‘This girl’s not going anywhere’

NEW YORK: It was a performance as dazzling as the crystal-encrusted black dress she was wearing as Maria Sharapova warned her US Open rivals that behind the glamour, there’s tons of grit.

The 30-year-old Russian star marked her return to Grand Slam tennis after serving a 15-month doping ban with a thrilling 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over second seed Simona Halep on Monday.It was her 50th appearance at a major but first since the quarter-finals of the 2016 Australian Open.

But it was like she had never been away as she took her night-time record on the Arthur Ashe Stadium to 18 wins in 18 matches. Fittingly, Sharapova played in a black dress, just as she had done in 2006 when she was crowned champion, one of her five Grand Slam titles.

“Behind this little black dress and the Swarovski crystals, there is a girl with a lot of grit and she’s not going anywhere,” Sharapova said after seeing off Halep.“You try and think it’s another day, another opportunity but it was so much more,” said Sharapova, who fell to her knees in tears after securing a thrilling triumph on Monday.

“You never know how you are going to feel until match point but you figure it’s all worth it.”The eye-catching crystals sewn into her black and lace number were a perfect teaser for TV cameras for the night session on Ashe. “It’s prime time baby!” she said with a smile. “When I first came to New York I was intimidated by the noise, the traffic, the people. But now I love it.”