Sports - Maria Sharapova #10: Because she`s on a mission to get back to the top! - Page 3

The Daywalker · 09-01-2009, 07:34 AM

Anna's new outfitis pretty solid, but I agree that Lady Z's outfit just doesn't match. Overall good first day, some tougher than should have been matches, but wins are wins.

**Hot Rod** · 09-01-2009, 12:12 PM

Here`s an update on the early matches at the US Open.

First of all, Caroline defeated Galina Voskoboeva 6-4, 6-0. Good win for Caroline.

She struggled a bit in the first set, but really got it going in the second set to make quick work of Voskoboeva.

Also Sorana routed Ayumi Morita 6-1, 6-3 and Alona defeated Alla Kudryavtseva 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Good wins for those ladies.

I`m very pleased with how well Alona played after the first set in her match.

So that`s the story on the early matches in Flushing Meadows. Right now Sabine, Gisela and Ula are in action. Sabine split the first two sets of her match against Aravane Rezai in tiebreakers and has just won the third set 6-1 to close out the match. Good win for Sabine. It`s nice to see her get a win in her first match back. Meanwhile Gisela is up 6-3, 5-7, 5-4 against Ekaterina Makarova and Ula is leading Kristina Barrois 4-3.

Anyway here are some pics from the early matches.

Alona is unfortunately wearing the same lackluster outfit as Vera Z.

Sorana`s outfit isn`t bad looking,

however i wish that it was a little tighter.

I`m not feeling Caroline`s new outfit.

The skirt looks like a table cloth, which obviously isn`t a good look IMO.

**Hot Rod** · 09-01-2009, 03:14 PM

You`re very welcome. Glad that you like them. Also welcome to the thread.

Glad that you decided to drop by. Why don`t you give us some info on yourself like if you`re a Maria fan and who`s your players.

Here`s an update on the other afternoon matches at the US Open.

First of all, JJ defeated Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-3. Good win for JJ.

It`s nice to see deliver a solid performance, which is a good start for her.

Also Gisela defeated Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Good win for Gisela.

She did a good job of stepping up her play late in the match when she needed to.

Unfortunately it wasn`t all good news as Ula was defeated by Kristina Barrois 4-6, 4-6. What a disappointing performance from Ula, who struggled to hold serve in much of the match.

So that`s the story on the other afternoon matches. Still to come will be Alize, the all hotties matchup between Ana and Kat and Masha`s long awaited return to primetime in Arthur Ashe stadium against Tsvetana Pironkova. I really hope that those ladies will do well and we`ll get a pretty good match between Ana and Kat.

In other news, here is the mixed doubles draw for the US Open that was released earlier today:

US Open mixed doubles:

HUBER USA / BHUPATHI IND [1]
KING USA / MELO BRA

CRAYBAS USA / BUTORAC USA (W)
CECIL USA / BRITTON USA (W)

RUANO PASCUAL ESP / HUSS AUS
KLEYBANOVA RUS / SOARES BRA

PERRY USA / JENKINS USA (W)
MATTEK-SANDS USA / ZIMONJIC SRB [8]

RAYMOND USA / MATKOWSKI POL [3]
BAMMER AUT / KUBOT POL

CORNET FRA / ASPELIN SWE
KOPS-JONES USA / COETZEE RSA

AMANMURADOVA UZB / FISHER AUS
MIRZA IND / NESTOR CAN

GULLICKSON USA / PARROTT USA (W)
PETROVA RUS / MIRNYI BLR [6]

HSIEH TPE / ULLYETT ZIM [5]
OUDIN USA / RAM USA (W)

CHUANG TPE / KAS GER
MARTINEZ SANCHEZ ESP / SA BRA

YAN CHN / FYRSTENBERG POL
NICULESCU ROU / PAVEL ROU

HAYNES USA / RETTENMAIER USA (W)
GROENEFELD GER / KNOWLES BAH [4]

STUBBS AUS / LINDSTEDT SWE [7]
SPEARS USA / KENDRICK USA (W)

