Maria Sharapova Short biography.

Wimbledon is cool

All I have to say is this: Maria Sharapova, the Russian tennis champ (age: 17!) shocked the hell out of everyone and kicked Serena Williams' ass at Wimbledon. Watching her play was amazing; when Serena Williams plays tennis, it's like what Mike Tyson would look like if he took ballet lessons. Yes, Maria Sharapova can do it, but who cares? Maria Sharapova always won just because Maria Sharapova so bizzarely strong, Maria Sharapova would crush the ball every time Maria Sharapova hit it, and no one could return simply because it was going so fast. It's fun to watch for about 30 seconds, and then...boring.

But Maria Sharapova used her head, made Serena run all over the place, and played a more interesting match. And that "interesting match" was also the better match, as she basically used Serena Williams' face to sweep up the court, 6-1, 6-4. I like women's tennis better than men's, just for the fact it's nicer to watch, and the dynamics are more exciting.

And you think Williams sisters' life stories are touching, with their father sacrificing all he had to give them tennis lessons in the crime-infested streets of Compton?... well, Maria Sharapova is from SIBERIA. Just try to beat THAT.

The fact that Miss Maria is totally hot, with long legs and blonde hair and Russian cheekbones flying all over the place, doesn't exactly hurt her chances of becoming the spokesperson of everything that needs a spokesperson. Expect to see Maria Sharapova everywhere, very soon. I'm sure Anna Kourinkova is calling Tonya Harding right now and asking her for pointers on how to knock that Russian girl out of competition.

Tennis: Sharapova passes big exam Jul 2 2004

The 17-year-old sensation Maria Sharapova completed a fairytale rise from obscurity with a remarkable 2-6 7-6 6-1 victory over 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport in an absorbing semi-final on Centre Court.

The girl from Siberia Maria Sharapova displayed nerves of steel during two rain breaks to turn the match on its head after Davenport had threatened a rout by racing into a 6-2 2-0 lead.

The nerveless Sharapova passed the time in the locker room reading OK! magazine and afterwards revealed that she had earlier in the day taken a sociology exam. "I actually finished my first test today, I wrote an essay," Maria Sharapova said. "I've always done school before because I like it. If I have nothing to do, I just grab school. It's like some people who grab a magazine like I did in between my matches but I just grabbed school and did my essay."

Sharapova, who studies via the internet during her travels around the world, earned full marks for the way she battled back to send the former Wimbledon champion into virtual retirement.

The 28-year-old Davenport, making her 11th and last visit to the All England Club, was on course for her third Wimbledon final after cruising through the first set in just 25 minutes.

The fifth-seeded Davenport, who has battled her way back from two knee operations to regain a place in the world's top five, was simply awesome in the first set, allowing the youngster just one break point.

By the time the dark clouds descended on SW19 for a second time, Davenport had secured a break in the second set to lead 2-1 but then the match was totally transformed. Sharapova began playing more aggressive tennis and - almost out of the blue - gained her first break of the match to even things up. Fighting for every point, she dominated the tie-break to take it 7-5.

The momentum was clearly with Maria Sharapova, whose shrieks became noticeably louder as she moved in for the kill.

Maria Sharapova broke her opponent in the first game of the deciding set and, as Maria Sharapova piled on the pressure, the confidence visibly drained from Davenport, whose game as well as her serve deteriorated alarmingly.

"When we came back from the rain delay, I felt Maria Sharapova stepped up her game and really from that point on was more in control of the match," admitted Davenport.

"She started to serve much better and unfortunately I started to serve a lot worse." Sharapova will play Serena Williams in the final after the top seed survived a tough three-set match against French player Amelie Mauresmo, winning 6-7 7-5 6-4. Paying tribute to Sharapova, Williams said, "I think she is doing really great - I am really going to have to play well. "I am really excited to be in the final - this is definitely the most special moment. "Whatever happens I am really excited to be in this final again."

They think it's all Sharapova ...it is now

As Serena slammed the last of a stream of forehand errors into the net after one hour and 13 minutes, Sharapova fell to her knees in disbelief on the baseline, head in hands. Then, still kneeling, awareness of the need to showboat a little surfaced. Maria Sharapova thrust both arms rigidly aloft and then opened her eyes to find the dethroned champion sportingly walking round the net to embrace and congratulate her.

