Oudini – American teen serves up magic at U.S. Open

Gritting her way through a shaky third set, 17-year-old Melanie Oudin from Marietta, Ga., pulled off her second upset of the Open on Saturday, defeating a more-seasoned and far more-famous opponent — former No. 1 Maria Sharapova. This victory coming just days after stunning No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva.

“I don’t even know what to say right now,” Oudin said, choking back tears in her postmatch interview with Mary Jo Fernandez in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Thank you so much for cheering for me.” she said to the appreciative crowd of over 37,000 that included her boyfriend and her mom.

Sharapova, who has won the U.S. Open once, usually gets those cheers. But on this day in Queens, the fans were rooting for a new potential queen — the one who stamped the word “Believe” on her shoes and did just that.

Big day on the court for teen Melanie Oudin

In the first couple days of the U.S. Open we’ve seen a number of top seeds and former champions struggle.  Ranked No. 1 a year ago, Ana Ivanovic,  currently ranked No. 11, went down in defeat her first round and has since announced she’s going to temporarily take time off from the game.

It’s always fun to watch upsets and underdogs. Especially fun when the underdog doing the upsetting is a girl still in high school. That’s what happened when American teenager Melanie Oudin shocked fourth seed Elena Dementieva at the U.S. Open  in the second round.

The Russian, one of the favorites for the title after an impressive summer, was out-hit and outplayed by the 17-year-old world number 70, who handed Dementieva her joint-earliest ever exit at Flushing Meadows.

Dementieva looked to have weathered an early storm when she took the first set but Oudin, who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon, stormed back to level the match.

Oudin had the trainer on after three games of the final set to treat a thigh strain but she held her nerve to set up a meeting with either 29th seed Maria Sharapova or another American, wildcard entry Christina McHale.

Oudin is one Pretty Tough player. Next up? Sharapova.

Maria Sharapova’s new Cole Haan ads

She may have been out of competition for months with a shoulder injury but women’s tennis star Maria Sharapova has been keeping busy.

Late last year, Cole Haan announced the  three-time Grand Slam champion would be the face of a new sportswear clothing line debuting this spring.

The new line, called Cole Haan Sporting, includes men’s and women’s footwear and accessories. Sharapova collaborated on the looks for the fall 2009 season, the company said.

The former world number one has a longstanding passion for fashion and is considered a style icon. So it seems fitting that Cole Haan Sporting (a subsidiary of Nike) will embody sport style with Sharapova repping the brand.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova guest edits and graces the cover of ESPN Magazine

After her impressive return to competition at the French Open, Maria Sharapova took on another challenge – editing ESPN The Magazine’s third-annual Revenge of the Jocks issue.

In the current issue of The Mag, on newsstands today, Sharapova details how she would fix women’s tennis, and shows readers what she did while rehabbing her shoulder for eight months.

Sharapova on changing women’s tennis:

• The players’ lounge isn’t a nightclub, either. It’s hard to get ready for a match when there’s a bleached-out blonde in six-inch stilettos and a denim miniskirt hanging out. Who is this person, and why is she here?
• Limit on-court injury timeouts to two per season. I’ve asked for a trainer twice in my career, but I’ve played against girls who call for an injury timeout in every match. They’re just buying time; it’s laughable.

In addition, Sharapova dispenses life advice to fellow jocks, and gives a NFL-caliber makeover to rookie QB Matthew Stafford who obviously  hasn’t had a lot of on-camera experience.

Check out video of  the Sharapova and Stafford fashion shoot here.

Is Maria Verchenova the Maria Sharapova of Golf?

 Generally I’m not a fan of labels or comparisons.  But Maria Verchenova, a young female golfer from Moscow, is being compared to her compatriot Maria Sharapova. These comparisons, not surprisingly, are based as much on Verchenova’s beauty as her athleticism.  So who is Maria Verchenova?

