STANFORD, CALIF. – When it comes to closing out matches, there’s no substitute for experience. It’s a high-value commodity. Some might even say priceless. In fact, Maria Sharapova — who’s carved out a comfortable living putting away opponents in her nine years on tour — recently deemed it just that.
“Experience is a big thing,” said Sharapova en route to the Wimbledon final earlier this month. “But I don't think calmness and mental toughness is something that you can just go to someone and they can teach you. It's just how you see certain situations.”
Experience proved the difference for Sharapova on Wednesday night at the Bank of the West Classic. Playing her first hard-court match of the summer, the 24-year-old held off the upset-minded Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours, 12 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals.
Sharapova, who’s now a perfect 9-0 in three-set matches this year, came out strong in the opening set, attacking right out of the box and putting pressure on her opponent’s serve with her aggressive return game. But all that soon abandoned her in the middle stanza, as the No. 21-ranked Hantuchova roared back to even the match.
“Somehow that just got away from me,” said the No. 5-ranked Sharapova, who had an on-and-off night from the service stripe, finishing with seven aces and 11 double faults. “All of a sudden, she had all the confidence in the world. She had all the momentum going in the third set.”
Hantuchova, who had beaten her Russian foe only once in eight previous outings, took control early in the decisive third set by breaking Sharapova to take a 2-0 advantage. But, unlike Sharapova, Hantuchova has never been known as much of a closer. Until February (Pattaya City), the slender Slovakian hadn't won a title in four years. And despite four top-10 wins on the year, including a third-round upset of No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki at Roland Garros, the 28-year-old has historically struggled against elite players. (She's 8-45 lifetime against the top five.) Sharapova, who converted five of nine break-point chances on the night, immediately broke back and added another at 3-2 to turn the match around.
“She’s capable of playing some really great tennis,” Sharapova observed. “She’s shown it in a lot of matches I’ve played against her. For her, I think it’s maybe doing it on a very consistent level that’s been the difference.”
NOTEBOOK
ANOTHER SUPER MOM?: Alicia Molik and husband Tim Sullivan are reportedly expecting a baby in early 2012. Perhaps bolstered by Kim Clijsters' example, the Aussie says she has no plans to retire.
MERCURY FALLING: Four-time Slam winner Kim Clijsters, Wimbledon titlist Petra Kvitova and defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova have all pulled out (ankle, abdominal, groin injuries) of the upcoming Mercury Insurance Open in Carlsbad, which runs Aug. 1-7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.
WHY SHOULD GOLFERS GET ALL THE LOVE?: Martina Hingis briefly dated golfer Sergio Garcia. Venus Williams has been linked with Hank Kuehne. Ana Ivanovic and Adam Scott were once an item. And who could forget Chris Evert's highly publicized (albeit brief) marriage to Greg Norman? Now Caroline Wozniacki is rumored to be romantically involved with U.S. Open golf champion Rory McIlroy.
CANCER FIGHT: World No. 27 Alisa Kleybanova, 22, is receiving treatment in Italy for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Blogged the Russian, “It's not an easy time for me right now…I need to be really strong and positive to go through this. I still have a few more months of treatment to go. But the good news is, if I feel well after I'm done with everything, there's a chance that I'll be able to play tennis again…I miss seeing fans and friends around the world, I miss hitting the ball, I miss everything. Tennis has been my life.”
SOCK IT TO US: Jack Sock, the reigning 18s Nationals titlist and U.S. Open junior champion, has opted to forgo a collegiate career and has turned pro. “It was a toss-up for a while,” said the 18-year-old Nebraskan. “The past few weeks, I thought my game was to the point to where I thought I could go out and compete with the top players in the world. I'm ready to make a full-time commitment.”
I AM WHO I AM: Of her relationship with the media, world No. 4 Victoria Azarenka told Matthew Cronin, “It's very important to be open and really show yourself. You don't want to be fake. There is a lot of players who are made up and they have this image they have to follow, and for me, I think, 'Screw that,' I am who I am.”
THE NUMBERS
0-5: Rafael Nadal's record against Novak Djokovic in 2011, all five decisions coming in finals.
$400,000: Grant money awarded to 39 community tennis organizations and other foundations thus far in 2011 by USTA Serves, the USTA's philanthropic/charitable entity.
$1.3 MILLION: Amount the USTA will invest to introduce 10 and Under Tennis to 26 communities across the nation.
QUOTEBOOK
“I take it as a compliment.” — Germany's Sabine Lisicki on assertions that she serves like a man
“I didn't expect to come in here and have any easy matches. It'll be a test for me to see where I'm really matching up with the top players in the world.” — James Blake, a 6-2, 6-3 first-round winner over Germany's Michael Berrer at the Farmers Classic in L.A.
“Right now, the WTA is in this incredible place. We truly are a global tour. The caliber of tennis each year just gets better.” — WTA Tour CEO Stacey Allaster
