Sandra Harwitt

Special to USA TODAY

MELBOURNE - Defending a Grand Slam title is no easy assignment as Caroline Wozniacki discovered at the Australian Open on a rain-tinged Friday.

The third-seeded Wozniacki waited a long time to finally reel in one of the four most prestigious titles in the game. She had endured all the criticism that came along with being the year-end No. 1 player in the world in 2010 and ’11 without having a major trophy.

The Dane watched as two chances for a Grand Slam title went by the wayside, leaving her with runner-up status at the 2009 and 2014 US Open.

But then it happened a year ago here in Melbourne. She went against the world No. 1 Simona Halep and not only grabbed the top player in the world status again, but denied Halep her first major with a stunning victory that ended 8-6 in the third set.

Wozniacki arrived this year in a relaxed mood, straight from an offseason that included training as well as a vacation in the Maldives with fiancee, former NBA star David Lee.

But as it turned out the 28-year-old’s campaign to defend her title came up short when Maria Sharapova sent her packing 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

In the 93-year history of the women playing at the Australian Open, only 21 women have defended their title. The last to do it was Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in 2012-13.

After Friday’s defeat, Wozniacki wasn’t going to beat herself up about a lost opportunity, nor was she going to blame a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis last summer as having any responsibility for her early departure from the tournament.

“I did my best out there,” Wozniacki said, flashing a brief smile. “I was fighting till the end. You know in my head I should have won that first set. Being up 4-1, I had a chance to do that, but I didn’t and then I fought back and won the second set. Then it was a close third set.

“It just wasn’t enough today,” she added. “I did my best. I did all I could.”

It was in October at the year-end WTA Championships that Wozniacki broke the news about having arthritis, a condition not frequently associated with someone as young as Wozniacki . Firday's damp conditions were ideal for Wozniacki to be suffering, but if she was, the 28-year-old wasn’t saying.

“I went out there and I was feeling fine,” she told a local journalist, who said she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and the weather had made it act up. “I feel good. I gave it everything I had today and that was that. Definitely don’t want to blame it on anything else.”

While Wozniacki fell on the wrong side of the decision, it was evident the 30th-seeded Sharapova was delighted with her victory. The smile on her face after the win couldn’t have been broader, and when blowing kisses to the crowd she mouthed the words, "Thank you."

Where Sharapova really reigned supreme was beating Wozniacki at her own game. Wozniacki is usually the patient player, able to wait out a point until the perfect time to take the lead.

“Getting into long rallies with her is not ideal, because I think that she lives off of that type of tennis,” Sharapova said. “She wants you to play long rallies.

“I put a lot of pressure on her. You know, those rallies that I think many years ago that she used to win. I thought I did a great job of getting a high percentage of wins in those.”

Sharapova’s third-round victory over Wozniacki re-established Russian presence at the Australian Open. Last year was the first time since 1998 that a Russian woman failed to advance to the fourth-round.

In 2008, Sharapova became the only Russian woman to ever win the Australian Open title. She has captured five Grand Slam trophies in her career.

Sharapova was out of action for 15 months after testing positive for a banned substance while reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals. She returned to the tour in April 2017 and has had mixed results while dealing with a number of niggling injuries.

This was the first time in nearly four years that Sharapova and Wozniacki were mixing it up on a tennis court. Sharapova now leads their head-to-head by 7-4, but this marks her first victory over the Dane at a Grand Slam. Wozniacki defeated Sharapova twice at the US Open, in the fourth-round in 2010 and 2014.

If Wozniacki did give a glimpse at her disappointment that it was Sharapova instead of her who will be playing Australian favorite Ashleigh Barty in the fourth-round it was in this one statement.

“I’m a competitor,” Wozniacki said. “I love to win, I hate to lose. I hate losing more than I love winning.”