© VCG via Getty Images
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has won praise after comforting opponent Wang Xinyu after the teenager was forced to retire injured in the pair's match at the Shenzhen Open.
Wang, who had entered the tournament through a wild card, took the first set against the five-time Grand Slam winner on a tie-break.
However, the 17-year-old suffered intense cramps during the second set, first taking a medical timeout at 3-2 down before ultimately forfeiting two matches as she struggled to continue before pulling out.
Sharapova was handed the win 6-7, 5-2 and moved into the quarterfinals, but the 31-year-old won widespread praise for attending to a distraught Wang after she was forced out of the match.
Sharapova was heard lifting the Chinese youngster's spirits, telling her she "had played unbelievable."
© Getty Images / Zhe Ji
The touching moment won praise from social media users.
Sharapova progressed to the quarterfinals to face top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, after she beat Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets in their second-round clash.
Comment: Sore loser Serena Williams could learn a thing or two about sportsmanship from Maria Sharapova. The 'cultural guardians' tried to make people believe Williams was someone worthy of looking up to, whereas Sharapova was 'a cheat'. Reality says something rather different.
Sharapova was roasted over the coals for testing positive for melodonium,
a drug which only became illegal to use 6 months before she tested positive. Plus, there are
many questions about how many athletes were even made aware of the rule change making melodonium a banned substance. Williams, meanwhile, regularly takes hardcore steroids - '
legally' - something which either explains or goes with her on-court behavior:
Russia vs USA.... aint got a chance in hell