STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Maria Sharapova played her first WTA match in the United States since 2015 and beat Jennifer Brady 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 on Monday night in the opening round of the Bank of the West Classic.
Sharapova, a wild-card entrant and five-time Grand Slam champion, won the opening four games of the match, lost the first three of the second set and cruised in the third.
"I feel like I just want to hug everyone and say thank you," Sharapova said in an on-court interview. "It's my first match in the States in a really long time, and it's the closest thing to home for me."