2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season
# 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season

Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2005 tennis season.

## Yearly summary

### Australian Open series

Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the fourth seed. She reached the semi-finals, defeating Grand Slam debutant Li Na and the previous year's US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova en route, before being defeated in the semi-finals by eventual champion Serena Williams in an epic three set thriller on Rod Laver. Sharapova, had several match points in the final set, but ended up losing it 6–8.

### Indian Wells & Miami

Sharapova reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells for the first time, but she would suffer the ignominy of a double bagel defeat, failing to win a single game against Lindsay Davenport. This would turn out to be Sharapova's only career defeat against Davenport. She fared much better in Miami though, beating the likes of Justine Henin-Hardenne and Venus Williams en route to the final. In the final, she lost in straight sets to Kim Clijsters.

### European clay court season

Sharapova first clay event of the season was the Berlin Open where she was the first seed. She lost in straight sets in the quarters, to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne. Her next tournament was the Internazionali B.N.L D'Italia Open. She lost in the semifinals to Swiss Patty Schnyder, in three sets after winning the first set. Her final clay tournament of the year was the French Open where she reached the quarterfinals. In the quarters she lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne, for the second and final time in the season.

### Grass court season

Sharapova successfully defended her title in Birmingham, defeating future rivals Samantha Stosur and Tatiana Golovin, before defeating, future world number one, Jelena Janković in a three set final.

As the defending champion at Wimbledon, Sharapova navigated her way through to the semi-finals without the loss of a set (and serve, with the exception of her third round victory against Katarina Srebotnik), before being defeated by eventual champion Venus Williams; the defeat ending a 22-match winning streak on grass dating back to the 2003 Wimbledon 4th Round.

### US Open series

A week before the start of the US Open, Sharapova claimed the World No. 1 ranking for the first time, succeeding Lindsay Davenport. Subsequently, she was named top seed at a Major tournament for the first time, at the US Open, where she reached the semi-finals to complete the feat of having reached at least the quarter-final stage at each of the four Majors.

Sharapova won her first four matches for the loss of just 12 games, before being sternly tested by compatriot Nadia Petrova in the quarter-finals, before winning in three sets. In the semi-finals, she lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in three sets. This marked the fourth consecutive Major tournament in which Sharapova was defeated by the eventual champion. Despite this defeat, Sharapova reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking following the tournament, having improved from her third round showing from 2004.

### Fall series

Sharapova's first of two fall tournaments was the 2005 Beijing Open. She had a lot of points here, after making it to the semifinals last year falling to compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova. She won her first match in a rollercoaster three setter, 6–0, 5–7, 6–2. Then she won her second round easily, in straight sets. In her semifinal match versus Maria Kirilenko, she had to retire the match due to injury.

Sharapova's Next tournament was the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. In her opening round match versus Anna-Lena Grönefeld, she was up 6–1, 4–2, when Grönefeld had to retire the match due to injury. Her next match was versus fellow Russian and future World No.1, Dinara Safina. Sharapova lost after taking the first set 6–1. This was her first loss after winning the opening set since May.

### WTA Tour Championships

Sharapova qualified for the year-end WTA Tour Championships for the second year in a row, having picked up three titles during the season. She was drawn in the Green Group along with Lindsay Davenport, Patty Schnyder and Nadia Petrova. Sharapova won two of her three matches, the only loss coming to Petrova in the last match. Sharapova qualified for the semi-finals after finishing first in her group; thus, the semi-final saw her drawn against Amélie Mauresmo, in which she was defeated in straight sets, bringing an end to her 2005 season.

## All matches

This table chronicles all the matches of Sharapova in 2005, including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision.

