Australian Open gets underway as Maria Sharapova dismisses Harriet Dart

There would be no fairytale debut for Harriet Dart when she shared the honour of opening the 2019 Australian Open in the sweltering Rod Laver Arena with the player she admires more than any other, Maria Sharapova. The Russian, no sentimentalist, ruthlessly hammered out a double bagel in just 63 minutes.

In the tunnel on their way on to the tournament’s showpiece battleground, they passed an inscription attributed to the man after whom the space is named. It reads: “Your game is at its most vulnerable when you’re ahead. Stay focused.”

It turned out the only time Dart led Sharapova was walking on to the court, then taking the first point of the match, but she did not have the weapons, especially on second serve, of which she won only four from 17. The only charity Sharapova showed her was giving up seven double faults, nearly a quarter of Dart’s total points.

Dart left the court in tears, bitterly disappointed with her showing, but she might take some comfort from the fact her opponent found a rich, irresistible vein of form at just the right time.

“It’s been many years since I held that trophy here, so it was a privilege to be back on this court,” the 2008 champion said courtside. “My opponent not having the best day, I had to get the job done. The youngsters are taking our place, but not just yet.”

If Dart trailed by nine years in age, she had a decided edge in activity, having sharpened up with three decent qualifying wins, while the Russian arrived with just 10 matches in the bank from last season. Still, it was enough to squeeze her inside the seedings boundary at 30 – more than a hundred places clear of the Londoner.

The only numbers that mattered were the ones posted on the board, and Dart’s trembling racket presented the former champion with 21 unforced errors, way too many in two sets – especially at this level. Sharapova’s game, built on her greater strength and pedigree, was too strong. Hitting her serve and a lot of her groundstrokes above Dart’s shoulder height, she was constantly on the attack.

Sharapova has missed only one trip to Australia since 2003, when Dart was six years old, and went out in the third round against Angelique Kerber last year. If she tightens up her serve, she should go deeper this time.

There was little cause for British cheer elsewhere in the first session. Heather Watson had the dubious distinction of being the first player out of the tournament when the 31st seed Petra Martic blew her off Court 14 in just over an hour, 6-1, 6-2.

source: theguardian.com