Maria Sharapova dumps Silvia Soler-Espinosa in round one

Maria Sharapova dumps Silvia Soler-Espinosa in round one - Fed Cup WG II 2012

World number three, Maria Sharapova, bamboozled the Spanish contestant, Silvia Soler-Espinosa, in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to help Russia build up a 2-0 lead in the Fed Cup World Group II tie against Team Spain.

Both contestants locked horns for the first time in their professional careers on 4th February. Sharapova was nervous at the start as she stated in the post-match interview, “I was a bit nervous before the beginning of the match as I failed to show my best tennis in my previous Fed Cup appearance in Moscow.”

Earlier Svetlana Kuznetsova had dumped her opponent, Carlo Suarez Navarro, in straight sets 6-3, 6-1. It was a good start from the strong Russian squad, as they looked to white-wash the Spanish rivals. Kuznetsova stated in a post-match interview, “From the score line, the match looked easy but in fact it was a bit difficult.” So, there is a chance of clean sweep but it might not be as easy as it looks like.

Sharapova started off the set with a successful serve break but unfortunately for her, the lead was cut short in the next game with a successful serve break from Espinosa. Sharapova broke serve once again in the third game to take the lead and this time she imposed greater pressure with a successful serve hold in the following game.

Another breakthrough in the fifth game eased Sharapova to a majestic lead, which was practically impossible to cut down, especially with the Russian on top of her game in the recent past. No more breakpoints in the following games were seen and the opening set ended in quick succession with a comprehensive performance from the Russian.

Different racquet in the second set didn’t alter luck for the Spaniard as her serve was broken in the first game. Sharapova cruised past her opponent sparing just a single game and securing three breakthroughs to round off the match proceedings in her favour. She was delighted to perform well in the Fed Cup after such a long time and stated, “It was very important to stay concentrated, to believe and prove that my tennis is better and to win the match. Luckily, I managed to do all that and now I’m really satisfied with my performance.”

Spain needs to comeback from behind in order to secure some respect. Such results were obvious for the bleak Team Spain but there might be a chance that a new day brings new luck for them and they are able to turn the tables on their opponents.

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Maria Sharapova moves up to two in the latest world rankings

Maria Sharapova has climbed back up to No. 2 in the world rankings.

Sharapova’s results this season have sent her flying up the world rankings, and she currently sits behind just one player, Caroline Wozniacki.

After falling to No. 126 in May 2009, Sharapova has steadily made up ground on the rest of the World’s best after an excellent 2011.

An appearance in the final of Wimbledon aided her cause earlier this season, as did her run to the semi-finals of the French Open. On top of this, she won titles in Rome and Cincinnati as well as reaching the final in Miami and Indian Wells.

It may be a little too early to talk about her taking the top spot off of Wozniacki at this moment in time, however, as the Dane leads the field by over 3000 rankings points, despite the fact that she’s still yet to win a Grand Slam title.

That said, Sharapova has been less active on the WTA Tour than almost everybody in the top twenty this season, and she could be a rankings topper if she manages to play in more tournaments next year, which is a real possibility if her shoulder injury doesn’t come back to haunt her.

Sharapova not returning to Auckland

Maria Sharapova will not be returning to New Zealand next year, after opting to warm-up for the 2012 Australian Open in Brisbane.

The Russian star was pivotal in pulling big crowds to this year's ASB Classic in Auckland, before crashing out in the quarterfinals to Greta Arn.

She was the best-paid player of Auckland's annual tennis event, reportedly pocketing an appearance fee of just over US$100,000 ($130,000) and US$5340 in prizemoney.

The recent Wimbledon runner-up today confirmed that she will play at the Brisbane International tournament.

"I have never been to Brisbane before and coming into the Australian Open I felt like Brisbane would be a good place for me to start the year," the world No 5 said.

"It is the first tournament of the year and it's kind of where you see where your game is and how good your off-season has been and so you try and get in as many matches as you can before the Australian Open."

The Brisbane International has been running since 2009, with superstars including Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Robin Soderling, Kim Clijsters, Ana Ivanovic and Justine Henin attending over the past three years.

Next year's event has been upgraded by the WTA to premier status, meaning there are now no restrictions on how many top-10 players can feature.

Organisers hope Sharapova will be one of many of the world's top female players contesting the event.

"It is a great first signing for Brisbane International 2012," tournament director Cameron Pearson said.

