Australian Open: Sharapova banishes fitness concerns with resounding win

Russian star dispatches Hibino in straight sets to enter second round

MELBOURNE: Former champion Maria Sharapova crushed Japan’s Nao Hibino in a ruthless first-round display as she fired a warning to her rivals at the Australian Open on Monday.

The fifth-seeded Russian, attempting to win her first title at Melbourne Park since 2008, was in blistering form to take the match 6-1, 6-3 in 73 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.

There were concerns ahead of the clash about her lack of match fitness, after Sharapova pulled out of the Brisbane International with a forearm injury.

She next plays Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus with a potential last-eight clash against her nemesis Serena Williams, who beat her in the final last year and has won every match they have played since 2004.



Quickfire Federer blows away Basilashvili

Grand Slam record-holder Roger Federer gave himself a confidence boost in taking just 72 minutes to win his opening match at the Australian Open, breezing past Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets on Monday.

The Swiss third seed wasted little time in disposing of the Georgian 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in a night match on Rod Laver Arena to set up a second round meeting with practice partner Aleksandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine.

“That was a good match. I’m really pleased how I was able to play,” said Federer.

An illness hampered Federer at the lead-up Brisbane International tournament where he lost in the final to Canada’s Milos Raonic.



Djokovic, Serena star on opening day

Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams raced into the Australian Open second round Monday as the year’s first Grand Slam was rocked by claims of widespread match-fixing in tennis.

Djokovic’s main opponent was the heat as, cooling himself with ice vests on the change-overs, the top seed dispatched Korean rising star Chung Hyeon 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Serena also made a positive return to competitive tennis, four months after a heartbreaking defeat in the US Open semi-finals ended her bid for a rare calendar-year Grand Slam.



Showing no discomfort from the swollen knee which forced her out of this month’s Hopman Cup mixed-team tournament, Williams toughed it out 6-4, 7-5 against Italy’s Camila Giorgi.

Meanwhile, former world number one Caroline Wozniacki crashed out of the Australian Open at the first hurdle after tossing away a one-set lead against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2016.

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