andrewbroad
Mar 28th, 2006, 11:06 PM
===============
NAZGŰL-100 OPEN (Miami, Florida, USA; outdoor hard; WTA Tier I)
=============== http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/ (http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/)
This is an historic tournament in that Hawkeye will be used to verify line-calls for the first time ever on the WTA and ATP Tours. Each player will be allowed to challenge two line-calls per set (and one more in a tiebreak), but a challenge is not used up if the player is correct.
Maria: "As a player, I want to know that line-calls are as accurate as technology will allow. In that sense, today's [6th March] announcement is great news for all players."
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Photos
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On court:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=sharapova (http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=sharapova)
http://www.maria-sharapova.net/ (http://www.maria-sharapova.net/)
Various players:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226035&page=4 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226035&page=4) (and pp.6-9)
Stars For Stars awards-night:
http://www.starsforstarsmiami.com/photogallery/ (http://www.starsforstarsmiami.com/photogallery/)
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/photogallery/ (http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/photogallery/) ("Stars For Stars")
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226390 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226390) (pp. 1, 8)
http://www.abacausa.com/ (http://www.abacausa.com/)
Other photos (on-court and off):
http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/pr/news21773.html (http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/pr/news21773.html) (various players)
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=99305&page=125 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=99305&page=125) (and p.126) (Maria only)
Search Getty Images for "sharapova"
Maria looked gorgeous playing Top Spin 2! :drool:
Maria Sharapova lookalikes (and MARIA herself):
http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/photos/gallery21924.html (http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/photos/gallery21924.html)
Sometimes a girl goes through a phase where she just looks more gorgeous every time you see her, and in my view, Maria's going through one of those now! :hearts:
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Tournament-preview (as I wrote it at the time)
------------------
2r: If Maria is healthy then I can't envisage anything other than a routine victory over Li, whom she beat 6-0 6-2 in 3r Australian Open 2005.
3r: Again, I can't envisage problems for Maria against Peschke, though I'd prefer a match with the beautiful Maria Elena Camerin (who actually beat our Maria at ITF Pittsburgh 2002 for a 1-0 head-to-head).
4r: This round promises a beautiful opponent for Maria, whether it's Flavia Pennetta as the seedings decree, Maria Kirilenko as I would prefer, or even Marta Domachowska. Big Maria should get a good workout from either Flavia or Little Maria, who were in good form before their disappointing exits at Indian Wells, but may now be struggling with an ankle-sprain and a knee-injury respectively.
qf: Perhaps Anastasia Myskina would be the one to come through that section, but she lost 6-1 6-3 to Dinara Safina at Indian Wells. I would love to see Anna Chakvetadze come through, but I think Shahar Peer is the dark horse of that section.
sf: Defending champion Kim Clijsters is the obvious threat, but she's only played one tournament (Antwerp) since suffering a serious ankle-injury at the Australian Open. But she got to the final of Antwerp, so even a seriously-injured Clijsters is hard to beat. Maria has a 0-4 head-to-head against Clijsters, but this would be a good chance to rectify that.
I would love to see Tatiana Golovin come through that quarter of the draw instead, but Elena Dementieva, Francesca Schiavone or Anna-Lena Grönefeld would be the most likely beneficiaries if anything happened to Clijsters.
final: I would love to see either Daniela Hantuchová or Vera Zvonarëva in the final, but the most likely finalists from the top half are new world #1 and fluke Australian Open champion Amélie Mauresmo (whom Maria has never beaten), Nadia Petrova (who beat Mauresmo in the Doha final, but has a mental block over playing Maria), or even Martina Hingis, who is making an amazing comeback after her three-year retirement.
Or perhaps this will be the tournament where the talented Ana Ivanovic really comes of age.
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Second round (Saturday 25th March)
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+ MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] d. Li,Na, 6-2 6-4
Maria was 1-4 down in the second set against Li, but won the last five games.
Maria: "I played a really sloppy game on my serve. I missed six out of seven first serves, which, you know, I was serving great in the first set, and all of a sudden just didn't make any first serves. And, you know, she took advantage of that, gained confidence from that, and started hitting winners left and right. Credit to her, she played good and I got a little bit sloppy.
"I think I just stepped in the court a little bit more, and just put some pressure on her. She started making a little bit more unforced errors. She was hitting winners left and right when she was getting up to 4-1. She was going for it and missed a few."
Maria played this match on Saturday evening, and had to play again on Sunday afternoon. "Yeah, it's different, but I've done it before and, you know, it's nothing new. Just got to get a good night's sleep and be ready for tomorrow."
