coming back last year with pressure … well that wasn’t easy.”
Sharapova has not won a grand slam since she triumphed at the Australian Open in 2009. Eight months after the victory, the 23-year-old had right shoulder surgery and was slow to find the form that once vaulted her to the number one ranking.
She lost in the August finals to Victoria Azarenka at the Stanford Classic and to defending U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters at the Cincinnati Open but is heartened by recent victories over top players.
Until late July, Sharapova had not beaten a player this season ranked in the top 25, but in the past month has toppled world number six Elena Dementieva and two-time grand slam victor Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Sharapova is counting on her recent form to help erase the memories from last year’s U.S. Open where she struggled with a reconstructed service motion and was upset by U.S. teenager Melanie Oudin in the third round.
She has done away with her abbreviated service motion and has been serving at pre-surgery speeds during recent tournaments where she has shown glimpses of her former self.
While Sharapova said Wimbledon is her favourite tournament, she is is looking forward to returning to the bright lights of New York for the U.S. Open, which she won in 2006.
“In New York it’s all about the buzz, the craziness, the rivalries and the night matches,” Sharapova said. “It’s exhilarating. I want to perform my best at the Open and peak there.”
The Russian star reached the final at the Cincinnati Masters on Sunday, but says she started to feel pain in her heel in the second set of the 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 loss to Kim Clijsters.
Sharapova says on her website that the pain "kind of scared me, so I have been forced to pull out of Montreal. I am hoping I just need a few days of rest."
The three-time Grand Slam champion moved up three spots to No. 12 in the WTA rankings released Monday.
Clijsters also overcame three match points on the way to her 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory Sunday in the $2 million Cincinnati Womens’ Open. The delay happened late in the second set, shortly after Sharapova failed to close out Clijsters for the third time.
“When the rain started falling, I was like, ‘Oh, no,”’ Clijsters said. “I was feeling like I could hold here and get a chance for a break. I didn’t feel like I was really in trouble. Before the break, I thought the match could go either way.”
Clijsters, the defending U.S. Open champion and world’s seventh-ranked player, bounced back from connecting on only 52 percent of her first serves while losing her first set in the tournament.
“When we went inside, I had one positive and one negative,” said Clijsters, who reached the quarterfinals of last year’s tournament, her first since coming out of retirement. “Actually, I felt comfortable playing my groundstrokes. That was good, because my serve was nowhere to be found. When we came back out, I knew I had to battle throughout, because you’re not starting 0-0. You have to be ready to go.”
Sharapova started feeling pain in her left heel in the last games of the second set, after the 74-minute rain delay. Sharapova didn’t know if the injury would keep her out of this week’s tournament in Montreal.
“I haven’t really had any time to talk with the trainer or the doctor and see how it is,” she said. “It just kind of flared up out of nowhere, so we’ll see how it is.”
Clijsters, playing in her first tournament since taking a month off following Wimbledon, seemed unfocused in the first set. She hit just five winners, half of Sharapova’s 10, and committed 17 unforced errors while double-faulting seven times while Sharapova was serving three aces.
The two-time U.S. Open champion continued to struggle in the second set. She already was down a break before saving the three match points on her serve in the ninth game as the incoming weather front produced flag-whipping winds, darkened the skies enough to get the lights turned on and produced a downpour that stopped play.
“I think it certainly gave her time to relax,” Sharapova said. “More than the conditions themselves, I think it was about just maybe her going in and having a chance to think about what she needs to do differently. She came out and started playing really good tennis.”
Belgian Clijsters advanced after her Serbian opponent Ana Ivanovic retired with a foot injury early in the first set, while Sharapova had to battle through three tough sets to beat fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 3-6 6-2 and reach her second final in successive tournaments.
In a fascinating encounter, the three-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova never truly dominated her determined 19-year-old opponent until she broke in the third set to take a 4-2 lead.
Sharapova was beaten in the Stanford final by Victoria Azarenka earlier this month.
While Clijsters, now a full year into her comeback, will be a tough opponent for Sharapova, the Belgian reached the final with little effort after a tearful Ivanovic was forced to quit.
Ivanovic had made a fairly routine return with the score 2-1 to Clijsters in the first set but then pulled up and had to receive extensive treatment.
The former world number one returned but was visibly in pain and had to retire.
It was a huge disappointment for Ivanovic, who has undergone a form slump since winning the 2008 French Open and is trying to claw her way back up the rankings. She had also looked in good form in Cincinnati, reaching her second semi-final of the year.
“I’m obviously disappointed the way it finished because I felt like I had really good run,” said Ivanovic.
“Just on that one forehand when I went to step around it, I just felt so much pain in my foot and I couldn’t step on it anymore.
“I tried (a) bit of tape, but I could not put any weight on it and there was no point in me continuing.”
The Serb said the injury was not a recurrence of any previous problem.
Clijsters, the U.S. Open champion, said she hoped the injury healed quickly.
“She is doing well again and then something like this happens, I hope she is okay and it is nothing too serious and she will be okay for the U.S. Open,” she said.
The first round of the U.S. Open begins on Aug. 30.
In fierce heat, defending champion Jankovic fell 7-6 6-4 to Uzbeki qualifier Akgul Amanmuradova, who now goes on to face another Serb, Ana Ivanovic, in the quarter-finals.
A lesser shock, but a surprise nonetheless, was Dane Wozniacki falling to France’s Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-1.
Completing a trio of upsets, Italy’s Flavia Pennetta dumped Russian sixth-seed Vera Zvonareva in straight sets, 6-4 6-3.
Just two of the top ten seeds are left in the competition after Polish seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska lost 6-2 6-3 to Maria Sharapova.
The biggest upset of the day though was the departure of former world number one Jankovic.
The 25-year-old from Belgrade lost in similar fashion in San Diego last week, exiting to Russian Alisa Kleybanova in a second-round loss she blamed on an ankle injury from July.
This time though, the Serbian said technical and tactical issues, not physical problems, were behind her loss.
“I’m healthy now in this moment. It’s just a matter of getting matches and playing, being in this kind of situations, you know, challenging myself,” Jankovic told reporters.
“Hopefully I will do better in my next tournament (next week in Montreal). That will be my last preparation tournament before the U.S. Open.”
Dane Wozniacki was up 4-3 in the first set but then Bartoli rallied to claim the opening frame and dominated the second where she won 14 of 16 first-serve points. Bartoli will play Russia’s Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals.
Wozniacki flew out to Ohio after winning the Danish Open last week and said she may have paid the price for the demanding schedule.
“Definitely it was a factor, there is no doubt about that, getting here late and then getting used to the weather and playing outdoors,” she told reporters. “But it was my choice to play there and then come here.”
Eighth-seeded Na Li of China also suffered an early exit, losing to Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 2-6 6-2 7-6 in an exciting three-set encounter.
Ivanovic again looked in good form as she confidently defeated Russia’s Elena Vesnina 6-0 6-3.
Clijsters match was stopped for almost an hour after the first three games.
Sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva had it tougher, waiting through two rain delays totaling 3 hours and 28 minutes before finally overcoming Maria Kirilenko 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3) at the $2 million Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open.
The two Russians needed a total of 6 hours and 54 minutes to complete their match, including a delay of 2 hours and 19 minutes with the 28th-ranked Kirilenko leading 5-2 in the third set. After they returned to the court, Zvonareva won three straight games and four of five before taking control of the tiebreaker by winning the first three points. She wasn’t sure if the second delay helped.
“I always believe in myself,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m down 5-0, I think I can win it.”
Zvonareva, who is scheduled to face 11th-seeded Flavia Pennetta in the third round, did know that the match was her longest in one day.
“Sometimes, they’re delayed to the next day, but as far as going back and forth in the same day, that’s the longest,” she said with a laugh.
Third-seeded Elena Dementieva became the highest seed to be eliminated from the tournament when she was upset by 25th-ranked Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 5-3 in another matchup of Russians.
“I had nothing to lose,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “I just wanted to enjoy the match, give her a good game and focus on the future. I’ve had a lot of chances in my other matches against her, but on the deciding points, I would go for it and rush. This time, I tried to not make the same mistake and be more consistent. She didn’t really start well, and I tried to take advantage.”
The sixth-ranked Dementieva said it was the “worst match in a long time for me.”
“I just felt like I wasn’t into the game,” she said. “My concentration wasn’t there. I just wasn’t ready 100 percent.”
Pavlyuchenkova is scheduled to meet 13th-seeded Shahar Peer, who moved on with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Nuria Llagostera Vives.
Second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki needed just 51 minutes to advance with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Sybille Bammer, who committed 28 unforced errors to just four by Wozniacki. Seventh-seeded Agnieska Radwanska advanced almost as easily, romping over Alisa Kleybanova, 6-4, 6-1.
Christina McHale had a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ayumi Morita to set up a third-round match with Clijsters.
French Open champion Francesca Schiavone was upset by Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-4. After taking the first three games of the match, Schiavone dropped six of the next seven to lose the first set.
Vesnina, ranked No. 49, opened the second set by breaking Schiavone.
No. 12 Yanina Wickmayer and eighth-seeded Na Li both advanced to face off in the third round. The 11th-ranked Li cruised past No. 36 Sara Errani 6-2, 6-2. Wickmayer beat No. 46 Gisela Dulko 7-6 (3), 6-2 before rain delayed the afternoon session for more than an hour.
Pennetta routed Monica Niculescu 6-0, 6-1, while No. 62 Ana Ivanovic also advanced with a 6-1, 7-5 upset of 32nd-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova, her second straight win over a higher-ranked opponent. She knocked off ninth-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the first round.
“I finished that first match strong, and I just tried to take that into the match today,” Ivanovich said.
Kuznetsova’s win in San Diego last week pushed her ranking to 14, one above Sharapova, but Sharapova used a 31-11 advantage in winners to overcome 39 unforced errors in her Cincinnati debut. Kuznetsova committed only 17.
Kuznetsova needed treatment from a trainer on her back and left knee, and left the court briefly after three games of the third set for treatment. She also squandered eight break-point opportunities in 10 tries.
No. 8 seed Azarenka beat No. 5 Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday to win the Bank of the West Classic, her first title of the season.
“This is one of the best, definitely,” said the young Belarusian. “I’m really excited to compete with so many great players. It’s exciting to go out and show my spirit.”
After the final point, Azarenka dropped her racket, covered her eyes and walked slowly to the net to shake hands with Sharapova. She went over to hug her coach and returned to the court to acknowledge the crowd.
It was a subdued reaction, although she smiled all the way through the awards ceremony and her press conference.
“I try to dig myself into the court,” he said. “I’m changing my game so as not to have the same patterns all the time. The most important thing is to be thinking on the court.”
In the doubles final, Lindsay Davenport and fellow American Liezel Huber beat Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan and Zheng Jie of China 7-5, 6-7 (8), 10-8.
It was Davenport’s first WTA victory since winning singles and doubles at Memphis in 2008.
As for Azarenka, her birthday was Saturday and she wanted to delay any celebration until after the tournament. She’s not holding back now.
“I want to see my friends and family if I have time,” said Azarenka, who opens with American teenager Melanie Oudin in the San Diego tournament that begins Monday. “I want a cake. I want some ice cream, something beside cinnamon.”
Azarenka, who earned $107,000 for her win, beat Sharapova for the first time in three years and the first time on hard court. They have split four career meetings.
“I tried to start aggressive right away and not let her come in,” Azarenka said. “When she gets on a roll it’s hard to keep up. I had to be on top of her every moment and not give her the chance to come back.”
She won 6 of 11 break points and was again effective with her return game, winning 57 percent of her total return points, including 12 of 15 on second return points.
“She’s one of the most consistent,” Sharapova said of Azarenka’s return game. “She gets a lot of balls back and every ball is heavy.”
Azarenka said it’s more out of necessity.
“I have to go for my return,” she said. “I cannot step back; I have to attack, attack the serve. I keep pushing myself forward on every point.”
Azarenka, who won her fourth career title, will be No. 12 in the world when the rankings are released Monday. Sharapova, who was looking to become the first woman with three titles this year, rises to No. 13.
“She’s been in the top 10 and has had some great wins in her career already,” Sharapova said. “I started making unforced errors off her returns and she stepped it up, took advantage and started to get on a roll.”
Sharapova is taking the week off and returns to make her debut in Cincinnati.
“I don’t think I served that smart,” she said. “I need a higher percentage of first serves, in general and particularly against her. I’m sure I’ll be playing here many more times.”
The fifth-seeded Sharapova improved to 6-3 against Top 10 competition since returning from shoulder surgery last May. She advanced to her fourth semifinal of the year.
“I wasn’t swinging through well,” Sharapova said. “Sometimes my arm doesn’t want to swing. I didn’t want to let up on my serve, though. I wanted to keep going for it. When things aren’t going that well, you keep doing the right things and hope it turns around.”
It was another classic battle between two of the top Russians in the women’s game, and was the longest match of the tournament. The 15th-ranked Sharapova leads the series against the second-seeded and sixth-ranked Dementieva 9-3 after playing a third set for the first time since the 2004 meeting in Zurich, and third overall.
“I think it was a good match. I feel like I played much better than my first match,” Dementieva said. “I think my serve wasn’t good enough and she was serving very well. It was a pretty tough game.”
Dementieva was playing in her first tournament since the French Open because of a right shoulder injury.
“This is what I was hoping for, to play a few tough matches here, to feel the competition and feel the game,” she said. “Hopefully the next time it’s going to help me.”
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat defending champion Marion Bartoli 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, ending the Frenchwoman’s run of eight straight victories in the event.
“Every single game was tough,” Bartoli said. “It was hard to win some easy points because I was fighting and running so much. This was a very high quality game and she just was a little better than me. She was beating me easily the last three times, so there was some improvement.”
Azarenka advanced to her fourth semifinal of the year. The 18th-ranked Belarusian will face top-seeded Samantha Stosur, a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 winner over No. 7 Yanina Wickmayer.
Stosur, from Australia, is playing in her first tournament since breaking into the top five in the world. She leads the tour with 37 wins this year.
Azarenka, seeded eighth and ranked 18th, improved to 4-0 against fourth-seeded Bartoli, who is ranked 14th.
“She has improved her game,” Azarenka said. “It was a very tough game. It was important to change the rhythm with her and make her move.”
Bartoli was up 2-0 in the second set before Azarenka won seven consecutive games to take control of the match.
“She started the match well, was hitting hard and making so many winners,” Azarenka said. “I was trying to stay out there and find my game. It finally went my way.”
“We’ve had a couple of close matches and there were some where she absolutely killed me,” said Stosur, who reached her sixth semifinal of the year. “The way she plays gives me problems but my game is different than the last time we played.”
Azarenka, who turns 21 on Saturday, improved to 17-5 on hard courts this year. All three of her career titles have been on hard courts.
Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland beat Belarus’ Maria Kirilenko, 7-5, 6-0, in another quarterfinal and, as a result, should move back into the top 10 when the rankings are released next week.
“I think the first set was the key in this match,” Radwanska said. “It was very close, very long and I think she was upset losing that first set. I felt much more comfortable in the second set, knowing that I was one set ahead. But you still have to be very focused up until the last point.”
Israel’s Shahar Peer, another seeded player, wasn’t as fortunate.
Former world No. 1 Sharapova, the fifth seed, beat Belarus’ Olga Govortsova, 6-3, 6-3 and the eighth-seeded Azarenka topped American Melanie Oudin, 6-3, 6-1 in the second round, while Russia’s Maria Kirilenko knocked off the sixth-seeded Peer, 6-4, 6-3.
“It was a sloppy first game but the rest of it was fine,” Sharapova said. “I took my chances when I could.”
The 16th-ranked Peer became the first seeded player to fall at the event, losing for the fourth time in her last six matches after opening the year 18-5, which included a three-set win over Kirilenko in New Zealand.
“This time I decided to be a lot more aggressive,” Kirilenko said. “This year has been so much better and given me a lot of confidence.”
The 27th-ranked Kirilenko, who meets No. 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in Friday’s quarterfinals, is assured of her best finish at Stanford in three trips.
“I played not too badly,” Kirilenko said. “I can play better.”
She’s also had her career best results at the Australian Open, when she reached the quarterfinals, the French Open, when she made the fourth round, and at Wimbledon, when she was eliminated in the third round.
Azarenka, who broke into the top 10 last year, reached her sixth quarterfinal of the year by winning her eighth in her last 10 matches.
“I think I played very well,” Azarenka said. “It was a little tough at the beginning with a couple of service breaks but I felt strong the whole match. For me it’s important to play every point the same, no matter what the score is. Whether I am up or down 40-love, that is always a key for me.”
She plays the winner of a late match between defending champion Marion Bartoli of France and former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia.
Oudin also thought she competed well.
“I had a game point almost every single game,” she said. “I don’t think she overwhelmed me. It was close.”
The last time Sharapova played on the surface, at Indian Wells, Calif., in March, she lost to Zheng.
The fifth-seeded and 15th-ranked Sharapova, who missed six weeks with a right elbow injury during the spring, won for the 15th time in her last 18 matches.
Defending champion Marion Bartoli was another of the five seeded players to advance, beating American Ashley Harkleroad 6-1, 6-4.
The fourth-seeded Frenchwoman, ranked 14th, beat Harkleroad for the first time in three meetings, though it was their first matchup in six years.
“She played really well, especially in the second set,” Bartoli said. “For someone who hasn’t played that much lately, she was giving me a hard time out there.”
Bartoli, who faces wild-card entry Ana Ivanovic in the second round, won 81 percent of her first serve points to overwhelm the American, who played her second match on the WTA Tour in two years.
Two years ago the Russian star had to withdraw from the Rogers Cup in the city because of a serious shoulder injury. As she prepares to make her return to the tournament next month, she's looking for a more positive memory.
"I didn't have a good experience last (time)," Sharapova said Friday on a conference call. "That's where I took my MRI and I realized I was going to be out for awhile. So I'm hoping that this time around it's going to be a better experience."
Sharapova's shoulder surgery kept her on the sidelines for nine months. A big moment in her return came last summer in Toronto, where she advanced to the final of the Rogers Cup before losing to countrywoman Elena Dementieva in straight sets.
"It was a great week for me and something that I really needed after my comeback," said Sharapova. "I love this time of year and the swing where you're constantly going from one town to another and you're playing the tournaments.
"To get to the final (last year) ... I felt like I was slowly getting my way there."
The 23-year-old has victories this year in Memphis and Strasbourg and expects to have the form to compete for another one in Montreal.
She's finally feeling 100 per cent again.
"It takes awhile," said Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam champion. "You can feel really confident in practice but it doesn't always translate into matches."
The two went toe-to-toe under the blazing sunshine on Centre Court, and Sharapova, the 16th seed, will rue the chances she missed leading 6-4 in the opening set tiebreak.
A quick break of serve at the start of the second gave the American top seed the momentum, and the three-times champion wrapped up the victory when Sharapova sprayed a running backhand wide after an hour and 36 minutes.
She will play China’s ninth seed Li Na for a place in the semi-finals.
The last time they met on grass, Williams was a sure bet to complete a hat-trick of Wimbledon crowns as she was facing a virtually unknown 17-year-old in the 2004 women’s final.
But somebody obviously forgot to inform the Russian to tell her about her bit part in the final, and instead she memorably tried to ring up her mother from Centre Court to tell her “Hi mum, guess what? I just won Wimbledon.”
On Monday, Williams, who stood stonefaced next to Sharapova on that sun-drenched July afternoon during the presentation ceremony, will be out to exact revenge and is confident there will no longer be any nasty surprises in store for her.
“She really knows my game. I think she really studies it. I pretty much know her game, so…” three-times champion Williams, 28, said looking ahead to eagerly-awaited showdown.
Williams has every right to feel confident as over the past few months she has taken her grand slam tally to 12 while Sharapova is still trying to work out how far she can stretch her serving arm after enduring numerous shoulder problems.
But when two of the most recognisable faces in tennis and hardest hitters face-off the world sits up to take notice and Sharapova is no different.
“I love playing against her. I love playing against the defending champion,” said the 16th seed, who won the last of her three majors at the 2008 Australian Open.
“She’s great on this surface. If there’s a challenge ahead of you, it’s definitely playing against her and I enjoy that.”
Sharapova also did not want to give too much significance to her victory here in 2004 as since then Williams has opened a 5-2 lead in their match-ups.
“It’s tough to take anything away from our last meeting on grass as it was many years ago,” said the 23-year-old, who tuned-up for the grasscourt major with a runner-up finish in Birmingham earlier this month.
“Serena and I know each other’s game pretty well now. Even though we haven’t played in a while.
“She’s a really big hitter. She is a big server. You’ve got to really take your chances when you have them. We certainly have a good rivalry building up.
Sharapova and Williams will face off for the first time at Wimbledon since the Russian scored a shock victory over Serena in the 2004 final here.
Then just a 17-year-old with little experience at the highest level, Sharapova created one of the biggest shocks in Wimbledon history by ending Serena's two-year run as women's champion with a stunning 6-1, 6-4 win.
It was her first grand slam title and, although she has since won at the Australian and US Opens, she has never been back to the final at the All England Club.
But, after an injury-hit 18 months marred by surgery on a shoulder problem, Sharapova is finally approaching something like her best form again and she can't wait to tackle top seed Serena in the fourth round on Monday.
