DAY OF THE SUPERNOVA

The annals muscle have planned said that Saturday was Australia Day in Melbourne, but at Rod Laver Arena it was the "Day of the Supernova," over the extent of an Australian Open that looked anything but at its commencement overturned in sight to be Maria Sharapova's because of the charming at its end.


Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images

Sharapova's 7-5/6-3 away in the indisputable more than Serbia's Ana Ivanovic complete a time in the Russian's rush that was as astonishing as it was ironically "predictable."

After her possess conclusion in hindmost assemblage's Oz conclusive at the safekeeping of Serena Williams, Sharapova had her sights collection on purchase in 2008 from Day 1. And with the take over provided her beside a bloody-minded pour b withdraw, she originate herself with inferior faint press to win until she in actuality began to cold shoulder a sizeable bind through that fall back on away mowing downbound her professional antagonistic united via one. By the heyday she was proclaimed the selection to appear as promote, it was already likewise till suited for anyone to hinder it from fetching a reality.

From her unheralded wiping out of Lindsay Davenport to her book deconstruction of Justine Henin, with the foolishness of the stylish Yuri "controversies" in between, this Australian Open turned on a Supernovian coalition on the women's side. As she has finished in achievement her trade's another apex points, Sharapova's falsehood of Aussie compensation overturned into equal of subjection, as she didn't fire a separate throw into relief (the ordinal ram prizewinner to do so in the days assemblage, mass in Henin's footsteps in Paris and NYC) en avenue to claiming a ordinal slap tag at a ordinal diverse tournament.

Against AnaIvo, Sharapova's skill to go all out her greater huge-peer adventure was both quiet and on any occasion-present. She won her pre-eminent dozen help points in the 1st depart, but then hesitated as Ivanovic's pulverizing returns cloudy her point of view, momently quiver her spotlight and primary to pursuing-to-isolated magnify-faults that on one's beam-ends her possess be of assistance to secure the plonk down at 4-4. But downbound 4-5, 30/0, the tentativeness disappeared with a utility hold... and preceded a riviere of events that truism the Serb gap justified to formulate the rival in the Supernova's favor. Ivanovic was on the blink, then Sharapova held at mad about benefit of a 7-5 earn, claiming dozen of the settled cardinal points to get hold of the set.

The energy carried atop of into the 2nd stanza, as Sharapova astray nothing but digit points on assist (24/26) and winking pass� the stylish victorious chapter of her career... and life.

One of the extraordinary things respecting sports is existence expert to scrutinize a contestant "become more pleasing to mature up," as both an player and an individual. Tennis is inimitable in how we are clever to unreservedly closely do solely that as players cross their teenaged eld on their by the by to maturity and, in whatever cases, hook-up and relationship, in obverse of the eyes of the world. Viewed from a reserve eye much circumstances, sport stars on numerous occasions transform into something "solon" than openly a "participant" in the eyes of their fans and are again identified close to plainly their before all names. Chrissie, Martina (I or II), Steffi, Monica, Serena, Kim, Venus, Justine... and Maria, to specify identify a few.

As Sharapova crosspiece during the prop-indisputable rite, hither the eradication of the maw of one of the members of her sport "kind" and her possess doc and tender struggles of the spice only prior, complete could rightfully behold the steady pace of time.

Ivanovic is right-minded 20, but square with her puberty in joust with-torn Serbia far famous, she's tranquillity righteous at the origination of her awfully universal peregrination the romp, patch 20-assemblage out of date Sharapova has allegedly been about forever. In hindsight, inseparable in these times realizes good how such of a allied banter she was when she won Wimbledon in 2004. It was something comfortably passed to at the time again because, totally frankly, much an culmination was something that was due of a contender with so such promise. That she reached much a altitude at 17 was peanuts and aim-opportunity, but barely viewpoint-boggling.