Maria's full interview:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7662074 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7662074)
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Third round (Sunday 26th March)
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+ MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] d. Maria Elena Camerin [Q], 6-2 7-6 (7/2)
MARIA recovered from 1-4 and 2-5 in the second set, saving eight set-points. Which is not all that surprising, considering the way beautiful Maria Elena folded like a deck of cards against Nathalie Dechy at Wimbledon 2005 after building a 5-1 lead with hard hitting and spreading rallies.
So MARIA has recovered from fairly big holes in the second sets of her last two matches, which is good experience because although she wins the majority of her matches easily and is so strong mentally, I can't actually think of many examples in her career where she's recovered from the verge of losing a set - she seems to lose those sets, and although against lesser players she just steps it up in the next (usually third) set, it's been costing her places in Grand Slam finals.
MARIA: "She hit the ball very deep and hard, and she played like she had nothing to lose, and it's dangerous to play those kind of players. I fought for it. I did a good job of fighting at the end. When the day's not great, when you feel like you're not playing your best tennis, I still know that I can fight it out, and that's how I win a lot of my matches.
"I didn't really feel great out there today, but I did a very good job at the end. I started off well and things were going my way, and all of a sudden I just made a lot of unforced errors [38 in total], especially with the wind. All my balls were floating out.
"Couldn't quite get the feel out there or the rhythm, so, you know, moving was difficult for some reason. Maybe because I played - went to sleep a little bit late, so was a little bit lousy on the court.
"She's up 40/Love, serving for it so, you know, she wants to close it out. It's in her hands, you know. I just try to get another ball back and, I mean, on 40/30 I hit a lefty shot that kind of floated up in the air. I mean, it was a pretty good shot. She missed a swinging volley. I think she kind of lost her confidence from then on.
[Re. left-handed forehands]
"Some balls where I feel I can't reach with the two-handed backhand, that's when I do it. Obviously, I don't have that much power from that side, but that's the only chance I've got."
Full MARIA interview:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7670568 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7670568)
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Fourth-round preview (as I wrote it at the time)
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SHARAPOVA v KIRILENKO: This is the third professional singles-match between the Super Maria Sisters. Big Maria won the first 7-6 6-2, but retired injured from the second.
Many people think that Little Maria will be a threat to Big Maria - Little Maria has terrific all-court skills, great returns of serve and excellent footwork. But I know Big Maria will be too strong, especially on anything resembling Indian Wells form.
Little Maria's best chance to apply some pressure on Big Maria will be when she can get to the net, and her best time to attack will be in the second set if Big Maria's last two matches are anything to go by.
Big Maria: "It's always hard playing a friend. Last time was not a good experience for me. I was injured in Beijing, and she was playing great tennis. She's a great athlete. She can definitely play the game. But that's tennis. You're gonna play your buddies once in a while."
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Fourth round (Monday 27th March)
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+ MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] d. MARIA KIRILENKO [20], 3-6 6-4 6-1
These are the Super Maria Sisters:
* Big Maria (Sharapova) is quite possibly the best exponent of flairsome power. Her groundstrokes are powerful and heavy, yet sharp and flairsome as her soft hands whip through the ball - often on the rise - with immaculate timing. She goes for her shots and makes many brilliant winners. She also has the most amazing passion, intensity, and will to win. Big Maria is second only to Monica Seles in my eternal fanship.
* Little Maria (Kirilenko) is also a joy to watch when she's on form, as she has terrific all-court skills, great returns of serve and excellent footwork. She's a favourite member of my casual demi-fanship, and with the way her results have improved since the last time I saw her play singles (Birmingham 2005), I consider her one of the three leading contenders for possible future induction into my eternal fanship (my passion says I should induct her already, but my reason says I must wait to be sure before I make a commitment of such magnitude).
I must admit I like the Super Maria Sisters for more than just their tennis-qualities. Little Maria is ultracute and extremely pretty. Big Maria is charming, sexy and sophisticated; off court she can be even prettier than Little Maria. It's hard to believe that Big Maria is still only 18, while Little Maria is already 19.
Big Maria: "We've known each other since we were 12 or 13, playing junior tournaments. We've always kind of stuck together. We kind of have similar lives, similar interests because of our age. It's cool to have someone that's very real and has a good heart out here. You don't want to be playing a good friend in the fourth round, but, you know, you're playing a tournament every single week so that's going to happen."
