Posted on 09/10/2006 1:32:15 AM PDT by beyond the sea
NEW YORK - Maria Sharapova began the U.S. Open with as much buzz about her sponsorships as her strokes, as much talk about her getups as her game.
She's long insisted she's more about substance than style, though, and now she owns a second Grand Slam title to prove it.
Better on the biggest points all night, the third-seeded Sharapova beat No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open final Saturday to add a follow-up championship to her breakthrough title at Wimbledon in 2004.
"I experienced it two years ago, and I knew that I wasn't done," Sharapova said. "I had a lot more in me."
What Sharapova had on this night was a lot more force on nearly every shot, from groundstrokes to serves to returns. She faced only one break point all match, broke Henin-Hardenne three times, and compiled a 20-15 edge in winners.
"She's been a real fighter tonight," said Henin-Hardenne, who would have moved up to No. 1 with a victory. "The better player won tonight."
Quite a concession from the Belgian, who leads the tour this season in matches won (54), Grand Slam matches won (25) and tournament titles (five). She was the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1997 to reach a year's four major finals.
"She didn't give me a lot of opportunities," Henin-Hardenne said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The great tragedy of Anna is that she's made it harder for attractive people to be taken seriously as athletes, even when they are truly talented.
Liberals delude themselves into believing that beauty and intelligence/athleticism/success are mutually exclusive (maybe to make themselves feel better about being ugly?) Conservatives know that the opposite is true.
I don't normally watch tennis but I happened to catch Roddick vs Hewitt. I don't know who he's facing in the final (probably Federer) but he better come up with something on his backhand besides a cut shot.
Other than that, he looks awesome
;-)
Please post the S.I. pic of her sitting and talking with the photographer (who looks a little like Steven Speilberg).
;-)
Heck....... post them all!!!!
;-)
I wonder if she's screaming.....?
By the way...... watch Justin Rose choke today in Canada on the PGA tour. I can see it on his English face. My man Jim Furyk (the man whose swing has been described as that of a one-armed man trying to kill a snake in a telephone booth) just may pull another one off.
And I remember when you arrogantly informed me last year, as only you can, that Furyk wasn't so good at all.
LOL. Sure, only #2 on the money list.
LOL.
jj....... you're still one of the greatest.
Man...... that is fabulous!!!
Thank you. That should cheer up some sports fans on Sunday morning.
;-)
May I apply the oil?
This is the most beautiful athlete who ever lived........... and, she loves America.
Oh yes. I saw that one a while back. That is one incredibly beautiful picture!
****
"On the court she reminded me of the margay, a small wild cat, like a miniature leopard, that lives in the jungles of Central America. Her emerald-green eyes had the look of a creature who you knew would never quite belong to anyone but herself. She was still only “peanut-sized”, as her father, Yuri, called her, with long, skinny legs and arms, corn-blonde hair, braces on her teeth and a dusting of freckles on her nose. But when she went to strike the ball, her little cat-face would bunch into a snarl, her body would coil itself like a spring behind her racket, she would hurl herself at the ball and, with an ear-splitting banshee scream that sent shivers down your spine, unleash a laser-guided ground stroke." - Simon Worrall
I know you are not trying to be funny...... but that is pretty funny!
LOL
;-)
Thanks for the thread. Great match. I play and this has been a great Open. Cheers, eh!
By the way..... a serious question..... you saw that ad for PONG during these tennis broadcasts, right???
Why don't high level tennis players ever resort to serving (every once in a while) underhanded like he does on the commercial.
Damn, those are tough to return!!!
ping
She's better than Anna. And if she keeps her priorities straight, balancing tennis and all her other interests better than Anna did (and barring injuries, of course), there's no reason she can't win a couple more Grand Slam tournaments.
}:-)4
Have you not seen the speed of the high-level tennis players?
That might work exactly once. Then they'd eat you alive.
heh..for you and me maybe.
A pro would cram that down our throats :)
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