Maria Sharapova has found Caroline Wozniacki.
Sharapova’s newsworthy U.S. Open campaign, which started with a three-set win over Simona Halep and included some shots fired against Wozniacki in the press room, ended with a tough 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 loss to Anastasija Sevastova during fourth-round action on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier in the week, Wozniacki expressed disgust that the USTA kept putting Sharapova in Arthur Ashe Stadium even though she was coming back from a drug-related suspension. The Russian hit back, saying that all she cared about was the she played her way into the fourth and didn’t know where Wozniacki was (a reference to the fact that the No. 5 seed had fallen to Ekaterina Makarova in round two).
Well, now they can hang out–although the chances of that are slim. Sharapova followed Wozniacki out of the tournament after spraying a ridiculous 51 unforced errors compared to Sevastova’s miniscule 14. The 2006 U.S. Open champion served at just 54 percent and double-faulted five times.
“It’s been a really great ride in the last week,” Sharapova reflected. “Obviously coming off a loss, it’s a quick turnaround in order to reflect all the positives that happened in the last eight or nine days. But ultimately I can take a lot from this week. It’s great to get that major out of the way. It was an incredible opportunity. I’m very thankful for the opportunity. I did my best. I can be proud of that.”
Sevastova an be even more proud of herself. The Latvian now finds herself in the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
“You prepare yourself for these matches,” Sevastova explained. “You play for these matches. You play the sport for these matches. I was ready. I played last year on Ashe. I knew what to expect. Yeah, that’s it…. From last year, I only have great memories here. It helped me a lot because I knew I could play well here. So I came (in) pretty confident. But still, you have to get through these first matches. It’s getting tougher every match.”
Her next match will come against Sloane Stephens, who survived a three-setter of her own against Julie Goerges. Stephens prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals and continue her remarkable and resurgent summer.
“Obviously before or when I started playing again at Wimbledon and D.C., I didn’t expect much,” the American noted. “I was just playing and having fun; having a good time. I’m still playing and having a good time. That’s really all there is to it.”
Leave a Reply