Former champion Maria Sharapova saw her bad run in the majors continue as she crashed out of the first round of the Australian Open.
The 14th seed, who lost in the second round at Wimbledon and the third round at the US Open last year, came unstuck in Melbourne after an epic three-setter against Maria Kirilenko.
Fellow Russian Kirilenko held on to record a 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-4 victory after three hours and 21 minutes.
Sharapova, who won the title in 2008, had gone into the competition claiming she was feeling at her best since surgery had disrupted her 2009 campaign.
However she was guilty of committing 66 unforced errors while also serving 11 double faults, allowing Kirilenko to snatch the victory.
Sharapova certainly had her chances on the Rod Laver Arena, having led 4-2 in the first set and even broke back in the final set to trail 5-4. However Kirilenko was able to make the most of her opportunities to upset her close friend.
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