Sharapova back in action
Maria Sharapova is scheduled to return to the court today for the first time since her semifinal loss at Indian Wells. Sharapova had skipped Miami because of fatigue and a shoulder injury, but the Russian star seems to be back and ready to roll. She said that the time off gave her a jump-start on the clay court season, as she will be trying to win the French Open for the first time in her career. The French Open is the only Grand Slam title that Sharapova has yet to win.
Today, Sharapova will face Czech qualifier Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (who?) in the second round at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida. Sharapova has an 18-1 record on the year, and up until two weeks ago she seemed invincible. It will be interesting to see how she bounces back this week, but she is definitely the favorite to take home the title.
The rest of the field is a bit weakened with Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva, Nicole Vaidisova, Nadia Petrova, and Tatiana Golovin all withdrawing. Still though, there are a couple big names left. Joining Sharapova are Lindsay Davenport, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchova, and others. I will be keeping my eye on Davenport (who has won this tournament three times) to see how she fares on the clay.
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