Professional tennis is losing another big name after Caroline Wozniacki ended her professional career back in January. Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova decided to follow Wozniacki’s footsteps and officially announce her retirement from tennis.

Sharapova revealed her decision in a piece she penned for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines.

“Tennis — I’m saying goodbye,” she wrote before describing her experiences on Grand Slam tournaments and explaining her decision. 

“Tennis showed me the world—and it showed me what I was made of,” she added at the end of the essay. “It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing.”

Sharapova retires after being eliminated in the first round of this year’s Australian Open. She played just one more match this season, losing that one as well.

After turning pro in 2001 as a 14-year-old, Maria Sharapova began her rapid rise in the tennis ranks. By 2004, she was already a Wimbledon champion, while topping the WTA rankings in 2005.

Sharapova went on to win four more Grand Slams, adding a US Open in 2006 and an Australian Open in 2008 to her collection, before finally topping French Open in 2012. Her last Grand Slam title came on Roland Garros in 2014.

In recent years, Sharapova’s career was plagued by injuries, which prevented her from making meaningful results on the tennis court. She also served a 15-months suspension in 2016 after testing positive for banned substances.

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The draw for 2019 US Open is in and it brings us an epic match in the first round already. This year’s women’s singles will kick off with an epic matchup between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

The match will be the first time that Williams and Sharapova play against each other on the US Open and their first clash overall since 2016. They were scheduled to meet in 2018 French Open, but Williams decided not to take part in the tournament.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova first faced each other in 2004 at the Sony Ericsson Open, with Williams winning the match in two sets. Sharapova won their next two meetings, including Wimbledon finale to claim her first career Grand Slam.

The Wimbledon win was also Sharapova’s last victory in this matchup, as Williams won their next 18 meetings.

The first round of 2019 US Open will also see the defending champion Naomi Osaka take on No.87 ranked Anna Blinkova, while Johanna Konta, currently No.1 ranked female tennis player in the world, will face No.40 Daria Kasatkina.

In the men’s singles, reigning champion Novak Djokovic will face Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena. No.2 seeded Rafael Nadal is set up against Australian John Millman.

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We will have a new Australian Open champion this year. In a thrilling match of the round of 32, Maria Sharapova stunned the tournament’s defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and managed to advance to the fourth round with 6:4, 4:6, and 6:3 win.

Sharapova, who entered the tournament as 30^th seed, opened the first set with confidence and showed that Wozniacki, who was the 3^rd seed, won’t have an easy task in defending her title.

After losing the first set, Wozniacki bounced back in the second and won it 6:4 and even had 2:3 lead in the third. Still, Sharapova kept her composure in the deciding moments of the match and won four straight gems claiming a memorable win.

“I haven’t played many matches in the last year, especially against top players,” – said Sharapova after. “And these are the kinds of matches I train for.”

While Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open back in 2008 and made two more finals appearances in 2012 and 2015, she didn’t manage to get past the quarter finals since then. Her appearance in 2018 was especially underwhelming as she was eliminated by the third round.

This year, however, it looks like Sharapova is back to her Grand Slam form and that she might have what it takes to go all the way once again. In order to do so, she will have to overcome her next challenger, No.15 seed Australian Ashleigh Barty.

The post Maria Sharapova Stuns Caroline Wozniacki at 2019 Australian Open appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Thursday turned Friday as 5-time Grand Slam Champion Maria Sharapova edged out Sorana Cirstea in a 6-2, 7-5 thriller under the flashing lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The former World No. 1 will face Jelena Ostapenko at the third round of the ongoing US Open.

Sharapova came in following a hard-fought win over Swiss great Patty Schnyder. Having retired from active tennis in 2011 and only coming back in 2015, the 39-year old was the oldest player to set foot in a Grand Slam tournament.

In a match that lasted one hour and fifty minutes, Sharapova and Cirstea treated the crowd to a thriller that consisted of multiple deuces and a comeback that saw the Russian ultimately clinch a spot at the third round of the tournament.

Five aces, 26 winners, and 33 unforced errors were all it took to beat Cirstea, whose 20 winners and 33 unforced errors weren’t enough to hand a victory.

After losing the first set, the Romanian broke serve to commence the second set. She kept her lead until Sharapova started serving. The Russian engineered a comeback with two points of a final and won the final three games to book a match with French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko.

The last time Sharapova met Ostapenko, fans were treated to a three-setter thriller. The former World No.1 was the winner.

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2018 Wimbledon delivered its first shocks on Tuesday, when Maria Sharapova, 2004 Wimbledon winner, was eliminated in the first round of the tournament by fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko. Two times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was also handed an early exit by Belarus Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Sharapova won the first set 7-6(3), but then lost the following two 6-7(3), 4-6. This was the first time that Maria Sharapova lost in the first round of Wimbledon, being 13-0 so far. It was also the first time since the 2010 Australian Open that she lost an opening round of a major tournament.

“I definitely had several chances in the match,” – said Sharapova in a news conference after the match. “Although not playing my best tennis, I opened up a few doors and was a couple points away from winning this match.”

