Maria Sharapova has become without a doubt the most sponsored sports star in the world. After succesfully launching her perfumeline “Sharapova” in Miami Maria now has the oppertunity to rest for a while before Rome, her next tournament.

Maria has recently also signed a lucrative deal with Rover. Rover has chosen Maria to be the new representative of the upcoming Rover collection.

Yet another sponsor for Maria.

Sharapova is not only the name of a champion but also a trademark that sells. Maria has become a down to earth champion and also a businesswoman who knows what she wants.

(Liege, Belgium) Kim Clijsters took the Belgium Fed Cup team to a 2-1 lead after she defeated Russian Maria Kirilenko in straight sets. After losing to Elena Dementieva, Clijsters had set her mind on winning, whatever it took. She was far from happy with her lost match on Saturday, and determined to take Belgium to 2-1. Kirilenko was the stand in for Nadia Petrova, who decided not to play. After her tournaments in the US, she didn’t feel physically strong enough to play another match against Clijsters.

Clijsters started aggressively from the start, hitting winners with her forehand and taking advantage of Kirilenko’s unforced errors. The Belgian took a 5-0 lead before Russia’s Kirilenko could hold her own service game. Clijsters finished the first set after 30 minutes of playing, 6-1.

In the second set Kirilenko showed some more resistance. The youngster from Moscow could keep up with Clijsters until 2 all and then lost her service game in the fifth game.

The Belgian No.1 held on to her service for 4-2, and she broke the Russian again for 5-2. Clijsters, however, could not serve out the match and lost her service game after Kirilenko hit a service return winner and a forehand winner at 30 all.

Kirilenko held on to her service in the ninth game for 5-4, but Clijsters didn’t fail to serve for the game, the set and the match this time. She closed the match after 72 minutes when Kirilenko hit a service return long, 6-1, 6-4.

“I had to focus on my own game. I didn’t do that yesterday against Dementieva,” Clijsters said. “I am obviously more satisfied than yesterday. Today I was dominating, and yesterday I let Dementieva dominate. That was wrong.

“I am prepared to play against the United States if we are going to win this meeting against Russia today. But first I will have to prepare to play the double,” the Belgian No.1 said.

(Liege, Belgium) Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Russian Nadia Petrova and kept the Belgian hope for a victory alive after Kim Clijsters lost her first match against Elena Dementieva. Henin-Hardenne, the former No.1 of the world, won in 3 sets, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-3.

Henin-Hardenne, who was born in Liege, came back for 4-1 in the first set, just in time to force a tiebreak against Russia’s Nadia Petrova, who is on a hot streak and won her fourth WTA Tour title last week. Belgians No. 2 lost the tiebreak 7-1 and looked somewhat outplayed by the athletic player from Russia.

In the following set Justine Henin-Hardenne was playing a better game of tennis, and she took the second set 6-4.

“Especially after the first set I was getting tired,” Petrova said. “I didn’t feel quite recovered yet from the previous tournaments I playe, and she played some very good points.”

In the deciding third set Henin-Hardenne took a 3-0 lead and started to play better but asked for a medical timeout after the third game. After serving a double fault at 30 all in the fifth game, Henin did let the Russian come back into the set. Petrova took that chance and came back to 3-2. She hit a ball against the net cord which gave the ball an awkward bounce, and the Belgian did not reach it in time.

At breakpoint for a 4-2 lead, Henin-Hardenne missed the first chance to break; she played the ball wide. Petrova took advantage in return, but the Belgium tied it to deuce.

The next rally was for the Russian again after Henin hit the ball into the net. For the second time, Petrova did not use this advantage, and Henin was on deuce again. After a double fault, the Belgian was on break point again, but this time she hit the ball long.

The next break point went to Henin-Hardenne, who took a 4-2 lead after she won a rally that forced Petrova to hit long. In the following game she held on to her service and a comfortable 5-2 lead. Petrova was under pressure; she had to hold on to her service game to stay in the match.

The first point of the eighth game was a solid winner by the Belgian, but a good winner played by Petrova, answered that point in style. After three unforced errors hit by Henin, Petrova came back to 5-3.

Justine Henin-Hardenne was serving to win the match and trying to keep the Belgian team in the race to win the Cup tie. With a well-placed backhand, she scored the first point. The second point scored, for 30-0, was when Petrova returned the Belgian service into the net. Henin-Hardenne reached matchpoint after Petrova was forced outside the court lines and hit the ball into the net again.