I didn't see this match myself (not having access to Eurosport), but I have such a passion for the Super Maria Sisters that I couldn't resist following live scores at http://scores.nasdaq-100open.com/ (http://scores.nasdaq-100open.com/)
With both of them playing for the third day in a row in the Miami heat, and Big Maria running Little Maria from side to side with spreading rallies, it was Little Maria who wilted in the third set.
Summon: "Maria started going for longer rallies in the second and Kirilenko made the mistake going for lots of slide shots, not a bad tactic when someone is making many errors like Sharapova, but she was starting to play better, her shots were going in again and she gained confidence, by the time Kirilenko started to attack again it was too late, Sharapova was already playing at her normal level and Kirilenko lost her own game, she started to make more and more errors, after a long final game Maria finally won!"
First Set
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SHARAPOVA @*_____*_ 3
KIRILENKO __*@*@* * 6
The match started at 13:13 EST.
Kirilenko serving 0-0: 0/30 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.
Sharapova serving 1-0: 0/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.
Kirilenko serving 0-2: 40/0, 40/15, held.
Sharapova serving 2-1: 0/15, 15/15, 15/40 (2 BPs), broken.
Kirilenko serving 2-2: 40/0, 40/15, held.
What a turn-around for Little Maria! Big Maria has won only 3 of the last 15 points, and has already committed 11 UEs. How long can Little Maria hold onto the momentum?
Sharapova serving 2-3: 40/0 -> 40/40, ad K (BP), broken.
Well, I never thought Big Maria would suffer an attack of Alexandra Stevenson's Syndrome: dropping serve from 40/0 up! I thought the Sharapova-overdrive had kicked in, as usual when she senses a threat, but what I sense is that she is out of sorts today.
Has her friendship with Little Maria dampened her killer-instinct? I must admit that playing Little Maria does dampen the vicarious killer-instinct that I feel as a faithful fan of Big Maria.
Kirilenko serving 4-2: 0/30 -> 40/30, held.
It's usually Big Maria who is so good at pulling out games in which she is behind. Has the scoreboard got their names the wrong way round? ;) A whopping 18 UEs from Big Maria, only 5 from Little Maria.
Sharapova serving to stay in the first set at 2-5: 0/30 -> 30/30, 30/40 (SP #1), 40/40, ad S, held.
Big Maria saved 8 set-points against Maria Elena Camerin - can she do so again?
Kirilenko serving for the first set at 5-3: 40/0 (3 SPs: SP #2), Kirilenko won the first set 6-3 at 13:54.
www.wtatour.com (http://www.wtatour.com/): "After a nervous start, dropping the first two games of the match, the 20th-seeded Kirilenko reeled off five consecutive games to build a 5-2 lead, closing the first set out two games later with a love service game, ending it emphatically with a big overhead into an open court on her first set point [of that game]."
Big Maria W:UE 7:20, Little Maria 6:6. Big Maria is winning only 27% of points on her second serve.
C'mon Big Maria, it's time to get serious!
Second Set
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SHARAPOVA *@__* *@ @ 6
KIRILENKO __@* *__@_ 4
Sharapova serving 0-0: 0/15, 40/15, held.
Kirilenko serving 0-1: 15/0, 15/40 (2 BPs), broken.
That's more like it from Big Maria! Now it's Little Maria making the UEs. But Big Maria led 2-0 in the first set, then lost five games in a row!
Sharapova serving 2-0: 15/0, 15/40 (2 BPs), broken.
Is the 2-0 -> 2-2 pattern repeating itself? 4 UEs apiece in this set.
Kirilenko serving 1-2: 0/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.
Sharapova serving 2-2: 30/0, 30/15, 40/15, 40/30, held.
Kirilenko serving 2-3: 0/15, 15/15, 15/30, 30/30, 30/40 (BP), 40/40, ad K, held.
Again, it's Little Maria fighting out of the games in which she's down - a trait usually associated with Big Maria.
Sharapova serving 3-3: 15/0, 15/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.
I feel strongly that Big Maria is going to pull this out in three sets now. She's mistress of the decisive moments.
Kirilenko serving 3-4: 0/30 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.
Sharapova serving for the second set at 5-3: 0/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30 (SP #1), 40/40, ad K (BP), Deuce #2, ad K (BP #2), broken.
It's ironic: Little Maria served out the first set easily at 5-3, but when it was Big Maria's turn in the second, she blew a set-point. All I can suppose is that Little Maria has nothing to lose, while all the pressure is on Big Maria's sexy shoulders.
