Sharapova battles on after scare

Sharapova is playing her first tournament since April

Maria Sharapova teetered on the brink of defeat before eventually beating Mashona Washington 6-2 5-7 7-5 in the first round of the French Open.

Washington was 5-2 up in the decider and had three match points but Sharapova's bravery saw her through.

The fourth seed has been sidelined since April with injuries and had her ankle re-taped before the third set.

But with defeat looming, she somehow lifted herself to win the last five games against the gallant Washington.

Sharapova, who will face Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic in the second round, revealed she needed an MRI scan on her ankle on the eve of the tournament.

"I knew the ankle wouldn't be 100% but it was my decision to gut it out," said the 19-year-old.

"The injury was slowly getting better last week but on Friday I aggravated it and took the MRI.

"I was surprised to get to three sets and I was even more surprised to win it."

If I wasn't interested I could have stayed at home and watched the last series of Lost on TV Maria Sharapova

The Russian was unimpressed with the tournament's organisers after they refused her permission to play later in the week because of the injury.

She said: "I phoned the French Federation on Friday to ask if I could play on Monday or Tuesday instead, but they replied I was playing the fourth match on Sunday - it did not make me feel great at all.

"Obviously they want to sell tickets and only care about their own players."

Sharapova, who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, saved a match point in the eighth game of the decider and two more in the ninth as she clawed her way back from 5-2 down to 5-5.

The 2004 Wimbledon champion then broke Washington to lead 6-5 before sealing victory after two hours and 26 minutes of gruelling action.

"I gave it all I had. I'm a competitor and that's why I play this sport," she said.

"If I wasn't interested I could have stayed at home and watched the last series of Lost on TV.

"I was playing with the pain. I blocked it out, moved better and made her hit the extra ball. She got tight and I was able to serve it out."