The first day of the US Open Tennis Championships promised to be eventful. Already in the starting circle, the lots brought together Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Victoria Azarenka and Alena Sobolenko, but the battle between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams promised to become the most important. For the first time, athletes met among themselves in 2004 and since then this confrontation has gained the status of a cult.
At the same time, Sharapova cannot boast of a large number of victories in a duel with Williams Jr. Of course, the Russians left their second and one of the most important battles - the 2004 Wimbledon finals. Then the 17-year-old Russian woman interrupted the hegemony of her rival on English courts and inflicted one of the most offensive defeats in her career. By that time, Serena had won on the courts of the All-English club for two years in a row, but for the entire match with young Sharapova she was able to take only five games. This failure so crippled the American that the next time she won the main trophy of the Wimbledon tournament only five years later.
However, Maria did not stop there and at the end of the 2004 season she again dealt a severe blow to Serena. At the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Final Tournament, the athletes met in the final and the Russian woman again prevailed. This time the match turned out to be much more intense, and Sharapova won in three sets and finally spoiled her vis-a-vis the competitive year.
As a result, these failures made Williams stronger and seemed to charge her with the spirit of revenge for a decade and a half ahead. In the next 18 matches, the American invariably prevailed, while only three times Sharapova managed to win at least a set. The Russian woman responded with only one victory, and she was won even before the meeting. In the course of last year's Roland Garros, Serena was injured and was forced to abandon the battle with her eternal opponent.
But on the eve of the battle at the US Open, the advantage was again on the side of Williams. Firstly, she performed in her native walls, which guaranteed her deafening support from the stands. Secondly, in 2019, she twice reached the finals of various competitions, which cannot be said about her counterpart. The asset Sharapova appears three matches won with five defeats. Moreover, in St. Petersburg she was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury, and at Wimbledon she lost to the 81st racket of the world Pauline Parmantier.
The preference for Williams was given by both bookmakers and a number of specialists. The success of the American was not doubted by the famous athletes Anna Chakvetadze and Andrei Chesnokov, who could not find arguments in favor of the victory of Sharapova. At the same time, the head of the Russian Tennis Federation (FTR) Shamil Tarpishchev did not rule out a possible sensation from Maria, noting that for this she needed to keep her pitch.
In an open training session, Serena felt serious tension, which gave her rival certain hopes for success. The condition of the American was understandable - the last time she performed in the arena of Arthur Ashe a year ago - in the notorious finale with Naomi Osaka. He was remembered for the defeat of Williams, as well as her quarrel with the judge on the tower Carlos Ramos. It is worth noting that the fiasco did not allow Williams to win his 24th Grand Slam tournament and to catch up with the record holder in the number of victorious “majors” - Margaret Court.
In addition, Williams could suppress the fear of defeat in the first round in her native US Open. Previously, she had never conceded at the start of the US Open, having gained the upper hand in all 18 meetings. At the same time, Sharapova also had a one hundred percent indicator - 12 victories and not a single failure.
Already at the first draws, the outrageous mood of both athletes was visible. They did not take the time to swing and immediately went on to exchange powerful blows. The mistress of the courts looked a little more confident, but the Russian woman also did not give slack. Sharapova confidently took the first game on her serve, and in the next she was close to earning a break. But with an equal score, Williams was stronger.
As it turned out, Mary was only enough for three games. Starting from the fourth, she began to make mistakes very often, which instantly led to a loss of service. With the naked eye, problems with moving around the court became apparent, which resulted in frequent unforced errors. It is enough to note that she missed all four rallies after her own inaccurate punches.
This failure seriously broke Sharapova, who lost five more games in a row, and with them the game. Williams dominated the court, allowing his counterpart to take only four points. The American practically did not make any mistakes, which the Russian tennis player could not boast of - 10: 3 for unforced errors.
The second set could easily end with a “steering wheel” performed by Williams, but in the third game it slowed down a little and sent the ball three times outside the court. Sharapova almost gave her opponent a chance to recoup, having made a second double mistake for the match, but she quickly got together and reduced the difference in the score.
Williams was seriously nervous and with a score of 1: 2, Sharapova was able to earn her first break points in the match. Serena quickly returned one of them with the help of a powerful feed, but on the second she was very close to failure. Maria played great at the reception, knocked out an opponent from the court and rushed to the net, but received a filigree bypass stroke in response. After this, she was no longer able to get together and missed the opportunity to restore parity.
At the end of the match, Sharapova lost three more games and suffered her 20th defeat in a full-time confrontation with Williams. The meeting lasted a little less than an hour, and Maria’s success was limited to two innings won. Thus, the Russian woman for the first time since 2003 was not able to overcome the barrier of the first round at once in two Grand Slam tournaments.
After the match, Sharapova recalled her shoulder injury, which prevented her from fully preparing for the competition.
“This is not an easy way and has never been so. But do not forget that four months ago I had surgery on my shoulder. It’s a serious matter to be at the US Open evening match, which arouses great public interest. I was lucky to be part of everything that happens, ”the WTA press service quoted Sharapova as saying.
She admitted that a shoulder injury severely limited her in the training process, noting that she could not work out the feed.
“You need to be more reasonable, but I really want to play as many matches as possible before the end of the season. In other words, I believe in my abilities. Many can write me off. Especially after the defeat with a score of 1: 6, 1: 6 in the first round of US Open. But everything is fine until you give up, "said the Russian woman.
In turn, Williams noted the fighting qualities of Sharapova, but admitted that the style of Mary is great for her.
“It seems to me that her playing style is very compatible with mine. I always said that her balls were somehow landing in my hitting zone. I don’t know how it turns out, but for me it’s just perfect, ”admitted. Williams.
The American admitted that during the match she tried to constantly exert pressure on her opponent, preventing her from gathering strength.
“She is one of those players who do not give up. Even in the end, she continued to fight. One point here, one point there - so she could win at least one more game. I had to stay focused, ”Serena concluded.
In the second round, Williams will fight with his compatriot Katie McNelly. The 17-year-old athlete made it to the main draw through qualification, but in the first round got the better of Timaea Bachinski. As for Sharapova, after another defeat, she will soon leave the top 100 of the WTA rating. So, at the end of the competition, the 87th racket of the world will fall by at least 45 positions.