It was 1:30 a.m. Monday at London's Savoy Hotel and, with autograph books and cameras, a group of brighteyed tennis fans of all ages were waiting for just a glimpse of Maria Sharapova .     The 17-year-old girl defeated champion Serena Williams  6-1 6-4 in the Wimbledon final on Saturday in London to become the first Russian to win a single title at the championships.     A silver lining to a depressing, rain-hit Wimbledon, she has raised heated passion.     Nobody was complaining, though, for the 1.83-metre Sharapova has created a welcome wave of interest in tennis, something missing in recent years.     Not even Anna Kournikova evoked  such passion when she broke on to the scene. To look good on court is one thing, but Sharapova can actually play the game too. Extremely well.     She proved it over 13 days at the world's most prestigious tournament. Playing tennis of the highest quality throughout, the Russian's triumph not only lifted the tournament from fits of rain-induced depression but also salvaged(;) the season for the woman's tour.      Sharapova was given no easy ride in the tournament, having to beat 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals and twice-champion Serena Williams for the title. Neither caused her much concern.     "I don't remember too much about the final," Sharapova giggled. "I was in my own place."     She will find it increasingly hard to find any place to call her own from now on after advertisers identified her as the most marketable woman in sport.     In Russia she is sensational news. She headlined the news bulletins and was telephoned by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin after her triumph.    Sharapova will return to her adoptive Florida home knowing life will never be the same again.     But the girl who arrived in the US aged seven with her father and just US$700 is determined not to let fame and riches detract from her number one love, tennis.     "I know things will start coming up and that many more things will want to get involved, but I want to keep my head cool and play tennis," she said. Who has won the most times in Wimbledon?
Sharapova. Kournikova. Serena Williams. Davenport