What a win it was. 30th seed #MariaSharapova showed a glimpse of her vintage form as the five-time Major champion started her 2019 #AustralianOpen campaign with a bang. Handed a relatively tricky draw, the Russian overcame the slightest of injury concerns, defeating qualifier #HarrietDart without the loss of a game.
Dart, who previously mentioned that Sharapova was her childhood idol when young, failed to put up any sort of challenge as the 30th seed steamrolled her way to the win after just an hour and three minutes of play. This is also the first double-bagel match win of the 2019 WTA season. The last time Sharapova won a match without conceding a game came at the 2014 French Open, her last Major title run. Can she rekindle the flame and produce the unbelievable run to the title here in Melbourne this time?
It was a terrific performance from Sharapova, who stormed to the win having blasted 20 winners to just 16 unforced errors. Although her serve was significantly poor with seven double-faults, it was an encouraging sign as that meant that the Russian only lost one point off the ground when having a second serve.
Dart definitely did not perform up to her usual standards, and it could have been the overwhelming atmosphere out on the majestic Rod Laver Arena which caused the Brit to be affected by her nerves.
Sharapova rolls to the first set
It was a dominant start from Sharapova, whose serve speed certainly experienced a decrease although she made up for it with her excellent placement and direction. She found a stunning backhand cross-court winner to seal the opening game, stamping her authority across the court to grab the perfect start.
All the games were tightly-contested but in this situation, it was the experience which mattered. Sharapova’s power proved to be too much for Dart, who could not avoid making errors at the baseline. The 2008 champion then impressively fired three winners to consolidate the break for a commanding 3-0 lead.
The winners could not stop coming from Sharapova, and Dart’s confidence experienced a huge blow as she was blown away by her opponent’s shot-making skills on many occasions. Sharapova was faced with the first time violation of the tournament but rebounded to claim the narrow service hold and ultimately closing out the first set bagel with a huge running forehand.
Sharapova claims the confidence-boosting win
Sharapova dominated play on her serve but was troubled by her series of double-faults which almost put her in a dangerous situation occasionally during the match. A backhand unforced error proved costly as Dart wasted a game point which prevented her from getting onto the scoreboard. As expected, Sharapova exploited on the loophole and broke through once more.
Claiming eight of the last 10 points, the 30th seed found herself leading 6-0, 4-0 and edging closer than ever to the win. Serving in the fifth game, Sharapova’s serving deteriorated as she served two double-faults which gifted Dart her first (and only) break point of the match.
The backhand errors from Dart kept coming as Sharapova survived the huge scare, closing out the game with a fantastic dropshot winner. Holding her nerves, the five-time finalist calmly closed out the match and made a triumphant return to Melbourne as she moves into the second round, where she will face Rebecca Peterson.
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