Sharapova is moving on to third round after win
Avenges her loss in U.S. Open after drug ban
MELBOURNE, Australia — Maria Sharapova ticked off more items on her “to-do” list at the Australian Open, returning to center court and accounting for the only person who has beaten her at a Grand Slam since her comeback from a doping ban.
Sharapova advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over No. 14-seeded Anastasija Sevastova on Wednesday as the temperature began to rise at Melbourne Park.
“It’s a warm day. I did my job in two sets against someone that’s been troubling in the past for me,” Sharapova said. “So third round of the Australian Open, I don’t know, I think I deserve to smile out there after that victory.”
With a forecast high of 102 degrees, Sharapova appeared to be in a hurry to get off the Rod Laver Arena court and won the first set in 23 minutes.
The five-time major winner was broken while serving for the match, but recovered quickly in the subsequent tiebreaker to advance in the tournament.
Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, on the other hand, struggled with the heat and against Hsieh Su-wei’s game, losing, 7-6 (1), 6-4. No. 3-ranked Muguruza was the highest-ranked player to fall so far, following Venus Williams and U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens out of the tournament in the first week.
Muguruza had five doublefaults, including one to give Hsieh a match point, and made43 unforced errors.
Ninth-seeded Johanna Konta was more exposed to the heat on an outside court, and lost to U.S. lucky loser Bernarda Pera, 6-4, 7-5.
No. 123-ranked Pera is making her Grand Slam debut and, after losing in the last round of qualifying, didn’t even know she had a spot in the main draw until Sunday when Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan withdrew with an injury.
Pera will next play No. 20 Barbora Strycova, who beat Lara Arruabarrena, 6-3, 6-4.
Also advancing were No. 8 Caroline Garcia, who beat Marketa Vondrousova, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 8-6, and No. 26 Agnieszka Radwanska.
Sam Querrey was the latest of the leading U.S. men eliminated when he lost his second-round match, 6-4, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-2, to 80th-ranked Marton Fucsovics. No. 8 Jack Sock and No. 16 John Isner wentout in the first round.
The 13th-seeded Querrey was one of 10 American players — men and women — to reach the second round from the 32 who started the main draws. No. 21 Albert Ramos beat U.S. wild-card entry Tim Smyczek, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (2).
Sharapova is playing at Melbourne Park for the first time since serving a 15month doping ban for testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open. She lost to Sevastova in the fourth round at the U.S. Open in September in her return to Grand Slam tennis.
The 30-year-old Russian is one of just two Australian Open winners in the women’s draw. They could meet in the third round if Angelique Kerber, the 2016 champion, beats DonnaVekic.
“I look forward to these matches. I want to be playing against opponents that have former Grand Slam champions,” Sharapova said of a potential match against former No.1-ranked Kerber.