Sharapova feels the heat against prickly Pin

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) Top seed Maria Sharapova held her nerve to secure a battling 6-3 4-6 9-7 victory over Frenchwoman Camille Pin in the first round of the Australian Open today.

The Russian world number two raced into a 5-0 lead in the final set, only to lose five games in a row to the world number 62 in sweltering conditions at Rod Laver Arena.

Sharapova wasted three match points and Pin was just two points from victory when she served for the match at 7-6.

But the Russian dug deep and won the next three games to reach the second round.

Reuters PM GC0946