Three-time Stuttgart champion Maria Sharapova started her long-awaited comeback from Meldonium suspension with a bang, overpowering Roberta Vinci 7-5 6-3 in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, making the thrilling day at the tournament even more exciting.
With her serve on point, Sharapova’s game got better and better as the match progressed. After Vinci’s initial 2-0 lead, Sharapova broke back right away and after a pile of long games, which included many wasted break points by the Russian, the fresh 30-year-old recorded a crucial break to lead 6-5 and quickly afterwards the first set was hers.
First-set stats undeniably speak in Sharapova’s favor, as she hit 24 winners to 12 unforced errors, while Vinci committed more unforced errors, 15, to way less winners, 6.
Sporting the orange Nike Summer Maria Premier Tank and light purple Nike Summer Maria Premier Skirt, Sharapova opened the second set by breaking Vinci and firmly held on to that lead all the way till the end, when she broke her opponent once again to seal the deal.
In the second round, Sharapova will face compatriot Ekaterina Makarova, who eliminated seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the first round.
