Maria Sharapova Through Despite Shaky Shenzhen Open Start
31st December 2018
She will next face 17-year-old Chinese wild card Wang Xinyu
- Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova had a tough start to her 2019 tennis season Monday at the Shenzhen Open, edging out Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)
- In a battle of former Top 10 players, Sharapova's serve faltered early in the match but she regained composure to take the first set, cheered on by the spirited crowd at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Center
- The tournament, which runs until Saturday, will see players battling for $750,000 in prize money
BEIJING, China- Five-time
Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova had a tough start to her 2019 tennis season
Monday at the Shenzhen Open, edging out Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky 6-2, 7-6
(7/3).
In a battle of former Top 10 players, Sharapova's serve
faltered early in the match but she regained composure to take the first set,
cheered on by the spirited crowd at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Center.
Bacsinszky put up a strong fight in the second set, claiming
the first two games and forcing Sharapova to step up her game.
The Russian powered through to take the match in one hour 42
minutes.
"It's been a few months since I've been out of playing
competitively," Sharapova said in a post-match interview, calling Shenzhen
a "warm-up tournament" for next month's Australian Open.
Disappointing return
"Considering the opponent and everything I had to go
through today I think it was a great practice for me."
Sharapova, who won the last of her five Slams at Roland
Garros in 2014, has endured a disappointing return to the majors since the end
of her drugs ban in April of 2017.
She will next face 17-year-old Chinese wild card Wang Xinyu.
Meanwhile, France's Caroline Garcia lost in straight sets to
Serbia's Ivana Jorovic 6-4, 6-2.
The tournament, which runs until Saturday, will see players
battling for $750,000 in prize money.