11:36, 09-Mar-2018
WTA BNP Paribas Open: Osaka stuns Sharapova in first round 6-4. 6-4
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Over to tennis and action from Indian Wells, one of the premier tournaments outside the majors. Maria Sharapova would be forced to play an opening round match, her ranking of 41 not good enough to receive a first-round bye at an event she has won twice. The Russian could have used the day off, as her opponent, Japan's Naomi Osaka proved to be too much to handle.
That is the always audible one, trailing 4-1 in the opener, but has her opponent on the run, when Osaka runs down a drop shot and fires a cross-court winner.
The five-time grand slam winner storms back to get back on serve, but is facing double set point and can't keep her return to play and finds the net, dropping the frame 6-4.
Similar scenario in the second, with the Russian trailing, but storms back, getting a break, as she is able to whip a forehand crosscourt, after a couple of attempts, and breaks to trim the margin to 4-3.
But Osaka would prove more consistent, as again Sharapova is facing a break point, and cannot keep her groundstrokes in the court, whipping a backhand into the net. The Japanese win it 6-4, 6-4 in 97 minutes and meets Agnieszka Radwanska next.