2005 Italian Open News
By Alix Ramsay | May 13, 2005
She is a fast learner, is Maria Sharapova. From never
having got beyond the quarterfinals of a clay court event
in her life (and she has only played seven of them so far
at this level) she now finds herself in the last four of
the Italian Open and just a hop and a skip away from the
world No.1 slot.
She breezed past Elena Bovina 6-2, 6-2, showing no signs
of panic at the slippery surface beneath her feet nor the
bruising ground strokes of her opponent. In the past it
has been her stamina that has let her down and she has
simply run out of puff as the rounds have gone by. But
having taken nearly two hours to dispose of Mary Pierce
- and she is no light weight on the ground stroke front
- on Thursday night, she was fit as a flea to face Bovina
just 19 hours later.
"I think a lot has happened overt the past 12 months," Sharapova
explained. "I'm more experienced and, strength-wise,
I feel like I can play more matches in a row and still
feel good physically.
"Last year I had just turned 17 and it was pretty
tough. Physically I hadn't had that kind of competition,
so many tough matches in a row and especially on clay where
the matches are a lot longer. Having had a year to work,
I've worked really hard physically and I think that is
paying off."
It was hardly the match for the clay court purists. The
whole idea of guile, style and wiles seemed to have escaped
the Russian duo who persisted in welting the ball from
the back of the court and waiting for someone to make a
mistake. Sharapova soon proved to be better at this tactic,
taking a 3-1 lead and, bar a minor stumble to drop serve
in the very next game, powered her way to the first set.
To quote from Sharapova's extensive scouting notes, Bovina
is "a tall girl with a powerful game" and towers
2 ∏ inches over
the Wimbledon champion. She also packs a considerably bigger
punch, weighing in at 29lbs more than Sharapova. That weight
has, apparently settled around her feet which are the size
of angle irons. When the sylph-like Sharapova turns sideways,
she all but disappears but when Bovina prepares to turn,
small animals and children dive for cover.
By the start of the second set, Bovina looked beaten.
Big, but beaten. The previous two rounds had obviously
taught Sharapova a lot and she was in a hurry to show of
her new confidence on the treacherous clay.
Amelie Mauresmo is in much the same boat. She has always
been happy on the red dirt, it is just that she is not
that happy in public. At this time of year her nerves twang
at the thought of the French Open and, as the days tick
by to her opening match at Roland Garros, the tension is
almost unbearable.
But after a less than impressive performance against Silvia
Farina Elia in the previous round, Mauresmo gave her battered
psyche a break against Conchita Martinez and just got on
with the business of playing. For one glorious hour she
just did what came naturally to win 6-1, 6-2.
That said, Martinez helped. Lots. At 33 she is not quite
what she was and given that she was built for the patient,
clay court game and ought to have reached more than one
final at the French Open, what she was could have been
a lot better. After a brief attempt at competition - it
last barely three games - Martinez merely made up the numbers.
Mauresmo, the defending champion, now faces Vera Zvonareva,
the 7-5, 7-6 winner over Francesca Schiavone.
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