It was billed as the biggest match of the first round, and it certainly did not disappoint. Russia’s Maria Sharapova stunned second seed Simona Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to win on her return to grand slam action.
The former World No.1 had been absent for more than a year since testing positive for the banned substance meldonium in January 2016. Sharapova had been eligible to compete in tournaments since before the French Open. However, her ranking was not high enough, and Roland Garros and Wimbledon both denied her wildcards. The US Open provided her with one for this event.
Yet the former US Open winner was positive about the future before the match despite the tough draw.
.@MariaSharapova: "No words, games or actions will stop me from reaching my dreams. And I have many." https://t.co/gegBCqiR4f #USOpen pic.twitter.com/SCYGWgjyTv
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2017
The fans inside Arthur Ashe stadium seemed to welcome her back, as she was given a rousing reception when she took to the court.
Sharapova made the first move in the opening set, breaking the Halep serve for the first time in game four. It was the first of four consecutive breaks as Halep mounted a furious comeback. On serve again at 4-5 though, the Romanian failed to hold, and the break at that stage ensured Sharapova took the first set.
Sharapova again made the first move in the second set, breaking for a 4-1 lead that appeared commanding. Like the first set Halep showed tenacity and guile to get on level terms. Halep then broke the Sharapova serve at 4-4 as the errors slowly crept up for the wildcard. The break came on a double fault, and with it the momentum seemed to move to the Romanian’s corner.
Sharapova fought hard to get back to deuce but Halep finally held to take the match to a deciding set. Yet it was the Russian who once again dominated in the final set. She broke the Halep serve and held a 5-3 lead. Halep took a 0-30 lead as she valiantly continued to fight. She held break point, but Sharapova held firm and finally sealed the match
After defeating the World No.2 Sharapova’s draw actually opens up, as the two highest seeds in her quarter are now out. In addition to the 2nd seed’s exit, 7th seed Johanna Konta also suffered a shock first round exit, giving Sharapova a good chance of at least making the semi-finals.
Sharapova:”I thought this was another day, another match, but this was so much more, you never know what you will feel until you win match point.
“You sometimes wonder why you put in all the work and this is why.
“We respect each other so much, the hype was because of the quality of the matches we have played before.
“These are the opportunities you play for. Behind all these Swarovski crystal and dresses, this girl has a lot of grit and she is not gong anywhere.“
