Tennis-Open-Serena hammers Harkleroad in Paris
PARIS, May 25 (Reuters) - Fifth seed Serena Williams, the only former champion in the women's draw, cruised into the French Open second round amid the evening gloom at Roland Garros after an easy win over fellow American Ashley Harkleroad. Williams, the 2002 champion, was broken in her opening service game but reeled off 12 games out of 13 to win 6-2 6-1 in 76 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen. The 26-year-old, a winner in Bangalore, Miami and Charleston already this year, was rocked on to the backfoot in the early stages by the sprightly world number 61 but she soon found her rhythm, clubbing winners from both wings in the fading light. Williams, winner of eight grand slam singles titles, will face French wildcard Mathilde Johansson in the second round. (Writing by Miles Evans, editing by Pritha Sarkar)