Sharapova’s loudest scream punctuated her first U.S. Open championship. Moments after capturing the second major title of her career, Sharapova tossed her Prince racquet aside, dropped to her knees near the baseline, and buried her face in her hands before thrusting her arms in the air in exuberance.
“The first thing that comes into my mind when you go down on the ground, you just think of everything that you've put into this moment, and even though the moment is a very short time you get to be on court with that trophy, it's just so incredible," Sharapova said. "I experienced it two years ago and I knew that I wasn't done. I had a lot more in me. That was just the beginning. This is not just preparation that happened a couple weeks before the tournament; this is preparation that I've done ever since I was a little girl with the help of my amazing family."
Henin had beaten Sharapova in four of their prior five meetings. The second-ranked Belgian was the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1997 to advance to all four major finals in a single season. Playing for her second Grand Slam title of the year and the top spot in the rankings, Henin took a 2-0 lead, only to see Sharapova blast past her to take the title.
The third-seeded Sharapova's only real misstep came during the trophy presentation, when she leaped in the air while raising the silver U.S. Open trophy aloft, jarring the top of the trophy which toppled to the court. The trophy momentarily lost its lid, but Sharapova never lost her head. Two days after dispatching world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, Sharapova stopped Henin to become the eighth woman to beat both of the world's top two ranked players in a Grand Slam tournament.
In the afterglow, the star of Nike's "I Feel Pretty" ad campaign, which ran during the Open, was asked if she still felt pretty.
“I feel pretty darn good,” Sharapova shot back with a smile.
This Date in U.S. Open History
August 27:The defending champion survives his opener (1985)
August 28:Jimmy Connors' legendary run begins (1991)
August 29: Pierce rises from the dead (2003)
August 30:Santoro, Blake put on a show (2007)
August 31: Agassi's final, epic victory (2006)
September 1:Sampras' win streak snapped (1997)
September 2:Doubles players announce lawsuit vs. ATP (2005)
September 3:Safin survives in breakthrough tournament (2000)
September 4:A bizarre Williams vs. Williams match (2005)
September 5:Unbreakable: Pete vs. Andre (2001)
September 6:A Seles-Capriati classic (1991)
September 7: The late show with Agassi and Blake (2005)
September 8:Venus' late comeback vs. Hingis (2000)
September 9:Sharapova feels pretty powerful (2006)
