Sharapova gives cash for Chernobyl recovery

Maria Sharapova, the world's top-ranked female tennis player, became a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund and donated $US100,000 ($NZ146,000) to help victims of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear disaster.At a crowded press conference, Sharapova, 19, said she gave the money to eight UN development projects in rural communities in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine for youths still suffering from the April 1986 Chernobyl power plant explosion.The world's worst nuclear accident spewed clouds of radioactive dust into parts of Europe, Russia and especially Belarus, making large areas uninhabitable."My first step is to focus on the Chernobyl-affected region, where my family has roots," Sharapova said. "Today, it is poverty and lack of opportunities that pose the greatest threat for young people in the Chernobyl region."Sharapova's family left Gomel in Belarus after the Chernobyl accident. She was born in Siberia a year later but left Russia for the United States at age 9 to study tennis. She won Wimbledon in 2004 and the US Open in 2006.Sharapova earned nearly $US19 million last year in advertising endorsements and prizemoney, according to Forbes magazine.

Sharapova, Serena Pull Out Of Dubai Event

Dubai, UAE -- (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Russian Maria Sharapova and Australian Open champion Serena Williams of the United States will skip next week's Dubai Duty Free Women's Open.The U.S. Open champion and Aussie Open runner-up Sharapova is nursing a hamstring injury, while the former world No. 1 Williams, who upset Sharapova in last month's championship match in Melbourne, is battling the flu, which forced her to miss this week's tournament in India. Williams' victory over Sharapova last month gave her an eighth Grand Slam title. Sharapova has performed in the last two major finals, including a big victory in New York last year.

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova

# On the Forbes 2006 Richest Young Celebrities List, it is reported she earned $18.2 million in 2005. She was the highest-paid female athlete of the year.# Car company Land Rover has signed her to a three-year deal that one source said is worth approximately $2 million a year. (April 4, 2006)# Became number 1 in the world in August 2005 & is the first Russian player to become the best player in the world.# Won the 2004 WTA Championships, defeating Serena Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the final to pocket one million dollars and win a new Porsche Cayenne to donate to a charity of her choice.# Was the youngest titlist on the WTA Tour in 2003 with two championships under her belt.# Signed with IMG Models in November 2003# Born in Siberia, Russia, and raised in the United States since age seven. Father Yuri brought her to the U.S. in 1994, but mother Yelena didn't join them until two years later due to visa problems.# Was (and still is) so ambidextrous that she almost became a left-handed tennis player.# Her loudest grunt was measured at 101.2 decibels (louder than a motorcycle or a lawnmower) on 21 June 2005 at Wimbledon Centre Court. Previously the loudest grunt was by Monica Seles at 93.2 decibels.# According to the LA Times and Orange County Register, Maria said at a press conference she has grown a few cm this year and is now 6' 2. She's been having back pains and has had to pull out of some tournaments due to the pain which she thinks is from a growth spurt.# Sometimes credited as: Maria Yuryevna Sharapova# Nickname: Masha# Trade mark: Plays right –handed; 2 handed backhand# Used to be called the Siberian Siren because of her extremely loud grunting whenever she hit the ball.# Coached by her father Yuri Sharapov and Robert Lansdorp.

Maria Sharapova, best looking female athlete of 2006

The Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova has been chosen as best looking female athlete of 2006 by the prestigious Sports Illustrated magazine.Second place went to American volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and third place to another Russian tennis player, famous Anna Kournikova(although she hasn't been competing for 4 years now).The top 20 is almost entirely made up of Russian and American girls, including another two tennis players, Daniela Hantuchova and Anastasia Mishkina, but also athletes, skaters, surfers or swimmers.Maria Sharapova has also recently been declared most elegant athlete by Vogue magazine.

Canon to Serve as Host Sponsor for the Annual Indian Wells Tennis Tournament and Support Spokesperson Maria Sharapova in Her Title Defense

