Alexandra Panova admitted that she was beaten by a "great champion" in Maria Sharapova after coming agonisingly close to beating her fellow Russian in the second round of the Australian Open.
Sharapova was forced to save two match points before recording victory in a thrilling match, and Panova was keen to pay tribute to the second seed, despite missing the chance to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
"She came up with a good shots, with the winners. What could I do? I should have played even better or something to keep the momentum. She's a great fighter. She's a great champion. To take it from her, you really need some extra," the 25-year-old told reporters.
"I hope to take some positive. You're right, it's very hard losing such a match. But to improve and move forward, I hope I'll take some positives out of it."
Sharapova will meet Zarina Diyas or Anna Schmiedlova in round three.
Written by
Callum Mulvihill
Callum Mulvihill
