The magical name Sharapova did her job: more than five thousand spectators gathered for the first time in the stands of the Olimpiysky sports complex. Unlike other days, the VIP sector was not empty. Immediately behind the backs of Machine Father Yuri and her coach Michael Joyce, who traditionally settled in the front row, Nikolai Karachentsov and his wife took a seat. In the adjacent chairs, two more avid tennis enthusiasts got settled - composers Igor Krutoy and Igor Nikolaev. The bohemian party was slightly diluted by the president of the Russian Wrestling Federation, Mikhail Mamiashvili, the Olympic champion, and now television presenter Yevgeny Kafelnikov and his former colleague in the national team, Alexander Volkov. But the main tennis fan - the first president of Russia with his wife for some reason was absent. But the personal places of the four Yeltsins, covered in blue velvet, were not empty, they were not failing to occupy certain VIPs at a lower level.
Sharapova’s relationship with the Kremlin Cup is, to put it mildly, not easy. Last year, only a miracle in the form of an injury to German Anna-Lena Grenefeld helped Masha not to fly out of the tournament after the first match (parting with him happened in the next round - after losing to Dinara Safina). The old story almost repeated this time. True, at first, nothing portended trouble. Already in the 7th game, Masha managed to take the opponent’s pitch, and then without problems brought the whole set to victory - 6: 4. When Sharapova started with a break and the second installment, it seemed: she would not have to spend a lot of energy. However, Bychkova proved herself a real fighter - she took four games in a row and led 5: 3.
At that moment, Sharapov Sr. began frantically fiddling with his baseball cap. "Probably gives secret signs to daughter!" - guessed in the stands. With the help of his father or not, but under her own desperate screams, Maria managed to take the almost lost set (7: 5), and with it the whole match. “For the last two weeks I have been resting and having a hard time feeling the game tone,” she justified herself to reporters.
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