Maria Sharapova is scheduled to take to Centre Court in Stuttgart against Roberta Vinci in the first match of Wednesday night’s schedule at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Sharapova, whose 15-month doping ban lifted at 12am on Wednesday, will make her first competitive appearance since Australian Open 2016.
Should she get past Vinci – against whom she owns a winning 2-0 head-to-head record – Sharapova will face fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who upset No.7 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets.
Sharapova is a three-time champion in Stuttgart, winning a hat-trick of titles between 2012 and 2014.
Due to her ban, Sharapova has not been able to step foot in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix facility until Wednesday.
According to a story in the The Times, she has been practising for the tournament at a suburban Stuttgart tennis club with indoor clay courts.
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