On Henin-Hardenne’s first match point, Petrova again was forced to go outside the court lines after a solid backhand by the Belgian. Petrova could not return to ball and hit it into the net again. Game, set and match for the Belgian Fed Cup team, and Henin-Hardenne had kept the Belgian hope alive.

Belgium won the second match of the day 6-7, 6-4 and 6-3. The teams are tied one all after Elena Dementieva defeated Kim Clijsters in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-4.

(Liege, Belgium) Elena Dementieva of Russia defeated Belgian Kim Clijsters in the first Fed Cup rubber Walloon. Dementieva took the Russian team to a 1-0 lead after defeating Clijsters in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-3. Clijsters, does not like to play on clay so much, said that she just was not good enough today. The Russian took a 4-1 lead after both players could not hold on to their service games. Seven of the ten games played went against the server. The Russian came out as the better player in the first set and won 6-4.

In the second set Dementieva broke the Belgian service in the third game, she took a 5-2 lead after Clijsters played an erratic game, serving her seventh double fault of the match, and hitting two balls long and two into the net.

The Belgian from Bree, broke back on love, but she was just not in time with her comeback. Elena Dementieva showed she was he better player in the first Belgium Russia meeting of the day and again broke Clijsters and took the game and the match after holding three match points.

“Elena did play very well. She held on to a solid defence, and she kept the ball deep,” Clijsters said after the match. “She played a lot of forehand slices that made her win the match today. I tried to play more aggressive, and I had the right tactics today, but I just could not finish it the way I wanted to.”

“It’s always tough to play against Dementieva. I think she practised a lot on her service. Sometimes the second serve is faster than the first.

“Dementieva played the same as when I played her in Antwerp, but here today she was very consistent.

“I felt good on the court, but it was just not my day today. My backhand was a little rusty but I am working on that.

“Tomorrow is a new day and a new opponent. I am not going to worry about the match I lost today. Every point is counting in matches like these, I got to focus on that,” Belgians former No.1 Clijsters said about the match.

“It was never easy,” Dementieva said, “but it’s always great to play in front of a full house. I think it was harder for Kim today because she had not played in a while. It’s always harder when you are out of competition for some time.”

“I know my service, it’s getting better, and I practice hard, but there are always other things to improve as well,” the Muscovite said.

Having Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin Hardenne reunited in the fed cup team after three years again was a ultimately successful formula for the Belgian team this weekend.
They had a dangerously armed Russia against them in Luik, and Belgium lost the first battle but eventually won the war!

Kim was deeply disappointed after failing in her first Fed Cup task on Saturday against Elena Dementieva. She lost against the Russian in two sets; 6-4 and 6-3. “I didn’t play my best tennis and even though I kept on fighting, she was just too strong and had the right tactics. I tried to make the rallies short but I couldn’t finish them of!” Luckily there was Justine, who also had a bad client on Nadia Petrova but had the courage to be a little more patient and eventually stay alive and most concentrated the longest in a marathon 3 set match. Justine and Nadia were both suffering from cramps at the end of day one, but they could go to sleep in the knowledge at least that they both had one point on the scoreboard for their respective teams.

And then it was Kim’s turn to convince everyone that she had the power inside herself as well to earn a victory for her team. Kirilenko might have been a surprisingly easy opponent when you expect a petrova being totally in ‘the zone’ lately on the WTA tennis circuit to stand at the other side of the net against you, but Kim showed of that she was totally prepared for either one of them. Playing far more convincing and confident than the day before, she managed to give the 19 year old Russian a Fed Cup debut that nobody dreams of: a loss in two relatively easy sets for Kim, 6-1 and 6-4!

A more comfortable position for the Belgian team to be in from that moment on, because it provided them with another two chances to win the tie. While title defending Russia was forced to win the last singles match to still have their chance to go to the Fed Cup semi finals!
If Elena Dementieva would be just as convincing on Sunday as she was the day before there still was hope. But Justine had the tactics to beat the Russian well in mind! Elena started the match with a beautiful ace, and managed to cause Justine trouble in the beginning of that first set, but the Belgian didn’t like that scenario much and forced a break on Dementieva’s serve when leading 3-2. She held on to that break and served out the set shortly after that: 6-2. The second set was a demonstration of the current number 4 in the rankings; she didn’t allow Dementieva to win one game anymore and earned the tie victory for Belgium on a 6-0 humiliation for the Russian girl in the deciding set!

Kirsten Flipkens and Caroline Maes could immediately join Kim and Justine in having a “champagne shower”, the doubles match would be nothing more anymore than an unimportant detail!