Maria Sharapova advances at French Open

Rain delays and cool conditions failed to faze No. 4-seeded Maria Sharapova, who wore long sleeves and beat Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-1. at the French Open.

"It's sunny, and five minutes later it gets dark and windy," Maria said. "You just have to adjust and be patient." Maria, recovering from an ankle injury she aggravated last week, moved well on the center-court clay. "It was a lot better than my previous match," she said. "I didn't feel like I was moving great still, being cautious with the tape on, but pain-wise it felt a lot better."


Maria Sharapova now takes on either Australia's Alicia Molik or Anda Perianu of Romania for a place in the fourth round.

Maria Sharapova beats Washington at French Open

Maria Sharapova, who has an ankle injury and was playing her first match for nearly two months, saved three match points in a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 win over American Mashona Washington.

"Obviously, it's not too good," Maria said of the ankle. "My decision was to gut it out. I'm a competitor, and I'm just hoping with two days rest I can pull through."

Regarding French Open officials' decision not to accommodate her request for a later start, she said bluntly, "It doesn't make you feel great when you know that the French federation all they're thinking about is selling tickets, making money and about their players."

Maria Sharapova needs miracle

Maria Sharapova believes she will need a miracle to play at her best at the French Open. The world number four, who has yet to play a match on clay this season, arrived at Roland Garros very short of match practice.

A right foot injury has prevented the Russian from playing competitive tennis since her 6-4 6-3 defeat by compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Nasdaq-100 Open final on April 1. "I do not think I'm as competitive as I would like to be," Maria Sharapova said. "If I can play correctly, it will be a miracle. I'm really not at 100 percent," the fourth seed said. "I've spent the past two weeks training and nursing my injury."

Top five confirmed for Rogers Cup

The top five players in the world will participate in the Rogers Cup women's tennis tournament this summer.

Top-ranked five players have confirmed their entry in the Aug. 12-20 tournament at Montreal's Uniprix Stadium.

Maria pulls out of Istanbul

Maria Sharapova was forced to withdraw from next week's Istanbul Open on Friday because she has failed to recover from a right ankle injury.

"Miss Sharapova wrote to the organisers, informing them that her right ankle injury had not healed well enough for her to play in the tournament," read a statement from the organisers.

Maria Sharapova to play Istanbul Cup

Maria Sharapova has signed up to play the Istanbul Cup next week. The Russian, who withdrew due to a footinjury from Rome earlier this week, is deemed fit enough to play in the Turkish tournament.

Maria has taken the spot left by Lindsay Davenport, who is still suffering from a lower back injury. She is currently the number four in the world and will be the top seed of the tournament.

Maria Sharapova wants equal prize money

Ex-Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova has called for women players to receive the same prize money as the men.

The 19-year-old world number three said: "I believe women deserve to be treated the same as men. "There has been a long debate about equal prize money but these things take time. If we keep pushing we'll eventually get there."

Of the four Grand Slam tournaments only Wimbledon awards its women's champion less money than their male equivalent. Maria Sharapova was speaking at a news conference for the WTA Tour's end-of-season championship, which is moving from Los Angeles to Madrid ...

Maria Sharapova takes her pick of male models in Madrid

Maria Sharapova has handpicked seven male models with tennis knowledge to act as ball-boys at the WTA Tour's end-of-season championships in Madrid.

The 19-year-old Russian was the center of attention at the casting event held in a Madrid hotel on Thursday.

A selection panel that included Maria Sharapova, former champion Aranta Sanchez-Vicario and film actress Natalia Verbeke was invited to narrow down a field of 15 hopefuls. The male models, wearing white shorts and tight t-shirts, were brought up one at a time and tested on their knowledge of tennis, among other things, in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

A number of contestants struggled to respond correctly to questions such as "What is a tie break?" and "What would you do if a player asked you for a towel?" Models who could get by in English seemed to win favor with Maria, who does not speak much Spanish.

Two candidates were marked down by the world number three after being asked who was their favorite female tennis player ...

Star-Worthy Smiles

American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Awards the Best Celebrity Grins in Honor of National Smile Month

SHE ACED IT

Tennis phenom Maria Sharapova aced the AACD member dentists with her stunning smile: 42 percent voted hers the best female athlete smile.