Key :

| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

### Singles matches (Grand Slams and Premier 5)

| Tournament | # | Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 17–30 January 2005 |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 17–30 January 2005 | 1 | 1R | Sesil Karatantcheva | Win | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 17–30 January 2005 | 2 | 2R | Lindsay Lee-Waters | Win | 4–6, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 17–30 January 2005 | 3 | 3R | Li Na | Win | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 17–30 January 2005 | 4 | 4R | Silvia Farina Elia | Win | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 17–30 January 2005 | 5 | QF | Svetlana Kuznetsova | Win | 4–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 17–30 January 2005 | 6 | SF | Serena Williams | Loss | 6–2, 5–7, 6–8 |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 14–20 March 2005 |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 14–20 March 2005 | | 1R | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 14–20 March 2005 | | 2R | Angela Haynes | Win | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 14–20 March 2005 | | 3R | Dinara Safina | Win | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 14–20 March 2005 | | 4R | Fabiola Zuluaga | Win | 4–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 14–20 March 2005 | | QF | Mary Pierce | Win | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 14–20 March 2005 | | SF | Lindsay Davenport | Loss | 0–6, 0–6 |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 | | 1R | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 | | 2R | Eleni Daniilidou | Win | 6–0, 6–4 |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 | | 3R | Marissa Irvin | Win | 6–2, 6–0 |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 | | 4R | Shinobu Asagoe | Win | 6–1, 6–2 |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 | | QF | Justine Henin-Hardenne | Win | 6–1, $6–7^{(6–8)},$ 6–2 |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 | | SF | Venus Williams | Win | 6–4, 6–3 |
| NASDAQ-100 Open Miami, United States of America Tier I Hard, outdoor 21 March–3 April 2005 | | F | Kim Clijsters | Loss (1) | 3–6, 5–7 |
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 23 May–5 June 2005 |
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 23 May–5 June 2005 | | 1R | Evgenia Linetskaya | Win | $6–7^{(3–7)},$ 6–2, 6–4 |
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 23 May–5 June 2005 | | 2R | Aravane Rezaï | Win | 6–3, 6–2 |
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 23 May–5 June 2005 | | 3R | Anna Chakvetadze | Win | 6–1, 6–4 |
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 23 May–5 June 2005 | | 4R | Nuria Llagostera Vives | Win | 6–2, 6–3 |
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 23 May–5 June 2005 | | QF | Justine Henin-Hardenne | Loss | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 20 June–3 July 2005 |
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 20 June–3 July 2005 | | 1R | Nuria Llagostera Vives | Win | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 20 June–3 July 2005 | | 2R | Sesil Karatantcheva | Win | 6–0, 6–1 |
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 20 June–3 July 2005 | | 3R | Katarina Srebotnik | Win | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 20 June–3 July 2005 | | 4R | Nathalie Dechy | Win | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 20 June–3 July 2005 | | QF | Nadia Petrova | Win | $7–6^{(8–6)},$ 6–3 |
| Wimbledon London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 20 June–3 July 2005 | | SF | Venus Williams | Loss | $6–7^{(2–7)},$ 1–6 |
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 29 August–11 September 2005 |
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 29 August–11 September 2005 | | 1R | Eleni Daniilidou | Win | 6–1, 6–1 |
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 29 August–11 September 2005 | | 2R | Dally Randriantefy | Win | 6–1, 6–0 |
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 29 August–11 September 2005 | | 3R | Julia Schruff | Win | 6–2, 6–4 |
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 29 August–11 September 2005 | | 4R | Sania Mirza | Win | 6–2, 6–1 |
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 29 August–11 September 2005 | | QF | Nadia Petrova | Win | 7–5, 4–6, 6–4 |
| US Open New York City, United States of America Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 29 August–11 September 2005 | | SF | Kim Clijsters | Loss | 2–6, $7–6^{(7–4)},$ 3–6 |
| China Open Beijing, China Tier II Hard, outdoor 19–25 September 2005 |
| China Open Beijing, China Tier II Hard, outdoor 19–25 September 2005 | | 1R | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| China Open Beijing, China Tier II Hard, outdoor 19–25 September 2005 | | 2R | Shahar Pe'er | Win | 6–0, 5–7, 6–2 |
| China Open Beijing, China Tier II Hard, outdoor 19–25 September 2005 | | QF | Shinobu Asagoe | Win | 6–4, 6–1 |
| China Open Beijing, China Tier II Hard, outdoor 19–25 September 2005 | | SF | Maria Kirilenko | Loss | 4–6, 1–2 RET |
| WTA Tour Championships Los Angeles, United States of America WTA Tour Championships Hard, indoor 7–13 November 2005 |
| WTA Tour Championships Los Angeles, United States of America WTA Tour Championships Hard, indoor 7–13 November 2005 | | RR | Lindsay Davenport | Win | 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
| WTA Tour Championships Los Angeles, United States of America WTA Tour Championships Hard, indoor 7–13 November 2005 | | RR | Patty Schnyder | Win | 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 |
| WTA Tour Championships Los Angeles, United States of America WTA Tour Championships Hard, indoor 7–13 November 2005 | | RR | Nadia Petrova | Loss | 1–6, 2–6 |
| WTA Tour Championships Los Angeles, United States of America WTA Tour Championships Hard, indoor 7–13 November 2005 | | SF | Amélie Mauresmo | Loss | $6–7^{(1–7)},$ 3–6 |