Prizemoney for the combined ATP/WTA tour event will rise by 63 per cent to $US1.1 million ($NZ1.42 million) in 2012.

This year, prizemoney for Auckland's ASB Classic was $US220,000.

Sharapova storms into the last four

Former world No.1 Maria Sharapova is through to the French Open semi-finals after a straight-sets defeat of 15th seed Andrea Petkovic 6-0, 6-3 on Wednesday.

The seventh seed, who has not played in a grand slam final since winning the 2008 Australian Open, broke in the opening game and never looked back. A toilet break failed to change momentum, though Petkovic held to love to put herself on the board in the ninth game of the match.

The German, who showed a lot of heart, broke to level the set twice at 2-2 and 3-3 before the in-form Russian raced away to claim the match as a Petkovic forehand sailed into the net.

Sharapova will next meet sixth seed Li Na after the Chinese woman beat the highest-ranked remaining player, Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 6-2.

Li, who defeated Azarenka in straight sets in the round of 16 at the Australian Open this year en route to the final, exchanged breaks with the fourth seed before breaking Azarenka to love at 6-5, claiming set point with a backhand winner.

On her third match point, Li broke to claim victory as the Belarusian hit an unforced error off her backhand.

Sharapova has a 5-2 head-to-head record against Li, which includes a three-set victory in the fourth round of the 2009 French Open. Li has won the pair’s two most recent meetings – in 2009 and 2010 on grass in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, the first Italian woman to win a grand slam is two wins away from doubling her collection of silverware. Francesca Schiavone – the reigning Roland Garros champion – credits her age and subsequent experience for getting her to the final four.

The fifth seed, who faces 11th seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in a semi-final on Thursday, says clay is the most forgiving surface and allows opponents back into a duel. The 30-year-old acknowledged her on-court emotions, saying it is a part of who she is.

"I live and I love tennis when I can express myself. I am transparent so you can understand how I play and how I feel."

Sharapova, Clijsters among French Open favourites

The French Open may be shorn of some of the big names in the women's game, and Caroline Wozniacki hardly inspires awe as top seed, but this year's tournament does have some intriguing sub-plots. First of all can Maria Sharapova prove everyone wrong by winning the French Open to complete her career G
rand Slam set?

The 24-year-old Russian last won a Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open after which she was wracked by a succession of injuries that left her wondering if her career would come to an abrupt end.

But she has stuck with it and has been gradually climbing back up the rankings with her first claycourt title win in Rome last week lifting her up to seventh, her best placing since she stood at sixth in November 2008.

The French Open has always been the hardest one to play for the gangly Sharapova who once described her movement on the slow, sliding surface as being like a cow on ice.

But with this year's tournament looking wide open, she is starting to fancy her chances of actually pulling off an upset win.

"Although I might not be the best mover on clay or the best slider or strongest player with the strongest legs, there is a lot more than these things in tennis and that is the reason why I won," she said after Rome.

"I'm moving better and I feel better and better with every year. I am stronger and this is one of the most important things that has helped me in that I recover a lot better. I feel stronger."

Clay has never been a problem for Belgium's Kim Clijsters who was brought up playing on the surface and who has twice reached the final in Paris.

But whether she will be fit enough to mount a serious challenge remains in doubt having been sidelined for six weeks after twisting ankle ligaments while at a cousin's wedding.

She has also been having wrist and shoulder pain and freely admits that she will not be 100 percent fit going into Paris where she hopes to make it three Grand Slam wins in a row after last year's US Open and the Australian Open in January.

"The past two weeks of playing tennis have made it clear," she said on her website. "Playing tennis is going wonderfully, I hit the ball very well.

"I dare and take more risks now. I am not totally without pain, but the strong tape around the ankle gives me sufficient security."

With Belgium compatriot and four-times former winner Justine Henin now definitively retired, there is also room for such accomplished claycourt performers as last year's surprise winner Francesca Schiavone of Italy and the woman she beat in the final, Samantha Stosur of Australia

Also worth a look will be powerful Belarusian Victoria Azarenka who is up to a career-best fourth in the world after tournament wins at Miami and Marbella.

Wozniacki meanwhile will once again be assailed with questions over how she can accept being the number one ranked player in the world despite having never won a Grand Slam title.

The 20-year-old Dane has consolidated her top ranking this year with tournament wins at Dubai, Indian Wells and Charleston but she has still to prove she has the big game to win a Grand Slam title.

