WATCH : Maria Sharapova stuns Anastasija Sevastova by using her left-hand twice on a single point
Maria Sharapova's return to tennis, after her suspension for doping, has been an interesting affair as the Russian has let her racquet do all the talking. Against Anastasija Sevastova, Sharapova, surprisingly, switched hands and hit two shots with her left-hand en route to winning the point
Maria Sharapova, who is naturally left handed, has won five Grand Slams with the "other hand". However, she uses her left hand during matches often, especially to retrieve a ball far to her left side. That helped her many a time as the opponents fail to understand which side of the court was she going to hit. This trait reaped dividends for the former World No.1 yesterday as she returned the ball to Sevastova, not only once but twice in a single rally, on her way to seize the point.
Sevastova had Sharapova on the ropes, after losing theĀ first set, leading 2-4 in the second. Sharapova was facing the pressure again on her serve as the scoreboard read 40-30 in the Russian's
Sharapova racedĀ back and on getting to the ball, returned the ball with her left hand. While the crowd applauded the effort, they completely lost their cool when Sharapova recreated the shot again in the same rally. Sevastova'w error a couple of shots later meant that Sharapova had won the rally and reduced the game deficit toĀ just one. However, Sevastova managed to get better of her, securing the following points before winning the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in over two hours to enter the quarter finals of the tournament.Ā
Maria #Sharapova hits two shots
ā We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) September 4, 2017
with her left hand and wins the point! š® #hotshot #USOpen pic.twitter.com/32cBWECIlq