DPA/Paris
Maria Sharapova of Russia serves to Caroline Garcia of France during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris yesterday
Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova had to fight to escape French Open upsets yesterday on a windy, chilly day of hazards for seeds, with both managing to survive into the third round.
Men’s top seed Nadal, who again looked under-done compared to his usual majesty on the clay where he has won the title five times, struggled against a fellow Spaniard before finally putting down 48th-ranked Pablo Andujar 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
The contest took three and a quarter-hours, at more than an hour per set. Andujar forced Nadal to save eight set points in the third set as the top seed battled back from 1-5 down before finally going through in a tiebreaker.
The way Nadal celebrated, it would have seemed he had just won the title. His struggle came 48 hours after he was forced to five sets for the first time at Roland Garros by American John Isner.
Sharapova, like Nadal a multiple champion at majors, needed a recovery against a French teenaged opponent, winning the last 11 games to overhaul 17-year-old Caroline Garcia 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. The Russian, who won Wimbledon at that same age in 2004, had to battle to avoid the upset fate that earlier took out second seed Kim Clijsters, defeated 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 by Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands.
Sharapova left it late until she changed the flow, finally turning the corner from a set and 4-1 down against the number 188 playing in only her second Slam.
“She played well the entire match,” said the winner. “I was just trying to hang in there in tough conditions.

Netherland’s Arantxa Rus celebrates after beating Kim Clijsters at the French Open yesterday

“I had to adjust some things and do things differently to turn it around. She played unbelievable for the first set and a half. She was controlling the points, I just tried to be steady in the wind.” Two-time finalist Clijsters went down to her worst defeat since her Paris debut 11 years ago when she lost in the first round.
The Belgian, who has won three Grand Slam titles since returning to tennis in 2009 after becoming a mother, missed on a chance to close out a victory in straight sets. Rus, 20, earned the biggest success of her career against a player who returned to action in Paris after injuring her ankle while dancing at an April wedding reception. The second-seeded Clijsters committed 65 unforced errors. The bewildered Belgian said her fitness was not an issue - it was more about a mysterious mental letdown.
“I felt in control, she was missing quite a lot in the beginning of the rallies, and I was moving her around well from side to side.
“Then, I started doubting a little bit, on clay that’s definitely the wrong attitude. She obviously started building up more confidence, started playing a lot better and was really kind of putting me on my back foot all the time.
“I couldn’t really play my aggressive tennis anymore in that third set.”
Australian Open finalist Li Na, seeded sixth, beat Spain’s Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-4, 7-5, while there were also wins for seeds Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Andrea Petkovic and Kaia Kanepi. Men’s fourth seed Andy Murray got past stubborn Italian Simone Bolelli 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 7-5 in the swirling wind. “Sometimes you’d throw the ball up to serve and you’d feel like the wind was blowing in towards you,” said the Scot. “When you throw up, it would change and the ball blows forward.
“There are a lot of scrappy points, a lot of scrappy games, and you’ve just got to try and chase as many balls down as you can, make them play one extra ball.
“Today I was able to do that.”
Men’s fifth seed and finalist of the last two editions, Swede Robin Soderling, eased past Spaniard Albert Ramos 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
US 10th seed Mardy Fish beat Robin Haase of the Netherlands 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, 6-1, while compatriot Sam Querrey lost to Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4.
RESULTS CHECK
Men (2nd rd): Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Pablo Andujar (ESP) 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) Antonio Veic (CRO) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x28) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) bt Sam Querrey (USA x24) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-4 Fernando Verdasco (ESP x16) bt Xavier Malisse (BEL) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 Mardy Fish (USA x10) bt Robin Haase (NED) 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-1 Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP x27) 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) Robin Soderling (SWE x5) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 7-5 Viktor Troicki (SRB x15) bt Tobias Kamke (GER) 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) Lukasz Kubot (POL) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 Alejandro Falla (COL) bt Florian Mayer (GER x20) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-2
Women (2nd rd): Li Na (CHN x6) bt Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) 6-4, 7-5 Sorana Cirstea (ROM) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM x27) 6-2, 7-5 Vania King (USA) bt Elena Baltacha (GBR) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Petra Kvitova (CZE x9) bt Zheng Jie (CHN) 6-4, 6-1 Kaia Kanepi (EST x16) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-1, 6-3 Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) Roberta Vinci (ITA x30) bt Iryna Bremond (FRA) 6-3, 6-4 Maria Sharapova (RUS x7) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) bt Jill Craybas (USA) 6-1, 6-4 Yanina Wickmayer (BEL x21) bt Ayumi Morita (JPN) 6-4, 7-5 Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x12) bt Sania Mirza (IND) 6-2, 6-4 Andrea Petkovic (GER x15) bt Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 Maria Kirilenko (RUS x25) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 6-1, 6-4 Arantxa Rus (NED) bt Kim Clijsters (BEL x2) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1