Sere🐼na Williams’ coach wasn’t wrong when he told The Post that Maria Shara🌌pova’s controversial U.S. Open run wouldn’t last much longer. As he predicted, it ended Sunday.
In her first Grand Slam since a 15-month ban for using performance-enhancing drugs, Sharapova was gifted a wild card an👍d given the s🧸tage of Arthur Ashe Stadium. But on Sunday, 16th-seed Anastasija Sevastova won 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 to book her own quarterfinal ticket and end the Russian’s much-scrutinized resurgence.
“I feel like I’m really beyond that,” Sharapova said of the target on her back and the proverbial scarlet letters “PED” on her forehead. “Tℱhere’s no other way to explain it. There’s only a way to show it on the court because that’s what really matters to me.”
The Latvian is on to a quarterfinal date vs. American Sloane Stephens, while Sharapova’�༒�s detractors will silently revel.
“I think some players have [added incentive to beat Sharapova],” Sevastova said. “I don’t have that. I have great respect for her. I was 14 years old, playing under-14 at a tournament and she was winning Wimbledon the🧸 same day. I was confident [Sunday], I was feeling it, but still you have to beat her.”
After testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova 🐓first dealt with a drug ban then injuries. She’s had shade thrown at her from Caroline Wozniacki, CoCo Vandeweghe and finally Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who not only criticized her PED use but said he would be “surprised” if she won S𒁏unday, adding, “She can lose to anyone now.”
On Sunday, she lost to Sevastova.
With match fitness a problem — having played just a single tournament since May and getting treatment for a blister on her right middle fing𝔍er — Sharapova couldn’t regain the form of her opening-round win over Simona Halep. Her B game was enough to beat Timea Babos and Sofia Kenin, but against Sevastova’s tricky old-school game, she faded late and her 51 unforced errors were her undoing.
“I allowed the match to become physical,” Sharapova said. “I don’t think I played as aggressive or was stepping in as much as I did in the first set. She has the matches behind her, she’s got variety, she’ll make you hit a lot of balls, she [plays] with confidence, she wins a few of those rallies, ꩲand all of a sudden momentum changes. Yeah, I definitely took a few steps back and gave her the time to dictate play.”
Sevastova happily did just that, showing off variety in her game and confounding drop shots. Whether Sharapova ran out of gas or just ran out of answers, she got run off the court. She need🅷ed a pair of lefty forehands in a single rally during the💛 sixth game of the second set.
At 4-5, break point, in the second s💎et, Sharapova shockingly did🐈n’t challenge a ball that incorrectly was ruled out. It may have cost her the set.
“Just before my press conference I found out that the ball was in. I didn’t know that, so … great news!” Sharapova said with a wan smile. “The umpire told me he clearly saw it, so I went on his judgment.”
After the second set, Sharapova kept Sevastov𓆉a waiting over six minutes for a comfort break. Then after falling behind 3-0 in the third, she called the trainer to treat a blister. But after Sevastova had a momentary lapse and dropped the next two games, she closed out the match.
After wearing a Yankees cap during last year’s quarterfinal🀅 run, Sevastova donned a Giants cap Sunday.
“Yeah, all New York sports,” said Sevastova.
But why not rock a Knicks cap to honor fello🧸w Latvian Kristaps Porzingis?
“Yeah, but I don’t like thei🦂r cap,” she said. “Their cap is not nice.”