Fever-Tree Championships, Great Britain

Five months post his second hip surgery, Andy Murray made a winning return to tennis in doubles. Murray teamed up with his good friend, Feliciano Lopez and the duo defeated the number one seeds from Colombia. Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, the number five ranked doubles team on the both teams protecting their serves and it was only fitting that it was decided in a tiebreak. Murray moved well and showed no signs that his newly repaired hip was giving him any trouble. With the 7-6(5), 6-3 victory, Murray stays on track to potentially meet his brother in the semifinals.

Kerber Derails Sharapova’s Comeback

Mallorca Open, Spain

[6] Angelique Kerber (GER) vs. [85] Maria Sharapova (RUS)

Since her return from her drug suspension, Sharapova has struggled with a slew of injuries. Every time she looked ready to gain some traction; another injury derailed her. At thirty-two, one wonders how many more injuries she can sustain before she gets frustrated and calls it quits. While she still hits the ball with ferocity, the lack of match play has taken a toll on her confidence. The last time she played a match was earlier this year around the end of January and while she won her first-round match, she was no match for a caliber player like Kerber. The German ran down every ball, forcing Sharapova into making error after error. Despite a slight wobble when she served for the match, Kerber regrouped to win 6-2, 6-3 and will face the resurgent Caroline Garcia in the next round.

Osaka Falls Again To Putintseva

Nature Valley Classic, Birmingham

[1] Naomi Osaka (JPN) vs. [43] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)

Osaka lost their only encounter about a year and a half ago; however, that was before Osaka was the number one ranked female player and a two-time major champion. Yet, you could not tell that today, Putintseva came out with a game plan that left Osaka rattled. The top seed seemed completely out of sorts and made too many errors. Even when she broke back, Osaka lacked confidence in her game, which caused her to force her shots making too many errors. Putintseva won 6-2, 6-3. With Wimbledon less than two weeks, Osaka will need to get her game back on track.

Special Mention

Juan Martin Del Potro injured his right knee yesterday in his victory over Denis Shapovalov; unfortunately for the Argentine, it will need to be surgically repaired. We wish him a successful operation and a speedy recovery.

SOURCE OF IMAGES: Zimbio.com (main image: Getty Images Europe- Andy Murray)