US Open: 22:0 victories: Maria Sharapova as Queen of the Night (Sessions)

Maria Sharapova becomes more and more the queen of the night at the US Open. The Russian scored her night session balance at 6:3, 6:2 in the third round against former French Open winner Yelena Ostapenko (Latvia) to 22:0 victories.

Sure: New York and Maria Sharapova, it fits somehow. When it comes to glamour and business, the 31-year-old is in no way inferior to her big rival Serena Williams. Where Sharapova is, there is bustle. Fans are excitedly pulling out their smartphones when they spot the blonde tennis diva. The 1.88 meter tall Russian, who likes to wear high heels on official occasions, simply has this special aura. Even their worst critics must admit that.

There is hardly anyone in world sport who fulfils her role as a global advertising icon as professionally and skilfully as the woman from Siberia. Social media: When Sharapova posts something, it has a certain style, it is artistically demanding. If you don’t believe this: Please compare it with other athletes.

In Manhattan she had to perform several times before the tournament started. These included the Hudson News Store at Grand Central Station to promote her “Sugarpova” confectionery line, which she feels strongly about.

Masha has always felt at home in the glistening limelight of New York, which nowhere else in the tennis universe shines as brightly and sometimes also mercilessly as in the 53 million dollar spectacle in Flushing Meadows. And apparently special this year.

The 2006 US Open winner also won her third floodlight appearance in a row at this year’s Tournament on Saturday evening – confidently 6-3, 6-2 against tenth-placed Ostapenko. It was Sharapova’s 22nd victory in her 22nd night session at the Big Apple.

“For some reason, I just like to play under the lights. I love that, I love this challenge,” said the five-time Major Champion, who will meet Spanish Carla Suarez Navarro (No. 30) in the round of 16 on Monday. Most recently, Sharapova, currently number 22 in the WTA ranking, reached the quarter-finals of Flushing Meadows in 2012.

The fact that seven of the top ten players have already been eliminated after the third round, which opens up completely new perspectives for the former world number one, plays a subordinate role for Sharapova. Officially, anyway.

“There were definitely some surprises. But I don’t know if it’s been any different this past year. I know the results of the tournament, but I’m not particularly motivated to find out why it came to the results,” Sharapova said.

It’s not up to the Russian Californian electorate to deal too much with the competition.

Angelique Kerber (Kiel/No. 4), Julia Görges (Bad Oldesloe/No. 9), Simona Halep (Romania/No. 1), Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark/No. 2), Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic/No. 5), Caroline Garcia (France/No. 6) and Ostapenko have already left the US Open before the second week.

The women’s tour has been balanced for years. There have been seven different winners in the past seven Grand Slam tournaments. Williams, Ostapenko, Garbine Muguruza (Spain), Stephens, Wozniacki, Halep and Kerber all triumphed once. By comparison, five men (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka) divided 54 of the last 57 Grand Slam titles.