Maria Sharapova Impressive in Defeat of Lindsay Davenport
Published by Aaress Lawless on Jan 16, 2008 | Print |
Maria Sharapova dismissed comeback mom Lindsay Davenport in straight sets on Wednesday at the 2008 Australian Open.
The two-time Grand Slam champion defeated Davenport in the night session 6-1, 6-3.
Tonight’s blockbuster showdown hardly lived up to expectations as Davenport failed to impress in her first major test since returning to tennis in September. Although Davenport stepped up her game in the second set, Maria Sharapova needed only sixty-six minutes to advance into the third round of the Grand Slam.
Davenport struggled to get on the scoreboard in the first set, winning only twelve points and just one game.
Although Davenport has posted exceptional results since returning at Bali last fall, she looked vulnerable during her first round match against Sara Errani. The Italian was a familiar foe, having been beaten by Davenport twice in her comeback, but Lindsay was fortunate to escape with a hard-fought three set victory on Monday.
Davenport’s strength has never been her movement, a weakness Sharapova took advantage of from the beginning of the match. The fifth seed herself has been criticized for her own footwork inadequacies, but Wednesday Sharapova played impeccable tennis.
Sharapova will face fellow Russian Elena Vesnina in the third round.
Vicki | Jan 16, 2008 | Reply
Well written article and very true. I don’t care who was the other side of the net last night Maria played really well and no one would’ve beaten her.
This was a bad draw for Lindsay and it a great barometer of what she needs to do to take the next step in her comeback and the first thing she needs to do is make sure her ranking is up enough to be seeded by Wimbledon and I agree with Lindsay when she said I know I can play better than this. She’ll be back and better for loss.