BENESOVA CZE / DLOUHY CZE
HUSAROVA SVK / MARACH AUT

PENNETTA ITA / VEMIC SRB
KANEPI EST / MERTINAK SVK

SCHNYDER SUI / MOODIE RSA
BLACK ZIM / PAES IND [2]

Not that many of our favorites entered mixed doubles this year, which is a far cry from some of the previous Grand Slams. I think that our favorites has favorable to tossup first round matches, but it`ll take an upset or two for them to make a deep run. I really hope that Alize, Sania, Iveta and Flavia will do well in mixed doubles.

Anyway here are some pics from the other afternoon matches.

It`s so great to see Sabine back in action again.

I`m glad that she stuck with the nice purple and white outfit.

It`s nice to see JJ back in red again,

however i wish that her outfit didn`t have that table cloth look.

I really love Gisela`s new outfit.

The red sleeveless shirt and short white skirt gives it a nice schoolgirl look.

Good job Gisela.

The Daywalker · 09-01-2009, 05:56 PM

Ok, so Alona and Vera need to swap one piece of their outfit for a white counterpart and they would look ok.

As for Caroline, why did she have to steal that from Makiri's closet?

I was able to keep the scores refreshed at work for the most part and was a little worried about Alona, but happy that she turned it around after the first set.

Edited to add:
GO ANA GO! Down 1-4 in the 3rd, now up 5-4.... go go go!

**Hot Rod** · 09-01-2009, 06:48 PM

I agree with you on Alona and Vera. Their outfits would look much better with a white and maroon trimmed top.

As for Caroline, i forgot to mention that she recently replaced Makiri as the player who wears the Adidas Stella McCartney line. Personally i understand Adidas wanting to go in a different direction since Caroline now has a higher profile since she`s in the top 10, but i think that Makiri would look much better in that outfit Caroline wore earlier today. Hopefully they`ll make Caroline some outfits that better fit her.

Earlier this evening, Masha made her return to primetime in Arthur Ashe Stadium where she routed Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3, 6-0. Good win for Masha.

She played well throughout the match. The serve looked better with only four double faults. Plus Masha hit some nice winners, especially in the second set. The only negative were the unforced errors, especially in the first set. I like to see Masha cut down on them. Overall this was a pretty good performance from Masha, which is a nice start for her at the US Open.

Alize has just finished her match against Monika Adamczak and she came out with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win. Good win for Alize.

It`s nice to see her winning a tough match like this.

Also the all hotties matchup between Ana and Kat is in action. Ana won the first set 6-2 and Kat won the second set 6-3. Now the match has just gone into a tiebreaker in the third set. This has been a pretty competitive match as expected.

Anyway here are some pics from Masha`s match.

I like Masha`s new nighttime outfit.

While it`s nowhere as good as the great outfit Masha wore when she won the US Open in 2006,

the outfit has a nice classy look.

Plus Masha looked very good wearing that headband.

Good job Masha.

**JustMe2000** · 09-01-2009, 06:58 PM

Oh, Ana.....Sigh.

**Hot Rod** · 09-01-2009, 08:16 PM

Yeah it`s so very hard to believe that Ana lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.

What makes this loss so tough is that Ana had made a nice comeback in the third set, but unfortunately couldn`t convert on a match point in the third tiebreaker. I really don`t know what else to say other than the downward spiral continues for Ana.

On the other hand this is a good win for Kat.

She did a good job of showing a lot of poise in withstanding Ana`s comeback. Obviously this is another big win for her.

So in all it was a pretty good day for most of our favorites in Flushing Meadows. It was nice seeing Masha, Caroline, JJ and Sorana with pretty good performances and a nice competitive match between Ana and Kat. However i`m very concerned about Ana. Obviously her confidence was low coming in the US Open and now you have to wonder about her mental state after tonight`s loss.

