Sharapova, Roddick crash at Wimbledon
Saturday, 28 June 2008
LONDON, June 27 (AFP): Golden girl Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick, the all-American poster boy of men's tennis, suffered their worst Wimbledon defeats Thursday.
Sharapova endured the darkest moment of her sparkling career when world number 154, and Russian compatriot, Alla Kudryavtseva sent her spinning out in the second round.
Sharapova, the 2004 champion, became the latest marquee name to crash out at the All England Club in successive days following men's third seed Novak Djokovic's defeat to Marat Safin.
Sixth seed Roddick then joined the scrapheap when he lost 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic.
Also exiting the tournament on a day of major shocks were men's ninth seed James Blake and women's 10th seed Daniela Hantuchova.
"She played better, served and returned better and on grass they are the important elements," admitted Sharapova after slumping to her worst defeat in six visits.
Kudryavtseva, who now plays China's Peng Shuai, then added insult to injury by revealing the frosty relationship between Sharapova and many of the other Russian women on tour.
"I don't know her well. I think I'm quite sure no one on the tour knows Maria well because she's not a very talkative girl and not very outgoing," said Kudryavtseva.
Roddick, the runner-up in 2004 and 2005 to Roger Federer, slumped to his worst defeat in nine visits.
Tipsarevic now faces Russia's Dmitry Tursunov for a place in the last 16.
Roddick only returned to the tour at Queen's last week after a shoulder injury kept him out of the French Open and his lack of sharpness told in a three-hour match where he failed to convert any of his eight break points.
Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal, bidding to become only the third man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season, saw off 19-year-old Latvian Ernests Gulbis 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.
Defending champion Venus Williams ended British hopes in the women's singles with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Anne Keothavong and next faces Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez who put out Indian 32nd seed Sania Mirza 6-0, 4-6, 9-7.
Sharapova endured the darkest moment of her sparkling career when world number 154, and Russian compatriot, Alla Kudryavtseva sent her spinning out in the second round.
Sharapova, the 2004 champion, became the latest marquee name to crash out at the All England Club in successive days following men's third seed Novak Djokovic's defeat to Marat Safin.
Sixth seed Roddick then joined the scrapheap when he lost 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic.
Also exiting the tournament on a day of major shocks were men's ninth seed James Blake and women's 10th seed Daniela Hantuchova.
"She played better, served and returned better and on grass they are the important elements," admitted Sharapova after slumping to her worst defeat in six visits.
Kudryavtseva, who now plays China's Peng Shuai, then added insult to injury by revealing the frosty relationship between Sharapova and many of the other Russian women on tour.
"I don't know her well. I think I'm quite sure no one on the tour knows Maria well because she's not a very talkative girl and not very outgoing," said Kudryavtseva.
Roddick, the runner-up in 2004 and 2005 to Roger Federer, slumped to his worst defeat in nine visits.
Tipsarevic now faces Russia's Dmitry Tursunov for a place in the last 16.
Roddick only returned to the tour at Queen's last week after a shoulder injury kept him out of the French Open and his lack of sharpness told in a three-hour match where he failed to convert any of his eight break points.
Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal, bidding to become only the third man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season, saw off 19-year-old Latvian Ernests Gulbis 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.
Defending champion Venus Williams ended British hopes in the women's singles with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Anne Keothavong and next faces Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez who put out Indian 32nd seed Sania Mirza 6-0, 4-6, 9-7.