"That's what I thrive on," she said. "I love going on the court and playing someone that's obviously the favourite to win the match.
"I absolutely love it. She's the defending champion, she's great on this surface and she's won numerous grand slams.
"If there's a challenge ahead of you, it's definitely playing against her, and I enjoy that.
"Execution's a big part of playing her. Also just staying aggressive. She's a really big hitter and a big server. You've got to really take your chances when you have them."
Although Sharapova has been in better form of late, she is well aware that Serena has been in an even more dominant mood - dropping just 10 games in her first three matches here.
The 23-year-old also knows that Serena, who has taken the first set of each of her matches here by a resounding 6-0, holds a 5-2 career edge in their head to head meetings.
"I'd only call it a rivalry when I win a few more against her. I've lost the last few," Sharapova added.
"We certainly had a good rivalry building up but we haven't played for a while.
"It's tough to take anything away from that final here as it was many years ago. There are always wonderful memories. But when you step out on the court, it's new. You've got to start from scratch."
Worryingly for Sharapova, there is no chance of Serena underestimating the Russian.
In fact Serena was so angry with herself for playing below 100 percent in the second set of her third round win over Dominika Cibulkova on Saturday that she vowed to redouble her intensity in the second week.
"I just kind of came off the gas a little too much and you just can't do that in big grand slams like this," Serena said.
"I definitely have to pick up and play better. You always have to be ready. She's obviously really good, especially on grass.
"It's obviously really intense (against Sharapova). I think she really knows my game. I think she really studies it.
"I pretty much know her game. So I don't think much has changed. We know each other.
"It's a great matchup. It's always good to see someone that's a champion out on the court."
Like Sharapova, Serena doesn't believe the 2004 final will have much bearing on this meeting, although she is keen to forget all about that encounter.
"I just remember I was really nervous. I think I put too much pressure on myself. It didn't work out. That was that," Serena added.
The 23-year-old Russian will play three-time champion Serena Williams on Monday for a berth in the quarterfinals.
Sharapova, the 2004 champion, secured the victory Saturday with an ace after nearly two hours on court to advance to the final 16 at the All England Club.
Sharapova gained the decisive break in the second set in the sixth game, after wasting five opportunities, then held the following game after saving a break point.
The 2004 champion, seeded 17 this year, made frequent forays to the net to punish anything short from the world number 114 and raced to the opener in 32 minutes.
Olaru, beaten 6-0 6-0 by Victoria Azarenka at this stage last year, offered stiffer resistance in the second but the Russian wrapped it up after an 82 minutes.
She will play Slovakian 24th seed Daniela Hantuchova or Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova for a place in the fourth round.
Success is so much sweeter the second time around for the statuesque Russian who won Wimbledon at the age of 17. Six years later it is a whole new ball game for her.
On Tuesday, she blossomed in the sunshine at Wimbledon, showing all her old fire to dismiss fellow Russian Anastasia Pivovarova 6-1 6-0 in the first round.
She moved across court with grace and agility. The serve was powerful. She won in under an hour.
After suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery, Sharapova spent several months on the sidelines and dropped as far as 126th in the rankings.
Seeded 16th this year, she was in reflective mood after the match, counting her tennis blessings.
“My joy in the game is pretty up there with what it was before I got injured,” she said.
“Maybe even more so because it was taken away from me for such a long period of time that it made me realise how blessed you are when you are actually on the court.”
Her self-belief never wavered. Now she firmly believes that she can beat anyone on the circuit.
Always keeping a wary eye on the up and coming teenagers ready to challenge at the top tournaments, she is realistic.
As a teenager, she could start a match and immediately fire down lethal serves.
“Now it’s like 10, 15, 20 serves by the time it (the shoulder) warms up,” she said.”
Her philosophy is simple: “You have to realise it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.”
Playing on Court 2 on Tuesday, Sharapova needed only 54 minutes to wrap things up. She hit 15 winners and lost only seven of 37 points on her serve.
Pivovarova was playing on grass for the first time. She lost in qualifying and made the tournament as a lucky loser after another player withdrew.
Sharapova, the 2004 champion, is seeded 16th. She is 18-5 this year with two tournament titles.
Topspin: Still trying to return to top of her game after having right shoulder surgery in October 2008, then dealing with a right elbow injury this season. … Only one quarterfinal appearance in her most recent seven major tournaments, including first-round loss at Australian Open in January and third-round exit at French Open in May. … Reached final on grass at Birmingham this month. … Was 17 when she won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam title.
1. Serena Williams (United States)
2. Venus Williams (United States)
3. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)
4. Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
5. Francesca Schiavone (Italy)
6. Samantha Stosur (Australia)
7. Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)
8. Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
9. Li Na (China)
10. Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
11. Marion Bartoli (France)
12. Nadia Petrova (Russia)
13. Shahar Peer (Israel)
14. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
15. Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium)
16. Maria Sharapova (Russia)
17. Justine Henin (Belgium)
18. Aravane Rezai (France)
19. Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
20. Dinara Safina (Russia)
21. Vera Zvonareva (Russia)
22. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain)
23. Zheng Jie (China)
24. Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia)
25. Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)
26. Alisa Kleybanova (Russia)
27. Maria Kirilenko (Russia)
28. Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine)
29. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia)
30. Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan)
31. Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania)
32. Sara Errani (Italy)
Sharapova lost to Li in the semifinals of last year’s tournament in Birmingham and the Chinese player produced a repeat performance, winning her first title on grass.
“Last year I beat Maria in the semifinals, and then was so excited I forgot I had another match,” Li said. “I’m excited again. If I had another match this time, I think I would probably lose that, too.”
Second-seeded Sharapova won in Birmingham in 2004—the year she won Wimbledon—and again in 2005.
Sharapova said she was pleased to get a string of matches under her belt before Wimbledon, which starts a week from Monday.
“I came here to get as many matches as I could, and I did,” she said. “It’s nice to win the tournament, but sometimes it doesn’t happen.”
Sharapova broke Li early and led 3-1, but then found it increasingly hard to land her first serves. Li broke back for 3-3, and by the start of the second set, Sharapova’s confidence had dipped.
The Russian player, who had seven double-faults, was outmaneuvered in the baseline rallies as Li hit a number of brilliantly struck drives from both wings to close out the victory.
Li reached the semifinals of the Australian Open this year, and she hoping to reach the same stage at Wimbledon.
Li will play another grass-court tournament, at Eastbourne next week, before Wimbledon. Sharapova will spend next week on the practice courts before the year’s third major.
Top-seeded Li beat fourth-seeded Aravane Rezai of France 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the other semifinal to return to the final for a second straight year.
Sharapova won this Wimbledon warmup title in 2004 and 2005 and was runner-up in 2007, the last time she was in a grass-court final.
Li and Sharapova will meet for the third time at Birmingham. Li won their semifinal last year, her only win over the Russian in six meetings, but lost in the final.
Sharapova, chasing her third title of the year and 23 of her career, said she was looking forward to playing Li.
“It will be good to play her again. A year makes a big difference,” the second-seeded Sharapova said. “I certainly don’t like losing to the same person twice in a row—I’m a big competitor. I’m certainly going to try to turn that around.”
Li, who entered the tournament as a late wild card after French Open champion Francesca Schiavone withdrew, knew Sharapova was serving better and playing more confidently this year but wasn’t fazed.
“I am happy to be in the final,” Li said. “It will be a good match.”
Sharapova jumped out to a 4-1 lead over American qualifier Riske, who responded by requesting a coaching break—taken with her elder sister Sarah— after which she appeared to settle down but lost the first set 6-2.
In the second, Riske kept pace with Sharapova for four games and then managed to break the Russian’s serve with some well-timed returns and the help of a double fault. Riske, who upset third-seeded Yanina Wickmayer to reach the semifinals, held her nerve to close out the set despite going 15-30 down at 5-4.
In the third set, Sharapova regained the upper hand, breaking Riske twice and finishing off the match with an emphatic ace.
“I suppose I knew in my mind that I would be back (in the final), but I also knew there were players who had had shoulder injuries who never came back,” Sharapova said.
Li struck the ball well against Rezai in the first set and looked set to make the final in a rush. But she allowed the momentum to swing away from her by dropping serve early in the second set, and after that it became a dogfight.
In the end, Li had a little more accuracy and a little more knowledge of how to deal with the conditions, but she also had to adapt her methods. Once she started to get the first good blow in more regularly she always seemed the more likely winner.
“She’s a tough player, she was hitting very hard,” Li said. “I started aggressively and then went a little bit backward, lost a bit of concentration at 2-0 in the second set.
“Then in the third set, I realized I had to play like I had at the start to win.”
The final will be Li’s seventh of her career. Her second and last title was in 2008.
Sharapova, who fell in love with the relaxed club in Birmingham’s suburbs in 2004 when she won the title before moving on to triumph at Wimbledon, beat American Alison Riske 6-2 4-6 6-1 in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Top seed Li Na beat Aravane Rezai, the fourth seed from France, 6-1 3-6 6-3.
“It’ll be good to play her again,” Russian Sharapova, who lost to the Chinese player in the semi-finals last year, told reporters. “A year makes a big difference.
“I certainly don’t like losing to the same person twice in a row—I’m a big competitor. I’m certainly going to try to turn that around.”
Sharapova is beginning to look like the player that won three grand slam titles and powered to the top of the rankings before a serious shoulder problem kept her out of the game for nine months in 2008-09.
Back at 17th in the rankings after drifting outside the top 100 early last year, she belted the ball around the slick grasscourts on Saturday and looks in good shape as Wimbledon approaches.
There is obviously nothing wrong with her shoulder either after she cracked down a serve at 121mph, the fastest one she has hit in her career.
“I played a very good opponent today, who played really well,” Sharapova, gunning for a third title here, said. “I came through in the end and played good tennis. My game is trying to attack.
“If I’m doing it well, I should be winning the majority of my matches and that definitely gives you confidence.”
Sharapova seemed completely in control against qualifier Riske, ranked down at 185, but she lost her way in the second set before regaining control of her youthful opponent.
“I had one sloppy game in the second set and let her back into the match and credit to her she did a great job of executing that set,” Sharapova said.
“I definitely had to change a few things around in the third set and step it up a bit.”
The Russian second seed first completed a rain-delayed 6-0 6-3 defeat of Bethanie Mattek-Sands before returning to court to beat Sesil Karatantcheva 6-2 6-4 in the quarter-finals.
Sharapova, twice a winner at the Wimbledon warm-up event, will play American qualifier Alison Riske in the semi-finals after she upset third seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.
Karatantcheva, who switched nationality to Kazakhstan from Bulgaria, fell out with Sharapova in 2004 after a row in practise and was banned for a doping offence in 2006.
Once regarded as a potential challenger for grand slam titles after reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2005, Karatantcheva has struggled on her return to the Tour.
She did show some encouraging form against Sharapova, however, and made the former Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open champion, work hard in the second set.
After a first-round bye, it took Sharapova three days to complete her first win on grass this year, a 6-0, 6-3 defeat of U.S. Fed Cup player Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She was then back on court for only 65 minutes for an even more impressive 6-3, 6-1 success against Alla Kudryavtseva, the fellow Russian who sensationally upset her at Wimbledon two years ago.
Both results proved encouraging for Sharapova, especially against Kudryavtseva, who briefly played as though she could spring another surprise, holding three points for a 4-1 lead with a double break of serve.
It required Sharapova to adopt a tenaciously positive attitude on an outside court in cold, blowy, and miserably overcast conditions.
She hit 11 aces and conceded only two points on serve in the second set in a performance which suggested that her service was regaining some of the power which was once a formidable barometer of her game, but which lost potency following a shoulder operation two years ago.
Next for Sharapova will be Kazakh qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva, if center court is ready on Friday. The main court was unavailable on Thursday—despite no rain—because the covers weren’t big enough to accommodate the whole court, causing the show court to be waterlogged.
Karatantcheva, a former French Open quarterfinalist who was two years back from a drugs suspension, completed her fifth win of the tournament by eliminating defending champion Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-2.
If the second-seeded Sharapova wins, she could play fourth-seeded Yanina Wickmayer, the steadily improving world No. 16 who won twice on Thursday against Laura Robson, the 16-year-old former Junior Wimbledon champion from Britain, and Tamarine Tanasugarn, the former Wimbledon quarterfinalist from Thailand.
Top-seeded Li Na of China beat Anne Keothavong of Britain 6-2, 6-4, then was facing Angelique Kerber of Germany.
But unlike Tuesday, there was 25 minutes of play before the rains struck with Sharapova leading 4-0 in the first set.
The winner will play Alla Kudryavtseva, who beat American Vania King 6-1, 6-2.
Sharapova served well, using a fuller arm action again after a slew of double-faults last year following shoulder surgery. During the match, Mattek-Sands received six minutes of treatment on a thigh.
While shorter tarp covers failed to prevent rain from encroaching onto the playing area on center court, players on the outside courts finished their matches. Magdalena Rybarikova, Sesil Karatantcheva, Anna Chakvetadze and Sara Errani advanced to the third round.
Rybarikova defeated Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5), and Karatantcheva stopped Yaroslava Shedova 6-4, 6-4. Chakvetadze eliminated Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-4, and Errani needed three sets to beat American Shenay Perry 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
“I go in believing that I have a chance,” the 23-year-old Russian said. “It would be tough to go out there and step on to the court and to have the confidence to beat my opponents if I didn’t.”
Wimbledon starts June 21. Sharapova, who won the tournament in 2004, is warming up at the grass-court Aegon Classic in Birmingham, which starts Monday.
The 13th-ranked Sharapova welcomed the chance to play on grass.
“I really love coming on grass and the change from the clay courts and the different bounces. … It brings back a lot of memories,” Sharapova said. “I come into Birmingham every year wanting to play as many matches on grass as I can and to try and get really good practice the week before (Wimbledon) as well.”
Sharapova is seeded second at the Aegon Classic behind Li Na, drafted in as a wild card replacement for French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, who withdrew from the tournament.
Li beat Sharapova in the Aegon Classic semifinals last year.
“Obviously I want to play all of my five matches if I can and try and hopefully win the tournament,” Sharapova said. “I’ve had really good experiences here down the years. The tournament has brought me some good matches and good preparation for Wimbledon.”
To meet Li in the final, Sharapova must progress in a half containing defending champion Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia and Yanina Wickmayer, the 21-year-old Belgian who won the WTA Tour’s most improved player award.
Sharapova is still finding her feet at the top level after shoulder surgery, and watching her battle in a three-set loss to Justine Henin at Roland Garros on Sunday it was easy to forget that the French Open is the only major to have eluded her.
The Russian 12th seed was wrapped in her own bubble of thought in the gusty conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier; her fist clenched intensely between points, her eyes sternly looking for inspiration in the strings of her racket.
But it was not enough against the four-time champion from Belgium, who won their one-set shootout after the match had been interrupted by darkness on Saturday evening.
“I know the things that hurt me a little bit today. I just really want to go out on that court and just work on them a little bit more, because I know that they will help me a little bit more in the future,” she told reporters after the 6-2 3-6 6-3 third-round defeat.
“I definitely played some good tennis, but it wasn’t enough to win the match. At the end of the day, no matter how good or bad you play, she’s the one with the W (win).”
Her game may not have ascended former heights yet but her ability to command a room certainly remains undiminished.
At 6ft 2ins, a sea of journalists over whom she towered parted silently to allow her to take her place at the press conference table, sporting a sleek black tracksuit and hair tightly combed back.
“I’ve been serving much better and my arm has been feeling good,” the former Wimbledon. U.S. Open and Australian Open champion told them.
“I don’t think the conditions really favoured that drive through the ball and the serve as much as it would have been on a warmer day where it would have gone through the court a bit more.
“Sometimes you have to be ready to hit millions of balls, and it’s not just about the serve. The game is becoming better and bigger, and the girls are getting faster. The game itself is getting better.”
Her clay season over, her focus switched to the tournament that propelled her to the international limelight when she won it in 2004, Wimbledon.
“This part of the season is one of my favorites, going into the grass. I certainly love this time of year.
“As long as I’m healthy on the court and I’m working my way towards what I want to improve, which I feel like I’ve done maybe in the last three weeks since my elbow is feeling better, then I’ve got a real good shot.”
“Yeah,” Henin acknowledged Sunday, “looked like it was going to be fast.”
Sure did.
Right there, right when she needed to, Henin began to turn the third-round showdown her way. She emerged with a 23rd consecutive victory at Roland Garros— a streak that dates to 2005, before her 20-month hiatus from tennis—by beating Sharapova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a match contested over two days.
“I definitely played some good tennis, but it wasn’t enough to win,” Sharapova said. “At the end of the day, no matter how good or bad you play, you know, she’s the one with the ‘W.”’
More than that, only five months into her comeback, Henin is compiling further evidence that she quickly has regained her status as one of the best in the game, regardless of her No. 22 seeding at the French Open. Remember: She was ranked No. 1 and the owner of seven Grand Slam titles, including four in Paris, when she abruptly left the tour in 2008.
So here’s what everyone wants to know: Is Henin as good now as she was then?
“I don’t want to compare, because everything is so different. I’m not yet as consistent as I was. … I still need some time,” said Henin, who reached the Australian Open final in January in the first major tournament of her return. “I know there are still ups and downs, and I’ll work on it.”
There were significant swings of momentum in this match between two former No. 1 players who own a total of 10 Grand Slam titles. On Saturday, Henin controlled the first set, and Sharapova the second, as they played through rain, wind and fading light before the match was suspended because of darkness.
“Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it got worse,” is how Sharapova described Saturday’s conditions.
“The ball is heavy. There’s tons of clay on the court. It’s raining. It’s not just drizzling—it’s pouring for about 10 minutes. That doesn’t really help matters for the rest of the match. Then it gets dark,” she added. “You’ve got all sorts of things, and you add the wind—and you add the opponent.”
When action resumed Sunday, though, it took all of 11 minutes for Sharapova to seem to seize control by winning 11 of the afternoon’s first 15 points.
On the first of what would be four break points for Sharapova in the final set’s key third game, the Russian put a backhand into the net to lose a 16-stroke exchange. Henin began rushing forward, and two volley winners erased two more break points, while a 109 mph service winner took care of yet another.
“I came to the net, and that gave me my confidence back. I really needed that game,” said Henin, who next meets No. 7 Sam Stosur of Australia. “After that, everything was easier.”
After holding there, Henin broke Sharapova twice in a row, all part of a stretch in which the Belgian took 18 of 24 points and went ahead 4-2.
There was more shakiness for Henin, though: She dumped a forehand into the net to give Sharapova a break point, then ceded the game with a double-fault to cut her lead to 4-3.
Right when it looked as if it all might be slipping away, Henin broke right back, delivering one of her trademark one-handed backhands down the line for a winner that made it 5-3. She then served out the victory, and tapped her right palm over her heart while thanking the crowd for its support.
“I certainly had my opportunities in this match,” Sharapova said. “It’s definitely frustrating when you feel like you had them and just didn’t take them — or was a little bit hesitant.”
Still, Sharapova demonstrated that she, too, is on her way back to where she used to be—the big-hitting, baseline-covering, full-of-grit player who won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008.
The best news of all for Sharapova is that she wasn’t hampered by her surgically repaired right shoulder or the injured right elbow that kept her off tour earlier this season.
“I’ve been serving much better, and my arm has been feeling good,” she said. “I feel, like, physically, nothing really bothers me.”
Fans huddled under blankets and umbrellas, and camera flashes popped against the slate sky as the two former No. 1s, owners of a combined 10 major titles, traded strokes in the main stadium.
Four-time French Open champion Henin began well, taking 12 of the first 15 points en route to a 4-0 lead, and she claimed the first set 6-2. That was the 40th consecutive set Henin won at the French Open, tying the tournament record set by Helen Wills Moody from 1926-32.
But Henin’s streak ended shortly thereafter, as Sharapova worked her way into the match eventually. The Russian broke Henin’s serve for the first time for a 5-3 lead in the second set, then held for 6-3.
With rain falling, and the light fading, tournament referee Stefan Fransson walked on court and called off play for the day.
When they resume, Sharapova and Henin will play what comes down to a best-of-one-set contest for the right to play in the fourth round.
Their nine previous meetings—Henin won six—all came in the quarterfinals or later of tournaments.
Seeking the only Grand Slam title she hasn’t won, the 12th-seeded Sharapova beat 71st-ranked Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-3, 6-3 Friday in a match that was suspended because of darkness the night before.
Sharapova hit five aces and one double-fault against Flipkens, who dropped to 0-14 against players ranked in the top 20.
Now comes a tougher test for Sharapova: a match against Henin, who eliminated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3 to get to the third round.
Six days after Wimbledon, the $1.2 billion stadium will host a pair of best-of-three matches, featuring Serena Williams against Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick against John Isner.
The showcase, to be held July 10, is called the Cowboys Tennis Slam and it is being billed as the inaugural event.
In addition to the NFL, Cowboys Stadium already has hosted the NBA All-Star game, soccer and a world title fight. Bull riding is on the agenda this summer.
While the building can hold more than 100,000 people, it will be configured to hold 20,000 for the tennis matches. The court will be set up across one of the end zones.
“We have seen the flexibility our new stadium has for holding spectacular events of all kinds and this event should be like no other,” Jones said. “Being able to attract some of the best tennis players in the world under one roof for a night like this will be something special.”
