Melanie Oudin reward for her tremendous upset victory over Elena Dementieva in the second round is an equally tough match with former champion Maria Sharapova. People are saying that the 17-year old from Georgia is going to be the next big thing in American tennis. She's certainly living up to the billing so far. In addition to her victory over Dementieva she also beat Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon. If she beats Sharapova today then the world will really sit up and watch. US womens tennis needs her. Would you believe that at a rank of 70, Oudin is the highest ranking American after the Williams sisters?
For her part, Maria Sharapova is still recovering from her shoulder injury that put her out of the game for 9 months. She looked very impressive in her last match against another American teen, Christina McHale, who she beat in straight sets. She likes Flushing Meadow, having won the title here in 2006 with memorable victories over more fancied opponents.
Should be a good match. I wander who the crowd will cheer for? The up and coming American or their favourite Russian Beauty?
Tsvetana Pironkova fails to stop Sharapova at US Open
In a tennis dress inspired by New York's skyscrapers, Maria Sharapova looked extremely impressive in beating Tsvetana Pironkova at the US Open last night. The 2006 champion missed last years tournament and is making her way back into the game after a 9 month lay off with a shoulder injury.
Sharapova is popular with the Flushing Meadow crowd and not just for her good looks. When she won the championship 3 years ago it was against all odds as she beat Justine Henin in the final and Amelie Mauresmo on the way. So she moves on to round 2 where she will meet Christina McHale. Should be a big day for the 17 year old from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Sharapova is popular with the Flushing Meadow crowd and not just for her good looks. When she won the championship 3 years ago it was against all odds as she beat Justine Henin in the final and Amelie Mauresmo on the way. So she moves on to round 2 where she will meet Christina McHale. Should be a big day for the 17 year old from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
WTA Tennis- Dementieva Defeated Sharapova to Win her First Title at Rogers Cup
Author: Ally White
After struggling against her Russian compatriot, world no.4 Elena Dementieva won her first title at the Rogers Cup by beating Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 in the final at Montreal, Canada on Sunday. This triumph is only the third for Dementieva over Sharapova in 11 meetings and the third title in 2009. Dementieva has become a dangerous player over the years as her fitness and her serve have improved. Maria Sharapov, on the other hand, has recovered well from her shoulder surgery but has had trouble with what had been her strongest weapon – her serve – during the past two months. During the first set, both players began with a surplus of broken serves, double faults and unforced errors. However, Dementieva was more determined to win the set, fighting for every point and winning the first eight points, including three of Sharapova’s double faults, putting the score 4-1. But Sharapova then saved three break points in the next game and held her serve to close the score 4-3 when Dementieva double faulted. After that, both Russians traded breaks until Dementieva finally ended the set by converting her third set point when Sharapova hit the ball into the net, ending with a victory of 6-4 in the first set. In the second set, both players held serve until the sixth game when Sharapova battled and won two break points. But then Sharapova converted another mistake and hit her shot onto the net to give Dementieva a 4-2 lead. With Sharapova’s mistakes, Dementiva retained her serve throughout the last games and eventually attained, with great effort, the second set 6-3 and her 14th career WTA Tour title. At the end of the game, the Sharapova said that despite her loss, she thought the final was great preparation for the US Open. She had hoped to improve her serve as she has struggled with it since her return after her shoulder injury. "No, it's coming back from something that's a pretty serious injury with the shoulder, and when you use it so much and all your groundstrokes and your serve, and you know, my serve is, you know, one of my biggest weapons in the game, and then coming off the injury and kind of tweaking your motion a little bit, it takes a lot of time for adjustments when you do something, you know, for your whole career since you were young and you're used to doing it a certain way, when all of a sudden you have to change it at a very elite level,” Sharapova said. On the other hand, Elena Dementieva was extremely excited about her accomplishment and her improved playing although she admitted she did not have top form during the final. This title is her first in the Roger Cup, a win that gave her confidence for what’s coming at the U.S Open. "It's great to have so many good matches against so many top-10 players here. I hope it's going to be good preparation. For sure, this kind of win gives you a lot of confidence, so right now it's all about recovering and getting ready for New York. I just feel so happy to finally win this title. It means a lot to me," said the world no. 4. About the Author:
