Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova

Maria Full of Grace

Many expected it to be Justine. Others Serena; some Ana. But the one who was finally crowned champion of the Australian Open was not an unknown entity. Like her two other Grand Slam wins (Wimbledon in 2004 and the US Open in 2006) Maria Sharapova wasn’t a complete write-off by most fans yet at the same time, she wasn’t really expected to win either.

While her last two Grand Slam appearances weren’t overly impressive (round of 16 at Wimbledon and third round at the US Open), she did knock off Justine Henin in the end of season championships in Madrid last year. And we can’t forget that she was a finalist in Melbourne in 2007…

Seeded fifth behind Henin, Kuznetsova, Jankovic and Ivanovic, the 20-year-old Russian played a perfect tournament Down Under, not dropping a single set to the eight opponents she faced. Sharapova even notched 6-0 set wins over Vesnina, Dementieva and even Henin before defeating Jankovic in two clean sets, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals. .

Her most difficult match was the final against Ivanovic, champion of the 2006 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank and 2007 French Open finalist. The young Serb came close to taking the first set but Sharapova came out on top, 7-5, 6-3. Ivanovic’s performance in the season’s first Grand Slam catapults her to the No.2 ranking in the world, while Sharapova maintains the No.5 position. Despite her loss in the quarter-finals, Henin remains at the top of the rankings with a comfortable 2,500-point lead over Ivanovic.

Despite Sharapova’s clear domination at the Australian Open, fans were still given a chance to discover – or rediscover – some talent. Here are just a few:

Daniela Hantuchova (SLO). She had a good season in 2007, mainly thanks to her win in Indian Wells. Her semifinal appearance in Australia earns her a spot in the top ten.

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL). The 18-year-old Pole continues her rise up the ranks by reaching the quarter-finals thanks to big wins over Russians Kuznetsova (2nd) and Petrova (14th).

Marta Domachowska (POL). Another Pole with a promising future. She bowed out in the round of 16 to Venus Williams after ousting Li Na (24th).

Tamira Paszek (AUT) Remember this name! This 17-year-old Austrian opened eyes last year when she reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon and the US Open. Who knows where her run at Melbourne would have ended had she not faced Jankovic in the first round? She finally bowed out 12-10 in the third set!

Casey Dellacqua (AUS) The local favourite, Dellacqua obtained her best-ever Grand Slam result, reaching the round of 16 where she fell to Jankovic. The Australian pulled off some huge upsets, ousting Mauresmo (18th) and Schnyder (15th).