By Mike McIntyre
Day one of the Australian Open got off to an unexpected start on Monday with 58th ranked Maria Kirilenko defeating 14th seeded Maria Sharapova 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4 in the first match of the tournament in Rod Laver Arena.
Sharapova tried to control the match but her shots were off the mark as she had 45 winners to an overwhelming 66 errors. As has been the case since her return from shoulder surgery last year, double faults also hurt Sharapova's chances as she had 11 during the match.
The encounter nearly set a women's record at 3 hours, 11 minutes - just eleven minutes short of the all-time WTA mark in Melbourne.
After the match a proud Sharapova was unwilling to admit that she was disappointed by the result.
"I can be disappointed or head back on the court and keep working. I choose option two instead."
She admitted that her game was, "up and down in many areas and just finished in the down area."
Sharapova did not apologize for making so many errors, saying that she would rather go for her shots than be passive on the court. While the former Aussie Open champion (2008) did attempt to impose her game on her opponent, it was still an impressive showing from the underachieving Kirilenko.
Recognized more for her beauty than her tennis game, Kirilenko did not wilter after blowing a 5-3 lead in the third set and allowing Sharapova to get back on serve in the late stages of the match. Instead, she broke Sharapova right back to claim the first round victory.
Many tennis writers chose to focus on this match ahead of time purely for its aesthetic value rather than the possibility of a real battle. For this very reason I failed to even put it on the radar of my opening day preview article. These women are terrific athletes and should be recognized for that above all else. On top of that, never did I think Sharapova could go down this early in the tournament. It is her earliest exit from a Slam since losing in the opening round of Roland Garros in 2003.
After her big win today, Kirilenko will deservingly merit some tennis-related discussion before her next match for sure.
Comments