Better Late than Never for Larcher de Brito

When she turned pro at the tender age of 14, talented Michelle Larcher de Brito seemed headed for greatness. When she cracked the top 100 at 16, the Portuguese had everyone talking about how she is the next Martina Hingis and how she will very soon become a Grand Slam champion.

Time passed and nothing happened. Michelle kept on playing, she kept on believing, but that big breakthrough seemed to elude her. She kept on going, knowing her time will come and her patience was rewarded today when she got the biggest win of her career, stunning former champion and world No.3, Maria Sharapova, to reach her first third round at a major.
"When I was 16, when I was in the Top 100, everybody was comparing me to like Martina Hingis, and expecting me to win a Grand Slam at that age. But that doesn't happen anymore, winning Grand Slams so young. Tennis is such a competitive sport now and so hard, it's just really hard to stay there.

"But I just tried to keep going, and now I'm here again, and I hope to keep doing well all year."

No win over Sharapova comes easy though, the Russian being the ultimate fighter. Serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, the Portuguese missed four match points, before finally closing out a sensational 6-3,6-4 victory.
"I'm really excited. I really can't believe it. It's a little bit of shock and excitement," the talented Larcher de Brito declared. "I'm just really happy I got through that match. It was a really great win for me.

"The end was really nerve-wracking. I tried to stay calm. I gave it my all. It was 5-4. If I lost that, it would have been 5-all. If it were 5-all, it would have been tough to get back up again, because she was serving, and she was serving really well. I thought, 'Now or never.' I tried to stay calm, even though it's hard sometimes. I just gave it my all, like I always do, and it turned out well for me in the end." 

While de Brito goes on to face Karin Knapp in the next round, Sharapova was left really frustrated with the state of the court. After slipping several times, Maria accused the court of being too 'dangerous'.

On an extremely bizarre day, the bottom half of the draw lost its big names. Azarenka withdrew after a nasty fall that damaged her knee, Sharapova lost to de Brito, Ivanovic succumbed to inspired Canadian, Eugenie Bouchard, Wozniacki twisted her ankle before falling to Petra Cetkovska, and lastly, Jelena Jankovic, was beaten by fellow Serb, Vesna Dolonc. Under the circumstances I root for Marion Bartoli to make the final.

After slipping several times during the match, Sharapova accused the court as being too 'dangerous'. The Russian struggled with her movement, eventually falling in straight sets to an inspired opponent.

Once a huge promise, Michelle Larcher de Brito got her big breakthrough, stunning four time Grand Slam champion, Maria Sharapova, to make her first third round appearance at a major. She hanged it tough, serving out a 6-3,6-4 victory.

photos: GETTY IMAGES