<p class="title">Defending champion Elina Svitolina eased into the third round of the WTA Italian Open as three-time winner Maria Sharapova needed a marathon three sets to get past Australian Ashleigh Barty.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Svitolina, the fourth seed, received a first round bye and dropped just three games in a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over 35th-ranked Petra Martic Tuesday night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">By contrast, Sharapova needed two and a half hours to master 18th-ranked Barty 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in their first round match.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It was tough, tough conditions," said 40th-ranked Sharapova, who reached the quarter-finals in Madrid last week. "It felt like I was playing three different matches.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There was a long wait and the way the court played, the way she played, the shadows, the little bit of a breeze out there. So, a lot going on."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barty pushed the five-time Grand Slam winner to a third set as she did against Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki last week in Madrid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The game swung the Russian's direction in the final set when Sharapova held serve in a crucial 1-1 game from 0-40 down after having failed to convert three break points in the previous game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barty, ranked 18, saved two match points in the final game against the 2011, 2012 and 2015 winner but two unforced errors in a row handed Sharapova a second round berth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia advanced to the third round past China's Zhang Shuai 6-2, 7-5.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Svetlana Kuznetsova made light work of Slovenian Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-4 in her first round match as the Russian warms up for the French Open which she won in 2009.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But there were uncontrollable tears for France's Kristina Mladenovic as dizziness forced her to call it a day while trailing Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 3-0.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the men's section, Belgian ninth seed David Goffin was given a scare after leading 5-1 in the first set before losing six games in a row and dropping the first set to home hope Marco Cecchinato. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The Masters Open finalist got back on track by winning the next two 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the second round.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov battled past Czech veteran Tomas Berdych 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), a week after becoming the youngest semifinalist in Madrid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 19-year-old will become the new Canadian number one next week in place of Milos Raonic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm a little bit in shock," he said. "It's crazy that it's come so early." After a sloppy start Shapovalov found his feet in the second set breaking for a 3-1 advantage after Berdych hit a forehand into the net.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur took 64 minutes to get past Spain's Fernando Verdasco to meet seven-time winner Rafael Nadal in the second round.</p>
<p class="title">Defending champion Elina Svitolina eased into the third round of the WTA Italian Open as three-time winner Maria Sharapova needed a marathon three sets to get past Australian Ashleigh Barty.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Svitolina, the fourth seed, received a first round bye and dropped just three games in a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over 35th-ranked Petra Martic Tuesday night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">By contrast, Sharapova needed two and a half hours to master 18th-ranked Barty 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in their first round match.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It was tough, tough conditions," said 40th-ranked Sharapova, who reached the quarter-finals in Madrid last week. "It felt like I was playing three different matches.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There was a long wait and the way the court played, the way she played, the shadows, the little bit of a breeze out there. So, a lot going on."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barty pushed the five-time Grand Slam winner to a third set as she did against Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki last week in Madrid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The game swung the Russian's direction in the final set when Sharapova held serve in a crucial 1-1 game from 0-40 down after having failed to convert three break points in the previous game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barty, ranked 18, saved two match points in the final game against the 2011, 2012 and 2015 winner but two unforced errors in a row handed Sharapova a second round berth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia advanced to the third round past China's Zhang Shuai 6-2, 7-5.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Svetlana Kuznetsova made light work of Slovenian Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-4 in her first round match as the Russian warms up for the French Open which she won in 2009.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But there were uncontrollable tears for France's Kristina Mladenovic as dizziness forced her to call it a day while trailing Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 3-0.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the men's section, Belgian ninth seed David Goffin was given a scare after leading 5-1 in the first set before losing six games in a row and dropping the first set to home hope Marco Cecchinato. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The Masters Open finalist got back on track by winning the next two 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the second round.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov battled past Czech veteran Tomas Berdych 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), a week after becoming the youngest semifinalist in Madrid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 19-year-old will become the new Canadian number one next week in place of Milos Raonic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm a little bit in shock," he said. "It's crazy that it's come so early." After a sloppy start Shapovalov found his feet in the second set breaking for a 3-1 advantage after Berdych hit a forehand into the net.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur took 64 minutes to get past Spain's Fernando Verdasco to meet seven-time winner Rafael Nadal in the second round.</p>