Top 5 Photos, June 18: Sharapova back to work; 'Iron Man' practice
The Russian made great use of her wild card in Mallorca, while Andy Murray joined Bob Bryan for an indoor hit.
It was another full day of exciting grass-court play, with familiar faces making their return and top players needing to scramble their way to victory. These are the Top 5 photos from Tuesday's action.
**1.**Maria Sharapova returned to the court after a near five-month injury layoff and she played as if she never left. The five-time Grand Slam champion received a wild card into Mallorca and defeated Viktoria Kuzmova, 7-6 (8), 6-0, in her 2019 grass-court debut. Sharapova suffered another setback on her right shoulder in January that required surgery.
2. Will the real Iron Man please stand up? After having hip resurfacing surgery in January and facing uncertainty about his playing future, Andy Murray is back on the court at The Queen's Club. He practiced with Bob Bryan, who underwent the same surgery last year and made a successful return despite unfavorable odds to win the Miami Open in March. Murray is slated to make his team debut with Feliciano Lopez on Wednesday.
3. The sunshine didn't last long in London: although fans enjoyed a spectacular opening day at the event, Day 2 brought more of the same dismal weather that hit Nottingham last week. All of Tuesday's matches were washed out due to the persistent rain hovering over The Queen's Club.
4. Naomi Osaka scrambled to get her first-round win over Maria Sakkari at Birmingham, edging out a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory. After suffering a disappointing third-round loss in Paris against Katerina Siniakova, the Japanese finds herself being chased by French Open champion Ashleigh Barty for the No. 1 ranking.
5. Julia Georges rallied past Dayana Yastremska, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 . With her 2018 Wimbledon semifinal performance, she has the goods to make a statement during the grass season. The German will face Evgeniya Rodina in her second-round match.
