Sharapova faces ban

Russian tennis star will appeal two-year suspension for a failed drug test.

Maria Sharapova was suspended Wednesday for two years for failing a drug test, labeled “the sole author of her own misfortune” because she hid regular pre-match use of a newly banned substance from anti-doping authorities and members of her own entourage.

The tennis star said she would appeal what she called “an unfairly harsh” punishment to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The ban, handed down by a three-person Tennis Anti-Doping Program tribunal appointed by the International Tennis Federation, is backdated to Jan. 26, when Sharapova last played. She tested positive for meldonium that day after losing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The panel said various elements of Sharapova’s case “inevitably lead to the conclusion” that she took the substance “for the purpose of enhancing her performance.”

Sharapova, who faced up to a four-year suspension, loses all ranking points and prize money she earned in Melbourne.

And if her suspension withstands an appeal and runs through Jan. 25, 2018, the 29-year-old Russian will wind up missing this year’s Olympic Games and a total of eight Grand Slam tournaments during what might have been prime competitive years.

It throws into doubt the oncourt future of a former No. 1ranked player and owner of five Grand Slam titles who is one of the most well-known and highest-earning athletes in the world.

She is one of 10 women in tennis history with a career Grand Slam — at least one title from each of the sport’s four most important tournaments.

Sharapova’s defense: She was not aware that the World Anti-Doping Agency barred athletes from using meldonium, also known as mil- dronate, as of Jan. 1. The panel’s ruling, in a nutshell: She should have been aware — and would have been, had she followed proper protocols.

Roger Federer was a break up in the first set against Taylor Fritz when rain set in for the evening, ending his comeback from a back injury after seven games at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany.

The break put top-seeded Federer up 4-3 against the American teenager, whose big serve deserted him in that seventh game. But steady rain then forced organizers to abandon play for the day.