Maria Sharapova sparkles, stuns Simona Halep in US Open tennis

Maria Sharapova proved she will be someone to contend with for the U.S. Open tennis crown after the Russian wild card outlasted second seed Simona Halep 6-4 4-6 6-3 on Monday to get the year's final grand slam off to an electrifying start. Still shaking off the rust from a 15-month doping ban and a string of nagging injuries, the 30-year-old Maria Sharapova needed all her skill, determination and two hours and 44 minutes to snatch victory in front of a packed Arthur Ashe stadium. The victory becomes the highlight of what has been a torturous comeback for the former world number one, who returned to tennis in April after being banned for testing positive for metabolic modulator meldonium at last year's Australian Open. Video courtesy: Perform