Latest indications are that Wozniacki might be considering taking on as coach the legendary Martina Navratilova in a bid to harness her mastery of attacking skills to go with her own defensive prowess.

That partnership could work well according to tennis analyst Mary Carillo, a former US Tour player and a mixed doubles champion in Paris in 1977 with John McEnroe.

"Caroline's a lover of the long point, and she doesn't have to be," she said.

"There are many times when you're thinking, 'Just pull the trigger, already.'

"She's heard from any number of people that she needs to add aggression to her game - maybe it would take somebody like Martina to have it kick in."

It will be an emotional tournament for French fans with Virginie Razzano opting to play on despite the death on Monday of her fiance and former coach Stephane Vidal after a long battle with a brain tumour.

Ana Ivanovic recalls Roland Garros memories

Currently without a full-time coach Serbian Star, Ana Ivanovic has been taking women’s tennis to a whole new level.

2011 has been a productive year for the Serbian player Ana Ivanovic. After a jerky start at the Australian Open, she managed to reach the quarterfinal at Pattaya City and Indian Wells. She is currently ranked at number 18 among the WTA rankings.

Ivanovic was seen fishing out memories of her Grand Slam victory and the number one stance in a short interview for Adidas. The Serbian had reached the finals of two Grand Slams, the Australian Open and the French Open in 2007 and 2008. She was in prime form beating her rivals Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova in order to do so.

She took charge of the world tour and won her only Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. She revealed that she had an amazing time winning the title in 2008 and loves to recall those memories often. Ivanovic also mentioned a little about the Adidas. She explained about the comfort levels and the role that a comfortable dress plays in winning the title.

Ana Ivanovic will be giving her best at this year’s Clay court season. The Serbian will be expecting a few victories and a sturdy performance at the French Open this year.

Maria Sharapova To Battle Samantha Stosur In Miami

Monday morning in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open at Miami, Florida, the glamour girl Maria Sharapova of Russia continues her comeback from a shoulder injury as she attempts to upset the fourth seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia.

However on paper, a win for Sharapova could not necessarily be considered an upset as the Russian leads the Australian head to head 6-0. In the duos last meeting at Tokyo in 2009, Sharapova steamrolled 6-0, 6-1.

In 2004 at age 17, Sharapova took her lone Wimbledon singles title in a breakthrough performance. Then one year later, the Russian would top the WTA Tour singles rankings.

A win for Sharapova could not necessarily be considered an upset as the Russian leads the Australian head to head 6-0.

In 2008, Sharapova reclaimed the world’s number one singles ranking before a shoulder surgery would keep her off the WTA Tour for nine months.

The 23 year old Sharapova since has struggled with her serve and shoulder at times. But the Russian nevertheless remains the world’s top female athlete money earner for several years running.

Sharapova’s overwhelmingly powerful baseline game could continue to prove troublesome for the athletic all-court game of Stosur as could the windy Miami conditions.

The 26 year old Stosur, possibly best known for her finalist finish at last year’s French Open and for her attacking volleys and piercing serve, will look to minimize her errors and rush Sharapova into difficult positions on the court.

Today’s winner could face the unseeded Shuai Peng of China in the quarterfinals and the top ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the semifinals.

At her prior WTA Tour tournament earlier this month at Indian Wells, Sharapova defeated Peng in 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the quarterfinals before turning in an error-filled semifinal performance to lose to the incredibly consistent Wozniacki 6-1, 6-2.

Maria Sharapova at Miami tennis

Sharapova reaches final of Miami tennis tournament

Russia's Maria Sharapova broke into the final of the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament with $4.5 million up for grabs in prize money after defeating Germany's Andrea Petkovic.

Sharapova (16-seed), playing for the first time in Miami since 2007, began her semifinal encounter on Thursday with a first set defeat, but rebounded quickly in the following two breathtaking sets to clinch a confident victory over Petkovic (21-seed) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.

"I'm almost lucky to be here. I had a tough one the other night and another three-setter today," WTA Website quoted Sharapova as saying, who had a grinding quarterfinal victory on Tuesday over Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5).

Petkovic was also firm on her way for the title in Miami and earlier knocked out the World's No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark from the tournament.

"Andrea has been playing the best tennis of her career and beat some good players here, so I was really happy I was able to change things around after losing the first set," Sharapova added.

