The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sharapova

  • AUSTRALIA OPEN: Sharapova ousts defending champion

    Maria Sharapova smacked a forehand winner – the sort she’s hit so many times, at so many key moments, over the years – to take control against defending champion Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open.

    Sharapova balled up her fists, shut her eyes, threw back her head and let out a yell. She showed she’s ready to be a Grand Slam factor once again.

    Sharapova grabbed the last four games to eliminate Wozniacki 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in nearly three hours yesterday and reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park, building the statement-making victory with aggressive ground-strokes that gave her a 37-10 edge in total winners.

    “I haven’t played many matches in the last year, especially against top players. And these are the kinds of matches I train for,”Sharapova said

    She cut her 2018 season short in September because of problems with her surgically repaired right shoulder.

    Sharapova is seeded only 30th at Melbourne Park, where she won the 2008 title for one of her five Grand Slam trophies but hasn’t been past the quarterfinals since 2015.

    The 31-year-old Russian missed the tournament in 2017 during a 15-month doping suspension that was triggered by a positive doping test during the previous year’s Australian Open.

    Wozniacki was the No. 3 seed in Australia, a year after beating Simona Halep in the final to claim her first major championship. Next for Sharapova is a matchup against Australia’s Ash Barty, who beat Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-1 to equal her best showing at any major tournament.

    “I know,” Sharapova said, “it’s going to be a tough crowd.” No. 15-seeded Barty took two nearly years off from the tennis tour after the 2014 U.S. Open and played cricket during that time.

    “Her story is phenomenal,” Sharapova said. “I know she took a little break and came back and just resurged.”

    Against Wozniacki, Sharapova hung in there in a back-and-forth contest. Wozniacki led 3-2 in the third set after holding at love. But Sharapova finally gained the upper hand with a break for a 4-3 lead, clinched with that big forehand she was so excited about.

    After holding to go up 5-3, Sharapova broke yet again to end it, closing with a big cross-court backhand.

    “The level was quite high,” Sharapaova said. “I knew I was going to get a tough match.”

  • SHARAPOVA PULLS OUT OF STANFORD WITH LEFT ARM INJURY

    SHARAPOVA PULLS OUT OF STANFORD WITH LEFT ARM INJURY

    Citing left arm soreness, Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford.

    The five-time Grand Slam champion made the announcement on Wednesday.

    “Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from today’s match,” Sharapova said in a statement. “Toward the end of Monday night’s match, I felt pain in my left forearm. After yesterday’s scan, the doctor has recommended I don’t risk further injury. Monday night’s crowd was so special and I wish I could continue playing, but I have to make a preventative decision.”

    Sharapova, ranked 171st, defeated Jennifer Brady, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0, in her opener on Monday. This was the first WTA tournament she had played in the United States since 2015.

    The Russian was slated to play seventh-seeded Lesia Tsurenko on Wednesday. With the walkover, Tsurenko will face either Madison Keys or Caroline Dolehide in the quarterfinals.

    “This is definitely tough for Maria,” Bank of the West Classic tournament director Vickie Gunnarsson said. “She has so many fans, which was evident by the support she received here on Monday night. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her back on the court soon.”

    The 30-year-old, who returned to the tour in April following a 15-month drug suspension, is now 6-4 on the season. This was just her fourth tournament of 2017, and first since Rome, after not receiving a French Open wild card and skipping the grass-court season to recover from a left thigh injury.

  • Doping scandal:Nike leaves door open for Sharapova’s return

    Nike Inc, which suspended ties with Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova after she failed a drug test, believes disgraced athletes can redeem themselves, global brand head Trevor Edwards said in an interview.

    “Each time those situations happen, you are saddened and disappointed,” Edwards said on Wednesday at a New York event where the world’s biggest sportswear company announced new products like self-lacing shoes. “At the same time, there are many athletes that inspire us.”

    Edwards, a 53-year-old from Britain, has held his position since 2013 and is seen as a contender to succeed Chief Executive Officer Mark Parker one day. He oversees an annual marketing budget of more than $3 billion and has helped make deals with top athletes like basketball star LeBron James.

