Sharapova Satisfied with Singapore Performance After Defeat
Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova came into the WTA Finals in Singapore with no pressure, even though she didn't have a match since July and the fact that she endured various arm and leg injuries during a significant layoff. But the Russian still managed to reach the semifinals, eventually faltering and losing to Petra Kvitova on Saturday.
Sharapova is used to winning, which is why it's quite surprising that she's satisfied with the semifinal finish in Singapore. Talking to reporters after the game, she said, "I was able to play quite physical matches and get through them. I think that was something that I wasn't sure of coming into this week because I hadn't played a lot."
Looking at the bright side seems to be new for the world's number 4 tennis player, who actually blitzed through competition during the round-robins, winning all of her three matches. Although it was hard to bet against her after the eliminations, the hungrier Kvitova proved it can be done.
But Kvitova herself is no pushover; having been ranked as world's number 2 player in 2011 and winning 17 career singles titles including two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon.
The Czech professional tennis player produced six second-set games, in the process stunning the more fancied Sharapova, 6-3 7-6 (3). With the win, Kvitova moved on the finals and faced Agnieszka Radwanska, to whom she unfortunately lost, with Radwanska claiming this year's title.
Both players are expected to battle it out once again in Prague, in which Sharapova wants to avenge the loss and expect to go all the way this time.
The 28-year-old Sharapova though acknowledged that her game had some rust following the long layoff, which led to her incompetence to close out the second set. That same set actually saw her leading 5-1 before fading out later. Credit has to be given to Kvitova for being the more aggressive player in this one, getting more angles and taking advantage of Sharapova's errors.
