NEW YORK: Former world No 1 Maria Sharapova made a triumphant return to Grand Slam competition on Monday after a 15-month doping ban, outlasting second-ranked Simona Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 at the US Open.

The 30-year-old Russian, who had only one hardcourt tune-up match due to a nagging forearm injury, swatted 60 winners with 64 unforced errors, setting the tempo and baffling Halep at times in a tension-packed thriller at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“This girl has a lot of grit,” Sharapova said of herself. “And she’s not going anywhere.”

Sharapova, who tested positive for meldonium at last year’s Australian Open, improved to 7-0 in her all-time rivalry with Halep, extending her mastery over the 25-year-old Romanian.

An emotional Sharapova punctuated her shotmaking, at times erratic and other moments spectacular, with screams and fist pumps. She was energetic even at rest, closing her eyes and bouncing her legs as she sat between sets.

After the final point, Sharapova dropped to her knees in tears as a replay appeal showed what she already knew.

She later battled back tears as she blew kisses to spectators, sobbed at times and mouthed: “Thank you” to fans that were devoted throughout the two hour and 45 minute drama.

Sharapova, whose major titles include the 2006 US Open, advanced to a second-round matchup against Hungarian Timea Babos, whom she has never played.

Sharapova won only 5 of 22 break points in the match while Halep won 4 of 10 and produced only 15 winners against 14 unforced errors.

It was Sharapova’s first Grand Slam match since a quarter-final loss to Serena Williams in last year’s Australian Open.

Sharapova, ranked 146th, returned in April but the French Open snubbed Sharapova for a wildcard entry and she missed Wimbledon with a thigh injury.

Sharapova walked onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium to rousing applause. She wore a black dress, visor, socks and shoes, the same style she sported in taking the trophy nine years ago on the New York hardcourts.

Halep hit a backhand long to hand Sharapova a break and 2-0 lead in the last set and the Russian held to the finish, escaping a break point in the final game when Halep netted a forehand.

A Sharapova backhand winner set up match point and brought huge applause but a thunderous ovation came when Halep hit a forehand long to end it, boosting Sharapova to 18-0 in night matches at Ashe.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Mugu­ruza advanced and British seventh seed Johanna Konta was ousted in other women’s matches.

Spanish third seed Mugur­uza defeated Amer­ican Varvara Lepch­enko 6-0, 6-3.

Muguruza can reach the US Open third round for the first time Wednesday by defeating China’s Duan Ying-Ying.

Serbia’s 78th-ranked Aleksandra Krunic upset Australian-born Konta 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, removing the only other top-10 player from Sharapova’s draw quarter.

German fourth seed Alexander Zverev, the top-ranked player in his half of the draw, saved two set points in the first tie-break and downed stubborn Barbados qualifier and Slam debutant Darian King 7-6 (11-9), 7-5, 6-4.

Croatian fifth seed Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and last month’s Wimbledon runner-up, ousted 105th-ranked American Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: 4-Alexander Zverev (Germany) bt Darian King (Barbados) 7-6 (11-9), 7-5, 6-4; Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) bt 25-Karen Khachanov (Russia) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; Denis Shapovalov (Canada) bt Daniil Medvedev (Russia) 7-5, 6-1, 6-2; Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) bt Alessandro Giannessi (Italy) 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 7-5; Dudi Sela (Israel) bt Christopher Eubanks (US) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; Radu Albot (Moldova) bt Ernesto Escobedo (US) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; 10-John Isner (US) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; 5-Marin Cilic (Croatia) bt Tennys Sandgren (US) 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; 8-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) bt Marius Copil (Romania) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4; 29-Diego Schwartzman (Argentina) bt Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 6-2, 6-1, 6-3;Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) bt 21-David Ferrer (Spain) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1; Benoit Paire (France) bt Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); Chung Hyeon (South Korea) bt Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, 6-3; 28-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) bt JC Aragone (US) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1; Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) bt Andreas Haider-Maurer (Austria) 7-6 (7-3), 5-1 — Haider-Maurer retired; Florian Mayer (Germany) bt Rogerio Dutra Silva (Brazil) 7-5, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4; Steve Johnson (US) bt Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5); 12-Pablo Carreno (Spain) bt Evan King (US) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); Kyle Edmund (Britain) bt 32-Robin Haase (Netherlands) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3; Cameron Norrie (Britain) bt Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 — Tursunov retired; Jordan Thompson (Australia) bt 13-Jack Sock (US) 6-2, 7-6 (14-12), 1-6, 5-7, 6-4; Borna Coric (Croatia) bt Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2), 6-2; Jared Donaldson (US) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (Georgia) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); Nicolas Mahut (France) bt Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3); Thomas Fabbiano (Italy) bt John-Patrick Smith (Australia) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4); Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia) 6-7 (5-7), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3; 20-Albert Ramos (Spain) bt Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5; 23-Mischa Zverev (Germany) bt Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (US) 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; 16-Lucas Pouille (France) bt Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; 17-Sam Querrey (US) bt Gilles Simon (France) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; 19-Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) bt Bernard Tomic (Australia) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) bt Joao Sousa (Portugal) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

Women’s singles:

First round: Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt 2-Simona Halep (Romania) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3; 16-Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) bt Carina Witthoeft (Germany) 7-5, 6-1; 9-Venus Williams (US) bt Viktoria Kuzmova (Slovakia) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Sloane Stephens (US) bt Roberta Vinci (Italy) 7-5, 6-1; Ajla Tomljanovic (Australia) bt Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 7-5, 6-4; Donna Vekic (Croatia) bt Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) 6-2, 6-1; Zheng Saisai (China) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (Belgium) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia) bt 7-Johanna Konta (Britain) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Kateryna Kozlova (Ukraine) bt Irina Begu (Romania) 6-2, 7-6 (9-7); Duan Yingying (China) bt Claire Liu (US) 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-3); 30-Julia Goerges (Germany) bt Annika Beck (Germany) 6-1, 6-0; Maria Sakkari (Greece) bt 24-Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-3, 6-4; Sofia Kenin (US) bt 32-Lauren Davis (US) 7-5, 7-5; Sachia Vickery (US) bt Natalia Vikhlyantseva (Russia) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1; Alize Cornet (France) bt Heather Watson (Britain) 6-4, 6-4; Arina Rodionova (Australia) bt Richel Hogenkamp (Netherlands) 7-5, 7-5; 13-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 7-5, 7-5; 31-Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) bt Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-3, 6-4; 3-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) bt Varvara Lepchenko (US) 6-0, 6-3; Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) bt Anna Zaja (Germany) 6-2, 6-3; 18-Caroline Garcia (France) bt Tereza Martincova (Czech Republic) 6-0, 6-1; Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) bt Misa Eguchi (Japan) 6-2, 6-2; 11-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) bt Jana Cepelova (Slovakia) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2; Timea Babos (Hungary) bt Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) 7-5, 5-7 7-5; Oceane Dodin (France) bt Pauline Parmentier (France) 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6); 22-Peng Shuai (China) bt Amandine Hesse (France) 6-4, 6-1; Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) bt Ipek Soylu (Turkey) 6-4, 6-2; 5-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (Romania) 6-1, 7-5; 29-Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia) bt Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4); Ashleigh Barty (Australia) bt 21-Ana Konjuh (Croatia) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1; Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) bt Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-2, 6-1; Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Belarus) bt Julia Boserup (US) 6-2, 6-2.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2017