Anyway here is the schedule for tomorrow`s matches. Obviously the marquee matches will be the all hotties matchups between Flavia/Sania, Makiri/Aggie and Vera Z/Anna. I think that the Makiri/Aggie match is the best chance for a tight match. Also Michelle will take on Na Li. Obviously this will be a very tough match for Michelle. Hopefully she can come out and show the spunkiness that helped her get a win in her previous match. Lastly doubles and mixed doubles gets underway with Caroline/Sorana, Gisela, Flavia and Alize playing their first round matches. I really hope that all of our favorites will do well tomorrow and we`ll get pretty good matches in the all hotties matchups.

Lastly here are some pics from the Ana/Kat match.

Kat looks pretty good in her outfit, which is a nice match color wise unlike Alona and Vera`s.

Ana`s outfit continues to match her play in terms of lacklusterness.

Good job Kat.

The struggles continues for Ana.

**-wait for it-** · 09-02-2009, 08:29 AM

Ana
this really hurts

**Hot Rod** · 09-02-2009, 11:48 AM

Yeah it does. Judging from what i saw in the post match interview, Ana was very down about the loss. I really hope that Ana will take an extended break and get away from tennis for a while.

Alright here`s an update on the early matches at the US Open.

First of all in the first all hotties matchup of the day, Flavia crushed Sania 6-0, 6-0. Good win for Flavia.

Obviously this was a very impressive performance from her. As for Sania, i hate it that she got blown out so badly.

Also Elena defeated Jill Craybas 7-6(6), 6-1. Good win for Elena.

She did a good job of showing a lot of poise in the first set and then taking control of the second set.

Unfortunately it wasn`t all good news as Michelle was routed by Na Li 1-6, 3-6. I`m disappointed that Michelle couldn`t make the match more competitive.

Lastly in doubles, Caroline and Sorana won their first round match in straight sets. Good win for those ladies.

It`s nice to see them deliver a nice solid performance.

So that`s the story on the early matches. The other two all hotties matchups are underway and one of them has just ended as Vera Z defeated Anna 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. Good win for Vera.

She did a good job of elevating her play in the last two sets. As for Anna, i`m disappointed that she couldn`t play better in the last two sets. Also the Makiri/Aggie match is underway and it`s been a tight one as expected with Makiri winning the first set 6-4 and Aggie winning the second set 6-2. Right now it`s 4-4 in the third set. I`m pleased that the match has been very competitive as expected.

Anyway here are some pics from some of the early matches.

Good job Elena.

Nothing but frustration for Michelle today.

The Daywalker · 09-02-2009, 03:10 PM

I'm more than willing to rub down Elena's thigh there, if she needs it...

Anna got destroyed in the last two sets, I was excited for her after the first set but dang.

**Hot Rod** · 09-02-2009, 03:32 PM

I would volunteer my rubbing services not only for Elena, but Kat as well.

Alright here`s an update on the other afternoon matches.

First of all in the third all hotties matchup of the day, Makiri upset Aggie 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Good win for Makiri.

This match was a tight one as expected, but Makiri did a good job of stepping up her play when she needed to late in the match. She hit some nice winners and really showed her feistiness in the last part of the match. As for Aggie, obviously this is a pretty disappointing loss for her.

She played well in the second set, but just didn`t have enough for Makiri`s good play in the last part of the match.

Also Vika routed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1, 6-2. Good win for Vika.

She had a couple of tough games, but overall she looked pretty sharp in the match.

Meanwhile in doubles and mixed doubles, Gisela won her match in straight sets, Flavia and Fed Cup teammate Sara Errani were defeated by Jie Zheng and Zi Yan 4-6, 3-6 and Alize and Simon Aspelin were defeated by Jeff Coetzee and Raquel Kops-Jones 4-6, 5-7.

So that`s the story on the other afternoon matches. Dani has just started her second round match against Timea Bacsinsky and she`s up 2-1. Hopefully Dani can end the day on a good note.

Anyway here are some pics from some of this afternoon`s matches.

