MARIA SHARAPOVA

Hot favorite Maria Sharapova beat compatriot Nadia Petrova 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 in the Quarter-finals of Australian Open 2006.

Fourth seeded Maria Sharapova climbed up twice in the first set. Nadia
was 5‑4 serving for the set, 6‑5 serving for the set and 6‑4 in the tiebreaker. However indomitable Maria won the breaker 8-6 to clinch the first set 7-6 (8-6).

The second set was a service break throughout and Maria Sharapova was 0-40 in the 10th game. Thanks to Nadia’s errors, Maria rattled down five straight points to win the match.

Maria Sharapova won all the three straight Grand Slam quarter-final meet between her and Nadia.

For Maria Sharapova, “it was definitely not easy,” and for Nadia “I just feel like I simply gave it away.”

Now Maria Sharapova will face the winner from other quarter-final between Lindsay Davenport and Justine Henin-Hardenne, in the - Maria’s first -Semi-Finals of Australian Open Tennis Tournament.

The 18 year old Russian Tennis Queen Maria Sharapova was never been in news for this sort.

As the Australian Open is in progress, Melbourne Herald-Sun newspaper reports Maria Sharapova spends a lot of her time with 2003 US Open Champion Andy Roddik. And the report speculates, there must be something more than friendship - a budding romance possibly.

It further reports that, Maria Sharapova left the IMG player party last Sunday, early to go to a casino’s exclusive gambling room, where 23 year Andy Roddik was playing poker.

According to the report, Maria Sharapova was present with Andy Roddik on the nights of previous day and also on wednesday. Obviously Roddik was playing poker on these nights.

The story leads to speculate the tennis legends romance is on their cards.

Maria Sharapova ended the speculations about her participation in Australian Open, by announcing her preparedness despite her Dislocated Rib. It was not the shoulder problem as she was thinking.

Maria Sharapova who arrived in Melbourne on Sunday said, “It’s not 100 per cent, but the good thing is a month back I found out the cause of the problem”

About her fitness to play Australian Open Maria Sharapova asserted, “Doctors tell me it can’t get any worse and I can keep playing. I’ll have to suck it up and just try to do the best I can. It can bother me, it can get tight, but I’m going to go through the pain and do everything I can to win.”

Maria Sharapova who reached world number 1 position last year was slipped to 4th slot and missed Australian Open lead tennis tournament Australian Hardcourt titles on the Gold Coast mainly due to her shoulder problem.

Maria Sharapova is seeded fourth this year, who made it to semi-finals last year Australian Open and lost to eventual champion Serena Williams.

Also last year Maria Sharapova reached the quarterfinals in all 15 tennis tournaments she played. She was in the semifinals of Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open and French Open saw her until Quarter Finals. Interestingly, in all those Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments in 2005, Maria Sharapova lost to the eventual champions.