Maria Sharapova extended her winless run to three matches after losing 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 to Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Stuttgart Open on Tuesday.
Sharapova, 31, returned to the event where she made her comeback last year from a 15-month doping suspension, but the Russian former world No 1 could not repeat her deep run of 2017 when she reached the semi-finals.
Sharapova, a three-time winner in Stuttgart, raced in to a 3-0 lead and remained impenetrable on serve throughout the first set, dropping just five points.
__________
Read more:
Comment: One year on, Maria Sharapova's comeback has so far failed to deliver
Nadal capable of title sweep: ATP's European clay court swing talking points
Get used to more speeches - Naomi Osaka has all the attributes to reach the very top
__________
However, Garcia settled into the match during the second set and earned the first break to lead 4-2. The Frenchwoman's advantage did not last, though, as Sharapova broke straight back. After both women held their remaining service games, it was Garcia who edged the tie-break.
Sharapova then claimed the early lead in the decider, but her 2-0 lead lasted one game as Garcia broke straight back. Once again, both players remained strong on serve, until Garcia claimed the decisive break before serving out the match.
"I think it was a very close match," Garcia, 24, said in her on-court interview. "I know she's a fighter and until the end, it would be very difficult.
"I was more aggressive today and I returned a little bit better. Finally, I can say that after seven years, I beat her."
The defeat means Sharapova has now lost three successive matches following first round defeats at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells.
Karolina Pliskova had a far more straightforward outing, defeating Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-2 in exactly one hour. The world No 5 from Czech Republic will take on either Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro or Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.
World No 1 Simona Halep will begin her Stuttgart campaign on Wednesday when she takes on Magdalena Rybarikova in the second round. Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens will also be in action.
On the ATP Tour, Belgium's David Goffin staged a remarkable fightback to beat Spaniard Marcel Granollers-Pujol in the first round of the Barcelona Open.
Goffin, the world No 10, was trailing a set and 1-5 before clawing his way back into the match to win 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.
Malek Jaziri is also through to the second round. The Tunisian world No 88, who reached the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this year, was a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 winner against American Ernesto Escobedo.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will begin his bid for an 11th Barcelona Open title on Wednesday when he takes on fellow Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena. World No 1 Nadal arrives in Catalonia fresh from winning an 11th Monte Carlo Masters title.
Serbia's former world No 1 Novak Djokovic will also be in action when he takes on Slovakian Martin Klizan, while Monte Carlo finalist Kei Nishikori will start his campaign for a third Barcelona title against Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Bulgaria's world No 5 Grigor Dimitrov takes on Gilles Simon in the second round after the Frenchman beat Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-2, 6-3 in the first round.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SRI LANKS ODI SQUAD
Perera (capt), Mendis, Gunathilaka, de Silva, Nissanka, Shanaka, Bandara, Hasaranga, Udana, Dananjaya, Dickwella, Chameera, Mendis, Fernando, Sandakan, Karunaratne, Fernando, Fernando.
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
More on animal trafficking
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