Canon to Serve as Host Sponsor for the Annual Indian Wells Tennis Tournament and Support Spokesperson Maria Sharapova in Her Title DefenseExtending its relationship with the sport of tennis and Maria Sharapova, Canon U.S.A., Inc. today announced that they will bring the style and substance of the Canon PowerShot brand to the West Coast as Host Sponsor and official camera and photo printer of the Pacific Life Open, March 5th - 18th, in Indian Wells, Calif."The sponsorship of the Pacific Life Open gives us an ideal West Coast showcase for our exciting new line of PowerShot digital cameras and another chance to put the spotlight on our sponsorship of Maria Sharapova," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president, general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "Canon's relationship with Maria has been a perfect match. Maria's style and substance is unmatched and has helped Canon link its products, specifically the PowerShot brand, with an elite icon who continues to raise her profile on and off the court."During the tournament, which is the second most attended tournament in the United States, Canon will host a product showcase featuring Maria Sharapova, who is the tournament's defending champion and World's number one ranked female player, Tennis Channel personality Murphy Jensen, and the Maria Sharapova look-alikes as they unveil Canon's new line of PowerShot digital cameras on the Tennis Garden Village stage."I'm looking forward to helping Canon introduce the next generation of PowerShot digital cameras," said Maria Sharapova. "Canon has been a great partner not only for the sport of tennis, but in supporting me as we both strive to be the best."Canon will also have a booth in the Tennis Garden Village with a tennis timeline highlighting the history of Canon photography and Maria Sharapova, life-size Maria Sharapova cutouts where fans can take and print photographs, and a display of Canon's PowerShot digital camera line including the latest ones to be unveiled at the tournament. New cameras on display will include:In addition, Canon will offer a full line-up of innovative and diverse programs and activities during the tournament, including well marked photo stations entitled "Beauty Shots" where fans can snap photographs in front of the beautiful natural backdrop throughout the tournament venue, and a "Shoot Like a Pro" sweepstakes that will allow one fan to experience the photography pits like a professional photographer. Canon will also have the popular Maria Sharapova look-alikes on-site canvassing the grounds, taking photos with fans and participating in daily giveaways at the booth.As a Host Sponsor, Canon will also receive significant on-court signage, a full-page advertisement in the tournament program and sponsor an in-stadium "Canon Shot of the Day" promotion, which will run on the stadium video screens throughout the tournament.

Canon to Serve as Host Sponsor for the Annual Indian Wells Tennis Tournament and Support Spokesperson Maria Sharapova in Her Title Defense

Canon to Serve as Host Sponsor for the Annual Indian Wells Tennis Tournament and Support Spokesperson Maria Sharapova in Her Title DefenseExtending its relationship with the sport of tennis and Maria Sharapova, Canon U.S.A., Inc. today announced that they will bring the style and substance of the Canon PowerShot brand to the West Coast as Host Sponsor and official camera and photo printer of the Pacific Life Open, March 5th - 18th, in Indian Wells, Calif."The sponsorship of the Pacific Life Open gives us an ideal West Coast showcase for our exciting new line of PowerShot digital cameras and another chance to put the spotlight on our sponsorship of Maria Sharapova," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president, general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "Canon's relationship with Maria has been a perfect match. Maria's style and substance is unmatched and has helped Canon link its products, specifically the PowerShot brand, with an elite icon who continues to raise her profile on and off the court."During the tournament, which is the second most attended tournament in the United States, Canon will host a product showcase featuring Maria Sharapova, who is the tournament's defending champion and World's number one ranked female player, Tennis Channel personality Murphy Jensen, and the Maria Sharapova look-alikes as they unveil Canon's new line of PowerShot digital cameras on the Tennis Garden Village stage."I'm looking forward to helping Canon introduce the next generation of PowerShot digital cameras," said Maria Sharapova. "Canon has been a great partner not only for the sport of tennis, but in supporting me as we both strive to be the best."Canon will also have a booth in the Tennis Garden Village with a tennis timeline highlighting the history of Canon photography and Maria Sharapova, life-size Maria Sharapova cutouts where fans can take and print photographs, and a display of Canon's PowerShot digital camera line including the latest ones to be unveiled at the tournament. New cameras on display will include:In addition, Canon will offer a full line-up of innovative and diverse programs and activities during the tournament, including well marked photo stations entitled "Beauty Shots" where fans can snap photographs in front of the beautiful natural backdrop throughout the tournament venue, and a "Shoot Like a Pro" sweepstakes that will allow one fan to experience the photography pits like a professional photographer. Canon will also have the popular Maria Sharapova look-alikes on-site canvassing the grounds, taking photos with fans and participating in daily giveaways at the booth.As a Host Sponsor, Canon will also receive significant on-court signage, a full-page advertisement in the tournament program and sponsor an in-stadium "Canon Shot of the Day" promotion, which will run on the stadium video screens throughout the tournament.

