Maria Sharapova continued her comfortable start to the Australian Open with a straight-sets demolition of Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round on Wednesday.
Sharapova eases through again at Aus Open
Maria Sharapova continued her comfortable start to the Australian Open with a straight-sets demolition of Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The Russian dropped just four games in her opening match and was again untroubled, cruising past Sasnovich 6-2 6-1 in just 71 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Sharapova, a five-time grand slam champion and winner at Melbourne Park in 2008, was typically ruthless under the roof as play was delayed on outside courts due to rain.
The fifth seed raced through the first four games to put Sasnovich under enormous pressure before a small struggle to close out the set.
Another strong start to the second meant Sharapova encountered no problems as her power overwhelmed her 21-year-old opponent.
Sharapova jumped all over Sasnovich's second serve, winning 16 of the 18 points when the Belarusian missed her first serve.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Sharapova [5] bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-1
ACES
Sharapova - 4
Sasnovich - 0
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Sharapova - 22/24
Sasnovich - 6/18
BREAK POINTS WON
Sharapova - 6/9
Sasnovich - 2/5
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Sharapova - 56
Sasnovich - 58
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Sharapova - 79/41
Sasnovich - 48/11
TOTAL POINTS
Sharapova - 60
Sasnovich - 33
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