Sharapova's winning return ends in SF defeat to Mladenovic
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) Maria Sharapova's first tournament since her controversial return to tennis is over after losing to Kristina Mladenovic of France in the Porsche Grand Prix semifinals.
Mladenovic beat former top-ranked Sharapova 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 Saturday.
In her fourth match following a 15-month doping ban, the Russian was left to rue missing 13 of her 16 break-point opportunities as Mladenovic rallied to win in 2 hours, 38 minutes.
The 19th-ranked Mladenovic, who ousted two-time defending champion Angelique Kerber on Thursday, next plays the winner of the other semifinal between fourth-seeded Simona Halep and last year's runner-up Laura Siegemund.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, who tested positive for meldonium at last year's Australian Open, had been given a wild card to enter the Stuttgart event after losing her ranking because of the ban.