“Sometimes you put yourself in a better or winning position, and you don’t finish through. That was the case today.” – she added.

Entering the 2018 Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova was ranked 22nd on WTA Singles rankings, while Vitalia Diatchenko was 122nd, which makes Sharapova’s loss even more surprising. Diatchenko will now face American Sofia Kenin, who is currently ranked 76th, in the second round of the tournament.

Another surprise was delivered by Aliaksandra Sasnovich, ranked 50th in the world, who managed to defeat 7th ranked Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. Before the start of 2018 Wimbledon, Kvitova had a tour-leading 38 victories this season.

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On Tuesday we witnessed another major upset at US Open 2017. Last year’s US Open Women’s Singles champion, Germany’s Angelique Kerber has ended her journey to defend the title by being eliminated in the first round by Japan’s Naomi Osaka. On the WTA World Ranking, Kerber is ranked 6th but is on her way out of the top 10 for sure while Osaka is currently ranked 45th and will see an improvement in her ranking after US Open is completed. Kerber is the first defending champion in the last 12 years to be eliminated so early. Something like this didn’t happen since 2005 when Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Ekaterina Bychkova.

Majority of the matches on Tuesday were canceled because of the rain but the match between Kerber and Osaka was completed. It probably helped that the Japanese tennis player was swift and finished the job in 2 sets beating Kerber 6-3, 6-1. Kerber looked powerless while Osaka strolled through their 65-minutes match.This was also the first time that Osaka has managed to beat a top 10 tennis player.

Compared to the last year, when she was number one ranked female tennis player in the world, 2017 isn’t shaping well for Angelique Kerber. In 2016, besides US Open, she won the Australian Open as well and even managed to reach Wimbledon final. This year, Kerber suffered multiple blows, including elimination from the French Open where she was No. 1 seed. That was the first time in the tournament’s history that No. 1 seeded player was eliminated in the first round.

Now, 4 out of the top 10 seeded tennis players in woman’s singles are out of the US Open. The 9th seeded Venus Williams is pregnant and doesn’t participate in the tournament. The 2nd seeded Simona Halep was eliminated by Maria Sharapova while 7th seeded Johanna Konta suffered a defeat in her match against WTA 78th ranked Aleksandra Krunic.

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Professional tennis is losing another big name after Caroline Wozniacki ended her professional career back in January. Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova decided to follow Wozniacki’s footsteps and officially announce her retirement from tennis.

Sharapova revealed her decision in a piece she penned for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines.

“Tennis — I’m saying goodbye,” she wrote before describing her experiences on Grand Slam tournaments and explaining her decision. 

“Tennis showed me the world—and it showed me what I was made of,” she added at the end of the essay. “It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing.”

Sharapova retires after being eliminated in the first round of this year’s Australian Open. She played just one more match this season, losing that one as well.

After turning pro in 2001 as a 14-year-old, Maria Sharapova began her rapid rise in the tennis ranks. By 2004, she was already a Wimbledon champion, while topping the WTA rankings in 2005.

Sharapova went on to win four more Grand Slams, adding a US Open in 2006 and an Australian Open in 2008 to her collection, before finally topping French Open in 2012. Her last Grand Slam title came on Roland Garros in 2014.

In recent years, Sharapova’s career was plagued by injuries, which prevented her from making meaningful results on the tennis court. She also served a 15-months suspension in 2016 after testing positive for banned substances.

The post Maria Sharapova, 5-Time Grand Slam Champion, Retires from Tennis appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The draw for 2019 US Open is in and it brings us an epic match in the first round already. This year’s women’s singles will kick off with an epic matchup between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

The match will be the first time that Williams and Sharapova play against each other on the US Open and their first clash overall since 2016. They were scheduled to meet in 2018 French Open, but Williams decided not to take part in the tournament.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova first faced each other in 2004 at the Sony Ericsson Open, with Williams winning the match in two sets. Sharapova won their next two meetings, including Wimbledon finale to claim her first career Grand Slam.

The Wimbledon win was also Sharapova’s last victory in this matchup, as Williams won their next 18 meetings.

The first round of 2019 US Open will also see the defending champion Naomi Osaka take on No.87 ranked Anna Blinkova, while Johanna Konta, currently No.1 ranked female tennis player in the world, will face No.40 Daria Kasatkina.

In the men’s singles, reigning champion Novak Djokovic will face Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena. No.2 seeded Rafael Nadal is set up against Australian John Millman.

The post Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova to Face in the First Round of 2019 US Open appeared first on SportzBonanza.

We will have a new Australian Open champion this year. In a thrilling match of the round of 32, Maria Sharapova stunned the tournament’s defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and managed to advance to the fourth round with 6:4, 4:6, and 6:3 win.

Sharapova, who entered the tournament as 30^th seed, opened the first set with confidence and showed that Wozniacki, who was the 3^rd seed, won’t have an easy task in defending her title.

