LONDON: Maria Sharapova may not be seeded and may have turned up in Melbourne with a cloud hanging over her, but the Russian has showed she is s serious contender for the title.
The 30-year-old swatted aside 14th seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 7-6 in a display which will have had the rest of the locker room sitting up and taking notice.
Sharapova faces Angelique Kerber next in a mouth-watering clash of former Australian Open champions, warned she was still improving less than a year after her comeback from a drugs ban last April.
“She’s had success here,” she said of Kerber, the 2016 title winner. “She’s had success playing out here in these conditions on these courts. I want to see where I am on that level.”
Sevastova had thwarted the Russian’s Grand Slam comeback in the last 16 of the US Open last year.
In their next encounter in Beijing the Latvian was only denied after more than three gruelling hours in a titanic three-setter.
In the Melbourne match it was a different story as Sharapova sped through a sizzling first set in just 23 minutes for the loss of only nine points.
“I played really well at the net, finished the balls off with a swing volley or good volley,” she said.
“Something I’ve been working on, and definitely improved in the match today.”
Sevastova characteristically fought back in the second but the only time the 2008 Australian Open champion and crowd-favorite wobbled was when serving for the match.
“She never really lets up,” Sharapova said.
“But I got through it. I did the job in two, and that’s not something I did, you know, toward the end of last year.
“I think that’s an improvement.”
The Latvian, who reached back-to-back quarter-finals at the US Open in 2016 and 2017, briefly woke up to break the Sharapova serve for the first time early in the second set.
The jolt to the Sharapova juggernaut was evident and she began to make unforced errors as service holds and breaks were exchanged.
At 4-4 a backhand winner got Sharapova to break point and when a second screamer followed it was greeted by a double-fist pump from the Russian.
But still Sevastova was not done and broke back again to force a tiebreak.
Sharapova regathered and was not to be denied as she hit a scarcely believable forehand crosscourt winner on the run to get to 5-2 before closing out the match with a scream of joy, a fist pump and a huge smile.
“I did my job in two sets against someone that’s been troubling in the past for me. I think I deserve to smile out there after that victory,” said Sharapova.
Maria Sharapova ignores critics to show she is serious Melbourne contender
Maria Sharapova ignores critics to show she is serious Melbourne contender
Powerboat pilots primed for E1 Jeddah GP 2026
- Team Monaco and Sierra Racing Club joined the championship for the first time, adding further depth to the grid
- Event is organized by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation in collaboration with the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM)
JEDDAH: Pilots of the teams participating in the opening round of the third season of the E1 Series, the world’s first all-electric raceboat championship on the Red Sea in Jeddah from January 23 – 24, have expressed their readiness for the event.
The Jeddah GP 2026 will feature a record of 10 teams racing the cutting-edge E1 RaceBirds, underlining the rapid growth of the championship and its ambitions as a global competition spanning four continents.
Team Monaco and Sierra Racing Club joined the championship for the first time, adding further depth to the grid with a mix of experienced and emerging pilots.
The event is organized by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation in collaboration with the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), under the supervision of the Ministry of Sport and is presented by the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Ahead of the event, a press conference was held on Wednesday at the media center, appearing at the event was John Williams, Managing Director at E1 who shared the excitement and vision for the opening season for the UIM E1 World Championship and expressed his enthusiasm for the Jeddah round.
He told the media that E1 World Championship 2026 is looking ahead for another thrilling and exciting season, “We are delighted to restart racing here on the beautiful Red Sea in Jeddah as the E1 Jeddah GP once again brings together electric racing, elite teams and world-class pilots as the championship enters a new season.”
“We always love to come back to this beautiful city of Jeddah and hope we can bring excitement to our fans here in this part of the world and we are very excited for a great race.
He added that the vision for E1 has always been to inspire change through competition.
“With every season, E1 is not only growing as a sport but showing what’s possible when sport drives sustainability forward,” he said.
Williams also announced that the E1 race in partnership with Saudi Arabia introducing new initiatives as part of its social program, he said: “During this weekend we aim to inspire Saudi students aged 8 to 18 to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as sustainability, through the lens of electric racing.”
Also in attendance at the press conference were Rusty Wyatt of AlUla team, Tom Chiappe of team Rafael Nadal, Maxime Nocher of team Monaco, and Ieva Millere of team Drogba.
French professional pilot for Team Rafa, Tom Chiappe indicated that the team is gearing up for a new exciting season, “First of all, glad to come back to Jeddah and looking forward to competing and winning first place after we finished last season in second. I am really glad to start the season here in Jeddah and hope the E1 fans in Jeddah enjoy the race,” he said.
Canadian racer, Rusty Wyatt of team AlUla expressed his excitement to show what the team can achieve in front of so much local support and to make AlUla proud.
“It really feels like a home GP in Jeddah.
Following last year’s E1 Grand Prix in Jeddah, Wyatt was fortunate enough to spend a week in AlUla which he said was truly unforgettable.
Speaking about this season, He continued: “We have gone through a lot of work to get better and this year we have taking all the data and all that knowledge to become much better team. Our confidence level is really high and we are going to give it all best of us to gain pole position.”
This year Ieva Millere is piloting the innovative RaceBird for Drogba team after representing the Brazil team last year.
Millere said: “I am so excited to be here in Jeddah for the third year in a row but this time I am with the Drogba team. We are really hoping to bring success for the team.”
Meanwhile, the pilot of team Monaco, French Maxime Nocher confirmed 2026 would serve as a learning season.
“It is the debut season for team Monaco and the goal is to gain experience and build something solid for the next season in 2027. However, we are ready to make an impact for our season,” he said.
