Wednesday 21 January 2015 17:18, UK
Maria Sharapova saved two match points on the way to a dramatic victory over her little-known fellow Russian Alexandra Panova at the Australian Open.
Qualifier Panova, ranked 150th in the world, looked to be on her way to a stunning upset at the expense of the second seed when she served for the second-round match at 5-4 in the deciding set.
But world No 2 Sharapova retrieved a near lost cause to win 6-1 4-6 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena.
"I'm just happy to get through," Sharapova said in an on-court interview. "I wasn't playing my best tennis today. I think she played a pretty inspired match and she's played a few matches in qualifying. She came out with not much to lose, swinging freely and going for her shots.
"I didn't want to be out here for two and a half hours but that's sometimes how it goes."
The rapid manner in which 2008 Melbourne Park champion Sharapova powered through the opening set, in just 26 minutes, offered no indication of the drama that was to follow.
Panova, 25, has lost five years out of seven in qualifying for the Australian Open, and this was her first appearance in the second round.
It might have been one she would remember for all the right reasons, but instead it proved a heartbreaking missed opportunity.
Panova broke early in the second set, and again to lead 5-2, holding her nerve when serving for the set for a second time, clinching it when Sharapova paddled a backhand long.
The underdog surged 4-1 ahead in the decider too, and led 40-15 in the next game. That was where Sharapova began to gain a foothold as she reeled off four points to claim a break back.
Panova has never been higher than 71st in the women's tour rankings but when she reached 5-4, serving for the match, the chance to claim her biggest scalp opened up.
She could take neither match point though, and a pair of bruising forehands gave Sharapova the game, levelling the set and transforming the complexion of the situation.
From that point Sharapova was untroubled, and victory was sealed after just over two and a half hours on court.
"She came up with a good shots, with the winners. What could I do?" Panova said. "She's a great fighter. She's a great champion. To take it from her, you really need something extra."
Sharapova, who will face Zarina Dyas in the third round after the 31st seed defeated Anna Schmiedlova 8-6 in the third set.
Seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard demolished Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens with one of the most one-sided displays seen so far at this year's season-opening Grand Slam, utterly dominating her opponent, ranked 72 in the world with a 6-0 6-3 win.
Cheered on by the "Genie Army", Bouchard overwhelmed Bertens from the outset, hitting 10 winners to three as she ran away with the first set 6-0 after 23 minutes.
Her dominance continued in the second, although Bertens at least managed get on the scoreboard with three games to avoid the dreaded "double bagel".
Her third-round opponent will be world No 36 Caroline Garcia of France, who beat the Canadian in their only previous meeting last year at the Acapulco quarter-finals.
With a record-equalling 11 seeds losing in the first round, the draw has opened up and Lucie Hradecka, who knocked out fifth seed Ana Ivanovic, continued her good form with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 triumph over Polona Hercog.
Meanwhile, 10th seed Ekaterina Makarova beat Roberta Vinci 6-2 6-4 while Peng Shuai sealed a 6-1 6-1 win over Magdalena Rybarikova and highly-rated Czech Karolina Pliskova beat Oceane Dodin 7-5 5-7 6-4.