Ally White is a top senior copy writer for the international tennis championships as well as the top ranking sportsbetting:www.instantactionsports.com/uk
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - WTA Tennis- Dementieva Defeated Sharapova to Win her First Title at Rogers Cup
After struggling against her Russian compatriot, world no.4 Elena Dementieva won her first title at the Rogers Cup by beating Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 in the final at Montreal, Canada on Sunday. This triumph is only the third for Dementieva over Sharapova in 11 meetings and the third title in 2009. Dementieva has become a dangerous player over the years as her fitness and her serve have improved. Maria Sharapov, on the other hand, has recovered well from her shoulder surgery but has had trouble with what had been her strongest weapon – her serve – during the past two months. During the first set, both players began with a surplus of broken serves, double faults and unforced errors. However, Dementieva was more determined to win the set, fighting for every point and winning the first eight points, including three of Sharapova’s double faults, putting the score 4-1. But Sharapova then saved three break points in the next game and held her serve to close the score 4-3 when Dementieva double faulted. After that, both Russians traded breaks until Dementieva finally ended the set by converting her third set point when Sharapova hit the ball into the net, ending with a victory of 6-4 in the first set. In the second set, both players held serve until the sixth game when Sharapova battled and won two break points. But then Sharapova converted another mistake and hit her shot onto the net to give Dementieva a 4-2 lead. With Sharapova’s mistakes, Dementiva retained her serve throughout the last games and eventually attained, with great effort, the second set 6-3 and her 14th career WTA Tour title. At the end of the game, the Sharapova said that despite her loss, she thought the final was great preparation for the US Open. She had hoped to improve her serve as she has struggled with it since her return after her shoulder injury. "No, it's coming back from something that's a pretty serious injury with the shoulder, and when you use it so much and all your groundstrokes and your serve, and you know, my serve is, you know, one of my biggest weapons in the game, and then coming off the injury and kind of tweaking your motion a little bit, it takes a lot of time for adjustments when you do something, you know, for your whole career since you were young and you're used to doing it a certain way, when all of a sudden you have to change it at a very elite level,” Sharapova said. On the other hand, Elena Dementieva was extremely excited about her accomplishment and her improved playing although she admitted she did not have top form during the final. This title is her first in the Roger Cup, a win that gave her confidence for what’s coming at the U.S Open. "It's great to have so many good matches against so many top-10 players here. I hope it's going to be good preparation. For sure, this kind of win gives you a lot of confidence, so right now it's all about recovering and getting ready for New York. I just feel so happy to finally win this title. It means a lot to me," said the world no. 4. About the Author:
Ally White is a top senior copy writer for the international tennis championships as well as the top ranking sportsbetting:www.instantactionsports.com/uk
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - WTA Tennis- Dementieva Defeated Sharapova to Win her First Title at Rogers Cup
Sarah Fisher Racing in the Indianapolis 500 This Weekend
Sarah Fisher was born into a racing family in Columbus, Ohio on October 4 1980. Her father was a sprint car driver and it wasn't long before she was driving her first car. At the age of five she was racing quarter-midgets and go-carts which she did into her teens when she won several World Karting Association Grand National Championships.
In 1999 she moved into the Indy Racing League and became the youngest person to pass the Indy Racing League Rookie Test. In 2000 she joined Walker Racing and became only the third woman and one of the youngest ever to race in the Indianapolis 500. She started 19th and finished 31st after an accident. Later that year she became the youngest woman ever to gain a podium position when she finished 3rd at the Kentucky Speedway.
In 2002 Fisher joined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and became the first woman in North American motorsports history to win the pole position for a major-league open-wheel race, earning the MBNA Pole for the Belterra Casino Indy 300. She finished 8th in the race having led for the first 26 laps.
