21 Jan 2011

Sharapova screams her way into third round

9:37 am on 21 January 2011

Maria Sharapova may have left Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano with permanent ear damage after screaming her way to a 7-6 6-3 second round victory at the Australian Tennis Open on Wednesday.

Wailing like a banshee on virtually every point, the former world number one took a shade over two hours to advance after an error-strewn performance arguably more memorable for its volume levels.

Sharapova gave Razzano a 3-0 head-start before pegging her back and finally taking the first set on a tiebreak 7-3.

The 2008 Melbourne champion and 14th seed roared with relief when she belted a forehand crosscourt to take a 5-3 lead in the second, and threatened to break the sound barrier when she fired down another huge serve to seal victory.

Sharapova, still struggling to find her top form since shoulder surgery in late 2008, will next play Germany's Julia Goerges, who wears the Russian's tennis fashion designs.