NEW YORK, Sporting Alert — Maria Sharapova stunned No. 2 Simona Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the women first round match at the U.S. Open on Monday night and advanced to the second round.
The unseeded Russian took the lead early, but Halep came roaring back to tied it up.
However, Sharapova, who received a wild-card invitation to this year’s U.S. Open., jumped out to big lead in the third set and then held her nerve to secure the shocking win.
“This girl has a lot of grit and she’s not going anywhere,” Sharapova said after her win tonight.
Without a doubt, this was highlighted game on the schedule for Monday’s Day 1, but not too many people had predicted Sharapova to be the winner.
Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts at 2017 U.S. Open
An extremely emotional @MariaSharapova ends a three-set marathon vs second seed Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. #USOpen @MBUSA pic.twitter.com/0SLN8Zrrwx
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 29, 2017
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You can stream the match live on ESPN3, while WatchESPN will provide live action as well via the App from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Simona Halep of (ROU) defeated at U.S. Open
Sharapova is making a return to Grand Slam action after she was awarded a wild-card invitation to the U.S. Open.
The former world number one and five-times grand slam champion would is confident she can upset one of the favorites to win this year’s tournament and progress to the second round.
Simona Halep of Romania at US Open
It’s certainly not the draw the second-seeded Halep was looking for, but the Romanian says she is OK facing the Russian.
Sharapova is playing in her 1st major since January 2016, but she is ready to storm through New York. Watch live on ESPN2 as well, at this link: http://es.pn/2vyMFU5
“My reaction was normal, because this year I had very tough draws every time, almost,” Halep said when asked about the draw.
“Of course it was a bit like, how is this possible again? In the first round of a Grand Slam.”
She added: “I’m not thinking about what Maria did or what Maria does and how the situation is.. About the wild card, the tournament decided, so they can do what they want.
“It’s not my position to talk about this. She’s coming back. She’s strong enough to come back. She has a lot of experience, and many tournaments won, so I think she’s okay … she beat me six times. So maybe I will change this, we will see Monday.
“I just want to do my best, to try to win the match and of course, to enjoy it. It’s a big, big match.”