    Earlier this month, Nike suspended its sponsorship of Sharapova, the highest-paid woman in sports, after she said she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open due to a substance she was taking for health issues.

    However, Edwards hinted Sharapova could return to the Nike fold, as the company allowed U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin to do after he twice served doping suspensions.

    Asked about Sharapova, he said: “At the end of the day, athletes are humans just like the rest of us, and they have the same frailties that the rest of us have. And sometimes those moments become teaching moments.”

  • Sharapova earns place in final against Ivanovic

    Sharapova earns place in final against Ivanovic

    Russia´s Maria Sharapova won her semi-final at the Brisbane International on Friday to set up a highly-anticipated final against Ana Ivanovic.

    Sharapova beat the talented Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-3 to reach the final without dropping a set.

    Sharapova has dropped just nine games in her three matches to get to the final and showed no mercy against Svitolina, a rising star who won the 2010 junior French Open, as she reached her 56th WTA final.

    “I expected her to play well.I think I did a lot of things good to try to take away her game,” Sharapova said.

    “In the end, it became a little bit more difficult. She became more free, went for her shots a little bit, a few unforced errors from my end, but overall I´m happy I stuck with it and finished the last point.”

  • Sharapova is Highest-Paid Female Athlete

    Sharapova is Highest-Paid Female Athlete

    Russian tennis  star Maria Sharapova has topped Forbes magazine’s list of highest-paid female athletes for the 10th consecutive year, pulling in an estimated $24.4 million in endorsements and prize money between June 2013 and June 2014.

    Sharapova, who suffered an injury-hit season, took home only $2.4 million in tournament winnings over the 12-month period — almost $4 million less than in the previous year, Forbes said Wednesday.

    But she made up for that with a number of lucrative endorsements, which Forbes said totaled $22 million, including deals with athletic wear manufacturer Nike, watchmaker Tag Heuer and carmaker Porsche.

    Meanwhile, Sharapova’s $1 million annual deal with cosmetics company Avon helped offset a loss of earnings when Nike in November sold shoemaker Cole Haan, from which she had received significant royalties on a best-selling line.

    Sharapova, who was born in Russia but lives and trains in the U.S., was joined by no less than six other tennis players in the Forbes top-10 list.

    Chinese star Li Na — whose marketing value has soared since 2011, when she became the first Asian-born star to win a Grand Slam — pulled in a total $23.6 million last year. Li has endorsement deals with Nike, technology giant Samsung and a number of Chinese companies among others.

    Sharapova’s fierce U.S. rival, Serena Williams, who took home five times more in tournament earnings than Sharapova did in 2014, pulled in an estimated $22 million in total — placing her third on the list.

    Completing the tennis lineup were Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka, who placed sixth with earnings of $11.1 million, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki (seventh; $10.8 million), Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska (eighth; $6.8 million); and Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic (ninth; $6.4 million).

  • Sharapova faces Halep in women’s final

    Sharapova faces Halep in women’s final

    For the third straight year, Maria Sharapova will play in the French Open final.

    The seventh-seeded Russian again lost the first set Thursday, but again managed to turn things around, beating Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

    Sharapova will face fourth-seeded Simona Halep of Romania in Saturday’s championship match. Halep reached her first Grand Slam final by defeating 28th-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-2, 7-6 (4).

    Sharapova won eight of the last 10 games against Bouchard, and has won 19 straight three-set matches on clay the last three at Roland Garros after losing the first set.

    “I would love to win those matches in two sets, but I always feel like I put in the work to be ready to play whatever it takes,” Sharapova said. “If it takes three hours to win the match in three sets, I will be ready for that.”

    Sharapova completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open in 2012, but lost to Serena Williams in last year’s final.

    Bouchard, a 20-year-old Canadian seeded 18th, was playing at Roland Garros for the only second time. Last year, she lost to Sharapova in the second round.

    Sharapova struggled a bit with her serve, double-faulting nine times and getting broken four times. But she made up for her shaky serving with solid groundstrokes, either going for winners or waiting out errors from Bouchard.

