MELBOURNE, Jan 14, 2008 - France's Amelie Mauresmo staged a stunning comeback to avoid elimination in the Australian Open first round Monday, digging deep to show the type of the form that captured her title in 2006. Mauresmo, who came into the tournament under an injury cloud and largely written off after a slide from three to 18 in the rankings last year, defeated Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-0. The former world number one admitted she was worried after losing the first set but showed mental toughness to rally and win 12 successive games. "I wasn't too happy about it, that's for sure," she said. "I was lucky enough not to get frustrated too much after the loss of that set and really to be able to focus back on the game." The 28-year-old said she was lacking court-time due to a stomach muscle injury and struggled early in the match "Whether it's in tournaments or in the last week, I haven't practiced much because of my adductor," she said. "I didn't really know what to expect today and how I was going to play and move on that court -- tough in the first set but definitely much better after that." She will meet Russian Yaroslava Shvedova in the second round.
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