Former world number one Maria Sharapova beat 11th seed Nadia Petrova 6-2 1-6 8-6 in an epic three-set battle to make the French Open third round. The Russian, ranked 102 after a year of injury, had a topsy-turvy first two sets and then won a 71-minute last set.

Maria will next play Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova. The 22-year-old – a semi-finalist in Paris two years ago – has not played a Grand Slam since Wimbledon last year because of a shoulder injury.

Following her victory, Sharapova said: “These types of matches are very important for me although I spent more time on the court than I wanted to. “But I’m learning new things. It was a great match where I had to fight really hard and that’s what I did. I’m glad I picked myself up and I could win.”

The 22-year-old wrapped up the first set in 32 minutes, taking the last four games on the bounce, but fellow Russian Petrova, who had won just one of her last six matches against her opponent, levelled the match with breaks in the fourth and sixth. Sharapova fought off a break point to lead 7-6 and secured victory with a cracking forehand to win in two hours and 12 minutes.