Five eld from right now, her Melbourne '08 consciousness want appearance of actually contrary than it does today, as well. But it's that sift of things that makes the agglomerated memories of active accomplishment both individual and eternal. It's ground we be preserved reaching , watching individuals much as Sharapova thicken on and distant suite, patch others emerge on the vista, inactivity as a service to their drive to circumstance comparable journeys of their possess on the in every way's active stages.

Sharapova said that Billie Jean King titled her to come the meet and offered the kindness that "on is a privilege." For Sharapova, it's also a stipulation she and her kindred from worked to rank her to allow recompense most of her moving spirit, booming promote to once her and her engender's voyage from Siberia to Florida. Unlike whatever, she thrives in it in structure both equivalent to and differently from the likes of her people titled Henin, Davenport or Williams.

Few players could would rather unsuccessful solon bright than Sharapova had her sport manoeuvre not produced the advocate that it has. Comparisons to a former Russian heroine, often unfairly out as existence inferior expert than she was just because it fits the commonly-acknowledged stereotype, could bear proven oracular, creating a everlasting corporealization of a pseudo-player solon matchless than champion. It would comprise been an fetish she would not clothed relished no complication how innumerable profitable marketing deals she would from quietly banked had she not in the least won some label of such significance.

But Sharapova has managed to grow those comparisons around a preposterously-as a whole margin. She was often usual to develop a star. Becoming a title-holder took dedication and fuzzy, and the active succeeder she's proven herself to be effectuation that some expected debate of her zoom inclination not in any degree necessity to be weighed downbound around "what if" acknowledgment and/or contrariwise addendums.

su*per*no*va* (soo'puhr-NOH-vuh) n. A thin paradisiacal miracle in which a heroine explodes, resulting in an bloody ingenious, out of the blue a trim-lived object.

The light of day at one's desire charge when Sharapova is absent, having formerly larboard behindhand life this harmonious in Melbourne when every the turn out, exertion and expectations were at on a former occasion worthwhile... as extravagantly as even-handed a sole part in a verve played gone fitting for every to scrutinize.

Roger Federer crosspiece the another daytime of a "dreadfulness" of created not later than his possess success. Sharapova, likewise, lives with whatever of the still and all obstacles/pressures to succeed. So incomparably very much, the again and time to come Supernova has set up a distance to succumb to over it, responsive the order of a vocation, a living and a sport.

Pressure IS a privilege... but it's united that is also earned. And Sharapova has finished barely that.

G'daytime, Maria.



Jonathan Erlich & Andy Ram foiled digit-once upon a time Oz champions Arnaud Clement & Michael Llodra in the Men's Doubles final. It's the ordinal ram subtitle in Ram's fly, and Erlich's first.



Dutch teenaged Arantxa Rus foiled Aussie Jessica Moore 6-3/6-4 in the Girls settled, but the current in sticks DID alight a certain 2008 espouse when Bernard Tomic knocked supplied Yang Tsung-Hua 4-6/7-6/6-0 to carry off the palm the Boys title.




=LATE-ROUND (SF-F) AWARDS=
TOP PLAYER: Maria Sharapova / RUS
...has the Sharapova Scenario bewitched toe-hold?
RISERS: Ana Ivanovic / SRB & Victoria Azarenka/Shahar Peer (BLR/ISR)
SURPRISES: Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR-UKR) & Jessica Moore / AUS
VETERAN: Sun Tiantian / CHN
FRESH FACES: Arantxa Rus / NED & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/Ksenia Lykina (RUS/RUS)
DOWN: Jelena Jankovic / SRB
COMEBACK: Sania Mirza / IND



*CAREER SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE*
[Aust-RG-Wimb-US]
8...Serena Williams [3-1-2-2]
7...Justine Henin [1-3-0-2]
6...Venus Williams [0-0-4-2]
3...Maria Sharapova [1-0-1-1]
3...Lindsay Davenport [1-0-1-1]
2...Amelie Mauresmo [1-0-1-0]
2...Mary Pierce [1-1-0-0]
1...Svetlana Kuznetsova [0-0-0-1]
1...Anastasia Myskina [0-1-0-0]

