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AFP: World number one Simona Halep began the year in emphatic style with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Nicole Gibbs as Maria Sharapova also romped through her first-round match at the Shenzhen Open on Monday.
Romania’s Halep, who will be seeking her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in two weeks’ time, struck 12 winners to blitz the 110th-ranked American in one hour and nine minutes.
“We had a big crowd, which was nice to play in front of,” Halep said after her first-round match in the southern Chinese city, where she won in 2015.
Halep won the first set with the help of an aggressive forehand, and then opened the second set with a crunching backhand winner down the line before running away with the match.
“It’s always nice to play here in Shenzhen,” she added. “I won a title here three years ago already. It’s my first victory this year as number one in the world, so I’m just happy and enjoying the time.” Meanwhile five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, making her Shenzhen debut, also despatched Romania’s world number 56 Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3, 6-0 in an hour and 20 minutes.
The Russian, who is embarking on her first full season since returning from a 15-month doping ban in April, sealed her straight sets win after striking 18 winners to 20 unforced errors.
“It’s quite remarkable to see a full stadium for a first round,” she said. “It’s my first time here, so I didn’t know what to expect.”
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Serena Williams lost in her return to competitive tennis after giving birth, going down to the French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko at the Mubadala exhibition event here on Saturday.
“I don’t think I am going to rate my performance,” Williams said. “I have plenty of comebacks, from injuries, from surgeries, but I’ve never had a comeback after actually giving birth to a human being. So, in my eyes, I feel it was a wonderful, wonderful match for me.”
Williams struggled with her serve, and Ostapenko won, 6-2, 3-6, and then, 10-5, in a supertiebreaker. But Williams was still impressive in taking a set off the seventh-ranked Ostapenko after nearly a year away from tennis.
After the 67-minute match, Williams said that she was still undecided on her title defense of the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 15, but delivered a warning to rivals.
“I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet,” she said. “I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there.
“I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to assess everything with my team before deciding.”
Williams, 36, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world, had not played since she won the Australian Open, her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, a record for the professional era, 11 months ago. She was pregnant during that tournament and took time off to give birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia, in September.
