Australian Open 2018: Petra Kvitova out but Maria Sharapova cruises through

Kvitova served for the match at 6-5 and 8-7, but Petkovic fought back on both occasions and eventually secured victory on a double fault

Petra Kvitova's Australian Open is over (AFP)

Petra Kvitova’s Australian Open is over but only after the two-times Wimbledon champion fought a marathon encounter with Andrea Petkovic here today. Petkovic won 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 after just under three hours, the German having been pushed to the limit in a match of rapidly changing fortunes.

Twelve months ago Kvitova missed this tournament following the horrific knife attack on her in home in the Czech Republic at the end of the previous year, in which she suffered terrible hand injuries. She eventually returned to competition at last summer’s French Open but is still working to recover her best form.

Kvitova recovered well after losing the first set to Petkovic, who is the world No 98, but took the second only after saving eight break points when she served at 5-4. Kvitova fought back from 0-3 down in the deciding set and saved three match points when trailing 5-4. She served for the match at 6-5 and 8-7, but Petkovic fought back on both occasions and eventually secured victory on a double fault.

At one stage Kvitova was struggling to breathe and by the end she was suffering with cramp in her feet. "It was a long match," the world No 28 said afterwards when asked about her physical struggles. "I had problems with everything."

Kvitova said it had meant a lot to her to be competing here again. "I felt the support during the match,” she said. “When I was leaving the court I really felt it. The emotions caught up with me a little bit, but I was pretty happy in the end. I’m just glad that I’m still able to play tennis.”

Garbine Muguruza, the reigning Wimbledon champion, beat France’s Jessika Ponchet 6-4, 6-3. Muguruza, who reached the quarter-finals here last year, is currently ranked No 3 in the world and has a chance of regaining the No 1 position which she briefly held towards the end of last year.

Simona Halep, the current No 1, looked in danger of going out in the first round for the third year in a row when she trailed Destanee Aiava, an Australian wild card, 5-2 in the opening set, but the Romanian recovered to win 7-6, 6-1, despite having to take an injury time-out after hurting her ankle in a heavy fall.

Maria Sharapova beat Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-1, 6-4 in her first match at the tournament since her positive drugs test here two years ago, which led to her 15-month suspension. The Russian looked just as comfortable off the court as she did on it, brushing aside questions about both her ban and her controversial appearance at last week’s draw ceremony.

Sharapova made it through with little trouble (AFP)

“It's not the way I look at things moving forward,” Sharapova said when asked if she had had painful flashbacks about her failed drugs test. As for her presence at the draw, the Russian said she had simply accepted an invitation from the tournament director. She said she had no comment to make on the criticisms of her participation.

Apart from Sharapova, the only former women’s champion in the draw is Angelique Kerber, who won in 2016. The German had a miserable year in 2017 but continued her fine start to the new season when she beat her fellow German, Anna-Lena Friedsam, 6-0 6-4.

Kerber, who won her first title for nine months when she triumphed in Sydney last week, said afterwards: “I’ve said goodbye to 2017 already. I’m not looking back.”