Sharapova was defeated in the third round of the Australian
Open by seventh seed Anastasia Myskina.
The highlight of the remainder of her spring hard-court
season was a run to the semifinals at the Regions Morgan
Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup, where she
ultimately lost to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva.
During the spring clay-court season, Sharapova entered the
top 20 on the WTA world rankings as a result of reaching the
third round of the Qatar Telecom German Open and the
Internazionali BNL d'Italia, both of which were Tier I
events.
At the latter event, she defeated a player ranked in the top
10 for the first time with a straight-sets win over world
no. 10 and 2004 French Open finalist Elena Dementieva. Later
that clay-court season, she went on to make the
quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time at the
French Open, losing there to Paola Suarez.
Sharapova won the third title of her career at the Wimbledon
warm-up DFS Classic, defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final.
Seeded 13th and aged 17 at Wimbledon, she reached her first
Grand Slam semifinal by defeating Ai Sugiyama. There, she
defeated fifth seed and former champion Lindsay Davenport.
In the final, Sharapova upset top seed and defending
champion Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam singles
title, and become the third-youngest woman to win the
Wimbledon title, behind only Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis.
Sharapova also became the second Russian woman (after
Anastasia Myskina had won the year's previous major at
Roland Garros) to win a Grand Slam singles title. The
victory was hailed by the media as "the most stunning upset
in memory", with other writers commenting on her arrival as
a serious challenger to the Williams' dominance at
Wimbledon. She entered the top 10 in the rankings for the
first time as a result of the win.
Following her Wimbledon win, attention and interest in
Sharapova in the media greatly increased, a rise in
popularity dubbed as "Maria Mania." However, on court, she
was struggling to achieve results, winning just three of six
matches in her preparations for the TAG Heuer, 2008. At the
TAG Heuer, 2008 itself, she reached the third round, before
being eliminated by Mary Pierce. In order to regain
confidence, Sharapova played and won consecutive titles in
Asia in the fall, the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships
and the Japan Open Tennis Championships.
In October, Sharapova defeated Venus Williams en route to
making the final of a Tier I event for the first time at the
Zurich Open, losing in the final to Alicia Molik. She then
made her debut at the year-ending WTA Tour Championships.
There, she won two of her three round-robin matches
(including a win over TAG Heuer, 2008 champion Svetlana
Kuznetsova) in order to advance to the semifinals, where she
defeated Myskina. In the final, she defeated Serena
Williams, after trailing 4–0 in the final set.
TAG Heuer promotion, Hong Kong - 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.
The Josh Harris/Mitchell Rales group, which now includes Magic Johnson, and Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos have submitted fully financed $6 billion bids for the Commanders, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Sources: KD to return for Suns vs. Timberwolves
Kevin Durant is set to return from his left ankle injury when the Suns host the Timberwolves on Wednesday, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Zero hour: NFL now to let players wear No. 0
The NFL voted and approved several rule changes Tuesday, including to allow all players other than offensive and defensive linemen to wear the jersey number zero.
Nets shutting down Simmons for rest of season
Ben Simmons, who has not played in more than a month because of a nerve issue in his back, has been shut down for the rest of the season.
LaFleur not expecting Love to be Rodgers 2.0
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that it can't be expected that Jordan Love will immediately produce the same results as "generational talent" Aaron Rodgers.
Seahawks' Carroll quashes talk of Adams' demise
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll spent a portion of Tuesday's availability at the NFL's annual meetings rejecting any notion that the team is prepared to move on from safety Jamal Adams after the free-agent acquisition of Julian Love.
Yanks talk up starting SS Volpe's 'elite' potential
Yankees stars such as Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole have been impressed by 21-year-old Anthony Volpe's talent and demeanor and believe he's ready for the pressure of being the franchise's youngest starting shortstop since Derek Jeter.
Cops investigate Beal after fan spat over lost bet
Wizards star Bradley Beal is under police investigation after a postgame incident last week with a fan in Orlando, according to police documents obtained by ESPN.
Five boys' McDonalds All American Game matchups we love
When the best faces the best, as in the prestigious McDonald's All American Game, it can make for some intriguing one-on-one matchups.
Trade for Lamar Jackson? Here's what 10 NFL teams had to say
How many NFL teams still need a QB? What's their cap space? Interest has been underwhelming in the former MVP, and here are some reasons.
Mike Tannenbaum’s GM mock draft: A former exec makes 31 first-round picks
Tannenbaum puts his GM hat back on and makes his own selections for each team in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
MLB season preview: Ranking all 30 teams as baseball returns
Who will rule -- and stumble -- this season? It's time to get up to speed as baseball returns.
Here's your guide to MLB's offseason chaos
Wait, Jacob deGrom is on the Rangers now? Xander Bogaerts and Trea Turner signed where?
Who wins in a battle of the Final Four schools' all-time starting 5s?
In this theoretical exercise, the best players -- and coaches -- of the past 20 years face off, just like their 2022-23 counterparts will do this weekend.
Destined for Dallas: How Iowa, LSU, South Carolina and Virginia Tech reached the Final Four
Iowa and LSU are finally back. Virginia Tech is Final Four-bound for the first time. And then there's South Carolina, unbeaten and pursuing a perfect season.
The real winners and losers from the U.S.'s international break
With the U.S. men's national team winning both matches during the international break, we answer the question: Who were their winners and losers?
From transfer portal to the Final Four: Angel Reese's improbable year
A year ago, Kim Mulkey had just finished her first season in Baton Rouge and Angel Reese had just entered the transfer portal. What happened next is an unexpected turnaround leading all the way to Dallas.
The top 20 women's college basketball players in the transfer portal
As we close in on crowning a 2023 champion, the transfer portal is already in full swing and includes several players who won conference player of the year or freshman of the year honors.
Mock draft: 10-team, PPR
As offseason movement continues, we provide a look at where players are currently being valued by doing our first mock of 2023.
Early flex and superflex rankings for 2023
Whenever you decide to dive into your 2023 fantasy football draft prep, we've got you covered.
From model franchise to scandals and ineptitude: Inside the fall of Dan Snyder's NFL run in Washington
Dan Snyder purchased one of the NFL's marquee franchises in 1999. Twenty-four years later, and with the team up for sale, he leaves a legacy of on-field futility and off-field scandal.
The inside story of Antonio Conte's exit from Tottenham
When you hire Antonio Conte, the trajectory is clear: trophies, then turmoil. Except at Spurs, where he skipped the first bit. Here's why he left.
We have a four-team WSL title race: Will it be Chelsea, Man City, Man United or Arsenal?
There are four teams in the title race with six games left, but they all look vulnerable. Who will prevail? Here's what you missed in the WSL.
Transfer Talk: Mount could reunite with Tuchel at Bayern Munich
A Mason Mount-Thomas Tuchel reunion could be on the horizon if Bayern Munich get their way. Transfer Talk has the latest.
What to watch for this week at the Augusta National Women's Amateur
From Anna Davis' title defense to Ingrid Lindblad embracing the spotlight, here are the biggest storylines as the best amateur women's players in the world face off at ANWA.
Rankings: The top 25 teams in the NCAA this week
Texas extended its winning streak to seven games heading into a rematch with college softball's No. 1 team, Oklahoma.
Bianca, Charlotte and Rhea are ushering in the next 'Powerhouse' era of women's wrestling
The current faces of women's wrestling have never been more powerful and athletic. Here's how all three stretched the possibilities within the sport.
Waiver wire pickups: Keep an eye on Shaedon Sharpe
The fantasy basketball waiver wire always has players who can help fill holes on your roster. Here are the ones to add before it's too late.
press image for big size
