May 26, 2015 by admin

Berdych, Maria in Round 2

Paris, Maria Sharapova got back in the groove at her happiest hunting ground with the Russian opening her bid for a third French Open title with a 6-2 6-4 win over Kaia Kanepi.
The claycourt convert, champion last year and in 2012 and runner-up in 2013, went through her usual routines to great effect to ease through into the second round with few alarms.With her nemesis and top seed Serena Williams keeping her powder dry until Tuesday when men’s No. 1 Novak Djokovic and nine-times champion Rafa Nadal also set out, Sharapova shared top-billing with Britain’s Andy Murray on a breezy day in swanky western Paris.
Murray followed her on Court Phillipe Chatrier to face Argentine lucky loser Facundo Arguello. Men’s fourth seed Tomas Berdych’s long march in search of a maiden Grand Slam title resumed with a 6-0 7-5 6-3 victory against Japanese qualifer Yoshihito Nishioka.
Seeded in the top four at a grand slam for the first time, 29-year-old Berdych was relieved to a sixth first-round fall at the French Open where he reached the semifinal in 2010. Nishioka was one of five Japanese men to start in the main draw, the most since 1967, but only highly-fancied Kei Nishikori remains two days into the Grand Slam.
Berdych, a member of the world’s top 10 for five years but with only one Grand Slam final to his name, at Wimbledon in 2010 when he lost to Nadal, was far too streetwise for his 19-year-old opponent and was only briefly tested in the second set.
Spain’s Feliciano Lopez, the men’s 11th seed, became the highest casualty so far, losing 6-3 7-6(9) 6-3 to Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili women’s 14th seed Agnieszka Radwanska’s slump continued as the former world No. 2 succumbed 6-2 3-6 6-1 to Annika Beck.