Another shocking upset by an unheralded contender shook the Rogers Cup after Kazakh tennis player Galina Voskoboeva defeated Maria Sharapova with a final score of 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday. The loss added Sharapova to the ranks of Grand Slam champions who also fell to lower-ranked players.
Voskoboeva slammed her way past Marion Bartoli and Flavia Pennetta in order to face off with Sharapova and defeated the Russian champ with strong and long shots that had the opponent flailing all over her side of the court the entire game. She nearly lost her footing when she allowed for an opening in the match,double faulting two times before firing a shot into the net. However, it was Sharapova’s missed shot that gave her the win.
“Every game was so tight, you know. It’s like it was deuce, advantage, deuce, advantage,” Voskoboeva said. “So I just knew that I have to be focused and to continue playing… anything could happen.”
Sharapova accepted defeat graciously, saying, “It makes for an exciting story because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you’re ranked or seeded, the reason we go out and play the matches is to know who’s going to be the winner on that day,” the Russian player said.
Sharapova holds more than 20 titles, while Voskoboeva only reached her first career semifinal earlier this year.
“Whether you’re No. 1 in the world or you’re facing someone that’s 100 or so, you still have to go out and win. That’s what the sport is all about,” Sharapova added.