Maria Sharapova - Lindsay Davenport Match cancelled

A New Year’s exhibition match in Seoul between Maria Sharapova

and Lindsay Davenport has been cancelled due to the latter’s pregnancy, an organizer said Wednesday. The two world-class players were due to clash on the first day of 2007 in Seoul. “Early this morning, we were notified from the agent for Davenport that she cannot play the exhibition match because of her pregnancy,” Lee Seung-hwan, the president of sports marketing company Sema Sports, told Yonhap News Agency. “Because of the short notice, we have decided to cancel the event.”

Maria Sharapova ova to play Davenport in South Korea

Maria Sharapova will play Lindsay Davenport in an exhibition match in January in South Korea, an official at Seoul's tennis association said.

Maria will face American Davenport on 1. January in the South Korean port city of Inchon, the official said by telephone. Maria Sharapova lost a previous exhibition match in Seoul in 2005 to American Venus Williams.

Maria to Meet Fans on Saturday

During their short stays in Seoul, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams will have a couple of chances to meet South Korean fans in public.

The two stars will have a fan meeting on Saturday at 2 p.m. in front of Hyundai Department Store in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul. On Sunday afternoon, they are scheduled to have a two-hour class with young tennis players at the Olympic Park. Maria is also planned to appear in a television show of MBC, which will be aired next Saturday.