MADRID: Maria Sharapova survived a sticky start to move into the second round of the WTA Madrid Open yesterday with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania.
The Russian, who won the French Open on clay last year, brought a 16-match winning streak on the surface into Madrid and was strongly favored to coast past a player who has been dogged by knee injuries.
But she struggled at times in the first set before finding her range in the second.
It had all been about adjusting to the dirt surface and the particular demands of playing in Madrid, Sharapova said.
“I feel like in the last week I’ve really had to adjust to the different circumstances and the environment a bit,” she said.
“When I got here it was really cold and the ball and the court were really heavy.
“A few days have passed and it’s like a whole ‘nother tournament.
“For me, it’s just been about adjusting when you play indoors for over a week and you get back here and see the sun for the first time. It’s a bit of an adjustment.
“The altitude as well. So I think there are a lot of things that come into playing when you’re playing here.”
The stakes are high for Sharapova in Spain as she could regain the world No. 1 spot from Serena Williams if the results go her way.
Williams won through in straight sets on Sunday and the two could face off in the championship match at the end of the week.
If Sharapova and Williams safely won through to the second round, the same could not be said of some of the other seeds.
Both Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and China’s Li Na crashed out on Sunday and yesterday saw the end for Australia’s Samnatha Stosur as she lost 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 to home hope Carla Suarez Navarro.
The 2011 US Open champion was competitive in the first set, but, once she lost that on a tie-break, her game unraveled and she was outplayed by the Spaniard, who lost the final of the WTA tournament in Portugal on Saturday to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia.
Sixth seeded German Angelique Kerber came safely through with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Alize Cornet of France, while former world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, seeded third, was scheduled to play later against Pavlyuchenkova.
In early action in the men’s tournament, Japan’s 14th seed Kei Nishikori was too good for Jurgen Melzer of Austria winning at a canter 6-3, 6-2.
Tomic’s dad says
headbutt was defensive
Meantime, the father of Australia’s top-ranked tennis player Bernard Tomic said yesterday he was acting in self-defense when he headbutted his son’s training partner and broke his nose in the Spanish capital.
John Tomic denied a charge of assault against Thomas Drouet in a Saturday afternoon brawl outside a hotel where players in the Madrid Masters were staying, his lawyer Carmen Dieguez told journalists at a Madrid court.
The court set a May 14 hearing for a judge to decide his guilt or innocence.
“I don’t feel guilty. I did not do anything wrong,” John Tomic told reporters of the fight, which has sparked consternation in the tennis world.
John Tomic struck his son’s training partner with his head only because his own arms were being held by Drouet and he had to protect himself from falling over, his lawyer said.
Tomic opted for a court hearing rather than paying a fine, she told reporters.
Bernard Tomic’s father, who is also his coach, was arrested several hours after the fight in the central avenue Paseo de la Castellana and was jailed for a period before being released, police said earlier.
The player has made a poor start to this year’s European clay court season and lost in straight sets to Czech veteran Radek Stepanek in the first round of the Madrid Masters.
Todd Woodbridge, the head of men’s tennis for Tennis Australia, earlier confirmed that John Tomic was involved in an incident in Madrid but said the details were as yet unclear.
“We’re still trying to ascertain if or what charges have been laid,” Woodbridge told Australian radio, without commenting on reports of the fight.
“What’s important for us at Tennis Australia is that this allegation is thrown toward John, his dad, and not to Bernard.”
In a statement, Tennis Australia said the allegations were “very concerning.”
“We are working closely with ATP officials who are investigating the incident and are unable to comment further until the full facts are known,” it said.
