Sharapova Pulls Through Despite Injury

Maria Sharapova pulled through her shoulder injury pains to reach the quater-finals of the French Open, beating Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 3-6, 6-4, 9-7..

Schnyder served for the match three times, at 5-4, 6-5 and 7-6 in the third set. She was one point away from ending the match in the 10th game and again in the 14th - and she also was two points away from victory on 11 occasions.

When Sharapova pulled it out on her first match point, as Schnyder sailed a forehand wide to get broken again, the Russian covered her face with both hands and looked on the verge of tears. As both players met at the net, there was a mix of boos and applause.

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Sharapova advances to the third round of French Open

Maria Sharapova, who missed nearly two months of the season because of an injured right shoulder, reached the third round in the women’s draw, easily beating Jill Craybas of the United States 6-2, 6-1.

“I feel it at times in the match,” Sharapova said. “I try not to think about it.”

Up 2-1 at the start, Craybas held three break points at love-40. But Sharapova won the next 11 points, holding serve with the help of three forehand winners in a row, then breaking Craybas at love when the American dumped a volley into the net with the entire court open.

Aravane Rezai beats top-seeded Maria Sharapova - Istanbul Cup

Aravane Rezai beat top-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-4 on Friday to reach the final of the Istanbul Cup.

The 20-year-old Frenchwoman, who is ranked 62 in the world, was due to meet another Russian player, Elena Dementieva, in yesterday’s final of the clay-court French Open warmup.

“I am glad that I came here and I played a few matches before Roland Garros, though it is unfortunate to lose in the semi-finals,” Sharapova said.

Sharapova, who served seven double faults, is now looking ahead to doing well at the French Open.

“I have all the motivation in the world,” she said. “I have been working very hard in the last weeks.”

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Sharapova is Sochi Ambassador

Maria Sharapova has been lined up as a high-profile booster of Sochi’s bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion and last year’s U.S. Open winner, spent part of her childhood in Sochi — a Black Sea resort — before moving to the United States at age 9. "Sochi is the city where my love of tennis began when I was just 4 years old," she said. Sharapova will serve as an "ambassador" for Sochi in its competition against Salzburg, Austria, and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The International Olympic Committee will pick the host city on July 4 in Guatemala City. more

Maria Sharapova Defeats Nathalie Dechy in the Pacific Life Open

Maria Sharapova overcame a sore hamstring, brutal heat and a lack of match practice to reach round four of the Pacific Life Open on Sunday.

The world number one beat France’s Nathalie Dechy 7-5 6-2 and next faces number 15 seed Vera Zvonareva.

Sharapova said: “I only started serving five days before the event because I got injured when I landed on serve.”

The Russian has hardly played since losing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open final in January.

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Maria Sharapova Retires form the Toray Pan Pacific Open

In a sad twist of events, World no. 1 Maria Sharapova had to retire in the semi-final game against Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic when Sharapova pulled out with a strained left hamstring.

Sharapova, the 2005 Toray champion who was stopped in the semifinals for the second year in a row, said she felt tightness in her thigh following a loss in the Australian Open final prior to coming to Japan.

“After a Grand Slam you’re tight in a lot of places, but it’s something that I’ve had for a week or so now,” the Russian said.

“In the second game today after I served, I pushed off and when I landed I felt a much sharper pain.”

After dropping the first set, Sharapova called her coach onto court, then asked for the Tour trainer. There was a moment of confusion over whether the new rules governing on-court coaching allow for a simultaneous visit by the trainer.

But Sharapova got her way and received a massage on the back of her thigh and acupressure on her lower back. She returned for the second set and, despite holding serve, decided to call it a day to the disappointment of the crowd of 8,860.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s hard to continue when you feel like you can’t push off the serve or the return,” Sharapova said. “It’s obviously disappointing for me and my fans, but I look forward to getting better and coming back here next year.”

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