SIXTH SEEDED CAROLINE GARCIA GROUNDS MARIA SHARAPOVA IN STUTTGART FIRST ROUND
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| Maria Sharapova |
Sharapova’s claycourt season
got off to a poor start as she crashed in three sets to French sixth seed Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Porsche
Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
"This was not
the result that I wanted, but I can take a lot out of this match,"
Sharapova said. "I've not competed for a few weeks, but I played pretty
solid and did all of the right things.
"I served well
in the first set but had a few doubles at the wrong time. Physically, I felt
quite strong."
France’s Garcia staged a strong
fightback to prevail 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in two hours and 44 minutes on Tuesday
for her first victory over the former world No. 1 in her fifth attempt.
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| Caroline Garcia |
“It was a very close match. I know she
is a fighter and it would be difficult until the end,” sixth seed Garcia, who
saved two match points in the second set, said.
Sharapova, who came back from a
15-month doping ban at this tournament last April, won the first set with ease
but the 31-year-old could not prevent a determined Garcia from dragging herself
back into the contest through a tiebreak.
The five-time Grand Slam champion, who
turned 31 last week, looked to be in control as she made just two unforced
errors in winning the opening set.
But Garcia, who had never beaten the
Russian in four previous meetings -- they last played in Madrid three years ago
-- rallied in the second set as she came from 4-2 down and and levelled the
contest in a tie-break.
The 41st-ranked Sharapova returned to
tennis in Stuttgart exactly a year ago after finishing a 15-month doping ban
for meldonium and reached the semi-finals.
She claimed an early break in the
third set, but lost it in the third game as Garcia tightened the screw on the
crowd favourite.
Sharapova was broken to trail 4-5 and
put her opponent under momentary pressure at 0-30 as Garcia tried to serve out
the win.
But the world number seven succeeded
on her second match point as Sharapova struck a return wide to exit after two
and three-quarter hours of battle on the indoor clay court.
Sharapova said her game might have
been compromised by weeks of forearm injury recovery after last playing in
Indian Wells six weeks ago.
"Overall I didn't react as well
as I could against a server like her, she got lot of free points,"
Sharapova said.
"I didn't get enough balls back.
We were both playing fast, and aggressive.
"I need to be smarter in the
winning position."
Garcia will next take on Ukrainian
qualifier Marta Kostyuk who scored a 6-4, 6-1 defeat of Antonia Lottner.
The youngster, who doesn't turn 16
until just before the start of Wimbledon, was joined in round two by Czech
fifth seed Karolina Pliskova, who beat Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 6-2, 6-2.
Kostyuk made a breakthrough with a
surprise third-round showing at the Australian Open as a qualifier, finally
losing to compatriot Elina Svitolina.
World number 158 Kostyuk has since
claimed a second-tier title in Burnie, Australia and reached a final in Zhuhai,
China in March.
Her defeat of Lottner, ranked 155th,
took just under 90 minutes, with the teenager breaking four times while losing
serve only once.
Pliskova, who has been on site for a
week training, is playing Stuttgart for the third consecutive year, after
losing to eventual champion Laura Siegemund in the 2017 quarter-finals.
"I felt the best today and for
sure it was not her best match but that was not much to do with me,"
Pliskova said.
"The serve was good and I got a
lot of free points, my shots were working -- there was no problem from my side
today."
The Czech dominated Bertens, with the
winner firing six aces and breaking four times.
Reigning champion Laura Siegemund beat
Barbora Strycova 6-4, 6-3, but Marketa Vondrousova did get one over the Germans
for the Czechs with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Julia Goerges.
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