[1]Holder Rafael Nadal drew strength from a great escape in his opening match to grind into the French Open third round on Thursday but women's second seed Kim Clijsters' dream of first Paris title was shattered.
As the wind buffeted Roland Garros and the skies threatened a downpour, Nadal improved on his display in a five-set cliffhanger against John Isner on Tuesday but still missed a trick or two in a 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 win over compatriot Pablo Andujar.
While he is struggling to reach the level of tennis that has brought him five titles in his six campaigns at Roland Garros the Mallorcan's battling qualities were again in evidence as he saved seven set points in the third set and fought back from 0-40 down when serving for the second at 5-3.
Russia's Maria Sharapova matched Nadal's first-round Houdini act with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over French teenager Caroline Garcia, who had looked well set for a famous win before caving in and losing the last 11 games.
Fourth seed Andy Murray laboured to a 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Simone Bolelli and fifth seed Robin Soderling overcame Albert Ramos 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 while China's Li Na improved on her first-round display with victory over Silvia Soler-Espinosa.
Clijsters, a doubt before the tournament after injuring her ankle at her cousin's wedding, seemed to have shrugged off any ill effects and a chilly breeze in a dominant first set before folding 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 to little-known Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus.
The Belgian was runner-up in 2001 and 2003 and her exit was her worst performance in Paris since her debut in 2000. The Australian and US Open champion was also on a 15-match winning streak at grand slams.
"I was too negative in my head," Clijsters told reporters, refusing to blame her injury layoff for the defeat.
"If I wasn't feeling like I was able to play tough matches, then I wouldn't have made that decision to come here."
Rus, the world number 114 in only her third year on the tour, was ecstatic to have beaten a "hero".
Sweden's Soderling, who like Clijsters has lost two Paris finals, is flying beneath the radar in western Paris with all the focus on stuttering Nadal and the immense form of rival Novak Djokovic.
But cheered on by a smattering of Swedes with painted faces on a half-full Court Suzanne Lenglen, Soderling displayed why he is so dangerous on clay with strengths in all areas making up for an occasional inability to kill off a point.
"I think conditions were a little bit tougher today. It was tough to feel really perfect. But overall, a win in straight sets is always good," Soderling said.
Murray, beaten by Djokovic in January's Australian Open final, huffed and puffed his way to victory against the stubborn Bolelli but the battling Briton has a decent draw and can never be discounted if he finds his best form.
US 10th seed Mardy Fish wrapped up a 7-6, 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Robin Haase but compatriot Sam Querrey lost out to Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia while Spain's Fernando Verdasco went through as Nikolay Davydenko and Marcos Baghdatis crashed out.
Among the women, Czech dark horse Petra Kvitova made her move with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over China's Zheng Jie and 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska also reached the third round by overcoming India's Sania Mirza 6-2, 6-4.
Former world number one Sharapova has suffered a series of health problems but with the women's draw wide open at Roland Garros, which beat competition from the Paris suburbs to keep hosting the event, she has become a hot tip for overall glory.
The seventh seed sprayed errors around the court in the first half of her match against Garcia who used the noisy home crowd on court Philippe Chatrier to her advantage,
Sharapova did not panic, however, and rode out the storm before finally hitting her stride.
"I just never think that the match is over until it actually is," Sharapova, who has emerged as a serious title contender in a wide-open draw, told reporters.
"I think that no matter what situation you're put in, no matter how good or bad you feel, you've got to finish the match."
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/clijstersc0jpgcropdisplayjpg-043