Nadal win raises the bar

French Open: Rafael Nadal posted a record 30th successive win at Roland Garros as he eased into the third round of this year…

French Open:Rafael Nadal posted a record 30th successive win at Roland Garros as he eased into the third round of this year's French Open. The four-time defending champion has never lost a match at the tournament and his 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory over Teimuraz Gabashvili was his 30th in a row at the Paris venue - beating Chris Evert's 29-match streak set between 1974 and 1981.

The ease of his success also means Nadal has now won 29 consecutive sets since he last lost one at Roland Garros - that came against Roger Federer in the 2007 final.

Nadal had to fight back from 0-40 in the very first game of the match but that was as tough as it got for the Spaniard in the opening set.

Gabashvili made a better fist of things in the second. The Russian staved off a host of break points in game seven but was unable to repeat the trick in his next service game, leaving Nadal serving at 5-4 for a two-set lead.

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The top seed duly did so and Gabashvili's resistance looked over when he dropped his serve again in the opening game of set three.

Nadal marched into a 3-0 lead with a double break of serve and although Gabashvili then earned his first break point since the opening game of the match, the world number one saved it and pushed on to his expected triumph.

Next up for Nadal will be a mouthwatering last-32 meeting with former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt proved way too good for Andrey Golubev, winning 6-4 6-3 6-1.

In the previous match on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Maria Sharapova announced her arrival back on the big stage by knocking out 11th seed Nadia Petrova.

The all-Russian clash lived up to its billing as the match of the day, Sharapova showing plenty of grit and determination to emerge a 6-2 1-6 8-6 winner.

The former Wimbledon champion only returned to the WTA Tour last week after nine months out due to a shoulder injury which required surgery, so to claim a scalp as big as Petrova's in just her fifth match back was an impressive achievement.

She was certainly delighted, saying: "This was a great match where I had to fight my way through many, many challenges, and I did.

"This type of match is really important for me, and for my game.

"I am spending a little more time out there than I want to but I am learning so many new things as well.''

Sharapova, who is now ranked down at 102 on the world rankings following her period of absence, hardly looked as if she'd been away as she strolled through the first set, winning it 6-2 with some excellent tennis.

However, the momentum swung in the second when Sharapova threw in an error-strewn game to hand Petrova a 3-1 lead.

Raising her level, Petrova refused to relinquish her grip on the set and the duo were soon into a decider.

The strapping on Sharapova's shoulder was evidence of last year's surgery and the match was turn into a test of both her physical and mental abilities.

Petrova drew first blood in the final set as she broke in the first game but Sharapova rarely goes down without a fight and some excellent returns saw her break back immediately.

Sharapova, chasing the only Grand Slam title she has yet to win, looked to be back in deep trouble when she broken again and then fell 15-40 while serving at 2-4.

But she dug deep to hold and then break back.

Petrova conitnued to press though and in two more Sharapova service games, the former world number one had to stave break points.

Her ability to tough things out given her lack of match practice had to be applauded and instead it was Petrova who cracked first.

A double fault, only her third of the match, brought up match point for her opponent and Sharapova clinched victory after two hours and 12 minutes on court when Petrova sent a forehand wide.

Petrova's defeat meant she became the highest seed in either singles draw to lose at this year's tournament so far.

Defending champion Ana Ivanovic enjoyed a more straightforward passage into the last 32.

The Serb, seeded only eighth this year, coasted to a 6-1 6-2 victory over Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn.

Earlier Dinara Safina underlined her position as title favourite as she strolled through.

The top seed, who has already won two claycourt titles this season, crushed fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko 6-1 6-1.

She will next face another Russian, 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who enjoyed a straight-sets victory over France's Julie Coin.

Things were much tougher for ninth seed Victoria Azarenka but she also progressed to the last 32.

Azarenka was a double break down to Kristina Barrois in the first set but recovered to post a hard-fought 7-6 (7/1) 7-5 victory.

Last year's surprise semi-finalist, Carla Suarez-Navarro, made it through with a straight-sets win over Lucie Hradecka.

But 15th seed Zheng Jie was dumped out by 16-year-old Portuguese Michelle Larcher de Brito.

Larcher de Brito, who put out Briton Mel South in a close contest on Monday, emerged a 6-4 6-3 victor over last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist.

Venus Williams will need a Thursday fightback if she is keep her title hopes alive.

The Wimbledon champion, who has never won the Roland Garros event, will resume a set down against Czech Luice Safarova after losing the opener on a tie-break before fading light brought a suspension.

Back on the men's side, Fabrice Santoro's 20-year French Open career came to an emotional end.

Christophe Rochus needed just a few minutes to complete victory over the French veteran, their singles clash having been halted with the Belgian a game from victory the previous evening.

Santoro, who made his debut at Roland Garros way back in 1989, is to retire at the end of the season and was unable to add one final victory to his record.

When the duo returned to the court on Wednesday, the 36-year-old held serve, forcing his opponent to serve it out. But Rochus duly held his nerve to clinch a 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory.

It was an understandably emotional moment for Santoro.

"I had a feeling I was turning the page in my life, even though I still have 10 tournaments left to play,'' he said, when asked what he thought after losing match point.

"I will never play singles at Roland Garros again. But despite the fact I'll be 37, I'm convinced I can play a great tournament at Wimbledon.''

While his singles swansong attracted the crowds - and the headlines - his final appearance at Roland Garros came later in the day when he and partner Michael Llodra lost in the first round of the men's doubles.

Marat Safin's French Open career is also over after an epic five-set defeat to wildcard Josselin Ouanna.

The home hope triumphed 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/4) 4-6 3-6 10-8 in a thrilling match that lasted four hours and 34 minutes.

There was also a five-set win late in the day for 14th seed David Ferrer.

He won a see-saw encounter with Germany's Nicolas Kiefer 6-3 5-7 6-4 3-6 6-2 in another contest which went into a fifth hour.

There was joy for French number one Gilles Simon, who moved into the third round of his home Grand Slam for the first time.

The seventh seed came up against only limited resistance when he met American Robert Kendrick and coasted to a 7-5 6-0 6-1 victory in just an hour and 34 minutes.

Simon, who had won just one match in four previous visits to Roland Garros, will next meet 30th seed Victor Hanescu, who saw off Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 7-5 7-5 in his second-round match.

Meanwhile, Fernando Gonzalez, the 12th seed, was an easy winner. He saw off Rui Machado 6-3 6-2 6-3, while Nicolas Almagro (31) was a four-set victor over Ernests Gulbis.

Almagro will next meet Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco.

Verdasco, rated among the dark horses for the title at Roland Garros, had lost just seven games in his first-round match on Sunday and Philipp Petzschner put up even less resistance in round two.

The German won just six games on Court Two as eighth seed Verdasco raced to a 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory in just 75 minutes.

Marin Cilic (13) needed eight minutes longer to dispatch Dudi Sela, winning 6-0 6-3 6-1.

And Stanislas Wawrinka (17) got in on the act with a 6-1 6-1 6-2 thrashing of former Olympic champion Nicolas Massu.

One seed to fall was number 21 Dmitry Tursunov, the Russian losing to Frenchman Arnaud Clement in four se