Williams, Sharapova and Roddick all have been ranked No. 1.
The 6-foot-7 Isner is the second-highest ranked American men’s tennis player behind Roddick, and is known for a serve that can top 140 mph.
Trying to win the only Grand Slam title missing from her resume, the 12th-seeded Sharapova eliminated 110th-ranked Ksenia Pervak 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday.
Sharapova had won 24 consecutive first-round matches at Grand Slams until being upset at that stage at the Australian Open in January. Now she’s starting a new streak.
Sharapova’s best showing at Roland Garros was the 2007 semifinals. She missed time this season with a right elbow injury, but won a clay-court warmup at Strasbourg last weekend.
It was the 18-year-old Pervak’s debut in the main draw of a major tournament.
The title was only Sharapova’s second on clay and a boost on the eve of the French Open, where she’s reached one semifinal and three quarterfinals.
Sharapova lost her first match in two months last week in Madrid, then accepted a late wild card to be the top seed in Strasbourg, where she rolled all the way to her second title of the season.
The 13th-ranked Sharapova trailed 5-3 in the first set, then adjusted after a chat with her coach Michael Joyce during a changeover and won seven straight games.
Sharapova broke the German, a first-time finalist, twice more in the second set and closed it with a backhand winner.
Sharapova had shoulder surgery in October 2008 and dropped outside the top 10 for the first time in five years. She dropped as far as No. 126 before rebounding to close last year at No. 14.
The top-seeded Russian will chase her 22nd title against the unseeded Barrois, who will play her first final on the WTA Tour after outlasting Vania King of the United States 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6).
Sharapova needed to win two matches in the same day because two quarterfinals were interrupted by rain on Thursday.
Earlier Friday, Sharapova beat Julia Goerges of Germany 7-6 (2), 6-1 and Medina Garrigues defeated Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden 6-2, 7-5. Sharapova was leading 3-2 on Thursday, while the fifth-seeded Spaniard took the first set against Arvidsson before rain started.
Sharapova managed to hold serve only once in the opening set of her match against three-time champion Medina Garrigues. But she started the second set by winning five straight games and won the match by breaking the Spaniard twice in the final set.
Sharapova is recovering from a right elbow injury and is hoping to regain her best form before the start of the French Open.
The 77th-ranked Barrois converted her second match point in a tight encounter in which she won just one more point than King (86 to 85).
Barrois failed to serve out the match at 6-5, letting King break back to force a tiebreaker.
King took a 3-0 lead in the opening set, but Barrois broke twice in the second set to level.
The bracket also sets up Henin or the No. 1-seeded Williams, who won the 2002 French Open, to face No. 4 Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals. No. 2 Venus Williams could meet No. 5 Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals and defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals.
The most intriguing first-round matchup is in the men’s field, where No. 4 Andy Murray will take on Richard Gasquet, a Frenchman who once reached the Wimbledon semifinals and used to be ranked in the top 10 but was suspended for part of last season after testing positive for cocaine.
Defending champion and top-seeded Roger Federer plays 71st-ranked Peter Luczak of Australia in the first round, while four-time champion Rafael Nadal was drawn to begin against 18-year-old Gianni Mina of France, who made his tour-level debut this week and so is only ranked 653rd. Mina got into the field thanks to a wild card from the French tennis federation.
Nadal will be a heavy favorite in that match, of course, and also is considered the man to beat at the tournament, which begins Sunday. His 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended with a fourth-round loss to Robin Soderling last year. Soderling could be Federer’s quarterfinal foe this year, in what would be a rematch of the 2009 final. The other possible men’s quarterfinals are Nadal vs. No. 7 Fernando Verdasco; No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 6 Andy Roddick; and Murray vs. No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Both Williams sisters will start off against Swiss opponents in the first round: Venus takes on Patty Schnyder, a former top-10 player and two-time French Open quarterfinalist now ranked 61st; Serena plays Stefanie Voegele, who is ranked 76th and has a career record of 2-4 at Grand Slam tournaments. Voegele never has faced the younger Williams; Schnyder is 0-10 against the older one.
The 22nd-seeded Henin won the French Open in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, but she abruptly retired while ranked No. 1 shortly before the 2008 tournament. She returned to the tour this season and quickly made an impact, reaching the final of the Australian Open.
Henin lost at that stage to Serena Williams, who leads their head-to-head series 8-6. But during Henin’s last full season, 2007, they met at three consecutive Grand Slam tournaments—the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open—each time in the quarterfinals, and the Belgian won each of those matches.
Famously, after a straight-set loss to Henin at Roland Garros that year, Williams sniffed: “All she had to do was show up.”
That’s nothing compared to what happened when they played each other in the 2003 French Open semifinals, though, with Henin snapping Williams’ 33-match Grand Slam winning streak. There was a flap over whether Henin tried to call time, then lied about it to the chair umpire; Williams fired up the crowd by arguing line calls, was jeered off the court, then teared up at her postmatch news conference.
Topspin: French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament she hasn’t won. … Still trying to return to top of her game after having right shoulder surgery in October 2008, then dealing with a right elbow injury this season. … Upset in first round at Australian Open in January. … Lost in first round on clay in Madrid this month.
Sharapova, given a wild-card entry after being sidelined two months with a right elbow injury, didn’t face a single break point to claim her second win on clay this year.
“I served much better today and returned better too,” Sharapova said. “I’m happy to get the win today against a player I didn’t know and who had already played four matches here in Strasbourg.”
Sharapova lost in the first round in Madrid last week.
Sharapova will face Julia Goerges of Germany, who defeated sixth-seeded Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-1, 7-6 (6).
“I’ll need to be solid in my next match,” Sharapova said. “She’s a player who is improving all the time, but I’ll focus on my own game and hope to have five matches here.”
American Vania King, a doubles specialist who won her sole singles title in Bangkok in 2006, broke Frenchwoman Alize Cornet five times in a 6-3, 6-2 win.
King will face Anastasia Rodionova of Australia, who advanced when Elena Baltacha of Britain retired with a lower back injury while leading 2-1 in the first set.
“The good news is that I have five or six days to recover, and when I’ve had this problem in the past, that has been enough,” Baltacha said. “I’m pretty optimistic about Roland Garros.”
The French Open starts Sunday in Paris.
Three-time tournament winner Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain also advanced when Lucie Hradecka retired. Medina Garrigues was leading 6-4, 3-0 when Hradecka quit with a wrist injury.
Kristina Barrois of Germany defeated Yvonne Meusburger of Austria 7-5, 6-3.
After losing in the first round at Madrid last week, Sharapova needed 2 hours, 14 minutes Monday to claim her first victory on clay this season.
The former No. 1 player has been hampered by an injury to her right elbow this season. Against Kulikova, she converted only four of 22 break points.
Anastasia Rodionova of Australia also advanced with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Ayumi Morita of Japan.
Russian Sharapova, the 11th seed, was playing her first tournament since pulling out of the Sony Ericsson Open in March with an elbow injury.
Safarova, who beat world number two Caroline Wozniacki in Stuttgart last month, broke Sharapova’s serve four times on the clay and the Czech is on course for a possible last-16 clash with sixth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva.
“If you win against these top players, as I have the last couple of months, then you get your confidence and you realise you can be up there,” the world number 35 told a news conference.
“My dream is to be top 10 and it’s a lot about believing in yourself.”
The green clay tournament begins this weekend and will be played without three of the world’s top 30 women’s tennis players. Top-ranked Williams, 2009 champion Sabine Lisicki, and three-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova also pulled out Thursday.
Williams said in a statement released by the tournament that her knee “has not fully healed” and that she looks forward to “returning to the WTA Tour in Europe.”
Lisicki is out because of a left ankle injury. Sharapova announced her withdrawl due to her continuing recovery from an elbow injury.
The clay-court season picks up in earnest later this month in Europe, leading to the French Open, which begins May 23.
The WTA Tour and Sony Ericsson announced the launch Wednesday of WTASuperFans.com, a social media site that provides an Internet hub for tour players. The site gathers content generated by players on Twitter and Facebook, including videos and photos.
The tour says Sharapova and the Williams sisters have nearly 5 million combined followers on the Internet, with Sharapova the most-followed female athlete in the world.
The tournament announced on Wednesday that second-ranked Dinara Safina and 2008 champion Nikolay Davydenko have also withdrawn.
Sharapova, who won the Memphis title last month, withdrew after an MRI scan revealed the injury that is expected to sideline her three to six weeks. She last played at Key Biscayne in 2007.
Safina withdrew because of a back injury. Davydenko pulled out because of a broken left wrist.
The 13-day tournament begins Tuesday. The field still includes Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Serena and Venus Williams, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters.
The 13th-ranked Russian is a two-time champion at the AEGON Classic, having won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005.
Sharapova said she is looking forward to playing “at this important time in the grass court season.”
The Birmingham tournament runs from June 7-13 at the Edgbaston Priory. Wimbledon starts June 21.
Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004 for her first Grand Slam title. She has been bother by injuries in the past year.
While Sharapova made a premature exit, her fourth-seeded compatriot Elena Dementieva enjoyed a smooth passage by easing past Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-4 6-2 in their third-round match.
Zheng, a surprise semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January, broke Sharapova three times in the final set before clinching victory in a little under three hours with a searing forehand winner that clipped the baseline.
The 26-year-old Chinese, seeded 18th, punched her right fist in delight after booking a place in the fourth round against Australian wildcard Alicia Molik, a 6-0 6-2 winner over British qualifier Elena Baltacha.
“It was a tough match,” a smiling Zheng told reporters. “It was good fighting in the final set. I was 2-3 down and I come back to 6-3. It’s not easy and I’m so tired.
“She played so hard… but I tried to serve to her body more, because she has long arms. If I serve too wide, it’s easy (for her) to hit winner. My serve always go to her body.”
Zheng broke the former world number one three times to win the opening set but the 2006 champion followed suit in a protracted second set that lasted one hour eight minutes to level the match.
Early service breaks were traded in the third before Sharapova appeared to take control when she again broke the Chinese, forcing a baseline error by her opponent with a powerful forehand to lead 3-1.
MEDICAL TREATMENT
After taking a medical timeout for treatment on her right elbow, Sharapova was then broken in her next two service games and Zheng, a feisty counter-puncher, took advantage by holding her own serve to close out the match.
Sharapova, who had clinched her 21st WTA title in Memphis last month, piled up 62 unforced errors in the third-round encounter compared to 40 by Zheng.
“I’d have periods of good games, and then the problem is trying to keep them all together and not be so up-and-down,” the 22-year-old Russian said. “It was just very inconsistent.
“She’s like a ball machine. She hits a lot of balls back, hits them hard and deep. I should have done a much better job on her serve because that is definitely one of her weaker parts of the game.”
Asked how much her problem elbow affected her in the final set, Sharapova replied: “Not in my game, but on my serve it was really blocked extending it.
“I just felt like I couldn’t really extend it all the way. It was a little stuck. I’m sure I’ll have a check-up on it.”
Earlier, fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland swept aside 31st-seeded Argentine Gisela Dulko 6-1 6-0 and 11th seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli crushed American Jill Craybas 6-2 6-0.
Sharapova, the world’s 16th-ranked player, had played only one match this season prior to Memphis, losing in the opening round of last month’s Australian Open.
The layoff didn’t appear to affect the three-time Grand Slam champion never dropped a set as she breezed through the field of this lower-tier event to win her 21st career title.
Sharapova is expected to rise to No. 13, her highest world ranking since January 2009, when the WTA rankings are updated Monday.
“Coming in here, I asked for matches and I got five of them and I got the win, so I’m certainly happy,” she said. “I felt like I played consistent tennis throughout the week and did the right things against all my opponents. I guess that’s a good week.”
Sharapova had shoulder surgery in February 2009 and dropped outside the top 10 for the first time in five years. She dropped as far as No. 126 before rebounding to close the year at No. 14. She said is continuing to make progress.
“Little by little I’m getting there,” she said. “The more matches I play, the more confident I get. From there, things will start to fall into place and the instinct will come back a little more.”
Arvidsson, the 102nd-ranked player in the world and 2006 Memphis champion, was seeking the second title of her career. Instead, she could not keep pace with the deep, penetrating groundstrokes and overall power of Sharapova.
During one stretch of the match, Sharapova won nine straight games. In the first set, she won 15 of the final 18 points.
“She is a good player,” Arvidsson said. “You need to be on fire when you play her. She was just too good.”
In the second set, Sharapova struggled briefly with her serve and faced two break points in the opening game and another in the third. But she saved each one and won the final game of the match with a love service game.
“For me, it was about playing my game and being aggressive,” Sharapova said. “I wanted to take the ball and try to do something with it instead of just letting her play her own game.”
On the men’s side, Sam Querrey and John Isner both advanced to the final of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships just days after they were selected to represent the United States in the Davis Cup tie against Serbia in March.
Isner beat Philipp Petzschner of Germany 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the semifinals on Saturday before Querrey defeated hard-hitting Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 6-4.
“It’s awesome,” Querrey said of the two making the U.S. team and reaching Sunday’s final. “Kind of a confidence booster for us.”
For the first time since 2000, neither Andy Roddick nor James Blake will be on the U.S. team. That’s a span of 25 Davis Cup ties. Querrey will be making his second appearance for the U.S. team while Isner will be making his Davis Cup debut.
Querrey beat Roddick 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 on Friday in the quarterfinals.
The 6-foot-9 (2.06-meter) Isner and 6-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey are good friends and practice partners, but have never faced each other professionally. It will be the tallest final ever on tour, according to the ATP.
The eighth-seeded Querrey broke Gulbis at 1-1 of the second set, then held on for the win. Gulbis, No. 99 in the world ranking, erased three match points before he was long on a backhand.
Isner’s match was on serve in the final set before he broke Petzschner to take a 5-3 lead. He then served out the match, rallying from 15-40 after a double fault.
The sixth-seeded Isner, who improved to 12 wins form 13 matches this year, said his ability to convert key points made the difference.
“The match did hinge on one or two points, that’s for sure,” Isner said. “I was lucky to come out on the right side of it.”
Querrey, who lost to Roddick last week in San Jose, had 15 winners and only three unforced errors in the final set.
Also in the quarters, unseeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia upset No. 5 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), and No. 6 John Isner of the U.S. beat Croatian Ivo Karlovic, 6-1, 7-6 (7).
Philipp Petzchner of Germany also made it through, after a see-sawing 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 win over Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko.
In the women’s draw—the Cellular South Cup—top-seeded Maria Sharapova beat No. 5 Petra Kvitova 6-4, 6-3 to reach the final, where she will take on Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson, who downed Britain’s Anne Keothavong 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Roddick, No. 7 in the world ranking, was broken twice in the final set, first on a double-fault to fall behind 2-0 and two games later when a forehand volley sailed long.
“It was a huge win,” said Querrey, who was selected for the U.S. Davis Cup team on Wednesday. “Anytime you get a top-10 win it’s a really big boost for your confidence, especially against Andy. He’s someone I’ve looked up to over the last four or five years.”
Roddick, the defending Memphis champion, said his double-fault in the second game of the final set cost him.
“I played a real irresponsible game up 40-15,” he said. “I missed a couple of routine shots. There’s no (excuse) for that. And then I double-faulted, which is rare. There’s no real defense for that.”
Querrey will face Gulbis in the semifinals, while Isner—now the highest-ranked player left after the top five were eliminated—will take on Petzschner.
Gulbis sought treatment for a knee injury during the third set, then fought back, breaking Berdych at 5-3 to get back in the match and winning the final four points in the tiebreaker, finishing it off with his 23rd ace.
“I just played more relaxed,” Gulbis said. “I had nothing to lose.”
Sharapova, ranked 16th in the world, on Thursday defeated her British opponent 6-2, 7-5. She hasn't dropped a set and has lost only 11 games in three matches in her first tournament since falling in the first round of the Australian Open last month.
It was another story for second-seeded American Melanie Oudin, who fell 6-1, 6-3 to Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson.
Arvidsson, ranked 139th, had to hurry from a minor tour event in Midland, Michigan, to play in qualifying and barely made it.
"I didn't arrive until an hour and a half before my qualifying," she said. "I almost didn't make it into the tournament. I've been lucky this week. I've been fighting through my matches. It has been unbelievable."
Sharapova next faces fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, who rallied to beat third-seeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0).
Arvidsson will face Britain's Anne Keothavong, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Croatian Karolina Sprem.
In men's action, top seeded American Andy Roddick booked a quarter-final berth with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 victory over Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan.
Roddick, pushed to three sets in a first-round win over compatriot James Blake, is the defending champion and reached the quarter-finals for the ninth straight year.
Roddick fired 10 aces against Lu, ranked 114th in the world.
But he had difficulty breaking Lu's serve, missing seven opportunities before gaining a break on a double-fault from the Taiwanese player that gave Roddick a 5-4 lead in the second set.
"It was good," said Roddick, who served out the match with an ace on match point. "But if I want to go further in this tournament I've got to do better on break points. That was really ordinary. The one I ended up getting was because he doubled.
Fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych and eighth-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States also reached the quarter-finals.
Berdych beat American Michael Russell 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, while Querrey beat Argentina's Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-0.
The Russian remained on course for a clash with second-seeded American Melanie Oudin, who beat compatriot Lilia Osterloh 6-2, 6-1.
Oudin needed just 61 minutes to win through, despite having won her opener late on Tuesday.
"I didn't have much time to recover from my first match, but my recovery was good. I got to sleep in this morning and I felt good out there today," Oudin said.
In the ATP tournament, top-seeded American Andy Roddick had a tougher time but snapped a three-match losing streak to fellow American James Blake with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) first-round victory.
Blake, ranked 55th, broke Roddick's serve in the 10th game of the third set to pull even at 5-5. Both then held serve to force the tiebreaker in which errors proved Blake's undoing.
Roddick, the defending champion, was the only one of the top four seeds still standing at the end of the day.
Second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who beat Roddick in the final at San Jose on Sunday, lost Tuesday night.
Third-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek lost a second-round clash to Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, while fourth-seeded German Tommy Haas, a three-time former champion here, both lost on Wednesday.
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia sent Stepanek packing 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, while Belgian Xavier Malisse beat Haas 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a first-round match on Wednesday.
Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey, named Wednesday to the US Davis Cup squad for the first round next month, both won.
Sixth-seeded Isner beat Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-4 to secure his quarter-final berth, while eighth-seeded Querrey downed compatriot Rajeev Ram 6-2, 6-3 in the first round.
Sharapova used her strength to move Perry around the court and keep her off balance, advancing in less than an hour.
“I thought I was very aggressive,” Sharapova said. “To play every point with a strong mentality in every match, it’s impossible to keep going up, up, up and hit a winner on every single ball. So, when I did feel like I maybe missed a few, I still was going for it. I wasn’t tentative.”
Sharapova was able to work on various parts of her game, but stopped short of saying it was an easy win.
“It’s just about going out there and doing the right things,” she said. “Competing no matter who’s across the net.”
In the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships—the men’s side of the Memphis tournament—No. 3 seed Radek Stepanek advanced with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, while sixth-seeded John Isner beat 17-year-old qualifier, and fellow American, Ryan Harrison 6-1, 7-5.
American Taylor Dent, who won the tournament in 2003, lost to Germany’s Philipp Petzschner 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
On the women’s side, No. 3 seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia beat Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-0, 6-4.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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 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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
Twenty five out of the top 30 players in the world will take part in the two-million-dollar event, which gets under way on Sunday on the outdoor hard courts at the Ariake Coliseum.
Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Serena Williams withdrew with knee and toe injuries, joining Amelie Mauresmo of France with a stomach pain and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia with a side injury.
Sharapova, the Russian former world number one who won the 2003 Japan Open singles and doubles titles for her first titles on the centre court here, suffered a right shoulder injury that saw her withdraw from the Australian Open.
Sharapova, currently ranked 25th this week, came back in action in May and reached the quarter-finals at the French Open, the semi-finals at Los Angeles and the final at Toronto.
It will be her first appearance on court since her surprise third-round defeat to up-and-coming American Melanie Oudin.
Sharapova, also the winner here in 2005, will play Francesca Schiavone of Italy in the first round, while the top eight women, led by defending champion Dinara Safina of Russia, will receive the first-round byes.
Sharapova was drawn in the same quarter with top-seeded Safina, another Russian Vera Zvonareva, Virginie Razzano of France and Australia's Samantha Stosur.
Also in the upper half were French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and Nadia Petrova of Russia.
Second seed Venus Williams will lead the bottom half, which includes Beijing Olympic champion Elena Dementieva of Russia, former number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Serbian Ana Ivanovic, China's Li Na, Marion Bartoli of France and Italy's Flavia Pennetta will challenge the top four players in the bottom half.
It will be the last tournament for former world doubles number one Ai Sugiyama of Japan, who has announced her retirement. Sugiyama will play 13th seed Petrova in the first round.
Oudin, the 70th-ranked player from Marietta, Ga., added Saturday’s victory to a growing resume that includes a second-round win over fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva and a victory over former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon this summer.
Her fourth-round match is against No. 13 seed Nadia Petrova.
Normally a crowd favorite, Sharapova played with most of the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium cheering for her opponent. The Russian, winner of the 2006 U.S. Open, gave Oudin plenty of help, finishing with 63 unforced errors and 21 double-faults.
