World number one Maria Sharapova retired in the second set of her Pan Pacific Open semi-final against Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic due to a hamstring injury.

Ivanovic will play second seed Martina Hingis in the final of the 1.3 million dollar tournament after the Swiss beat Russian Elena Dementieva 6-4 6-3.Sharapova, trailing 1-6 1-0, said she felt a sharp pain after serving in the second game of the first set, adding that she had been carrying a hamstring strain since the Australian Open.‘’It’s always difficult to end the tournament this way,’’ the 19-year-old Russian told reporters.‘’My left hamstring has been having tightness since the Australian Open but after a Grand Slam you are tight all over,’’ said Sharapova, who lost to Serena Williams in the Melbourne Park final last weekend.Hingis avenged her defeat by Dementieva in last year’s final to stay on course for a record fifth Tokyo title.‘’I had a bad experience against her in last year’s final and I was happy to get more than two games,’’ said Hingis, who lost 6-2 6-0 to Dementieva in 2006.

Maria Sharapova Super sexy

Maria Sharapavo Fails To Block Documentary
Tennis ace Maria Sharapova's bid to halt a documentary that features footage of her has been blocked by a Miami, Florida, judge. The Russian-born blonde feared fans would mistake the film for an official documentary, and claimed it violated trademark laws.
However, a federal judge ruled yesterday that production company Byzantium Productions Inc. could distribute both "Anna's Army" and a second documentary, "Russian Women's Tennis."
Peter Geisler, the company's vice president, said, "We're thrilled to have this all over with. It's been a long battle - they destroyed our business. This should allow distribution to continue, but my guess is that it's most likely too late."

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.

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.