May 20, 2009
Maria Sharapova continued her successful return to the WTA circuit on Wednesday. The former world No1 Maria Sharapova's comeback from injury stepped up a gear today when she demolished her Belarussian opponent, Darya Kustova, 6-2, 6-0 in the second round of the Warsaw tournament.
The 22-year-old Russian took less than an hour to dispatch Kustova, in contrast with a two-and-a-half-hour first-round encounter on Monday, which ended with Sharapova nursing her shoulder with ice during a news conference.
"I thought I did the right things at the right time. I played a solid game and I did everything I had to do to win today," Sharapova said. "More importantly right now than ever, is just to do the right things and to work on my game. It doesn't really matter who I'm playing."
The three-time Grand Slam title winner needed only 57 minutes to beat Kustova.
1st set: 6-2 in 30 minutes
Maria raced into a 4-0 lead in the 1st set, Kustova then took 2 games and then Maria re-took control of the set by taking the next 2 games to take the set. Maria won the set on a big forehand.
2nd set: 6-0 in 27 minutes
Maria played a very strong 2nd set as she didn't drop a game. Maria won the match when Kustova hit a forehand long.
Before Monday Sharapova had not played singles since last August because she had surgery for a torn rotator cuff last year and missed the past two Grand Slam tournaments. She made a brief return to competitive action in the doubles at Indian Wells, in March, losing in the first round.She said the shoulder hasn't bothered her in Warsaw, and the only sign of injury on Wednesday were two strips of white tape on her right shoulder.
"Right now it's just a thrill to be out there and competing," she said.
Sharapova, playing in her first WTA tour singles tournament in nearly 10 months, is trying to regain the form that led her to the No. 1 ranking in 2005. She dropped to No. 126 while sidelined with the injury, but despite showing a few signs of rust, the Russian didn't face much of a challenge from the 209th-ranked Kustova.
The Russian pin-up cruised through the first set in a much improved showing from her inconsistent three-set first round win over Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3.
Sharapova stressed she still faces a long road back to championship form.
"I think I still need match play, and being in different situations in the matches is going to give me that feeling back and that experience back," she said.
The Russian used crisp baseline shots and strong serving to keep Kustova pinned to the baseline.
She raced through the second set and won 13 straight points to take her to 5-0, 40-0 before Kustova delayed the inevitable with a forehand winner.
The Russian then closed out the match when Kustova hit long and Sharapova's unbeaten return was assured for at least another match.
"I've played her a few times before... I played her on clay last year in the States, and in it was a pretty tough match.I think she's in good form. She plays a really good defensive game but she can step in and hit the ball. So I'm looking forward to it." added Sharapova.
Sharapova's return to the spotlight will please organisers at Roland Garros in Paris where the French Open will get underway on Sunday as she is still one of the biggest draws in the women's game..
In the quarters to be played on Thursday, Maria will play #8 seed Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine. They have played twice before and Maria won both matches in 3 sets in 2008. The last meeting was in Amelia Island which Maria won 6-7 6-3 6-2. This will be the 2nd match on Centre Court and play starts at 12.00 local time (6.00ET & 3.00PT).
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