TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS:OVER THE past two years Maria Sharapova has been back to the drawing board more times than most artists. After suffering her earliest grand slam defeat in seven years yesterday, the Russian left knowing she will need to do an awful lot of hard work if she is ever to get back to the top.

Considering Maria Kirilenko was ranked as high as number 18 just 18 months ago, her 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 first-round victory was not a massive surprise but for Sharapova – a player who has won three grand slam titles, including a triumph here in 2008, and who has been ranked number one in the past – it is an obvious setback.

With Serena Williams setting the pace at the top and with the US Open champion Kim Clijsters and another former world number one, Justine Henin, very much back in the mix after their returns from retirement, Sharapova was already playing catch-up.

Now she faces a long, hard road if she is to show she deserves her place in the elite.

Sharapova’s gutsy nature has never been in question and it was in evidence again yesterday when she hit back from 5-2 down in the final set, breaking Kirilenko when she served for the match at 5-3.

At that point, it looked as if she would produce another comeback victory but uncharacteristically her nerve failed her at the worst moment.

The good news for the 22-year-old was that her fitness held up well in a match that lasted three hours and 22 minutes.

After having shoulder surgery in October 2008, the former Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion was out of action for almost a year and it is not surprising that she is still searching for consistency.

After toying with a remodelled service action, Sharapova abandoned it after the US Open last September, when she served 21 double faults in her defeat to the American, Melanie Oudin.

Against Kirilenko she still hit 11 double faults but the Russian said she was happy with her serve, even if she admitted that some parts of her game were still lacking.

“I wouldn’t say it’s (a lack of) belief,” she said.

“Whether it’s just a little bit of confidence . . . obviously it’s the first tournament of the year and I just came up against somebody that just played really good tennis.”

At her best, Sharapova can easily beat all but the very best of her rivals and what annoyed her most yesterday was that after a strong start, when she led 4-2 in the first set and had two points to lead 5-2, she let Kirilenko back into the match.

“I could be disappointed or I could take it as it is and go back on the court and just keep working,” she said. “I choose option two.”

“A bad day’s not going to stop me from doing what I love. I’m still going to go back on the court and work hard and perform,” she added.

Clijsters was far too good for the Canadian qualifier Valerie Tetreault as she won 6-0, 6-4, and Henin, playing her first match at a grand slam event for two years, eased to a 6-4, 6-3 win over another Belgian, Kirsten Flipkens.

Henin is trying to emulate Clijsters’ achievement in winning a grand slam on her return, but we will know more about her chances after tomorrow when she takes on the number five seed Elena Dementieva in the second round.

MEN’S SINGLES; First round: (7) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Thiemo De Bakker (Ned) 6-1 6-4 6-4, (11) Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) bt Olivier Rochus (Bel) 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-1, Bernard Tomic (Aus) bt Guillaume Rufin (Fra) 6-3 6-4 6-4, Florian Mayer (Ger) bt Philipp Petzschner (Ger) 0-6 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-2, (4) Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt Michael Russell (USA) 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-2, (5) Andy Murray (Gbr) bt Kevin Anderson (Rsa) 6-1 6-1 6-2, Ivo Karlovic (Cro) bt (13) Radek Stepanek (Cze) 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 3-6 6-4, Andrey Golubev (Kaz) bt Mardy Fish (USA) 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-3, (24) Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) bt Jason Kubler (Aus) 6-1 6-2 6-2, Wayne Odesnik (USA) bt Blaz Kavcic (Slo) 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-2, (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt Peter Luczak (Aus) 7-6 (7-0) 6-1 6-4.

WOMEN’S SINGLES; First round: (5) Elena Dementieva (Rus) bt Vera Dushevina (Rus) 6-2 6-1, Justine Henin (Bel) bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) 6-4 6-3, (27) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) bt Jelena Dokic (Aus) 6-1 7-5, Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (Rom) 1-6 7-5 10-8, (12) Flavia Pennetta (Ita) bt Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) 6-3 3-6 6-2, (15) Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt Valerie Tetreault (Can) 6-0 6-4, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) bt Anastasija Sevastova (Lat) 6-2 6-4, (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Anastasia Rodionova (Rus) 6-1 6-2, (24) Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spa) bt Evgeniya Rodina (Rus) 6-0 6-0, Jie Zheng (Chn) bt Shuai Peng (Chn) 0-6 6-1 6-2, Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt (14) Maria Sharapova (Rus) 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-4, Yvonne Meusburger (Aut) bt Timea Bacsinszky (Swi) 6-4 4-6 6-2, (30) Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) bt Ioana Raluca Olaru (Rom) 6-2 7-6 (8-6), Elena Baltacha (Gbr) bt Pauline Parmentier (Fra) 6-4 3-6 7-5, (2) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Svk) 6-4 6-4.