Maria Sharapova-Jimmy Connors Pairing a Failure? Critics Already on the Attack After Sharapova's Loss in Her Debut as Connors' Pupil to Sloane Stephens

Critics already are calling the Maria Sharapova-Jimmy Connors arrangement one and done.

Connors, once the world's No. 1-ranked player in the 1980s who was last seen coaching American Andy Roddick until 2008, took over as Sharapova's coach earlier this summer.

Sharapova made her debut as Connors' pupil during the second round of the Western and Southern Open against Sloane Stephens, and the result was unimpressive, if not shocking.

Stephens defeated Sharapova 2-6, 7-6, 6-3, and the criticism of the pairing began in earnest, according to BleacherReport.com.

It quoted Tennis Magazine writer Pete Bodo, who thought the result should grab the attention of coach and student.

"It looks like Sharapova and her new coach Jimmy Connors have a lot of thinking to do before the U.S. Open, because the world No. 3 has been off for five weeks and had officially scheduled nothing between Cincinnati and the U.S. Open," Bodo said. "I still say this partnership is headed for disaster, and was from day one."

According to BleacherReport.com, however, Sharapova took full responsibility for her defeat in her first match since losing in the second round at Wimbledon.

"You know, I stopped being patient," she said. "I started making a lot more errors, especially off the first ball. Just errors that I shouldn't make. Obviously I haven't played in a long time, but I can't make that excuse for myself because I've got to be ready from the first match."

Sharapova's assessment may be accurate. She led 6-2, 2-0 against the 17^th-seeded Stephens before he game nose-dived.

She had 62 unforced errors and only 16 winners during the match. She told reporters that she appreciated his support but that she wasn't thinking about him as the match was slipping away from her.

Because of the high profile both enjoy in the game of tennis, the partnership is under increased scrutiny and pressure to succeed.

But if Connors is going to help Sharapova's mental approach when she plays top opponents such as Serena Williams, he's going to need a lot longer than a couple of months to retrain Sharapova's emotional state during matches.