Wed May 28 12:00:08 2008

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Sharapova survives; Ivanovic reaches 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 is out after two days of rain here in Paris. Meanwhile, second-seeded 2007 Roland Garros runner-up Ana Ivanovic was an easy second-round victor.

The Australian Open champion Sharapova cruised in the first set on Day 4 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 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 needs the French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.

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.

An 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 Frenchwoman Stephanie Foretz 6-2, 6-1. Dementieva, who was a runner-up in Istanbul last week, 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.

In other action involving seeds, No. 18 Italian Francesca Schiavone shut down American Jill Craybas 6-3, 6-2; 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; and No. 27 Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik subdued Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-4, 6-2. Srebotnik reached a final in Strasbourg last week.

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