Top seed Maria Sharapova has advanced to the second round of the Mexico Open after dispatching USA’s Shelby Rogers in the opening round.
Making her debut in the competition, the 28 year old showcased an impressive performance by defeating Rogers with a 6-4, 6-1 straight set win.
The American managed to break Sharapova in the opening game and dominated the game with a 3-0 lead before the Russian held the serve and broke back to equalize at 3-3. Sharapova then powered through the two rounds and wrapped the match up in 74 minutes.
This WTA match marks Sharapova’s first appearance in almost a month, after she was defeated by world number one Serena Williams at the 2015 Australian Open Finals.
“I’ve been in many different situations in my career, and when you’re down, you have to change a few things and stay positive,” Sharapova told reporters after the match.
“You just have to concentrate on one point at a time instead of the bigger result, and as the match went on I definitely felt more and more comfortable out there.
“I felt really good and really happy to perform here in front of all the fans for the first time.”
Photo credits : urbanrabbits
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