Maria Sharapova caused a surprise at the French Open and taught Stuttgart winner Karolina Pliskova a lesson at 6:2, 6:1.
Last year’s Paris semi-finalist and sixth seeded Pliskova (Czech Republic) took Sharapova only 59 minutes to reach the round of 16 of Roland Garros for the twelfth time since 2003. Then she kissed them brightly. The Russian, currently number 30 in the world rankings, won the title at the most important sand court tournament in 2012 and 2014.
In the next round either Julia Görges (Bad Oldesloe/No. 11) or superstar Serena Williams (USA) will wait for 31-year-old Sharapova on Monday.
The five-time major dominated the match against Karolina Pliskova from the start and was already 4:1 in front after 16 minutes. Pliskova had won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart in April and, most recently, also played her way into the narrowest circle of favourites for Paris through her participation in the Premier Mandatory Event in Madrid.
But only five winners (16 Unforced Errors) and ten break chances speak volumes. Pliskova was off his rocker. Sharapova, on the other hand, who was present at the “terre battue”. the fiery red brick tab, which once felt like “a cow on the ice”, took advantage of its opportunities. Among other things, “Masha” won 72 percent of the points when her first serve came.