Maria loses in Moscow

Maria Sharapova, playing in Moscow for only the third time, lost to teenager Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (9), 6-2 Wednesday in the second round of the Kremlin Cup.

It was Sharapova's first match in six weeks since her defeat in the third round of the U.S. Open. The second-seeded Russian, who was sidelined because of a lingering shoulder injury, has never made it past the second round in the event.

Sharapova went ahead 5-3 and 40-love in the first set but lost 10 consecutive points and allowed Azarenka to force a tiebreaker.

"Maybe I was too self-assured at 5-3," Sharapova said. "But it all went downhill after."

Against Sharapova, the 18-year-old Belarussian saved three more set points in the tiebreaker before taking the set. Azarenka then broke the two-time Grand Slam champion twice in the second set for her first win over the fourth-ranked player.

"I tried to stay concentrated and believed I could win the match," said Azarenka, ranked 32nd, who was a runner-up in her first WTA Tour final in Tashkent last weekend.