Sharapova wins U.S. Open: I feel pretty--impressed

Last night, Maria Sharapova won the U.S. Open in a straight set victory over 2003 U.S. Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne. Though I was disappointed that Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport and Jelena Jankovic failed to make it to the final, I knew that with these two in it, there would be quality tennis.

Sharapova, who had never before defeated Mauresmo, beat her handily in the semifinals. She had also never before defeated Henin-Hardenne, but--after a shaky start--took control of the match. With her excellent service game, greatly improved movement and willingness to finally come to the net, Sharapova outclassed Henin-Hardenne throughout most of the match.

Henin-Hardenne recently changed her service motion again, and commentators were quick to call that the reason for her serving problems throughout the Open. Not true. Henin-Hardenne has had an on-and-0ff problem with her serve since she came back from the virus that knocked her out for so long. As a rule, she can work around it, so strong is her defensive game. But not last night, when she needed every possible shot to keep up with Sharapova.

Since Sharapova's dramatic 2004 Wimbledon win, people have been waiting for her to prove herself and win another Slam. Last night, she did just that, and with a lot of style.