New York Post, Tuesday, August 27, 2019nypost.com42
By BRIAN LEWISFrom all the history Serena Wil-
liams and Maria Sharapova have
written — from Grand Slams and
greatness to meltdowns and meldo-
nium — they had never once played
each other at the U.S. Open.
Monday’s first was no contest.
Williams thrashed Sharapova 6-1,
6-1 in Monday night’s first-round
match under the lights at Arthur
Ashe Stadium.
It was a dominant enough perfor-
mance that — despite not winning a
Grand Slam since giving birth two
years ago, and going through a pul-
monary embolism in the aftermath
— Williams is confident she will
notch her record-tying 24th major ti-
tle.
“Yeah, I feel like I’m here to do
that. We’ll see what happens,” said
Williams, who has treated Sharapova
like the Globetrotters treat the
Washington Generals. “Every time I
play her I bring out some of my best
tennis.”
If Williams needed any incentiviz-
ing, Sharapova provided it. In their
first meeting in three years, Wil-
liams improved to 20-2 against the
Russian, including the past 19
straight dating back to 2004.
“I always said her ball somehow
lands in my strike zone,” Williams
said. “I don’t know. It’s just perfect
for me.”
Williams has always taken joy in
beating Sharapova even when
Sharapova was at her best. But at just
87th in the latest world rankings
with her ailing shoulder — one that
has required surgery, and has some
around her urging retirement —
Sharapova is nowhere near her best.
But Williams was on Monday.
In her first match on Ashe since
her infamous tantrum at chair um-
pire Carlos Ramos in last year’s final,
Williams was serene. Composed. A
well-oiled tennis machine.
“I wanted to make sure I stayed fo-
cused,” said Williams, cheered
loudly by the crowd. “It was great. I
mean, the fans, like I said on the
court, they were so amazing. I could
hear them walking down the hallway.
It was such a good feeling. It made
me feel unbelievable, really helpedme get amped up and pumped up.”
It marked the first time Sharapova,
who was suspended in 2016 after
testing positive for meldonium, a
banned substance, had lost in the
first round at the Open, and it was
only her second defeat in 25 night
matches in Queens.
“It’s easy to be discouraged after a
match like this. But if I’m personally
discouraged, I wake up tomorrow, I
don’t feel like I want to go out, train,
be better, that’s more discouraging
than the result,” Sharapova said.
“Bottom line is I believe in my abil-
ity. You can write me off. There are
many people that can write me off,
especially after going down 6-1, 6-1 in
the first round of the U.S. Open.
[But] as long as it’s not the personthat’s inside of you, you’ll be OK.”
Meanwhile, Williams showed her
best movement and mobility since
becoming a mother. And down 15-40
and on the verge of being broken,
she shaved off two straight break
points and then held to go up 3-1 in
the second set.
Williams has now won 18 straight
sets against Sharapova, and 31 of 32.
The sore back that forced her to
skip Cincinnati and retire in To-
ronto has clearly improved go-
ing into a second-round date
versus American teen
Caty McNally.
brian.lewis
@nypost.comSEE YA, MARIA: Serena Williams (right) celebrates after winning a point
during her 6-1, 6-1 rout over Maria Sharapova (above) during their first-
round matchup at the U.S. Open. N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg (2); Getty Images