Dreams do come true and Daria Gavrilova proved it on Thursday, by beating great champion and megastar Maria Sharapova 7-6(4) 6-3 in the second round of the Miami Open, just days after cracking the Top 100. How big of a stunner this is justifies the 21-year-old Gavrilova’s post-match statement:
When I saw her [Sharapova] win Wimbledon, when she beat Serena, I was like, ‘Oh, I really want to play her and beat her.’ I’ve probably been visualizing beating her since I was 12.
Women’s Tennis Blog’s friend John Bolan visits the Miami tournament every year and this year he received credentials as an official guest of a player, allowing him free entrance, valet parking, use of the player lounge, restaurant and patio, plus great seats. He was lucky enough to watch the biggest upset of the week live and here’s his account of the match:
Daria’s game was really on and from the beginning of the match it was obvious Maria was in trouble. If you look carefully at Maria’s photos, you will see telltale signs of injury and pain she endured throughout the match. Notice her left thigh was tightly wrapped high on her leg. Daria made Maria move to return her hits – right to left and short to long.
Maria just could not return many of her shots across the net. Check the picture between points with her fist hand against her back. Maria is in obvious back pain. Most veteran players suffer during their matches from chronic pain of one sort or the other. Back and legs are the area most often effected. Maria suffered from both back and leg pain during her match, but no matter, she was soundly beaten by the 97th-ranked wildcard Daria.
Even though she’s never won the Miami Open title, the event is one of Sharapova’s best tournaments, reaching the final in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012 and finally 2013. How the competitive second-seeded Russian is feeling after being shown the exit door in her opening match? Haha I love this gif I found at Tennis Forum 🙂
(photos: Karla St John)
I watched the whole game live and did not see signs of “obvious pain”. Maria did looked flat and disengaged which is unusual for her. For her bad luck Daria played solid offence with some amazing defense and did not back down. The shrieking was as usual unbearable.
Marija, do you know who Daria’s kit was by? I thought it was very cute.
Daria is sponsored by lululemon! The brand advertises as yoga/running gear, but in the us, a lot of junior and adult women wear the clothes for tennis. Mattek sands, panova, and Casey dellaqua all wear it. It’s pricey, but they have some really gorgeous pieces
Thanks Ga. I thought it was Lululemon but I don’t see those pieces on their website. I guess they are not out yet. Yes, they are rather pricey!
No problem! Here is the “mesh with me” tank, I had to use google since it didn’t show up on the website
http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/tanks-medium-support/Mesh-With-Me-Tank
They might have it in store for cheaper, or put it on clearance even more if you wait a little. That’s what I do to afford anything from lulu 😛
Sabey, first of all, I’m sorry for not getting to reply to you earlier, but Ga helped me. Yes, she’s wearing Lululemon and I also love her outfit. The moment I saw it I Googled what it was. Just like Ga, I couldn’t find the skirt online, just the tank. And you know, I will definitely include it in my March best-dressed feature for the WTA 😉
Thanks Marija and Ga!
Daria is really feisty and aggressive. No wonder she became Junior World No. 1. It’s her biggest win ever. I hope she uses it as confidence booster for the rest of the season. Another bright rising star in the making!
There is no better feeling that beating your idol. It gives you boost of confidence and you can really start winning from now on