A major upset has rocked the Porsche Arena on Thursday as three-time Porsche Tennis Grand Prix champion Maria Sharapova has suffered defeat in Stuttgart for the very first time.
Sharapova was bested by Angelique Kerber who managed to pull off a stunning three-set victory over the Russian five-time slam champion. In a match that would have been worthy of being the tournament’s final, Kerber overcome a lost first set, rallying back with the help of the crowd that pushed the German along to one of her biggest wins of the season.
Caroline Garcia
Carina Witthöft
Carina Witthöft
Carina Witthöft
Caroline Garcia
Carina Witthöft
Caroline Garcia
Caroline Garcia
Caroline Garcia
Caroline Garcia & Carina Witthöft
Caroline Garcia
Caroline Garcia
Maria Sharapova
Marina Melnikova
Petra Kvitova
Coming off an injury that prevented her from competing in Fed Cup ahead of the Stuttgart week, Sharapova started her run for a fourth-consecutive Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title with limited preparation, a fact that showed during the intense match as the Russian wasn’t her usual sharp self that has made her very hard to beat on clay in recent years.