French Open 2011: Maria Sharapova, Li Na Through to Second Round

Seventh seed and Rome champion Maria Sharapova dominated Mirjana Lucic if Croatia 6-3, 6-0 in 54 minutes in her first-round match at the French Open Tuesday.

She had only nine errors and winners, but she won 56 of 80 points.

The furthest Sharapova has gotten in Roland Garros was to the 2007 semifinals, but with the way she is playing, it is likely that she could go all the way to win her fourth major and a career Grand Slam.

Australian Open finalist and sixth seed Li Na defeated Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of Croatia 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3. The two had fairly similar stats on the court, however, Li obtained the most errors at 59. 

Li will play World No. 158 Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain, who upset 38th-ranked Elena Vesnina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 23-year-old Soler-Espinosa hit seven aces to make her career match record 3-9 wins to losses in her first slam appearance. 

24th-seeded Jarmila Gajdosova, formally known as Groth, won her match 6-3, 6-1, defeating an emotional Virginie Razzano, whose fiance and former coach died before the French Open after being diagnosed with a brain tumor nine years ago. 

"I felt a lot of emotion, a lot of pain on court today," Razzano said to the Associated Press.
"The pain is permanent within me. It's very hard. But it felt good to be surrounded by so many people and to be here."

France did have a surprising winner in 17-year-old Caroline Garcia, the World No. 188, against Zuzana Ondraskova, who is ranked almost 100 spots higher and has made it to the second round of the French Open twice in her career. 

Garcia will meet Sharapova in the next round.

Japan's Ayumi Morita defeat Kristina Mladenovic barely after she broke back 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, and went on to 7-5 in the last set. 

Other winners through to the second round include Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues, who beat Corrina Dentoni 7-5, 7-5, and Russia Ekaterina Makarova, who defeated another, Romina Oprandi of Italy 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

Lauren Lynch is a correspondent for Bleacher Report.  Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials. 

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