Hingis beats Dementieva to face Ivanovic in tennis final

Switzerland's Martina Hingis returns the ball against Russia's Elena Dementieva during their semi-final match at the Pan Pacific Open tournament in Tokyo. Hingis beat Dementieva 6-4, 6-3.(AFP/Toshifumi Kitamura).

TOKYO (AFP) - Former world number one Martina Hingis has beaten defending champion Elena Dementieva for a place in the final of the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament against Ana Ivanovic.
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The Swiss second seed, seeking a record fifth Tokyo indoor title this week, avenged her loss in last year's final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the Russian third seed.

Ivanovic, the fifth seed from Serbia, received a free ticket to the final after current world number one Maria Sharapova of Russia pulled out of her semi-final match with a left hamstring injury at 6-1, 0-1.

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"I know I'm playing 10 occasions and it's my eighth appearance in the finals and the chance to make it a record five, so of course I'm excited about it. I'm gonna play my best possible tennis tomorrow against Ana," said Hingis.

Hingis attacked Dementieva's backhand side and chalked up a 5-1 lead in first set. She was never in danger afterwards, forcing a break in the eighth game of the second set and wrapping up the win in 70 minutes.

"That's my strategy for most of the time," Hingis said of her attack on Dementieva's backhand -- because I feel like my backhand is a stronger part. "She also hit a lot of backhand cross-court rallies. I also tried to change up to go down the line. It's definitely my big weapon, my backhand cross court."

Dementieva said: "She was solid. She was very consistent during the whole game, playing very smart as usual.

"I think I didn't play my best. I made too many unforced errors. I just didn't take an advantage of short balls to come to finish the points. I think she was better by playing a lot of rallies," she added.

Ivanovic, who had beaten her compatriot and fourth seed Jelena Jankovic in three sets on Friday, said her victory over the injured Sharapova was not a good way to win a match.

"From the beginning of the match, I didn't notice anything, because she was moving pretty well and also serving OK," said the Serbian.

"I was really surprised that at the end of the set she called a physician and straight away retired. It was surprising that she had a problem."

Ivanovic added: "It's never nice to win the match that way. I felt pretty confident and I was happy that each match I played better and my serve was working really well -- that's very important to play against top players.

"I also think I was moving pretty well on the court and I was very aggressive, which is very important to play against Maria, not to give any time, and I was pretty happy with my performance today."

Sharapova said: "It's always disappointing to end a tournament that way. I definitely tried to find the way, hoping the pain was settled and would get better. That's why I tried to play the first set."
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Sharapova Pulls Out of Pan Pacific Open

Top-seeded Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova (L) receives a massage from a trainer during her semi-final match against Ana Ivanovic of Servia in the Pan Pacific Open Tennis Tournament in Tokyo, 03 February 2007. Sharapova retired from the match due to injury after 1-6, 0-1.

Top-ranked Maria Sharapova retired during the second set of her Pan Pacific Open semifinal against Ana Ivanovic on Saturday because of a hamstring injury.

After dropping the first set 6-1, the Russian star consulted with her trainer. She won the first game of the second set before retiring.

'It's disappointing to have to finish this way,' Sharapova said. 'I started to feel pain in the second game of the first set. I tried to go on, but you can't get away with it when you are playing against a top player.'

Fifth-seeded Ivanovic of Serbia will face second-seeded Martina Hingis in the final on Sunday.

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Hingis posted a 6-4, 6-3 win over defending champion Elena Dementieva of Russia.

Sharapova, who reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the WTA Tour rankings on Monday, lost to Serena Williams in the final of the Australian Open.

The Russian had 17 double-faults in her first match against Italy's Francesca Schiavone and double-faulted 14 times Friday in the quarterfinals against Japan's Ai Sugiyama. Sharapova refused to blame the injury on her schedule.

'I have a simple and easy schedule compared to the other girls,' she said. 'There's no doubt its difficult when you come straight from a Grand Slam. The surface here is quite different and the change in court might have something to do with it.'

Sharapova said her trainer told her she would likely need about a week to recover.

'I didn't have pain like this during the Australian Open,' added Sharapova. 'This is like a sudden, sharper pain I felt when I landed on the serve.'

In Saturday's second semifinal, Hingis raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first set.

'It was a great start for me in the beginning,' Hingis said. 'I had a bad experience last year when I lost to her in the final so I was happy to get a little revenge today.'

Hingis has won this tournament four times and will be looking to set a tournament record on Sunday.

'I share the record for most wins here with Lindsay Davenport and hopefully can set the record tomorrow,' said Hingis. 'It will be a tough match. Ana has played well all week but I'm looking forward to it.'

