Roger Federer, still seeking a first Roland Garros crown to complete a career Grand Slam, swept into the second round on Monday but was overshadowed by the eagerly awaited Grand Slam return of Maria Sharapova, the world’s highest-paid and most recognizable sportswoman.
The Russian golden girl, ranked at a lowly 102 after a nine-month absence because of a shoulder injury, overcame Belarusian Anastasia Yakimova 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 to book a last 64 date against compatriot Nadia Petrova, the 11th seed.
Sharapova, a former Wimbledon, US and Australian Open champion, said her return feels like a second career has just get underway.
PHOTO: EPA
“Definitely. It’s the first time in my life where I couldn’t practice for such a long period of time,” said Sharapova, who warmed up for the French Open by playing singles at the low-key Warsaw event last week.
“I think it was three months where I didn’t touch a racquet. Everything about it was just bizarre. It was like some things were just taken away from your life,” she said.
Meanwhile, US teenager Alexa Glatch upset 14th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta, 6-1, 6-1.
Pennetta, who reached the fourth round last year, said she considered withdrawing from the tournament because of a hamstring problem. She appeared mobile enough to chase down shots along the baseline but could not keep the 19-year-old Glatch from winning her French Open debut.
Glatch might have caused trouble at a Grand Slam earlier had she not broken her right wrist and left elbow in 2005 when she crashed her motor scooter while being chased by a dog.
Ranked 116th, Glatch led the US Fed Cup team to the final last month by winning both of her singles matches against the host Czech Republic.
Federer overcame dropping his first service game to see off Spanish journeyman Alberto Martin 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
The Swiss star, the holder of 13 Grand Slam titles, hit 10 aces and 38 winners in his win over the former French Open junior champion and next faces Argentina’s Jose Acasuso.
“I started a little slowly,” Federer said. “He plays very far behind the baseline so I had to make adjustments.”
“Then I started to serve well. That allowed me to play more freely and I was able to dominate,” he said.
Federer was joined in the next round by US sixth seed Andy Roddick who eased past French wildcard Romain Jouan 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Roddick, who has never got beyond the third round, admitted he knew nothing of his 302nd-ranked opponent, who only discovered he was playing at the weekend when he received a telephone call while out shopping.
“I couldn’t find any information on him at all,” said Roddick of 23-year-old Jouan. “He had plenty of firepower but he’s not the most consistent guy I’ve ever played.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB