Wednesday, September 2, 2009; 6:05 AM
NEW YORK -- They come from opposite ends of the spectrum - one a former champion and current superstar, the other still searching for his big moment.
Both know what it's like to have tennis taken away.
Maria Sharapova and Taylor Dent each made winning returns to the U.S. Open on Tuesday, coming back from injuries that sent them to the sidelines and made them appreciate the game that much more.
The 29th-seeded Sharapova, who missed nearly 10 months with a shoulder injury, defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-3, 6-0 in front of thousands in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The unseeded Dent, coming back from debilitating back injuries that could have ended his career, upset Feliciano Lopez of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 7-5 in front of hundreds on Court 11.
"I was told by the doctors that this was not realistic," said Dent, ranked 195th in the world.
But after his first win at a Grand Slam tournament since 2005, an upset over a player ranked 158 spots higher than him, anything seems possible - for one day, at least.
"The only word to describe it is 'elation,'" said Dent, who was bedridden two years ago, in need of delicate operations to heal broken vertebra.
Sharapova's injury wasn't nearly as dire, but she needed surgery for a torn rotator cuff and now finds herself an underdog in a sport she owned not so long ago.
She is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, the 2006 champion at Flushing Meadows and, counting endorsements, the highest-grossing female athlete in the world.
Not surprisingly, she made a fashion statement for her return to the spotlight, wearing a silver-and-black dress that she said was a tribute to the New York City skyline.
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