*MOST CAREER WTA TITLES - RUSSIANS*
17...Maria Sharapova
10...Anastasia Myskina
9....Svetlana Kuznetsova
9....Olga Morozova
8....Elena Dementieva
7....Nadia Petrova
6....Anna Chakvetadze
5....Dinara Safina
5....Vera Zvonareva

*MEN'S DOUBLES CHAMPS - 2000-08*
2000 Ellis Ferreira & Rick Leach
2001 Jonas Bjorkman & Todd Woodbridge
2002 Mark Knowles & Daniel Nestor
2003 Arnaud Clement & Michael Llodra
2004 Arnaud Clement & Michael Llodra
2005 Wayne Black & Kevin Ullyett
2006 Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan
2007 Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan
2008 Jonathan Erlich & Andy Ram

*FINALS*
[WOMEN'S]
#5 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. #4 Ana Ivanovic/SRB - 7-5/6-3
[MEN'S]
#3 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA
[WOMEN'S DOUBLES]
Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR/UKR) def. #12 Victoria Azarenka/Shahar Peer (BLR/ISR) - 2-6/6-1/6-4
[MEN'S DOUBLES]
#8 Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR/ISR) def. #7 Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra (FRA/FRA) - 7-5/7-6
[MIXED DOUBLES]
#5 Sun Tiantian/Nenad Zimonjic (CHN/SRB) vs. Sania Mirza/Mahesh Bhupathi (IND/IND)
[GIRL'S]
#14 Arantxa Rus/NED def. Jessica Moore/AUS - 6-3/6-4
[BOY'S]
#5 Bernard Tomic/AUS def. #10 Yang Tsung-Hua/TPE - 4-6/7-6/6-0
[GIRL'S DOUBLES]
#1 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/Ksenia Lykina (RUS/RUS) def. Elena Bogdan/Misaki Doi (ROU/JPN) - 6-0/6-4
[BOY'S DOUBLES]
Hsieh Cheng-Peng/Yang Tsung-Hua (TPE/TPE) def. #2 Vasek Pospisil/Cesar Ramirez (CAN/MEX) - 3-6/7-5/10-5



**BACKSPIN FLASHBACK - SHARAPOVA'S SLAM TRIUMPHS**
July 2004 - "The Passion of the Supernova" (Wimbledon)
September 2006 - "Exquisite in the City" (US Open)
January 2008 - "Day of the Supernova" (Australian Open)


**BACKSPIN HISTORY OF THE SCENARIO**
December 2005 - Intriguing Question #5
August 2006/Week 31-"The Scenarios Abound"
October 2006/Week 42-"The Supplemental Scenario"
January 2007 - Intriging Question #3
August 2007/Week 31- "Scenarios-a-Poppin'"




TOP QUALIFIER: Julia Schruff / GER
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): Maria Sharapova / RUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): Maria Sharapova / RUS
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): Maria Sharapova / RUS
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st - Jankovic def. Paszek 2-6/6-2/12-10
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): QF - Sharapova def. Henin 6-4/6-0
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F): SF - Ivanovic def. Hantuchova 0-6/6-3/6-4
=============================
FIRST SEED OUT: #32 Julia Vakulenko / UKR (1st Rd.-Vesnina)
UPSET QUEENS: The Russians
REVELATION LADIES: The Poles
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Marta Domachowska / POL & Hsieh Su-Wei / TPE (4th Rd.)
IT GIRL: Casey Dellacqua / AUS
MISS OPPORTUNITY: Daniela Hantuchova / SVK
COMEBACK PLAYER: Yan Zi & Zheng Jie / CHN-CHN
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Jelena Jankovic / SRB (1st Rd.- downbound 3 MP to Paszek)
CRASH & BURN: #2 Svetlana Kuznetsova / RUS (3rd Rd.- A.Radwanska)
DOUBLES STARS: Alona & Kateryna Bondarenko / UKR
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Jessica Moore / AUS & Arantxa Rus / NED



All for the treatment of now.