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva and number five Jelena Jankovic were unexpectedly bounced from the final grand slam on Thursday and are no longer on Sharapova’s radar screen.
Sharapova, however, refused to see that as an opportunity.
“Just because other people are struggling doesn’t make me a bigger contender,” Sharapova said after routing 17-year-old American wildcard Christina McHale 6-2 6-1 in a second-round match under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I’m a contender when I’m in the draw. That’s the way I look at it. I play one match at a time.
“I mean, other people’s struggles don’t make my draw or anything else in my path to a grand slam easier.”
Next up for the Sharapova will be Melanie Oudin, the 17-year-old giant-killer who produced the biggest upset of the tournament when she stunned Dementieva 5-7 6-4 6-3.
Sharapova said she saw some of the match and when “Melanie had to step it up, she certainly did.”
“In the times when she could have made errors, she came up with some really good shots,” said Sharapova, who won the Open in 2006. “I’ve got a tough round ahead of me.
“I’m sure she’s going to swing and have nothing to lose, which she doesn’t. But I’m looking forward to that.”
The popular 22-year-old Sharapova, still trying to shake off the rust from last October’s shoulder surgery, concedes Oudin might be the crowd favourite at Flushing Meadows.
“That’s totally understandable,” she said. “We’re in New York City. I’m a Russian playing against a young, up and coming girl that has a tremendous amount of potential.
“It would be strange if they weren’t rooting for her.”
It was not the greatest feeling.
“You don’t want to be that person,” she said.
She wasn’t, thanks to a focused effort from the start Thursday night that resulted in a 6-2, 6-1 victory over 17-year-old American Christina McHale.
Next up for the 29th-seeded Russian, a meeting with another 17-year-old American, Melanie Oudin.
Oudin started the upset trend in Arthur Ashe Stadium earlier in the day by defeating No. 4 Elena Dementieva. A few hours later, No. 5 Jelena Jankovic lost on that court, too.
“I made sure from the beginning that I was really focused and concentrating on my job,” Sharapova said, when asked how she avoided the same trap.
Walking onto the show court with the same, glittery black-and-silver dress she wore in the first round, Sharapova traded early breaks with McHale, who lives across the river in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
But before the New York crowd could get behind the hometown girl, Sharapova snuffed out all hope.
She won 16 of 18 points during one stretch and was never in real danger.
McHale said she saw Oudin win earlier in the day. Inspiring, she called it. But that only got her so far in her own match against one of the world’s most seasoned players.
“Some of the rallies, it was, ‘Yeah, this is OK, I’m in there,”’ McHale said. “And some of them were, ‘Wow, I still have a lot to work on.”’
Sharapova has lost a total of six games in two matches, and though she is still working herself into shape after missing nearly 10 months with a shoulder injury, she almost has to be considered a contender for her fourth major title and second at the U.S. Open.
Dementieva and Jankovic were both on her side of the draw, as is No. 1 Dinara Safina, who has looked unimpressive in a pair of three-set victories.
The Williams sisters, meanwhile, are on the other side of the bracket.
But before thinking about that, Sharapova must focus on Oudin, who is ranked 70th, but now has Grand Slam wins over Dementieva and Jankovic on her resume.
They play Saturday, and Oudin could be that rare player who hears more cheers from the crowd than Sharapova, long a fan favorite at Flushing Meadows and everywhere else.
“I thought she played great tennis,” Sharapova said of her next opponent. “To beat someone who’s been playing great all year long, and No. 4 in the world, it’s a darn good win. I expect to go out there and for her to play some of her best tennis.”
Wearing a black outfit criss-crossed with silver strapping, which she described as being “inspired by the architecture of New York,” the Russian was in sparkling form under floodlights and gave Pironkova a dressing down in 73 minutes.
Sharapova, who is working her way back into top form after taking nine months out with a shoulder injury, won seven games in a row to book a second-round encounter with American wildcard Christina McHale.
A year after skipping the tournament to undergo rehabilitation on her injured shoulder in Arizona, Sharapova was delighted to be back on the stage where she lifted the famed silver cup in 2006.
“It’s amazing,” Sharapova, seeded 29th, told the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Being out almost a whole year, it’s all worth it when you step on the court, you hear all the cheering and feel the atmosphere.
“You forget what you are doing it all for but when you feel this you remember.”
She was also happy to share the spotlight with another comeback artist, Belgian Kim Clijsters who took a two-year break to start a family.
Since both are former U.S. Open champions and former world number ones, Sharapova thought their return would add an intriguing twist to this year’s proceedings.
“Comebacks are great for the sport themselves,” said the 22-year-old.
“Both of us are kind of coming back from different stages in our life…and we’re both still very young. It creates excitement and buzz, considering that we’re contenders. We’ve won grand slams, we’re big competitors. We love the big stage.”
They’ve long collaborated with their sponsors on their court clothes, but they’re both expanding their fashion roles, with their own collections being launched to the public.
MARIA SHARAPOVA
She’s been fashion’s bright spot on the courts for several years even if she’s not the risktaker that fellow glamazons Venus and Serena Williams are. (Both Williams sisters also have dabbled in design.)
Sharapova has long worked with her Nike team collaborators on her tournament outfits, often culminating in a cocktail-turned-tennis dress for the U.S. Open, which seems befitting for an event that coincides with New York Fashion Week.
But, Sharapova says, her life isn’t spent entirely on the court—there’s lots of time running to and fro airplanes, hotels and conference rooms—and she wanted to expand her wardrobe to accommodate that. She partnered with Cole Haan on a new accessory line of bags and shoes that, save the Nike comfort technology, is rooted in fashion, not athleticwear.
“I’m not a novice, I had a little experience going into this, but this is the first time I’m able to do something that totally branches out from tennis itself,” she says.
The flat-heel, over-the-knee boot she designed in first on her list of must-haves from the collection. And she wants it in gray suede. “I’d wear it with a cute jumpsuit, or going into fall I’d wear them with a pair of jeans, or a great coat with a little dress,” she says, clearly giving this a lot of thought.
Sharapova did suffer an injury last year, which kept her out of competitive tennis for 10 months. Sketching was one of the things she did in this newfound spare time.
Look for her in airports with the Cole Haan hobo bag in a dark gray. It’ll match those boots.
JAMES BLAKE
Blake says fashion could be part of his game plan when his days on the professional tennis court are done.
The Thomas Reynolds line, however, has a bigger mission than to keep Blake working. It’s his way to honor his late father, the real Thomas Reynolds Blake.
“The first time I put something on from my collection—remember, I am not nervous on the court anymore—I was much more nervous about this,” Blake says. “I wanted to do something that would tell fans where I got my values. I want to be someone kids look up to and I couldn’t be that guy without my father.”
Blake says he wasn’t looking to put his own name on the label. “Thomas Reynolds” probably has a little more longevity, he says, noting that he is 29, and it gives credit where credit is due.
“In the confines of our home, he’d joke that he was a fashion guy,” Blake recalls of his father. “When he got dressed up for work, he’d look stylish. But when he went out to the golf course, he looked ridiculous. I think he did that more so we’d make fun of him and have a good time.”
Blake is new to wearing Fila on the court this year and the collaborative Thomas Reynolds collection has been in place since the start of the agreement. There are plans for the line to include golf, tennis and other activewear—and then expand to general lifestyle clothes.
He hopes to infuse at least a little bit of the UNC Chapel Hill blue that he’s made a tradition of wearing as he pays homage to another role model: Michael Jordan.
Yeah, Blake says, he pays attention to a lot of details.
“I was always into fashion outside of tennis,” Blake says. “As a kid playing tennis, you just want to play, but once you’re on the (ATP) Tour and seeing other players, it was talked about but more on the women’s side. I saw some things on the men’s side that were unsightly.”
The tournament runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13.
First quarter 1-Dinara Safina (Russia) v Olivia Rogowska (Australia) Urszula Radwanska (Poland) v Kristina Barrois (Germany) Tathiana Garbin (Italy) v Mallory Cecil (U.S.) Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) v 27-Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 19-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) v Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) Sara Errani (Italy) v Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) Shuai Peng (China) v Jarmila Groth (Australia) Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) v 16-Virginie Razzano (France) 11-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) v Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) Qualifier v Monica Niculescu (Romania) Qualifier v Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) Aravane Rezai (France) v 23-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 30-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) v Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) Gisela Dulko (Argentina) v Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) v Masa Zec Peskiric (Slovenia) Roberta Vinci (Italy) v 5-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
Second quarter 4-Elena Dementieva (Russia) v Qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) v Melanie Oudin (U.S.) Polona Hercog (Slovenia) v Christina McHale (U.S.) Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) v 29-Maria Sharapova (Russia) 21-Zheng Jie (China) v Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) Alize Cornet (France) v Qualifier Qualifier v Julie Coin (France) Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) v 13-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 9-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) v Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) Qualifier v Severine Bremond Beltrame (France) Kristina Mladenovic (France) v Stephanie Dubois (Canada) Ayumi Morita (Japan) v 24-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 32-Agnes Szavay (Hungary) v Shahar Peer (Israel) Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) v Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) v Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) Julia Goerges (Germany) v 6-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
Third quarter 8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) v Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) Qualifier v Qualifier Alberta Brianti (Italy) v Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) Qualifier v 26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 18-Li Na (China) v Ioana Raluca Olaru (Romania) Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) v Mathilde Johansson (France) Maria Kirilenko (Russia) v Qualifier Patricia Mayr (Austria) v 12-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 14-Marion Bartoli (France) v Rossana de los Rios (Paraguay) Viktoriya Kutuzova (Ukraine) v Kim Clijsters (Belgium) Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) v Jelena Dokic (Australia) Gail Brodsky (U.S.) v 20-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 25-Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) v Qualifier Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) v Qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) v Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) Vera Dushevina (Russia) v 3-Venus Williams (U.S.)
Fourth quarter 7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) v Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) Qualifier v Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) Qualifier v Jill Craybas (U.S.) Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) v 31-Elena Vesnina (Russia) 17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) v Tatjana Malek (Germany) Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) v Laura Granville (U.S.) Olga Govortsova (Belarus) v Sania Mirza (India) Edina Gallovits (Romania) v 10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 15-Samantha Stosur (Australia) v Ai Sugiyama (Japan) Vania King (U.S.) v Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarus) Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) v Qualifier Meghann Shaughnessy (U.S.) v 22-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 28-Sybille Bammer (Austria) v Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) Qualifier v Andrea Petkovic (Germany) Melinda Czink (Hungary) v Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) Alexa Glatch (U.S.) v 2-Serena Williams (U.S.)
“With every tournament I feel physically I’m getting better and getting a good sense of the court but it’s still a work in progress,” the three-times grand slam winner told Reuters in an interview ahead of the final major of the season which begins on Monday.
“I’d like to forget I was gone for a long time but you have to put things in perspective.”
The 22-year-old Russian, who only returned to singles action in May after a nine-month layoff, said while she would certainly give the U.S. Open her best shot and was “absolutely” sure of climbing back to the tennis summit.
“I’m a competitor and have played many tournaments and won quite a few,” said Sharapova, who first claimed the world number one spot in 2005. “You want to be the winner and if someone tells you otherwise they wouldn’t be telling the truth.”
While the Russian has not won any titles since her comeback, she has beaten world number seven Vera Zvonareva, eighth-ranked Victoria Azarenka and number 13 Nadia Petrova and seems to be improving every week.
The Russian reached the LA Championships semi-finals and on Sunday lost the Toronto Cup final to compatriot and world number four Elena Dementieva 6-4 6-3.
“I think it was a really great week for me,” Sharapova said. “Playing six matches was great leading up to the U.S. Open.”
She fondly recalled her title run at the 2006 U.S. Open, where she beat Belgium’s Justine Henin in the final.
“Winning my second major took quite a bit of time,” said the 22-year-old, who won her first aged 17 at Wimbledon in 2004.
“Justine was playing really well but my game had been building and it was one of those matches where I came in without a big game plan because I felt like if I was going for my shots I had a chance,” she said in an interview arranged by WTA sponsors Sony Ericsson.
Last October, Sharapova had her shoulder operation and did not return to singles competition until May in Warsaw.
Her record is 22-7 since her return, pushing her world ranking up to 30th and guaranteeing a seeding at the U.S. Open.
During her seventh months of rehab, Sharapova, whose last grand slam title was the 2008 Australian Open, thought back to her great wins, which aided her recovery.
“I go back to the tough days when I wasn’t feeling great or wasn’t thinking straight and still managed to pull it together,” she said. “I think about how I was able to turn it around.”
While her ground attack and return game is sharp, Sharapova is not consistently hitting her serves at pre-surgery speeds due to a new, abbreviated motion and is frequently double faulting.
While the Russian knows she must improve that aspect of her game to beat the tour’s best, Sharapova also said she must get used to playing long matches again to get back to the top.
“I can do all the running or Pilates I want, work myself until I’m blue in the face but when you go on court for the first time after months on end your body isn’t used to the whole thing,” she said, hinting the U.S. Open may have come too soon.
The No. 4 seed overcame an ugly first set to beat Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday in the final of the Rogers Cup. Dementieva’s steady play was too much for an error-prone Sharapova to handle in the first all-Russian final in tournament history.
A hardcourt specialist, Dementieva dominated No. 2 Serena Williams in the semifinal, and had a similarly easy time against former No. 1 Sharapova as she prepares for the U.S. Open, which gets under way Aug. 31.
“It’s great to have so many good matches against so many top-10 players here,” said Dementieva, who has three wins in 11 career meetings with Sharapova. “I hope it’s going to be good preparation. For sure, this kind of win gives you a lot of confidence, so right now it’s all about recovering and getting ready for New York.”
Playing in her first final since a serious shoulder injury, Sharapova committed 10 double faults and had trouble with even the most routine shots.
Despite the loss, Sharapova said she was pleased by her overall performance.
“I think it was a really great week for me,” Sharapova said. “Playing six matches was great leading up to the U.S. Open. I think this was really good preparation.”
Both players fought breezy conditions in front of a packed house at the Rexall Centre during a sloppy first set. It featured eight service breaks, 14 double faults and a number of easy shots hit long, or drilled into the net.
Dementieva went ahead 4-1 on the strength of two breaks—the first aided by three Sharapova double faults. But Sharapova saved three break points in the next game to hold serve, and closed within 4-3 when Dementieva double faulted to lose her service game.
Both players traded breaks before Dementieva finally finished things off, converting her third set point when Sharapova hit a forehand into the net.
The second set was a little tamer, with both players holding serve until the sixth game. Sharapova fought off two break points but fired a forehand into the net on the third to hand Dementieva a 4-2 lead.
That was all Dementieva needed, as she held serve throughout and clinched her 14th career WTA Tour title when Sharapova’s drop shot fell into the net on the third championship point.
“I really like to play this tournament, but I’ve never done anything better than first or second round, which was very disappointing for me,” Dementieva said. “Every time I come I have such great crowd support.
“I just feel so happy to finally win this title. It means a lot to me.”
It’s the second straight year a Russian has won the Rogers Cup women’s title, after Dinara Safina captured last year’s championship in Montreal. Dementieva took home $350,000 for the victory, while Sharapova earned $175,000.
Fourth-seeded Dementieva defeated Williams 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 will face Russian compatriot Maria Sharapova in Sunday's final.
Former world number one Sharapova, who is battling to regain peak fitness after being sidelined for 10 months by a shoulder injury, beat Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
This will be the 11th career meeting between Sharapova and Dementieva. Sharapova has dominated with eight wins and just two losses. Dementieva hasn't beaten Sharapova since the semi-finals in Los Angeles three years ago.
Dementieva, 27, converted five of her 10 break chances against Williams. After they traded six breaks of serve in the opening set she turned the tide with a dominant victory in the tiebreaker.
It was the first time the two had met since an epic semi-final battle at Wimbledon, which Williams won 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 8-6 en route to capturing the title.
"I was looking for this match, especially after losing such a close battle at Wimbledon," Dementieva said.
The Russian, often prone to double faults, had just two, the same number as Williams. She said serving well was key against the powerful American.
"I was trying to stay with a high percentage of first serves, which is very important with Serena because she always take advantage of the second serve to attack you."
Williams had been broken just once in her first three matches here, but she looked out of sorts from the start, misjudging her ground strokes and piling up the unforced errors.
"I can't say I was especially feeling the fire," Williams said. "Obviously you want to do well, and I always really want to do well.
"Honestly, I think I could have and should have won, but I didn't, so ... it is what it is."
Sharapova snuck past countrywoman Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours, 37 minutes to secure her spot in the finals.
With the score tied at 4-4 in the third set, Sharapova broke Kleybanova's serve before going on to win the match on her own serve.
After stormy weather suspended play for over an hour, Sharapova defeated Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the third round of the US$2-million WTA event.
Having knocked off the seventh-seeded Zvonareva, the 22-year-old Russian star now finds herself in uncharted Canadian territory. Sharapova has never played deeper than the third round at the tournament.
After strolling through the first set, Sharapova had trouble holding serve and found herself behind in the second, when Zvonareva won four straight games.
Not that it mattered. Sharapova hit Zvonareva for five break points and stretched the match to a tiebreaker that she won easily.
Sharapova, who will next face No. 14. Agnieszka Radwanska, has Serena Williams as company in the quarter-finals. Williams advanced after dispatching Alona Bondarenko 6-1, 6-4.
At first, it looked like another easy day for the No. 2 American. After cruising through the first set, Williams appeared ready for the next round when Bondarenko found her swing in the second.
But Williams took a breath, relaxed, and won three straight games to move on.
Williams chalked up the minor hiccup in her quest for a second Rogers Cup title to a momentary loss in composure.
"I was just trying to be perfect and then I just couldn't get my serve in and got frustrated," said Williams. "You know, I've been practising a lot on my serve, it just hasn't been well, so I think in any case it can be frustrating."
Earlier, Elena Dementieva also stumbled in the second set but rallied against a persistent Shahar Peer, defeating the Israeli 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
The fourth-seeded Russian will face Australia's Samantha Stosur in the quarter-finals. Stosur swept France's Virginie Razzano 6-3, 6-1 in third-round match.
While her current ranking of 49th in the world suggests Sharapova provided a big upset, in reality it was a routine victory for the three-time grand slam winner as she improved her record against Petrova to 8-1.
Sharapova has made steady progress since returning to action in May after nine months on the sidelines recovering from shoulder surgery, but arrives in Toronto still seeking her first title since April 2008.
“It’s tough to think about the winner’s circle because you have to take it one match at a time,” the 22-year-old Russian told reporters.
"Coming back trying to get use to the situation again and the match you just hope you move forward and get better-and-better every match. That’s my goal right now.
“Obviously when I come into a tournament I want to win it but the mind set is to focus on every match.”
Sharapova needed a few games to find her range on a muggy night but quickly had Petrova on the run, breaking her compatriot to go up 3-2 and again to close out the first set.
Petrova responded with a break to open the second but did little to slow Sharapova, who swept through the next four games to take control.
If there was fault to be found in Sharapova’s performance, it was her failure to finish off her opponent, who broke the former world number one as she served for the match at 5-3.
Sharapova made sure there would be no third set, however, by immediately breaking back and finally clinching victory on her third match point when Petrova’s return sailed long.
“She had an opportunity to make the match 5-5 in the second and it was good that I finished it in two,” said Sharapova.
“I think we know each other’s game very well, I have a pretty solid game plan when I play her and the main thing is execution.
“If I do what I have in mind, I’m going to win the match.”
It was rough opening day for the French on the Canadian hardcourts with 13th seed Marion Bartoli and 15th seed Amelie Mauresmo both bowing out.
Bartoli, who was the first scalp taken by Kim Clijsters when the Belgian launched her comeback last week in Cincinnati, again made an early exit losing 6-4 6-3 to Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko.
Twice champion Mauresmo, playing her first event since a fourth round loss to Dinara Safina at Wimbledon, displayed plenty of rust in falling 6-2 3-6 6-1 to 27th ranked Italian Francesca Schiavone.
Fourteenth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was the only seeded player to survive the opening day after she stopped Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3 6-3.
Sharapova blew a 3-1 lead in the third set, dropping her final three service games as she continued to struggle with her serve in her sixth tournament since returning from right shoulder surgery last year.
Sharapova wore tape on her right shoulder for the first time this week. She had 16 double faults, including one that set up Pennetta’s second match point. Sharapova sent a forehand wide to lose the match and drop to 9-2 in three-set matches this year.
Pennetta advanced to Sunday’s final against Australian Samantha Stosur, who routed Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-3, 6-2. Pennetta lost to Dinara Safina in last year’s title match.
Sharapova was wildly inconsistent throughout the match, hitting 34 winners to Pennetta’s 17. She faced break points in every service game in the third, and only staved them off once in the third game, smacking an ace down the middle to take a 2-1 lead. She broke Pennetta in the next game before the Italian took control for good.
“I was 3-1 down and I was thinking it was over, but I just tried to fight,” Pennetta said. “It was a little bit difficult for me. I started to feel a little pressure. She’s a great champion, it was not easy to beat her.”
On the changeover between the first and second sets, Sharapova’s coach, Michael Joyce, came on court and told her she had to be more aggressive because Pennetta was keeping a lot of balls in play.
Later in the match, Joyce told Sharapova that “this girl can fall apart” only to see Pennetta break serve in the next game.