Sharapova Sitting Pretty: Indian Wells WTA preview

With three of the top five women missing in Indian Wells, Maria Sharapova is the prohibitive favorite to win the title.You have to figure that Maria Sharapova, the Pacific Life Open’s defending women’s champion, gave one of her signature fist pumps after she looked at this year’s draw. The 96-player field has some conspicuous holes. There’s no Justin Henin. Kim Clijsters bagged the tournament, no doubt counting the days until her summer wedding and impending retirement, and local favorite Lindsay Davenport is home, no doubt counting the days until she gives birth to her first child. Amelia Mauresmo is a no-show. Venus and Serena Williams have been MIA since 2001.And Elena Dementieva, who brings the game’s shakiest serve and perhaps the strongest ground game, pulled out on Wednesday with a stress fracture in her right rib and could be out for six weeks.All that leaves Maria Sharapova as the prohibitive favorite to repeat in the desert. Among the 96 players, she has the most big-time experience.But don’t cancel those DVR recordings of the women’s matches just yet. While the draw is wide open for the world No. 1, she has been a bit shaky of late. Her run to the Australian Open final was fraught with serving woes and in the final, she betrayed an inability to find a second gear when Serena Williams dictated the points. At her next event in Tokyo, she was forced to pull out of her semifinal match due to a left hamstring strain.She says she’s healthy for a run at Indian Wells, where she’ll not only be defending her title but also the No. 1 ranking. Although Henin isn’t playing, she’s only 33 ranking points behind Sharapova and will take over the top spot if Sharapova fails to reach the semifinals.There are a few talented players who could end Sharapova’s reign at the top. One of them is Jelena Jankovic. She’s been posting strong results so far this season, winning Auckland and reaching the final of Sydney, and scoring two semifinal showings, too. If the emotional Serb can keep her focus, she could give Sharapova trouble – they’re in the same half of the draw.And aside from Sharapova, there are many other Russians to keep your eye on. Last year’s finalist, Elena Dementieva, brings the game’s shakiest serve and strongest ground game, and she plays well on the hard courts. Nadia Petrova, a virtual unknown to U.S. fans, won five singles titles in 2006 and captured Paris Indoor this year.It’s hard to figure out the No. 2 seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova. She’s a feisty, hard-hitting player, with the 2004 U.S. Open on her resume. But her results over the last two years have been all over the place. Still, she’s definitely a threat.Much has been made of the younger generation but most have yet to break through and score that big win. Into that category fall Nicole Vaidisova – the most talented of the pack – Ana Ivanovic and Tatiana Golovin. Their breakthroughs could come here, but the sleeper picks at Indian Wells go to two lesser-known players, Dinara Safina and Anna Chakvetadze.Marat Safin’s sister, Safina, won the Gold Coast title this year, and like big brother, she has a big game. Then there’s Chakvetadze. Three years ago, she wasn’t even in the Top 300; now she’s ranked No. 11. Last year alone, she won her first two tour titles and boasted wins over the likes of Safina, Dementieva, Jankovic, Ivanovic, and Petrova. Chakvetadze, whose goal is to make it into the Top 5, is on the other side of the draw from Sharapova, and she’ll certainly be a player to watch as the tournament progresses.

Maria Sharapova ousted from Indian Wells, loses No. 1 rank

Defending champion Maria Sharapova served 13 double faults against fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva, losing 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and costing her the No. 1 ranking at the Pacific Life Open on Tuesday.
Andy Roddick, the lone American left in the tournament, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over Richard Gasquet of France. Roddick's game was particularly sharp in the second set, with his serves, groundstrokes and volleys all clicking.
Roddick finished the match with a 133 mph serve down the center stripe for his 15th ace.
Sharapova was beaten in the fourth round and needed to reach the semifinals to remain No. 1. She will be supplanted by Justine Henin when the rankings are updated on Monday. Henin, who was not at this tournament, won two recent events in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Daniela Hantuchova repeated her 2002 final victory over Martina Hingis, this time winning 6-4, 6-3.
In men's play, second-seeded Rafael Nadal routed former No. 1 and fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-1.
Sharapova served for the match at 6-4, 5-4 but won only a point.
"After that I just deflated a little bit," Sharapova said.
Zvonareva won the last four games of the second set, and the first four of the third set. Sharapova broke Zvonareva to end the streak but lost her next service game by delivering two double faults, bouncing her second serve into the net on one of them.
Moments later, Zvonareva clinched a berth in the quarterfinals with her third win against Sharapova in seven matches.
Asked about the problems with her serves, Sharapova said, "Yeah, there were a lot of wrong things going on today. That was just one of them, especially in the third set. But it was more of a snowball effect than anything else."
Sharapova was under pressure in her third event this year. After reaching the final in Melbourne, she strained a hamstring in the semifinals of the Tokyo Indoors event more than a month ago.
Hantuchova, whose sole title was here five years ago, handed third-seeded Hingis her earliest defeat at Indian Wells in seven visits. Hingis, who won on debut in 1998, also came up one win short of passing US$20 million (euro15 million) in career earnings, and joining Steffi Graf, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova in that elite group.
Fourth-seeded Nadia Petrova retired with heat illness while trailing 6-2, 1-0 against Tatiana Golovin, leaving the Frenchwoman to meet Austria's Sybille Bammer, who defeated Serbia's Ana Ivanovic 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-3.
Li Na of China eliminated seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 7-6 (1). The Serb took only two of 14 break chances, while Li claimed all three of hers, and breezed through the tiebreaker.

