Serena survives first-round test

Second seed Serena Williams was given a huge scare before beating world number 100 Klara Zakopalova in a thrilling first-round match at the French Open.

Williams easily took the first set but lost her way after five match-points came and went at 5-3 in the second set, eventually losing it in a tie-break.

Zakopalova saved three more match-points in the decider before Williams clinched a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 win.

Jelena Jankovic and Sevtlana Kuznetsova had less trouble reaching round two.

Former world number one Jankovic looked in convincing form during a rain-interrupted 6-2 6-3 victory over Petra Cetkovska.

The Serbian, seeded fifth, was first on court on a blustery day in Paris and had to put up with the worst that the elements could throw at her.

But she was well in control of the first set at 4-1 up when play was stopped and, when play resumed, quickly racked up four straight games to take the opener before assuming control of the second set too.

Cetkovska, the world number 85, kept her hopes alive by immediately breaking back but she was unable to capitalise when Jankovic's serve wobbled again at the end of the match and was eventually well beaten.

Afterwards, Jankovic backed the plan to install a covered court at Roland Garros by 2011, saying the delay had affected her concentration.

"It's always a good idea to have a roof so then we can continue the match and we don't have to stop and wait around for an hour or more and then come back on court," said Jankovic.

"It's not so easy to stop the match and then especially being in the areas when you have to eat lunch. It's so crowded. There's so many people.

"It's tough to focus and have a relaxing time before you go on court again."

The 24-year-old, who ended 2008 as the top ranked player on the women's tour, is still to win her first Grand Slam singles title but reached the semi-finals in Paris in 2007 and 2008.

She will face Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia in the second round.

Kuznetsova will play Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan next after easily seeing off French wildcard Claire Feuerstein.

The Russian, a semi-finalist here in 2008 and the runner-up in 2006, was 5-1 up in the first set when the rain came but only needed another 35 minutes to complete her progress.

"I was happy with the first set, not the second as there were too many unforced errors," said Kuznetsova. "But I won it 6-4, so it's OK."

Feurerstein was making her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam and admitted she lacked confidence at first.

The world number 236 said: "I thought that this is not the best draw for me. But then I thought, she's a player, a woman like me, and she's got two arms and two legs and plays tennis just like me."

Another seed going through is Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, who began her match against Vera Dushevina on Monday evening but had to wait overnight before completing a battling 4-6 7-5 6-1 win.