French Open announcer honored ‘runner-up Maria Sharapova’ (VIDEO)
It didn't take long for someone to try and dethrone Maria Sharapova from her French Open and No. 1 reign. During the trophy ceremony after the Russian's emphatic 6-3, 6-2 victory over Sara Errani, the announcer at Roland Garros mistakenly announced Sharapova as the runner-up at the event.
Hearing the mistake, Errani smiled for the crowd and triumphantly raised her arms in the air. Sharapova laughed and playfully raised her arms in confusion.
(Video begins at 60 seconds.)
The announcer quickly corrected herself to announce Errani as the runner-up. She received her trophy from presenter Monica Seles and then watched as Sharapova was awarded her first-ever Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
[Related: Maria Sharapova storms to historic victory at French Open]
"It was funny," Sharapova said after the match. " I actually saw her reaction better when she lifted her hands. It's nice to see when, you know, when a finalist is in good spirits and the way she talked and the speech."
Errani's grace under awkwardness was just as endearing as her unlikely run to the finals. Perhaps her reaction was an indication that she was just as surprised about being on the sport's biggest stage as everyone else. But imagine how John McEnroe or Serena Williams would have reacted. What if the roles were reversed and a losing Sharapova was on the receiving end of a faux title?
She won a real one and it capped a career Grand Slam and helped return her to the top ranking in women's tennis. It was Sharapova's first major victory since suffering a major shoulder injury in 2008.
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