Mar 7, 2018; Indian Wells, CA, Naomi Osaka (JPN) in her first round match against Maria Sharapova (not pictured) at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
(Reuters) - Former world number one Maria Sharapova lost her second consecutive first round match with a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Japan's Naomi Osaka at the BNP Paribas Open in California on Wednesday.
Sharapova, who returned to tennis last April following a 15-month doping ban, continued to struggle to find form this season as she dug herself into an early hole and never fully recovered.
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