Maria Sharapova wins over fans with incredible act of sportsmanship
<p>Maria Sharapova has won over tennis fans with her acts of compassion in her latest match in the Shenzhen Open.</p>
<p>Her opponent, 17-year-old teenager Wang Xinyu, had to retire in the second set of the match due to cramps.</p>
<p>With Sharapova leading in the second set 5-2 after recovering from a shaky start, with Xinyu leading their first set with 7-6 (4), the game was brought to a halt when Wang was forced to quit.</p>
<p>Wang, after winning two Grand Slam titles last year, was a wildcard entry into the Shenzhen event. The teenager was devastated at her injuries as she made her way off the court in tears.</p>
<p>Sharapova saw her opponents tears and came over to offer some words of encouragement.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr">Sharapova: “You take care of yourself ok? If you play like this you’re going to be No.1. I promise.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShenzhenOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShenzhenOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/cugobhg5qe">pic.twitter.com/cugobhg5qe</a></p>
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA_insider/status/1080362278543708161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
<p>“It’s not the way either of us wants to finish the match, win or lose,” Sharapova explained afterwards.</p>
<p>”I thought (Wang) was absolutely the dominant player in this match, and had all the opportunities to win it, even though I felt like I was finding my stride and getting a little bit closer to the line and being more aggressive.</p>
<p>“She has all the tools to play well, and I think she showcased that, and it’s obviously a very unfortunate way to end the match,” Sharapova said.</p>
<p>With Sharapova advancing to the quarter finals, all of her matches might not end this way as she faces top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.</p>
<p>Sabalenka dominated her opponent, Ekaterina Alexandrova, in straights sets with a 6-3 6-3 win.</p>
