The most interesting women’s tennis rivalry of the early 2000s is back on centre court this year at the US Open. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams are arguably one of the biggest tennis stars in the world of women’s tennis.
They’ve faced off at the first round of the US Open this year where Williams thrashed Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 in a match that lasted less than an hour.
The last time the two faced each other was at the Australian Open following which Sharapova failed her drug test and led to her subsequent suspension from the sport.
According to Tennis.com, Williams said: “She’s such a good player. When you play her, you have to be super focused. Every time I come up against her, I bring out some of my best tennis.”
Following her first round defeat, Sharapova said: “It’s not an easy road. It’s never been. But I went through a shoulder procedure about four months ago. To find myself playing at a night match at the US Open with people excited about the matchup, it’s a pretty big deal. I’m fortunate to be a part of that. It’s easy to be discouraged after a match like this. But if I’m personally discouraged, I wake up tomorrow, I don’t feel like I want to go out, train, be better, that’s more discouraging than the result.”
Many have scoffed at the word rivalry being used between the two tennis fans as so far Williams has had a 20-2 win lead over the Russian who has won five grand slams compared to Williams’ 23.
last time sherapova beat serena williams was the year zuckerberg created facebook
— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) August 27, 2019
Serena Williams after her win vs Maria Sharapova for the 19th time in a row… pic.twitter.com/FcZfnPQKoJ
— Jill Martin (@ByJillMartin) August 27, 2019
This was Williams’ first time back on court at the Arthur Ashe Stadium following last year’s US open women’s finals was unmissable for two reasons: Naomi Osaka won her first ever grand slam and Serena Williams had an epic showdown with umpire Carlos Ramos.