Kirilenko serving to stay in the second set at 4-5: 15/0, 15/40 (2 SPs: SP #2), Sharapova won the second set 6-4 at 14:47.
Big Maria had a W:UE ratio of 8:18 for the second set, Little Maria 5:13. Both girls are struggling when they have to use their second serves. Little Maria came to the net more in the second set than she did in the first, but with a much lower success-rate.
The set-break lasted seven minutes.
Third Set
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SHARAPOVA * *@*@* 6
KIRILENKO _*_____ 1
Sharapova serving 0-0: Held to love.
Has the tide turned fully in Big Maria's favour now?
"I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend. Now you will experience the full power of the dark side!"
Kirilenko serving 0-1: 0/15, 15/15, 40/15, held.
"Not if anything to say about it I have!"
Sharapova serving 1-1: 30/0 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP - saved with a kick-serve), 40/40, ad S, held.
"You will not stop me. Vaidišová will become more powerful than either of us."
(They fight)
Kirilenko serving 2-1: 0/15, 15/15, 15/30, 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.
It's actually Little Maria with more winners this set - but more UEs too.
Sharapova serving 3-1: 40/0 -> 40/40, ad S, held.
Big Maria staved off another bout of Alexandra Stevenson's Syndrome, and has surely pulled clear in this match now.
Kirilenko serving 1-4: 30/0 -> 30/30, 40/30, 40/40, ad S (BP), broken.
This is much more typical Sharapova than any previous game in this match: it's so hard for her opponent to close out a game against such a strong will.
Sharapova serving for the match at 5-1: 15/0, 15/15, 40/15 (2 MPs) -> 40/40, ad S (MP #3), Deuce #2, ad S (MP #4), Deuce #3, ad K (BP), Deuce #4, ad K (BP #2), Deuce #5, ad S (MP #5), Sharapova won 3-6 6-4 6-1 at 15:32 (2h19m).
Wow, what a last game! I almost wish that Little Maria had won it, to make the following Yoda-quote appropriate: "If so powerful are you, why leave?"
Instead, it's: "Into exile I must go. Failed, I have."
Statistics
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Big Maria had a final W:UE of 25:43, which she'll certainly need to improve on for the three challenges between herself and the title (at least she only made 5 UEs in the third set). Little Maria's W:UE was actually much better at 23:30, but what the statistics don't tell you about is forced errors - I'm sure the Force was strong with Big Maria! ;)
There was a fair amount of net-play in this match, particularly from Little Maria, who won 13 of 19 points there (Big Maria was more selective, with a higher success-rate as she won 11 of 14 points at the net).
In points it was much narrower than the scoreline implies: Big Maria 88-82. This is due to the fact that Little Maria won the first set 32-21; Big Maria won the second 34-28 and the third 32-22.
Both girls got 59% of first serves in, Big Maria winning 64% of the points when she did so (Little Maria 61%), and 44% when she had to use her second serve (Little Maria 42%). Big Maria served 5 aces and 8 double faults, Little Maria four of each.
Big Maria broke 6 times from 7 break-points, while Little Maria broke 4 times from 9. So Little Maria actually generated more opportunities for herself, but Big Maria was almost twice as successful at converting hers.
Big Maria quotes
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"I was down a set, but I tried to hang in. I wasn't playing my best, that's for sure. She put pressure on me and kept me on the defensive. It came down to a few points in the second set, and I picked it up in the third.
"I definitely did not play my best tennis in the first two sets, but I was playing a lot of defense out there, and she was stepping in the court. She was hitting very deep and hard, and especially against the wind, I was just pushing everything back.
"In the second set, I think it was just one or two balls that made the difference, and then in the third, you know, I stepped it up. I could see that she was physically getting a little bit tired, wasn't getting to as many balls. I started to pick up my game."
Big Maria has an amazing ability to "step it up" in third sets, winning them 6-1. I saw her do this twice at Wimbledon 2004, and three times at Birmingham 2005.
Big Maria's full interview:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7679083 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7679083)
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Quarter-final draw
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* AMÉLIE MAURESMO [1] v NADIA PETROVA [5] (anyone but Mauresmo!)
* SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA [12] d. AI SUGIYAMA [21]
* ANASTASIA MYSKINA [10] v MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] (DAVAI MARIA!!)
* TATIANA GOLOVIN [22] v Zheng,Jie (allez Tatiana!)
