Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin set up French Open showdown

PARIS — So much has transpired in the nearly 21/2 years since Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin last played each other.

Sharapova needed right shoulder surgery and was off the tour for 10 months, then missed time with a right elbow injury. Henin abruptly announced her retirement and stayed away for 20 months, then returned, happier off the court and, so far, almost as good on it.

The two former No. 1s, owners of a combined 10 Grand Slam titles between them, set up an attention-worthy showdown in the French Open's third round today by wrapping up matter-of-fact victories on a sun-soaked, busy Friday.

"Comes very early, of course, third round," Henin said. "But I feel ready for it."

Relentless rain Thursday created a backlog of matches, meaning that nearly every big name in tennis was swinging a racket somewhere around Roland Garros a day later. Both Williams sisters; Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal; Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt — all played and won.

The only upset of real significance came when defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova lost 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to 30th-seeded Maria Kirilenko in a third-round match that lasted nearly 21/2 hours.

Even that wasn't exactly shocking, when you consider Kirilenko already beat Kuznetsova on clay at Rome this month and knocked out Sharapova at the Australian Open in January. Plus, Kuznetsova arrived in Paris with a losing record this year and barely eked through the second round by saving four match points.

"I have to move on. I have to grow and to improve," said Kuznetsova, who will fall out of the top 10 in the rankings for the first time in four years. "I didn't come here with my best game, but I gave it my all."

With so many other top players still around, some must start facing each other. Four-time French Open champion Nadal meets past Wimbledon and U.S. Open winner Hewitt today. That is scheduled to be followed in the main stadium by Sharapova vs. Henin, two women with decidedly different ways of looking at their most recent encounter, a straight-set win by Sharapova in the 2008 Australian Open quarterfinals.

It turned out to be Henin's last Grand Slam match before her hiatus.

"It seems so far away. I mean, even seems like it never existed, that moment," the Belgian said after eliminating 79th-ranked Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3. "I didn't want to be on the court anymore at that time, and now I have a lot of motivation to be out there and to fight and try to keep winning."