Maria serves up a real treat for fans

World number four, and Wimbledon champion, Maria Sharapova captured her first tournament of the year by defeating the former US Open champion Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 in the TAT Invitational Tennis 2005 tournament at Chiang Mai's 700th Anniversary Tennis court yesterday. More than 4,000 people watched the exhibition match on the new tennis court at Chiang Mai sports complex. Presiding over the tennis competition was the Deputy Prime Minister, and LATA president, Mr Suwat Liptapanlop.

Williams started off with the first serve but Russian Sharapova broke the American player in the opening game of the first set to take a 1-0 lead before holding her own serve to make it 2-0.However, Williams came back to tie the score 2-2. The game heated up when Sharapova broke Venus' game in the fifth to make it 3-2 before holding her serve well to increase the margin to 4-2. Former world number one Williams pulled one back then broke the Russian's serves to draw level again at 4-4. However, Sharapova displayed her class by taking the final two games and the first set 6-4.In the second set, the Russian raced into a 5-0 lead before Williams finally managed to win three games back. It looked as though the game might be back on again but Sharapova cemented her victory after a double fault to take the second, and final, set 6-3.Both thanked the enthusiastic crowd for their attendance and also pledged to return to the Kingdom in the future.After the match both players gave their tennis rackets for auction.

Channel 7 director Ms Surang Prempree paid 100,000 baht for Sharapova's racket while Mr Prasert Kulsarin, the managing director of KK Property Co Ltd, won an auction for the same price for Williams' racket. The money will be given to help the tsunami victims in the south.In the one-set doubles action Sharapova and Tamarine Tanasugarn tied 4-4 with Williams and Suchanan Viratprasert. Sharapova and Tamarine won the match 7-3 on tie break.Williams and Maria next head to Hong Kong for another exhibition match.