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Maria Sharapova entered the Family Circle Cup

Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates winning a point during her fourth round match against Vera Zvonareva of Russia on day eight of the Australian Open 2007 at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2007 in Melbourne, Australia.

Maria Sharapova, the most recognizable and highest paid female athlete in the world, has officially entered the 2007 Family Circle Cup.

At only nineteen years old, this two-time Grand Slam champion returns to Charleston with stellar career marks including 15 singles titles, a 239-56 win-loss record and over $9 million in winnings. Yesterday she regained the World No. 1 ranking, marking the 8th week in her career that she has held the top spot in women’s professional tennis. Since computer rankings were started in 1973, only 15 women have achieved the status of World No. 1 on the women’s professional tennis tour.

This year, the Family Circle Cup is proud to feature four members of that elite club who will be joining a host of other top players battling for one of the most coveted trophies in women’s tennis. With the addition of World No. 1 Maria Sharapova, this year’s Family Circle Cup player field now boasts four of the top five players in the world including Justine Henin-Hardenne, Amelie Mauresmo and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

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“Maria is one of the most sought-after players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and her commitment to play this event takes the Family Circle Cup to a whole new level,” commented Robin Reynolds, Family Circle Cup Tournament Director. “Not only is she the world’s top female player, but Maria is also a celebrity that transcends tennis, and we are very pleased that she’ll be here in April.”

“I have very pleasant memories of my trip to Charleston four years ago and I’m looking forward to playing in the tournament and enjoying some time in the city,” noted reigning US Open Champion / World No. 1 player Maria Sharapova. “The Family Circle Cup has a great reputation on the Tour, especially with the players, so I’m excited to be coming back and starting my clay court season at such a wonderful event.”

Maria Sharapova first competed in the Family Circle Cup as a World No. 167 ranked qualifier in 2003 where she reached the first round of the main draw. Her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour victory came later that year at the Japan Open, then another in Quebec City, which propelled her through the rankings to finish at No. 32 in the world.

Sharapova thrust herself onto a world stage in 2004 when she claimed her first major title as the second youngest ladies champion in the open era at Wimbledon, then won the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships leading to a year-end career-high No. 4 ranking. She also received two major awards that year including the WTA Tour’s “Player of the Year” and “Most Improved Player of the Year”.

She repeated as the World’s No. 4 player in 2005 by reaching the quarterfinals or better in all 15 events in which she competed (including all four Grand Slams), winning three finals including her first Tier I title at Tokyo (Pan Pacific), reaching the semifinals of the Tour Championships, and becoming the 15th player in history to appear at the No. 1 spot which she held for a total of 7 weeks that year.

Sharapova’s best year to date came in 2006 as she earned a year-end World No. 2 ranking by reaching the semifinals or better in 13 of 15 starts, claiming 5 titles including three Tier I events and her second major at the US Open, and completed a 19-match win streak with a semifinal appearance at the Tour Championships. Her 59 match wins (second best in 2006) helped her to surpass the 200 career victory mark as she became the highest-earning Russian in Tour history, in addition to being named the Whirlpool “6th Sense Player of the Year”.

In addition to her many on-court tennis accolades, Maria Sharapova has become a worldwide celebrity who has appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated & ESPN magazines, was listed in Forbes magazine as one of the richest female athletes in the world, and was highlighted as one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. She has also appeared in several other magazines including Vogue Italia, W, YM, Sport (as one of the Athletes to Watch Out for in the 21st Century), and Teen People (as one of 20 Teens Who Will Change the World), as well as other major publications such as USA Today. Sharapova has made appearances on numerous television shows such as NBC’s Today and Tonight Show, Entertainment Tonight, Live with Regis and Kelly, Inside Edition, ESPN’s Sportscenter and Cold Pizza, Fox and Friends, CBS’s Early Show and Craig Kilborn, MTV’s TRL, Access Hollywood and the Tour’s Magazine Show, among others.
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Sharapova sets sights on French Open

Russia's Maria Sharapova speaks during a news conference ahead of the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament in Tokyo January 30, 2007. REUTERS/Issei Kato.

TOKYO (Reuters) - What do you give a woman who is flying high on top of the world? If that woman is Maria Sharapova, it would be a French Open crown.

With Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles already tucked away in her locker, the Russian world number one is targeting victory in Paris this year following her return to the top of the rankings this week.

"Probably one of the biggest challenges is going to be the French for me," the 19-year-old told Reuters on Tuesday. "It's a challenge I'm really looking forward to."

