Andy Murray saw off a 29-year-old local who had only won one match on the main tour and China`s Li Na toiled through under cloudier skies in the French Open first round.
|Last Updated: May 24, 2011, 09:36 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Paris: Andy Murray saw off a 29-year-old local who had only won one match on the main tour and China`s Li Na toiled through under cloudier skies in the French Open first round on Tuesday.British fourth seed Murray progressed 6-4 6-1 6-3 but was broken twice by Eric Prodon, who had only made three previous appearances in a grand slam, all at Roland Garros.
Women`s sixth seed Li, who like Murray was runner-up in January`s Australian Open, began with an uninspiring 6-3 6-7 6-3 win over Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova with the early crowds also somewhat lacklustre after a busy and sunny Monday.
In contrast, Maria Sharapova, wearing striking yellow, stormed past Mirjana Lucic 6-3 6-0 to continue her good form.
Murray did not need to produce his best against the slightly rotund Prodon, who broke in the first set with a drop shot after a series of half-hearted attempts.
The Scot found more rhythm in the second but was broken again in the third set as Prodon`s remarkably laidback but occasionally successful volleys and smashes amused the fans.
There was more laughs when it organisers announced that American Ryan Harrison, who threw his racket into a tree when losing in qualifying last week, had won a lucky loser berth and he will play last year`s runner-up Robin Soderling later.
The feelings on Court Philippe Chatrier were completely different as France`s Virginie Razzano, whose coach and fiance died eight days ago after a brain tumour, lost her match to Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3 6-1 to warm and heartfelt applause.
"I had a lot of emotion and pain," she said tearfully.Number two seed Kim Clijsters returns from injury later against Anastasiya Yakimova.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.