    “I don’t feel that I played my best tennis, but to be in the semifinals of a Grand Slam and winning a match where I felt my opponent played extremely well, exceptional tennis, and I didn’t feel that I was playing my best, I fought, I scrambled, and I found a way to win,” Sharapova said.

    In the second semifinal, Halep played aggressive tennis in the first set. She finished the set with 12 winners and seven unforced errors, while Petkovic had only three winners and 14 unforced errors. The second set was much closer as Petkovic played with more consistency, but the 22-year-old Romanian was able to close it out in the tiebreaker with a forehand winner.

    Both Halep and Petkovic were playing in a major semifinal for the first time. Bouchard, however,also reached this stage at the Australian Open in January.

  • Nadal, Sharapova beaten at Indian Wells

    Nadal, Sharapova beaten at Indian Wells

    Rafa Nadal and Maria Sharapova were both knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Monday, after stunning upsets at one of the world’s biggest tournaments outside the four grand slams.

    Nadal was sent packing by Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) after Sharapova fell to Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi 6-3 , 7-6, 7-5 as last year’s men’s and women’s singles champions both crashed out.

    Nadal blew a 4-2 lead in the deciding tiebreak after the Spaniard had fought his way back from 5-2 down in the deciding third set.

    “I wanted to play very well here.

    “I had good success in this tournament in the past, a tournament I always feel good about,” said Nadal, who will now turn his attention to the Sony Open in south Florida.

    “I’m going to keep working hard to try to be ready to play better in Miami.”

    Nadal beat Dolgopolov in the final of the inaugural Rio Open last month, but the Ukrainian got his revenge on the world number one in the Californian desert.

    “I feel great, as after every win, of course.

    “I beat the defending champion and the number one in the world,” said Dolgopolov, whose next opponent is Fabio Fognini.

    Giorgi, a 22-year-old ranked 79th in the world, made the fourth round of the U.S. Open last year as a qualifier, but her win over the world number five Russian was the biggest of her career.

    “I did not play a good match at all,” said Sharapova, who dropped serve eight times and committed 58 unforced errors.

    “I’ve never played against her, but she’s someone that doesn’t give you much rhythm.

    “She’s quite aggressive, but some shots she hits incredible for a long period of time.

    “Sometimes they go off a bit. But, if I’m speaking about my level, it was nowhere near where it should have been.”

     

  • Sharapova out to end Serena jinx in Paris

    Sharapova out to end Serena jinx in Paris

    Defending champion Maria Sharapova will have to halt a 12-match losing streak against Serena Williams if she is to retain her French Open crown on Saturday.

    The Russian faces a daunting task against her US opponent, who is world number one and enters the showpiece on the back of a semi-final victory in which she conceded just one game to Sara Errani.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly both players were keen to play down the significance of Williams’s dominance over her younger rival which stretches back nine years.

    “Her success has been incredible,” Sharapova said of Williams, who has 15 grand slams to her name. “But going into a French Open final, that doesn’t matter. It all starts from zero. You’ve got to play until the last point and believe in yourself.”

    Williams’s biggest enemy could be complacency. She has conceded just three sets to Sharapova in the best part of a decade. Nonetheless, she insists she is taking nothing for granted.

    Asked whether history was on her side, she answered: “Not really, because it’s a different time, a different era, a different match.”

    Williams’s reluctance to talk up her chances perhaps comes from her troubled past at the French Open — a competition she has won just once, in 2002.

    Her nadir in Paris arguably came in 2003 when a 33-match grand slam winning streak ended with a three-set loss to Justine Henin in a semi-final marked by Henin’s gamesmanship, a partisan crowd that cheered Williams’s faults, and the US star’s post-match tears.

    Those days seem a long time ago now and, barring a major dip in form from Williams, Sharapova will likely need a once-in-a-lifetime performance to keep her title.

    “It would be awesome for me,” Williams said when asked how it would feel to win at Roland Garros for only the second time. “I don’t think there’s anything that can describe how happy I would be.”

    Faced with daunting odds, Sharapova would surely feel the same way should she wrest victory from her rival.