Venus/Srichaphan def Maria/Udomchoke 8-6 -- Beautiful start to the New Year Tor Chittinand watches Maria Sharapova beat Venus Williams in an entertaining exhibition in Hua Hin yesterday Maria Sharapova got off to a bright start to the new season when she beat Venus Williams 6-3, 6-4 yesterday in an exhibition match between two former top-ranked players. In a warm-up ahead of this month's Australian Open, both players appeared to be troubled by the baking heat as the temperature in the seaside resort reached 39 degrees Celsius. The encounter was part of the celebrations to mark Hua Hin's 100th anniversary and was presided over by Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand. Before a packed crowd, world No 14 Sharapova displayed a solid and fierce baseline game to put Williams away in just one hour and 34 minutes, and record her first win over the American since 2007. Sharapova took a 4-1 lead before the 2008 Wimbledon champion broke the Russian to cut the deficit to 5-3. However, Sharapova was too strong and won the first set 6-3. In the second set, both players held their serves until the final game when world No 6 Williams missed two forehands to lose the match. ''It's good to be back and I was glad to play against Venus in my first match of the year,'' said the 22-year-old Russian who also defeated Williams in an exhibition match in Chiang Mai at the start of 2005. ''I still remember when I first came to Thailand before. I was still young and had a great match with Venus. ''I will start practice now and use this beautiful hot weather to prepare for the Australian Open. I grew up in Florida. It's warm and humid there so here it's okay for me.'' When asked about Thailand, Sharapova said: ''I love the people. They greet you from your first step off the plane and you feel warm. ''They make you feel like you are a part of them and a part of the culture. I love the food like khao (rice) and different spices.'' Sharapova, who suffered a shoulder injury last year, said she hopes to stay healthy for the whole season. Williams, who will be chasing her first Australian Open title when she heads to Melbourne, acknowledged she was a little bit behind the pace after the off-season. ''Maria played so well and I was slow in my first match of the season but it was good to be here hitting the ball,'' Williams said. ''Although I lost, my overall performance was pretty good. When I play with Maria, I have to play 100% to beat her.'' She said she likes local arts and knows a few Thai words, most of them for shopping. ''I know a few words to bargain like lod noi (reduce the price a bit) and paeng pai (too expensive),'' said the American. ''I'm always ready for the bargain. It is part of competition on and off the court.'' After their match, Williams teamed up with Danai Udomchoke to play Sharapova and Paradorn Srichaphan in a mixed doubles match. Williams and Paradorn beat Danai and Sharapova 8-6 after an entertaining spectacle. ''I enjoyed playing with Paradorn,'' said Williams. ''He's a great player and has done so many great things for Thai tennis.'' said Williams. About Paradorn's hair style, Williams said: ''It's cool!'' On Paradorn's hair, Sharapova said: ''It looks like a Mohawk, nothing new in my country.'' --

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