Tennis: World number two Kim Clijsters avoided any mishaps in a 6-2 6-3 win over Belarus's Anastasiya Yakimova in the first round of the French Open.
The Belgian, who had been out for two months after a series of injuries including an ankle problem sustained while dancing at her cousin's wedding, proved her fitness as she dismissed the world number 100 in 80 minutes.
Clijsters ended the contest on her fourth match point when Yakimova sent a forehand into the net. She will next face Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands.
Seventh seed Maria Sharapova had earlier swept into the second round for the loss of only three games against Mirjana Lucic. The Russian, who will complete her set of Grand Slam titles if she lifts the title on the Paris clay, won the last nine games to cruise through 6-3 6-0 in 56 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Sharapova is returning to something like her best form after a lengthy struggle with shoulder problems and she marked herself out as a potential title contender by winning the prestigious warm-up event in Rome earlier this month.
Lucic, whose life and career have been blighted by an abusive father, reached her first quarter-final on the main tour last week in Strasbourg since a last-four appearance at Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 1999 but she could not compete with Sharapova's power.
The 24-year-old, who next faces Caroline Garcia, said: "It was a tough beginning because she started off serving really big and I didn't get too many looks on second serves. Once I got a good rhythm I felt like I started playing better and better.
"It's a good way to start. The first round is always a little tricky, especially when you don't know your opponent too well."
Elena Baltacha made it two British players into the second round of the women's draw.
Baltacha proved too good for American Sloane Stephens, winning 7-5 6-2 on Court Six at Roland Garros to join compatriot Heather Watson in the last 64.
The British number one had been expected to beat Stephens, ranked 60 places below her in the world rankings, but she made a sluggish start, losing her serve twice in the early stages.
Stephens served for the first set at 5-3 but missed her chance and was made to pay.
Baltacha reeled off four straight games to take the set and having found her form, pushed on in the second.
The 27-year-old was mixing up her play well and, after letting three break points slip through her fingers, Baltacha took her fourth opportunity to establish a 2-1 lead in the second set.
From there the Scot tightened her grip on the match, breaking for a fourth time in the seventh game before clinching a notable victory on her second match point.
Stephens was unable to fashion even a break point in the second set as the Briton set up a second-round clash with another American, Vania King.
King had earlier put out 22nd seed Dominika Cibulkova. It capped a good couple of days for the British women.
On Monday, Watson had become the first British woman to win a main-draw match at the French Open for 17 years when she beat Stephanie Foretz Gacon.