Despite a lack of golfing opportunities in Russia during her childhood, Verchenova took to the game at a young age. In 2004 she won the Russian Amateur Championship and did the same again in 2006.  In 2007 she qualified for the Ladies European Tour (LET), and has since cashed in all but one “regular” tour event she’s played so far.  Verchenova has also recently qualified to play in the upcoming Women’s British Open.

As the first Russian to earn full-time membership on the Ladies’ European Tour, she’s had a number of strong finishes, including a Dubai Ladies’ Masters performance in which she briefly dueled with Annika Sorenstam for the lead.

Before turning pro, Verchenova was the Russian amateur champ in 2004 and 2006, and also won the amateur championships of Austria, Latvia and Slovenia.

Golf365 had a recent interview with Verchenova and lead with this:

Gymnastics, athletics, tennis – all of these sports have been conquered and graced by the ladies of Russia in the last 40 years.

What all of the successful athletes in these sports have shared is a natural flair for sport, a determination to make the most of their talent, a passion for competition and a beguiling nature that has captured the imagination of the world.

And where the likes of Svetlana Khorkina, Yelena Isinbayeva and Maria Sharapova have already travelled, golf’s Maria Verchenova hopes to follow.

In the interview, Verchenova talks about her role in the game:

 Russia doesn’t have programs such as Korea, Japan, countries in Europe or the U.S. have. We have support in tennis and hockey but not in golf so this is something we have to work on. It has been tough for me to get to this level considering the difficulties which came to me along my young career. I wish I could have had more support and experienced people to rely on in the past. But the exciting part is that I can be this person for the next generation and this is priceless! I will do all my best to be a good pioneer and give back.

Verchenova, who has done modeling shoots,  has admitted that Russian tennis star Sharapova is a role model.  Yet Verchenova is very clear about what she takes from her admiration of Sharapova:

I am looking at Maria, not because of the way she looks but because of the way she plays. I think Russian women are strong mentally. They are trying really hard and they are achieving things.

We love the fact that Verhenova brings a a potent dose of style and beauty to the game but hope that when we hear about her in the future it will be primarily because of her talent. Let her game do the talking, as this is her stated goal.

Being attractive shouldn’t be a burden for an athlete. In fact physical beauty can open doors; it’s foolish to deny that. But it shouldn’t define who Verchenova is as a golfer or a woman.  We look forward to following what is hopefully a long and successful career.

Game on, fashionistas

According to Variety, IMG is gearing a new series of videogames to fashionistas.  The company is  looking to make Fashion Week more interactive, pairing up with 505 Games to produce a franchise based around the events that take place around the world each season, including New York City, Miami, Moscow and Mumbai.

Fashion Week is a high-powered industry event which allows designers to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers to take a look at the latest trends.

The video titles will enable gamers to participate in all aspects of the event, from creating their own collections to organizing photo shoots and runway shows with models, designers, stylists, hair and makeup artists.

“Fashion, Jr.” (tentative title) will bow on June 23, and will be aimed at younger girls. It will be released exclusively on Nintendo’s DS handheld system, with a follow-up for older audiences released in September.

Fashion Week is a fave for celebs and athletes alike, especially fashionistas like Nastia Liukin, Maria Sharapova, and the Williams sisters who love to sport the latest trends.

Not sure of the quality of this new game, or how realistic it is, but if you’ve got a passion for fashion and gaming, it might be a title worth checking out.

Venus Williams stops traffic in Miami

Three-time Sony Ericsson champion Venus Williams and British number one Andy Murray kicked off the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open with a little “Traffic Tennis” atop two SUV’s on Miami’s Ocean Drive.

Thankfully for both stars, the game was only promotional and served only as a warm-up for this year’s Sony Ericsson Open, which begins tomorrow.

The Miami tournament, running March 25 – April 5, will open play on the purple courts with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal (who defeated Murray last week in the BNP Paribas final) looking to win his first title in Miami.

With 48 of the world’s top 50 players involved in Miami, both Williams and Murray face a tough task to win one of the more gruelling but lucrative tournaments on the circuit.

Dressed in a bright pink and purple tennis dress, Venus proved she is up for some serious competition against younger sister Serena, currently World No.1.

