Unseeded Maria Sharapova Thursday showed she is a serious contender for the Australian Open by swatting aside a 14th seed who had given her major trouble in the past. The Russian, who faces Angelique Kerber next in a mouth-watering clash of former Australian Open champions, warned she was still improving less than a year after her comeback last April. “She’s had success here,” she said of Kerber, the 2016 title winner. “I played really well at the net, finished the balls off with a swing volley or good volley,” she said. The jolt to the Sharapova juggernaut was evident and she began to make unforced errors as service holds and breaks were exchanged.

Source: The Guardian January 18, 2018 15:22 UTC