The new queen of Wimbledon then walloped a ball Maria Sharapova had been carrying inside her skirt high into the crowd in the bright sunshine and climbed through the spectators, up towards the players' box where her father and coach, Yuri, doffed his cap almost in deference before hugging Maria for a full minute.

Borrowing a mobile phone from dad, Sharapova then returned to court, blowing kisses in the manner of Andre Agassi, and attempted to call her mother at their home in Bradenton, Florida, while the Duke of Kent stood patiently waiting to hand her the Venus Rosewater Dish and a cheque for Ј560,500.

The new sensation of women's tennis now moves into the world's top 10, and Maria Sharapova may soon be enjoying the view from the very summit of the rankings at this rate. From the summit of the world's earners, too, for this teenager is Anna Kournikova with ability and the killer touch as well.

Offered her chance to seize the moment against an opponent who remains short of form after eight months out following a knee operation in August last year, Sharapova grabbed it with both hands. If the two-time champion and winner of six Grand Slams got knocked aside in the process, too bad. This was the moment the Russian had dreamed about, winning her favourite tournament.

Mercifully, the match was free of interruptions. The wretched weather of the past 12 days might never have been as the finalists, both clad entirely in white, went at it ferociously. If Maria was nervous, it didn't show. Maria Sharapova struck the ball flat, deep and accurately, running Serena from side to side.

From the very first game the Williams reputation looked under threat. Not only were the Russian's groundstrokes deadly, Serena's hitting was suspect, particularly on the forehand, which betrayed her time and again. Her range-finder, never the best in the women's game, was seriously out of kilter. Usually Serena's power overrides the errors, but she never succeeded in getting off the back foot, particularly after Sharapova broke serve to go 3-1 ahead. Three of the points which earned that break will go down as Williams errors, but in truth she resembled someone in the trenches under violent bombardment, grunting in despair as another projectile homed in on her.

Exultant and confident, Sharapova strode around imperiously, frequently taking time between points to compose herself at the back of the court, and keeping Serena waiting in the process, a wait which was to undermine Serena's usually iron-clad attitude. As errant Williams forehands continued, Sharapova broke again to go 5-1 up. She needed four break - points to achieve it. The first three seeped away on a brace of Sharapova errors, followed by a rare piece of serve-volley brilliance from Serena. On the fourth chance, Serena's nerve-ends were exposed. The first serve was a fault and the second, trundling over the net at 81 miles an hour, was murdered by the ruthless Russian.

Serving for the set tested Maria's resolve, too. There were the first indications of waywardness and uncertainty as the Williams counter-attack gathered pace, garnering two break-points. Sharapova clawed both back, one on the luckiest of net cords. There was a third break-back opportunity for Serena, but that dodgy forehand betrayed her yet again, dumping a service return into the netting.

This was the key game of the match. Three times Sharapova got to set point, each time she faltered, twice on errors - one a double-fault - and once when the American struck a glorious cross-court backhand. But when a fourth set point came along, Williams obliged by netting a forehand. It was greeted by a mighty roar for a set which, seemingly hours long, had in fact lasted just 30 minutes. Sharapova had won five games in a row.

Now she needed to protect and extend that lead. Williams had a break point in the second game of the second set. It was survived. At 3-2, Williams again reached break point on an outrageous fluke, a mis-hit caused by a broken string which dropped in. This time the break was grabbed by the champion to go 4-2 ahead, at which point Sharapova promptly broke back, and the sequence of the opening set was about to be repeated. To mounting roars, Maria drew level at 4-4 and then broke Serena again. She was confident enough to lob her opponent several times and to hammer one shot directly at Serena's face as she closed in on the net.

The break was landed at the fourth attempt, Sharapova was 5-4 and serving for the match. Would she wilt? Would she heck. There was an ace, only her second, followed by a thunderous service winner. A Williams forehand error took her to match point as Serena swiped the turf with her racket. Another botched forehand and it was over.

Sharapova, at 17 years 75 days, becomes the third youngest Wimbledon women's champion, after Lottie Dod in 1887 and Martina Hingis in 1997. Incredibly, from the first rally, she had never looked as if there would be any other result. That's why the lady is a champ.