“The serve was a problem for both,” Pennetta said. “I was very nervous with my serve because she was returning so well. She started to make a lot of mistakes.”
Stosur’s greatest success has come with a partner, having won 22 career titles, achieved the No. 1 doubles ranking and earned two Grand Slam mixed titles.
She’s enjoying a strong start to the summer hardcourt season, reaching the Carson final a week after her semifinal finish that included a three-set win over Serena Williams at Stanford.
“My whole career I’ve been trying to get to this point,” Stosur said. “It kind of looks like I’ve done it late, but I don’t worry too much about that. I took a little longer to develop.”
Stosur has lost in four career singles finals, including one last year in Seoul. A victory Sunday could boost the Aussie into the top 15 for the first time from her current ranking of 19th.
“The last one in Seoul, I got a little bit ahead of myself,” she said. “Since then I’ve gotten a lot better at closing out matches. If I can handle it right, there’s no reason I can’t do it.
“I’ve just got to treat it like I have the last four matches here and don’t think of it like a final.”
Stosur lost just four points on her serve in the first set, dominating with three love games. She earned the only break in the second game, also the only one that went to deuce.
“I was putting balls in places she didn’t really want to move to,” she said. “Maybe she wasn’t moving as best she can, but I made it hard on her. I kept pressure on her the whole match.”
The Aussie won 81 percent of her total service points in the 62-minute match.
Stosur served three of her seven aces in the second game of the second set. She then led 2-1 after breaking Cirstea, who committed 25 unforced errors in the match. She went up 4-1 with another service break and closed out the match when Cirstea pulled a backhand service return wide.
Cirstea, a 19-year-old Romanian, was bothered by pain from plantar fasciitis in her right foot, the same problem she had in Friday’s three-set win over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
“It was bothering me,” she said. “She was in good form and if I wanted to beat her I had to be 100 percent. Sam was playing so good, she didn’t give me any chances.”
Bondarenko had beaten Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 in May when she rejoined the tour after her seven-month layoff because of a right shoulder injury.
“It was good to get the win and get my revenge,” Sharapova said. “The second set I started serving a lot better and harder and I returned great and put a lot of pressure on her serve. Then I was able to get the break in the third set and keep the momentum going from the second.”
Samantha Stosur defeated Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-2, in the third round. Stosur, seeded 13th, needed 62 minutes to overcome the 2007 tournament champion and No. 6 seed.
Stosur broke Ivanovic’s serve in the eighth game of the opening set and three times in the second set and controlled the match.
Ivanovic defeated Stosur 7-5, 6-2, in the round of 32 at Wimbledon. But Thursday she struggled with her ball toss on serve throughout the match and said Stosur was “putting a lot of pressure on my serve. I think that was the big difference today because once we got into rallies it was pretty close.”
Stosur, a 25-year-old Australian has won 22 titles and is No. 5 in the world in doubles. Stosur and Rennae Stubbs were the top seeds this week, but she’s still looking for her first singles championship.
She’s been a runner-up four times and last week was a semifinalist at Stanford, where she beat Serena Williams. Stosur called the match with Ivanovic “a benchmark to see how quickly you can turn things around” after the loss at Wimbledon.
“I think it’s an accumulation of all the years I’ve been training for singles,” Stosur said of her recent success. “I’m playing a lot better, and more consistently as well, and matches like today’s certainly give me a little more confidence. I came out and started pretty well and played better and better as it went on.”
The win moved Stosur into Friday’s quarterfinals against the winner of Thursday night’s match between top seed and No. 1 Dinara Safina and No. 14 Zheng Jie.
Second seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia was a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 winner over Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium and will face No. 10 seed Flavia Pennetta, who beat fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-3. Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, the No. 8 seed, ousted Anna Chakvetadze of Russia 6-3, 6-2, and was joined in the quarterfinals by younger sister Urszula Radwanska, who advanced when No. 12 seed Li Na of China withdrew due to a right ankle injury.
Agnieszka Radwanska will take on Sorona Cirstea of Romania, who was leading Sabine Lisicki of Germany, 6-3, 1-0, when Lisicki retired with a right shoulder injury.
Still in comeback mode after missing seven months because of a shoulder injury, Sharapova rallied to win the competitive 2-hour, 32-minute match.
“I loved it,” Sharapova said. “You expect that against her. She’s a great retriever and makes you hits tons of balls. I had to come in with a good game plan and a smart one. I think I did good job adjusting out to the circumstances. I am pleased.
“I knew I was going to have to dig deep and try to find ways. I’m pretty happy with the way I was able to hang in with her and really step up when had to. That was the difference between us.”
One of the circumstances confronting the players was a baby crying during the first set. Asked if she had heard it, Sharapova stared at the questioner and smiled.
“Did I hear the baby?” she asked. “My mother in Russia heard the baby.”
Sharapova’s rebuilt serve was erratic, her four aces offset by a dozen double-faults, but she was much steadier with her groundstrokes than Azarenka.
“I’m not happy with my game at all. The execution wasn’t there today,” said Azarenka, who hadn’t played since losing in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. “Maybe it was from not playing, but I have to work hard, for sure. Just too many mistakes.”
Top-ranked defending champion Dinara Safina beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-4, a victory that guaranteed her a berth in the season-ending event in Qatar.
“It was a good match,” Safina said. “I feel I can improve. It was a solid match. I didn’t do anything spectacular. We play the same way, so it depends on who’s going to take charge of the points, and I think at the crucial times I was more aggressive.”
Safina will face 14th-seeded Zheng Jie, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 winner over Elena Vesnina, in the third round.
Second-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia advanced with a three-set win over Peng Shuai late Tuesday night and will face Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer in the third round. Wickmayer beat American qualifier Jill Craybas, 7-6 (2), 6-1 on Wednesday.
Sharapova was joined in the second round by 10th seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy, a 6-2 5-7 6-0 victor over American Varvara Lepchenko, while Russian Anna Chakvetadze upset 11th seed Virginie Razzano of France 7-6 6-3.
Still working to strengthen her serve following shoulder surgery last year, three-times Grand Slam champion Sharapova was at times inconsistent in the second set, but more lethal off the ground.
“Her game plan was to attack from every single angle she could,” said Sharapova, who lost in the quarter-finals of the Stanford Classic last week to Venus Williams.
“But she wasn’t able to do that consistently because I was able to retrieve and make her hit more balls.”
After the aggressive Slovakian broke Sharapova to 3-2 in the second set, the Russian pushed on again to break back at 3-3 when Groth erred on a forehand and then fought off three break points to hold to 4-3.
Sharapova then went on to win the match, breaking Groth to love to win the match with a vicious forehand return down the line.
Sharapova will face third seed Victoria Azarenka in the second round.
“She’s always had a great amount of potential and she’s certainly arrived,” said Sharapova. “I love the challenges of playing some of the best in the world.”
Czech Lucie Safarova took down 15th seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-3 7-6 and American Jill Craybas took down 16th seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy 7-6 6-2.
France’s Marion Bartoli, who beat Venus to win the Stanford title on Sunday, pulled out of the tournament with a calf injury.
Australia’s Samantha Stosur, winner of 22 WTA doubles titles and no singles titles, provided the biggest stunner though, beating Serena Williams.
“It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest win of my career,” Stosur said of her 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over the Wimbledon champion. “We don’t always play our best tennis every single day. Maybe she didn’t play her best and I played very well.”
Despite having four match points, Stosur lost her previous meeting with Williams in three sets in Sydney earlier this season. She also faced the Williams’ sisters in the doubles finals at Wimbledon.
“She had a lot of lucky shots; she’s a good framer,” said Williams, who has won 34 Tour singles titles, including 11 Grand Slam titles. “But it’s obviously all talent. She’s mastered that.”
Stosur saved nine of 10 break points on Friday and played a steady game against the top-seeded Williams, who had a nine-match winning streak snapped.
“She played well and didn’t do anything bad,” Williams said. “She went for broke and struck all her balls as hard as she could. She never lets you get into a rhythm.”
“At the end of the day you have to go out and play well,” Stosur said. “I’d like to take it one more step. I’d love to make it to another final.”
Sharapova, who returned to the court earlier this year after a nine-month layoff, had 30 unforced errors in her loss.
“Against Venus you have to go more for your shots because you don’t expect her to make the errors,” Sharapova said. “She did many things a lot better than I did. My goal was to create my own opportunities and I didn’t do that.”
Venus Williams had 14 winners, including three aces, against 17 unforced errors.
The former world No. 1 player improved to 13-4 on the season and beat Petrova on Wednesday for the seventh time in eight meetings.
In another second round match, Samantha Stosur downed Monica Niculescu, 6-1, 7-5.
Britain’s Anne Keothavong, who left her doubles match after crashing into a fence on Tuesday night, is out for the remainder of the season. Tests on Wednesday morning revealed a severe left knee sprain.
Fellow Russian Elena Dementieva joined her in the second round after beating Britain’s Anne Keothavong 6-1 6-4.
On the comeback trail after shoulder surgery last year, three-times grand slam champion Sharapova conceded she needed more matches to get her form back.
“I had so many chances to close out the match and I didn’t,” the 62nd ranked Sharapova said. “I couldn’t raise my level when had to. But in the third set I didn’t do anything wrong, I was steady and kept doing the right things.”
After winning the first set, Sharapova squandered a 5-2 lead in the second and was unable to cash in on two match points leading 6-4 in the tiebreaker, double faulting and committing a backhand error.
The Japanese player moved ahead with a scalding backhand winner and then took the tiebreaker 8-6 after Sharapova dumped a backhand into the net.
However, the former world number one turned it around in the third set with huge groundstrokes and aggressive returns to put the game away against her 34-year-old opponent.
Dementieva said she was still adjusting to jetlag, but was pleased with her play. The world number four is setting her sights on a US Open title run.
“I hope it’s going to be a long summer,” Dementieva said.
“I need to play some good matches to get my confidence for New York.”
Seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland also moved ahead with a 6-0 6-1 demolition of Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Top seed Serena Williams will take the court on Tuesday against China’s Li Na while her sister Venus faces Canadian wildcard Stephanie Dubois.
“I’m a competitor and played many tournaments and won quite a few,” the three-times grand slam winner, who faces Japan’s Ai Sugiyama in the first round, told reporters.
“You want to be the winner and if someone tells you otherwise they wouldn’t be telling the truth.”
However, winning at Stanford will be a tall order for the 22-year-old Russian in a field which includes Serena and Venus Williams and former world number one Jelena Jankovic.
Sharapova won the last of her 19 WTA titles at Amelie Island in April last year. In October, she underwent a shoulder operation and did not return to singles competition until May in Warsaw.
Sharapova produced gutsy displays to reach the French Open quarter-finals but was upset by Argentine Gisela Dulko in the second round at Wimbledon.
“Coming off shoulder surgery I was trying to prepare my arm for the season and it got up to speed, but then I was playing catch up in tennis department,” she said.
“I only had a maximum of five weeks of training before the clay courts. After such a long lay-off, it wasn’t enough for me. Even though I pulled through some tough matches at the French Open, physically I didn’t have it.”
FULL POWER
Sharapova said her shoulder was now 100 percent, but she has abbreviated her service motion and is still trying to adjust the stroke so she can hit her first serve at full power.
Her biggest worry is lack of match practice.
“There’s no better way to get into shape as a tennis player than playing tennis,” she said. “I can do all the running or Pilates I want, work myself until I’m blue in the face, but when you go on court for the first time after months on end, your body isn’t used to the whole thing.”
“Now it’s a matter of forgetting what I went through and to get on court and try to do the right thing over and over. These tournaments are going to be crucial. As far as results, I’d like to be champion because that feels pretty darn good and I want that feeling back, but I’m not saying that in the next month and half I will or won’t be.”
“I am a hundred percent,” Sharapova said Wednesday night before making an appearance for the Newport Beach Breakers in their World Team Tennis match against Kansas City.
“I mean, if I wasn’t at that point, I certainly wouldn’t be playing. That’s why I took my time and gave myself a chance to really go out there and to feel like I didn’t have any excuses.”
The former No. 1 player in the world has appeared in four tournaments since undergoing surgery in October to repair her right rotator cuff. She’s been eliminated each time to an opponent outside the top ten.
Last month, she was upset in the second round of Wimbledon by Gisela Dulko. A champion at the All England Club at age 17, Sharapova is now ranked 61st.
She will compete in the Bank of West Tournament in Stanford, Calif., starting Monday and then test her shoulder by playing the following week in the Los Angeles Women?s Tennis Championship.
After that, it’s the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 31.
Sharapova said has never wavered in believing she would make a full comeback.
“By no means was it easy. Definitely I had ups and downs,” she said. “I had days where I had to push myself more than I’ve ever had to mentally than physically.
“It all pays off. Obviously just getting to be able to play tennis again is an achievement in itself. Now it’s about preparing myself, forgetting about what I went through, getting back into the form where I was—and even better.”
Most 22 year olds aren?t in the comeback business, but she started he career at 14 and already has won three Grand Slam titles .
“At 22, you consider you’ve been playing on the Pro Tour that many years, (a comeback’s) definitely not a surprise,” she said. “It is a little surprising to see so many girls kind of coming out of the woodwork, and they’re so many years younger than you. You’re like, `Where did the time go?’
“But I enjoy every single year of it. As I get older, I become a much wiser person on the court. I learn a lot in life. A learn a lot from my profession, from what I do. I’m definitely not sad that the years are going by.”
Sharapova lives in Manhattan Beach, Calif., 50 miles up the coast from Newport Beach. After Wimbledon, she has worked on sharpening her game and shortening her serve.
She said keeping the shoulder strong will now have to be part of her life.
“It’s not something you just stop when it feels good,” she said. “You have to keep working on it. You have to keep getting it stronger.
“For the rest of my career I’ll be doing shoulder exercises. It won’t be as fun as I want it to be. It’s all a routine. But everyone has to do it. Everyone has injuries. It’s part of the game.”
Sharapova won seven consecutive games during one stretch but let a late lead slip away Wednesday and was beaten by Gisela Dulko, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round at Wimbledon.
In a wild, 14-point final game, Sharapova saved four match points. But on the fifth she pushed an easy forehand long, and she was out of the tournament after two rounds for the second year in a row.
The 2004 champion was playing in her fourth event since rejoining the tour last month following shoulder surgery in October. She’s ranked 60th but was seeded 24th because of past success at the All England Club.
Two-time champion Serena Williams, seeded second, sped into the third round by beating Jarmila Groth 6-2, 6-1. Williams committed only six unforced errors.
No. 16 Zheng Jie, a semifinalist as a wild card last year, lost to Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 7-5. No. 10 Nadia Petrova, No. 14 Dominika Cibulkova and No. 26 Virginie Razzano won.
Dulko, ranked 45th, matched her best showing at Wimbledon by reaching the third round. She had won a total of only three games in two previous matches against Sharapova, but the Argentine repeatedly took charge of rallies by hitting drop shots, while Sharapova struggled with her serve and forehand.
They played the afternoon’s first match on Centre Court in warm sunshine, and the new roof remained open for a third consecutive day. Dulko was almost flawless at the start, committing only four unforced errors in the first 11 games.
But with a 3-love lead in the second set, she began spraying her shots, and Sharapova took advantage to win seven consecutive games.
Sharapova then wobbled, double-faulting to lose serve and fall behind 2-1 in the final set. She double-faulted twice in a row and lost serve at love to fall behind to stay, 4-3.
With Dulko serving in the final game, Sharapova lost two challenges as she fell behind 40-15. Always at her best under pressure, Sharapova hit a booming return and a feathery drop shot to overcome the first two match points, and her return winner erased another.
But with a point for 5-all, Sharapova pushed a backhand into the net, and she made errors on the final two points as well.
Sharapova fell to 6-1 this year in three-set matches. She finished with nine double-faults and had at least one in every service game in the final set.
Surgery in October on her right shoulder—a fairly important part of a tennis player’s body—forced Sharapova off the tour for the better part of a year. She returned to singles action last month, and she struggled quite a bit Monday before reaching the second round at Wimbledon.
Sharapova lost four consecutive games at one point, was broken five times and generally seemed on the verge of losing control. The 2004 Wimbledon champion did manage to steady herself just enough to get past qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine 7-5, 6-4.
“If someone told me four months ago that I’d be here playing Wimbledon, you know, I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised, but I would be really happy about the fact,” Sharapova said. “And I am happy to be here.”
While some women have already played 35 or even 45 singles matches in 2009, Sharapova is 11-3, having only started her season at a clay-court event in Poland in May. She then reached the quarterfinals at the French Open, and the semifinals at a grass-court event in preparation for coming to the All England Club.
Over the weekend, Sharapova played down her chances of a second Wimbledon championship—and fourth Grand Slam title overall—because of general rustiness. There were traces of that Monday against Kutuzova, who is ranked 79th and never advanced beyond the second round at a major tournament.
Sharapova trailed 4-1, then 5-3, in the first set. She double-faulted five times in that set alone. When she served for the match at 5-3 in the second, she was broken at love. She faced 10 break points in all.
As a precautionary warmup for her shoulder, Sharapova has taken to throwing around an American football to loosen the joint before practice sessions. And she has adjusted her service motion, something that she acknowledges is something of a work-in-progress.
How long will it take to get her serve up to speed?
“Definitely time; I don’t know how long. I don’t know how long till everything comes together,” she said. “That’s why I’m here. If I knew, maybe I wouldn’t be here. If I knew it wasn’t going to be at this tournament, maybe I’d be home just waiting till I knew when it would come.”
The match as a whole was tighter than the final score might indicate: Sharapova won only five more points than her opponent, 69-64. Footing seemed to be a bit of an issue for Sharapova, who tumbled to the grass behind the baseline once in each set, banging a knee each time.
Still, Sharapova figured she could take something positive out of the way she turned things around after the slow start.
“Look, I hung in there,” she said. “If she was able to continue at the level that she was playing in the first few games—where she was just swinging away, everything was deep and hard—sometimes it’s just too good. But, you know, I was able to give her a little bit of her own medicine.”
Sharapova used to be ranked No. 1. But all that time off the tour dropped her outside the top 100. She has climbed back to No. 60, and her past success at Wimbledon led the tournament to seed her 24th.
Pleased as she might be to be here, one victory this year at the All England Club is not exactly going to satisfy Sharapova.
So she’ll be on the practice courts soon enough, football in tow.
“There are definitely things I’m going to be working on the next day or so. But that’s always the case at every single tournament,” Sharapova said. “I mean, if you feel perfect, then there’s something wrong.”
First quarter 1-Dinara Safina (Russia) v Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) v Rossana De Los Rios (Paraguay) Elena Baltacha (Britain) v Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) v 30-Agnes Szavay (Hungary) 17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) v Melinda Czink (Hungary) Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) v Aiko Nakamura (Japan) Vania King (U.S.) v Mariya Koryttseva (Ukraine) Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) v 15-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 9-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) v Kimiko Date Krumm (Japan) Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) v Maria Kirilenko (Russia) Alberta Brianti (Italy) v Tathiana Garbin (Italy) Marta Domachowska (Poland) v 20-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 32-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) v Sabine Lisicki (Germany) Patricia Mayr (Austria) v Anne Keothavong (Britain) Pauline Parmentier (France) v Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) Akiko Morigami (Japan) v 5-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
Second quarter 3-Venus Williams (U.S.) v Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) v Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) v Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) v 25-Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) 18-Samantha Stosur (Australia) v Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) Jelena Dokic (Australia) v Tatjana Malek (Germany) Sara Errani (Italy) v Stephanie Dubois (Canada) Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) v 13-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 11-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) v Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) Alexa Glatch (U.S.) v Shuai Peng (China) Olga Govortsova (Belarus) v Tatiana Perebiynis (Ukraine) Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) v 19-Li Na (China) 29-Sybille Bammer (Austria) v Melanie Oudin (U.S.) Monica Niculescu (Romania) v Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) Katie O’Brien (Britain) v Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) Julia Goerges (Germany) v 6-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
Third quarter 7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) v Georgie Stoop (Britain) Melanie South (Britain) v Mathilde Johansson (France) Jill Craybas (U.S.) v Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) Tamira Paszek (Austria) v 26-Virginie Razzano (France) 23-Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) v Francesca Schiavone (Italy) Michelle Larcher De Brito (Portugal) v Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) v Vesna Manasieva (Russia) Chan Yung-jan (Tawain) v 12-Marion Bartoli (France) 14-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) v Julie Coin (France) Masa Zec Peskiric (Slovenia) v Urszula Radwanska (Poland) Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) v Elena Vesnina (Russia) Vera Dushevina (Russia) v 22-Alize Cornet (France) 27-Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) v Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan) Karolina Sprem (Croatia) v Regina Kulikova (Russia) Aravane Rezai (France) v Ayumi Morita (Japan) Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) v 4-Elena Dementieva (Russia)
Fourth quarter 8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) v Severine Bremond Beltrame (France) Nathalie Dechy (France) v Ioana Raluca Olaru (Romania) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) v Sania Mirza (India) Edina Gallovits (Romania) v 28-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 24-Maria Sharapova (Russia) v Viktoriya Kutuzova (Ukraine) Gisela Dulko (Argentina) v Stephanie Foretz (France) Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) v Shahar Peer (Israel) Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarus) v 10-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 16-Zheng Jie (China) v Kristina Barrois (Germany) Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) v Laura Robson (Britain) Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) v Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) Ai Sugiyama (Japan) v 21-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 31-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) v Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) Roberta Vinci (Italy) v Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) v Jarmila Groth (Australia) Neuza Silva (Portugal) v 2-Serena Williams (U.S.)
