Maria Sharapova beats Sofia Arvidsson for Memphis title

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Wilson Blade 9

Russian three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, top seed at the International-level event in Memphis, eased past Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson 6-2 6-1 to claim her first title of the 2010 season and 21st career title.

The year started with disappointment for Sharapova, as she lost in the first round of the Australian Open, but then the Russian entered this smaller tournament with the only wish to win some matches and gain confidence, and that’s what she did. Not only did the former world No.1 win the tournament, she didn’t drop one set on her way to the title, and in the final match she took nine games in a row from 2-2 to beat world No.102 Arvidsson.

The 26-year-old Arvidsson failed to win her second career title and her second at this very tournament in Memphis.

20 COMMENTS

  1. It is nice to see Maria with trophy again 🙂

    To remind you: this is the year for Maria to win Grand Slam again 🙂 🙂
    Because, in 2004. it was Wimbledon, 2006. – US Open, 2008. – Australian Open.

    So, Maria, we are waiting 🙂

  2. It was definetly great decision for Maria to play in Memphis! Well done! Hoping for Grand Slam, too, but, we’ll se. 🙂

  3. smart idea on maria and her team to play her, its pretty much a 98% chance she would have won. but in tennis anything is possible, as we’ve seen. her outfit looks nice 🙂

  4. Ivanovic should mirror Sharapova’s ways and enter some tournament of the kind.

    Jovana, if you look closely, you can see that Roland Garros should be the next one for Maria, but I really doubt that can happen. Some other Grand Slam is an option for Maria.

  5. Yes, Marija, I agree with you. It is most likely for her to win Wimbledon (hope so) or US Open.
    But, Sharapova said once “I will be a queen of Paris”, so, we have to believe too 🙂

    Ana Ivanovic, unfortunately, has a bad strategy to play just big tournaments. Have to say that she has a great potential and is just 22, so if she still cares about tennis, she can get back to the top.

  6. Great Masha 🙂 I also think she should win RG 😀
    About Ana, once I read that she wants to play just big tournaments and she is not entering smaller because she likes competing against big players. But these days, I don´t see it like a good strategy anyway.

  7. Maria can be a queen of Paris in the fashion sense. 😛

    Ana will soon not even have the opportunity to compete against big players, if she continues like this. She should definitely see Maria’s example and do something like that.

  8. Yay Maria! This is the best news I’ve had all week, I’m delighted for her because it’s exactly what she needed. With any luck she’ll be back in the top 10 by Roland Garros. With regards to whether she can win Roland Garros 2010, I really hope so and you never know it could happen because in my memory she has always won grand slams when it has been least expected. All the same, I don’t think it will happen 😛

    Ivanovic’s team act as if she is still in the top 10 with the way they schedule her tournaments. I agree with you guys, she should definitely enter a few smaller tournaments. Even if the players weren’t ranked that high it would still do wonders for her confidence to win a tournament or even to get to a final. It’s not going to happen though.

  9. Yeah like Bróna said, her confidence would grow. Also, when she doesn´t do well in bigger tournaments she can´t get any points and she won´t progress in the rankings.

  10. Yes LuLinQa, and with Indian Wells coming up where she got to the final last year she will definitely drop even further, maybe even out of the top 30 if she doesn’t do as well as she should. I’m afraid it could turn into a slump like the one Nicole Vaidisova is still in three years later.

  11. Oh poor Ana. I almost forgot about IW. I was thinking about that case with Nicola and unfortunately, it really starts to remind me it. 🙁

  12. They did offer Maria and Justine the spot, but the appearance fee/prize money was not enough for Maria and Justine didn’t wanted to come (I think her coach said something like, she wasn’t ready to face the Williams).

    So that’s probably why they approached Ana instead.

  13. I’m not sure why Maria turned it down, it would be a good thing for her PR. Justine, I can understand that she is just getting used to all the madness and wants to focus on her upcoming tournaments.

  14. She could be queen of Paris in terms of fashion, but not with THAT outfit on lol. What’s with the teal and neon yellow? Not a big fan.
    But congrats to her win-a good move by her team, to boost up her confidence. We’ll just have to wait for RG to see if she’s really improved since coming back from her injury/surgery.

  15. Marine, I heard it only from Nz that Maria and Justine rejected to take part. All the others said that Ana was the first alternate because she was actually the last Grand Slam winner before the four ones already selected.

    Lilly, and not with that Australian Open sea weed outfit, of course. 🙂

  16. You folks better not jinx her into think she’s gonna win every event she really looked like crap in Memphis. Maybe I might post some video on youtube to see. She needs to work, BIG TIME on gettin that little ball over the net or up an inch. No fool’ery about that.

    Sometimes it looked like she was doing the Tennessee Waltz, course wasn’t she on “Dancing with the stars”.

    Wonder what she’d looks like dancing to some “Yo Gotti” (5 Star Bitches with her waving her hand in the air like some of the local holes, not exactly how she was waving to the crowd in that soviet union wave/salute to the crowd in Memphis)

    Or some Eurotech stuff. I’ll bet she’d really love to put on a show in front of a crowd with that “Yo Gotti”…. Provide nobody knew who she was.

    $70 mln deal with Nike, I’m certain they wouldn’t be to thrilled to see her dancing around like a two bit floozy.

    But you talk about HER getting some publicity!!!

  17. Maybe she will get some of her confidence back and concetrate more on her tennis now. The years pass very quickly and she will not get younger. Maria has been great for the game i think. Hope to see her do well again.

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