Twenty-seven-year-old Serena will be aiming to maintain her No.1 ranking as she begins her quest for a sixth title in Miami against either Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky or US wild card Alexa Glatch.

Maria Sharapova had to withdraw from this week’s Open due to a nagging shoulder injury, but fans still have chance to see and meet her in South Florida.

MaSha will make a personal appearance, greet her fans and sign autographs at Cole Haan in Village of Merrick Park on the first floor of Nordstrom in Coral Gables, Florida on Wednesday, March 25th from 2 to 3 p.m. Fans can also enter a contest to win one of five prizes of tickets to the Sony Ericsson Open and a Cole Haan handbag.

Looks like a little of something for everyone.

Maria Sharapova set to be MTV star?

After nearly a year-long hiatus due to a shoulder injury, Maria Sharapova made her return to tennis action at Indian Wells this week (though she and her doubles partner were eliminated in an early round).

But even when she’s not on the court, the tennis star garners lots of attention. Interested in knowing what off-court life is like for MaSha?  Word is she’ll serve as executive producer of a new drama series for MTV that is loosely based on her life on the pro tennis tour according to Sports Business Journal.

MTV has agreed to the concept, but Sharapova, who is working on the project with her agent and screenwriters, must first produce a pilot that MTV agrees to, the source said. Sharapova in 2007 had an agreement with the CW network, but that deal fell apart with last year’s writers strike.

The women’s pro tour long has been seen as ripe for development of a drama or gossip-type show. The far-flung global circuit is littered with sponsor parties and tales of player romance with male counterparts on the ATP World Tour.

Sharapova started playing tennis as a young girl in Russia and turned pro in 2001 after  turning 14. With her overpowering serve and long reach, she quickly made a name for herself and won her first major tournament at the age of 16. A year later, Sharapova  pulled off one of the biggest upsets in women’s tennis history by defeating Serena Williams to win the 2004 Wimbledon tennis tournament.

Sources say the MTV Sharapova series would start about that time. Since becoming a break-out star, the glamorous beauty is a cover girl  frequently found in the front row of fashion shows, at Tiffany openings and on the red-carpet.  The former world number one has a longstanding passion for fashion and is considered a style icon. She’s also leads the list of the highest earning female sports figures with endorsements from such big names such as Pepsi, Nike, Canon and Motorola contributing to her annual earnings of $26 million.  So do you think all this provides enough drama to warrant a TV series? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Ana, Maria & Venus star in video game

Are you a gamer who loves tennis? Or a tennis player who loves video games? Well this is for you.

The world’s top tennis stars are hitting the courts in Virtua Tennis 2009, a video game produced by Japanese console and software giants SEGA.

Superstar players include Ana Ivanovic, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova who took part in 3D-modelling sessions to ensure that their in-game personas are as accurate as possible. The champions are joined in the game by the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal.

Virtua Tennis will be released in May and will be available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii platforms.

Create your own player and join the new World Tour where you will compete for the #1 ranking against the biggest stars. C’mon girls. Game on!

2009 Australian Open Women’s Main Draw

January 15, 2009 – The 2009 Australian Open women’s singles main draw was announced on Friday at Melbourne Park. With Sharapova unable to defend her crown, the field is wide open.

World number one Jelena Jankovic, who just recovered from a virus that forced her to withdraw from Sydney, is in the same half of the draw as her compatriot Ana Ivanovic as well as Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva.

After a stellar six month spell that seen her propel up the rankings to a career high of world No.2, Safina is now a genuine Grand Slam contender. She is currently the highest-ranked Russian from their army of players, which should give her added confidence.

Second seed Serena Williams could potentially face Beijing gold medalist and Sydney finalist Elena Dementieva, 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams along the way to her fourth championship AO match. The earliest the Williams sisters could meet is in the semifinals.

Toughest of the women’s first round matches sees No.11 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark play 2007 quarterfinalist Shahar Peer of Israel.

 View the complete Women’s Singles draw at the Australian Open website.

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