Maria Sharapova cans coach Jimmy Connors after one match

Sometimes it only takes one date to realize it just isn’t going to work out and it’s best to cut ties right away. Same thing with superstar tennis players and their coaches. On Friday, world No. 3-ranked Maria Sharapova confirmed speculation that she had fired coach Jimmy Connors after the pairing lasted just one match together.

Sharapova fell apart in a second round loss to Sloane Stephens at the Western and Southern Open in Ohio on Tuesday. Connors was seen hanging his head from the stands but did try to paint the loss in a favorable light after the match by tweeting: “Every good round starts with a bogey – not the start we wanted, so back to work tomorrow.” Apparently the 26-year-old Sharapova didn’t exactly see it that way, ending the relationship after just 34 days.

“I started the match off pretty well, but when you put yourself in a really good position you can’t let it go. That’s what I did tonight,” Sharapova told reporters after the match. “I didn’t continue what I was doing well for the first set and a half, and that hurt me. I stopped being patient, I started making a lot more errors, especially off the first ball. Just errors that I shouldn’t make.”

Sharapova’s hip looked fine in the loss, but was plagued by far too many unforced errors. Instead of playing out points and waiting for a shot to put away, the Russian looked rushed in a match that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.

Connors’ dismissal comes less than a month after Sharapova sacked coach Thomas Hogstedt. Now Sharapova is back to the drawing board as she gets set for the US Open later this month. Sharapova currently sits third on the Sports Interaction odds board for that tournament at +528, behind Serena Williams (-112) and Victoria Azarenka (+322).