French Open Day 5: Rafael Nadal rolls into third round; Maria Sharapova advances

Reigning champion Rafael Nadal bludgeoned his way into the French Open third round while Maria Sharapova too advanced on Thursday.

Nadal scored an easy 6-2 6-1 6-1 win against Argentine Guido Pella. With rain showers forecast at Roland Garros the 31-year-old wasted no time on Court Suzanne Lenglen after saving four break points in the first game against the 78th-ranked Pella.

Once that early danger had been snuffed out Nadal offered up a masterclass against his fellow left-hander and his forehand was too hot for Pella to handle.

The Spanish world number one has now won his last 27 sets at Roland Garros, having captured a 10th title last year without dropping a set.

Pouille keeps French hopes alive

French number one Lucas Pouille put down a spirited comeback by unseeded Briton Cameron Norrie to beat him 6-2 6-4 5-7 7-6(3) on Thursday to lead home hopes going into the third round at Roland Garros.

Pouille, seeded 15th, looked to be cruising after two sets late on Wednesday before Norrie roused himself after calling the doctor to the court and won the third set as the light quickly faded over the French Open.

Any hopes Pouille had of settling the match quickly when play resumed on Thursday were quashed by the British number three, who with the fourth set poised at 3-3 saved two break points with some gutsy rallying.

Pouille looked tight and at 5-4 down on his own serve Norrie had a break point. It was a make-or-break moment for the 22-year-old, but the Frenchman gave him no chance, thundering down his 10th ace of the match to save the set.

The fourth set headed to a tiebreak and Pouille duly wrapped up victory. 

Del Potro advances

Fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro struck 44 winners on his way to a 6-4 6-3 6-2 victory over French veteran Julien Benneteau, who made his final appearance at his home Grand Slam.

"It wasn't easy for me to play a guy like Julien in Paris," Del Potro said. "I’m so proud of him, he made a fantastic career."

Big-hitting Argentine Diego Schwartzman, seeded 11th, continued his steady progress with a 6-1 6-3 6-1 win over Czech Adam Pavlasek in the second round.

Kyle Edmund, the last Briton standing in the singles, recovered from a mid-match blip to beat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 6-0 1-6 6-2 6-3.

Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov's French Open debut ended in the second round. He bowed out after losing 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 6-4 to Germany's Maximilian Marterer.

Third seed Marin Cilic experienced a difficult test after wasting a match point in the third set against qualifier Hubert Hurkacz, but did enough to win 6-2 6-2,6-7(3) 7-5.

Sharapova survives another day

Maria Sharapova huffed and puffed her way into the French Open third round with a 7-5 6-4 victory over Croatia's Donna Vekic on Thursday.

The former world number one, back at Roland Garros after a two-year absence, was erratic throughout but her iron willpower helped her set up a meeting with sixth seed Karolina Pliskova.

Sharapova, who missed the 2016 tournament because of a doping ban and was denied an invitation last year on her return from suspension, will need to be more consistent if she is to beat the Czech, a semi-finalist here last year.

In another match, Sharapova's likely quarter-final oppnonent Garbine Muguruza cruised past French wild card player Fiona Ferro 6-4 6-3. 

Belgium's 16th seed Elise Mertens cruised past Britain's Heather Watson 6-3 6-4 to match her best Roland Garros performance by reaching the third round for the second year in a row.

(With Agency Inputs)