They might as well hand over the 2013 Wimbledon Women's Singles title to Serena Williams. Maria Sharapova, the No. 3 seeded player in the Women's Singles, was eliminated in straight sets by Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal in the second round at the All England Club. The scoreboard read 6-3, 6-4 in favor of the Portugese and now, Sharapova is the second player in the Women's Singles' Top 3 to find an early exit from the tournament.
When looking at the stats, the match seemed to have favored Sharapova. The Russian won the battle of the aces 6-0 and had 21 winners to de Brito's 13. However, de Brito made fewer mistakes and was able to get her first serves in at a higher rate than Sharapova. De Brito committed only nine unforced errors, while Sharapova doubled de Brito's total, committing 18 in the match, 12 of which came in the final set.
Apparently, Sharapova suffered an injury after slipping during her match against de Brito. She received medical attention, but as the final score indicates, Sharapova's movements became limited and the loss could be attributed to the slip she took in the match. Victoria Azarenka withdrew from competition after also taking a hard slip in her first round matchup. She was unable to play because of a bad knee.
For Sharapova, it's a true shocker. This is only the third time in her 11-year career that she's been eliminated in the second round of the tournament. For de Brito, however, it's a stepping stone as the 20-year-old advances to the third round at Wimbledon for the first time in her short career.
De Brito turned pro at the age of 16 in 2007. She played her first grand slam tournamnent in 2009 at Roland Garros, where she advanced to the third round, her best finish at a grand slam. Could we be looking at the future of Women's Singles tennis? She is currently ranked No. 131 in Women's Singles, but after her victory over Sharapova, chances are we will see this ranking taking a spike.
Ahead now for De Brito, is Karin Knapp of Italy who is ranked 104 in the Women's Singles tournament. As for Sharapova, she can begin getting ready for the hard courts.
