Victoria Azarenka may have outlasted Li Na in a tense, three-set final to win the women’s singles title at the Australian Open but she was hardly the only competitor in the field that garnered attention in Melbourne.With temperatures high in Down Under, the women’s field was perhaps even hotter than in most years. As usual, Maria Sharapova turned heads with both her amazing play early in the tournament as well as her looks and style. Although they didn’t claim this Grand Slam title, Sharapova, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Kirilenko (who showed off her engagement ring after her third-round win) are stil in contention for another honor. Read More…
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Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka Australian Open Hottest Women (PHOTOS)
Maria Sharapova Loses To Li Na In Australian Open Semis
MELBOURNE, Australia — Li Na used the heat to her advantage and worked No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova around Rod Laver Arena in a 6-2, 6-2 win on Thursday that put her in the Australian Open final for the second time in three years.Sharapova was the heavy favorite after conceding only nine games in her first five matches, a record at the Australian Open since it expanded to a 128-player draw in 1988.Read More…
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Sharapova in Melbourne semis after topping compatriot Makarova
Russia’s Maria Sharapova celebrates after beating Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova at the Australian Open (AFP Photo / Manan Vatsyayana)Russia’s Maria Sharapova collected a straight-set win over compatriot Ekaterina Makarova to book a place in the Australian Open’s semi finals. Makarova gave battle to her in-form rival in the opening games, but then Sharapova made two breaks to take the first set. Maria continued to dominate in the second set, with the No.2 seed coming out as a confident winner 6-2 6-2 after just over an hour spent on court. Sharapova, who hasn’t dropped a set in Melbourne, will challenge sixth seeded Na Li of China for in spot in the final. The Chinese also needed two sets to bet Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, but this was an a lot tougher encounter, 7-5 6-3. One of the semi-finalists in the men’s competition is also known, as David Ferrer of Spain survived an exhausting five-set marathon against countryman, Nicolas Almagro.Almagro won two sets in a row and served for the match in the third, but Ferrer produced a stunning comeback to claim a 4-6 4-6 7-5 7-6 6-2 victory. … Read More
Djokovic survives Wawrinka scare in Melbourne
Djokovic survives Wawrinka scare in MelbourneGet short URLLink copied to clipboardemail story to a friendprint versionPublished: 20 January, 2013, 19:27
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Novak Djokovic (Reuters / Daniel Munoz) It took Novak Djokovic more than five hours to overcome the do-or-die opposition of Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round of the Australian Open – 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 12-10 – setting up a quarterfinal encounter with Tomas Berdych.”);
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Switzerland’s Wawrinka stunned the first-seed Serb in the opening set, thrashing him 6-1 in less than 30 minutes. Djokovic came back from one break down in the second set to clinch it when it seemed a tiebreaker was almost inevitable. He we
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nt on to take the lead in the match after breaking the Swiss once in the third set, but Wawrinka managed to level things again in the fourth. He then snatched a tiebreaker 7-5, breaking Djokovic in the first game of the final set. The Serb didn’t give up, however, and made a return break immediately afterwards, turning the match into a seesaw battle. Djokovic, who has more experience with such matches, came out the winner. Wawrinka, whose eyes were brimming with tears as he left the court to a standing ovation, shouldn’t blame himself.Djokovic will next play fifth-seed Tomas Berdych, while it will be an all-Spanish affair in the other quarterfinal as fourth-seed David Ferrer takes on Nicolas Almagro.On the women’s side, second-seed Maria Sharapova delivered a crushing victory over Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens Sunday to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The Russian demolished Flipkens 6-1, 6-0, and has now dropped just five games in her first four matches in Melbourne.Sharapova’s quarterfinal opponent is fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova – a rematch from the same stage of last year’s tournament.Maria Sharapova (Reuters / Tim Wimborne) … Read More
Sharapova leaves Venus Williams no chance at Australian Open
Russia’s Maria Sharapova reacts after beating Venus Williams of the US during their women’s singles match on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 18, 2013.(AFP Photo / Manan Vatsyayana)Venus Williams made Maria Sharapova lose her first games at this year’s Australian Open but that was too little to stop the second-seed Russian in the third-round clash on Friday.Sharapova breezed past the seven-time Grand Slam winner in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 to hand Williams her heaviest defeat at a Grand Slam tournament for 12 years.“I was really excited to play Venus again. She’s a great athlete and a great champion,” Sharapova said in an interview shortly after the match. “I was just really determined out there and I really wanted this victory.”Sharapova dominated in all aspects of play winning 56 percent of points on her opponent’s serve and finished the contest stylishly with an ace.Maria will next play Kirsten Flipkens having won all her previous matches against the Belgian, who beat Russian qualifier Valeria Savinykh 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the third round. Earlier, 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 5th seed Angelique Kerber, 6th seed Li Na and 13th seed Ana Ivanovic all booked spots in the fourth round.There was also a surprise as last year’s Australian Open quarterfinalist Ekaterina Makarova of Russia ousted 11th seed Marion Bartoli of France to set a last 16 encounter with Kerber. … Read More
‘Sugarmama has arrived’: Sharapova takes Twitter by storm
‘Sugarmama has arrived’: Sharapova takes Twitter by storm Get short URLLink copied to clipboardemail story to a friendprint versionPublished: 14 January, 2013, 20:01
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Russia’s Maria Sharapova plays a return to compatriot Olga Puchkova in their women’s singles match on the first day of the Australian Open (AFP Photo / Greg Wood)Russian tennis queen Maria Sharapova needed just one short entry to become a star on Twitter. “);
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“Your ultimate sugarmama has arrived,” Sharapova’s first ever tweet said. The entry was followed by a colorful picture, on which the World No. 2 imitates the inflating of soap bubbles.Over 23.000 people followed Maria’s microblog in the first hours after it was launched, with the number increasing every minute. Besides Twitter, Sharapova has an account
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on Facebook and an official website. The 25-year-old is currently in Melbourne competing in the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open. Maria had a perfect start to the event, not giving a single game away to compatriot Olga Puchkova 6-0 6-0 in the first round.Maria Sharapova (Screenshot from twitter.com user @MariaSharapova) … Read More
Maria Sharapova Starts Australian Open With 6-0, 6-0 Win Over Olga Puchkova
MELBOURNE, Australia — Maria Sharapova finished her first match of the year in 55 minutes Monday, cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Olga Puchkova to start proceedings on center court at the Australian Open without showing any signs of trouble with her sore right shoulder.The No. 2-ranked Sharapova, who lost the final to Victoria Azarenka here last year before going on to win the French Open, faced only two break points in the match and she saved both of those in the first game.Read More…
