Maria Sharapova

TOP seed Maria Sharapova will begin her Sony Ericsson Open campaign against 93rd-ranked Chan Yung-Jan of Chinese Taipei who beat Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Thursday.

Sharapova, last year’s runner-up at Crandon Park to fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, lost in the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open last week.

Chan’s 84-minute win came on a day when showers delayed play for more than four hours.

In other first-round matches, Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek, beaten last week by Sharapova, advanced to face Czech eighth seed Nicole Vaidisova with a win over Georgian Anna Tatishvili 6-3, 7-6.

Three-time champion Venus Williams recovered from losing the first four games to beat Ukraine’s Yuliana Fedak 7-5, 6-2.

Venus, playing for the first time since winning in Memphis last month, produced 31 unforced errors in the first set before overwhelming her 88th-ranked opponent.

“‘At 4-0 I was thinking hold, break, hold, it’s even,” Williams told reporters. “I felt really confident. I didn’t feel like it was a set for me to lose. It was definitely a set I could win, just keep some balls in.”

The American improved to 34-5 at the tournament which she won in 1998, 1999 and 2001.

Frenchwoman Emilie Loit put out last week’s surprise package Sybille Bammer of Austria 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Austrian Bammer, the only mother in the world’s top 50, beat former world No. 1 Serena Williams in Hobart this year and lost in the Pacific Life semifinals to Kuznetsova.

On the men’s side, American Vince Spadea defeated compatriot Robby Ginepri 6-1, 6-3 and Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean eliminated former French Open runner-up Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4. Qualifier Guillermo Canas, who last week ended world No. 1 Roger Federer’s 41-match winning streak, beat experienced Briton Tim Henman 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Associated Press

Defending champion Maria Sharapova of Russia was knocked out of the Pacific Life Open on Tuesday, a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 loss to Russian compatriot Vera Zvonareva that will cost her the No. 1 ranking.

Sharapova was beaten in the fourth round and needed to reach the Indian Wells semifinals to remain No. 1. She will be supplanted by Belgium’s Justine Henin when the rankings are released Monday. Henin, who is not at this tournament, won two recent events in the Middle East.

Andy Roddick, the lone American left in the tournament, advanced to the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over Richard Gasquet of France. Roddick’s game was particularly sharp in the second set, with his serves, groundstrokes and volleys all clicking.

Roddick finished the match with a 214-km/h serve down the centre stripe for his 15th ace.

The 19-year-old Sharapova was playing her first event since withdrawing from her semifinal at Tokyo last month with a strained left hamstring.

She struggled in the match against the 22-year-old Zvonareva, ranked No. 20 who won for third time in seven matches against Sharapova.

Sharapova had 13 double-faults and 47 unforced errors. She was up 5-3 in the second set and serving for the match when Zvonareva suddenly took control, winning eight consecutive games and 10 of the final 11.

Frequently looking off-balance while serving, Sharapova bounced her second serve into the net on one of her two double-faults in losing the sixth game of the third set.

The men’s side of the tournament lost its No. 1 player Sunday when Argentina’s Guillermo Canas upset Roger Federer 7-5, 6-2 to end the Swiss star’s 41-match winning streak.

Sharapova said she got a bit deflated when she couldn’t close out the match against Zvonareva and, “She just started swinging and wasn’t making a lot of errors.”

Asked about the problems with her serves, Sharapova said, “Yeah, there were a lot of wrong things going on today. That was just one of them, especially in the third set. But it was more of a snowball effect than anything else.”

Zvonareva said: “I was concentrating on every point, trying to get the rhythm, trying to get my game together and I was just fighting for every point. I think that’s why I was able to turn it around.”

Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova beat Switzerland’s Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3 in a rematch of their 2002 Indian Wells final, won by Hantuchova in straight sets. Second-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Japan’s Ai Sugiyama.

No. 17 Li Na of China defeated No. 9 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-6 (1) to move into the quarter-finals. Her country’s highest-ranked player ever and a tour event winner in 2004, Li next faces Zvonareva.

Tatiana Golovin of France advanced when No. 7 Russian Nadia Petrova retired because of heat exhaustion after losing the first set 6-2 and dropping the first game of the second.

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, who lost to Federer in the Indian Wells quarter-finals last year after the Swiss star beat him in the fourth round in 2005, reached the quarter-finals again this time, defeating Argentina’s David Nalbandian 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero in another fourth-round match.

Maria Sharapova is continuing her campaign to prolong her title at Indian Wells with a win over French Natalie Dechy. Sharapova sent Dechy packing defeating the French in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.

