Sharapova steals the show in Auckland
Maria Sharapova was the most demanded commodity at Viaduct Harbour, Auckland. The harbour was packed with fans as far as the eye could see, this Thursday evening as the tennis star patiently signed autograph upon autograph.
Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Yanina Wickmayer braved the risk of getting wrist injuries and that too just ahead of the ASB Classic at the signing session. The ASB Classic is scheduled to begin next week. This is the first time in their careers that
Sharapova and fellow Russian Kuznetsova will be playing in New Zealand.
Roughly speaking, about 200 fans, of all sizes and ages, were seen queuing up as they sought a little face to face time with the tennis greats. The surfaces to be signed included a range of things from posters to shirts to tennis balls and the list even
included mobile phones and yo-yos. Talk about enthusiasm.
Tournament officials have stated they wouldn’t be surprised if some of the signed merchandise finds its way to some of the online trading giants such as Ebay and is auctioned off for large sums of money.
Where the event saw a huge turnout of young girls; there was one fan that stood out amongst them all. Second in line was Emily Poulsen, 63 years old and hailing from the North Shore. "I love tennis and I especially love Maria Sharapova, so getting the chance
to see her is amazing," says the woman. This has got to be some sort of a record, hasn’t it?
While Kuznetsova and Wickmayer also had plenty of signing to keep them occupied, Sharapova was indeed in the hottest demand. She didn’t get a single break during the 40 minute session. However, the other two did manage to get some free time and chose to
utilise it by testing out a serving net.
None of the ladies stopped to talk to the media after the signing event came to an end. However, Kuznetsova seemed to be determined to make some headlines as she let it rip and sent a ball flying into the Waitemata Harbour just before they left.
Sharapova is currently the top seed at the ASB Classic which is scheduled to start on Monday. Ever since she has arrived in New Zealand, the player has been seen practicing hard at the local courts. Earlier today she was also seen hitting with local wildcard
entrant, Sacha Jones.
If there is one thing we are sure about, it’s that Sharapova is ready and gearing to give everyone a good run for their money this tournament. Wickmayer, the defending champion has a lot more pressure now that Sharapova is also competing. It seems very unlikely
that she will be able to grab this year’s title as well.
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