Australian Open: Maria against Sharapova without a chance

Tatjana Maria dropped out of the Australian Open in the first round. The German number three lost on big stage against Maria Sharapova.

Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) was beaten by former Melbourne winner Scharapowa in the Margaret Court Arena 1:6,4:6. The Russian, who had tested positive for meldonium in 2015 at the Happy Slam and was subsequently closed for 15 months, could meet Angelique Kerber in the third round. The new Sydney winner from Kiel won 6-0,6-4 against Anna-Lena Friedsam (Neuwied) on Tuesday. Kerber, currently number 16 in the WTA ranking, had won her first Grand Slam title in Australia in 2016.