FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, updates on BBC Radio 5 Live plus second week commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra. TV coverage on Eurosport.

Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam Sharapova has not won

Maria Sharapova marked her return to the Grand Slam arena by coming from behind to beat Anastasiya Yakimova 3-6 6-1 6-2 on day two of the French Open.

Sharapova, who underwent surgery on a troublesome shoulder injury, has not contested a Slam since Wimbledon 2008 and is now ranked 102 in the world.

The former world number one made a poor start against Yakimova but responded strongly to seal a much-needed win.

Meanwhile, third seed Venus Williams beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1 4-6 6-2.

And 13th seed Marion Bartoli came through a late battle on Court Philippe Chatrier, beating fellow Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier 3-6 6-1 6-3.

Williams made a confident start and broke her fellow American's serve twice in a 34-minute first set.

Mattek-Sands rallied in the second and hauled herself back into contention by breaking at 5-4 up to level the match.

If I was a mentally weak individual, I think I wouldn't be here today. I'd be on some island, with a nice, cold pina colada and a nice, cold towel by the pool. But I love being here Maria Sharapova

But Williams proved too strong in the decider and will now play Lucie Safarova or Sabine Lisicki.

"I'm definitely a third-set player," said Williams. "Once I get to the third set I feel a new level coming."

The American has never won the French Open, but did reach the final in 2002 when she lost to sister Serena.

Overall, Williams holds a 36-12 record at Roland Garros, giving her the most wins of any player in the women's draw at the tournament.

Sharapova, wearing a bandage on her reconstructed right shoulder, was broken three times in the first set but opened the second by winning four consecutive games.

She was broken again before wrapping up the set and outclassed Yakimova in the decider.

"I started pretty lousy and even though I was up a break, I wasn't doing the right things and I was letting her play well," said the Russian. "I was playing sloppy but I turned it around. I started playing better and more aggressively."

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And asked about her lengthy lay-off, she said: "For the first time in my life I couldn't practise for such a long period of time, three months or something.

"Everything about it was bizarre, like something had been taken away from your life. After going through this long process I think I'll treat losses less emotionally. I'll have more perspective on those things.

"Tennis and my career drive everything - myself, my business, everything I do - and you realise that. You miss it and you want to be out there. From the hour you're in the locker room, and you're putting your dress on, to the 15 minutes before the match when you're pumping yourself up to play in front of 20,000 people. I missed it.

"If I was a mentally weak individual, I think I wouldn't be here today. I'd be on some island, with a nice, cold pina colada and a nice, cold towel by the pool. But I love being here."

Sharapova, a the three-time major champion who needs to win the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, plays compatriot Nadia Petrova for a place in round three.

Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, the 20th seed, beat last week's Warsaw Open winner Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-4 2-6 6-4, and 15th seed Zheng Jie of China defeated Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-1 6-3.

Danish 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki, the runner-up to Dinara Safina in Madrid, was level at one set-all with Russia's Vera Dushevina when play was called off for the day because of poor light.

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