Australian Open: Sharapova wins on return after 15-month dope ban

Maria Sharapova’s first match back at the Australian Open turned out to be against someone who made the scoreboard read simply ‘Maria Sharapova’.
And it was all about the 30-year-old Russian, who came through relatively comfortably with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Tatjana Maria that lasted 78 minutes.
Sharapova will now play 14th seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, the player who defeated her in the US Open fourth round last September.
The five-time Grand Slam champion, Sharapova powered into the second round at the expense of the world number 46 on the Margaret Court Arena.
It was her first match at Melbourne since failing a drugs test at the 2016 event, which led to a 15-month ban.
“I felt like I have got a lot of things out of the way physically and emotionally and mentally last year,” said Russian Sharapova.
“There was a lot of firsts again for me, playing the first tournament, first Grand Slam, and just different feelings and what it would be routinely.
“But it felt pretty routine today, just really happy to be back here.”
Sharapova, the former world number one who is now ranked 48, is looking to add to the Australian Open title she won in 2008.
She hit 22 winners to Maria’s seven, but racked up 28 unforced errors and went a break down in the second set before recovering.
“We know it’s only going to get tougher with every match you play,” she added. “It’s a challenge, but that’s why it’s a Grand Slam.”