--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/ (http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/)
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/ (http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/)
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/shara/ (http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/shara/)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sizzlingsharapova/ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sizzlingsharapova/)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/)
NAZGŰL-100 OPEN (Miami, Florida, USA; outdoor hard; WTA Tier I)
=============== http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/ (http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/)
This is an historic tournament in that Hawkeye will be used to verify line-calls for the first time ever on the WTA and ATP Tours. Each player will be allowed to challenge two line-calls per set (and one more in a tiebreak), but a challenge is not used up if the player is correct.
Maria: "As a player, I want to know that line-calls are as accurate as technology will allow. In that sense, today's [6th March] announcement is great news for all players."
------
Photos
------
On court:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=sharapova (http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=sharapova)
http://www.maria-sharapova.net/ (http://www.maria-sharapova.net/)
Various players:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226035&page=4 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226035&page=4) (and pp.6-9)
Stars For Stars awards-night:
http://www.starsforstarsmiami.com/photogallery/ (http://www.starsforstarsmiami.com/photogallery/)
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/photogallery/ (http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/photogallery/) ("Stars For Stars")
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226390 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=226390) (pp. 1, 8)
http://www.abacausa.com/ (http://www.abacausa.com/)
Other photos (on-court and off):
http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/pr/news21773.html (http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/pr/news21773.html) (various players)
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=99305&page=125 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=99305&page=125) (and p.126) (Maria only)
Search Getty Images for "sharapova"
Maria looked gorgeous playing Top Spin 2! :drool:
Maria Sharapova lookalikes (and MARIA herself):
http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/photos/gallery21924.html (http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/photos/gallery21924.html)
Sometimes a girl goes through a phase where she just looks more gorgeous every time you see her, and in my view, Maria's going through one of those now! :hearts:
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Tournament-preview (as I wrote it at the time)
------------------
2r: If Maria is healthy then I can't envisage anything other than a routine victory over Li, whom she beat 6-0 6-2 in 3r Australian Open 2005.
3r: Again, I can't envisage problems for Maria against Peschke, though I'd prefer a match with the beautiful Maria Elena Camerin (who actually beat our Maria at ITF Pittsburgh 2002 for a 1-0 head-to-head).
4r: This round promises a beautiful opponent for Maria, whether it's Flavia Pennetta as the seedings decree, Maria Kirilenko as I would prefer, or even Marta Domachowska. Big Maria should get a good workout from either Flavia or Little Maria, who were in good form before their disappointing exits at Indian Wells, but may now be struggling with an ankle-sprain and a knee-injury respectively.
qf: Perhaps Anastasia Myskina would be the one to come through that section, but she lost 6-1 6-3 to Dinara Safina at Indian Wells. I would love to see Anna Chakvetadze come through, but I think Shahar Peer is the dark horse of that section.
sf: Defending champion Kim Clijsters is the obvious threat, but she's only played one tournament (Antwerp) since suffering a serious ankle-injury at the Australian Open. But she got to the final of Antwerp, so even a seriously-injured Clijsters is hard to beat. Maria has a 0-4 head-to-head against Clijsters, but this would be a good chance to rectify that.
I would love to see Tatiana Golovin come through that quarter of the draw instead, but Elena Dementieva, Francesca Schiavone or Anna-Lena Grönefeld would be the most likely beneficiaries if anything happened to Clijsters.
final: I would love to see either Daniela Hantuchová or Vera Zvonarëva in the final, but the most likely finalists from the top half are new world #1 and fluke Australian Open champion Amélie Mauresmo (whom Maria has never beaten), Nadia Petrova (who beat Mauresmo in the Doha final, but has a mental block over playing Maria), or even Martina Hingis, who is making an amazing comeback after her three-year retirement.
Or perhaps this will be the tournament where the talented Ana Ivanovic really comes of age.
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Second round (Saturday 25th March)
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+ MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] d. Li,Na, 6-2 6-4
Maria was 1-4 down in the second set against Li, but won the last five games.
Maria: "I played a really sloppy game on my serve. I missed six out of seven first serves, which, you know, I was serving great in the first set, and all of a sudden just didn't make any first serves. And, you know, she took advantage of that, gained confidence from that, and started hitting winners left and right. Credit to her, she played good and I got a little bit sloppy.
"I think I just stepped in the court a little bit more, and just put some pressure on her. She started making a little bit more unforced errors. She was hitting winners left and right when she was getting up to 4-1. She was going for it and missed a few."
Maria played this match on Saturday evening, and had to play again on Sunday afternoon. "Yeah, it's different, but I've done it before and, you know, it's nothing new. Just got to get a good night's sleep and be ready for tomorrow."
