Sharapova won't reach No. 1 yet after loss to Henin-Hardenne

BERLIN -- Maria Sharapova's bid to become the top-ranked player by winning the German Open ended Friday with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Justine Henin-Hardenne in a cold and rainy quarterfinal.

Sharapova was trying to overtake Lindsay Davenport for the No. 1 spot, but she ran into one of the world's best clay-court players, who extended her winning streak to 15 matches.

"It's not like I'm going to go home and cry. I'm not disappointed at not being No. 1," the top-seeded Sharapova said. "I'm only 18, I'm No. 2 and I'm pretty satisfied at the moment."

Sharapova can gain the top ranking in Rome or at the French Open in the next three weeks, but will need very high finishes. The Russian has yet to advance past the quarterfinals at any clay-court event.

The rain, which both players said worked to Henin-Hardenne's advantage, also led to upsets of Amelie Mauresmo and U.S. Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova. In the other quarterfinal, Elena Bovina faces Jelena Jankovic in this $1.3 million tuneup for the French Open, which starts May 23.

Mauresmo, seeded second, lost to Russia's Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-3, and Kuznetsova, seeded fourth, was ousted 6-2, 6-2 by seventh-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland. Both matches started late because of the rain. The fourth quarterfinal was halted because of darkness. Jelena Jankovic won the first set 6-3, and Elena Bovina the second 6-3.

Henin-Hardenne raised her arms up in joy after blasting a forehand down the line for the victory. The 2004 French Open champion is coming back from illness and injury that cost her the top ranking. The Belgian is chasing her third straight title after winning at Charleston, S.C., and Warsaw, Poland.

Sharapova's hopes ended when Henin-Hardenne slammed two backhands right near the line to break serve. That evened the second set at 4-4 after the Belgian charged back from two games behind. After that, Sharapova didn't offer much resistance.

"It was great that I pulled out my best tennis today against the No. 2," Henin-Hardenne said. "I played smart today. The slow courts helped me. I had a lot of time to plan my strategy."

Henin-Hardenne, who had been pushed to three sets in every match at this event, threw lobs and drop shots to counter Sharapova's power. At one point, she even charged the net to surprise the Russian with a serve-and-volley game.

"That makes the other person scared when they see me pop up at the net," Henin-Hardenne said.

She is 18-1 for 2005, her only loss coming against Sharapova in the quarterfinals in Key Biscayne, Fla., her first tournament after her layoff.

"I still have regrets about that," Henin-Hardenne said. "I just wasn't aggressive and let her play her game. Maybe I wasn't ready for a player like that."

Petrova, seeded sixth, has never won a singles title.

"I was really happy with the weather today," she said. "She hardly came to the net and couldn't play her favorite game. I think the slow courts were to my advantage."

Mauresmo had beaten Petrova in straight sets at the Paris Indoors this year in their only other meeting. Last year, the third-ranked Frenchwoman won the German Open when Venus Williams pulled out of the final because of a twisted ankle.

But Mauresmo looked rusty this time, struggling after a five-week layoff because of an abdominal muscle injury and hampered by the rain and cold.

"It was really tough conditions," she said. "But the conditions were the same for both - it didn't work for me. My clay-court game just isn't ready."