Sharapova's contender for the title in Miami will be the winner between other semifinalists, who are 3-seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia and 8-seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Maria Sharapova Is Getting Her Groove Back

Maria Sharapova, a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player, is regaining her champion status.

Recently, at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Maria Sharapova, the No. 16 seed, was victorious over the No. 4 seed, Samantha Stosur.

Sharapova, who holds a perfect 7-0 lifetime record over Stosur, moves on to the quarterfinals to face No. 26-ranked Alexandra Dulgheru, according to Long Island Tennis Magazine. Sharapova last won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004.

To view photos of Sharapova at the Ericsson open, click here.

Despite a shoulder injury in 2008, Sharapova is stepping up her game in tennis and proving she still wins battles.

Sharapova has won 22 Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles, three WTA doubles titles and three Grand Slam singles titles, consisting of the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open. She was also runner-up at the 2007 Australian Open. Since her shoulder injury in 2008, she has not recovered her championship form.

Sharapova became engaged to her boyfriend, NBA basketball player Sasha Vujaèiæ, after they had been dating for nearly a year. The two live in Los Angeles together and have often been seen in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Maria Sharapova's Olympic dream

Three-time grand slam champion Maria Sharapova says that the London 2012 Olympics is a huge target for her as she looks for a long-awaited run without injuries.

"The Olympics is one of my biggest goals, as an athlete growing up in Russia the Olympics was a huge part of our culture so I can't wait to be an Olympian.

"Hopefully I'll see my flag go up when I'm up on stage hopefully getting a medal so it'll be a really exciting part of my career."

After another spell out injured, Sharapova was delighted with her comeback performance in California, and she hopes to build on that in Miami in the next Masters event coming up next week.

"It was my first tournament since coming back, after Australia I missed a few events in Paris and then in Doha and Dubai. To be out of competition was tough so I'm really happy that I did so well in Palm Springs."

Sharapova also stated that another aim was to win the French Open - the only grand slam title to so far evade her grasp and on a surface that has not seemed to suit her game over the years.

With Justine Henin retired again and the Williams sisters struggling with injury and loss of form, Sharapova says a new era of player could be coming up to form the sort of rivalries she, Serena and Henin used to battle out.

Current world number one Carolina Wozniacki has come under fire for not winning a grand slam despite topping the rankings, so this year Sharapova believes the Dane will be going all out to win one of the big ones.

Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova enter Quarters in Indian Wells

Ivanovic, Sharapova enter Quarters in Indian Wells

Ana Ivanovic was the brighter star as she lit up Stadium 2 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with some clever tennis and clinical execution to defeat the defending champion in straight sets. Ivanovic’s victory further defined the week as the place where former world no.1 players started to stitch together their comeback stories.

She was joined in the last eight by Maria Sharapova, who prevailed in another battle of ex-world no.1s, coasting past Dinara Safina in just over an hour to indicate that the Moscovite still has plenty of hard miles to put in before she can reclaim her former glory. The current world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki was made to sweat and toil to earn a hard fought come from behind 26 63 61 victory over Alisa Kleybanova.

Her main rival Kim Clijsters was laid low by an injured shoulder leaving the Dane safely perched on the top of the rankings, at least for the next two weeks. Clijsters was leading Marion Bartoli 61 13 when she decided it was enough, mostly to prevent aggravating her strained muscle.

The first match of the day featured the much awaited contest between the two Serbian former world No.1 players. While the match did not produce the drama expected of it, the contest more than made up for it in terms of superior planning and execution from the bubbly Ivanovic.

Ivanovic appeared to be the better organised of the two, building up her points to create an opportunity to kill them on her stronger forehand side. While Ivanovic was steady off her weaker backhand flank, she was very successful in avoiding being punished by the fearsome backhand power of Jankovic.The world No.21 made a strong start, breaking Jankovic with a backhand down the line winner to set the tone for a dominant performance. With Ivanovic playing steady tennis from the back of the court, Jankovic needed to win more than the 51% points she won on serve. The defending champion could save only 3 of the 7 break points she faced, as Ivanovic eclipsed her 64 62 in an hour and 24 minutes.

“I'm really happy about that, because she's tough opponent and she's been playing well lately,” Ivanovic said. “So I really tried to stick with the plan and to be aggressive, and take the ball early. That worked really well. Even when I was making mistakes, I didn't let myself get down for it. I just tried to be persistent and do the same thing over and over again.”