Maria's full interview:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7662074 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7662074)
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Third round (Sunday 26th March)
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+ MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] d. Maria Elena Camerin [Q], 6-2 7-6 (7/2)
MARIA recovered from 1-4 and 2-5 in the second set, saving eight set-points. Which is not all that surprising, considering the way beautiful Maria Elena folded like a deck of cards against Nathalie Dechy at Wimbledon 2005 after building a 5-1 lead with hard hitting and spreading rallies.
So MARIA has recovered from fairly big holes in the second sets of her last two matches, which is good experience because although she wins the majority of her matches easily and is so strong mentally, I can't actually think of many examples in her career where she's recovered from the verge of losing a set - she seems to lose those sets, and although against lesser players she just steps it up in the next (usually third) set, it's been costing her places in Grand Slam finals.
MARIA: "She hit the ball very deep and hard, and she played like she had nothing to lose, and it's dangerous to play those kind of players. I fought for it. I did a good job of fighting at the end. When the day's not great, when you feel like you're not playing your best tennis, I still know that I can fight it out, and that's how I win a lot of my matches.
"I didn't really feel great out there today, but I did a very good job at the end. I started off well and things were going my way, and all of a sudden I just made a lot of unforced errors [38 in total], especially with the wind. All my balls were floating out.
"Couldn't quite get the feel out there or the rhythm, so, you know, moving was difficult for some reason. Maybe because I played - went to sleep a little bit late, so was a little bit lousy on the court.
"She's up 40/Love, serving for it so, you know, she wants to close it out. It's in her hands, you know. I just try to get another ball back and, I mean, on 40/30 I hit a lefty shot that kind of floated up in the air. I mean, it was a pretty good shot. She missed a swinging volley. I think she kind of lost her confidence from then on.
[Re. left-handed forehands]
"Some balls where I feel I can't reach with the two-handed backhand, that's when I do it. Obviously, I don't have that much power from that side, but that's the only chance I've got."
Full MARIA interview:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7670568 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7670568)
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Fourth-round preview (as I wrote it at the time)
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SHARAPOVA v KIRILENKO: This is the third professional singles-match between the Super Maria Sisters. Big Maria won the first 7-6 6-2, but retired injured from the second.
Many people think that Little Maria will be a threat to Big Maria - Little Maria has terrific all-court skills, great returns of serve and excellent footwork. But I know Big Maria will be too strong, especially on anything resembling Indian Wells form.
Little Maria's best chance to apply some pressure on Big Maria will be when she can get to the net, and her best time to attack will be in the second set if Big Maria's last two matches are anything to go by.
Big Maria: "It's always hard playing a friend. Last time was not a good experience for me. I was injured in Beijing, and she was playing great tennis. She's a great athlete. She can definitely play the game. But that's tennis. You're gonna play your buddies once in a while."
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Fourth round (Monday 27th March)
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+ MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] d. MARIA KIRILENKO [20], 3-6 6-4 6-1
These are the Super Maria Sisters:
* Big Maria (Sharapova) is quite possibly the best exponent of flairsome power. Her groundstrokes are powerful and heavy, yet sharp and flairsome as her soft hands whip through the ball - often on the rise - with immaculate timing. She goes for her shots and makes many brilliant winners. She also has the most amazing passion, intensity, and will to win. Big Maria is second only to Monica Seles in my eternal fanship.
* Little Maria (Kirilenko) is also a joy to watch when she's on form, as she has terrific all-court skills, great returns of serve and excellent footwork. She's a favourite member of my casual demi-fanship, and with the way her results have improved since the last time I saw her play singles (Birmingham 2005), I consider her one of the three leading contenders for possible future induction into my eternal fanship (my passion says I should induct her already, but my reason says I must wait to be sure before I make a commitment of such magnitude).
I must admit I like the Super Maria Sisters for more than just their tennis-qualities. Little Maria is ultracute and extremely pretty. Big Maria is charming, sexy and sophisticated; off court she can be even prettier than Little Maria. It's hard to believe that Big Maria is still only 18, while Little Maria is already 19.
Big Maria: "We've known each other since we were 12 or 13, playing junior tournaments. We've always kind of stuck together. We kind of have similar lives, similar interests because of our age. It's cool to have someone that's very real and has a good heart out here. You don't want to be playing a good friend in the fourth round, but, you know, you're playing a tournament every single week so that's going to happen."
