Maria Sharapova Made To Sweat In Opening Round

Maria Sharapova was made to sweat in her opening match against Australian Jarmila Groth as she had to battle back from a set down to come through in three.

Sharapova has been on her way back from injury and has seen herself climb back up the rankings this year, she is seeded fourteenth in the tournament, and looks to be getting back to her best.

But Groth proved not to be a push over as she played with real aggression in the opening set as she attacked the Sharapova serve over and over again as well as firing down thirteen winners.

The former champion had no answer in that first set as she continued to struggle with her serve as Groth took the opener 6-4. But into the second Sharapova rallied and called on all of her experience, something which pulled her through.

The Russian extended the rallies and tried to force the errors from her opponent, a tactic that worked as Groth hit twenty unforced errors in the last two sets as well as twelve double faults.

And while Sharapova only managed to land 45% of her first serves her grit and determination saw her come through the match 4-6 6-3 6-1.

Speaking to Reuters after the match she said: "I think she came out today and really swung and didn't give me much time to do anything out there.

"Against a player like that, who kind of plays the one-two punch type of tennis, it's quite difficult to get a rhythm in the beginning."

Sharapova will face Iveta Benesova in the second round as she came through 6-3 7-6 (8-6) against Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives.

Former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova also had a tricky opening match as she was forced to go the distance by veteran Kimiko Date Krumm.

Krumm turns forty later this month and she was looking to become the oldest woman to win a match at the Open era and almost got what she came for as she pushed Kuznetsova close.

But after dropping the second set Kuznetsova rallied to comfortably take the third as the challenge from Krumm faded and she progressed to the next round with a 6-2 4-6 6-1 win.

She will now face Anastasija Sevastova who progressed after her opponent Regina Kulikova retired 6-0 2-0 down.

The biggest name to fall on the women's side of the draw yesterday was the eighth seed Li Na who admitted that she struggled in the heat in her tussle with Kateryna Bondarenko.

Despite taking the opening set Bondarenko hit back to take the next two and wrap up a 2-6 6-4 6-2 win.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw