Williams, Kvitova continue dream run
Maria Sharapova reflected positively on her US Open campaign after the former world number one’s grand slam comeback ended in the fourth round. Sharapova bowed out at Flushing Meadows on Sunday following a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 loss to 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova in New York. The five-time grand slam champion was making her first major appearance since the 2016 Australian Open, having tested positive for a banned substance at Melbourne Park last year.
Sharapova returned from a 15-month suspension in April after violating anti-doping rules, but was denied a wildcard for the French Open and then pulled out of Wimbledon qualifying through injury.
The 30-year-old Russian upstaged Simona Halep en route to the round of 16 but she fell to Sevastova, though the 2006 US Open champion was not too downcast post-match.
“It’s been a really great ride in the last week,” Sharapova told reporters. “Obviously coming off a loss, you know, 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.”
She continued: “I think there are a lot of positives. Playing four matches, playing in front of a big crowd and fans. Just competing, being in that competitive environment. That’s what I missed.
“You can’t replicate that anywhere, especially at a grand slam. So for me to come out, Monday night was a special night for me. I will always remember it. I’m very grateful to have had that opportunity to bring it.
“As I said, I came in not playing a lot of matches. We all know that. Didn’t have much practice. “Obviously always disappointing to be on the losing end of things. But, yeah, I mean, reflecting back on the week, I can be happy.” Sharapova had previously said she would retire by the age of 30 when asked if she would play on until 2018 during her Australian Open campaign nine years ago.
“I hope by that time I’ll have a nice husband and a few kids,” Sharapova said in 2008.
Fast forward to 2017 and Sharapova has no plans to walk away from tennis.
“I was in my middle 20s, I didn’t think that my body would be ready to compete at such a level,” Sharapova said as she re-visited the topic.
“And I just got a completely new appreciation of what the body can do at 30 years old, or past 30 years old.”
Twenty years after making her breakthrough at the U.S. Open, Venus Williams continues to thrive on the sport’s biggest stages.
Williams, 37, reached the quarterfinals at the Open for the 12th time with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Carla Suárez Navarro on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Williams has 33 match victories this year, and 19 have come at the four major tournaments. She finished runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and reached the fourth round of the French Open.
The is the first time Williams has reached the quarterfinals at consecutive Grand Slam events since 2010.
“Now I’ll play players who I’ve never seen or know their name, and you can’t let up one point,” Williams said.
Suárez Navarro, a tenacious Spaniard with a fluid onehanded backhand, was a known quantity for Williams, having won three of their previous seven matches.
“I was happy about this match because she wasn’t seeded here, but obviously, she knows how to play,” the ninth-seeded Williams said of Suárez Navarro. “She’s played deep in the majors. She’s won big titles. This was my best match, so I was happy to see my level rise as the tournament is continuing, because I know my opponents are going to be better; I need to be better. To be able to be out there and execute things that I wanted, it was a good feeling.”
RUN ENDS Russian tennis ace, making her first major appearance since 2016 Australian Open, loses in prequarterfinals to 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia
Williams’ opponent in Tuesday’s quarterfinals is No. 13-seeded Petra Kvitova, who is also having a remarkable season — for a significantly different reason.
Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion, but her ability to continue to contend for major titles — or even play at all — had been in doubt after a vicious knife attack during a home invasion in December severely damaged her left hand. After surgery and months of rehabilitation, Kvitova returned to the tour in May at the French Open.
She earned her biggest win of her comeback Sunday, ousting third-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza, 7-6 (3), 6-3. It was her first win over a top-10 player.
“I didn’t really play the kind of great players so far in the season when I came back,” Kvitova said. “It was something really special for me.”
Muguruza, the reigning Wimbledon champion, led by 4-1 in the first set but struggled to match Kvitova’s power on crucial points. Muguruza was limited to seven winners compared with Kvitova’s 24. Kvitova especially dominated on the forehand, hitting 12 such winners to just two for Muguruza.
Despite nine double faults, Kvitova made a difference with her serves, winning 78 percent of points on her first serve .
Kvitova, who said early in her comeback that she initially she surprised herself with her ability to still hit great shots, said she had now settled into a familiar comfort with her rediscovered abilities.
“I’m not thinking like that anymore,” she said. “I think maybe it’s a bad sign sometimes, that I should still be more appreciative than I am, probably. But sometimes I just really feel that the touch is there, the strength, the aggressive kind of game plan of it is there, which I’m really, really appreciative for that.