Unseeded Maria Sharapova Looks For Redemption At Australian Open

Women's professional tennis is filled with plenty of stories of unlikely comebacks and second chances. But few tales are as filled with the chances for redemption that Maria Sharapova's return to the Australian Open.

This is a tournament she won in 2008 and the five-time Grand Slam champion should be considered a favorite. But the Australian Open is also the tournament where the former number one seed was given a 15-month suspension from the sport following a failed drug test in 2016. Now she's back and unseeded in the tournament despite her still formidable talents.

In her first match of the tournament, Sharapova seemed to have put all of the controversies behind her to focus on her game. She handily beat Germany's Tatjana Maria in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, to advance to the tournament's second round. Maria is currently ranked number 47 in the world, so the match was a good test of Sharapova's focus and drive.

Sharapova's second-round opponent will be the winner of the match between Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova and Uzbekistan's Varvara Lepchenko.

Despite her initial success in the Australian Open, Sharapova still faces a lot of reluctance from other major stops on the women's tour. Until she's seeded again in the top 16, she'll have to receive a wild-card spot in upcoming tournaments and officials at both the French Open and Wimbledon have said it's unlikely they'll offer her a slot. So given that reluctance, Sharapova's immediate future may depend on how well she fares at the Australian Open.