Maria Sharapova made a dramatic return to Grand Slam action by knocking out world number two Simona Halep at the US Open yesterday. The Russian won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in front of a sell-out crowd of almost 24,000 people in New York. Sharapova, 30, was playing her first Grand Slam match since serving a 15-month doping suspension. The 2006 champion and former world number one needed a wild-card to enter the main draw as she is ranked 146th. When her name was drawn alongside Halep's in the first round it set up a contest that felt more like a Grand Slam decider than opener. Over the course of two hours and 44 minutes, Sharapova's greater pace off the racquet outstripped Halep's speed of foot, with 60 winners proving decisive despite 64 errors. Sharapova goes on to face Hungary's Timea Babos, the world number 59, in round two on Wednesday.
Today’s Matches
