Wed May 28 14:41:26 2008

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Sharapova survives; Ivanovic, Serena reach third round in Paris

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Paris, France (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Maria Sharapova was pushed to the limit Wednesday in her first-round match at the 2008 French Open, where the sun came out after two days of rain here in Paris. Meanwhile, second- seeded 2007 Roland Garros runner-up Ana Ivanovic and former French Open champion Serena Williams were among the second-round victors on Day 4.

The Australian Open champion Sharapova cruised in the first set against 103rd- ranked fellow Russian Evgeniya Rodina, who ultimately pushed the three-time Grand Slam champion to a 6-1, 3-6, 8-6 decision amid very windy conditions. Sharapova was two points away from defeat, but fought off her compatriot to prevent herself from becoming the first top seed to lose in the first round here in the Open Era (1968).

Sharapova piled up 17 double faults in a shaky effort.

"I was very close to losing this match," Sharapova said. "Not many things were working for me today after the first set."

Leading 5-4 in the third set, Rodina was two points away from the upset, but Sharapova won the next two points to hold her serve.

At 6-6 in the final stanza, Sharapova notched her first service break of the set to grab the lead, and she then served out the bout, winning the last three points of the match to advance.

"I had problems in every department of my game today, so I'll have to improve on every aspect of those things," a relieved Sharapova said.

Sharapova, who needs the French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, will meet American qualifier Bethanie Mattek in the round of 64.

The French and Australian Open runner-up Ivanovic drilled 41st-ranked Czech Lucie Safarova 6-1, 6-2 to improve to 8-1 in her last nine matches at this major. The Serbian star lost to Justine Henin in last year's Roland Garros finale and succumbed to Sharapova in the Aussie Open title bout back in January.

A fifth-seeded former world No. 1 Serena held off French wild card Mathilde Johansson 6-2, 7-5 to improve to 31-6 lifetime here. Johansson had a chance to serve for the second set, leading at 5-3, but the powerful American closed out her little-known opponent by winning the last four games of the match.

Serena owns eight major titles, including one here at Roland Garros back in 2002, and has reached at least the quarterfinals in her last five trips to Paris.

In other second-round action involving seeds, No. 10 Patty Schnyder snuck past fellow Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; No. 14 Pole Agnieszka Radwanska remained hot with a 6-2, 6-0 lambasting of Croatian qualifier Jelena Pandzic; and No. 30 Dane Caroline Wozniacki dismissed Belarusian qualifier Anastasiya Yakimova 6-0, 6-4. Radwanska is fresh off her clay-court title in Istanbul last week.

One other second-rounder saw France's Emilie Loit level Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-3.

A first-round upset came when Aussie Casey Dellacqua grounded ninth-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, of France, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2.

Sixth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze held off Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, while seventh-seeded Elena Dementieva overcame fellow Russian Vera Dushevina 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 6-2, and 11th-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva zipped past helpless French wild card Stephanie Foretz 6-2, 6-1 in the round of 128. Dementieva, who was the runner-up to Radwanska in Istanbul, is a two- time Grand Slam finalist, including an appearance in the final here four years ago.

A mild first-round upset came when Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak waltzed past 20th-seeded Austrian Sybille Bammer 6-0, 6-2 on the famed red clay here.

Sixteenth-seeded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka flattened Romanian Edina Gallovits 6-1, 6-3, while Aussie wild card Samantha Stosur knocked out 17th- seeded Israeli Shahar Peer 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in first-round play.

In other opening-round action involving seeds, No. 18 Italian Francesca Schiavone shut down American Jill Craybas 6-3, 6-2; No. 21 Russian Maria Kirilenko clobbered Italian Maria Elena Camerin 6-1, 6-0; No. 25 Russian Nadia Petrova doused France's Aravane Rezai 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; No. 26 Italian Flavia Pennetta pasted Ukrainian Tatiana Perebiynis 6-3, 6-2; No. 27 Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik subdued Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-4, 6-2; and No. 29 Anabel Medina Garrigues grounded qualifier and fellow Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 6-2. Medina Garrigues beat Srebotnik in last week's title bout in Strasbourg.

Additional first-round wins came for the likes of Americans Vania King and the aforementioned Mattek, and Frenchwoman Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.

The first round finally concluded after four days of competition at this fortnight.

The 2008 French Open winner will pocket more than $1.5 million.