Tennis/ US Open:The high-heel sneakers and the wig down on her head were missing, but no red dress had been anticipated with quite such relish since Jerry Lee Lewis let rip.

And so it was Maria Sharapova strode on to the Arthur Ashe court to open her defence of the US Open fashion stakes - sorry, make that the US Open women's title: "Put on a nice outfit and some make-up and you're the bomb," she says. "I've never worn red before, and there's no better place to do it than a night match in New York."

Last year it was the Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany'slittle black number. This year the black is confined to an Italian couture pre-match jacket and a handbag. The rest is spingly, spangly red. Pity her poor opponent, Roberta Vinci of Italy, who not only was made to feel like Cinderella before the ball, but had also missed three days' practice because of toothache. Small wonder she was thrashed 6-0, 6-1.

Sharapova and the Williams sisters have lifted women's game to new heights of zing and bling, even if there is a deep suspicion the high fashion is no more than a cover-up for a style of play that eschews variety and guile. Never mind the quality, look at the dress. Sooner or later, a new generation of women will emerge who can hit the ball hard but use such weapons sparingly in favour of greater finesse.

Sharapova has shoulders like a prop forward, and as a student of the Nick Bollettieri Academy was schooled in heavy hitting. When she won the Wimbledon title as a 17-year-old in 2004 it was generally supposed that everything would fall at her feet. In terms of endorsements and million-dollar deals it has, but not the major titles, at least not in the quantity that had initially appeared likely. Indeed, before victory here last year her champion's credentials were being severely questioned.

A year later the doubts about her ever becoming a multi-slam champion have surfaced again, principally because her body has begun to rebel against the pounding it has been taking, notably her right shoulder. It is an endemic problem in the women's game, and no amount of shuffling with the calendar appears to be having any marked effect.

Sharapova was heavily beaten by Serena Williams in the final of the Australian Open, and then lost similarly in earlier stages of the French Open and Wimbledon against Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams respectively. She believes she is over the worst.

"I've been struggling with my shoulder for quite a while, and after Wimbledon my team thought of things that could help. So I've changed my serve, shortening the swing. I'm pretty stubborn and like to keep things the same, but once you are injured such changes become necessary," Sharapova explained.

Ivanovic became the first woman to reach the last 32 with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Aravane Rezai of France.

• Guardian Service