Russian tennis cutie pie, Maria Sharapova, reached the Semifinals of the 2009 WTA LA Women’s Tennis Championships held Aug. 3-9, 2009 at Los Angeles, California, USA. She was defeated by Flavia Pennetta 2-6, 6-4, 3-6.
It was not a pretty match for Maria Sharapova. She piled up 61 unforced errors and had 16 double faults. Sharapova is trying to adjust her serve to an abbreviated service motion after undergoing shoulder surgery last year. She was quoted on The Tennis Server saying, “It’s so weird to wake up and say my bicep or my shoulder is sore. I’ve never had that before. It’s really new territory for me. But, after every tournament I’m starting to feel better. This is still a work in progress. I’d sometimes like to forget that I was gone for a long time, but you have to put things in perspective.”
In round one, No. 49 ranked Sharapova defeated No. 60 ranked Jarmila Growth of Slovakia, 6-0, 6-4. Her next opponent was No. 9 ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, whom she defeated in a 3-setter, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2. Sharapova then defeated No. 34 ranked Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine in another 3-setter, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
The Quarterfinals set Sharapova up against No. 62 ranked Urszula Radwanska of Germany. Sharapova once again came out on top 6-4, 7-5. That set up the Semifinal match against No. 10 ranked Flavia Pennetta of Italy, which she lost, denying her a chance at the championship.
Sharapova is slowly moving back up in the rankings, reaching No. 49 this week. As her shoulder heals a little more, she will begin to gain her confidence back and we will see the Sharapova we’ve been used to. We are already hearing the same old shrieks from her. Her long lay-off didn’t affect those at all!
