Maria Sharapova has admitted that she is simply glad to have progressed into the second round of the Australian Open following an opening day full of surprises.
The five-time Grand Slam champion proved too strong for Petra Martic as she claimed a straight-sets win to set up a meeting with fellow Russian Alexandra Panova.
Victory was made all the more sweeter for Sharapova following an opening round which has so far seen eight of the 16 seeds crash out of the tournament, most notably number five seed Ana Ivanovic and world number nine Angelique Kerber.
Speaking after her triumph, the 27-year-old said: "I made a few too many unforced errors but overall I'm glad I got through. She was a tough opponent and was really inspired."
Sharapova reached the fourth-round stage of this season-opening event last year before crashing out.
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