Tennis: French Open Women's singles championship/FirstRound Results: What a thought, that Maria Sharapova might forget to twinkle her toes, miss her steps and dance her way out in the first round at Roland Garros.
Her Russian compatriot, Evgenia Linetskaya, for a brief time yesterday, certainly made it look as though there would be no fairytale beginning for Sharapova as last year's Wimbledon champion shrieked and groaned her way, finally, to a three-set win, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
While unconvincing victories are part of the rites of passage when taking first steps on clay, Sharapova's weakness on the surface was made evident. Still gaining in strength, the cold, damp conditions didn't help as the 18-year-old laboured to get the heavy ball to go where she wanted it to go.
For almost half of the match Linetskaya was almost always on the end of it, turning her long-legged opponent and almost turning the match.
Linetskaya went a set up and to within one point from taking a 4-1 lead in the second set before the number two seed began to find more consistent range deeper into the court. Her serve will also have to significantly improve if she wishes to strike terror into opponents.
"It was definitely tough. You know you are just down a break in the third and you're just begging for mercy," said Sharapova, clearly relieved. "I tried to fight it out and just tried to find an opening. As the third set went on, I thought the conditions were a little lighter and the ball flew faster. I was able to hit shots that she wasn't able to run down."
The weather has always been a factor in Paris, and while Sharapova has a big game and is capable of slugging it out, as she did last year in London against Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final, her game is not yet durable enough for long, draining rallies to make her feel comfortable on clay.
She also lacks the patience to hit 20 to 30-stroke rallies from the back of the court.
"First round is never easy," she quipped. "You just have to improve things in the second."
True enough. While Sharapova dithered, there was no such meandering win for the darling of Paris, Amelie Mauresmo. The 25-year-old easily brushed aside Evie Dominikovic 6-2, 6-1, and so she should have.
The Australian 24-year-old has never won a WTA singles title and is ranked at 111th in the world, compared to Mauresmo's three. Still. There were no first-round issues with the girl who frequently has them in front of the home crowd.
Justin Henin-Hardenne had a little issue. Much like Sharapova, the 2003 champion wobbled a little against the veteran Conchita Martinez.
There was little prospect of Martinez upsetting the Belgian, and after a 6-0 first-set drubbing, it looked like under an hour's work would finish the job. But add together wind, relaxing too much and a few nerves and Henin-Hardenne fumbled and dropped the second set 4-6. Gathering herself, she then sped to 5-1 in the third before a semi-collapse.
"I did a lot of unforced errors. But she played good at that time," said the winner, who took the third set 6-4.
After two days everyone has completed their first round matches. Mauresmo looks the most convincing, but that, in the past, has not served the French hope well.
WOMEN'S SINGLES
First round
(6) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Mathilde Johansson (Fra) 6-1 6-1; Severine Beltrame (Fra) bt Abigail Spears (USA) 6-3 6-1; Sofia Arvidsson (Swe) bt Eleni Daniilidou (Gre) 6-1 7-6 (7-1); Klara Koukalova (Cze) bt Mervana Jugic-Salkic (Bsh) 6-3 4-6 6-3; Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) bt (26) Paola Suarez (Arg) 7-5 1-6 6-0; Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spa) bt (23) Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) 6-3 4-6 6-4; (10) Justine Henin-Hardenne (Bel) bt Conchita Martinez (Spa) 6-0 4-6 6-4; (12) Elena Bovina (Rus) bt Maria Vento-Kabchi (Ven) 6-0 6-3; (24) Magdalena Maleeva (Bul) bt Rika Fujiwara (Jpn) 6-4 6-2; (30) Gisela Dulko (Arg) bt Sania Mirza (Ind) 6-3 6-3; Kristina Brandi (Pue) bt Youlia Fedossova (Fra) 1-6 6-3 6-2; Tathiana Garbin (Ita) bt Martina Sucha (Svk) 6-7 (8-10) 6-1 6-2; Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt Silvija Talaja (Cro) 6-1 6-2; Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spa) bt Petra Mandula (Hun) 6-0 6-1; Marissa Irvin (USA) bt Nicole Pratt (Aus) 5-7 6-4 8-6; (7) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt Mashona Washington (USA) 6-4 6-2; Iveta Benesova (Cze) bt Pauline Parmentier (Fra) 7-5 6-4; (2) Maria Sharapova (Rus) bt Evgenia Linetskaya (Rus) 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-4; (13) Nathalie Dechy (Fra) bt Michaela Pastikova (Cze) 6-1 6-4; Aravane Rezai (Fra) bt Camille Pin (Fra) 2-6 6-2 6-2; (29) Ana Ivanovic (Ser) bt Stephanie Foretz (Fra) 6-3 6-3; (3) Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Evie Dominikovic (Aus) 6-2 6-1; Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) bt Anastasia Yakimova (Blr) 6-4 7-6 (9-7); Nicole Vaidisova (Cze) bt Lucie Safarova (Cze) 4-6 6-0 6-4; Kveta Peschke (Cze) bt Dally Randriantefy (Mad) 6-1 6-0; Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi (Isr) bt (15) Jelena Jankovic (Ser) 6-0 6-3; Antonella Serra-Zanetti (Ita) bt Marlene Weingartner (Ger) 6-2 6-4; Shahar Peer (Isr) bt (28) Marion Bartoli (Fra) 6-4 6-3; Alize Cornet (Fra) bt Alina Jidkova (Rus) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3; Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) bt Roberta Vinci (Ita) 7-5 1-6 6-4; (17) Tatiana Golovin (Fra) bt Lilia Osterloh (USA) 6-0 6-2; (22) Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt Jie Zheng (Chn) 3-6 6-3 6-4.
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