Page 18 - aruba-today-20170826
P. 18
A18 SPORTS
Saturday 26 auguSt 2017
Sharapova vs Halep at U.S. Open; Federer-Nadal could be semi
By HOWARD FENDRICH so she could have been en-time major champion
AP Tennis Writer randomly placed to face and the runner-up at the
NEW YORK (AP) — Maria any other player. All England Club last month
Sharapova’s first Grand Sharapova was kicked off at age 37.
Slam match in more than the tour after testing posi- Williams’ sister, 23-time ma-
1½ years will come against tive for the newly banned jor champion Serena, is not
No. 2-seeded Simona Ha- drug meldonium at the playing in the U.S. Open
lep at the U.S. Open. 2016 Australian Open. because she is pregnant
Sharapova’s first-round Her five major champion- and expecting to give birth
matchup with two-time ships include the 2006 U.S. in September.
French Open runner-up Open. On the top half of the
Halep was set up by Fri- The year’s last Grand Slam bracket, the quarterfinals
day’s draw, which also put tournament starts Monday. could be No. 1 Karolina
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is seeded No. 1 at Pliskova against 2004 U.S.
Nadal on the same side of Flushing Meadows for the Open champion Svetlana
the men’s bracket, mean- first time since 2010 after Kuznetsova; and defend-
ing they could meet only in returning to the ATP’s top ing champion Angelique
the semifinals. ranking this week. Federer Kerber or French Open
The U.S. Tennis Association is seeded No. 3. They have champion Jelena Ostap-
awarded a wild-card invi- played 37 head-to-head enko against No. 4 Elina
tation to Sharapova, who matches, including 12 at Svitolina or No. 15 Madison
is ranked only 147th after A Wednesday, April 26, 2017 file photo showing Russia’s Maria major tournaments — at Keys of the United States.
Sharapova hitting a backhand against Italy’s Roberta Vinci at
returning from a 15-month the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. least twice in a final — but Kerber beat Pliskova in last
doping suspension in April, Associated Press never at Flushing Meadows year’s final in New York and
in any round. moved up to No. 1 in the
Federer beat Nadal in the rankings for the first time.
Australian Open final in But Kerber’s 2017 has been
January. Nadal then won rough, including a first-
his 10th French Open tro- round loss at the French
phy in June, and Federer Open, and she is seeded
won his eighth Wimbledon No. 6 at the U.S. Open.
title in July. The 30-year-old Sharapova
Federer owns a record 19 was eligible to make her
Grand Slam champion- return to Grand Slam ac-
ships. Nadal ranks second tion at the French Open
among men with 15. in May, but that country’s
The bottom half’s semifinal tennis federation declined
could be No. 2 Andy Mur- to offer her a wild card.
ray vs. No. 4 Alexander Sharapova then was going
Zverev. to try to qualify for Wimble-
The potential men’s quar- don in June, but she ended
terfinals could be Nadal up skipping the grass-court
against No. 7 Grigor Dimi- portion of the season be-
trov, Federer against No. cause of an injured left
6 Dominic Thiem, Murray thigh.
against No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Sharapova has been par-
Tsonga, and Zverev against ticipating in tournaments
No. 5 Marin Cilic, the 2014 via wild-card invitations,
U.S. Open champion. beginning on red clay at
Possible women’s quarterfi- Stuttgart, Germany, in April.
nal matchups on the draw’s Sharapova was 19 when
bottom half include Halep she won her U.S. Open tro-
or Sharapova against No. 7 phy.
Johanna Konta of Britain, a Two years before that, at
semifinalist at Wimbledon; 17, Sharapova won her first
and Wimbledon champion major title at Wimbledon.
Garbine Muguruza against She has since completed a
No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki or career Grand Slam.q
No. 9 Venus Williams, a sev-
