Maria Sharapova sent crashing by Anastasija Sevastova at US Open

Maria Sharapova feels the strain on her way to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 defeat by Anastaija Sevastov. Picture: AP.

This time last year, Sevastova was making her way to the quarter-finals at the Open for the first time, beating Johanna Konta to get there. At the same time, Sharapova was kicking her heels and serving her 15 month drugs ban having tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open.

Coming back, nobody expected Sharapova to do much in New York – she has barely played all summer due to a thigh injury and then an arm injury – while the Latvian was making her way up the rankings to a career-high No.16 in July. Now down to No.17, she had no dropped a set on her way to the fourth round.

With variety, guile and more than a little gumption, Sevastova had every intention of defending her ranking points and reaching the last eight again.

Trying to outhit Sharapova from the back of the court was not never going to end well but if she could make the former champion run and move, she might be on to something. And that is what she tried to do.

To see the mighty Sharapova scrambling forward to sweep up drop shots only to galumph back again when Sevastova lobbed her was a novelty. But to see the look of sheer thunder on Sharapova’s face when she was being given such a run around was awfully familiar. La Sharapova does not like to messed with on a tennis court and she makes her feelings known – and it is probably best not to make her angry.

Yet for all her fame and fortune, and for all her imperious demeanour on court, Sharapova is a simple soul at heart: she wants to win, no matter what the cost.

Her coach, Sven Groeneveld, has tried to add a little more variety to her game with the occasional drop shot but there is also a new element of improvisation in the Sharapova armoury. It is not necessarily intentional; rather, it is the after-effect of playing so little over the past 18 months – she often finds herself in places and positions she never imagined as she tries to shake off the ring rust from her game and her game plan.

Sometimes, when Sevastova was pulling her this way and that around the court as if on a bit of string, Sharapova even tried hitting left-handed forehands to keep herself in the point. But still Sevastova would not go away.

When the Latvian took the second set, Sharapova marched to her chair and barked at the umpire that she was leaving to change her clothes. This was no polite request; this was an order. But if the intention was disrupt Sevastova’s rhythm, it backfired: in the first three games of the third set, Sharapova won just one point and was 3-0 down in a matter of minutes.

Calling for the trainer to patch up a blister on her right hand, Sharapova managed to slow the pace even further and this time, she got her reward. A rare sloppy service game from Sevastova allowed the Russian to break back but it was too little, too late.

Sevastova, not looking quite as confident as she has in the previous set, stuck to her plan and forcing Sharapova off balance and out of position, she broke for 5-2 and roared in triumph.

The Russian’s 50th unforced error brought up Sevastova’s first match point and a service winner converted her  third.