MARIA SHARAPOVA’S GRAND SLAM comeback after a 15-month doping ban ended in defeat Sunday at the US Open, as did the dream run of Canadian 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov.
Latvian 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova rallied to eliminate former world number one Sharapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 and book a quarter-final berth against American Sloane Stephens, who ousted Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Sharapova, whose five Grand Slam titles include the 2006 US Open, made 51 unforced errors to only 14 by Sevastova, whose 21 winners were half the 30-year-old Russian star’s total at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“She played unbelievable throughout the first and second set and I just kept fighting, running for every ball,” Sevastova said. “The third set could have gone either way.”
Sevastova matched her best Slam run from last year’s US Open while 146th-ranked Sharapova served notice her game remains formidable, having defeated second-ranked Simona Halep in her dramatic opener on the New York hardcourts.
Sharapova tested positive for the banned blood booster meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open and only returned from her suspension in April.
- © AFP 2017
Subscribe to The42 podcasts here: