Maria Sharapova steps on the red dirt of Stuttgart on Thursday looking to defend not only her three-year reign at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix but her hold on the no.2 spot of the WTA world ranking.
Sharapova's dominance on this tournament will be tested as top-10 contenders Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep joined the fray in the first WTA Premier Tournament of the clay-court season.
Halep was able to put herself in position to take the world's no.2 ranking this week after scoring wins in Dubai and Indian Wells (her first Mandatory Premier Event title) and then reaching the finals of Key Biscayne Open.
Sharapova, on the other hand, is still trying to find her groove back since losing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open finals. The Russian darling bombed out in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open and first round of the Miami Open, allowing Halep to narrow the gap that has separated her from regaining the spot behind top-ranked Serena Williams.
Then again, Sharapova proved the past three years that she's virtually unstoppable in Stuttgart, which has served as her clay-court season kicker over the past few seasons.
"Despite everything, it's always a nice feeling to come back to an event where you've had a really good record. where you've had some great matches, great memories," Sharapova told the press she hits the court against Angelique Kerber of Germany in the second round via WTA News.
"Some of the best matches of my career have been played on that court. But every year you come back to a tournament you start from the very beginning, and that's what I'll be doing this year to try and defend my title."
Sharapova, who is also the reigning French Open champion, gained the no.1 seed in the tourney, but her draw proves to be tough one with Kvitova or Ivanovic waiting for her in the semis. In order for Sharapova to keep her spot, she needs to reach the semifinal round or beat Halep in the final if the Romanian manages to reach the championship match.