US Open: Scrappy Latvian Sevastova Ousts Sharapova

Technically, this wasn't an upset.

After all, a 15-month suspension dropped Maria Sharapova so far down the world rankings, there was probably some dudette in Nome higher up the list.

Meanwhile, Anastasija Sevastova is ranked 27th by the WTA and seeded No 16 at the US Open.

To say she's a crafty competitor is an understatment.

The 27-year-old native of Liepāja, Latvia had a unique insight to Sharapova: She, too, had a long spell away from the game. Two years, in fact, due to injuries. So she developed her game plan based on the experience of her own comeback.

Sevastova was gonna do what Floyd Mayweather did to Conor McGregor and Costa Rica did to the USA: deploy Muhammad Ali's rope-a-dope strategy and let the hard-hitting Sharapova slug herself out.

Sevastova looks like she'd be right at home on somewhere like Staten Island, ballcap on backwards, surviving on street sense at the local courts.

It worked at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, too.

The 5-7/170cm counter-puncher stayed defiantly on the baseline, sustaining long volleys and deploying cut shots. Sharapova dominated early but had yet to gain full-match stamina and soon began low-bridgin so many shots, the net could've stood to see a trainer.

In all, the Russian compiled 51 unforced errors, surely due to fatigue. Still, that's not to say she didn't join Sevastova in putting on a show:

Those were entertaining battles, but the war went to Sevastova, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Now, the mantel of most entertaining wild card entry shifts to American Sloane Stevens, and she'll take her next shot against none other than Sevastova.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams is no doubt watching with pride for older sis Venus, who's now an aunt to a newborn baby girl.

Women's singles is a wide-open affair, so perhaps she can celebrate her family's newest addition in a Williams sorta way, by hoisting a Slam trophy.