Australian Open 2012 live stream

In a sensational early upset at Australian Open 2010, Maria Sharapova was bundled out in the first round by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, who pulled off a remarkable 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4 win in front of a stunned Rod Laver Arena crowd on Monday.

Sharapova missed last year’s Australian Open while recovering from shoulder surgery, but won the tournament on her last visit here in 2008, adding a third Grand Slam victory to her 2004 Wimbledon and 2006 US Open triumphs. She will have to wait a little longer for her fourth major title, however, thanks to Kirilenko’s combination of talent and fearlessness.

The 58th-ranked Kirilenko was on top of Sharapova early, taking advantage of signs of rustiness from the former world No.1 in the first set and taking the lead with relative ease against a player rated as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

When Sharapova leveled the match, the danger appeared to recede, with the three-time major champion looking by the more likely to win than her less-celebrated countrywoman. Kirilenko, however, harboured bigger ambitions than simply being an entertaining but ultimately unsuccessful cameo. She set about making Sharapova pay for errors and some erratic serving, and raced to a 4-1 lead in the decider.

For most of the third set, Kirilenko showed few signs of vulnerability and instead seemed to draw further strength from the scoreline. She remained aggressive throughout, hustling toward the net at every opportunity and forcing Sharapova into more errors. Kirilenko looked nervous when she went to serve for the match at 5-3, taking deep gulps of breath and dancing on her toes before serving. Sharapova made matters worse by winning the first two points of the ninth game to put Kirilenko at 0-30 down, and a penetrating crosscourt forehand saw Sharapova secure the break and seemingly shift the momentum in her favour.

Kirilenko, though, showed mental resilience in the following game. She earned match points against the still-faltering Sharapova serve, and took her chance to cause one of the biggest opening round upsets in the tournament’s recent history.