'Red dirt girl' Sharapova eases into second round


PARIS (Reuters) - The days when Maria Sharapova was struggling through the early rounds at Roland Garros are long gone as the Russian, who once described herself as a 'cow on ice' on clay, has matured into a feared competitor on the slow surface.

On Monday, the seventh seed took a step closer to a likely quarter-final showdown with defending champion Serena Williams, which will be a rematch of last year's final, after brushing aside fellow Russian Ksenia Pervak 6-1 6-2.

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