Tianjin Open News

Sharapova struggled to move on the court and conceded the opening set 6-1, with coach Thomas Hogstedt urging the Russian to take her game to the next level or call for a medical timeout.

Sharapova's first appearance at her home Women's Tennis Association event since 2007 came two days after she won her first WTA title in more than two years, the Tianjin Open.

The 30-year-old Russian was playing her seventh event since she returned to the tour in April from a 15-month drug ban.

Sharapova missed Wimbledon qualifying because of injury and she wasn't offered a wildcard to the French Open, but she reached the US Open last 16 on her return to Grand Slam tennis.

The former world number one, targeting the first title since returning to the tour in April, raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set as an error-prone Voegele struggled on serve.

The Russian former world No. 1 defeated Magda Linette of Poland 7-5, 6-3 and will next play either Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele or fifth seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

Currently ranked 86th after returning from a 15-month doping ban, Sharapova -- granted a wildcard in Tianjin -- plays unseeded Magda Linette of Poland next.

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska qualified for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals following a straight-set victory in the Tianjin Open final here on Sunday.

Top-seeded duo of Martina Hingis and Han Xinyun were beaten in the WTA Tianjin Open tennis tournament here on Wednesday.

US Open champion Flavia Pennetta was stunned in the first round of WTA Tianjin Open here on Tuesday, losing to Ukraine's qualifier Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-3, 7-5.