Tennis news - 'You played unbelievable' - Maria Sharapova consoles 17-year-old star after retirement
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Published 02/01/2019 at 08:39 GMT
Maria Sharapova showed her class and compassion as she sat with 17-year-old starlet Wang Xinyu after she was forced to retire at 6-7(4) 5-2 at WTA Shenzhen.
Maria Sharapova (L) of Russia talks with Wang Xinyu (C) of China who retired hurt after their women's singles second round match of the Shenzhen Open tennis tournament in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province
Image credit: Getty Images
Wang took the opening set in sensational fashion, highlighting her extraordinary potential in the process of stunning the Russian.
Having taken the tie-break 7-4 to hold the ascendancy in the match, the Chinese player suffered nasty cramping and the trainer had to be called.
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Wang Xinyu (R) of China is treated on the court during her women's singles second round match against Maria Sharapova of Russia at the Shenzhen Open tennis tournament in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province
Image credit: Getty Images
Wang, who won two junior Grand Slam titles in doubles last year and was a wildcard in the event, clearly struggled after the opening set took 73 minutes to be won.
She was eventually forced to retire, but her withdrawal prompted a heartwarming exchange in which Sharapova sat and consoled her.
"You played unbelievable," the five-time Grand Slam champion told her, while noting her incredible potential.
It was a very nice moment, from an established star who was once the rising star Wang is now.
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Maria Sharapova at the Shenzhen Open in Shenzhen
Image credit: Getty Images
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