The prospect of a revitalised Ivanovic taking on Clijsters left us trembling with excitement for a while and when the Belgian won the first set against Bartoli in a flurry, a blockbuster quarter-final was taking shape faster than was expected. But then the world No.2 conceded an early break in the second set to fall behind 1-3, before walking up to the net to offer the match to the Frenchwoman.

"With those higher shots against the opponent today, I just feel it pinching a little bit more when I have to do that kick serve and when I have to reach that right arm up higher with the forehand," said Clijsters who won here in ‘03 and ‘05.

Wozniacki upheld a tenet of tennis at the very top – that of finding a way to win matches even while not playing at one's best. She recovered from a dismal first set loss to gradually gain ascendancy by wearing down her Russian opponent, who just ran out of legs towards the end of the match. Wozniacki ended the match on a strong note, breaking Kleybanova three times in the deciding set.

Maria Sharapova was ruthless in her destruction of 24-year old Dinara Safina, who had over the course of the last week given indications that there might be a resurgence in both her form and confidence. That might just have taken a bit of a beating on Tuesday with Sharapova crushing Safina 62 60 in a shade under 62 minutes.

Victoria Azarenka played the longest match of the day, needing just over three hours for a 46 63 76(3) victory over Agnieszka Radwanska. In a match riddled with error the two players traded service breaks as if they were selling power company futures in the aftermath of the nuclear threat in Japan. There were 17 breaks of serve in all before Azarenka came back from match point down to hand the Radwanska family a second defeat in two days.

The 10^th seeded Shahar Peer also needed three sets to eliminate reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. After they split the first two sets, the players traded a break each in the final set before Peer clinched the match in the tie breaker to close out a satisfying 64 36 76(3) victory in two hours and 47 minutes. In another upset, the in-form Chinese star Shuai Peng, ranked 36 in the world, outlasted Nadia Petrova in another 2 hour plus slugfest 64 57 63.

Yanina Wickmayer blew the wick on Dominika Cibulkova’s brightly burning aspirations by clinching a closely contested 75 75 victory that took a little more than two hours.

Wednesday has a slightly lopsided schedule, with only two of the women's quarter-finals squeezed in between a host of men's fourth round matches. Ana Ivanovic will take on Marion Bartoli in a 1pm start on Stadium 1 Court, while Shahar Peer will have to wait for 7pm and the scenic surroundings of Stadium 2 for her match with Yanina Wickmayer. Caroline Wozniacki will battle with Victoria Azarenka on Thursday as will Maria Sharapova and Shuai Peng.

Tennis: Maria Sharapova has unfinished business

If there is one player tennis fans are looking forward to watching at this year's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event which starts on February 14, it has to be the glamorous Russian, Maria Sharapova.

Besides being the richest sportswoman in the world, she is also a great crowd-puller for her exploits on the court which have seen her win three Grand Slam titles. She's back to play in Dubai, having reached the final in 2006 and having been forced to pull out in 2008.

In a recent interview to XPRESS, she said: "I believe that if I play my best it's difficult for a lot of players to beat me. It's important also to be 100 per cent healthy which I have been for some time and that has been my biggest opponent in the last few years."

The 23-year-old Russian had dropped out of the world's top 100 after a serious shoulder injury took her off the WTA tour for nine frustrating months through 2008-09. But although she has struggled a bit since returning to the game, she is happy to be playing at all.

"Like I said my own health has been my biggest opponent. There's a lot of very talented players out there who can win the big events and I've got to keep on working hard to put myself in the best possible position to win those," she said.

Sharapova revealed that winning in Dubai is one of her goals, having lost to Justine Henin in the 2006 final, the last time she played here. The other and an even bigger goal, she said, would be winning an Olympic medal. "Oh for sure. The Olympic Games and representing Russia there is a big goal of mine. It's a unique event and an opportunity to play for your country once every four years."

Last season was a successful one for the world No 13, as she won titles in Memphis and Strasbourg and reached the final of three further events in Birmingham, Stanford and Cincinnati. Now she is ready to take a further step back to where she knows she belongs.

"My body feels the best it has in a long time and I am confident that my results will keep improving," said Sharapova.

Shock exit for Maria Sharapova at ASB Classic

Top tennis seed and former world No 1 Maria Sharapova is out of the ASB Classic after losing to Hungarian Greta Arn in straight sets.

