Sharapova serving notice at U.S. Open

Thoughts on the U.S. Open tennis:

Maria Sharapova blew through the Stanford tournament like a passing cloud, winning one match and then vanishing with a forearm injury. She’s been on the perimeter of the women’s game since returning from her 15-month drug suspension in April, with unsightly rankings and precious few results.

Is this the woman who will win the U.S. Open? You won’t find many betting against her.

As a wild card and facing a brutal first-round draw, Sharapova was in vintage form as she won a terrific three-set battle against second-ranked Simona Halep. And suddenly, with the third round ahead, the coast looks clear.

In a decidedly inviting quarter of the draw, Sharapova should reach the quarterfinals. At that point it gets challenging, with the likes of Garbine Muguruza, Venus Williams, Petra Kvitova and Carolina Garcia in the mix. But Sharapova, moving remarkably well after such a long layoff (and 19 months removed from her last major), is easily capable of defeating them all. The top half of the draw is deep but not particularly daunting — and Sharapova’s longtime nemesis, Serena Williams, is expecting a child before long.

There is no greater test of a player’s emotional readiness than a prime-time U.S. Open match against a legend. Frances Tiafoe passed with flying colors, giving Roger Federer a titanic scare Tuesday night before falling 6-4 in the fifth. Perhaps the United States’ best prospect on the men’s side, Tiafoe grew up in Maryland after his family fled the wartorn west African nation of Sierra Leone. His father took a job at a tennis center in College Park and eventually lived there, giving his kids ready access to the courts. Now 19, powerful and athletic, Tiafoe is going places.

Atherton’s CiCi Bellis is no longer the precocious kid winning high-profile matches against the odds. She’s a fullblown threat, not to be overlooked by anyone, and that can be difficult. Despite serving for the set at 5-4 against Japan’s 80th-ranked Nao Hibino, Bellis lost control of her forehand and first serve in a disappointing first-round loss, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. She’ll be working on her power game during the upcoming indoor season, with hopes of a much stronger showing at the Australian Open.