Sharapova & Henin halted by light

French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Date: 23 May-6 June
Coverage: Live video streamed from 1000 BST on BBC Sport website (UK only) and BBC red button; commentary on BBC 5 live sports extra; also live on Eurosport; text commentary on BBC Sport website Details of BBC coverage

Sharapova was in the ascendancy as the match was brought to an early end

By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Roland Garros

Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova will resume their third-round match at the French Open on Sunday after bad light stopped play with the Russian fighting back.

Four-time champion Henin dominated the opening exchanges but Sharapova grew stronger as the match went on, and had just taken the second set to make the score 6-2 3-6 when play was brought to an end for the day at 9.07pm local time.

For much of Saturday it had seemed possible that the two former world number ones would not make it onto court at all for their highly anticipated clash as threatening clouds remained unmoved above Roland Garros.

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However, in light rain and gathering gloom, the pair finally got under way on Court Philippe Chatrier at 7.44pm.

Henin, 27, and Sharapova, 23, had not met for two-and-a-half years after the Belgian retired in 2007 and stayed out of the game for 20 months, while the Russian required right shoulder surgery and was out for 10 months.

In nine previous meetings, Henin had won six, although their last match was a convincing win for Sharapova at the 2008 Australian Open.

But she has struggled to regain anything like the form that won her three Grand Slam titles since surgery and the reconstructed serve she now uses failed her at the very first test.

The cold, damp conditions, a heavy clay court and a four-time French Open champion for an opponent made for possibly the least favourable scenario imaginable for Sharapova and a double-fault and three unforced errors saw the Russian drop serve in the opening game.

Within eight minutes she was 3-0 and a double-break down but the former Wimbledon, US and Australian Open champion is nothing if not a fighter, earning four chances to break the Henin serve without success.

Henin beat Klara Zakopalova in the previous round

That would become the story for much of the evening's play as Sharapova repeatedly got within sight of a break of serve, only to make an error.

Henin was much the more clinical, converting both her chances in the first set as she wrapped it up in 35 minutes.

Conditions remained poor as the second set began, with the spectators sprinkled around the half-full stands generally huddled under umbrellas, and Sharapova's inability to take her opportunites started to become chronic.

Two more break points came and went in game two, and when the Russian fired a backhand into the tramlines two games later she had converted none of her seven break points.

Sharapova continued to urge herself on but looked set for a straight-sets defeat when Henin moved to 3-3, 15-40, but she saw off three break points in the game with a drop shot, a heavy forehand, and by winning a tense baseline exchange.

Then, finally, Sharapova got the better of the Henin serve as a sharp forehand volley gave her an eighth break point of the evening, this time Henin obliging with a backhand into the net to the delight of the fast dimishing crowd left on Chatrier.

Those cheers turned to boos minutes later after Sharapova served out the set and both players approached the umpire, with the tournament referee arriving to make the sensible decision to bring them back on Sunday.

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