The 23-year-old Russian was in trouble early, with Arn breaking her serve in the opening game in Auckland on Thursday.

Sharapova continued to struggle with the strong serve and forehand of the 31-year-old player ranked 88th in the world, and Arn cruised to a 6-2 win in the first set.

It looked as if Sharapova would take the match to three sets, but she continued to make unforced errors, enabling the unseeded Arn to break her serve again to level the set 5-5.

Arn then broke Sharapova again before holding her nerve to take the set 7-5 and the match, clinching the first semifinal spot at the tournament.

Arn has not won a single tournament in her 15 years on the WTA tour and only gained direct entry to the ASB Classic after late withdrawals.

She says she could barely contain her nerves as she served for the match. "I was just shaking ... I started to think I can beat Maria Sharapova."

The Russian was gracious in defeat, saying it just wasn't her day.

"I started off really slow, got down two breaks and I think she gained a tremendous amount of confidence and played with that throughout the match.

"I had my chances in the second (set) but then didn't play the same way that I played to get there. I gave myself the chances, but I think I let her back in the second set."

Arn will play fourth seed Julia Goerges in the semifinals after the German beat unseeded Kateryna Bondarenko, of Ukraine, 7-5 6-2 6-2.

Defending champion Yanina Wickmayer sent a strong message to the other contenders, thrashing Romania's Simona Halep 6-0 6-2.

The Belgian will play Shuai Peng in the semifinals after the Chinese 17th seed beat Heather Watson, of Great Britain, 6-4 7-5.
Erakovic in doubles semi

In the doubles, New Zealand's Marina Erakovic is through to the semi-finals.

Erakovic and Swedish partner Sofia Arviddson defeated the South African Natalie Grandin and Vladmira Uhlirova, of the Czech Re

Tennis: Maria Sharapova effect boosts ticket sales

In a testament to the Maria Sharapova effect, the soldout sign has gone up for every day session of the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland this week.

Organisers today said there were limited gate sales available for the three nights sessions, which are today, tomorrow and on Thursday.

Because of television coverage, Sharapova's matches on the 3200-capacity centre court are being scheduled for during the day.

Full houses are a rare occurrence for a WTA Tour event apart from the four Grand Slams.

Fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was in action before Sharapova today, said she was surprised by the number of fans for her match against local wildcard Sacha Jones.

"For sure it's a pleasure for the players to come here," she said.

"This is what we play for. Without crowds, it's not interesting to be out there. Even if they were not cheering for me today, still it was a pleasure to play in front of the crowd."

Tennis: Maria Sharapova in hot demand

Maria Sharapova in hot demand in Auckland.

Maria Sharapova was in hot demand on Auckland's Viaduct Harbour this evening as tennis fans queued for her autograph.

Sharapova, along with Svetlana Kuznetsova and Yanina Wickmayer, put aside the risk of wrist injury ahead of next week's ASB Classic at the signing session.

About 200 fans - including a few news reporters - were seen queuing as they sought signatures on posters, shirts, tennis balls, mobile phones and even yo-yos.

Tournament officials were expecting some of the signed items to find their way onto popular trading websites in the next few days.

Many young girls were among those queuing, though second in line was 63-year-old Emily Poulsen from the North Shore.

"I love tennis and I especially love Maria Sharapova, so getting the chance to see her is amazing," she said.

Kuznetsova and Wickmayer took time out to test out a serving net, but the popular Sharapova didn't get a break during 40 minutes of signing duties.

None of the players spoke to media after the signing session, though Kuznetsova was clearly keen to make a splash as she whacked a tennis ball into Waitemata Harbour just before leaving.

Sharapova, a triple grand slam singles title winner and the world's highest-paid female athlete, is top seed at the ASB Classic, which starts on Monday.

She has spent much of her time since arriving in New Zealand practising, and today she had a session hitting with New Zealander Sacha Jones, who has a wild card entry into the ASB Classic.

Wickmayer, the defending champion, is the second seed and Kuznetsova, a dual grand slam winner, is third seed.

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Tennis: Maria Sharapova arrives in Auckland

Maria Mania began with a hiss rather than a roar in Auckland today with the ASB Classic's top drawer player Maria Sharapova making a quiet entry into New Zealand.

Sharapova arrived at Auckland Airport with little fanfare. There were few fans to greet her off the Air New Zealand flight from Los Angeles and she was whisked off to a waiting car, deciding not to give any interviews despite the large media turnout.

