AFP, Indian Wells :
Russian Maria Sharapova launched her defence of the Indian Wells WTA title with a brisk 6-1, 6-4 victory over Julia Goerges on Saturday.
Sharapova, seeded fourth, needed just 66 minutes to get past the unseeded German on the Stadium Court of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Although she had seven double-faults, she didn’t face a break point as she advanced her bid to add a third title in the California desert to go with those she won last year and in 2006.
The former world number one and four-time Grand Slam champion’s 2013 campaign was cut short in August by a shoulder injury that ruled her out of the US Open.
Currently ranked fifth in the world, Sharapova is playing her fourth tournament of the year but has yet to reach a final.
