Soaked with sweat and clinging desperately for survival, Maria Sharapova was serving for the match when Australian Open organizers finally decided that the searing heat was extreme enough to suspend matches. That was 5-4 in the third set, 2 hours and 38 minutes into her second-round match against No. 44-ranked Karin Knapp on Thursday, but it didn't apply to the pair on Rod Laver Arena because the Extreme Heat Policy only kicks in at the end of sets in progress. So they continued without reprieve and it took another 50 minutes before Sharapova converted her fourth match point for a grueling 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 victory. It was 39 C (102 F) when Sharapova's match started at just after 11 a.m. local and almost 43 C (109 F) by the time she finished. More...