After losing the first set, Wozniacki bounced back in the second and won it 6:4 and even had 2:3 lead in the third. Still, Sharapova kept her composure in the deciding moments of the match and won four straight gems claiming a memorable win.

“I haven’t played many matches in the last year, especially against top players,” – said Sharapova after. “And these are the kinds of matches I train for.”

While Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open back in 2008 and made two more finals appearances in 2012 and 2015, she didn’t manage to get past the quarter finals since then. Her appearance in 2018 was especially underwhelming as she was eliminated by the third round.

This year, however, it looks like Sharapova is back to her Grand Slam form and that she might have what it takes to go all the way once again. In order to do so, she will have to overcome her next challenger, No.15 seed Australian Ashleigh Barty.

The post Maria Sharapova Stuns Caroline Wozniacki at 2019 Australian Open appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Thursday turned Friday as 5-time Grand Slam Champion Maria Sharapova edged out Sorana Cirstea in a 6-2, 7-5 thriller under the flashing lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The former World No. 1 will face Jelena Ostapenko at the third round of the ongoing US Open.

Sharapova came in following a hard-fought win over Swiss great Patty Schnyder. Having retired from active tennis in 2011 and only coming back in 2015, the 39-year old was the oldest player to set foot in a Grand Slam tournament.

In a match that lasted one hour and fifty minutes, Sharapova and Cirstea treated the crowd to a thriller that consisted of multiple deuces and a comeback that saw the Russian ultimately clinch a spot at the third round of the tournament.

Five aces, 26 winners, and 33 unforced errors were all it took to beat Cirstea, whose 20 winners and 33 unforced errors weren’t enough to hand a victory.

After losing the first set, the Romanian broke serve to commence the second set. She kept her lead until Sharapova started serving. The Russian engineered a comeback with two points of a final and won the final three games to book a match with French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko.

The last time Sharapova met Ostapenko, fans were treated to a three-setter thriller. The former World No.1 was the winner.

The post US Open: Sharapova Beats Cirstea to Book Ostapenko appeared first on SportzBonanza.

2018 Wimbledon delivered its first shocks on Tuesday, when Maria Sharapova, 2004 Wimbledon winner, was eliminated in the first round of the tournament by fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko. Two times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was also handed an early exit by Belarus Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Sharapova won the first set 7-6(3), but then lost the following two 6-7(3), 4-6. This was the first time that Maria Sharapova lost in the first round of Wimbledon, being 13-0 so far. It was also the first time since the 2010 Australian Open that she lost an opening round of a major tournament.

“I definitely had several chances in the match,” – said Sharapova in a news conference after the match. “Although not playing my best tennis, I opened up a few doors and was a couple points away from winning this match.”

“Sometimes you put yourself in a better or winning position, and you don’t finish through. That was the case today.” – she added.

Entering the 2018 Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova was ranked 22nd on WTA Singles rankings, while Vitalia Diatchenko was 122nd, which makes Sharapova’s loss even more surprising. Diatchenko will now face American Sofia Kenin, who is currently ranked 76th, in the second round of the tournament.

Another surprise was delivered by Aliaksandra Sasnovich, ranked 50th in the world, who managed to defeat 7th ranked Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. Before the start of 2018 Wimbledon, Kvitova had a tour-leading 38 victories this season.

The post Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova Eliminated in the First Round of 2018 Wimbledon appeared first on SportzBonanza.

On Tuesday we witnessed another major upset at US Open 2017. Last year’s US Open Women’s Singles champion, Germany’s Angelique Kerber has ended her journey to defend the title by being eliminated in the first round by Japan’s Naomi Osaka. On the WTA World Ranking, Kerber is ranked 6th but is on her way out of the top 10 for sure while Osaka is currently ranked 45th and will see an improvement in her ranking after US Open is completed. Kerber is the first defending champion in the last 12 years to be eliminated so early. Something like this didn’t happen since 2005 when Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Ekaterina Bychkova.

Majority of the matches on Tuesday were canceled because of the rain but the match between Kerber and Osaka was completed. It probably helped that the Japanese tennis player was swift and finished the job in 2 sets beating Kerber 6-3, 6-1. Kerber looked powerless while Osaka strolled through their 65-minutes match.This was also the first time that Osaka has managed to beat a top 10 tennis player.

Compared to the last year, when she was number one ranked female tennis player in the world, 2017 isn’t shaping well for Angelique Kerber. In 2016, besides US Open, she won the Australian Open as well and even managed to reach Wimbledon final. This year, Kerber suffered multiple blows, including elimination from the French Open where she was No. 1 seed. That was the first time in the tournament’s history that No. 1 seeded player was eliminated in the first round.

Now, 4 out of the top 10 seeded tennis players in woman’s singles are out of the US Open. The 9th seeded Venus Williams is pregnant and doesn’t participate in the tournament. The 2nd seeded Simona Halep was eliminated by Maria Sharapova while 7th seeded Johanna Konta suffered a defeat in her match against WTA 78th ranked Aleksandra Krunic.

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