"I had a terrible claycourt season last year because of injury. I shouldn't even have been at the French Open, but I tried.

"But I feel like I can do it this year. I'm definitely looking forward to it."

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Sharapova, in Tokyo for this week's Pan Pacific Open tournament, lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year after two months out with a foot injury.

She finished 2006 by winning a first U.S. Open title and has just replaced Belgium's Justine Henin at the top of the WTA rankings despite her 6-1 6-2 thrashing by Serena Williams in the Australian Open final at the weekend.

"Second time around it's a little different," shrugged Sharapova, who first reached the summit of the women's game in August 2005.

"When you first become number one it's more of a thrill and you sort of think about it a little more. But it's not something I worry about too much."

"Obviously it's very important and it's a dream for every young girl and boy practising and growing up," she added.

"I think when you've already been there... all you try to do is win matches and the more you win, the better situation you're going to be in to stay number one."

BRUISING DEFEAT

Her bruising defeat to Williams in Melbourne may have taken some of the gloss off her return to the top of the rankings, but Sharapova dismissed it as a bad day at the office.

"There are going to be a lot of days in my career like that where it's going to be an off day for me and you're going to run into someone playing their best tennis," she said.

"That was just one of those days. Losing is never fun but it's part of what I do. I'm not always going to be winning."

Since destroying Williams to win the 2004 Wimbledon final as a 17-year-old, Sharapova has been the biggest draw in the women's game.

"On a daily basis I get random reminders of what I've achieved and you look back and think how quick everything has happened," she said in an interview arranged by WTA Tour sponsors Sony Ericsson.

"Last year I came to Tokyo and I remember people asking me if I was going to win another slam. It was kind of funny because I just came from losing to Justine in three (sets) in the semi-finals in Australia."

Sharapova added: "I said 'It's going to take time, it's going to take time'. Then I won the U.S. Open and I just got to the final of another one (grand slam). There's always going to be your moments to shine."
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New No. 1 Sharapova not celebrating

Maria Sharapova, who will displace Henin-Hardenne officially as No. 1 on Monday, couldn’t find a way to prevent Serena Williams from winning her eighth slam title in the Australian Open.

MELBOURNE, Australia - This was not how Maria Sharapova wanted to celebrate her elevation to No. 1 in the rankings: sitting on a plane to Tokyo on Sunday after being on the receiving end of one of the most lopsided results in a Grand Slam final.

The Sharapova that looked so dominant while winning last year’s U.S. Open in straight sets over Justine Henin-Hardenne had no answers Saturday against a resurgent Serena Williams in the Australian Open, losing 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour.

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“I was trying to find a way to get in the rallies, trying somehow to find a way to get an opening, through a door,” Sharapova said. “She came out and she really played flawless tennis.

“I wasn’t getting frustrated or anything,” she added. “I was just trying to tell myself, you can always find a way even if you’re down a set and two breaks.”

Sharapova, who will displace Henin-Hardenne officially as No. 1 on Monday, couldn’t find a way to prevent Williams from winning her eighth singles major. Sharapova is six Grand Slams behind, having beaten Williams in the final at Wimbledon in 2004 and winning last year’s U.S. Open title.

“Two completely different stages of my career,” Sharapova said when asked to compare her win over Williams at the All-England Club more than two years ago and Saturday’s loss at Rod Laver Arena.

“At Wimbledon, I was going into every single match thinking that I should have been home already. As years have gone on, I feel like I expect to be in the later stages of the tournaments. I expect myself to be winning.”

Sharapova, who turns 20 in April, started this year in Hong Kong, where she lost in the final of an exhibition tournament to Kim Clijsters. She beat Clijsters in the semifinals here.

She’ll move from the hardcourts at Melbourne Park to the indoor carpet at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where the other entrants this week include Martina Hingis and Serbian teenager Jelena Jankovic.

There, Sharapova will heed the advice of her mother, Yelena.

“Unfortunately it was my mom’s birthday and I couldn’t win for her,” Sharapova said. “She always tells me, ’Look, you got a tournament next week. You got to focus on that ... you’re going to look back on this and say this really taught me something, this only made me stronger.”’

Her performance in Grand Slams last year helped raise her ranking from fourth at the start of 2006 to No. 2 at the end. She reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the fourth round at the French Open before her win at Flushing Meadows.

She’s done one better at the Australian Open already this year, allowing the ever-upbeat Sharapova to take a positive away from Melbourne.

“It’s definitely not the end of the world,” she said. “Got to the final of my first tournament this year. There’s a lot to be proud of.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated: 2:59 a.m. ET Jan. 28, 2007
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