‘This girl has a lot of grit’ declares Sharapova after emotional victory
When Maria Sharapova’s first grand slam match after a 15-month doping suspension ended with a victory at the US Open, she dropped to her knees and covered her face, tears welling in her eyes.
This was merely a win to get to the second round, yes, but it also clearly meant so much more to Sharapova. It meant she was back.
Displaying as much emotion on court as she ever did after one of her five major championships, Sharapova recovered after faltering midway through the match and emerged to beat No 2-seeded Simona Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and 44 minutes on Monday night.
“Behind all these Swarovski crystals and little black dresses,” Sharapova told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, “this girl has a lot of grit, and she’s not going anywhere.”
So much about Sharapova was the same as it ever was: the shot-punctuating shrieks, the aggressive baseline style, the terrific returning, the sometimes-shaky serving. Another familiar sight: She dug deep for a win.
“It’s been a while,” said Sharapova, who missed additional time after her ban because of injuries. “It almost seemed like I had no right to win this match today. And I somehow did. I think that is what I’m most proud of.”
After leading by a set and 4-1 in the second, Sharapova showed some fatigue and rust, dropping five games in a row. But in the third, Sharapova regained control by going ahead 3-0, using her power to keep Halep under pressure.
Sharapova had not played at a grand slam tournament since January 2016, when she tested positive for the newly banned heart drug meldonium during the Australian Open. The 30-year-old Russian was allowed back on tour this April, but she was denied a wild-card invitation for the French Open the next month. The US Tennis Association did grant a wild card to Sharapova, who was once ranked No 1 but is currently 146th.
It was as if every one of Sharapova’s winners on Monday – and she compiled 60, a startling 45 more than Halep – was her way of declaring, “Look out, everybody!”
At an event that began without Serena Williams, who is expecting a baby, and is already missing two of its top seven seeded women – No 7 Johanna Konta, a Wimbledon semi-finalist just last month, was upset by 78th-ranked Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 – Sharapova must be considered a serious title contender. She did, after all, win the US Open in 2006.
But she wasn’t interested in looking too far ahead just yet.
“This is a big win for me, and I will enjoy it,” she said, “then move on to the next one.”