SHAZZA IS DRESSED TO THRILL
THE last female to wear a little black dress to such acclaim in New York was Audrey Hepburn.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s? Maria Sharapova had the hardened crowd at Flushing Meadows eating out of her hand.
The drugs cheat defeated world No.2 Simona Halep 6-4 4-6 6-3 in her first appearance at the US Open since 2014. A sizeable group of British athletics fans let dope-shame sprinter Justin Gatlin know their thoughts at the recent World Championships, but Sharapova was feeling only the love at Queens.
Her black outfit highlighted her reputation among many as a baddie, but she is determined to move on from the doping scandal that saw her banned for two years in 2016, later reduced to 15 months.
Five-times Grand Slam winner Sharapova said: “The reaction of the crowd meant so much. This is a completely different calibre to anywhere you play in the world. It’s electric. That’s what makes this great.”
Reigning champion Angelique Kerber was sent crashing by a Japanese teen.
Naomi Osaka, 19, stunned the title holder by winning 6-3 6-1 in just over an hour to march into the second round.
Kerber, now set to drop out of the world’s top 10, became only the second defending champion in the open era to lose her crown in the first round.