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Melbourne - Third seed Maria Sharapova clawed into the Australian Open second round on Tuesday with a straight-sets win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands as she seeks her first Grand Slam title since the 2012 French Open.
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The glamorous Russian, on the comeback trail from a shoulder injury that forced her off the tour in August, battled past the tough American 6-3, 6-4 but her game was marred by too many errors and a serve that failed to fire.
"After (missing) my last Grand Slam in New York I have been so looking forward to this one and I was really happy to start," she said.
"She was a tough opponent and I'm just happy to get through the first one.
"I have had trouble against her in the past and I knew it would be no different tonight."
The four-time Grand Slam winner, in a powder blue dress, only made her return at the Brisbane International this month where she lost to bitter rival and eventual champion Serena Williams in the semi-finals.
Sharapova, who was using an ice vest even at 11:00 pm after a scorching hot day, won't be relishing a possible final meeting with Williams, who has a 15-2 record in their career meetings.
Now working with coach Sven Groeneveld after a failed, one-tournament partnership with Jimmy Connors, Sharapova comfortably held her serve then scored an early break when Mattek-Sands pushed a forehand long.
She was playing aggressive tennis and forcing errors from the American, which cost her dearly with the third seed racing to a 4-0 lead.
But the colourful Mattek-Sands, sporting purple dyed hair and her trademark knee socks, forced her way back into the game when Sharapova drove a forehand long to give her a glimmer of hope.
She held serve to go 4-2 and nearly got back to 4-3 with the Russian struggling with her service game, but failed to make the most of her opportunities with Sharapova closing out an error-riddled set in 48 minutes.
Sharapova got the break she was looking for in the third game of the second set, striking a powerful forehand down the line.
She held for 3-1 but the gritty American bounced back and squared the set at 3-3 as Sharapova's lacklustre serve again let her down with barely 50 percent of her first serves good.
But the end was in sight with the Russian breaking again in the ninth game and serving out for a match in which she made 28 unforced errors and converted only half of her eight break points.
Mattek-Sands, ranked 41, has now exited in the first round all three times she has played Australian Open.
Sharapova, who won the Australian Open in 2008 and made the final in 2007 and 2012, next plays Italy's Karin Knapp as she looks to go one better than last year, when lost to Li Na in the semi-finals.
Results from the Australian Open on Tuesday:
Men's singles:
First round:
Lu Yen-hsun (TPE) bt Jimmy Wang (TPE) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Michal Przysiezny (POL) bt Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5
Stephane Robert (FRA) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-0
Victor Hanescu (ROU) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Milos Raonic (CAN x11) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 7-6 (7/2), 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Martin Klizan (SVK) bt John Isner (USA x13) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) ret
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x22) bt Bradley Klahn (USA) 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3
Kei Nishikori (JPN x16) bt Marinko Matosevic (AUS) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x10) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Roger Federer (SUI x6) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) bt Julian Reister (GER) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) ret
Benoit Paire (FRA x27) bt Frank Dancevic (CAN) 7-6, (14/12), 6-3, 6-4
Blaz Kavcic (SLO) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-1, 2-0 ret
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-2, 6-0
Blaz Rola (SLO) bt Federico Delbonis (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 7-5
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/2)
Roberto Bautista (ESP) bt Tim Smyczek (USA) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
Michael Berrer (GER) bt Michael Llodra (FRA) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP x31) bt Ze Zhang (CHN) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Jack Sock (USA) bt Tobias Kamke (GER) 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
Andreas Seppi (ITA x24) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5
Donald Young (USA) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 1-0 ret
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x5) bt Rhyne Williams (USA) 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Go Soeda (JPN) 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
Vincent Millot (FRA) bt Wayne Odesnik (USA) 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-3
Feliciano Lopez (ESP x26) bt Somdev Devvarman (IND) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2)
Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-4 ret
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) bt Igor Sijsling (NED) 7-6 (7/4), 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2
Gael Monfils (FRA x25) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Stephane Robert (FRA) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-0
Thomaz Belluci (BRA) bt Julian Reister (GER) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) ret
Women's singles:
First round:
Alize Cornet (FRA x25) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 1-0 ret
Simona Halep (ROU x11) bt Katarzyna Piter (POL) 6-0, 6-1
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x10) bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP) 6-0, 6-2
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x16) bt Vania King (USA) 6-3, 6-2
Christina McHale (USA) bt Chan Yung-jan (TPE) 7-5, 6-4
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) bt Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x2) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) bt Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x20) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
Zarina Diyas (KAZ) bt Katerina Siniakov (CZE) 6-2, 6-4,
Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Storm Sanders (AUS) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x29) bt Teliana Pereira (BRA) 7-6 (9/7), 6-4
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x8) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-1, 6-2
Mandy Minella (LUX) bt Carina Witthoft (GER) 6-1, 6-4
Stefanie Vogele (SUI) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 7-5, 7-5
Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x5) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Duan Ying-Ying (CHN) 6-0, 7-6 (8/6)
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST x24) 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
Olivia Rogowska (AUS) bt Mariana Duque (COL) 6-3, 6-3
Ayumi Morita (JPN) bt Nadiya Kichenok (UKR) 6-2, 7-6 (7/5)
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x32) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-2, 6-3
Marina Erakovic (NZL) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM x21) 6-4, 7-6 (8/6)
Karin Knapp (ITA) bt Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 6-4, 6-2
Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) bt Timea Babos (HUN) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Sloane Stephens (USA x13) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3
Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) bt Tadeja Majeric (SLO) 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4
Maria Sharapova (RUS x3) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-3, 6-4
Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB x33) bt Jana Cepelova (SVK) 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-3
Elina Svitolina (UKR) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x19) 6-3, 6-3
