WOMEN'S TENNIS Sharapova is a hit in first WTA event

Serena Williams struggled, but won, for the second straight match.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Men yelled encouragement and whistled at her. One tossed a long-stem red rose on the court. Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was a big hit playing for the first time in the season-ending WTA Championships.
"I love it here. The atmosphere is great," Sharapova said. "To be here where the Lakers play, you just feel that excitement. I love basketball."
The Russian teenager had 23 winners Thursday night in a 6-1, 6-4 victory over U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Earlier at the Staples Center, Amelie Mauresmo routed Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-0 to extend her winning streak to nine matches as the Frenchwoman tries to overtake Lindsay Davenport for the year-end No. 1 ranking.
In the late match, Serena Williams struggled for the second straight night, beating Elena Dementieva 7-6 (3), 7-5. Tied 5-all, Williams broke Dementieva with two solid forehand volleys and then served out the match when the Russian's forehand sailed long.
O-for-career
Sharapova had never beaten Kuznetsova in three previous meetings, including a 6-2, 6-2 semifinal loss in Beijing in September.
"In Beijing, she was coming off such a big winning streak [14 matches] and she was unstoppable," Sharapova said. "This time, it was important to start off well and put some pressure on her."
Sharapova hit 69 percent of her first serves, which averaged 103 mph. She improved to 7-6 against her fellow Russians this year.
Tied 2-all in the second set, Sharapova went on to break Kuznetsova three times and closed out the hour-long match with a backhand winner.
"I didn't serve well," Kuznetsova said. "She was returning pretty good, but I let her do this. She was putting pressure on me all the time."
Serena plays cranky
Williams appeared cranky throughout her match, grimacing as shots sprayed out of bounds. She had 37 unforced errors, giving her a two-match total of 98. She won just eight more total points than Dementieva.
"I'm a perfectionist, I'm insatiable," Williams said.
She has won just two titles this year, and none of them came in Grand Slam events. She didn't qualify for this tournament until last week, when sister Venus lost in Philadelphia, giving Serena a berth.
"I'm hoping for a really good year next year. I'm not worried about this year," she said.
Mauresmo remains on course for a potential tussle with Davenport.
The Frenchwoman's winning streak includes titles the last two weeks in Philadelphia and Linz, Austria. She also reached the final last month in Filderstadt, Germany, but had to withdraw because of a groin strain.
Wants to be No. 1 again
Mauresmo spent five weeks in the No. 1 spot after the U.S. Open before her injury gave Davenport a walkover victory in Germany. That allowed the American to overtake Mauresmo, and Davenport could stay there if she reaches the final Monday night.
"Reaching the No. 1 ranking was a big step for me. I felt relief at that," Mauresmo said. "Since then, I feel very confident on court and my game is there. I want to get the ranking back, but it's very different than before I was number one. It was an obsession, but now I take it in a relaxed way."