Maria Sharapova beat Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in an all-Russian match on Monday to advance to the third round at the Madrid Open.
The eighth-seeded Sharapova broke Makarova three times and dropped serve only once in the match.
“I lost some focus but it was important to let that go and concentrate on taking my opportunities in the third set,” said Sharapova, whose most recent title was at Strasbourg in May last year.
Fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus also advanced by easing past Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson 6-1, 6-1, while No. 2 Vera Zvonareva overcame a miserable start to beat fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 0-6, 6-3, 6-3.
In first-round play, sixth-seeded Li Na of China ousted Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-4, 7-6 (6) and Alisa Kleybanova of Russia provided the first upset by defeating ninth-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-2.
On the men’s side, former world No. 1 Andy Roddick was dumped out in the first round of the Madrid Masters, upset 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 by qualifier Flavio Cipolla.
The American 12th seed, who lost to Roger Federer in the quarter-finals two years ago on his most recent appearance at the clay event, had his serve broken four times by the Italian ranked 148 places below him at number 160.
Roddick’s friend and compatriot Mardy Fish, the 12th seed, was also eliminated in the first round, losing 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to fellow American John Isner.
Qualifier Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands fought back to beat former world No. 1 one and wild card Juan Carlos Ferrero 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, while ninth-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils defeated big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-6.
Current world No. 1 and top seed Rafael Nadal, who has a bye into the second round, will play Marcos Baghdatis after the former Australian Open finalist edged past Colombian qualifier Alejandro Falla 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the second and third seeds, also play their opening matches today.
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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