World tunes in for Sharapova's win over Halep at the US Open

Aug 29, 2017
Social

'Don't laugh!' Andreeva, Fritz, Korda, Jabeur, Sinner and more try out the one-handed backhand

By Baseline Staff May 05, 2024
Pop Culture

'Who is Stan Smith?' New documentary sheds light on tennis legend, sneaker icon

By Baseline Staff May 05, 2024
Style Points

Free People Movement signs apparel deal with Danielle Collins for the rest of her final season

By Baseline Staff May 05, 2024
Social

Paula Badosa announces that she and Stefanos Tsitsipas have ended their romantic relationship

By Baseline Staff May 05, 2024
Pick of the Day

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Andrey Rublev, Mutua Madrid Open

By Zachary Cohen May 05, 2024
Pick of the Day

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Iga Swiatek, Mutua Madrid Open

By Zachary Cohen May 04, 2024
Your Game

Adidas introduces 15-piece SS24 Paris Collection for clay season, Roland Garros

By Baseline Staff May 04, 2024
Social

"You’ll be back": Felix Auger-Aliassime writes Madrid message for injured Jiri Lehecka

By Baseline Staff May 03, 2024
Social

Nicolas Moreno de Alboran opens up about recent health battle with dengue fever complications

By Baseline Staff May 03, 2024

World tunes in for Sharapova's win over Halep at the US Open

The blockbuster match opened the fortnight on Monday night.

Published Aug 29, 2017

The US Open kicked off with a superstar blockbuster in the first round, and the tennis exceeded the hype. By the end, Maria Sharapova held off Simona Halep in a fascinating contrast of styles that brought out admiration from everyone.

Advertising

Halep came in to New York as the No. 2 seed with a lot on the line.

Advertising

Sharapova was in her biggest match in 19 months. She held a 6-0 career head-to-head lead over Halep, and a 17-0 record in Arthur Ashe night matches.

Right away the match showcased exceptional intensity.

Advertising

And Sharapova’s dress foreshadowed her sparkling performance.

Advertising

"I actually worked with Riccardo Tisci alongside Nike. I got to personally meet Riccardo," Sharapova said. "He was still working at Givenchy at the time. I'm very grateful for all the collaborations I've been a part of with Nike. This one I think is really special."

Most important, Sharapova’s power was dialed all the way up.

Meanwhile, Halep had trouble matching Sharapova’s baseline bashing, and it seemed fair to question if her tactics needed to change.

Advertising

Sharapova slammed a service winner to nail the first set, and jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second. It appeared to be over.

Advertising

The second set started to look like a runaway behind Sharapova’s powerful strokes.

Advertising

Of course Halep is at the top for good reason and she responded by increasing her depth, cutting errors and forcing Sharapova to miss a few more times.

Time for coffee with a late night of tennis on the east coast.

Advertising

The drama got a little edgy when Sharapova far extended her five-minute break between sets. Meanwhile, Halep tossed in some practice serves, but the implication of gamesmanship didn’t sit well with everyone.

Advertising

Predictably, Sharapova regrouped and she touched off one of the best shots of the night with a swinging volley.

Advertising

Down to the end, Halep pushed Sharapova and they rewarded the prime-time crowd with world-class strokes. On match point, Sharapova waited out the challenge replay, and then her emotions took over as she sank to her knees.

Advertising

"Look, I'll enjoy this for a little bit of time, then I have to move on. But I definitely have to value the feeling that I have now. I think that's important. I can't take that for granted. I can't take the level for granted. I can't take my emotions for granted," Sharapova said.

"This is a big win for me, and I will enjoy it, then move on to the next one."

Advertising

Unfortunately, Halep had to take a back seat once again after playing her heart out.

"Yeah, in my opinion was very tough. Was not like first-round match," Halep said. "But this is the draw. I cannot say anything else, just that's it. It's the luck."

Advertising

Bad luck for Halep, but great luck for fans. It was an epic way to kick off round one in New York.