The (Long Overdue) Maria Sharapova Quiz

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1. Sharapova appeared in her first WTA event when she was granted a wild card into the main draw of Indian Wells in 2002. She reached the 2nd Round before losing to...

a. Monica Seles
b. Martina Hingis
c. Kim Clijsters
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2. In 2003, 16-year old Sharapova won her first WTA singles title. Where did she do it?

a. Tokyo, Japan
b. Sydney, Australia
c. Warsaw, Poland
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3. Who did she defeat in the final?

a. Jelena Kostanic
b. Aniko Kapros
c. Lina Krasnoroutskaya
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4. In the SF of Indian Wells in 2005, Lindsay Davenport defeated Sharapova 6-0/6-0. How long did the match last?

a. 29 minutes
b. 49 minutes
c. 59 minutes
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5. Sharapova defeated Serena Williams in the final of the 2004 WTA Championships in Los Angeles, 4-6/6-2/6-4. From what deficit did she stage her comeback in the 3rd set?

a. 3-0
b. 4-1
c. 4-0
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6. Sharapova reached the junior finals of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2002, losing both matches. From the following sets of pairs, pick the two correct players who defeated her.

1... Vera Dushevina or Vera Zvonareva?
2... Daja Bedanova or Barbora Strycova?
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7. Sharapova won her first grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2004, a year after she'd recorded her first grand slam main draw singles match victory in the 1st Round there. Who did she defeat in that 2003 match?

a. Ashley Harkleroad
b. Ainsley Cargill
c. Alexandra Stevenson
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8. For how many weeks did Sharapova hold the #1 singles ranking in 2005?

a. 1
b. 7
c. 14
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9. Sharapova won in her first six appearances in WTA singles finals from 2003-04. Her first loss in a final came in Zurich in October '04. Who beat her?

a. Elena Dementieva
b. Anna Smashnova
c. Alicia Molik
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10. Of the sixteen other Russians ranked in the WTA singles Top 100 (as of September 25, 2006), Sharapova has played twelve of them during her pro career. She has a winning record against all but two. Who are they?

a. Kuznetsova & Myskina
b. Safina & Dementieva
c. Myskina & Zvonareva
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>>>THE ANSWERS (2 pts each unless noted)<<<

1. a. Monica Seles
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2. a. Sharapova's first title came when she swept both the singles and doubles crowns at the Japan Open in Tokyo in October '03.
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3. b. Aniko Kapros, 2-6/6-2/7-6(5)
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4. b. 49 minutes
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5. c. With Williams injured and firing away winners from the baseline, Sharapova fell behind 4-0 in the 3rd set before winning the final six games of the match to take the title.
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6. (2 pts. for each of two correct answers) 1...Dushevina won the '02 Wimbledon junior final; 2...Strycova won the Australian Open junior final in '02.
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7. a. Ashley Harkleroad
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8. b. 7 weeks, beginning in August '05. She was the first Russian woman to be ranked #1. She finished the season at #4.
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9. c. Molik won, 4-6/6-2/6-3
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10. a. Kuznetsova & Myskina, the only other Russians besides Sharapova to win slam singles titles, both currently hold 3-2 advantages over her in career meetings.
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>>>THE SCORING<<<

15-22 - You Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty
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11-14 - You're Making Nearly Every Shot a Power Shot
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7-10 - Don't Choke on that Banana Yuri Told You to Eat
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0-6 - No Cell Phone Reception Here
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All for now.