[5] Sharapova(RUS #5) vs. Nao Hibino(JPN # 56)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Sharapova has played just seven tour-level matches since Wimbledon 2015.
Can Sharapova shake the rust off in time to get past rapidly-rising Hibino on Monday in Melbourne? The Russian has not played since the Fed Cup final last November, but she is confident that her short, sweet off-season training block and her experience will help get her through the early rounds in Melbourne. "Yes I might be more rusty," Sharapova told reporters on Saturday, "but I've always been someone who treats practice as meaningful and I can take that into matches. I'm ready to go." In Hibino, Sharapova will face one of the breakout performers of 2015. The 21-year-old won her first WTA title at Tashkent and finished a season inside the Top 100 for the first time.
