NO.1 seed Maria Sharapova battled back from the brink of defeat against Russian debutant Evgeniya Rodina to win a dramatic first-round tie at the French Open.

AUSTRALIA'S Lleyton Hewitt shrugged off injury concerns to begin his French Open campaign with a commanding straight-sets win over Nicolas Mahut of France.

TENNIS player Jarmila Gajdosova has asked for understanding in her native Slovakia and adopted home of Australia over her bid to change nationality.

AUSTRALIA'S Casey Dellacqua caused a big upset at the French Open when she beat No.9 seed and local favourite Marion Bartoli in the first round.

ANDY MURRAY received a warning from his Spanish coach Alex Corretja as he prepared to face Argentinian Jose Acasuso in the French Open second round later today.

RAIN brought an early end to the day's action at the French Open yesterday.

AMELIE Mauresmo was the unexpected provider of a much-needed boost for the home crowd as rain again decimated the French Open programme yesterday.

DOUBLES specialist Jamie Murray has launched an audacious bid to land a wild card for the singles tournament at Wimbledon.

Amelie Mauresmo held her nerve and her serve when it counted Tuesday, reaching the second round of the French Open by beating Olga Savchuk 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 in a match interrupted by rain.