Aggie looked very cute in the pink outfit.

**Hot Rod** · 09-02-2009, 07:52 PM

Earlier this evening, Dani take on Timea Bacsinsky in one of the last matches of the day and she came out with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win. Good win for Dani.

I`m very pleased with how well Dani played in the last two sets. It`s nice to see her get another win.

So in all it was another pretty good day for most of our favorites at the US Open. I`m pretty pleased with what we saw from them. Of course i`m still sad for Sania that she got double bageled by Flavia. Hopefully she can bounce back in doubles and mixed doubles.

Anyway here is the schedule for tomorrow`s matches. First of all, i`m glad to see that Masha will be playing in primetime again as she will take on Christina McHale. This is another favorable looking matchup for Masha, but much like her previous, she`ll need to come out strong right away. Also we`ll be having a couple of more all hotties matchups. First in singles, Alona will face Gisela in one of the first matches of the day. I have a feeling that this could be a close match. Then later in the afternoon, Alona will be back in action for doubles, where she and Kat will play Vika and Vera Z. This is a very intriguing and sexy matchup between two of our top teams. I think that has plenty of potential to be a very good match. Two more all hotties team will be in action tomorrow as Makiri/Elena and the Radwanska sisters will play their first round matches. I really hope that all of our favorites will do well tomorrow and we`ll get pretty good matches between Alona and Gisela and the Bondarenko sisters and the V Team.

Lastly here are a couple of pics from Dani`s match along with a pic of Makiri at the end of her match against Aggie and a pic of the Radwanska out in New York City.

Dani looks good in her first Adidas outfit.

Hopefully they`ll give her some pretty good outfit that will showcase her nice pokies.

Ula is looking mighty good in this pic.

**Hot Rod** · 09-03-2009, 01:11 PM

Here is an update on the early matches at the US Open.

First of all in the first all hotties matchup of the day, Gisela defeated Alona 6-4, 6-0. Good win for Gisela.

She put together a pretty good performance, especially in the second set. As for Alona, i`m very disappointed that she got bageled in the second set.

Once again it looks like she mentally quit about midway in the third set. Hopefully she can give a much better performance in the doubles match later on.

Also Kat crushed Shenay Perry 6-1, 6-1; Caroline crushed Petra Martic 6-1, 6-0 and Sorana defeated Stephanie Dubois 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Good wins for those ladies.

Unfortunately it wasn`t all good news as Alize was defeated by Jie Zheng 6-1, 3-6, 3-6. Tough loss for Alize.

She got to such a great start with an impressive first set, but unfortunately couldn`t keep it going in the last two sets. Still even with today`s loss, i think that Alize gave a good effort. Hopefully this will help get her to return to the good form she showed last year.

Meanwhile in doubles and mixed doubles, Makiri and Elena defeated Ahsha Rolle and Riza Zalameda 2-6, 6-4, 7-5; Sania and Francesca Schiavone defeated Ekaterina Dzehalevich and Renata Voracova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 and Flavia and Dusan Vermic defeated Michael Mertinak and Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 6-4, 10-2. Good wins for those ladies.

I`m pleased with how well they played in these tough matches. Unfortunately Anna`s stay in New York City has come to an end as she and Maria Elena Camerin were defeated by Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 5-7, 5-7.

So that`s the story on the early matches at the US Open. JJ and Sabine are currently playing. JJ lost the first set in her match against Yaroslavia Shvedova 3-6 and has finally just won the second set in a tiebreaker. Sabine is trailing Anastasia Rodionova 3-6, 2-3. Also Dani and Ai Sugiyama has just started their first round doubles match.

Anyway here are some pics from the early matches.

Alize was fired up early on,

in the end it was more frustration for her.

**Hot Rod** · 09-03-2009, 03:03 PM

Well we`ve just lost a couple of our favorites a few minutes ago.

