How do you solve MARIA a problem like this
Heavy defeat shows there’s long way to go for Sharapova
IT was unlikely that, somewhere back in Florida, Serena Williams was shedding a tear as Maria Sharapova was resoundingly sent packing from the Australian Open.
Hours before the Russian was dumped out in 64 minutes by a resurgent Angelique Kerber, one of Williams’ many fans on Twitter posted lightheartedly that she wanted Sharapova to win this much-anticipated match.
Williams, who has been active on social media lately, went to the trouble of a reply with a simple emoji of a blank face, which told you where her loyalties lay.
By the time Sharapova, 30, plays in her next Grand Slam, the French Open, it is likely Williams will be back from maternity leave, hunting for a 24th major title. The chance to win one in her absence has come and gone for the Russian. Prior to this third-round encounter Sharapova spoke of it being a good test of where she is, so a cursory 6-1, 6-3 defeat will not lift her spirits.
She broke back from 2-0 down in the second set and had a break point to get ahead, but the door was slammed shut by an aggressive performance from the German. Kerber has good memories here from 2016, when she pulled off a remarkable win in the final against Williams.
For Sharapova, that tournament two years ago saw her give a urine sample that proved positive for Meldonium. The ensuing 15-month absence was followed by a hip injury that kept her out of Wimbledon, and she has not played enough matches yet t o recapture her former heights. One problem has been staying healthy when having to play a volume of matches in a short space of time. That is why Grand Slams, with a rest day in between, offer the best chance of getting some serious momentum.
Since coming back i n April, Sharapova has missed Wimbledon, made the last 16 of the US Open and now the third round here.
She insists her appetite for worki ng t o get back to t he t op is undimmed, saying: ‘I usually look forward to resting in the first week of November, so I’ve got a long way to go until then. If I’m looking for rest at this point in the season, there’s something wrong.
‘In the first set, I didn’t return well. She’s a confident player at the moment. A lot of things were going her way. The one little opportunity I had in the second set, I didn’t take. Sometimes that’s all it takes.’
It is fair to point out that Sharapova had a brutal draw here, facing her US Open conqueror Anastasija Sevastova in the second round, then in-form Kerber. The German, who had a miserable time coping with the demands of being world No1 last year, has hired Wim Fissette, the coach Jo Konta parted with at the end of l ast season. It looked a curious decision then from the British No1 and looks even more curious now.
Kerber, aided by her Belgian coach, has claimed Konta’s Sydney International title already and looks the favourite to make the final from the top half of the draw here. She is the only Grand Slam champion left in the women’s tournament.
For a while it seemed the Australian Open might lose its top seed as well, as Simona Halep went toe-totoe with the unheralded American Lauren Davis for three hours and 44 minutes. It was as unpredictably brilliant as the Sharapova match was a non-event. Davis, the world No 76, had three straight match points before Halep took it 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 in the joint longest women’s match here in the modern era.