by Doni1212
The final match at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati was full of tension, drama and was completely unpredictable. Maria Sharapova defeated Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 for her second title of the year. Sharapova was the impressive one early on taking a 4-1 lead in the first. But after calling coach Ricardo Sanchez, Jankovic was able to win five games in a row to take the first set. Sharapova appeared visibly upset to have lost such a huge lead and called her coach at the end of the first set. It took a few games for his advice to sink in as she was broken early in the 2nd set to fall behind 0-2 early. After almost a full set full of breaks and long games, Sharapova was able to win the tiebreak 7-3 after a series of winners to force the match into a deciding set. Sharapova is undefeated this year when having to play a third set and this set was no different as she was able to finish off Jankovic with the loss of only 3 games in the third. After this thrilling match, both ladies established themselves as real title contenders at the U.S. Open.
As a viewer of this match, I would have to say that the best part was the apparent dislike and animosity between the players. From Jankovic complaining about Sharapova holding up her serve to Sharapova screaming “Come Ons” at Jankovic’s unforced errors, I can honestly say that this was truly an entertaining match. Also, I have seen many Sharapova matches over the years but never have I seen her so frustrated and visibly upset. She halfheartedly banged her racket on the court multiple times and even yelled at herself several times. It was clear that no player gets under her skin like Jankovic.
Other Notables:
-The 76 ranked player in the world scored the upset of the tournament when she beat the top ranked player in the world. Christina McHale, a 19 year old American, was impressive in her 6-4, 7-5 win over Caroline Wozniacki. Wozniacki remains winless during the U.S. hard court summer swing.
-Serena Williams withdrew in the 2nd round of the tournament giving Samantha Stosur a walkover into the third round. Williams withdrew with an aggravated right toe injury but expects to be fine by the Open.
-Andrea Petkovic suffered a meniscus tear in her right knee before her semifinal loss to Jankovic. She competed with the heart of a champion when most would have withdrawn. She came close to winning the first set but eventually lost the match 6-7(4), 1-6.
-Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and Kimiko Date-Krumm all withdrew from the tournament with lingering injuries.
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