NEW YORK—Right from the start of Monday’s first-round match between No. 5 seed Maria Sharapova and fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, spectators contented themselves with frequently shouting out, “Come on, Maria!”
What, did they want to spare Kirilenko the embarrassment of realizing that Arthur Ashe Stadium was full of Sharapova fans? Or perhaps the two simply looked enough alike—both blonde, visored, similar builds—to render any urge to distinguish between them futile.
They did choose different outfits, though. Sharapova was wearing cocktail-dress—or perhaps we should call it undertaker—black, while Kirilenko chose a salmon-colored skirt with a matching top, featuring fabric that looked like a dorsal fin running diagonally across her back. Even with that appendage, she was unable to swim away from one of the the game’s most voracious sharks.
It was a tough night for Kirilenko, who lost 6-4, 6-0 and could easily have been mistaken for a smaller and weaker if not necessarily worshipful sister of Sharapova.
“Come on, Maria.” Read what you want into it, ladies.
These two represented a fair bit of recent Russian tennis history on this pleasant night in Flushing Meadows. They’re both 27 (Kirilenko is just three months older), and both have struggled with injury, most recently Kirilenko, who was just 2-5 on the year coming into this match, partly because of knee and wrist problems. Were the 5’9” Kirilenko blessed with an extra five-inches of height—which would make her just as tall as Sharapova—who knows how different her destiny might have been? As it is, Sharapova’s 5-2 lead in the head-to-head before this encounter certainly wasn’t overwhelming.
Sharapova and Kirilenko have known each other since they were 12 years old, which would make them old friends, if there were any such thing in tennis.
“We spent a lot of time in the juniors away from the courts practicing a lot together, competing against each other,” Sharapova said after the match. “We certainly have a big history together. But when you go out on the court, you have to face that person as a competitor, not someone that you’ve known for years and developed a friendship with. It's always a tricky balance, I guess.”