Played it one point at a time: Sharapova

Former Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova yesterday struggled early on but still advanced past Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano 7-6 (7/3) 6-3, to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

Sharapova, seeded 14, had won the Australian Open title in 2008.

At one point in the first set she was trailing 0-3 to the World No 100 Virginie Razzano. But then she recovered quickly to hold serve and break back before eventually taking the set in the tie-breaker. "It was a slow start," admitted the Russian.

"I had been waiting a long time and she came out playing well. I just played it a point at a time and stayed tough," she said.