Sharapova wins Slam return while Peng leads Chinese charge at US Open

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NEW YORK - 2006 champion Maria Sharapova knocked out No.2 seed Simona Halep of Romania in a three-set thriller to advance into the second round while all the Chinese players advanced in the Day 1 actions of the US Open on Monday.

Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after beating Simona Halep of Romania in Ashe Stadium on day one at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. [Photo/Agencies]

 
It was Sharapova's first Grand Slam match since a quarterfinal loss to Serena Williams in last year's Australian Open, when she tested positive for the newly banned heart drug meldonium.

After a 15-month doping ban, the former world number one Sharapova returned in April but the French Open snubbed Sharapova for a wildcard entry and she missed Wimbledon with a thigh injury.

"It's all worth it. You sometimes wonder why you put in all the work. And this is exactly why," a tearful Sharapova said in her on-court interview. "I just thought this was another day, another opportunity, another match but this was so much more."

Only a handful of points separated the pair as Sharapova, into the year's final Grand Slam on a wildcard, overcame a second-set letdown to outhit Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 after the marathon two hours and 44 minutes match.

In the first set both players were struggling in respective serves, Sharapova had three breaks, one more than Halep, to take the opening set. After leading by a set and 4-1 in the second, the Russian star showed some fatigue and rust, dropping five games in a row. But in the third, Sharapova regained control by going ahead 3-0, using her power to keep two-time French Open runner-up Halep under pressure. After that, she never looked back.

"It was very was very tough, not like first-round matches. But this is the draw. I think I give everything I had. She was better," said 25-year-old Halep.

The were also inspiring wins for the Chinese contingent, which was led by veteran player Peng Shuai.

The 22nd-ranked Chinese had an easy time of it, sweeping past rising star Amandine Hesse of France 6-4, 6-1 in the first round. Both players had some tense moments in the opening set, but it was Peng, the 2014 semifinalist here, who first held her nerve to win the set with one more break. In the opening game of the second set, Peng played sloppy tennis and dropped serve, but after that she took control of the match and reeled off six games in a row for the victory.

Elsewhere, Peng's compatriots Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai also advanced into next round.

Earlier Monday, seven-time major champion Venus Williams of the United States picked up a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory against Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia. Past Wimbledon winners Garbine Muguruza of Spain and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic also made it to the second round.

But No.7 seed Johanna Konta of Britain, a Wimbledon semifinalist just last month, was upset by 78th-ranked Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In men's part, 2014 champion Marin Cilic made a winning return with a 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 defeat of American Tennys Sandgren as the Croatian played his first match since Wimbledon.
The fifth seed, who lost the Wimbledon final to Swiss ace Roger Federer, had not competed due to an adductor injury.
"Everything feels okay physically. I'm very happy with that. That's the number one thing," Cilic said. "I felt that I'm just lacking a little bit of that consistency point after point."

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from France also reached next round while there was surprising defeat for 13th-seeded Jack Sock of the United States, who was eliminated by 73rd-ranked Jordan Thompson of Australia.