Sharapova hot under collar after tough battle

Maria Sharapova demanded more clarity from organizers on their heat policy on Thursday after surviving a brutal three-hour marathon in scorching conditions at the Australian Open.

The third seed battled through a third set lasting nearly two hours to overcome Karin Knapp 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 in temperatures above 40 C.

The conditions were so tough that organizers suspended play at the tournament midway through the third set. However, under tournament rules, Sharapova and Knapp had to finish the set before coming off.

"There is no way getting around the fact that the conditions were extremely difficult, and have been for the last few days," she said.

"I mean, I think the question I have is no one really knows what the limit is. Not the players; the trainers themselves, when you ask them when will the roof be closed?

"No one actually knows what that number is in comparison to humidity or the actual heat.

"Sometimes you wish you know, because it just depends on I'm not sure who, a referee or the meteorologist, and there are just a lot of questions in the air that maybe should be solved."

France's Alize Cornet also wondered about the heat policy, noting conditions were very similar on Tuesday when temperatures peaked at 42.2 C.

"On Tuesday I wonder why they didn't stop play. It was like an oven," she said. "The wind was scorching and some people fainted. They shouldn't go to such an extreme.

"Why today and not on Tuesday? The conditions are similar, it's maybe one degree more. It looks like their decision is made a bit on the fly, and that's a pity."

The Australian Open has an extreme heat policy, introduced in 1998, which relies on the"wet bulb global temperature" - a complex calculation factoring air temperature, humidity, wind and sunlight.

The discretionary policy has only occasionally been invoked, with play halted and the roof on the main stadiums closed. The last time it was used was in 2009, the hottest Australian Open on record.

Sharapova claimed she had never received any official e-mails or warnings about the weather from the organizers, and said they owed it to players to be more open.

"I would love to know a bit more detail before - not even before I get on the court, but just in general it's good to know," she said.