Maria Sharapova defeats Victoria Azarenka in LA

Maria Sharapova played like a contender for the Los Angeles Women's Tennis Championships title with a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 victory over third-seeded Victoria Azarenka Wednesday night at The Home Depot Center.

Sharapova, still in comeback mode after missing seven months due to shoulder surgery, displayed both her fighting spirit and a steadier game in the 2-hour, 32-minute match, finally taking control in the second and third set with to six of her nine service breaks.

Sharapova's rebuilt serve was erratic, her four aces offset by a dozen double-faults, but she was much steadier with her groundstrokes than Azarenka, of Belarus. "I'm not happy with my game at all. The execution wasn't there today," said Azarenka, who hadn't played since losing in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. "Maybe it was from not playing, but I have to work hard, for sure. Just too many mistakes. My game wasn't there tonight."


Read full article

Maria Sharapova Makes Quick Work on Day 1

Maria Sharapova has made a winning start to her LA Women's Tennis Championships (The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA) campaign as she continues her comeback from injury. The 22-year-old made a return from nine months on the sidelines due to shoulder surgery in May, and has competed in just five tournaments since then.

But Sharapova, who has seen her world ranking slide to 61, made light work of Jarmila Groth in Los Angeles, cruising to victory 6-0, 6-4. "Her game plan was to attack from every single angle she could," said Sharapova. "But she wasn't able to do that consistently because I was able to retrieve and make her hit more balls."

Read full article