Sharapova survives scare in Australian Open

Second seed Maria Sharapova was made sweat in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, saving two match points to dash the hope of qualifier and world number 150 Alexandra Panova 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

Sharapova lost her game for most part of the match but her customary grit and determination plus a shaky finish from Panova eventually sent her into the next round.

Sharapova, who won the 2008 Australian Open and has five Grand Slam titles, made 51 unforced errors as she went for the lines. The match extended to two hours, 32 minutes in a temperature topping 33 Celsius

"I'm just happy to get through. I was not playing my best tennis today," said Sharapova, admitting there was a sense of relief after the scare.

"After being a point away from going out. At the end of the day it's always nice to come through a challenge like that."

Sharapova gave credits to her Russian counterpart who she met just for the first time.

"I think she played a pretty inspired match. She came out here with not much to lose and swinging freely and going for her shots," said Sharapova.

Panova thought one must make extra efforts to beat a champion like Sharapova.

"I just had to win another point. I should played even better to keep the momentum. She's a great fighter. She's a great champion. To take it from her, you really need some extra," she said about the match points in the third set. Endi