Seventeen year old American rising tennis sensation, Melanie Oudin, ousted media darling and reigning tennis glamor queen, Maria Sharapova, from the 2009 US Open Tennis Champships. Cheered on by the excited crowd Oudin forced a third set after taking the second set from Sharapova who won the first 6 games to 4.
In her post match interview Sharapova was asked if she agrees with Jelana Jankovic’s assesent that Oudin doesn’t have many weapons and isn’t very impressive though she’s beating top-ranked players. Sharapova called Jankovic’s remarks shocking and said of Oudin’s play:
| 2009 Rank | Player | Total | 2008 Finish |
| 1 | Paula Creamer | 27.81 | 1 |
| 2 | Maria Sharapova | 15.85 | 3 |
| 3 | Ana Ivanovic | 14.49 | 2 |
| 4 | Natalie Gulbis | 13.95 | 5 |
| 5 | Maria Kirilenko | 11.90 | 6 |
| 6 | Maria Verchenova | 10.89 | 10 |
| 7 | Elena Dementieva | 9.83 | 4 |
| 8 | Cristie Kerr | 9.18 | 7 |
| 9 | Anna Kournikova | 8.41 | 14 |
| 10 | Daniela Hantuchova | 5.16 | 11 |
| 11 | Anna Rawson | 3.99 | 9 |
| 12 | Alona Bondarenko | 3.50 | 12 |
| 13 | Sophie Sandolo | 2.74 | 15 |
| 14 | Kim Hall | 1.02 | 8 |
| 15 | Ashley Harkleroad | 0.91 | 13 |
TOKYO — Maria Sharapova says she is getting back to her best and enjoying herself after a long injury lay-off that forced her out of top 10 for the first time since July 2004.
"As far as being back onto the court and playing tennis and hitting a tennis ball with a tennis racket, I say, I went out of the tunnel," said Sharapova after regaining the Pan Pacific Open title on Saturday that she last won in 2005.
"Because that was taken away from me for a long period of time. It's a big part of your life and it was taken away.
"It's a strange feeling, but you've got to do everything you can to get out of the situation, to be back in life, enjoy what you love. I'm back on the court, I'm playing again, I'm competing," said the Russian.
In October last year, Sharapova had an operation on her right shoulder and then pulled out of the Australian Open in January with the same injury. She only returned to action in May.
On Saturday in the final against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Sharapova found herself 0-40 down in the opening game, which she lost two points later, hitting a backhanded drop shot wide.
She then went 0-2 down before moving into top gear, hitting an array of power-packed strokes and aggressive service returns to take the following four games in a row.
Jankovic, who needed court-side treatment to her right arm in the semi-finals on Friday, took a medical time-out for the same injury at the beginning of the eighth game.
But Jankovic abandoned the match when she went down love-30.
It was Sharapova's fourth title in Tokyo out of her 20 singles titles worldwide. Tokyo is the place where she captured her first WTA singles and doubles titles at the 2003 Japan Open on the same centre court here.
"I just have really good memories from playing on this court. It was a different tournament, but the same arena. It's very exciting. This is a place very close to my heart and I always want to come back," said Sharapova.
The 22-year-old Russian, the winner of the 2004 Wimbledon, the 2006 US Open and the 2008 Australian Open, is already looking forward to the next season in which she believes she can do better than before.
"I have one more tournament left in Beijing. During the off-season, I'll be training and working on my game. It's going to be really a good time for me to create a good base," said Sharapova.
"Actually I have a good enough time to prepare for the next year. I'm really looking forward to the period.
"Certainly I worked hard to play tennis. That's what I tried, because I know I can be better, making it better than I've done before. And the fact that I'm back and that I'm hungry, that's something I proved," she added.
The former world No 1 fired seven aces and hit a first-serve percentage of 71, in addition to a barrage of sizzling shots that ended the match in 57 minutes at the Ariake Colosseum. However, Sharapova admits she may no longer be feared.
The Russian said she was grateful for her "second career" after a nightmare injury lay-off and insisted she had the tools to return to the top of the women's game.
"In some way I wish I could say I was vacationing for 10 months and then all of a sudden I kind of wanted to play again," Sharapova said.
"But every single day I was trying to find a way to get back out there. It's hard when something is taken away from you. For me it was about three or four months where I really didn't pick up a racket.
"That was the first time in my life I've had to do that since I started playing tennis. It was really strange waking up and knowing you're not going to go out on the court."
Sharapova has climbed to 25th in the world since returning to action in May after shoulder surgery.
The three-times grand slam singles champion said she had reached a different stage in her career.
"It's obviously like a second career in a way when you're almost out of the rankings and you're working your way up and you're not feared anymore," she said.
Sharapova's victory over Stosur propelled the former Tokyo champion into the last 16.
Yet to add to her 19 career singles titles since her return, Sharapova insisted she would be a major force again.
"Grand slams are still the focus," the 22 year-old said. "I know if I do well and perform at a certain level which I know I can then those goals will be met."
TOKYO — Crowd favourite Maria Sharapova returns to Tokyo where she won her first career WTA title six years ago to face a strong field at the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament.
Twenty five out of the top 30 players in the world will take part in the two-million-dollar event, which gets under way on Sunday on the outdoor hard courts at the Ariake Coliseum.
Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Serena Williams withdrew with knee and toe injuries, joining Amelie Mauresmo of France with a stomach pain and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia with a side injury.
Sharapova, the Russian former world number one who won the 2003 Japan Open singles and doubles titles for her first titles on the centre court here, suffered a right shoulder injury that saw her withdraw from the Australian Open.
Sharapova, currently ranked 25th this week, came back in action in May and reached the quarter-finals at the French Open, the semi-finals at Los Angeles and the final at Toronto.
It will be her first appearance on court since her surprise third-round defeat to up-and-coming American Melanie Oudin.
Sharapova, also the winner here in 2005, will play Francesca Schiavone of Italy in the first round, while the top eight women, led by defending champion Dinara Safina of Russia, will receive the first-round byes.
Sharapova was drawn in the same quarter with top-seeded Safina, another Russian Vera Zvonareva, Virginie Razzano of France and Australia's Samantha Stosur.
Also in the upper half were French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and Nadia Petrova of Russia.
Second seed Venus Williams will lead the bottom half, which includes Beijing Olympic champion Elena Dementieva of Russia, former number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Serbian Ana Ivanovic, China's Li Na, Marion Bartoli of France and Italy's Flavia Pennetta will challenge the top four players in the bottom half.
It will be the last tournament for former world doubles number one Ai Sugiyama of Japan, who has announced her retirement. Sugiyama will play 13th seed Petrova in the first round.
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