PARIS, (Reuters) – Maria Sharapova flirted with danger and Andy Murray suffered a mid-match meltdown before their survival instincts kicked in to carry them into the third round of the French Open yesterday.
The duo have never felt at home in the heartland of claycourt tennis and after Murray was forced to change tactics to tame Italian Potito Starace 6-3 2-6 7-5 6-4, Sharapova maintained an aura of calm despite being five points from defeat to subdue 11th-seeded fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 6-2 1-6 8-6. Rafael Nadal won a record 30th consecutive match at Roland Garros by trampling Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-1 6-4 6-2.
The four-times champion eclipsed Chris Evert’s mark of 29 set between 1974 and 1981 — the American did not compete in Paris in 1976-78 — to set up a blockbuster third round showdown with former world number one Lleyton Hewitt. Women’s top seed Dinara Safina followed up her 6-0 6-0 walloping of Britain’s Anne Keothavong in the first round with a 6-1 6-1 demolition of luckless fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko and holder Ana Ivanovic discovered her sweet spot to crush Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1 6-2.
Diatchenko carried a stuffed pink and blue toy on court as a mascot but the only luck it provided was to ensure she too did not suffer the humiliation of a whitewash at Safina’s hands. Despite the ruthless performance, Safina’s coach Zeljko Krajan is proving to be a hard man to please. “If one day he’s going to be happy, I think I will finish my career. He is never happy. Even today, he is not happy,” said the 23-year-old Safina, who won 17 consecutive games at these championships before finally allowing an opponent to take a game off her.
