Before this year’s first-round meeting at the US Open, Maria Sharapova and Patty Schnyder had faced each other eight times, with Sharapova leading their head-to-head 7-1, but their last encounter happened way back in 2008 in Rome, so the 2018 late night clash in which the Russian extended her record against the Swiss veteran felt like the revival of the old times.
The 39-year-old tennis mom Schynder, who played her first US Open quarterfinals 20(!) years ago, was on the brink of a quick defeat when faced with a 6-2 5-1 deficit against a sub-par Sharapova, but she produced a spirited fightback, profiting on her opponent’s errors, and forced a tiebreak in the second set.