STANFORD, Calif. - It's easier to get information out of Washington than the WTA, which used to be called the Women's Tennis Association, an organization which keeps secrets with ways the White House only wishes it could.

The ladies are in Northern California this week, at the Bank of the West Classic on the Stanford campus, where if the importance doesn't quite equal that of Wimbledon or the upcoming U.S. Open, the setting is far more enticing.

The tennis complex is not far from Maples Pavilion, the basketball arena, set amongst some large oaks, with the football stadium visible a couple hundred yards away.

As the sun sets over the coastal hills immediately west of campus, as was the situation Tuesday evening while Maria Sharapova was whipping Jie Zheng, 6-4, 7-5, in a first-round match, everything is light and shadow. Not great to pick up a low forehand, but fantastic from an aesthetic point of view.

Sharapova, although the No. 5 seed, is the major attraction. Yes, beauty is always an asset, especially when you smack two-handed backhands with abandon and accuracy.

Serena Williams is the major mystery. The best female player in the world, Serena wasn't going to be here anyway after her victory three weeks ago at Wimbledon. So where is she? And what's her condition?

The story is Williams cut her right foot when she stepped on a glass in a restaurant a few days back, had to undergo surgery and is unable to play in tournaments at least until mid-August. But nobody is sure. There have been no Serena sightings of late and no Serena reports, either.

Others who compete on the WTA Tour, understandably are more concerned with their own games than they are with the condition of Serena. Exactly why anyone steps on a glass, other than a groom at a Jewish wedding ceremony, is beyond most of us.

Most of the time Williams is figuratively stepping on her competition, although when she played Sharapova in the Wimbledon fourth round it was a battle, Serena eventually winning 7-6, 6-4. That big serve which was good for 19 of her tournament record 89 aces was the difference.

But Sharapova had missed nine months, because of shoulder surgery, from the fall of 2008 to the spring of 2009. And playing virtually even with Serena - virtually is the optimum word - was more than an indication she was still a player, still carried the skills of someone who had been No. 1 and won three Grand Slams.

Sharapova, 23, of course, is Russian, but coming to Florida at age 7, in effect she's American. Her English is nearly flawless. She has residences in Bradenton and Los Angeles. She has a sweetness balanced by sarcasm, endearing qualities in this country.

Ask Serena. Just don't ask her what's happening to that right foot.

This was Sharapova's first match since the Wimbledon defeat, and Maria was not at all displeased. She blew a late set point on a double-fault, but never was she in trouble.

"When you don't play for a while,'' agreed Sharapova, "you have to make adjustments. I was aggressive. I kept trying to improve things. I'm satisfied, but I think I could have done better.''

The idea, she said, was to leave every match thinking you got something out of it, win or lose. She had that feeling after falling to Serena. She also had the feeling of disappointment.

For Sharapova, the issue is progress. After the rotator cuff surgery in October 2008, recovery was slow. Her serving, a major part of her success, was tentative. Finally, she let loose, with a devil-may-care attitude. Either you play all out or you don't play.

"I feel I'm slowly getting to where I want to be,'' said Sharapova, who against Zheng had six aces and six double faults.

The match against Serena still lingers. Suggestions in the Wimbledon press center were that against anyone except Williams, Sharapova would have gone to the quarterfinals. Instead, she went home.

"It made me happy that I was there at the end - in January, I couldn't do a thing - but the competitor in me wants to win.''

She's won, twice this year on the Tour, just not in the three Slams. The U.S. Open, which she took in 2006, starts the end of August. Sharapova believes she will impress if not triumph.

"Expectations?'' she responded to a question. "I've had to learn to live with expectations since I was very young and people thought I was going to be a champion. When you achieve something, then you'll be able to prove to me it can't be done again.''

Somebody said she simply needs to be patient.

"I worked on patience so long,'' said Sharapova. "Now I want results.''

Some of us only want some answers about Serena Williams.