Another top seed goes down as Cibulkova defeats Sharapova
Автор: Jon Wertheim
Another afternoon, another seed bids adieu in Melbourne...
The Australian Open didn't register the Richter Scale reading of Serena Williams' upset loss yesterday, but Maria Sharapova, the No. 3 seed and a former Aussie Open champion, was defenestrated by Dominika Cibulkova of the Czech Republic, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
Three quick thoughts on Cibulkova's victory over Sharapova:
• This is an upset but not an UPSET. Sharapova missed the second half of 2013 with a shoulder injury, so this event was a comeback of sorts and Sharapova still carries the tennis equivalent of ring rust. She came within two points of defeat against Karin Knapp in the second round, and was lucky to pull out that victory.
Today, she looked tentative for considerable stretches of the match, struggled -- as she often does -- with her serve (eight double faults) and was hampered by a hip injury that necessitated a call to the trainer. Against a steady veteran on the order of Cibulkova -- who gets a lot of balls back in the court, prolongs points and isn't going to fade on account of fatigue -- Sharapova was going to have to play her best to win. Cibulkova didn't fade, and Sharapova didn't play her best.
• A lot of credit is owed to Cibulkova. Nicknamed the "Pocket Rocket," she stands only 5-3 -- a full foot shorter than the opponent today -- but she managed to play bigger than her height would suggest. She's using a new racket this tournament that is uncommonly wide and heavy, and it's imbued her with considerable power. As usual, Cibulkova played her share of defensive tennis, but she battled Sharapova from the baseline.
What's more, she held her nerve. After going up 5-0 in the second set, she lost four games before finally closing out the set, 6-4. In the third set, she was simply superior on every dimension. This was a big occasion for her -- Grand Slam fourth-rounder; Rod Laver Arena; third set against a bona fide star -- and she was the more poised player on the court this afternoon.
• It will be interesting to see where both players go from here. Apart from heading to Sochi, where she will commentate at the Winter Games for NBC, Sharapova will need to check on her hip and then clean up her game if she wants to make another run at a Grand Slam title.
As for Cibulkova, she has a highly winnable match against either Jelena Jankovic or Simona Halep for a shot at her first Major semifinal. With Serena Williams out of the picture, the women's draw is wide open, a gaping canyon of possibility for all remaining players.
