Williams sisters struggle but win

PARIS — With favorites falling all around, Serena Williams talked herself out of a loss. Her sister Venus spoke French more fluidly than she played.

Ever the perfectionists, the siblings weren’t too pleased with how things went Thursday at the French Open. Still, both managed to move into the third round — something neither the defending champions nor any American man can boast.

With shadows creeping across the court and a determined opponent matching her shot for shot, Serena came back twice from substantial deficits to pull out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over 17-year-old Russian Maria Kirilenko.

As surprising as it would have been for a six-time Grand Slam tournament champion to lose to a neophyte, it somehow would have made sense at this upside-down event.

Juan Carlos Ferrero, last year’s winner, lost in straight sets Thursday to Igor Andreev, a Russian ranked 286th at the start of 2003. Ferrero joined women’s titleholder Justine Henin-Hardenne on the sideline. It’s the earliest that both defending champs have been beaten at a major in the Open era, which began in 1968.

Also sent home early were Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and all eight other U.S. men.