Sharapova, Halep Breeze Into Stuttgart SFs, Pliskova Out

by Staff | April 28th, 2017, 7:25 pm
  • 3 Comments

Just three matches into her comeback, Maria Sharapova is already looking like a Top 5 player. Today, the 30-year-old former No. 1 cruised past Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-4 in the Stuttgart quarterfinals. Sharapova hasn’t dropped a set in three matches this week.

“I thought I moved a lot better today, and was more comfortable with the ground and the surface,” Sharapova said. “Coming into the first match, I didn’t have a great sense of the court, the clay, or the atmosphere, having just had a practice in the morning.

“My footing is a lot better now, the hand-eye coordination. No matter how much you practice, you lose the reaction of being in a match, so that was better. I’m visualizing tactics better, as well, focusing on patterns. I returned better today, but I know I can still improve that tremendously.”


Sharapova will now meet Kristina Mladenovic who was a winner over Carla Suarez-Navarro.

No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova was upset by German Laura Siegemund 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3.

“It was our first meeting on clay, which is better for her, and in Stuttgart, which is even better for her,” Pliskova said. “I think I was fighting pretty well. I hadn’t practiced that much on clay, and it was absolutely different story with CoCo than today. It was tough to play two very different opponents in two days. I didn’t play well, but I still had some chances in the first two sets.

“I didn’t feel that good in the third set, didn’t have much energy anymore. If you don’t have that, she’s just going to make you run even more.”

Siegemund, who reached the Stuttgart finals last year, will face Simon Halep. Halep crushed past Anna Sevastova 6-3, 6-1.

“I feel good. I feel happy,” Halep said. “I’m positive on and off the court. These are my best feelings so far this year and I want to stay like this.”


You Might Like:
Sharapova Joins 8 of Top 10 at WTA Stuttgart; Preview
WTA Top 5 Led By Osaka, Halep And Kvitova Headline Stuttgart
Maria Sharapova Set For April 26th Return From Ban In Stuttgart
Sharapova Set for Possibly-Unwelcoming 2017 Debut at Stuttgart; WTA Preview
Sharapova Succumbs To Bertens In Madrid, Pliskova Upends Halep To Win 9th Straight

Don't miss any tennis action, stay connected with Tennis-X

Get the FREE TX daily newsletter

3 Comments for Sharapova, Halep Breeze Into Stuttgart SFs, Pliskova Out

Isaac Walls Says:

It would’ve revealed a lot about where both Pliskova’s and Sharapova’s game levels are currently at heading into the meat of the clay court swing on the wta schedule if only Pliskova wouldn’t had let herself succumb to a far lesser talented player like Siegemund. What an amazing display of a ruthless raw unharnessed brute force power hitting tennis display it would’ve certainly had been if Maria and Karolina faced off against each other.


lyle nubbins Says:

Maybe the ban will be a blessing in disguise for Sharapova. I admire her eye of the tiger, rare in the current era of women’s tennis, where various women get to No. 1 and then lose it in various ways.


Willow Says:

Kiki beats Maria, wonder what the handshake was like, if there even was one ? ….

Top story: Sinner Swallows Up Zverev For Second Straight Australian Open, 3rd Slam