Wearing a white v-necked jumpsuit and a pair of brown high heels at the central London store, the 22-year-old smiled but declined to discuss her upcoming matches at the All England Club.
Sharapova, who has won three grand-slam titles, returned to singles play last month after a nine-month layoff with a shoulder injury. She participated at the Warsaw Open before reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
"Why not," Sharapova told Reuters in a television interview earlier this month of her prospects for winning another Wimbledon title. "I think if it wasn't a possibility I probably wouldn't be playing."
Sharapova, who won at Wimbledon in 2004, last year was eliminated in the second round by compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva, who was at the time ranked 154th in the world.
Wimbledon runs from June 22 to July 5.
Sharapova sprayed her shots wide and long as she dropped serve six times, allowing fourth seed Li to set up a showdown with Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova in Sunday’s final.
Former world number one Sharapova, who boasted a 5-0 record against the Chinese player going into the match, will now have to head to the practice courts as she tunes up for Wimbledon.
“My return of serve was so good today,” said Li.
“I broke her many times so it did not feel like a grasscourt match. I lost to her so many times before, so I thought if I lose again then I should not worry. That made me very relaxed today,” Li told reporters.
Russian Sharapova, who reached her first semi-final since returning to the tour last month following a nine-month injury layoff, added: “I wasn’t playing with the same intensity today as I did in my previous matches.
“Against an opponent like her, the intensity has to be there the whole match. I just wasn’t able to come through today.”
The 13th seed Rybarikova relied on some classic serve and volley tennis to reach her first WTA final by beating India’s Sania Mirza 3-6 6-0 6-3.
“It is very good to play at the net on grass as the other girls don’t like it, so it’s obviously something very different for them,” said Rybarikova.
“Tomorrow will be very exciting for me as it’s my first final. It’s going to be very tough though as Li Na is a great player. I have to serve well and play aggressive and come to the net if I want to win.”
After splitting the opening two sets, the Russian re-asserted her authority set up a last four meeting with China’s Li Na.
“In the second set I was up a break at 1-0, after that I just kind of lost the momentum and started making more errors than I would have liked and she gained confidence from that,” Sharapova told reporters.
“We’ve always had pretty difficult encounters and I just played her last week at the French Open and it was three tough sets, but that was on clay, and this is a new tournament and a different surface.”
Li beat Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland 6-3 7-6.
India’s Sania Mirza will meet Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia in the other semi.
Mirza caused a minor upset when she navigated past Hungarian 16th seed Melinda Czink 6-1 7-6. Rybarikova defeated Polish teenager Urszula Radwanksa 6-3 6-3.
“I struggled a little on the clay season, so it’s great to be finally on the grass as I always play well on it,” said Mirza.
“I was just trying to play my game as much as possible today and be aggressive. It’s been a great week so far and a great tune-up for Wimbledon.”
The former Russian world number one was left stranded leading American Alexa Glatch 6-3 5-4 on Wednesday when rain washed out the rest of the day’s play.
On resumption Sharapova, who is on a comeback trail following a nine-month layoff due to a shoulder injury, needed just one game to complete a 6-3 6-4 second-round win.
The world number 73 was soon back on court to mete out more punishment. Italian seventh seed Francesca Schiavone offered little resistance before slumping to a 6-1 6-3 defeat.
Sharapova twice held match point but was unable to close out and play was suspended for the day with 19-year-old Glatch holding an advantage point on her own service game.
Sharapova is playing only her third tournament since being sidelined for 10 months with a shoulder injury. She had to work hard to contain a promising young player on the verge of the top 100, who mixed slice and topspin well and looked to be growing in confidence.
Glatch saved one match point at 30-40 with a first serve that caused Sharapova to block the ball back long, and another with an ace.
Sharapova had led 4-2 in the second set, when she produced an indifferent service game and allowed Glatch to break back.
However, there was enough match time on Wednesday for India’s Sania Mirza to beat 11th-seeded Briton Anne Keothavong 6-1, 7-6 (5).
Mirza won seven of the first eight games, which triggered an uncharacteristic moment of fury from her opponent. Keothavong launched a ball in anger out of the centre court stadium and gained a conduct warning for ball abuse.
“It was a great match to play and a great match to pull out, and I am just happy to be playing on grass, which is faster,” Mirza said.
She next plays either Elena Baltacha or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
The 22-year-old Russian, who only returned to action last month after a shoulder injury, fired down eight aces in the 73-minute match.
Sharapova reached the French Open quarter-finals before losing to Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova and she climbed 29 places to 73rd in the world rankings on Monday.
In the second round Sharapova will play American Alexa Glatch who beat ninth-seeded compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Top seed Zheng Jie of China begins her campaign against Briton Melanie South after a first-round bye.
“I wouldn’t be back playing here if I thought winning Wimbledon again was impossible,” Sharapova said Saturday at a news conference for the Aegon Classic, a grass court warm-up for Wimbledon.
Five years ago, Sharapova reached the semifinals in Birmingham as a 17-year-old qualifier. The following year she won the title and followed it three weeks later by beating Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final.
The former top-ranked player and three-time Grand Slam tournament title winner said it is a thrill just to be playing again after nearly a year off.
“It gives me so much pleasure, just going out there,” Sharapova said. “This is the first time in my career where I didn’t have the chance to pick up a racket on a daily basis.”
Sharapova said that after such a long layoff, her short-term expectations were limited.
Last week she was soundly beaten by Dominika Cibulkova at the French Open, losing the first 11 games, eventually losing 6-0, 6-2.
“All I can ask myself is to go out there and do the right things and try to get the job done,” Sharapova said. “Hopefully my body stays well and stays healthy.”
The Florida-based Russian denied that the lopsided loss had anything to do with her surgically repaired shoulder.
“My body and my shoulder are feeling really good,” she said. “After such a long layoff every match and every situation is a different test to the body.”
Since her ranking has fallen outside the top 100—she is currently No. 102 — Sharapova is unseeded in Birmingham. She will play Stephanie Dubois of Canada, ranked No. 111, on either Monday or Tuesday.
The former world number one, who was jeered off court after being eliminated in 2007 and 2008, was backed enthusiastically as she battled past her first four opponents in three sets.
“Allez Maria!” became a regular chant heard around Suzanne Lenglen Court and when the Russian found herself 6-0 5-0 down against the 20th seeded Cibulkova, the volume of support reached defeaning levels, especially when she saved a match point with a forehand winner.
The 102nd-ranked Sharapova, who is on a comeback trail following a nine-month injury layoff, saved three more to the delight of the fans but finally bowed out on the fifth.
The crowd still gave her a standing ovation.
“I was very appreciative of the way they were rooting for me, asking for me to fight and to keep working and find a way to turn things around,” Sharapova told a news conference.
“I’ve had a really great last few weeks here, and I can only tell them that I’ll be back next year.”
Cibulkova, who will face world number one Dinara Safina for a place in Saturday’s final, was taken aback by the crowd reaction.
“I was a little bit surprised because this never happened to me that so many people were maybe not against me, but they wanted Maria to go, to play, to beat me or to watch longer our tennis,” she said.
Sharapova, who returned to singles action last month at the Warsaw Open, said she was not too bothered by fact she almost lost the match without winning a game.
“The only real difference is numbers. Like I said, I don’t really care about numbers,” she said.
“It’s either a W or an L, and I prefer W. If it’s 7-6 in the third and you come out with a loss, what’s the difference? You lose.
“Obviously you try to give 100 per cent and you try to fight for everything. And I’ve always been a fighter and I will be.”
When Cibulkova realised she was about to whitewash Sharapova, her nerves got the better of her.
“It was really tough, because when I was up 6-0, 5-0, 40-30, in this moment I realised what I could do,” she said.
“I realise I can beat Maria Sharapova 6-0 6-0 and to go to the semi-finals in a grand slam.
“I got shocked a little bit.”
That she did. A weary, rusty Sharapova barely averted a shutout but lost Tuesday to Dominika Cibulkova 6-0, 6-2.
Cibulkova was one point from victory at 5-love in the second set before Sharapova finally found her form. She won that game and then another, hitting a flurry of winners and saving four match points before Cibulkova closed out the win.
Sharapova was playing in just her second tournament after a layoff of nearly 10 months because of a right shoulder injury. The three-time Grand Slam champion had 27 unforced errors to nine for the No. 20-seeded Cibulkova, a Slovak who advanced to her first major semifinal.
Cibulkova’s opponent Thursday will be top-ranked Dinara Safina, who rallied to beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Sharapova had won three-setters in all four previous rounds at this year’s tournament, and the long matches took a toll. Sharapova’s legs looked wobbly, and she repeatedly hit the ball late and sent it wide against Cibulkova.
The 20-year-old Cibulkova relied on steady strokes from the baseline, and the margin in unforced errors in the opening set was 13-1.
The games were closer early in the second set, but Sharapova looked increasingly desperate. Caught out of position, she even tried a left-handed forehand.
It went wide too, putting her behind 5-love.
When Sharapova finally won a game by smacking a return winner, she reacted with only a subdued fist pump. She then clubbed three winners to hold at love for 5-2, but although she erased three match points in the next game, there would be no comeback.
Sharapova pushed a forehand into the net on the final point, and Cibulkova collapsed to the clay in glee and relief.
The unseeded Russian with the injured right shoulder pulled out another close one at Roland Garros on Sunday, coming back to beat 25th-seeded Li Na of China 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 and reach the quarterfinals at the clay-court major for the fourth time in her career.
“If it takes three sets, if it takes two sets, if it takes two sets in five hours—I don’t care,” Sharapova said. “I’m willing to be out there for as long as I need to be in order to finish the match.”
Sharapova was absent from the tour for the better part of year. The last Grand Slam tournament she played before her injury forced her off the court was at Wimbledon, where she lost in the second round. She then had shoulder surgery in October.
“I’m definitely a little bit—little sore, but I’ll be fine,” Sharapova said. “That’s why the Grand Slams are great. You have a day in between, day to recover, and that always helps the body.”
On Sunday, it was Sharapova’s mental strength that impressed Li more than her physical prowess.
“She was always fighting, doesn’t matter how was the score,” said Li, who was up a break in the third set. “I lost the first set, win second set easy, and then 4-2 up (in the third). Then maybe I lose a little bit concentration.”
Besides her ailing shoulder, Sharapova also called for a trainer to look at her left thigh after breaking Li to 4-3 in the third.
“My thigh just was a little bit sore. I just needed to put some hot cream on it to forget that anything was wrong,” said Sharapova, who can complete a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open title.
But the thought of winning her fourth major title isn’t getting to her just yet.
“I think expectations are just words, and so is pressure,” said the 22-year-old Sharapova, who has dropped to No. 102 in the rankings because of her injury layoff.
“I’m here to get the job done, and my job isn’t done.”
Nadal, chasing a record fifth consecutive victory at Roland Garros, will be third on the Philippe Chatrier Court.
“Always, it’s a very tough match to play against Lleyton. I have to play well to have chances to win, so that’s what I want (to) try,” said the 22-year-old world number one, who boasts a 30-0 record at Roland Garros.
“If I play my best tennis, I’m going to have chances.”
Former world number one Sharapova, back from a nine-month injury layoff, will end proceedings on the main stage against unheralded Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova on Centre Court as the hype around the Russian is growing in Paris.
Sharapova, who was booed off court when she was knocked out of the French Open in 2007 and 2008, will have the opportunity to make amends with the crowd by prolonging her stay in Paris.
World number one Dinara Safina has been relegated to Court One for her match against fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as she continues her bid for a maiden grand slam title after demolishing her two previous opponents.
“For Safina, it’s maybe the time for her to go to the next step,” four-times French Open champion Justine Henin said on Thursday.
World number three Andy Murray of Britain will face another test of his claycourt credentials when he will close the day on Suzanne Lenglen Court against big-serving Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia.
Holder Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, seeded eighth, will take on Czech Iveta Benesova, seeded 32nd.
The unseeded Sharapova won five straight games Wednesday to close out the first set. Playing again with tape on her shoulder, she struggled later in the match.
Trailing 4-2 in the deciding set, she broke Petrova to get back on serve at 4-4, and then saved two break points to take a 5-4 lead. She saved another break point while serving at 6-6.
Sharapova is making her first Grand Slam appearance in almost a year after missing the U.S. Open and the Australian Open because of her shoulder injury.
The former world number one, who dropped to 102nd in the WTA rankings being out of action for nine months because of a shoulder injury, needed a set to find her range on Court One before cracking winners past the world number 64.
Yakimova called on the tournament’s trainer at change of sides at 4-1 in the second set to have her lower back massaged and she never seemed to recover.
Sharapova, who returned to singles play last week at the Warsaw Open where she reached the last eight, will next face 11th-seeded compatriot Nadia Petrova.
Rushing shots and unable to find her range from the baseline, Sharapova was beaten in straight sets by 39th-ranked Alona Bondarenko in the quarterfinals of the Warsaw Open on Thursday.
Sharapova was playing in her first singles tournament since being sidelined nearly 10 months after shoulder surgery. The Russian won her first two matches this week, but Bondarenko broke Sharapova’s serve five times and won 6-2, 6-2 in the clay-court event.
Bondarenko of Ukraine dictated the pace of the points from the outset, and Sharapova struggled throughout the despite connecting with 78 percent of her first serves.
“I give her all the credit for doing all the right things and stepping up and playing her game and playing it really well,” Sharapova said.
“She didn’t make many unforced errors, she hit many balls back and when my balls were going a little bit shorter I tried to go for it a little bit more and wasn’t as patient as I should have been. But those are the mistakes you’re going to make coming back and you have to learn from those mistakes.”
Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam winner and former top-ranked player, had surgery for a torn rotator cuff last year and missed the past two Grand Slam tournaments.
Also, sixth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia advanced to the semifinals after ousting Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, Anne Keothavong of Britain beat Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 6-0, 6-1 and qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania beat Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-1, 7-5.
Bondarenko stole an early break in the first set when Sharapova netted a forehand to lead 2-1. The Russian quickly earned three break points in the following game, but couldn’t capitalize and Bondarenko rallied to hold serve with a deep forehand.
In the second, Bondarenko broke the Russian to open the set and cruised to a 5-0 lead before Sharapova earned her first and only break of the match with a forehand winner.
“I played her twice before, and I thought it was going to be a harder match,” said Bondarenko, who was runner-up at the 2007 tournament in Warsaw.
“She played (in the past) without mistakes, and right now with lots of mistakes … her serve isn’t as powerful as before either.”
Despite the loss, Sharapova said the tournament fulfilled its role—helping her gauge where she is in her return and gain valuable match experience.
“This is the best preparation I could have had. I played three matches, spent about three or four hours on the court in good match situations—I couldn’t be happier about it,” she said.
Sharapova now begins gearing up for the French Open next week, but she refused to speculate on how far she could go at the only Grand Slam even she hasn’t won.
“I don’t have any expectations. I don’t think this is a time in my career to have expectations in my second tournament back after not playing for 10 months,” Sharapova said.
The three-time Grand Slam title winner needed only 57 minutes to down Kustova.
“I played a solid game and did everything that I had to do in order to win today,” Sharapova said. “More importantly right now than ever, is just to do the right things and to work on my game. It doesn’t really matter who I’m playing.”
She will face eighth-seeded Alona Bondarenko, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Marta Domachowska.
Sharapova had surgery for a torn rotator cuff last year and missed the past two Grand Slam tournaments. She said the shoulder hasn’t bothered her in Warsaw, and the only sign of the injury were two strips of white tape on her right shoulder.
“Right now it’s just a thrill to be out there and competing,” she said.
Sharapova, playing in her first WTA tour singles tournament in nearly 10 months, is trying to regain the form that led her to the No. 1 ranking in 2005. She dropped to No. 126 while sidelined with the injury, but despite showing a few signs of rust, the Russian didn’t face much of a challenge from the 209th-ranked Kustova.
Sharapova broke the Belarusian in the second game of the first set, and her only slip of the match came when she double-faulted when leading 4-0 to give Kustova a break. But she quickly recovered and claimed the first set with a forehand winner that clipped the baseline.
Sharapova stressed she still faces a long road back to championship form.
“I think I still need match play, and being in different situations in the matches is going to give me that feeling back and that experience back,” she said.
"I certainly had desire to win my first match back," the Russian said. "I'm hungry, I haven't played for a while and I want it really bad and sometimes I actually have to stop myself at times and tell myself to be patient."
Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., wasn't as fortunate. The No. 4 seed dropped a 7-6 (5), 6-3 decision to Julia Goerges of Germany.
Sharapova, who last played a singles match in August after being sidelined with a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder, wore a bandage on the arm but said the shoulder didn't bother her.
She cruised through the first set and grabbed a quick 4-0 lead in the second before her serve started to falter. Serving at 5-3, she wasted four match points -- double faulting on two of them -- and then failed to convert two more in the tie-break before netting a forehand to give the set to Garbin.
"I created some good opportunities, and played really well in the first set and at the start of the second, but I was definitely a little bit nervous closing that second set out," Sharapova said.
In the third, the Russian dropped an early break before rallying with her trademark groundstrokes to overpower the Italian. Sharapova held serve to go up 5-3, then converted her third match point when Garbin knocked a backhand long.
"When you haven't been there, haven't done that in a while it throws you off a little bit, and then there you are after nine months and you have an opportunity to win your first match back, and you start thinking of everything that's gone on and you kind of lose the present time," Sharapova said.
Once ranked No. 1 in the world, Sharapova's ranking has slid to No. 126 since her injury forced her to miss the last two Grand Slams.
"Although these nine months have been pretty difficult, I've definitely had to test out my patience," Sharapova said.
"In these nine months the only thing I've accomplished is probably a good pasta carbonara," she added. "At the end of the day that's not my specialty, my specialty is to go out and compete and win Grand Slams."
Sharapova refused to speculate about next week's French Open, saying she was only thinking about Warsaw this week. But she stressed that playing matches was the only way to return to her championship form.
"I've been absent for so long, and I've said it many times, you can do so many things, you can practice and you can play practice matches, but it's never the same as going out and playing in a tournament, and I think that's what I'll need," she said.
"I've played millions of matches in my career, and I'll play millions more, and I think right now it's just going to be getting that experience back and the thought process on the court and doing the right things to finish the match."
Sidelined by shoulder surgery, the Russian tennis star wrote on her website Monday she will play her first competitive singles match in nearly 10 months at the May 18-23 clay-court tournament in Warsaw, Poland.
The posting makes no mention of the French Open, the major championship played on clay that starts May 24.
"I know it is going to take me a while to get back into the groove of playing tournaments and matches, but I am so excited to be competing again," Sharapova said.
The three-time Grand Slam title winner was sidelined in August by a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder and had surgery two months later.
Sharapova has played one doubles match since then, losing at Indian Wells, Calif., in March.
"It has not been an easy process these last few months," Monday's posting reads.
Ranked as high as No. 1, the Russian is now No. 65.
She was forced to miss the last two Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S Open and Australian Open.
"My family and coach have been a tremendous part of this comeback, and I think it's important to acknowledge that without their drive, daily laughs and endless belief in my ability, I would be sipping a pina colada on a deserted island (not that there's something wrong with that, but playing tennis is just so much more exciting at this stage of my life)," the posting says.
Sharapova played her first match in seven months on March 12 when she lost in doubles in Indian Wells, Calif. She was forced off the WTA Tour last August by a torn rotator cuff and underwent surgery on her right shoulder two months later.
The French Open starts May 25.
The former top-ranked Russian has slipped to 64th in the WTA rankings.
Defending men’s champion Nikolay Davydenko also withdrew because of a foot infection. The tournament begins Wednesday.
Sharapova played her first match in seven months March 12 when she lost in doubles at Indian Wells. She was forced off the WTA Tour last August by a torn rotator cuff and underwent surgery on her right shoulder two months later.
Sharapova plans to continue her rehabilitation.
“It felt great to be back on tour last week, even if it was just playing doubles,” she said in a statement. “I am still not ready to play seven consecutive matches and will have to withdraw from the Sony Ericsson Open.”
The Russian teamed up with compatriot Elena Vesnina in a 6-1 4-6 10-7 loss to Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Belarussian Tatiana Poutchek in the first round.
However, Sharapova said she was just glad to be back.
“It feels pretty good, it’s pretty amazing,” the 24-year-old told a news conference.
“I came here and just wanted to test it out. I started training a couple of months ago and I thought I’d test it out in a match situation and play in front of a crowd, and it was exciting.”
Sharapova is not taking part in the singles competition at Indian Wells and though she said her shoulder felt good she warned it might be some time before she returns full time.
“I think the hump I’ve got to get through right now is to put two weeks of playing two, three sets every single day, for two weeks and feeling great, 100 percent,” she added.
“Right now I am able to do maybe three days, four days and then I have to take it easy on the fifth.
“Obviously that’s not the way to go about a tournament in singles, so that’s what I am working up to right now and whenever that comes, that’s when I’ll be playing singles.”
Sharapova missed last year’s Beijing Olympics and US Open and was unable to defend her Australian Open crown in January because of the injury.
