Former top-ranked Maria Sharapova overcame a last-minute change of opponent, beating Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the second round of the ASB Classic tennis tournament yesterday.
Sharapova was due to play Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in her first round match, but the late withdrawal of fifth-seeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia through illness led to a reshuffle of the draw.
Suarez Navarro became the tournament’s eighth seed and Sharapova played her first match of this year against Brianti, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after being beaten in the last round of qualifying.
Sharapova took 90 minutes to down Brianti and said she was unfazed by the late change to the schedule.
Sharapova is looking to rebuild her game and claw back her world ranking this season after spending most of the past two years battling shoulder injuries.
She looked fit and sharp yesterday, playing with typical athleticism — and at her usual volume — but she lacked some of the accuracy that comes from match play.
The Russian also found Brianti, who had also played her final qualifying match yesterday, a grittier opponent than she might have expected in a lucky loser.
Sharapova saved a break point in her opening service game before breaking Brianti to love in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead. She broke again to lead 5-1, then dropped serve at 5-2 before breaking back to take the first set in 33 minutes.
Sharapova struggled for more than 10 minutes to hold serve in the third game of the second set, then immediately broke Brianti and went on to take the match.
In a mixed display, Sharapova served seven doubles faults to Brianti’s two, three aces to none, nailed 68 percent of first serves and won 70 percent of first serve points. She also made a host of unforced errors and converted only five of 11 break points.
Third-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova also progressed to the second round, beating New Zealand wildcard Sacha Jones 6-4, 6-2.
Kuznetsova took an early 2-0 lead in the first set, then gave up serve and had to battle hard against the Kiwi.
BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL
REUTERS, SYDNEY
Top-seeded Australian Sam Stosur kicked off this season by easing through to the Brisbane International second round with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-1 win over Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka yesterday.
The world No. 6 was broken in the first game and had to save a set point before rattling through the tiebreaker at Pat Rafter Arena.
Having shaken off the rust, the 26-year-old breezed through the second set and next faces fellow Australian Jarmila Groth.
Defending men’s champion Andy Roddick began his year with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 first-round win over local wildcard Marinko Matosevic.
The world No. 8, seeded second behind Robin Soderling, took just 72 minutes to blast Matosevic off the court as he started his build-up to the first Grand Slam of the year.
Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova withdrew from the tournament because of a partial tear to her left Achilles tendon.
HOPMAN CUP
AFP, PERTH, AUSTRALIA
Andy Murray and Laura Robson lost the deciding mixed doubles match to Potito Starace and Francesca Schiavone 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (8/6), 10-2 yesterday as Italy completed a 2-1 win over Britain.
Schiavone earlier struck the first blow for Italy, defeating 16-year-old Robson 7-5, 6-3.
Murray then got this year’s campaign off to a strong start and leveled the tie by defeating Starace 7-5, 6-1 in his first competitive match since losing to Rafael Nadal in London in November.
In the second of yesterday’s matches the US defeated France.
John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in their first rematch since the pair’s 11-hour epic at Wimbledon last year.
Isner beat Mahut in 90 minutes to give the US an insurmountable 2-0 lead over France.
Isner’s victory came after Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated former top-ranked junior Kristina Mladenovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
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