At first, it was all about that little black “Audrey Hepburn” Nike dress.  Sharapova made a memorable fashion statement with her black Nike dress similar to Andre Agassi’s denim shorts way back when… Sharapova may not wear that stylish dress again, but it won’t be forgotten easily.  It was the first thing you noticed when Maria Sharapova walked on court for the finals.  But in the end, Sharapova had the shots.  Although she didn’t play a perfect match, she made the winning forehands and the service aces when it mattered most.  As Justine Henin-Hardenne said after the finals, “Maria was the better player” in the match.  Sharapova has an amazingly strong record when she wins the first set.  She started slowly in the early rounds of the 2006 U.S. Open, but by the semis, she started to improve her play in the first set.  You could tell after her semifinal win that she really wanted this U.S. Open title… In her on-court post-match interview after beating Mauresmo, Sharapova announced, “I’m not done yet!”  The dress that Sharapova wore to win her second Grand Slam title at the 2006 U.S. Open will be auctioned to raise money for Sharapova’s new charity which helps “At-Risk” children around the world achieve their dreams.  It is a good thing for tennis that Maria Sharapova is “not done yet” because she does have the game to be a great champion. 

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