Sharapova’s game wasn’t however without flaws. On the contrary: Her game was full of flaws committing 47 errors against 24 winners.

A hamstring injury forced the Siberian US Open champ of 2006 out for a month. Due to the injury she had to cancel the Dubai tournament as well.

Sharapova plays fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva in the next round who defeated Victoria Azarenka in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. Sharapova defeated Michealla Krajicek in her first match.

Former champion Martina Hingis cruised but top seed Maria Sharapova had to work a little harder to secure opening victories in the women’s event at the Pacific Life Open on Friday.
Hingis booked her place in the third round with a 6-1, 6-3 trouncing of Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki while a rusty Sharapova rattled up 11 double-faults before beating Dutch player Michaella Krajicek 7-6, 6-4.
Tournament winner in 1998 and twice a runner-up at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Hingis broke her opponent three times in the opening set before clinching victory in less than an hour.
“I tried to do some (different) things out there, come in more,” third seed Hingis told reporters as she remained on course for a possible semi-final clash with world number one Sharapova.
“I won a lot of points at the net and that is satisfying. Hopefully I can bring that in against the top players as well.
“It’s getting easier. When I needed it today, I came in and made some faster points.”
The world number six, who claimed her 43rd WTA Tour singles title at last month’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, is determined to retain her top-10 ranking by the end of the year.
“If I can earn my spot up there and put some pressure on the higher-ranked players, then that’s the only way I can succeed,” the 26-year-old said.
“And if I can occasionally win some more tournaments, I’ll be even happier.”
Sharapova, competing for the first time since being forced to retire with a hamstring injury midway through her Pan Pacific Open semi-final against Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in Tokyo last month, looked particularly rusty in the first set. (Reuters)

GulfNews

Top seed and World No. 1 Maria Sharapova hopes to continue her ‘progression’ at this year’s Pacific Life Open as she chases back-to-back titles. The Russian’s five previous appearances at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden have shown consistent improvement, with a first-round loss in 2003 the only anomoly. Her five consecutive appearances since 2002 have resulted in the following finishes: second round (2002), first round (2003), round of 16 (2004), semifinals (2005) and champion (2006).

Asked to assess how she had developed since her first outing as a 14-year-old in 2002, Sharapova said: “I’m a much more experienced player than I was back then. It’s been a steady progression and hopefully I’ll maintain that. I lost in the second round, I lost in the semis the year before last and then I won last year.”

Former champion and two-time finalist Martina Hingis, who also reached the semifinals here last year during her comeback season, said that she feels very comfortable in Indian Wells, but this year she’ll feel a little extra pressure trying to defend the points she picked up in 2006. “Every time you come back to a tournament where you have done well you feel like you belong to the place. You connect with Indian Wells and the people. I enjoy being here. I have great memories. I made the semifinals last year and I’m now starting to defend my points… I want to do as well as I did last year, to stay in the top 10 and win some more events.”

As first-round women’s action began Wednesday, emerging American Shenay Perry enjoyed a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Russian qualifier Galina Voskoboeva, dropping just four points on her first serve and saving all six break points she faced.

Fellow American Jill Craybas dominated the second serve of Italian opponent Maria Elena Camerin to advance to the second round with a 6-1, 7-5 victory. Craybas will now attempt to reach the third round for just the second time in seven outings in Indian Wells.

Former teenage Wimbledon semifinalist Mirjana Lucic claimed a significant 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over American qualifier Lindsey Nelson. It was her first main draw match win since the 2002 French Open

(The Sun)

PRINCESS Beatrice has been voted the third most eligible woman in the WORLD.

Fergie’s oldest girl, 18, beat beauties including supermodel Kate Moss and actresses Lindsay Lohan and Keira Knightley.

Topping a list of 50 was ageing rocker Rod Stewart’s daughter Kimberly, followed by Baywatch’s Carmen Electra.

Men’s mag FHM polled 10,000 readers to compile its Most Eligible Women In The World 2007 list.

A mag spokesman said: “Kimberly Stewart has all the attributes you want in a woman.

“She’s rich, gorgeous, likes to party and she’s the daughter of a legend.”

Also in the list were Page 3 favourite Keeley (9), model Elizabeth Jagger (25) and Big Brother star Shilpa Shetty (38).

TOP TEN: 1. Kimberly Stewart; 2. Carmen Electra; 3. Princess Beatrice; 4. Sarah Harding; 5. Scarlett Johansson; 6. Lindsay Lohan; 7. Maria Sharapova; 8. Paris Hilton; 9. Keeley Hazell; 10. Keira Knightley.