Sharapova sees off Zheng on return
Source: Agencies |
July 29, 2010, Thursday
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MARIA Sharapova made a triumphant return to hardcourts, beating China's Zheng Jie 6-4, 7-5, in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, on Tuesday.
Sharapova lost to Zheng the last time she played on hardcourts at Indian Wells in March. "That was a scratchy match," said the fifth-seeded Russian. "I wasn't feeling good and I didn't want to remember it."
The 15th-ranked Sharapova missed six weeks right after that loss because of an elbow injury and shoulder problems.
"After you don't play for a while you have to be ready from the beginning," said Sharapova. "I wanted to adapt as quickly as I could. She's a competitor and a good player and I had to be ready."
Sharapova will meet Olga Govortsova of Belarus in today's second round.
"I'm just trying to work myself toward the US Open," Sharapova said. "I'm just happy to be back playing."
Defending champion Marion Bartoli was another of the five seeds to advance, beating American Ashley Harkleroad 6-1, 6-4.
The fourth-seeded Frenchwoman, ranked 14th, was forced to work hard in the second set. "For someone who hasn't played that much lately, she was giving me a hard time out there," Bartoli said.
Bartoli, who faces wildcard and former world's No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the second round, won 81 percent of her first serve points to overwhelm the American, who played her second match on the WTA Tour in two years.
"The matches Ana and I have had in the past have been really, really close," Bartoli said. "This is great preparation for me if I want to do well at the US Open."
In the final match of the night, American teenager Melanie Oudin recovered from a 1-5 deficit in the second set to beat Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-3 in a match that lasted 2 hours, 29 minutes.
Oudin, ranked 44th, gained attention with her run to the quarterfinals of last year's US Open. Wozniak became the first Canadian in over 20 years to win a Tour singles title when she captured the crown at Stanford in 2009.
In other first-round matches, sixth-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel beat Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 0-6, 6-4, 6-3; No. 7 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium downed Chinese Taipei's Chan Yung-Jan 6-3, 6-4; Belarus' Victoria Azarenka, the eighth seed, topped Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-0, 6-2; qualifier Olga Savchuk of Ukraine knocked off American Jill Craybas 6-3, 6-3; USA's Christina McHale defeated Chinese Taipei's Chang Kai-Chen 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, in a match featuring a pair of qualifiers; and Russian Maria Kirilenko beat qualifier Mirjana Lucic of Croatia 6-1, 6-4.
In Los Angeles, American wildcard James Blake won his first match since March with a crushing 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Argentina's Leonardo Mayer at the Farmers Classic.
Sidelined for two months with an injured right knee before returning to the ATP Tour in June, Blake broke Mayer three times before wrapping up victory in just over an hour.
"I'm really happy with the way I played," Blake said. "I went into the match with the goal of just controlling my side of the court and playing with the right kind of energy.
In other matches, American Robby Ginepri brushed aside Serbian Ilija Bozoljac 6-3, 6-4, Colombian Alejandro Falla beat Slovakia's Karol Beck 7-6, 6-4 and US wildcard Ryan Sweeting scraped past Belgian Kristof Vliegen 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Sharapova lost to Zheng the last time she played on hardcourts at Indian Wells in March. "That was a scratchy match," said the fifth-seeded Russian. "I wasn't feeling good and I didn't want to remember it."
The 15th-ranked Sharapova missed six weeks right after that loss because of an elbow injury and shoulder problems.
"After you don't play for a while you have to be ready from the beginning," said Sharapova. "I wanted to adapt as quickly as I could. She's a competitor and a good player and I had to be ready."
Sharapova will meet Olga Govortsova of Belarus in today's second round.
"I'm just trying to work myself toward the US Open," Sharapova said. "I'm just happy to be back playing."
Defending champion Marion Bartoli was another of the five seeds to advance, beating American Ashley Harkleroad 6-1, 6-4.
The fourth-seeded Frenchwoman, ranked 14th, was forced to work hard in the second set. "For someone who hasn't played that much lately, she was giving me a hard time out there," Bartoli said.
Bartoli, who faces wildcard and former world's No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the second round, won 81 percent of her first serve points to overwhelm the American, who played her second match on the WTA Tour in two years.
"The matches Ana and I have had in the past have been really, really close," Bartoli said. "This is great preparation for me if I want to do well at the US Open."
In the final match of the night, American teenager Melanie Oudin recovered from a 1-5 deficit in the second set to beat Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-3 in a match that lasted 2 hours, 29 minutes.
Oudin, ranked 44th, gained attention with her run to the quarterfinals of last year's US Open. Wozniak became the first Canadian in over 20 years to win a Tour singles title when she captured the crown at Stanford in 2009.
In other first-round matches, sixth-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel beat Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 0-6, 6-4, 6-3; No. 7 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium downed Chinese Taipei's Chan Yung-Jan 6-3, 6-4; Belarus' Victoria Azarenka, the eighth seed, topped Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-0, 6-2; qualifier Olga Savchuk of Ukraine knocked off American Jill Craybas 6-3, 6-3; USA's Christina McHale defeated Chinese Taipei's Chang Kai-Chen 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, in a match featuring a pair of qualifiers; and Russian Maria Kirilenko beat qualifier Mirjana Lucic of Croatia 6-1, 6-4.
In Los Angeles, American wildcard James Blake won his first match since March with a crushing 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Argentina's Leonardo Mayer at the Farmers Classic.
Sidelined for two months with an injured right knee before returning to the ATP Tour in June, Blake broke Mayer three times before wrapping up victory in just over an hour.
"I'm really happy with the way I played," Blake said. "I went into the match with the goal of just controlling my side of the court and playing with the right kind of energy.
In other matches, American Robby Ginepri brushed aside Serbian Ilija Bozoljac 6-3, 6-4, Colombian Alejandro Falla beat Slovakia's Karol Beck 7-6, 6-4 and US wildcard Ryan Sweeting scraped past Belgian Kristof Vliegen 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
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