Sharapova, ranked 18 in the world, will spend the day recovering from the flight and getting over the jet lag, but she is expected to go to the ASB Tennis Centre some time over the next couple of days for a hit out.

Many of the top players for the Classic will be arriving in New Zealand over the next 24 hours but most of them will be hoping for better luck than the tournament's other former world No 1 Dinara Safina from Russia.

Safina's flight to New Zealand was cancelled and it's now not known when she'll be able to catch another flight to make it to Auckland.

Maria Sharapova Ends 10-Year Sponsorship

Maria Sharapova Ends 10-Year Sponsorship Agreement With Prince Sports

Former Wimbledon tennis champion Maria Sharapova ended her 10-year sponsorship agreement with racket manufacturer Prince Sports Inc., both parties said.

“Sharapova’s contract with Prince allowed the parties to mutually agree to end the relationship this year and Sharapova and Prince have decided to do so,” Prince and Sharapova said in an e-mailed statement.

Max Eisenbud, the Russian’s agent at IMG, declined to comment on which racket she’ll use next. No reason was given for the end of the relationship.

Sharapova, 23, had been playing with a Prince racket since she was nine years old. All three of her major titles -- Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open -- were won with a Prince racket.

Gordon Boggis, chief executive of Bordentown, New Jersey- based Prince Sports, thanked the former world No. 1 for being a “great partner.” As the partnership is wound down, Prince will continue to have the rights to market and sell Maria Sharapova signature-line products throughout 2011, the statement said.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my partnership with Prince,” Sharapova said in the statement. “Their rackets helped me to three great slam victories and much more. I will always retain nothing but the highest admiration for Prince.”

Sharapova is the world’s highest-paid female athlete, with annual earnings from endorsements and prize money of $24.5 million, according to an estimate by Forbes magazine in August.

The Russian, who finished the season ranked 18th on the WTA Tour, in January extended her sponsorship agreement with Nike Inc. by eight years for $70 million, a person with knowledge of the contract said at the time.

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Maria Sharapova Engagement Ring

You may already know that Los Angeles Laker Sasha Vujacic popped the question to Maria Sharapova last month. What you may not know is that he did it with a $250,000 engagement ring.

“He completely surprised me! I’m so lucky and very much spoiled,” Maria Sharapova told Us Weekly magazine.“It was very special and obviously a very memorable evening in my life. It’s something I’ll always remember, it was very sweet.”

Maria Sharapova and Sasha Vujacic who started dating last year have yet to set a date for their wedding.

Tennis: Maria Sharapova Shows Off $250k Ring

Maria Sharapova showed off her huge engagement ring while out on the town with fiancée, 26-year-old Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Sasha Vujacic.

The 23-year-old newly engaged tennis star appears to be sporting a cushion-cut diamond of approximately 7 to 8 carats on a split-shank platinum band -- worth about $250,000.

Vujacic said he proposed to Sharapova at his Manhattan Beach home on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting. The couple met at a mutual friends barbeque.

Sharapova said in interviews that she was surprised by the proposal.

The two have been together for about a year after first going public last November. Maria, 23, is a few years younger than her husband-to-be at 26.

No wedding date has been announced.

Vujacic and the Lakers claimed their championship rings and hung the franchise’s 16th banner Tuesday. The Lakers squared off against the Houston Rockets as the team begins its quest for a third consecutive championship.

Sharapova won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2004, when she was 17. She went on to win the 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open and also reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

After shoulder surgery and an elbow injury forced her to miss time the past two seasons, Sharapova is currently ranked 18th.

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Tennis: Sharapova confirmed for Auckland

Triple Grand Slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova will play at the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland next year.
The 23-year-old Russian was confirmed today as a contender for the tournament, which runs from January 3-8 at the Tennis Centre in downtown Auckland.

Sharapova decided to skip her regular Australian Open warm up, an exhibition in Hong Kong in favour of chasing ranking points in the first week of January.

She is a former world number one who has won 22 singles titles, including three Grand Slams - Wimbledon in 2005, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008.

She was restricted by injury in 2009 and at times this year, but she has won two tournaments in 2010 and been the beaten finalist three times.

One of the glamour players on the women's tennis tour, Sharapova is currently ranked 17 in the world.

It has already been confirmed defending champion Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium will be back to try to retain her title.