WTA Tour: betting preview, tips & where to watch for the Mallorca Open

TV: BT Sport 1, 11am Thursday

Maria Sharapova returned from a five-month break with a hard-fought victory over Viktoria Kuzmova in the first round of the WTA Mallorca Open but the 32-year-old Russian faces a step up in class when she takes on Angelique Kerber for a place in the quarter-finals.

Sharapova had to dig deep in her first set since January, coming from a break down to win 10-8 in a tiebreak, before blowing away Kuzmova 6-0 in the second set.

But, instead of Sharapova stepping up a gear, it was Kuzmova who dropped her level substantially both when serving and receiving - the Slovak's first-serve percentage fell from 62 per cent to 33 per cent in the second set and her return stats were also below par.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Kerber is likely to offer a far sterner test after she came through a tough three sets against Ysaline Bonaventure in her first-round match.

The consistent German did not enjoy the clay season but will be delighted to get back to a surface where she has enjoyed plenty of success and a positive recent record against Sharapova - three wins from their last three meetings - points in favour of the 31-year-old.

Their most recent clash saw Kerber win 6-1 6-3 at the 2018 Australian Open and is an indicator of the different directions in which their careers have moved over the last few years.

Recommendation
A Kerber
2pts 3-4 Betfair

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