Sharapova Advances At U.S. Open

Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - World No. 1 star Amelie Mauresmo, former top-ranked Serena Williams and third-seeded Maria Sharapova posted first-round wins Wednesday at the 2006 U.S. Open. The reigning Wimbledon, Australian Open and WTA Championships titlist Mauresmo needed two days to get past qualifier Kristina Barrois 6-1, 7-5. The match was suspended because of rain here on Tuesday, with Barrois leading 5-2 in the second set, but the top-seeded French star returned to the court to win five straight games, and the match, on Day 3 of this fortnight. Mauresmo wound up with half as many unforced errors as her German counterpart Barrois (36-18). The high-flying Mauresmo beat Belgian stalwart Justine Henin-Hardenne in this year`s Wimbledon and Aussie Open finales. The athletic Frenchwoman will encounter American Meghann Shaughnessy in the second round. Shaughnessy stopped Italian Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-4 to capture her fifth straight match victory, as she`s fresh off her title at Forest Hills. An unseeded Williams trounced Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-1, 6-2 in 55 minutes. The seven-time Grand Slam titlist Serena captured the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2002 and was the runner-up to her big sister Venus in 2001. Sharapova easily disposed of Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek 6-3, 6-0 in just under an hour. Sharapova relied on her powerful serve, hitting 10 aces. Sharapova`s best finish at the Open was in 2005 when the Russian lost in the semi-finals. Fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia easily advanced after besting Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina 6-2, 6-1. An eighth-seeded Martina Hingis snuck past Chinese Shuai Peng 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. The five-time Grand Slam champion Hingis titled here in 1997 and was the back-to-back runner-up in 1998 and 1999. Hingis, who returned to the WTA Tour back in January, is appearing in her first U.S. Open since 2002. Former French Open champion Anastasia Myskina was ousted from the draw, as she gave way to Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-2. The 11th-seeded Myskina ran the table at Roland Garros in 2004. Twelfth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina avoided an upset by drilling the Ukraine`s Yulia Beygelzimer 6-1, 6-3, while 13th-seeded Mary Pierce dismissed Russian Elena Vesnina 7-5, 6-1. The two-time Grand Slam champion Pierce was last year`s U.S. Open runner-up to Kim Clijsters, who is not defending her title this year. Hot Serbian Ana Ivanovic needed all three sets to get past Russian Vera Dushevina 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The US Open Series-winning Ivanovic, seeded 16th here, has won her last six matches, including a surprise title in Montreal two weeks ago, when she upended Hingis in the final at the Tier I Rogers Cup. No. 17 Daniela Hantuchova defeated American Bethanie Mattek 7-5, 6-3. Other seeded winners were No. 23 Russian Anna Chakvetadze, No. 24 Chinese Na Li and No. 27 Tatiana Golovin of France beat American Ashley Harkleroad 6-3, 7-5. A mild upset came when Austrian Sybille Bammer bounced 31st-seeded Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. No. 25 Anabel Medina-Garrigues lost to Youlia Fedossova of France 7-5, 7-6 while No. 32 Elena Likhovtseva of Russia outlasted China`s Tiantian Sun 4-6, 6-0, 6-4. (Copyright 2005 by The Sports Network)