Sharapova Slapped by Countrywoman Again at WTA Montreal

The seeds went head-to-head Thursday at the WTA stop in Montreal with six all-seeded matches, and three upsets in (10)Vera "Warren" Zvonareva taking out Russian countrywoman (6)Maria "Grunt-o-rama" Sharapova in three, (12)Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem upending (7)Ai Sugiyama, and veteran (13)Maggie Maleeva ousting (9)Paola Suarez.

"She played well and I think it was a very good match," Sharapova said. "I didn't play that bad."

It was the second consecutive week of losing to a countrywoman for Sharapova, who last week in San Diego fell to French Open winner Anastasia Myskina.

Sharapova will not go on to play the Olympics as her standing among the other Russians was too low when the acceptance list was determined pre-Wimbledon.

Winners in matches sticking to the seeded hierarchy were (2)Amelie Mauresmo (d. (14)Bovina in three), (3)Anastasia Myskina (d. (15)Rubin), and (5)Jennifer Capriati (d. (17)Pierce).

"It was a big battle," said Mauresmo after outlasting the Russian Bovina. "In the second set, I missed a couple of chances to break her serve and I got frustrated. I thought I can't go on like this, so I was able to refocus and come back."

Un-seeds advancing were Russian Elena Likhovtseva (d. (11)Schiavone), and French teen Tatiana Golovin (d. Gisela "Sgt." Dulko in three).

Friday's quarterfinals in Montreal line up as (12)The Spreminator vs. (2)Mauresmo, (5)Capriati vs. Likhovtseva, (10)Vera "Warren" Zvonareva vs. the 16-year-old Golovin, and (3)Myskina vs. (13)Maleeva.

Stockholm Results
Due to the WTA Tour's inept scheduling, running the Tier IV Stockholm event during the same week as an "elite" Tier I Montreal event, Tennis-X is voluntarily aiding the WTA this week by not running results from Stockholm. We hope this will help to elevate the Montreal results in the eyes of casual fans and avoid confusion, while at the same time shielding fans from the heinous field in Stockholm. We apologize for having to do the WTA's job in raising the status of their Tier I events, and apologize to you diehard Tier IV fans. Future note: Tier I = good, Tier IV = public park event, don't put them in the same calendar slot.