TENNIS: For Serena Williams, it was a bad right elbow that led to some shaky serving and a dropped set.

For Novak Djokovic, first it was a balky right hip that needed treatment from a trainer; later came an embarrassing mistake.

For Andy Murray, it was a time warning from the chair umpire and losing a set for the first time in six matches against his opponent.

While nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal won in straight sets on a cloudy, windy Thursday, some red dirt got in the machine for three of the other biggest names at Roland Garros. That trio put those moments aside and reached the third round, where more significant challenges could await.

Calling her performance “not professional,” Williams was sloppy as can be for stretches in a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 105th-ranked Anna-Lena Friedsam, a German who had never won a Grand Slam match until this week.

Williams committed 21 unforced errors in the first set alone, 52 in all.

• Duo in nearly four-hour match: In a matchup of past French Open champions with similar, grind-it-out-at-the-baseline games, Francesca Schiavone knew she and Svetlana Kuznetsova would wind up playing for hours and hours.

They’ve done it before, once meeting in the longest Grand Slam women’s match in history, and they did it again. Schiavone saved a match point with an off-balance, down-the-line backhand winner before eventually pulling out a 6-7 (11), 7-5, 10-8 victory to reach the third round at Roland Garros after 3 hours, 50 minutes of loud exertion by both.

It was the third-longest singles match between women at Roland Garros in the Open era.

McIlroy struggles in Ireland

GOLF: Rory McIlroy can’t seem to perform in front of a home crowd.

The Northern Ireland star looked bewildered as he shot a 9-over-par 80 – his worst score of the season – in the opening round of the Irish Open at Newcastle, Northern Ireland. He fell to the bottom of the morning’s leaderboard and finished tied for 150th place.

Taking advantage were Irish veteran Padraig Harrington and unheralded Maximilian Kieffer of Germany, who both shot 67 to share the lead.

• Bowditch leads Byron Nelson: Steven Bowditch matched his career best with an 8-under 62 in the AT&T Byron Nelson at Irving, Texas, leaving Jordan Spieth seven strokes back in the Masters champion’s hometown event.

Bowditch, the Australian also playing close to his home in the Dallas suburbs, made three putts of at least 24 feet while shooting 30 on the front nine. He had a two-stroke lead over another Texan, Jimmy Walker.

Spokane native Alex Prugh ended the day with a 73, 11 shots off the lead.

Haeger leads Gators to win

SOFTBALL: Pitcher Lauren Haeger, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, had two hits and allowed just one in a complete-game victory as defending champion Florida defeated Tennessee 7-2 in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series at Oklahoma City.

In other games, behind home runs from Bianka Bell and Kellsi Kloss, LSU defeated Auburn 6-1 and Lauren Sweet hit a grand slam as Michigan beat Alabama 5-0.

Quebec in Memorial Cup semi

MISCELLANY: Jerome Verrier broke a tie late in the second period with his second goal and the Quebec Remparts beat the Rimouski Oceanic 5-2 at Quebec City, to advance to the Memorial Cup semifinal.

They will face the Western Hockey League champion Kelowna Rockets tonight.

• Contador extends Giro lead: Alberto Contador increased his lead on the 18th stage of the Giro d’Italia in Verbania, Italy with a well-timed attack on the leg’s big climb, while former world champion Philippe Gilbert posted his second victory in this year’s race.