Maria wins her first match in Los Angeles

Maria had no problems in her debut in the WTA Championships in Los Angeles, beating fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-4.


"I love it here. The atmosphere is great," said Maria, making her debut in the tournament. "To be here where the Lakers play, you just feel that excitement. I love basketball."


Sharapova had never beaten Kuznetsova in three previous meetings, including a 6-2, 6-2 semifinal loss in Beijing in September.



"In Beijing, she was coming off such a big winning streak (14 matches) and she was unstoppable," Sharapova said. "This time, it was important to start off well and put some pressure on her."



Maria hit 69 percent of her first serves, which averaged 103 mph (166 kph). She improved to 7-6 against her fellow Russians this year.



Tied 2-all in the second set, Maria went on to break Kuznetsova three times and closed out the hour-long match with a backhand winner.



Maria will face another Russian, Vera Zvonareva on Friday, not before 20.00, pacific time. On Saturday Maria will play her last match of the round robin against France's Amelie Mauresmo.


Note: Top two players from each group advance to Saturday's semi-finals. Good luck again Maria!


Click here for pictures of the match!