PARIS, May 29: Rafael Nadal, bidding for a record seventh men’s crown, and Maria Sharapova, seeking the only Grand Slam she has never won, both raced into the second round of the French Open on Tuesday with emphatic wins.

Nadal, beaten only once in his entire career at the venue as he attempts to go one better than Bjorn Borg’s six titles, overcame a second-set blip as he thrashed Italian journeyman Simone Bolelli 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

Despite dropping his service once midway through the second set on the Philippe Chatrier showcourt Nadal won comfortably in one hour 58 minutes to book a meeting with Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, who whipped Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.

Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer dismissed Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 and next faces France’s Benoit Paire, who saw off Albert Ramos of Spain in four sets.

Among the women, Sharapova was one of three former grand slam champions to advance in the morning session along with young British hope Heather Watson.

Sharapova humiliated Romania’s Alexandra Cadantu 6-0, 6-0 in just 48 minutes as the Russian second seed cruised towards a meeting with Japan’s Ayumi Morita, who put out Polona Hercog of Slovenia 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Clad in black, and seeking her third claycourt title of the season, Sharapova over-powered her 74th-ranked rival, who failed to hit a single winner.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the fourth-seeded Czech, thrashed Australia’s Ashleigh Barty 6-1, 6-2 in 54 minutes to join Sharapova in the next round where she meets Urszula Radwanska of Poland.

Also marching on was 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy, seeded 14, who defeated Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3, 6-1.

Watson, who managed to reach the second round on her debut last year, thereby entering the top 100, scored an impressive 6-2, 6-4 win over Russian Elena Vesnina to earn a match-up against Germany’s 25th seed Julia Goerges.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding): Men’s singles: First round: Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) bt Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) 6-2, 6-1, 6-2; 2-Rafa Nadal (Spain) bt Simone Bolelli (Italy) 6-2, 6-2, 6-1; 29-Julien Benneteau (France) bt Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-4; Benoit Paire (France) bt Albert Ramos (Spain) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3; Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) bt Igor Andreev (Russia) 3-6, 6-2, 2-1 — Andreev retired; Tommy Haas (Germany) bt Filippo Volandri (Italy) 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4; Jeremy Chardy (France) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (3) 3-6 11-9; 17-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Juergen Zopp (Estonia) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) bt Donald Young (US) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 6-1; Eduardo Schwank (Argentina) bt Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 6-4, 6-0, 6-3; 8-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) bt Sam Querrey (US) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) bt 16-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3; Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Go Soeda (Japan) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4; 6-David Ferrer (Spain) bt Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) 6-3, 6-4, 6-1; 32-Florian Mayer (Germany) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

Women’s singles: First round: Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) bt Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) 7-5, 7-5; Urszula Radwanska (Poland) bt Pauline Parmentier (France) 6-4, 6-3; Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) bt Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3; Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) bt Jamie Hampton (US) 6-4, 4-3 — Hampton retired; 22-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) bt Greta Arn (Hungary) 6-4, 6-4; 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) 6-0, 6-0; Ayumi Morita (Japan) bt Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; 25-Julia Goerges (Germany) bt Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) 7-6 (7-1), 6-4; Heather Watson (Britain) bt Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-2, 6-4; 14-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) 6-3, 6-1; Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) bt Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1; 4-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Ashleigh Barty (Australia) 6-1, 6-2.

Monday’s remaining results: Men’s singles: First round: David Goffin (Belgium) bt 23-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 6-2, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4 6-2; Brian Baker (US) bt Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5); 11-Gilles Simon (France) bt Ryan Harrison (US) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-1; Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Bjoern Phau (Germany) 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0; Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) bt Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; 19-Milos Raonic (Canada) bt Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; 28-Viktor Troicki (Serbia) bt Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2; 7-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) bt Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-3, 6-4, 6-1; Arnaud Clement (France) bt Alex Bogomolov Jr (Russia) 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 5-4 — Bogomolov Jr retired; 24-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) bt Matthew Ebden (Australia) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) bt Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Michael Llodra (France) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; 25-Bernard Tomic (Australia) bt Andreas Haider-Maurer (Austria) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-3.

Women’s singles: First round: Stephanie Foretz Gacon (France) bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 7-5; Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) bt Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) 6-3, 6-4; Claire Feuerstein (France) bt Vera Dushevina (Russia) 6-4, 6-1; 3-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) 6-1, 6-0; 8-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-3; Nina Bratchikova (Russia) bt 32-Monica Niculescu (Romania) 0-6, 6-3, 6-3; Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) bt 17-Roberta Vinci (Italy) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Varvara Lepchenko (US) bt Ksenia Pervak (Kazakhstan) 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4; 18-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2; Sloane Stephens (US) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6); Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) 6-0, 6-3; Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) bt 12-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-4, 6-3; Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) bt Laura Pous Tio (Spain) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1; 24-Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) bt Simona Halep (Romania) 6-1, 6-3.—Agencies