2006 Maria Sharapova tennis season
 Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam title at the US Open. | |
| Name | Maria Sharapova |
|---|---|
| Country |
 |
| Singles | |
| Calendar titles | 5 |
| Year-end ranking | No. 2 |
| Ranking change from previous year |
 |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | SF |
| French Open | 4R |
| Wimbledon | SF |
| US Open | W |
| Last updated on: 3 February 2013. | |
Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2006 tennis season.
Yearly summary
Australian Open series
Maria Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the fourth seed. After overcoming a tricky section which included Serena Williams and Daniela Hantuchová, she reached the semi-finals for the second (of four) consecutive year, where she fell in three sets to Justine Henin-Hardenne.[1]
Indian Wells & Miami
Sharapova won her first title of the year at Indian Wells, by defeating compatriot Elena Dementieva in the final in straight sets; it was her first title since she won Birmingham in 2005, and it was the eleventh final out of the last thirteen contested in which she won.[2] Her good form continued into Miami, where she also reached the final for the second consecutive year. However, she was defeated in straight sets by Svetlana Kuznetsova; this marked only the fourth final in which she lost.[3] After the latter defeat, Sharapova took two months off the Tour to recover from a foot injury.
European clay court season
Sharapova was seeded fourth at the French Open. In the first round, she overcame Mashona Washington, saving three match points in the process.[4] She then lost in the fourth round to Dinara Safina (after leading 5–1 in the final set), thus failing to make the quarter-finals of the French Open for the first time since 2003.[5]
Wimbledon
Sharapova was again seeded fourth at Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-finals for the third consecutive year. After winning her first three matches in straight sets, she was more sternly tested by Flavia Pennetta in the fourth round, but still pulled through in three sets.
In the final eight, she faced first-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist Elena Dementieva and won through in straight sets after a streaker briefly interrupted the match in the second set.[6][7]
In the semi-finals, she lost to Amélie Mauresmo, who eventually captured the title.[8] This marked the fifth time since her Wimbledon victory in 2004 in which she lost to the eventual champion at a Major, and also the fifth time in which she was defeated in the semi-finals of a Major tournament.
US Open series
In the lead-up to the US Open, Sharapova captured her second title of the season by defeating Kim Clijsters in the final of the Acura Classic in San Diego, and in doing so claimed her first victory over the Belgian in five attempts.[9]
Sharapova entered the US Open as the third seed. She defeated Michaëlla Krajicek, Émilie Loit, Elena Likhovtseva, Li Na and Tatiana Golovin all in straight sets, before being tested in three sets by World No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo, who had beaten her at Wimbledon earlier in the year. Sharapova would be too good for the Frenchwoman this time, winning in three sets, two of which were won without dropping a game.[10] In the final, she faced Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne, who had previously captured the title in 2003 (and would do so again in 2007), and recorded an impressive straight sets victory to claim her second Grand Slam title at just 19 years of age.[11]
Fall series
After her success at the us open she won back to back titles at the tier 1 Zurich Open by defeating Shahar Pe'er, Timea Bacsinszky, Katarina Srebotnik, Daniela Hantuchova. She also won the tier 2 Linz Open by defeating Nadia Petrova in the final and thus taking her 5th title of the year.
WTA Tour Championships
Sharapova qualified for the year-end WTA Tour Championships for the third consecutive year, having captured five titles during the regular season. As the second seed, she was drawn in the Red Group along with Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva. Sharapova went through the round robin stage undefeated, and thus qualified for the semi-finals after finishing first in the group.
The semi-final saw her up against Justine Henin-Hardenne for the fourth time in the year. Sharapova was defeated in straight sets, thus bringing an end to her otherwise impressive 2006 season.
