Back after ban, Sharapova wins

Looking relieved, Maria Sharapova went through her familiar routine of waving to the crowd and blowing kisses after winning her first match on her return from a 15-month doping ban on Wednesday. The fivetime Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 beat Roberta Vinci 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.

“It was the best feeling in the world,” Sharapova said about stepping on court again for a professional match. “I have been waiting for this a long time.” Sharapova had earlier been given a lukewarm welcome by the 4,500 spectators, receiving a polite applause and some whistling when she entered the sold-out arena.

Wednesday’s match was the Russian’s first since losing to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Australian Open, and her first match on clay in nearly two years.

After a shaky start, Sharapova showed flashes of her old self — with several outstanding returns and cross-court winners, mostly followed by her trademark fist pump.

Sharapova next plays fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who upset seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska on Tuesday.

Serena Williams says she was taking a personal photo of her progressing pregnancy on Snapchat when she accidentally pressed the wrong button and made the post public.

The photo of the tennis superstar in a one-piece bathing suit was captioned “20 weeks.” Despite the lack of information, it immediately made headlines around the world last week. Her publicist later confirmed the pregnancy to the Associated Press.

Williams told Gayle King at the TED2017 Conference in Vancouver on Tuesday night that the mishap wasn’t a big deal because she planned to share the news shortly.

In Spain, defending champion Rafael Nadal cruised past Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil 6-1, 6-2 to reach the third round of the Barcelona Open. Top-seeded Andy Murray also advanced, but without having to play as Bernard Tomic withdrew before their second-round match because of a lower back injury.