World number one Maria Sharapova fought off gusty winds and a resilient Evgeniya Rodina to advance into the second round of the French Open with a 6-1 3-6 8-6 victory on Wednesday.
The Russian, who is hoping to complete a career grand slam by winning the Roland Garros crown, served 17 double faults on a windswept Centre Court before downing her compatriot in two hours and 28 minutes.
‘I was far from my best tennis,’ Sharapova, who next faces Bethanie Mattek, said courtside.
‘But at the end of the day I won. I fought to the last point, not many things were okay today.’
Australian Open champion Sharapova surrendered her opening service game to an opponent ranked 103 in the world but recovered to clinch the first set in 29 minutes with a series of angled winners.
Rodina, however, took full advantage of Sharapova's problems with her serve to break early in the second set and again in the ninth game to level the contest.
Sharapova fought tooth and nail to hold serve in the decider, staving off three break points in the eighth game.
It was Rodina who eventually cracked though, sailing a backhand long in the 13th game to give Sharapova the only break of the set.
A shrieking Sharapova stood firm with her serve and sealed the contest on her first match point when Rodina hit a backhand wide.
The match, which was scheduled for Tuesday, had been postponed to Wednesday because of persistent rain in the French capital.
An another all-Russian first-round match, seventh seed Elena Dementieva recovered from losing the first set to defeat Vera Dushevina 6-7 (6/8) 6-0 6-2 on Court Two.
Elsewhere, Italy's Francesca Schiavone, the 28th seed, beat the United States' Jill Craybas 6-3 6-2 and unseeded Croatian Sanda Mamic saw off Michaella Krajicek in straight sets.
Akgul Amanmuradova, Vania King and Marta Domachowska also progressed on Wednesday.