In 2004 Sarah Fisher joined NASCAR after failing to get sponsorship for her Indy Racing League season. Her first full season of NASCAR was 2005 when she earned 4 top 10 finishes and was named Rookie of the Year.
After a disappointing season with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2007, rumours started to surface that Fisher was planning her own team for the 2008 season. The rumours proved correct and Sarah Fisher Racing was officially announced at the end of January 2008. The team struggled to get sponsorship and Fisher and her new husband Andy O'Gara mortgaged their house to enable the team to race in the Indianapolis 500. In her 7th Indianapolis 500, Fisher made it to the 106th lap before Tony Kanaan spun in front of her and took her out of the race. The team managed to gather together enough sponsorship to take part in two more races in the 2008 season.
Sarah Fisher Racing will take part in this weekend's 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500. Sarah has qualified in 21st position on the grid. The race starts at 1.00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 24 May.
In 1999 she moved into the Indy Racing League and became the youngest person to pass the Indy Racing League Rookie Test. In 2000 she joined Walker Racing and became only the third woman and one of the youngest ever to race in the Indianapolis 500. She started 19th and finished 31st after an accident. Later that year she became the youngest woman ever to gain a podium position when she finished 3rd at the Kentucky Speedway.
In 2002 Fisher joined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and became the first woman in North American motorsports history to win the pole position for a major-league open-wheel race, earning the MBNA Pole for the Belterra Casino Indy 300. She finished 8th in the race having led for the first 26 laps.
In 2004 Sarah Fisher joined NASCAR after failing to get sponsorship for her Indy Racing League season. Her first full season of NASCAR was 2005 when she earned 4 top 10 finishes and was named Rookie of the Year.
After a disappointing season with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2007, rumours started to surface that Fisher was planning her own team for the 2008 season. The rumours proved correct and Sarah Fisher Racing was officially announced at the end of January 2008. The team struggled to get sponsorship and Fisher and her new husband Andy O'Gara mortgaged their house to enable the team to race in the Indianapolis 500. In her 7th Indianapolis 500, Fisher made it to the 106th lap before Tony Kanaan spun in front of her and took her out of the race. The team managed to gather together enough sponsorship to take part in two more races in the 2008 season.
Sarah Fisher Racing will take part in this weekend's 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500. Sarah has qualified in 21st position on the grid. The race starts at 1.00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 24 May.
Can Tiger win his first Players Championship since 2001?
The Players Championship (TPC) tees off today at the Sawgrass Country Club at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida. Often called the "5th Major" (but not officially so) the tournament has the highest prize fund of any golf tournament. This week 147 golfers including 96 of the world's top 100, will share the $9,500,000 total prizemoney.
The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is one of the most famous and recognisable holes in golf. It is the infamous "island hole" which is surrounded by water and leaves the player nowhere to aim but at the green. They estimate that 100,000 balls are hit into the water each year by professional and amateur golfers alike and 50 balls ended up in the drink in just one round of the Players Championship 2007.
As usual the man to beat is Tiger Woods although this is not one of his most successful tournaments. He has only won it once and that was 8 years ago. I'm sure he will be looking to put that right in the next few days. Also look out for defending champion Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis, Vijay Singh or pretty much anybody else in the field. That's the beauty of golf. Almost any of the players in the field could put together 4 good rounds and scoop the first prize of $1,700,000 on Sunday afternoon.
The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is one of the most famous and recognisable holes in golf. It is the infamous "island hole" which is surrounded by water and leaves the player nowhere to aim but at the green. They estimate that 100,000 balls are hit into the water each year by professional and amateur golfers alike and 50 balls ended up in the drink in just one round of the Players Championship 2007.
As usual the man to beat is Tiger Woods although this is not one of his most successful tournaments. He has only won it once and that was 8 years ago. I'm sure he will be looking to put that right in the next few days. Also look out for defending champion Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis, Vijay Singh or pretty much anybody else in the field. That's the beauty of golf. Almost any of the players in the field could put together 4 good rounds and scoop the first prize of $1,700,000 on Sunday afternoon.
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