by Matt Donaldson

Well the proverb suggests that they always come to an end, and today it did, as Maria was defeated by the Japanese player Shinobu Asagoe in three sets.

This came as a surprise to me. Asagoe is the lowest ranked player Maria has faced this week in the main draw, and after watching the first set of her match, there was certainly nothing there for Maria to fear.

Perhaps the problem was the situation. Beating three seeds and entering the match as favourite to reach her first ever singles final in her first ever grass event must have seemed a daunting prospect for someone so young.

Let us not be disappointed. I certainly didnt expect Maria to get this far in the tournament,a nd i certainly didnt expect the flood of hits to the site, and for that im thankful to everyone who took the time to visit the site to find out a bit more about Maria.

She lost in three sets today. Coming down from watching her in person yesterday, the website scoreboard was horrible viewing as Maria seemed to fold the first set, just as yesterday, losing it 6-3. However, after taking the second set 5-7, i had high hopes. She had come through three sets yesterday against the number one seed, and the momentum would be with her. However, perhaps this game was one too far, as she lost the final set 6-4. Disappontment on one hand, as a good performance would have offered the opportunity to quell one comparison to Kournikova, in that she would have had the chance to take a senior title. But it would be greedy to be disappointed, and it is important to remember that it is a saturday, and it may well be a long time before we see Maria still in a one week event by saturday. At such an age, another opportunity will arise, a statement that can be made with near certainty following the performance Maria has put in this week.

At this point i must take the opportunity to offer an apology. I made some comments in my article yesterday regarding the behaviour of Maria's agent. Upon writing an e mail to her agent, it would seem that i was deceived somewhat, and her agent was not even attending the event. This being the case, i was lied to by a member of Maria's entourage, which accentuates my disappointment even further. However, public displays of disappointment must be reduced, and the details shall remain unknown. Needless to say that this apology goes to those involved, and offers rectification on the issue if anyone's perceptions had been altered following comment made yesterday. However, i think everyone here reading this understands my frustrations and disappointment, and can appreciate why theose comments were made in light of what occured yesterday.

But less of the politics, and back to Maria. The surprise news is that she is unsure as to whether or not she will accept the wildcard to Wimbledon. Her thinking (apparently) is that qualification may give her the opportunity to gain more experience on grass. Certainly its a standpoint which carries with it some weight, as having played only one grass court tournament and to receive a wildcard is surprising. She will almost certainly be seeded 1 or 2 if she did choose to qualify, allowing for an easier draw, but her decsiion must carry with it a level of aprehension. Losing today would suggest that she is either a: prone to a lack of concentration, where she can put in performances of clas and determination against the top players, but loses focus against lesser opponents, or b: that she was tired from playing a game a day since last saturday. If these assumptions are accurate, i sincerely hope that the latter is the case. To lose focus against lower ranked opponents at her stage of a her career is laughable, and to do so would be ridiculously arrogant. This concerns me, as such a scenario would cause her game to suffer. Therefore, my hope is that todays loss was due to a level of fatigue, that will be eradicated as she develops and progresses as a person and as a player. This being the case, going through qualification would somewhat jeopardise her performance at Wimbledon. After seeing her this week, she certainly has a game suited to grass, especially when her stamina is relatively low (compared to a surface where stamina plays an important role, such as clay). She would gain suitable levels of experience and match practice from the main draw. It is for this reaosn that i hope she takes up the offer of the wildcard. If the reason for todays loss was the first possibility i outlined, and she does choose to go through qualification, then she could find herself on the end of a shock result close to the level that she has produced this week.

Same thing applies as before. Anyone new to the site reading this who would like to know anything about Maria, then just drop us a line at mattydonaldson@maria-sharapova.net.