I didn't see this match myself (not having access to Eurosport), but I have such a passion for the Super Maria Sisters that I couldn't resist following live scores at http://scores.nasdaq-100open.com/ (http://scores.nasdaq-100open.com/)
With both of them playing for the third day in a row in the Miami heat, and Big Maria running Little Maria from side to side with spreading rallies, it was Little Maria who wilted in the third set.
Summon: "Maria started going for longer rallies in the second and Kirilenko made the mistake going for lots of slide shots, not a bad tactic when someone is making many errors like Sharapova, but she was starting to play better, her shots were going in again and she gained confidence, by the time Kirilenko started to attack again it was too late, Sharapova was already playing at her normal level and Kirilenko lost her own game, she started to make more and more errors, after a long final game Maria finally won!"
First Set
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SHARAPOVA @*_____*_ 3
KIRILENKO __*@*@* * 6
The match started at 13:13 EST.
Kirilenko serving 0-0: 0/30 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.
Sharapova serving 1-0: 0/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.
Kirilenko serving 0-2: 40/0, 40/15, held.
Sharapova serving 2-1: 0/15, 15/15, 15/40 (2 BPs), broken.
Kirilenko serving 2-2: 40/0, 40/15, held.
What a turn-around for Little Maria! Big Maria has won only 3 of the last 15 points, and has already committed 11 UEs. How long can Little Maria hold onto the momentum?
Sharapova serving 2-3: 40/0 -> 40/40, ad K (BP), broken.
Well, I never thought Big Maria would suffer an attack of Alexandra Stevenson's Syndrome: dropping serve from 40/0 up! I thought the Sharapova-overdrive had kicked in, as usual when she senses a threat, but what I sense is that she is out of sorts today.
Has her friendship with Little Maria dampened her killer-instinct? I must admit that playing Little Maria does dampen the vicarious killer-instinct that I feel as a faithful fan of Big Maria.
Kirilenko serving 4-2: 0/30 -> 40/30, held.
It's usually Big Maria who is so good at pulling out games in which she is behind. Has the scoreboard got their names the wrong way round? ;) A whopping 18 UEs from Big Maria, only 5 from Little Maria.
Sharapova serving to stay in the first set at 2-5: 0/30 -> 30/30, 30/40 (SP #1), 40/40, ad S, held.
Big Maria saved 8 set-points against Maria Elena Camerin - can she do so again?
Kirilenko serving for the first set at 5-3: 40/0 (3 SPs: SP #2), Kirilenko won the first set 6-3 at 13:54.
www.wtatour.com (http://www.wtatour.com/): "After a nervous start, dropping the first two games of the match, the 20th-seeded Kirilenko reeled off five consecutive games to build a 5-2 lead, closing the first set out two games later with a love service game, ending it emphatically with a big overhead into an open court on her first set point [of that game]."
Big Maria W:UE 7:20, Little Maria 6:6. Big Maria is winning only 27% of points on her second serve.
C'mon Big Maria, it's time to get serious!
Second Set
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SHARAPOVA *@__* *@ @ 6
KIRILENKO __@* *__@_ 4
Sharapova serving 0-0: 0/15, 40/15, held.
Kirilenko serving 0-1: 15/0, 15/40 (2 BPs), broken.
That's more like it from Big Maria! Now it's Little Maria making the UEs. But Big Maria led 2-0 in the first set, then lost five games in a row!
Sharapova serving 2-0: 15/0, 15/40 (2 BPs), broken.
Is the 2-0 -> 2-2 pattern repeating itself? 4 UEs apiece in this set.
Kirilenko serving 1-2: 0/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.
Sharapova serving 2-2: 30/0, 30/15, 40/15, 40/30, held.
Kirilenko serving 2-3: 0/15, 15/15, 15/30, 30/30, 30/40 (BP), 40/40, ad K, held.
Again, it's Little Maria fighting out of the games in which she's down - a trait usually associated with Big Maria.
Sharapova serving 3-3: 15/0, 15/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.
I feel strongly that Big Maria is going to pull this out in three sets now. She's mistress of the decisive moments.
Kirilenko serving 3-4: 0/30 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.
Sharapova serving for the second set at 5-3: 0/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30 (SP #1), 40/40, ad K (BP), Deuce #2, ad K (BP #2), broken.
It's ironic: Little Maria served out the first set easily at 5-3, but when it was Big Maria's turn in the second, she blew a set-point. All I can suppose is that Little Maria has nothing to lose, while all the pressure is on Big Maria's sexy shoulders.