All matches
This table chronicles all the matches of Sharapova in 2006, including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | P | Z# | PO | G | F-S | SF-B | NMS | NH |
Singles matches
| Tournament | # | Round | Opponent | Result | Score | |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 16–29 January 2006 | ||||||
| 1 |  |
6–2, 6–1 | ||||
| 2 |  |
6–1, 7–5 | ||||
| 3 |  |
6–0, 6–1 | ||||
| 4 |  |
6–4, 6–4 | ||||
| 5 | |
7–6(8–6), 6–4 | ||||
| 6 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
6–4, 1–6, 4–6 | ||||
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 6–19 March 2006 | ||||||
| Bye | ||||||
|
6–4, 6–3 | |||||
|
6–4, 6–0 | |||||
 |
7–6(7–2), 6–1 | |||||
|
6–1, 6–3 | |||||
 |
6–3, 6–3 | |||||
|
6–1, 6–2 | |||||
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 20 March–2 April 2006 | ||||||
| Bye | ||||||
 |
6–2, 6–4 | |||||
 |
6–2, 7–6(7–2) | |||||
|
3–6, 6–4, 6–1 | |||||
|
6–4, 6–4 | |||||
 |
6–3, 6–7(5–7), 4–3, ret. | |||||
|
4–6, 3–6 | |||||
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 28 May–11 June 2006 | ||||||
|
6–2, 5–7, 7–5 | |||||
 |
6–4, 6–1 | |||||
 |
6–0, 7–5 | |||||
|
5–7, 6–2, 5–7 | |||||
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 26 June–9 July 2006 | ||||||
|
6–2, 6–0 | |||||
|
6–2, 6–2 | |||||
|
6–3, 6–2 | |||||
|
7–6(7–5), 3–6, 6–3 | |||||
|
6–1, 6–4 | |||||
|
3–6, 6–3, 2–6 | |||||
| Acura Classic San Diego, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 29 July–6 August 2006 | ||||||
| Bye | ||||||
|
6–4, 6–1 | |||||
|
6–4, 6–4 | |||||
|
6–2, 6–3 | |||||
|
7–5, 6–4 | |||||
|
7–5, 7–5 | |||||
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 28 August–10 September 2006 | ||||||
 |
6–3, 6–0 | |||||
|
6–0, 6–1 | |||||
|
6–3, 6–2 | |||||
|
6–4, 6–2 | |||||
|
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–0) | |||||
|
6–0, 4–6, 6–0 | |||||
|
6–4, 6–4 | |||||
| Zurich Open Zurich, Switzerland Tier I Hard, indoor 16–22 October 2006 | ||||||
| Bye | ||||||
|
6–4, 7–6(7–4) | |||||
|
6–4, 6–3 | |||||
 |
7–6(7–3), 6–2 | |||||
|
6–1, 4–6, 6–3 | |||||
| Generali Ladies Linz Linz, Austria Tier II Hard, indoor 23–29 October 2006 | ||||||
| Bye | ||||||
 |
7–5, 6–1 | |||||
 |
7–6(7–3), 7–5 | |||||
|
7–5, 7–5 | |||||
|
7–5, 6–2 | |||||
| WTA Tour Championships Madrid, Spain WTA Tour Championships Hard, indoor 7–12 November 2006 | ||||||
|
6–1, 6–4 | |||||
|
6–4, 6–4 | |||||
|
6–1, 6–4 | |||||
|
2–6, 6–7(5–7) | |||||
Tournament schedule
Singles Schedule
| Date | Championship | Location | Category | Surface | Prev. result | New result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 January 2006– 29 January 2006 | Australian Open | Melbourne (AUS) | Grand Slam tournament | Hard | SF | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Justine Henin-Hardenne |
| 6 March 2006– 19 March 2006 | Pacific Life Open | Indian Wells (USA) | Tier I | Hard | SF | W | Won in the final against Elena Dementieva |
| 20 March 2006– 2 April 2006 | NASDAQ-100 Open | Miami (USA) | Tier I | Hard | F | F | Lost in the final against Svetlana Kuznetsova |
| 28 May 2006– 11 June 2006 | French Open | Paris (FRA) | Grand Slam tournament | Clay | QF | 4R | Lost in the fourth round against Dinara Safina |
| 26 June 2006– 9 July 2006 | The Championships, Wimbledon | London (GBR) | Grand Slam tournament | Grass | SF | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Amélie Mauresmo |
| 29 July 2006– 6 August 2006 | Acura Classic | San Diego (USA) | Tier I | Hard | DNP | W | Won in the final against Kim Clijsters |
| 28 August 2006– 10 September 2006 | US Open | New York (USA) | Grand Slam tournament | Hard | SF | W | Won in the final against Justine Henin-Hardenne |
| 16 October 2006– 22 October 2006 | Zurich Open | Zurich (SUI) | Tier I | Hard (i) | DNP | W | Won in the final against Daniela Hantuchová |
| 23 October 2006– 29 October 2006 | Generali Ladies Linz | Linz (AUT) | Tier II | Hard (i) | DNP | W | Won in the final against Nadia Petrova |
| 7 November 2006– 12 November 2006 | WTA Tour Championships | Madrid (ESP) | WTA Tour Championships | Hard | SF | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Justine Henin-Hardenne |
Yearly Records
Head-to-head matchups
Ordered by number of wins
