Sharapova scrapes through in French Open

Top seed Maria Sharapova admitted she only had herself to blame as she came close to becoming the first high-profile casualty in this year’s French Open.

Playing in what she described as “desert” conditions on Philippe Chatrier court today, the new world number one squeezed past fellow Russian Evgeniya Rodina, who was playing in her first grand slam event, 6-1 3-6 8-6 in an epic match that lasted almost two and a half hours.