Maria Sharapova put Russia 1-0 up over Spain in their Fed Cup World Group first round tie here on Saturday by defeating Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-2, 6-1. Playing for the first time since losing in straight sets to Viktoria Azarenka in the final of the Australian Open, Sharapova opened with a break but then handed that back in the following game.
But the Russian then ran off four games in a row to stamp her authority on the game, taking the first set in 52 minutes. In the second set Soler-Espinosa, ranked 77th in the world, ran out of gas, allowing Sharapova to grab three more breaks and win comfortably. "I was a bit nervous before the beginning of the match as I failed to show my best tennis in my previous Fed Cup appearance in Moscow," Sharapova said.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.