Sharapova shocked at US Open

Defending champion Maria Sharapova was today sent crashing out of the US Open by 30th seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

The second seed from Russia had dropped only two games before today’s third round before being beaten 6-4 1-6 6-2 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

After dropping the first set, Sharapova rolled through the second and moved quickly into a 2-0 lead in the third.

But she failed to win another game as her 18-year-old opponent showed great poise in breaking to get back on serve in the third game, then did so again two games later to take control of the decisive set.

Radwanska, who matched her best grand slam showing at Wimbledon last year, converted her fourth break point in the seventh game for a 5-2 lead, then moved on to the fourth round when Sharapova hit a forehand off the net and the ball landed wide.

Another Russian, Nadia Petrova, failed to progress beyond the third round of the US Open for the second straight year.

The seventh seed, beaten at this stage by Tatiana Golovin last year, was this time upset by Hungarian Agnes Szavay, 6-4 6-4, at the year’s final major.

Petrova committed 29 unforced errors and hit just 15 winners against an 18-year-old opponent playing in her first US Open. Ranked 31 in the world, she will now face Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko, who beat Russia’s Maria Kirilenko, 6-2 6-4.