“The most frustrating part of this process is that I have a good week of practice, and then push it a bit more because you’re feeling good and then you find that you’re not quite ready for that yet.”
The three-time Grand Slam champion has been off the WTA Tour since late July due to a torn rotator cuff.
Sharapova, who has slipped 20 places to No. 23 in the rankings during the absence, said on her personal web site earlier this week that she is not quite ready to play singles.
“The healing process takes time, and requires things to move more slowly than I would like, but I am taking things one step at a time,” said Sharapova, who was unable to defend her Australian Open title earlier this year. “I look forward to playing at the BNP Paribas Open, it is definitely one of my favorite tournaments in the world.”
Playing doubles for the first time in nearly four years, Sharapova will team with Vesnina to take on fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova and Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus in first-round action.
Sixteen opening-round singles matches also are slated for Thursday, including an encounter between American Varvara Lepchenko and Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus.
Whoever wins that battle of qualifiers will face defending champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the second round.
First prize is $700,000.
After missing the past two Grand Slam tournaments with a right shoulder injury -- last year's U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open -- Sharapova also pulled out of an indoor event in Paris and a hard-court tournament in Dubai.
"I am excited to be playing competitive tennis again," Sharapova wrote on her website. "The healing process takes time, and requires things to move more slowly than I would like, but I am taking things one step at a time. I look forward to playing at the BNP Paribas Open, it is definitely one of my favourite tournaments in the world."
Sharapova, who has won Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, will play in the doubles draw at Indian Wells -- her first doubles action in four years -- in addition to singles. She will team with fellow Russian Elena Vesnina.
The joint ATP-WTA-sanctioned BNP Paribas Open begins Wednesday.
After missing the past two Grand Slam tournaments—last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open—Sharapova pulled out of this week’s indoor event in Paris, and next week’s hard-court event in Dubai.
The earliest she expects to be back is a month from now: Her next scheduled event, according to the WTA Tour’s Web site, is the March 11-22 tournament at Indian Wells, Calif.
Sharapova wrote on her Web site last week that she is “aiming” to return at that event or the March 25-April 4 tournament at Key Biscayne, Fla., “depending on how things shape up.”
“I cannot wait to get back to playing tournaments,” the three-time Grand Slam title winner wrote.
Sharapova has not played competitively since pulling out of a tournament in Montreal in late July after winning a nearly three-hour match in which she double-faulted 17 times. The right-hander was examined by a trainer midway through the three-set victory, and she withdrew from the event before her next match.
Medical tests later found a torn rotator cuff tendon in the Russian’s shoulder.
“I confirm she will not be there, she will not be taking part in the Dubai tournament the following week,” a tournament spokeswoman said.
The 21-year-old Russian has been sidelined since August and was not able to defend her Australian Open title last month, dropping to 17th in the WTA rankings released on Monday.
World number one Serena Williams of the United States and Russian Olympic champion Elena Dementieva have confirmed they will take part in the tournament starting on Monday, organisers added.
The men's and women's professional tours announced the creation of TennisTV.com on Tuesday, offering streaming video from 41 events, including the Masters series and the season-ending championships but excluding the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Not everyone around the world, however, will be able to purchase a pass to the site. The WTA is excluding users in all European countries and some others, while the ATP is not offering the live service in Brazil, according to the website.
The men's and women's finals of this year's Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., will also be blacked out in the United States.
Where it is available, subscribers will be charged US$129.95 for a full-access pass to the season. A men's pass runs $84.95, and a women's pass costs $69.95. Viewers can also purchase day or tournament-specific passes for lower prices.
"This is an incredibly exciting time for the future of tennis viewing," WTA president Stacey Allaster said in a statement. "For the first time we will be able to deliver live broadcast quality matches from both tours' top-level tournaments to online audiences around the world."
Overall, the two tours plan to provide eligible fans with access to about 700 live streaming matches, interviews and matches on demand. Coverage will start with this week's Sydney International in Australia.
Last year, the WTA Tour's website broadcast a live women's match -- in select countries -- for free for the first time. The live feed of the Pacific Life Open final was not available to users in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia or any country in Europe.
Besides Europe, WTA matches on TennisTV.com will also be excluded from viewers in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia. Also, the Sydney International won't be shown in Australia.
Despite charging to watch live matches in 2009, TennisTV.com will offer highlights from both tours for free.
"Tennis fans are changing the way they view the sport and we need to ensure we change with them," ATP media CEO Steve Plasto said. "This is the place to watch live and on demand tennis online."
Sharapova advised tournament officials on Sunday that she would not be able to defend her title at Melbourne Park beginning Jan. 19.
Her Australian Open triumph started an 18-match winning streak last season, enabling the Russian to briefly reclaim her No. 1 ranking in May. However, the shoulder injury hampered her progress in the second half of the year, forcing her out of the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. Open and ending her season.
"I am very sorry to announce that I am not going to be able to defend my title at this year's Australian Open," Sharapova said in a statement. "My shoulder is doing great, but I just started training a few weeks ago and I am just not near the level I need to be to compete at the highest levels."
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said he was disappointed for Sharapova, who beat Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the 2008 final.
"She played some amazing tennis on Rod Laver Arena last year and has a massive legion of fans in Australia," Tiley said. "I know she has been working around the clock to try and get back from the shoulder injury. In the end, time beat her this year."
The 21-year-old Russian underwent arthroscopic surgery her injured right shoulder on October 15 and only started hitting balls just over two weeks ago.
With the Australian Open beginning on January 19 at Melbourne Park, Sharapova may look toward warm-up events in Brisbane, Auckland and Hobart and Sydney.
“I miss competing so much,” said Sharapova, who hasn’t played on the WTA Tour since early July. “I am trying to do everything possible to be ready for Australia, but I have promised my doctors, coach and family that I will not rush back.”
Sharapova said late in 2007 that bursitis was the cause of her shoulder problems, but an extensive examination this past summer revealed that former No. 1 had torn tendons.
“The great news is that we have taken care of the problem that has been bothering me so much over the last couple of years, and now is the time to get into what I call ‘match shape’,” Sharapova said. “I know my shoulder will be 100 percent by Australia, I just need to see if I have enough tennis training to be ready for that level.”
Last year Sharapova used the Hong Kong event as her only preparation for the Australian Open and was expected to follow the same route to Melbourne this time around.
“I’ve been using this event for the last five years to get match fit and ready for the new season; in fact Hong Kong has been successful in preparing me for the Australian Open,” Sharapova said. “I’m just not ready to play against the top class competition in Hong Kong, although I remain hopeful for Australia.”
Sharapova has been sidelined since July because of an injured right shoulder.
The three-time Grand Slam title winner missed the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. Open in 2008, ending her streak of 23 consecutive major tournaments.
But agent Max Eisenbud tells The Associated Press on Tuesday that Sharapova expects to return to action in January at the exhibition event in Hong Kong she usually plays, followed by the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 19.
Several players were worried they were being asked to play two high-intensity events in succession, with no byes meaning there was no opportunity to rest between tournaments.
“There were several concerns expressed by our top players,” WTA chief executive Larry Scott told reporters after conducting talks with players at the end-of-season event championships in Doha. “Their concerns related to two issues, primarily. One, a concern that there wasn’t enough break between some of our big tournaments, which were back-to-back, primarily players playing in Rome right up against Madrid next year.
“Rome is a 56-draw tournament followed by Madrid which is a 64-draw tournament (beginning) on Saturday.
“Similarly in the fall, Tokyo is a 56-draw tournament followed by Beijing, which is a 64-draw tournament. Those tournaments overlapped very closely. Players were concerned it was too many matches in too few days.”
The solution was to re-introduce byes for the semi-finalists in Rome and Tokyo.
“Specifically, what we’ve agreed is that we are going to award four byes to the semi-finalists in Rome, into the Madrid tournament, and four byes to the semi-finalists from Tokyo into the Beijing tournament,” said Scott.
“Therefore, for those players that have to play the most matches in Rome and Tokyo respectively, they can start later and have one less match in a subsequent event.
“On the second issue, there was concern that players might be denied entry into some of what we call our Premier 700 tournaments.
“We’ve made some adjustments and Paris (Indoors), Charleston, Stuttgart, Stanford, and Los Angeles, we’ve removed the prohibition on players being able to get into the two tournaments of their choice. Every player will be able to play at least two of those.”
WTA Championships winner Venus Williams said the discussions were very positive.
“We all worked together this week really hard and I think everyone’s pleased,” said Williams. “I think the good part of it all is that next year if we feel that something isn’t working we’ve all learnt to come together and work together.”
After examining Sharapova’s scan, Dr David Altchek determined the injury would not require surgery but said she could be out of action for the rest of the season.
Sharapova, 21, had already announced on Thursday she would not take part in the Beijing Olympics after the sore shoulder forced her to withdraw from the Montreal Cup following a second round 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland’s Marta Domachowska.
The Australian Open champion has only played three matches since losing to Dinara Safina in the fourth round of the French Open.
“The doctor does not believe that I need surgery and is sending me to work with a specialist in Arizona next week to do extensive rehab and strength work and he believes that I should be ready to play in two to three months,” Sharapova said in a statement on Friday.
“It hurts me so much to miss the Olympics and the U.S. Open. I think this will be the first grand slam I have ever missed.”
Sharapova first re-injured her shoulder at Indian Wells in March when stretching for a backhand against Alona Bondarenko.
“Altchek looked at all my tests from April and today and informed me that I have been playing with a moderate tear in my rotator cuff tendon since April,” she said. “He actually couldn’t believe that I’ve been playing this long with this injury.
“You can imagine that I was not very thrilled to hear that my medical team did not see this tear in my shoulder back in April.
“The good news is that it didn’t get much worse since April, but we could have started the healing time back then instead of now.
“Now I need to move forward and stay positive,” the three times grand slam champion added. “I am going to work hard to get healthy. Once I’m healthy, I’m sure I’ll look at this as a blessing in disguise.
The injury she cited in pulling out of the Beijing Olympics also will sideline her for the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, a U.S. Open official told The Associated Press on Friday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Sharapova had yet to announce her withdrawal. The player’s agent informed the U.S. Open she wouldn’t play, the official said.
Sharapova, ranked No. 3, won the 2006 U.S. Open for one of her three Grand Slam singles titles.
The Russian announced on her Web site Thursday she will skip the Olympics because of two small tears in tendons in her shoulder. The Olympic tennis tournament begins Aug. 11, and the U.S. Open starts Aug. 25.
Sharapova is 32-4 with three titles in 2008, including a major championship at the Australian Open, and she briefly was ranked No. 1. The 21-year-old player has become one of tennis’ biggest stars, with millions of dollars in endorsement deals.
Sharapova pulled out of the WTA tournament in Montreal because of the shoulder on Wednesday night—after winning a nearly three-hour match in which she double-faulted 17 times. The right-hander was examined by a trainer midway through the three-set victory.
“After yesterday’s match, I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder,” Sharapova said in a posting on her Web site under the headline: “No chance of me competing in Beijing.”
Sharapova has been bothered off and on by her right shoulder for some time, and she pulled out of a tournament in March because of it.
“This is something that needs a lot of time to heal,” she said, adding she would be getting a second opinion.
“I’m currently packing up really quick to hop on the plane and head to New York for a second opinion but I wanted to let all of you know first that there’s no chance of me competing in Beijing,” Sharapova said on her website.
“The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything,” she added on www.mariasharapova.com. The Olympic Games are scheduled for August 8-24.
The Russian was examined by doctors after withdrawing from the Montreal Cup late on Wednesday evening with a sore shoulder following a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland’s Marta Domachowska.
They advised Sharapova she would need a lot of time away from the game to let the injury to heal, which puts the 2006 U.S. Open champion’s chances of playing in this year’s final grand slam, starting on August 25 in New York, in doubt.
“After yesterday’s match I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder,” said Sharapova.
“After taking a few different exams and MRIs this morning, the doctors found two small tears in the tendons of my shoulder.
MIXED FEELINGS
“There are so many mixed feelings because last night they were almost positive there was something wrong with my nerve, which could have ultimately been much more serious.
“But after the tests this morning, for the first time in a while, they were able to give me a different answer and a different problem.
“But on the other hand this is something that needs a lot of time to heal, which really hurts me to say that I have to miss the Olympics.”
Playing her first match since a shock second-round defeat by compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva at Wimbledon in June, Sharapova twice received treatment on her shoulder during her three-hour battle with Domachowska in Montreal on Wednesday.
While her groundstrokes were crisp and powerful the Australian Open champion struggled with her serve, committing 17 double faults.
Sharapova said her shoulder had been troubling her since she played at Indian Wells, California in March.
After the results of tests in Montreal, the Russian was flying straight to New York to have the injury examined by sports physician Dr David Alchek, who will provide a second opinion and advise her on how much time she should take off.
Sharapova defeated Poland's Marta Domachowska 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in a match that took nearly three hours.
"It's obviously unfortunate," Sharapova said. "You know, you try to do every little possible thing you can. But at the end of the day when you go on court and you're thinking about aggravating things, you're thinking about an injury, it's not really the way to play."
Sharapova had the trainer come out trailing 3-4 in the second set to look at the shoulder, which may have contributed to her committing 17 double faults in the match. Though she eventually lost the second set, Sharapova won the first four games of the final set to lock up the match.
Sharapova said she considered not coming out for the third set, and she will visit a doctor Thursday for an MRI on the shoulder that's been bothering her since March when she aggravated it at Indian Wells.
She said her presence at the Olympics and the U.S. Open in the coming weeks will depend largely on the results from Thursday's tests.
"At the end of the day, it's tough to go on court and not be close to even 50 per cent," Sharapova said. "I'm too good of a player to go out there and try to fight through something that I think can eventually become something serious."
The third-seeded Russian eventually outlasted unseeded Marta Domachowka of Poland, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, in a 2-hour, 56-minute second-round match at the Rogers Cup.
After splitting the first two sets, Sharapova found her game and blitzed Domachowka in the final set. She took the first four games before her foe managed to get on the board. They split the final four games of the match, but that was enough for Sharapova, who held serve in the eighth game, to advance.
Sharapova was considered a favorite heading into Wimbledon, but was upset in the second round by countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva. That setback came just weeks after a frustrating fourth-round defeat at the French Open, where she lost to compatriot Dinara Safina after being up a set and 5-2.
Prior to her disappointment at the European majors, the 21-year-old had been one of top players on the WTA Tour with three titles - including the Australian Open crown - and a 27-2 record.
As a result of her play, Sharapova returned to the top of the rankings when former No.1 Justine Henin abruptly retired in mid-May. That reign was was short-lived, however, as Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic took over the top spot after winning her first major at Roland Garros.
Sharapova is playing this hardcourt event for the first time since 2004, when she lost her opening match and fell to 1-2 at the Rogers Cup tournament.
Ivanovic played her first match since a sub-par Wimbledon and was tested by unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova before advancing, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in 2 hours. Ivanovic struggled with her first serve, connecting on 59 percent. She capitalized on her break opportunities, however, taking 11 of 16 chances.
Following her success at the French Open, the 20-year-old took some time off before Wimbledon, but it didn’t seem to benefit her as she lost in the third round at the All England Club.
Ivanovic’s No. 1 ranking actually came under threat this past weekend as countrywoman Jelena Jankovic had a chance to overtake her with a win at Los Angeles. A semifinal loss to Safina, however, crushed Jankovic’s opportunity.
Because she lost her first match here last season, Ivanovic is in position to pick up some ranking points this week and put some distance between herself and the other top five players.
It’s very possible she will do just that considering her history here. Ivanovic began her rise to prominence at this event in 2006 when she defeated the now-retired Martina Hingis in the final.
The parade of talent in action Wednesday also includes second-seeded Jankovic, who will have the partisan crowd to deal with when she faces Canadian No. 1 Aleksandra Wozniak in the second round.
Wozniak has ascended to a career-high ranking of 41st after claiming her first career title in Stanford earlier his month.
Safina, coming off a title in Los Angeles on Sunday, continued her stellar play with a 6-2, 6-4 win over fellow Russian Anastasia Rodionova in the second round.
The 22-year-old has been excellent since the start of May with a 23-3 record and two titles. Safina, who has advanced to the final of four of her last five events played, has reached a career-high ranking of eighth in the process.
Sixth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze advanced, 6-2, 7-5, over Jill Craybas. Ninth seed Patty Schnyder, No. 11 Victoria Azarenka and No. 12 Nadia Petrova also are through to the third round.
Tenth seed Marion Bartoli of France is scheduled for second-round action later Wednesday.
First prize is $196,900.
One of the top eight players to receive a bye, the third-seeded Russian will open play at the Rogers Cup with a second-round match against unseeded Marta Domachowska of Poland.
Sharapova was considered a favorite heading into Wimbledon, but was upset in the second round by countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva. That setback came just weeks after a frustrating fourth-round defeat at the French Open, where she lost to compatriot Dinara Safina after being up a set and 5-2.
Prior to her disappointment at the European majors, the 21-year-old had been one of top players on the WTA Tour with three titles - including the Australian Open crown - and a 27-2 record.
As a result of her play, Sharapova returned to the top of the rankings when former No.1 Justine Henin abruptly retired in mid-May. That reign was was short-lived, however, as Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic took over the top spot after winning her first major at Roland Garros.
Sharapova is playing this hardcourt event for the first time since 2004, when she lost her opening match and fell to 1-2 at the Rogers Cup tournament.
Ivanovic also will be playing her first match since a sub-par Wimbledon when she faces unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova in second-round play.
Following her success at the French Open, the 20-year-old took some time off before Wimbledon, but it didn’t seem to benefit her as she lost in the third round at the All England Club.
Ivanovic’s No. 1 ranking actually came under threat this past weekend as countrywoman Jelena Jankovic had a chance to overtake her with a win at Los Angeles. A semifinal loss to Safina, however, crushed Jankovic’s opportunity.
Because she lost her first match here last season, Ivanovic is in position to pick up some ranking points this week and put some distance between herself and the other top five players.
It’s very possible she will do just that considering her history here. Ivanovic began her rise to prominence at this event in 2006 when she defeated the now-retired Martina Hingis in the final.
The parade of talent in action Wednesday includes second-seeded Jankovic and No. 7 Safina, who both have second-round matches.
Jankovic will have the partisan crowd to deal with when she faces Canadian No. 1 Aleksandra Wozniak, who has ascended to a career-high ranking of 41st after claiming her first career title in Stanford earlier his month.
Safina, coming off a title in Los Angeles on Sunday, will look to continue her strong play against fellow Russian Anastasia Rodionova.
The 22-year-old has been excellent since the start of May with a 22-3 record and two titles. Safina, who has advanced to the final of four of her last five events played, has reached a career-high ranking of eighth in the process.
Sixth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze and 10th seed Marion Bartoli of France also are scheduled for second-round action.
First prize is $196,900.
Road Map 2010, the WTA’s masterplan to bring order to the sport’s structure and schedule, will be formally unveiled at the U.S. Open next month.
But WTA president Stacey Allaster, during a visit to the Montreal Cup on Tuesday, revealed details of the ambitious overhaul which will be rolled out next season, a year earlier than planned.
“The 2006 season was a disaster,” Allaster told reporters. “We failed to deliver on our player commitment to any of our top 10 events. We just felt something needed to be done now.
“We’re trying to change a culture, where it’s not an option but a commitment when you enter a top level event.
“The top players will be doing the heavy lifting so they should share in more of the rewards, more prize money, more bonus pool money, more ranking points.”
Tour prize money will rise from $63.6 million in 2006 to $84.4 million next season but it will come at a price with a more regimented system and greater accountability.
Under Road Map 2010, 26 Tier One and Tier Two events will be combined into 20 Premiere tournaments with players committed to play in at least 10.
Four $4.5 million tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing will be mandatory for all players who qualify.
MANDATORY EVENTS
Below the mandatory events will be five $2 million stops in Canada, Dubai, Rome, Cincinnati and Tokyo, of which the top-ranked players must play at least four. The WTA has committed to having at least seven of the world’s top 10 players at each of these events.
Players will complete their schedules by playing in at least one or two $700,000 events.
“They asked to put the best events in the right dates and we’ve done all of that,” Allaster said. “We’ve given them breaks.
“Now we’re saying, there’s going to be a little less flexibility on where you play and if you don’t play, then there’s going to be really significant ramifications.”
The WTA also laid out a list of penalties designed to hurt players were it matters most, in the pocket and the rankings.
There will be zero tolerance for withdrawals from tournaments players have committed to.
If a player does pull out, even due to injury, she will forfeit bonus money ($5 million available to the top 10 ranked players) and receive zero ranking points for that event.
Maria Sharapova, one of the WTA’s biggest draw cards, was a late withdrawal from last year’s Montreal Cup and lost $125,000 in bonus pool money and was fined $20,000.
Russian Maria Sharapova, the former world number one, also sits only 202 points back and is ready to pounce if both Serbs falter.
Play was slow to get underway on Monday with rain causing five suspensions but action is sure to heat up later in the week when the top eight seeds enter the fray after first-round byes.
Jankovic, working her way back to full fitness from a knee injury, had an opportunity to nudge Ivanovic out of top spot last week by taking the title in Los Angeles but she lost in the semi-finals to Dinara Safina.
