With the current suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours, we are opening up our US Open vault to bring you full match videos of classic encounters through the years in New York.
Join us Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for the latest #USOpenClassics on Facebook Live and Twitter. Next up in the series is a full-match live stream of the 2017 opening-night matchup between Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep. The full match will be posted on Sunday on the US Open YouTube Channel.
With Maria Sharapova playing in her first Grand Slam in 18 months, the Russian's comeback was one of the major storylines entering the 2017 US Open. But when she was drawn against world No. 2 Simona Halep at the draw ceremony in Manhattan's Seaport District, that first-round matchup became the talk of the tennis world.
Wild card Sharapova, who recently retired as a five-time major champ, was ranked No. 146 entering the US Open, this match being just the 11th of her comeback. Halep, now a two-time major winner, had not yet tasted Grand Slam glory despite her lofty ranking at the time.
The opening-night headliner lived up to the hype, with the pair's contrasting styles making for three thrilling sets in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Despite entering the evening with an 0-6 lifetime record in the head-to-head, Halep's counterpunching style provided a compelling foil to Sharapova's power game, creating a captivating back-and-forth on this occasion.
Always at home in the spotlight, Sharapova was bidding to extend her perfect record under the lights in Ashe to 18-0.
"It's prime time baby," she would say after the match.
Watch the full #USOpenClassics match via Facebook Live and Twitter on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
