HONG KONG, 3 January 2008 — Russian superstar Maria Sharapova overpowered the young Dane Caroline Wozniacki in Hong Kong yesterday, only just breaking a sweat in chilly conditions for a straight sets victory.
The world No. 5 brushed away plucky resistance from her 17-year-old opponent for a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the opening game of the JB Group Classic.
Wozniacki, ranked 60 in the world, was simply overwhelmed by the double Grand Slam winner’s power tennis, as Sharapova turned on her top game whenever she was under pressure.
The 20-year-old said an injury-free close season had provided a real boost ahead of this month’s Australian Open.
“I have had one of the best off seasons that I have probably had in my career,” said the Russian, who was playing her second game of the season.
“I was able to hit some good shots and to serve my way out of trouble,” she told reporters.
In the 38-minute first set, Wozniacki showed glimpses of the promise that led her to the junior Wimbledon crown in 2006, but was never able to gain any momentum on Sharapova’s serve, and her few break points slipped away.
Sharapova’s strong forehand dominated the match. She used it to good effect, often running round her backhand to smash powerful drives back to her much smaller opponent. The former Wimbledon and US Open champion finished the game off in one hour 21 minutes. She will now face compatriot Anna Chakvetadze, who outfought Slovakian world No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova in the other quarterfinal. Chakvetadze, ranked No. 7, battled to finish off her opponent in the second set, clinching the match 6-4, 6-3. The annual Hong Kong invitational tournament has this year attracted five of the world’s top 10 players, including American Venus Williams, who is due to open her challenge today.
Mauresmo Into Australian
Quarterfinals
In Gold Coast, Australia, two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo moved into the quarterfinals of the Australian Women’s Hardcourt tennis championships after beating fellow Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy yesterday.
The sixth seeded Mauresmo won 6-3, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal against Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, who took three sets to defeat Italian Francesca Schiavone 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Mauresmo won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006 on her way to becoming the world’s top ranked woman. However, a disappointing 2007 saw her slip out of the top 10 for the first time in seven years — she finished the year ranked 18. She is using the Australian Open lead-up tournaments as a springboard to try to get back into the top 10.
“I wasn’t dictating the game the way I should have,” Mauresmo said of her win over Dechy.
“I was fighting with myself a little bit the whole match.” Top seed Nicole Vaidisova, defending champion Dinara Safina and Israeli fifth seed Shahar Peer also moved into the last eight.
Vaidisova was too good for German Tatjana Malek winning 6-4, 6-2, Safina outlasted Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, while Peer went through when German Julia Schruff withdrew with illness.
Peer was ahead 6-0 at the time.
China’s Li Na joined them in the quarter-finals when she outclassed Australian wildcard Monique Adamczak 6-3, 6-2, while in a late match Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova beat Italy’s Tathiana Garbin 7-5, 6-1.
Mathieu Fights
Back in Adelaide
Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu fought back against local wild card Chris Guccione to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian men’s hardcourt tennis championships yesterday. The big serving Guccione took the opening set but second seed Mathieu gradually took control to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour and a half. Mathieu now faces another Australian wildcard following 32-year-old Joseph Sirianni’s hard-fought win over higher ranked American Sam Querrey.
Sirianni earned his wildcard following some good performances on the Australian challenger circuit and he used his match fitness to outlast Querrey 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-3.
In other matches, France’s Michael Llodra beat Evgeny Korolev of Russia 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 and German Benjamin Becker ousted US player Michael Russell 6-4, 6-4.
Federer Is Tops
Again for L’Equipe
In Paris, tennis star Roger Federer has been named Champion of Champions by L’Equipe newspaper for the third year running.
A winner of three out of four Grand Slam titles in 2007, the Swiss player finished well ahead of American swimmer Michael Phelps and French world rally champion Sebastien Loeb in a vote by the paper’s journalists.
The only other sportsman to have won three times in succession was Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher in 2001-2003.