## Tournament schedule

### Singles Schedule

| Date | Championship | Location | Category | Surface | Prev. result | New result | Outcome |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 17 January 2005– 30 January 2005 | Australian Open | Melbourne (AUS) | Grand Slam tournament | Hard | 3R | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Serena Williams |
| 7 March 2005– 20 March 2005 | Pacific Life Open | Indian Wells (USA) | Tier I | Hard | 4R | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Lindsay Davenport |
| 21 March 2005– 3 April 2005 | NASDAQ-100 Open | Miami (USA) | Tier I | Hard | 4R | F | Lost in the final against Kim Clijsters |
| 23 May 2005– 5 June 2005 | French Open | Paris (FRA) | Grand Slam tournament | Clay | QF | QF | Lost in the quarterfinals against Justine Henin-Hardenne |
| 20 June 2005– 3 July 2005 | The Championships, Wimbledon | London (GBR) | Grand Slam tournament | Grass | W | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Venus Williams |
| 29 August 2005– 11 September 2005 | US Open | New York (USA) | Grand Slam tournament | Hard | 3R | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Kim Clijsters |
| 19 September 2005– 25 September 2005 | China Open | Beijing (CHN) | Tier II | Hard | SF | SF | Retired in the semi-finals against Maria Kirilenko |
| 7 November 2005– 13 November 2005 | WTA Tour Championships | Los Angeles (USA) | WTA Tour Championships | Hard | W | SF | Lost in the semi-finals against Amélie Mauresmo |

## Yearly Records

### Head-to-head matchups

Maria Sharapova vs. Justine Henin-Hardenne 1-2

Maria Sharapova vs. Venus Williams 1-1

Maria Sharapova vs. Lindsay Davenport 2-1

Maria Sharapova vs. Maria Kirilenko 1-1

Maria Sharapova vs. Kim Clijsters 0-2

Maria Sharapova vs. Serena Williams 0-1

### Finals

**Singles: 4 (3–1)**

* Category
* WTA Tier I (1–1)
* WTA Tier II (1–0)
* WTA Tier III (1–0)
* Titles by surface
* Hard (1–1)
* Grass (1–0)
* Carpet (1–0)
* Titles by conditions
* Outdoors (2–1)
* Indoors (1–0)

| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Winner | 8. | February 5, 2005 | Tokyo, Japan (1) | Carpet (i) | Lindsay Davenport | 6–1, 3–6, $7–6^{(7–5)}$ |
| Winner | 9. | February 27, 2005 | Doha, Qatar (1) | Hard | Alicia Molik | 4–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | April 2, 2005 | Miami, USA (1) | Hard | Kim Clijsters | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 10. | June 12, 2005 | Birmingham, Great Britain (2) | Grass | Jelena Janković | 6–2, 4–6, 6–1 |
