Second seed Maria Sharapova has been knocked out of the Kremlin Cup in straight sets by Victoria Azarenka.
Day of upsets in Kremlin Cup WTA event
Second seed Maria Sharapova has been knocked out of the Kremlin Cup in straight sets by Victoria Azarenka.
The Belarussian teenager won their second-round match 7-6 6-2, with Sharapova clearly struggling on her return from a six-week absence caused by a shoulder injury.
The world number four made a total of 45 unforced errors in the match, including no less than seven double faults.
Sharapova, who enjoyed a first round bye, initally appeared confident and was leading 5-3 and 40-0 in the first set.
Nerve
But she suddenly lost her nerve, to the extent that Azarenka survived those three set points before going on to level proceedings.
Then, after forcing a tie-break, the 18-year-old survived three more set points before securing a one-set lead.
Sharapova's game continued to nose dive in the second set, with her world number 32-ranked opponent breaking twice more to close out victory in one hour and 49 minutes.
"Maybe I was too opinionated when I was leading the score 5-3," Sharapova later said. "That was the point where it all started. Had I won the first set everything could have been much better for me."
Having gone out in the third round of the her last tournament, the US Open, to another teenager, Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, the result also marked her third successive early departure from the Moscow event.
Having been beaten in the quarter-finals in 2005, Sharapova withdrew from last year's Kremlin Cup with a foot injury.
Upsets
Wednesday proved to be a day of upsets, with Vera Dushevina coming from a set down to see off fifth seed Marion Bartoli 2-6 6-0 6-4.
And Vera Zvonareva delighted the crowd with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over sixth seed Amelie Mauresmo.
It was the local hope's first success against the French star in eight attempts, overcoming the loss of the first set to battle her way into the second round.
And it was another disappointing result in a poor season for Mauresmo, who has found it difficult to reach peak fitness following a bout of acute appendicitis.
Finally, former US Open finalist Elena Dementieva defeated seventh seed Patty Schnyder 6-3 6-4 in the second round.
