May 31, 2007 4 min read

PARIS (AP) – Maria Sharapova’s achy right shoulder might have been to blame for a few shaky moments at the French Open on Wednesday. Her confidence? Perfectly intact.

After taking time off and getting a cortisone shot for what she called the worst injury of her career, Sharapova got through her first test at Roland Garros, playing through a drizzle to beat Emilie Loit of France 6-3, 7-6 (4).

“Even without a serve,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said, “I’m good enough to win many matches.”

She certainly was on a day when several top players had lapses before managing to win, including Venus Williams, Justine Henin and Roger Federer – who complained he was sent out on court too late in the day, saying, “I can hardly see the ball. You start stressing out.”

That trio reached the third round; Sharapova got to the second.

No woman ever has served faster at a Grand Slam tournament than Williams did during her 6-1, 7-6 (8) victory over Ashley Harkleroad, a match that suddenly swung from ho-hum to harrowing for the five-time major champion.

Williams was ahead 6-1, 4-1, 30-love when she hit her record 128 mph serve, then peeked at the speed readout and nearly doubled over in laughter.

“I loved it,” she said.

But the moment also cracked her concentration. After winning the next point to make it 5-1, Williams dropped five consecutive games, squandering match points along the way.

“I really just got overconfident,” said Williams, who next faces No. 4 Jelena Jankovic. “I was just feeling like I couldn’t lose – and then it was even.”

In the tiebreaker, Harkleroad held five set points, all of which Williams saved before finally coming through.

“By the time I started playing a little bit better,” Harkleroad said, “it was almost too late.”

She’s one of five American women who’ve lost in singles, while Williams is among five still in the tournament. The others are her sister Serena, whose match was postponed because of darkness; Meghann Shaughnessy, who beat injured 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina 6-1, 6-0; Meilen Tu; and Jill Craybas.

That’s far better than the U.S. men, who went 0-9 in the first round in their worst performance at the French Open in at least 40 years.

“We weren’t really brought up on a clay court, I guess,” Harkleroad said.

Like Harkleroad, Henin’s opponent, 16-year-old Tamira Paszek of Austria, reeled off five straight games to make things interesting after trailing 5-0 in the first set.

“You can see the points going by,” two-time defending champion Henin said. “I remained calm. I could have lost my mind.”

Federer was among the last players ushered into action, and he was hardly pleased. Evening was on its way, clouds filled the sky, and rain was falling.

He wasted two match points while serving at 5-4 in the third set, then three more in the tiebreaker, before dispatching Thierry Ascione of France 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (8).

“What I don’t like is if they think that, OK, you know, I’m the favorite, I should win this in straight sets – ‘Let’s get Roger’s match over and done with,’ ” he said. “What about if it doesn’t turn out this way?”

The day’s biggest surprise was 10th-seeded Tomas Berdych’s loss to 64th-ranked Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, while two-time major champion Marat Safin tumbled through the clay, chucked his racket and kicked tennis balls in disgust during his 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 defeat against Janko Tipsarevic.

Local fans were disappointed to see No. 11 Richard Gasquet of France depart early, but thrilled that Gael Monfils eliminated No. 18 Juan Ignacio Chela, and Michael Llodra beat No. 32 Nicolas Almagro.

There were no significant upsets on the women’s side, and while Sharapova never truly seemed headed for one, her play was hardly perfect.

She allowed seven break points to slip away during the opening game. She made 34 unforced errors, one more than Loit. And she got broken to fall behind 6-5 in the second set. Sharapova then was down 3-2 in the tiebreaker before taking five of the next six points.

During the match’s first changeover, Loit took a medical timeout so she could have a troublesome leg muscle treated by a trainer. While they were gone, Sharapova donned a deep blue jacket that looked more like something for an art gallery opening than for an athlete. She stood alone on court, stretched out her shoulder, then practiced serving.

“I love going out here and I love competing,” she said. “As long as the doctors give me an OK, as long as I can play through the little aches and pains … I’m willing to do it.”