Maria Sharapova News

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) _ The match included 25 double faults, one on a second serve that landed wide of the doubles alley. There were 91 unforced errors and 13 service breaks, resulting in 2{ hours of fitful tennis before a stadium crowd that groaned at the mishits and missed chances. Maybe one match every 20 months between Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams is enough. The two Grand Slam champions ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ Justine Henin regained the No. 1 ranking on Monday and will head into this week's Sony Ericsson Open in Miami as the favourite. Russian Maria Sharapova would have stayed No. 1 if she'd reached the semifinals in defence of her Pacific Life Open title at Indian Wells last week, but the 19-year-old Russian fell in the fourth round. Henin was poised to take over after winning ...

Top-ranked Maria Sharapova retired during the second set of her Pan Pacific Open semifinal against Ana Ivanovic on Saturday because of a hamstring injury. After dropping the first set 6-1, the Russian star consulted with her trainer. She won the first game of the second set before retiring. ``It's disappointing to have to finish this way,'' Sharapova said. ``I started to feel pain in the second game of the first ...

Switzerland's Roger Federer and Russia's Maria Sharapova top the lists of seeds at the Australian Open, with organizers sticking to thh world rankings. Federer, the defending champion, is aiming for his 10th Grand Slam singles title and has been atop the men's rankings since February 2004. Sharapova moved to the top of the women's seedings list at Melbourne Park after No. 1-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne of Beelgium withdrew from the tournament ...

World No. 2 Maria Sharapova said Tuesday she has put on some more muscle over the past year to play better in Grand Slams. The 19-year-old Russian spoke to reporters on the eve of Hong Kong's three-day Champions Challenge exhibition, a warm-up for the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 15. Sharapova said winning the French Open title was one of her New Year resolutions. ``I only play about three tournaments ...

Maria Sharapova, ranked No. 2 on the WTA Tour, will return to Japan next month to play in the Pan Pacific Open. Sharapova, who won the Pan Pacific title in 2005, will be among three top-10 players in the Jan. 30-Feb. 4 event at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, tournament organizers announced Thursday. Martina Hingis, who is seventh in the world rankings, and defending champion and eighth-ranked Elena Dementieva of Russia, will ...

Maria Sharapova of Russia beat two-time champion Belgium's Kim Clijsters 6-4, 6-4 at the WTA Championships on Wednesday, moving a step closer to a spot in the semifinals. In other matches, Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 7-5, 6-3, and two-time winner Martina Hingis of Switzerland pulled out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Russian Nadia Petrova. Hingis' victory means top-ranked Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo will not finish the year ...

Maria Sharapova reached the quarter-finals for the 13th time in 14 tournaments this year, beating Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-5, 6-1 Thursday in the second round of the Generali Ladies. Sharapova saved three break points in the first set, and then broke three times in the second. ``I have played so much tennis lately, that I felt a bit exhausted at the start of the match,'' Sharapova said. ``But I ...

Maria Sharapova became the first Russian to win the Zurich Open, beating Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 Sunday in the final. Sharapova, who has now won three of the WTA Tour's top 10 events, still has a chance to finish the year as the top-ranked player. Amelie Mauresmo, who withdrew from the Zurich Open with a shoulder injury, and second-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne, who hasn't played since mid-September because of a ...

Maria Sharapova kept alive her chance to finish the year ranked No. 1, beating Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 7-6 (3), 6-2 Saturday despite an aching foot to reach the Zurich Open final. The second-seeded Russian will play for the title Sunday against Daniela Hantuchova, who upset third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2. In the second set, Kuznetsova needed treatment for a toe blister. Sharapova, the U.S. Open champion, is ranked No. 2 behind Amelie Mauresmo, who withdrew from the tournament ...

U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia beat Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 6-4, 6-3 Friday to reach the Zurich Open semifinals and boost her chances of finishing the year atop the world rankings. Sharapova will next play Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, who advanced by defeating Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-2. The second-seeded Sharapova, playing with foot pain, broke Bacsinszky's opening serve in the first set but then struggled to make ...

Amelie Mauresmo wants tennis coaches to stay in the stands. Maria Sharapova had no idea coaches were even allowed on the court. Both players are competing at the Zurich Open, one of five tournaments where the WTA Tour is testing this rule change. ``Are they're doing that here?'' Sharapova said Tuesday. ``I didn't know.'' Coaching during matches has been barred from ATP, WTA and Grand Slam tournaments. But in an ...

Maria Sharapova, playing her first match since winning the U.S. Open, beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-4, 7-5 Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals at the Kremlin Cup. Among the men, top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko defeated Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the quarters in another match between Russians. Davydenko, the 2004 champion, is looking for his third title this season and a spot in the eight-player Tennis Masters Cup in ...

Maria Sharapova will play for Russia against Spain in the first round of next year's Fed Cup. The U.S. Open champion said on her Web site that she would be available for the matchup in Moscow on April 21-22. Sharapova, who also won the 2004 Wimbledon title, has never played for Russia in the international competition. ``I'm really excited to make my first appearance in Fed Cup for my country ...