Maria Sharapova to play for first title in over a year

Maria Sharapova took another big step in her comeback at the Toronto Cup on Saturday reaching her first final in more than year with a gritty 6-2 4-6 6-4 over Alisa Kleybanova.

Playing for a title for the first time since Amelia Island in April 2008, Sharapova will try to confirm her return from shoulder surgery with a victory when she takes on compatriot Elena Dementieva in Sunday's final.

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Tennis: Sharapova a marketing executive's dream

Tennis: Sharapova a marketing executive's dream (By Paul Lewis and Agencies)

"She is the face of women's tennis. And the legs, and the body and, if you'd been in Toronto for a recent tournament, rather more of her chest than her Nike tennis dress designer would have wanted to see.


Maria Sharapova isn't just the world No 1 and favourite for the US Open which begins in New York tomorrow - she is also almost the complete antithesis of the woman who might be favoured to beat her for the title, Belgium's Kim Clijsters. While Sharapova is the femme fatale of women's tennis - Anna Kournikova with talent - and the new world No 1, Clijsters, a former world No 1, is maintaining her girl-next-door image, the unruly hair, the strong physique and an air of understatement. Sharapova, 18, won Wimbledon in 2004; Clijsters is recognised as maybe the best player never to win a Grand Slam event. Kind of like the Phil Mickelson of women's tennis - even though she is still only 22.

Sharapova wouldn't be out of place on on a catwalk. Clijsters wouldn't be out of place on a hockey field. Sharapova is already the most-photographed and most-interviewed female tennis player on the planet; Clijsters, while she does not avoid publicity, doesn't court it. Scarcely a word has ever passed her lips about the much-publicised but unexplained broken romance with the Australian uber-brat, Lleyton Hewitt. Sharapova now has a global following and a global marketing empire. She is the highest-paid sportswoman in the world, earning more than US$20 million for on- and off-court activity. In Japan, for instance, you can buy pillows shaped in the form of Sharapova's breasts and lap. The breast pillow by the firm Sharanpowan is made with a cover in the style of a tennis shirt that can be removed to reveal more intimate details. The breast pillow costs $17, the lap pillow $29. The Japanese appear to find the lower part of Sharapova's body more attractive than its upper part, according to a Russian newspaper which reported this phenomenon.


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Maria is not only rising in the rankings

Maria Sharapova is not only rising in the rankings, she's also getting taller. The 18-year-old Russian, who jumped to No. 1 in women's tennis Monday, is listed in the WTA's official guide as 6-foot. Not so, she says.

Maria tells Time magazine she's 6 feet 2 inches tall, and she's not exactly thrilled with the extra 2 inches. "I wouldn't say I'm in love with them because if I wear heels, I'm like 6-foot-4," she says. "It's a little too tall." Maria Sharapova, preparing for next week's U.S. Open, overtook Lindsay Davenport for the No. 1 spot. At the end of 2002, her ranking was No. 186. "It's actually shocking," Maria says. "Before I was trying to lay off the whole thing, saying, `I'm not worried about it, it's not important.' But you know, once you get there, it's, like, wow!"

Sharapova eliminated Vera Zvonareva with a 6-4, 7-5 victory

Maria Sharapova eliminated Vera Zvonareva with a 6-4, 7-5 victory. She and Mauresmo are 2-0 in round-robin play and will meet Saturday, although both are already assured of semifinal berths.

Maria had losing records against Kuznetsova and Zvonareva, but beat both of them. "It's a good revenge," she said. "I got my whole game together.