Maria Sharapova Seeking to Get Back on Top in Miami

MIAMI, FL, USA - An absolutely packed field heads south this fortnight for the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open, arguably the biggest event on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar outside of the four Grand Slam tournaments.Maria Sharapova is the No.1 seed at the $3.45-million, Tier I tournament. The Russian teenager hasn't won a title so far this season, but has still shown solid form, her results including reaching her third career major final at the Australian Open. And she has also been impressive on the hardcourts of the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, notching back-to-back runner-up finishes the last two years. After a first round bye, she will open her campaign against either doubles breakout star Chan Yung-Jan or feisty Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives.The world's current No.1 player, Justine Henin, is seeded No.2 this fortnight. With Sharapova's early loss at Indian Wells, Henin regained her top ranking this week, but not in time for the seedings here. Regardless, she can't be overlooked as a top threat. The Belgian is coming off back-to-back title runs in the Middle East at Dubai and Doha, and despite never going truly deep into the Miami draw (her best showings have been quarterfinal finishes, in 2003 and 2005), she seems to be playing some of her best tennis in recent weeks. She also begins her quest in the second round against American teen Vania King or China's Sun Tiantian.One year ago, Svetlana Kuznetsova announced her return to the game's elite with a title run at this tournament, and she certainly hasn't slowed down since. She finished 2006 tied for first among match win leaders and, among other feats, reached her second major final at Roland Garros. She had a rocky start to 2007 but in the last few weeks has recaptured some of her best form, reaching finals at Doha and Indian Wells. And this week she rose to No.3 on the rankings, making her just the fourth Russian ever to crack that elite. She'll begin her title defense after a first round bye against either Japan's Aiko Nakamura or a qualifier.Playing for the last time in Miami will be another one of the tournament's former champions, Kim Clijsters. Two years ago, the Belgian followed up an Indian Wells victory with a victory here, reasserting herself as one of the world's top players after a lengthy left wrist injury lay-off. She has had a stellar yet selective beginning to the year; she has played only three events but has put in excellent performances at all three, winning at Sydney, reaching the Australian Open semifinals and reaching another final in front of her home crowd in Antwerp. Seeded No.4 at this year's event, she will begin her quest in the second round against either Japan's Akiko Morigami or Canadian wild card Aleksandra Wozniak.Whereas Russians Sharapova and Kuznetsova are defending finalists (with Kuznetsova beating her compatriot in straight sets, 64 63, for the title last year), the two Belgian stars both dropped their opening matches last year to a pair of American players, Henin to former Top 15 player Meghann Shaughnessy in straight sets and Clijsters to veteran Jill Craybas in a dramatic three-setter.Perhaps some of the biggest threats to the title aren't among the Top 4 seeds; three players with incredible pasts at this tournament are a trio of its former champions, namely No.5 seed Martina Hingis, No.13 seed Serena Williams and an unseeded Venus Williams. Hingis is 28-6 lifetime here, with titles in 1997 and 2000; the younger Williams is 35-5 here, with titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004; and the elder Williams is 33-5 here, with titles in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Between them they are 96-16 here and won all eight titles between 1997 and 2004.Unfortunately for the three former world No.1s, they are all in the same half of the draw. And even more unfortunately, the Williams sisters are in the same eighth of it along with Sharapova; Venus could face the Russian top seed in the third round, with the winner of that potentially facing Serena in the fourth round. Hingis looms as a semifinal opponent, though she would face defending champ Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals, should the seedings hold.One of the more prominent threats among the seeds is Daniela Hantuchova, who comes in fresh off a dream run to her second career title at Indian Wells. The No.16-seeded Slovak will have to overcome a dismal lifetime record at the Tier I event, however; she is 2-7 in seven career appearances here, never going beyond the third round. She is in Henin’s section of the draw.Also among the Top 16 seeds are Russians Nadia Petrova, Anna Chakvetadze and Dinara Safina, Serbians Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, Czech phenom Nicole Vaidisova, China's Li Na, Swiss Patty Schnyder and Israel's Shahar Peer.This is the 23rd year that the stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have made their way to Miami. The champion takes home $492,950, while the runner-up earns $246,485. (WTA)