She will get a second chance this week on the Canadian hard courts and is confident her time at top will come.
“I am motivated,” Jankovic told reporters on Monday. “Hopefully, my time will come.
“If it’s meant to happen, it will happen. If you deserve it, you will get it.
“If you work hard, that hard work will pay off sooner or later. I want to become number one and I want to win a grand slam. Those are my goals.”
Jankovic will be counting on Ivanovic being a little rusty as she plays her first event since a third-round exit at Wimbledon.
But the French Open champion will be returning to a place that holds good memories having won the Canadian title two years ago in Montreal.
“I got injured in Wimbledon and couldn’t practise for more than two weeks,” said Jankovic, who has a knee injury. “I only had a chance to train for four days before Los Angeles, which is not enough.
“At the moment I am just trying to get fit again and get in form. I am healthy at the moment but I need time.”
“It’s been suspended. The Tour will evaluate the results of the testing period and make a decision as to whether to adopt on-court coaching or not,” WTA spokesman Andrew Walker said. “A specific timeframe for this decision has not been set.”
The WTA Player Council attempted at this year’s Wimbledon to organize a vote on the experiment but the players were divided in their opinions.
“I’m for it but they wanted more opinions,” Player Council representative Patty Schnyder told Reuters at the Los Angles Classic. “The results weren’t convincing enough and some of the younger players don’t know what they want, so we need more time to see how they feel.”
The controversial initiative, which was never tried out at the grand slam tournaments, provoked strong reactions from the players.
Some think that as an individual sport which encourages players to think for themselves tennis should never allow coaches on court to give advice.
Others believe it would add entertainment value to the game as it would make coaches more visible to fans when they are called on court in between sets.
MIXED FEELINGS
Experienced Russian Nadia Petrova has mixed feelings.
“It’s a little distracting when you have coaches walking on court and most of them are parents, that’s what I didn’t like about it,” Petrova said.
“On the other hand it worked perfectly for me. I just started working with my coach and he would come on court and give me advice. But now that it’s over it’s fine. Many players just use as a safeguard because they don’t know what to do so their coach tells them. You have to use their head in matches.”
Switzerland’s Schnyder does not believe coaches can decide matches tactically but thinks they can have an important emotional influence.
“If the person supports is making you feel better and it helps the game’s appeal overall, it’s better,” said Schnyder, who is coached by her husband Rainer Hoffman.
The Player Council will re-visit the issue at the tour championships in Doha in November.
Lindsay Davenport and Svetlana Kuznetsova are the other previous winners entered in the hard-court Grand Slam tournament, which begins Aug. 25.
Top-ranked Ana Ivanovic, the reigning French Open champion, heads a group that includes 99 of the top 100 women in the rankings. The exception: No. 98 Akiko Morigami of Japan did not enter the field because of knee surgery.
Along with the 104 players who received direct entry based on Monday’s rankings, eight women will receive wild cards and 16 will earn berths in qualifying.
Lindsay Davenport and Svetlana Kuznetsova are the other previous winners entered in the hard-court Grand Slam tournament, which begins Aug. 25.
Top-ranked Ana Ivanovic, the reigning French Open champion, heads a group that includes 99 of the top 100 women in the rankings. The exception: No. 98 Akiko Morigami of Japan did not enter the field because of knee surgery.
Along with the 104 players who received direct entry based on Monday’s rankings, eight women will receive wild cards and 16 will earn berths in qualifying.
The International Tennis Federation announced the direct acceptance list for the Beijing Games. For both men and women, it marks the strongest field ever to enter the Olympic tennis event since the sport returned as a full medal sport in Seoul in 1998.
Led by Federer, the top-ranked player in the world from Switzerland, 17 of the top-20 men will compete in Beijing. Only American Andy Roddick and Frenchman Richard Gasquet declined to participate, while Fernando Verdasco is ineligible because he is the fifth player qualified from Spain.
A 20-year-old Serbian who is No. 1 in the world, Ivanovic leads 18 of the top-20 women who will take the court. Anna Chakvetadze of Russia declined while Marion Bartoli of France is ineligible.
The Olympic event will be played from August 10-17.
Losses Monday by No. 3-ranked Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova ensured Ivanovic will retain the top spot, which she claimed for the first time after winning the French Open on June 7.
Jankovic and Kuznetsova could have overtaken Ivanovic with a good second week at Wimbledon.
After losing to Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-2, Jankovic was unhappy with tournament organizers. Having undergone intensive treatment on the left knee she injured Saturday, she wanted a later starting time Monday to get therapy.
Instead, she was first up on Court 18. And she disliked the court assignment, which she described as “almost playing in the parking lot.”
“I was really not happy with the scheduling,” Jankovic said. “I asked to play a little bit later on in the day, which would give me a few more hours to recover.”
Like Jankovic, the Williams family was unhappy about the court assignments. Four-time champion Venus and two-time champion Serena both won on Court 2.
“No. 1, No. 2 seeds should always be on these top show courts,” said Jankovic, who was seeded second. “I don’t know what they are doing, to put Venus on No. 2 and (me) on No. 18. … I almost need a helicopter to get to my court.”
As for Tanasugarn, she became the first Thai player to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal berth.
“Can I say, wow, wow, wow,” said Tanasugarn, the oldest player left in the women’s field at 31.
Kuznetsova lost to No. 14-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
The Serbian had barely put a foot wrong at the French Open when she stormed to her maiden grand slam title earlier this month.
But switching from the red clay to slick turf in the space of two weeks proved to be one challenge too far for Ivanovic.
After coming within a whisker of bowing out on Wednesday against France’s Nathalie Dechy, when a netcord on match point spared the world number one’s blushes, her inadequacies on grass were unashamedly exposed on Friday by 133rd-ranked Zheng Jie.
“It was very, very emotional past couple of weeks for me. It also took a little bit toll on me,” Ivanovic said following her listless 6-1 6-4 defeat by China’s Zheng.
“I didn’t have as good preparation as I had hoped for because I had to have some time off, as well. It took some time to adjust to the grass.
“I had a tough time to adjust to the balls with the timing. So I was a little bit holding back. I made too many miss hits as well,” added the 20-year-old.
Ivanovic had arrived at the All England Club hoping to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2002 to win the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in the same season.
Instead she suffered the ignominy of suffering the earliest exit by a top seed since Martina Hingis was blown away in the opening round in 2001.
Despite being a semi-finalist here 12 months ago, Ivanovic admitted she lacked the tactical nous to do well on grass.
“After clay, it’s completely different game,” said Ivanovic, who could now lose her top ranking to fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic or Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.
“I didn’t have too much time to practise and to do all these little specific movements and things you need to in order to adjust to the grass. You have to accept that not every shot you’re going to hit it’s going to be perfect. There’s going to be quite a few bad bounces.
“That’s something I found a little bit hard to deal with. Also coming from clay, it’s completely different mentality you have to have going on court. Because on clay, if you are struggling a little bit, you still have time to get into the game. Here everything is happening so fast.
“You really have to be there from the first point on, and that’s something that I found it hard especially today. She was hitting ball fast and flat. I didn’t have enough time to get into my game.
“I’m still so young and have many tournaments in front of me. These things make you learn that you still have room to improve. So sometimes you need a punch to realise what you have to work on.”
Ivanovic, who took over the No. 1 ranking after winning the French Open earlier this month, slumped to a 6-1, 6-4 loss to the wild-card entry and doubles specialist.
Ivanovic, who saved two match points before overcoming Nathalie Dechy in three sets on Wednesday, had no answer for the hard-hitting Zheng.
“It’s a surprise for me,” said the 24-year-old Zheng, who won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2006. “Thanks to Wimbledon, (which) gave me a wild card. I just tried my best and had to keep going, going.”
It was the earliest exit by a women’s top-seeded player at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis lost in the first round to Jelena Dokic in 2001.
Also Friday, the last remaining American in the men’s draw, Bobby Reynolds, lost to Spain’s Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Ivanovic went out a day after 2004 champion and third-seeded Maria Sharapova was ousted by 154th-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva and two-time men’s runner-up Andy Roddick was bounced by Janko Tipsarevic. A day earlier, Australian Open champion and No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic fell to Marat Safin.
Ivanovic committed 17 unforced errors, converted only one of seven break-point chances and lost serve four times. She could lose the No. 1 ranking depending on how far No. 2 Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova advance in the tournament.
The match ended with Zheng’s serve hitting the service line and Ivanovic shanking her forehand return into the Court 1 stands.
“She played really well today and it was a tough match for me,” Ivanovic said. “I’m disappointed with my loss but I still look at it as a learning experience.
“It was a very emotional last couple of weeks for me and it took a bit of a toll,” she added. “I didn’t have great preparation.”
Zheng has won 11 tour doubles titles, including the 2006 Wimbledon and Australian Open championships with Yan Zi. She has captured three career singles titles, in relatively small events at Hobart in 2005 and Estoril and Stockholm in 2006.
In 2004, Zheng reached the round of 16 at the French Open to become the first Chinese woman to make the fourth round of a Grand Slam. She reached a career high singles ranking of No. 27 in 2006.
Zheng will play singles and doubles for China at the Beijing Olympics in August.
“I felt today the match gave me more belief for the Olympics,” she said.
Facing match point in the second set of her second-round match at Wimbledon, the top-ranked Ivanovic drove a forehand into the top of the net—it somehow trickled over.
From the brink of an embarrassing exit to a player ranked 97, she recovered to beat veteran Frenchwoman Dechy 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 10-8, in a match lasting 3 hours, 24 minutes.
“Someone from upstairs made the ball roll over,” Ivanovic explained, laughing. “I just feel so lucky.
“I felt like time stopped for a moment. … I just thought the match would be over.
“After that point I felt like it was a new match for me and I had a new opportunity.”
Dechy had an instant of thinking she had won. “Then I saw,” she said. “I was like, gee, there’s maybe somebody in the sky who help(ed) her on that one.
“Maybe today she can go and play lotto also a little bit. It would be a good day for her.”
In her first tournament as a Grand Slam titlist and the No. 1-ranked woman, the 20-year-old Ivanovic seemed to be in a big rush, trying to finish points quickly.
It worked to start. The Serbian star won the first three games in six minutes.
But Dechy, determined, patient and no-frills, rallied and took the first set in a tiebreaker.
The second set began in a similar fashion with Ivanovic up 3-1, only to fall behind 3-4, with Dechy serving well and Ivanovich having problems returning.
So it went to Ivanovic serving to stay in the match in the 10th game.
Facing two match points, she fired a big serve and followed with a forehand winner.
One to go.
The pressure compounded with a fault. But rather than back off, Ivanovic produced a big second serve and charged in, driving a forehand into the net. That’s when time stopped for both players. Ivanovic’s ball clipped the net, and dropped over.
She smiled nervously, then pulled her sun visor down over her face to stifle a laugh.
Dechy grimaced and looked up. She pushed Ivanovic for the rest of the match, but never seemed to get on top again after Ivanovic dominated the tiebreaker.
The Frenchwoman was broken twice in the deciding set to fall behind 2-4 and then 3-5. But she clawed back again to 5-5, when another slice of fortune fell Ivanovic’s way.
Dechy played a forehand volley which ought to have sent her 15-30 up on the Ivanovic serve, but her hat fell off in the process. It was extremely unlikely Ivanovic could stay in the point, but she asked for and was granted a replay—a fair call under the strict definition of the rules.
Ivanovic won that point and regained some momentum. After converting her fourth match point, Ivanovic went over to kiss the net because she felt “so lucky.”
“If it wasn’t for that net and that place, I would be booking my flight back home.”
Dechy sat down on court with a towel over her head and cried. It was her 13th trip to Wimbledon and “for sure one of my best matches so far this year.”
Ivanovic praised Dechy’s game. “She deserved to win also because she played really well,” Ivanovic said. Asked if she was still feeling lucky about the Championships, she laughed and replied: “Well, I don’t know,” she said. “I think I used a lot of luck today.”
The top-seeded Serbian survived a major scare at the grasscourt major Wednesday, escaping with a 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-3), 10-8 victory over veteran Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy.
“It was an amazing match,” said a relieved Ivanovic, who reached the semifinals at the All England Club last year.
Ivanovic faced two match points on serve, trailing 4-5 and 15-40 in the second set, but forced a third set thanks in part to a fortuitous bounce.
After saving the first match point, a stroke of luck kept Ivanovic alive as a return shot clipped the top of the net and dropped softly to Dechy’s side of the court to knot things at deuce.
“It was air for a while and did not know where it was going to bounce, but it was really lucky,” said Ivanovic, who kissed the netcord after the triumph.
The reigning French Open champion and newly-crowned No. 1 went on to force a tiebreak and a decisive third set.
Ivanovic, 20, secured breaks to go ahead 4-2 and 5-3 in the final set, but in each instance Dechy countered with a break of her own and eventually forged a 5-5 deadlock.
In her 13th straight Wimbledon appearance, Dechy also faced a pair of match points on serve while trailing 5-6, but persevered to extend the match, tying things at 6-6 with one of her four aces.
After the players held serve over the next five games, Ivanovic finally put away the determined 29-year-old with her sixth break of the match - which lasted 3 hours, 24 minutes.
“The match was really long in the end and that third set it was a game of nerves, so I glad I could stay calm and get through,” said Ivanovic, who will play China’s Jie Zheng on Friday.
Fourth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has a chance to claim the No. 1 ranking if she wins the event, had a much easier time reaching the third round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kateryna Bondarenko.
No. 6 Serena Williams of the United States also moved through in straight sets, topping Urszula Radwanska of Poland, 6-4, 6-4.
A surprising runner-up to Venus Williams at the All England Club a year ago, 11th-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli is back in the third round following a 6-2, 7-5 triumph against Tatiana Perebiynis.
No. 19 Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic survived a roller-coaster match with Australia’s Samantha Stosur, but reached the third round with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 triumph.
Fifth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva concluded all first-round action with a 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3 win over Italy’s Maria Elena Camerin. The match was suspended Tuesday due to darkness with Dementieva leading 6-3, 3-3.
The third seed’s 6-2 6-4 defeat on Court One made it her worst showing at a grand slam for five years when she lost in the second round of the 2003 U.S. Open.
All the hype surrounding her new outfit seemed completely out of place after an insipid performance that was more tatty jeans than shiny tuxedo.
After serving eight double faults and missing the kind of balls she normally eats for breakfast during an insipid, passionless display, Sharapova was blunt.
“She just did everything better than I did. She played much better. She hit the ball harder. She served and returned better,” the 2004 Wimbledon champion told reporters.
“I can’t be really happy about anything today. It just went a little too fast to analyse it right now.
“I wasn’t playing my game. I was letting her take control of the majority of the points.”
Sharapova, who began the year by winning the Australian Open, suffered a disappointing fourth round exit at the French Open to Dinara Safina.
That Paris defeat may have been tough to take but to lose to a player ranked 154th in the world who had won just five matches all year before Wimbledon was a huge shock.
“A loss is a loss. There’s only one winner in the tournament and everybody else is disappointed, so I’m one of them,” added Sharapova, who said she was determined to come back and win the tournament that rocketed her to fame.
“There are a lot worse things. I still have the desire, even 30 minutes after the match, to go back on court and to get better, because that’s the only thing that’s going to get me to hold that plate again.”
Sharapova’s defeat, and the narrow escape for top seed and world number one Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday at least proves the women’s game cannot be accused of being predictable.
“I’ve always said there’s depth on the tour,” Sharapova said. “Everybody can present a challenge. Everybody has a lot of strength. Everybody is hungry. This girl that beat me today, she might not win the tournament but she beat me and it probably made her tournament.”
The second-seeded Russian was upset in the second round at Wimbledon on Thursday, dropping a 6-2, 6-4 decision to unseeded countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva - the world No. 154.
“I guess it wasn’t my day,” Sharapova said. “She just did everything better than I did.”
Sharapova was appearing in her first tournament since falling to fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the fourth round of the French Open. She was up a set and 5-2 in that match, before Safina rallied for an improbable three-set win.
This was Sharapova’s earliest exit at a major since losing in the second round of the U.S. Open in 2003 and she has never lost a Grand Slam match to player ranked this low.
“She had nothing to lose and went for her shots,” Sharapova said. “She served and returned better and on grass, they are two important elements.
“I was just pretty tentative. I’m not sure why. It’s a question I’ll be asking myself. I wasn’t playing my game and I let her take control on the majority of points.”
Sharapova won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, but has been in steady decline here in recent years - she was a back-to-back semifinalist at the All-England Club following her title and was eliminated in the fourth round last season.
“I am experienced enough to know that life goes on and there are much worse things in life than losing a tennis match, even if it is at Wimbledon,” Sharapova said.
Kudryavtseva, 20, has never won a WTA singles title and came into the match just 4-5 this season.
“For sure absolutely,” said a giddy Kudryavtseva when asked if this was the best win of her career. “I want to keep going, but it will be hard to get ready for the next match after beating someone as big as Maria.”
Sharapova, who was dominant in winning the Australian Open earlier this year, played from behind during most of the match and was uncharacteristically sloppy as she committed 22 unforced errors and eight double faults.
After dropping the first set in just 32 minutes, she quickly fell behind 4-2 in the second set before breaking Kudryavtseva to put the players back on serve.
Sharapova went on to hold serve and tie the match at 4-all, but it only was a brief stay of execution as Kudryavtseva secured her fifth break of the match in the 10th game to close things out. Shuai Peng of China is up next for Kudryavtseva after posting a mild upset of No. 26 Sybille Bammer.
Venus Williams continued her push toward another Wimbledon title as the seventh-seeded American overcame a brief lapse in play to emerge with a convincing 7-5, 6-2 second-round victory over Britain’s Anne Keothavong.
Williams, 28, is the defending champion of this grasscourt major and is attempting to win it for the fifth time, having also hoisted the trophy in 2000, 2001 and 2005.
“I had some good and bad matches (at Wimbledon) last year - more good than bad,” Williams said. “But I don’t want to compare them, I’m just worried about this year right now.”
Williams grabbed an early break to forge a 2-0 edge, but gave it back and allowed Keothavong to knot things at 2-2. The 36-time champion also faced a break on her ensuing service game, but saved it and would never trail in the match.
“I lost a little bit of focus after I made some errors when we were 2-1 (in the first set), but got (my focus) back thankfully,” Williams said.
Williams, who is 53-7 all-time at Wimbledon, will next face Spanish qualifier Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who upset No. 31 Sania Mirza of India, 6-0, 4-6, 9-7.
Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, the second seed, bulldozed her way into third round with a 6-1, 6-3 drubbing of Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in 57 minutes. The 23-year-old has been to the semifinals at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year, but has yet to reach a Grand Slam title match.
French Open runner-up and No. 9 seed Dinara Safina, who has reached the final of her last three events played, continued to build on the best stretch of her career. The 22-year-old Russian advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Taipei’s Su-Wei Hsieh to set up a match with Shahar Peer.
Fifth seed Elena Dementieva - the highest remaining seed in her quarter of the draw with Sharapova’s exit - also moved through to the third round, avoiding the upset bug that bit compatriot Vera Zvonareva.
The 13th-seeded Russian was bounced from the second round by Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn, who claimed a 7-6 (12-10), 4-6, 6-3 triumph.
Unseeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova posted an upset as well, downing 10th-ranked Slovak Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Hantuchova had been bothered by a stress fracture in her foot coming into the event.
It also was a disappointing day for American veteran Lindsay Davenport, who withdrew from her second-round match with Argentina’s Gisela Dulko due to a right knee injury.
The 32-year-old, a winner here in 1999, said her knee is inflamed, but will not require surgery. Davenport did, however, hint that her career may be nearing an end.
“I feel like it will be my last time walking out (of Wimbledon) as a player,” she said. “I was excited about having the opportunity to play here again.”
The 21-year-old Russian said she wanted to do something classy for Wimbledon so she decided to step up a gear in the tennis fashion parade when appearing on court for the first time in 2008. “It’s the tuxedo look. I was very inspired by menswear this year and every time at Wimbledon I want to do something classy and elegant,” she said after seeing off French qualifier Stephanie Foretz 6-1 6-4.
“This year I said why don’t we do shorts and I have never worn shorts before at a Grand Slam. There is a place to do it and that’s Wimbledon,” the former Wimbledon champion told BBC Television right after stepping off court.
At a sun-kissed Wimbledon on Monday, Serena Williams took to the court wearing a white raincoat. On a gloriously hot afternoon, defending champion Roger Federer opted for a white cardigan after two years sporting a white blazer.
Sharapova was clearly relieved to have got her first match out of the way at the tournament where she became an instant overnight sensation with her win as a teenager, the first of her three Grand Slam wins.
“It was great to get out there and get a feel for Court Number One. It was my first match on grass this year so I did pretty well considering,” she said.
“You never know what is going to happen. You can have a great practice week, you can have a terrible practice week and then go out on court and things can feel totally different.”
Sharapova has no illusions about the compeitition.
“With every round it is going to get tougher and tougher,” she said.
The 2004 Wimbledon champion broke Foretz’s serve four times and had little difficulty in her first match on grass this season.
Much was made of what the 21-year-old Russian player was wearing when she walked onto Court 1, which she described as a tuxedo inspired coat and shorts.
“Every time I come to Wimbledon, I want to do something classy,” she said.