The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : South gains from Sharapova’s pull out

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South gains from Sharapova’s pull out

Steve Bierley

Melanie South, Britain’s 22-year-old women’s No. 2, secured her place in next Friday’s main draw for the Australian Open for the first time when Russia’s Maria Sharapova, the reigning champion, pulled out of the tournament because of a long-term shoulder injury.

South, ranked World No. 110, has played at Wimbledon for the last three years as a wild card, attaining one victory, and this will be the first time she has reached the main draw of a Grand Slam event as of right.

South had double reason to celebrate, having qualified for the first round of the Medibank International in Sydney with a straight-set win over Meng Yuan of China.

Chasing ranking points

She has been away from Britain for the last three months chasing ranking points in an attempt to gain direct entry into the season’s first major and has been duly rewarded.

Sharapova, who had previously pulled out of an exhibition in Hong Kong, has not played since last August.

She had suffered from right-shoulder problems throughout 2007 although, when she defeated Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in Melbourne last year for her third Grand Slam title, it appeared that the former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion had recovered.

However, she continued to be troubled by the injury, which radically affected her serve, after last year’s Australian Open and was knocked out in the second round at Wimbledon. The 21-year-old, currently ranked No9, said she was making steady progress but was not fit enough to compete in the Australian Open, which begins on January 19.

Sharapova becomes the fifth champion in the last eight years not to defend a singles title. Andre Agassi (2001 winner), Serena Williams (2003), Justine Henin (2004) and Marat Safin (2005) also missed the first Grand Slam of the following year because of injury.

She is the second major casualty for this year’s Australian Open, Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko, the men’s World No. 5, having withdrawn earlier with a foot problem. — ©Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2009

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