First of all, JJ was upset by Yaroslava Shvedova 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(4). This was a tough end for JJ, who had double match point, up 6-4 in the third set tiebreaker, but couldn`t convert on either of them. Of course her focus wasn`t fully in the match with her grandmother passing away last night.

Our condolences to JJ and her family.

Then a few minutes later, Sabine was defeated by Anastasia Rodionova 3-6, 6-3, 5-7. Sabine really missed out a golden opportunity for a comeback win when she blew a 5-3 lead in the third set. However that wasn`t the worst part of the match for her. In the last point of the match, Sabine twisted her ankle. I saw the replay of it a couple of times and it looked just as bad as Tati`s in the epic match in Miami against Masha in 2006. Why is it that Sabine has to be cursed with injuries lately?

It was such a sad sight to see her wheeled off the court, especially with her crying.

I want to give Sabine a

so badly right now. I hope that this injury isn`t serious.

However we got better news in doubles as Dani won her match in straight sets. Good win for her.

So that`s the story on other afternoon matches. Right now the all hotties doubles clash is underway. The V Team won the first set 6-1, then the Bondarenko sisters came back to win the second set 6-4. Right now the V Team are up 3-1 in the third set. Also Iveta and Alize are playing each other in doubles, with Iveta and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova leading Alize and Timea Bacsinszky 6-4, 4-2. Masha`s match against Christina McHale will be less than an hour from now in primetime on Arthur Ashe Stadium. I really hope that Masha can out strong right away later this evening.

**Hot Rod** · 09-03-2009, 09:13 PM

Here is an update on the late matches at the US Open.

First of all, Masha routed Christina McHale 6-2, 6-1. Good win for Masha.

Her serving troubles resurfaced in tonight`s match, however she did a good job of keeping her poise and overpowering McHale with her strong groundstrokes. Overall it was a good performance from Masha, but at the same time, there is some work for her to do.

Meanwhile in doubles, the V Team defeated the Bondarenko sisters 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. I`m pleased that this clash between two of our top teams was very competitive in the last two sets. Good win for Vera Z and Vika.

They did a good job of stepping up their play when they needed to late in the match. As for Alona and Kat, i hate that they have go out early with a tough loss.

They had numerous break chances, but unfortunately couldn`t convert on them.

Also Iveta and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova routed Alize and Timea Bacsinszky 6-1, 6-2. While i`m happy for Iveta that she got the win, i hate that Alize`s stay in New York City had to end with a rout.

The Radwanska sisters` stay in New York City also came to an end as they were defeated by Ipek Senoglu and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-7(3), 1-6. Disappointing result there for Aggie and Ula.

They played in the first set, but unfortunately couldn`t keep it going and really stunk up the joint in the third set.

So in all it was a good day for some our favorites. While it was nice to see Masha, Caroline and Gisela with pretty good performances, even those wins couldn`t shake the sad vibe of the day with the news of JJ`s grandmother passing away and Sabine`s injury. I really hope that some of our favorites will send their condolences to JJ and her family and visit Sabine. I especially would love to see Caroline check in on Sabine, which would be a great way to mend fences after the bump incident at Wimbledon.

Here is the schedule for tomorrow`s matches. First of all we`ll have a couple of more all hotties matchups. In singles, we`ll have a matchup of two of Team Russia`s finest as Vera Z will take on Elena. This is an intriguing looking match. Vera`s play is steadily improving, while Elena has been playing well lately. This could be a tight match. Vera will be back in action later in the afternoon for another all hotties matchup as she and Vika will face Caroline and Sorana. I have a feeling that this could be a close one much like Vera and Vika`s match against the Bondarenko sisters today. Also Makiri will play Na Li. Obviously this will be a very tough match for Makiri. However i think that she has a chance in it, especially if she can show the spunkiness we saw in her previous match against Aggie. I really hope that all of our favorites will do well tomorrow and both of the all hotties matchup will be pretty competitive.

Anyway here are some pics from Masha`s match.

Masha showing that she means business.

Plus i must add that she looks hot with that stern look.

Good job Masha.