Sharapova started the year at the Australian Open, where she
defeated fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the second
Grand Slam semifinal of her career. Sharapova held match
points in the third set of her semifinal match, before
losing to eventual champion Serena Williams.
In February, Sharapova won back-to-back tournaments, the
Toray Pan Pacific Open and the Qatar Total Open, allowing
her to reach the top 3 in the world rankings for the first
time. In the semifinals of the Tier I Pacific Life Open,
Sharapova was defeated by Lindsay Davenport, the first time
she had failed to win a game in a match.
The following fortnight, she defeated former world no. 1
players Justine Henin and Venus Williams to reach the final
at the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open, where she lost to Kim
Clijsters.
Sharapova made the semifinals of a clay-court tournament for
the first time at the Italian Open, where she lost to Patty
Schnyder. Sharapova would have become world no. 1 for the
first time had she won the tournament.
Sharapova then reached the quarterfinals of the French Open
for the second consecutive year, before losing to eventual
champion Henin.
On grass, Sharapova won her third title of the year when she
successfully defended her title at the DFS Classic,
defeating Jelena Jankovic in the final. As the defending
champion at Wimbledon, Sharapova reached the semifinals
without dropping a set and losing a service game just once,
extending her winning streak on grass to 24 matches.
However, she was then beaten by eventual champion Venus
Williams.
A back injury sustained by world no. 1 Davenport at
Wimbledon prevented her from playing tournaments during the
summer hard-court season, which meant she could not earn new
ranking points to replace those that were expiring from the
previous year. Sharapova, although also injured for much of
this time, had far fewer points to defend, and so she became
the first Russian woman to hold the world no. 1 ranking on
August 22, 2005.
Her reign lasted only one week, however, as Davenport
reclaimed the top ranking after winning the Pilot Pen Tennis
tournament.
As the top seed at the US Open, Sharapova lost in the
semifinals to Kim Clijsters, meaning she had lost to the
eventual champion in every Grand Slam of the season.
However, she once again leapfrogged Davenport to take the
world no. 1 ranking on September 12, 2005.
She retained it for six weeks, but after playing few
tournaments while injured, she again relinquished the
ranking to Davenport. To conclude the year, Sharapova failed
to defend her title at the year-end Sony Ericsson
Championships in Los Angeles, defeating Davenport in one of
her round-robin matches, but ultimately losing in the
semifinals to eventual champion Amélie Mauresmo.
Sony Ericcson Accessories Range, London - Maria Sharapova Photoshoot
press image for big size
Biography
Maria Sharapova born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player. As of February 25, 2013 she is ranked world no. 3.
WNBA mock draft: Three point guards projected in top eight picks
With Dallas holding five of the top 13 picks, will we see any trades? And will Aari McDonald, Dana Evans or Kiana Williams be the top point guard?
Charli Collier, projected No. 1 pick in draft, is 'not even where I'm supposed to be yet'
Collier's path to the top of Thursday's WNBA draft was anything but preordained.
Women suing Watson attach names; 1 drops suit
Twenty women who had filed lawsuits against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson have amended their petitions to disclose their names. Another lawsuit is expected to be refiled, and one was dropped by a plaintiff "for now," according to court documents.
Arizona hiring Zags' Lloyd as coach, sources say
Arizona is expected to hire Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd as its next head coach, sources told ESPN, confirming a report by Stadium.
Reports: Transfers won't have to sit out season
The NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday to change the long-standing rule that forces transfer athletes in football and basketball to sit out a season at their new school, a report said.
Browns sign Clowney to play opposite Garrett
Jadeveon Clowney, who failed to record a sack in eight games with the Titans last season but has 32 over seven seasons, has signed a one-year deal with the Browns to play opposite Myles Garrett.
Puig says assault allegations 'false and malicious'
In a statement released on Tuesday, free agent Yasiel Puig denied claims that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2018 and said that the allegations have prevented him from continuing his Major League career.
Lawyer files assault complaint vs. Rams' Donald
Attorney Todd Hollis said his client needed 16 stitches and suffered a broken orbital bone, a broken nose and a sprained or broken arm after an alleged assault by Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and others at an after-hours nightclub.
Altuve, Bregman among 5 Astros out for protocol
Astros general manager James Click said that placing Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Robel Garcia and Martin Maldonado on the IL was not a function of them breaking COVID-19 protocols.
NFL outlines 3-phase offseason program in memo
The NFL on Wednesday sent a memo to teams outlining rules for its offseason programs -- rules the league has decided to impose after failing to reach agreement with its players' union on some key aspects.
Small school, 17 starts, rare talent: Trey Lance is the NFL draft's biggest enigma
Lance presents an impossible dilemma for NFL scouts: total domination in a small sample. But it's not likely to worry Lance, who's been underexposed -- or counted out -- for years.
'Now we've got a battle': The lockdown defender's blueprint for stopping Luka Doncic
Tony Allen, Bruce Bowen and Metta Sandiford-Artest could stop superstars in their tracks. How would they defend the Mavericks' phenom?
A fourth Champions League title would be Zidane's finest after Real eliminates Liverpool
If Zinedine Zidane guides this Real Madrid side to Champions League glory after eliminating Liverpool, he will get the full recognition he deserves.
These Eastern Conference storylines need your attention
Which players and postseason races are most intriguing? Here's what our experts are watching.
How 'Intervention' helped save Vance Johnson's destructive life -- and mine
In 2013, former Broncos receiver Vance Johnson finally got treatment after years of addiction and wreckage. Now he has a new job: as a counselor on the show "Intervention."
Power Rankings: Hinge players for all 31 teams down the stretch
The Avalanche remain in the top spot another week. Plus, which players will have an outsized impact on the playoff races?
Playoff Watch Daily: Who will win the West's fourth spot?
The Avs, Golden Knights and Wild are the top three teams. But there's a jumble behind them.
USWNT explore options, show versatility vs. Sweden, France as Olympic prep continues
The U.S. women's team passed their recent tests against Sweden and France, though there's still a lot of work to do before the Olympics.
Maggie Nichols, Kyla Ross on returning to NCAA gymnastics championships -- in coaching roles
Maggie Nichols and Kyla Ross had their competitive careers cut short by the pandemic. Now, two of the best collegiate gymnasts ever are back at the NCAA championships as student assistants for Oklahoma and UCLA.
Ranking the best upcoming fights in MMA, including Edwards-Diaz and Oliveira-Chandler
Between now and the end of June, the MMA world is packed with big fights. And we rank them all.
Three things to watch at Bellator 257
Bellator's light heavyweight champion is back in action, but will Vadim Nemkov prove he's truly elite?
Bayern Munich faces a painful rebuild after Champions League exit
Bayern needs reinforcements, but its track record of late doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
Neymar's PSG is banishing its Champions League demons
Even if he won't admit it, there was an element of revenge as Neymar helped PSG eliminate Bayern.
Mount's rise no fluke as Tuchel now sees what Lampard did
Mason Mount captained Chelsea for Frank Lampard's last game in charge, but he was dropped for Thomas Tuchel's first. Now he's won over the new boss.
Googly eyes, Sasquatch suits and a runaway booger: Welcome to the Mascot Hall of Fame
Behind the former Phillie Phanatic's quest to harness the power of fun -- and why he thinks it has found a new purpose in a post-pandemic world.
F1 changes Imola qualifying time to avoid clash with Prince Philip's funeral
Formula One has altered the timings of this weekend's practice and qualifying sessions at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix out of respect to the funeral service of Prince Philip, which will take place in the U.K. on Saturday.