Maria Sharapova came armed with his nerve and her serve Tuesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium court. Showing no sign of an insecure service that has plagued her this summer, sent Sharapova Bulgaria Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3, 6-0 in 73 minutes.
Sharapova lost the first five months of the season while getting from shoulder surgery last fall, and the 22-year-old Russian covered 29th. There is an unknown place in the draw for the woman who was once located No 1
Sharapova said she was particularly pleased with how she attacked the fight by moving forward.
It adds a bit on my first battle, “she said.
Earlier in the day, there had been more anxious than oohs and aahs, more forced errors and double errors, larger head-slapping, eye-catching tennis terrible than inspiration from top-ranked, top-seeded Dinara Safina.
And finally, there may have been rejoicing for compassion rather than a roar of approval as Safina heard, but Safina did not care. She barely avoided becoming the first women’s No. 1-seeded player to be a first round, losing by 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 win over Australian Olivia Rogowska.
It was as though Safina used the stadium as a huge coaching and therapy session.
If I would lose this fight,” she said, “it would be I lost myself. It’s me; I and I play on the court.
It was far less dramatic for the two other Russians. Fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva and sixth-seeded and 2004 Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova both had straight wins. Dementieva will next rising American star Melanie Oudin, 17
Last night match, the second-seeded male player, Andy Murray, randomly found out Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-5, 6-3, 7-5. Murray took a hard fall and landed on his back in the third set, but said he felt fine after the game.
Fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic (a Semi Finalist and runner up in his last two Opens) had a non-dramatic 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 wins over Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic.
Djokovic is Serbian woman Jana Jankovic, who is seeded fifth, also moved smoothly into the second round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Italian Roberta Vinci.
STAT OF THE DAY
One reason for the five sets of women’s struggle can be bad: Safina and Rogowska combined to commit 113 forced errors. And they totaled 38 winners. In three sets.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Remember when Ana Ivanovic is ranked No. 1? She was the 11th-seeded player in this tournament, and lost to the 52nd rank Kateryna Bondarenko 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7), in 2 hours, 25 minutes.
Quote
Oudin, who has a twin sister, Katherine, “I have always wanted to be a professional tennis player, and she has always wanted to be an obstetrician, since we were young. It has not changed. ”
Today’s matches
At Arthur Ashe Stadium, but not 10 before PDT, the third-seeded Venus Williams and her sore left knee will take on Bethanie Mattek-Sands, followed by the first occurrence of Spain’s third seeded Rafael Nadal against tough French shot-maker Richard Gasquet. At 4, take five-time defending champion Roger Federer of Simon Greul, then the second seeded Serena Williams meets Melinda Czink of Hungary.
Out and about around the grounds: in the third match on Louis Armstrong Stadium is the comeback kid Kim Clijsters against 14th-seeded Marion Bartoli, while sixth seeded Juan Martin del Potro (who has beaten Andy Roddick twice this summer) v Juan Monaco in a al-Argentina match. At the gallery, not before 12:30, the Long Beach’s Vania King face 15th-seeded Samantha Stosu.
