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Sharapova stuns Serena to take title
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-04 08:09
Teenager Maria Sharapova has stunned champion Serena Williams 6-1 6-4 in the
Wimbledon final to become the first Russian to win a singles title at the
championships.
The 17-year-old also became only the second Russian woman to win a grand slam
title, less than a month after Anastasia Myskina became the first at Roland
Garros.
Thirteenth seed
Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates her victory over top seed Serena
Williams of the US in their women's singles final match on Centre Court at
the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 3, 2004.
Seventeen-year-old Sharapova won the match, which was her first Wimbledon
and Grand Slam singles title, 6-1 6-4.
[Reuters] |
In the Open era, only Martina
Hingis was younger than Sharapova when she won the women's singles title. The
Swiss was 16 when she beat Jana Novotna in 1997.
Playing in her first grand slam final on Saturday, Sharapova showed no early
nerves and drew first blood by breaking the defending champion's serve to lead
3-1 after Serena ballooned a backhand long.
Serena, 22, was seeking her third successive Wimbledon singles crown but was
unable to cope with the brute force of the 17-year-old's groundstrokes.
Thirteenth seed
Maria Sharapova of Russia raises the trophy after defeating top seed
Serena Williams of the US in their final match at the Wimbledon Tennis
Championships in London, July 3, 2004.
[Reuters] |
Sharapova broke again for 5-1 with
a searing backhand winner and kept her composure to take the first set on her
fourth set point when Serena netted a forehand service return.
The 13th seed maintained her momentum at the start of the second set and a
shell-shocked Serena was struck on the nose by the ball after one particularly
venomous groundstroke from the Siberian.
With both players troubled by the gusty wind, Serena thought she had wrested
away the initiative when she broke for 4-2 but Sharapova defiantly broke
straight back.
Thirteenth seed
Maria Sharapova (L) of Russia stands with Serena Williams of the US as
they hold their respective trophies after their women's final match at the
Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 3, 2004.
[Reuters] |
In a epic ninth game, Serena
grittily saved three set points but Sharapova secured the decisive break when
the American slipped and hooked a forehand out.
The fearless Russian then completed an astonishing victory on her second
match point when Serena netted a forehand and she greeted her triumph by
collapsing to her knees in tears in disbelief.
Sharapova's victory is the first for a non-American in the women's final
since Czech Novotna in 1998, which is also the last year neither Venus or Serena
held one of the four grand slam titles between them.
Serena vows to reclaim title
Top seed Serena
Williams of the US wipes a tear from her eye after her defeat to
thirteenth seed Maria Sharapova of Russia in their women's singles final
match on Centre Court at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London,
July 3, 2004. [Reuters] |
Serena Williams will
use her shock defeat to Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon final to spur her to
greater glory, the deposed champion says.
Less than an hour after having her title wrenched from her grip by the
17-year-old Siberian on Saturday, Serena said she would be hitting the practice
courts as soon as possible to raise her game to an even higher level.
"I'm definitely going to triple my efforts, do everything I can to play
better next time," the six-times grand slam champion smiled.
First, though, she wants to get away from Wimbledon.
"(Tomorrow) I'll probably be going to the tennis court, work on some stuff,"
she said. "Won't be in England.
"Actually, I think I need to go out right now, the way I performed. So if
you'd let me go, I'm going to go to Court 13 and start practising," she told
reporters.
Serena, who returned to action in March this year after knee surgery, said
she had been well below par against Sharapova.
"Oh, I'm at like 20 percent right now, so ... I'm at 20 percent, I think. I
think everyone can see it. There's a lot of stuff I want to do a little more
physically.
"Obviously, I want to play a lot better than I did the last two matches. I
still think there's a lot of things that I want to work on that I really know
from my potential that I can do a lot better on. Everyone here knows I can do so
much better than what I did the past few matches. We can't deny that."
Williams family
Serena, unbeaten at the All England Club since 2001, said she had put a lot
of pressure on herself.
"I didn't play great and I didn't win," she smiled. "I put a lot of stress on
myself. I think I put too much stress on myself going into it.
"I figured, you know, I really wanted to win more than anything. I was so
focused the night before, the day before, I mean, a week before.
"I just really was so, you know, 'I got to do this. If I don't do this,
there's no ifs, ands or buts about it. I've got to do it'. Maybe I shouldn't be
so hard on myself."
Serena acknowledged that Sharapova had been too hot on the day.
"She played her best tennis today, and for the whole tournament, for sure,"
she nodded. "You know, it's normal.
"When I play people, they normally play their best tennis ... not 'normally',
they always play their best tennis against me and my sister. So today I knew she
was going to be playing really well.
"She's kind of like me, she doesn't back off. She keeps giving it her
all."
Sharapova's victory means the Wimbledon title leaves the Williams family for
the first time since 1999. Venus won in 2000 and 2001.
Serena said they'd be back to reclaim it.
"We have lots of years left, and we both do so well here, so definitely. It's
just a matter of time."
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