Top seed Maria Sharapova struggled to defeat Russian Maria Kirilenko Tuesday at the JPMorgan Chase Open in California.

Sharapova had not played since the semi-final appearance at Wimbledon. She was forced out of the Acura Classic in San Diego last week with a strained lower back.
Even though Sharapova triumphed in the first meeting with Kirilenko, the sloppyness was very obvious during the match.