After three consecutive years since 2012, Maria Sharapova failed to reach the French Open 2015 tennis finals while losing to Lucie Safarova in the 4th round this time. Sharapova took the titles in 2012 and 2014 and settled for a runner up in 2013. Her domination of the Roland Garros is put into a halt this season when Safarova beats her in straight sets 7-6 (7/3) 6-4, the most surprising upset so far in the tournament.
The Czech currently ranks 11 in WTA ranking and has reached as far as quarterfinals in a tennis Grand Slam Singles tournament which was at Wimbledon in 2014 as opposed to Sharapova's current ranking of world's no. 2 - who had won titles in each of the four Grand Slam Women's Singles, two of them in the French Open. However, Safarova had won over Sharapova once out of five previous match ups and she also won a Grand Slam title this year in The Australian Open Doubles event, showing that she has been training hard and is starting to reap what she sowed. She will be playing in the semifinals for the first time in the only clay-surfaced Grand Slam court and will be facing the Spaniard Garbine Muguruza. This will also be her first time to reach the semi finals in all 4 Grand Slam events in women's singles.
Maria Sharapova who was said to be not in her usual top condition, as reported in Daily Mail UK by Tom Allnut, never failed to impress the crowd. Moreover, she showed sportsmanship and took the initiative to correct the umpire in the first set of the match on a game point saying it was supposed to be 30-15 instead of 40-0. It was a critical point as they were head to head at 4-4 in set. "Maria is an amazing player. I needed to play aggressive and to come forward for the points," said Safarova as reported in BBC Sport which also accounts for Sharapova's condition. "I felt I had small openings but I wasn't able to play a few good points and Lucie was a much more aggressive player," stated Sharapova, who was reported to be having a cold during the game.
Meanwhile, world's no. 1 ranking Serena Williams advances to the semifinals facing Italy's Sarra Errani after a thought-to-be-another-upset match against fellow American Sloane Stephens scoring 1-6 7-5 6-3.