Kirilenko serving to stay in the second set at 4-5: 15/0, 15/40 (2 SPs: SP #2), Sharapova won the second set 6-4 at 14:47.
Big Maria had a W:UE ratio of 8:18 for the second set, Little Maria 5:13. Both girls are struggling when they have to use their second serves. Little Maria came to the net more in the second set than she did in the first, but with a much lower success-rate.
The set-break lasted seven minutes.
Third Set
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SHARAPOVA * *@*@* 6
KIRILENKO _*_____ 1
Sharapova serving 0-0: Held to love.
Has the tide turned fully in Big Maria's favour now?
"I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend. Now you will experience the full power of the dark side!"
Kirilenko serving 0-1: 0/15, 15/15, 40/15, held.
"Not if anything to say about it I have!"
Sharapova serving 1-1: 30/0 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP - saved with a kick-serve), 40/40, ad S, held.
"You will not stop me. Vaidišová will become more powerful than either of us."
(They fight)
Kirilenko serving 2-1: 0/15, 15/15, 15/30, 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.
It's actually Little Maria with more winners this set - but more UEs too.
Sharapova serving 3-1: 40/0 -> 40/40, ad S, held.
Big Maria staved off another bout of Alexandra Stevenson's Syndrome, and has surely pulled clear in this match now.
Kirilenko serving 1-4: 30/0 -> 30/30, 40/30, 40/40, ad S (BP), broken.
This is much more typical Sharapova than any previous game in this match: it's so hard for her opponent to close out a game against such a strong will.
Sharapova serving for the match at 5-1: 15/0, 15/15, 40/15 (2 MPs) -> 40/40, ad S (MP #3), Deuce #2, ad S (MP #4), Deuce #3, ad K (BP), Deuce #4, ad K (BP #2), Deuce #5, ad S (MP #5), Sharapova won 3-6 6-4 6-1 at 15:32 (2h19m).
Wow, what a last game! I almost wish that Little Maria had won it, to make the following Yoda-quote appropriate: "If so powerful are you, why leave?"
Instead, it's: "Into exile I must go. Failed, I have."
Statistics
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Big Maria had a final W:UE of 25:43, which she'll certainly need to improve on for the three challenges between herself and the title (at least she only made 5 UEs in the third set). Little Maria's W:UE was actually much better at 23:30, but what the statistics don't tell you about is forced errors - I'm sure the Force was strong with Big Maria! ;)
There was a fair amount of net-play in this match, particularly from Little Maria, who won 13 of 19 points there (Big Maria was more selective, with a higher success-rate as she won 11 of 14 points at the net).
In points it was much narrower than the scoreline implies: Big Maria 88-82. This is due to the fact that Little Maria won the first set 32-21; Big Maria won the second 34-28 and the third 32-22.
Both girls got 59% of first serves in, Big Maria winning 64% of the points when she did so (Little Maria 61%), and 44% when she had to use her second serve (Little Maria 42%). Big Maria served 5 aces and 8 double faults, Little Maria four of each.
Big Maria broke 6 times from 7 break-points, while Little Maria broke 4 times from 9. So Little Maria actually generated more opportunities for herself, but Big Maria was almost twice as successful at converting hers.
Big Maria quotes
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"I was down a set, but I tried to hang in. I wasn't playing my best, that's for sure. She put pressure on me and kept me on the defensive. It came down to a few points in the second set, and I picked it up in the third.
"I definitely did not play my best tennis in the first two sets, but I was playing a lot of defense out there, and she was stepping in the court. She was hitting very deep and hard, and especially against the wind, I was just pushing everything back.
"In the second set, I think it was just one or two balls that made the difference, and then in the third, you know, I stepped it up. I could see that she was physically getting a little bit tired, wasn't getting to as many balls. I started to pick up my game."
Big Maria has an amazing ability to "step it up" in third sets, winning them 6-1. I saw her do this twice at Wimbledon 2004, and three times at Birmingham 2005.
Big Maria's full interview:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7679083 (http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7679083)
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Quarter-final draw
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* AMÉLIE MAURESMO [1] v NADIA PETROVA [5] (anyone but Mauresmo!)
* SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA [12] d. AI SUGIYAMA [21]
* ANASTASIA MYSKINA [10] v MARIA SHARAPOVA [4] (DAVAI MARIA!!)
* TATIANA GOLOVIN [22] v Zheng,Jie (allez Tatiana!)
--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/ (http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/)
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/ (http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/)
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/shara/ (http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/shara/)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sizzlingsharapova/ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sizzlingsharapova/)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/)