Madrid: Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova defeated Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni here on Sunday to advance to the second round of the Madrid Open.
Sharapova, now ranked 262 in the world, defeated World No.20 Lucic-Baroni 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the opening round, reports Efe.
The Madrid Open is the second tournament for Sharapova after she returned from a 15-month doping ban. The Russian took part in the Stuttgart Open in April, but was defeated in the semi-finals against France’s Kristina Mladenovic.
Sharapova will play the second round against Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who eliminated France’s Alize Cornet on Saturday.
–IANS