Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after winning a point against Petra Martic of Croatia during their women’s singles first round match at the Australian Open 2015 in Melbourne on Monday.
DPA/Melbourne
Maria Sharapova has begun her 2015 season on a winning note while Serena Williams has lost two of her first four singles matches.
The momentum shifts between the top two women could mean a change at the top of the WTA rankings by the time the Australian Open is done in just under a fortnight.
Sharapova won the Brisbane title and then reached the second round of the grand slam with ease this week with the Russian world number two riding a wave of confidence.
Williams is wondering what has gone wrong with her big game after she and John Isner lost the Hopman Cup final to Poland this month. In the Perth final, Williams let her notorious temper flare in a showdown with the chair umpire over a perceived hindrance from the Poles.
The irate Williams also smashed a racquet in frustration at one point after putting a return into the net. The American who won the US Open last autumn now stands a thin 681 points clear of Sharapova on number one.
Winner of the first major of the season at Melbourne Park earns 2,000 points, with both women defending fourth-round finishes a year ago.
“I’m in a much more comfortable situation than I was last year,” said Sharapova after reaching the second round at the Open.
“My goal last year at this time was just to play as many matches as I could to get a good feeling to see where my shoulder was, where I was physically, how I would cope with playing a lot of matches.
“So it’s been a year since that. It was definitely great to get a title in last week. I played a few different matches. I don’t think I’ve done that in my career, winning a title to begin the year.
“That was nice. When you come here everything is new and fresh. Of course, it’s a nice feeling to have that victory, but you have to start from scratch.”
Sharapova held the top ranking spot five times between 2005 and 2012 while Williams has been in the position for 223 weeks overall.
