Maria Sharapova entered the Rogers Cup unseeded and made it all the way to the finals. Coming off shoulder surgery, the blonde beauty made up half of an all-Russian final match. The fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva got the better of Sharapova dropping her in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. This marked just the third time that Dementieva had beaten Sharapova in eleven matchups. In any case, Sharapova seems like she will be in great shape to make a run at the U.S. Open. It must be nice to get paid while you get back into top form. Sharapova took home a cool $175K for placing second while Dementieva pocketed $350K (along with a sweet crystal tennis racket racket).
Via Boston Globe:
TORONTO—Elena Dementieva’s U.S. Open tuneup was an overwhelming success.
The No. 4 seed overcame an ugly first set to beat Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday in the final of the Rogers Cup. Dementieva’s steady play was too much for an error-prone Sharapova to handle in the first all-Russian final in tournament history.
A hardcourt specialist, Dementieva dominated No. 2 Serena Williams in the semifinal, and had a similarly easy time against former No. 1 Sharapova as she prepares for the U.S. Open, which gets under way Aug. 31.
“It’s great to have so many good matches against so many top-10 players here,” said Dementieva, who has three wins in 11 career meetings with Sharapova. “I hope it’s going to be good preparation. For sure, this kind of win gives you a lot of confidence, so right now it’s all about recovering and getting ready for New York.”
Playing in her first final since a serious shoulder injury, Sharapova committed 10 double faults and had trouble with even the most routine shots.
Despite the loss, Sharapova said she was pleased by her overall performance.
“I think it was a really great week for me,” Sharapova said. “Playing six matches was great leading up to the U.S. Open. I think this was really good preparation.”
Tags: elena dementieva, maria sharapova, rogers cup, tennis, toronto
