Serena is forced to rally

Serena Williams lost the first set and trailed in the third before rallying.
PARIS (AP) -- Graceful Maria Kirilenko glided about the court like the ballerina she used to be, chasing down Serena Williams' shots in pursuit of the biggest victory yet for Russian women's tennis.
The 17-year-old Moscow native came up short Thursday, losing to Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the French Open.
But Kirilenko expects to be heard from again.
"I had a chance, but I didn't take this chance," she said. "I will try next time."
While Kirilenko lost, Russia still had seven women in the round of 32 starting today -- more than any other country, and a reflection of the nation's recent progress in the sport.
Capriati advances
Six Americans remained, including Williams and her sister Venus, and Jennifer Capriati, thanks to a trio of come-from-behind wins Thursday.
Second-seeded Serena had the toughest time. By the seventh game, she was screaming at herself. In the third set, when she fell behind 4-2, she threw her racket. She regrouped and didn't lose another game.
"I think I made like a thousand mistakes," said Williams, the 2002 champion.
The crowd wanted an upset, and scattered whistles and boos were directed at Williams late in the match. The jeers were less hostile than last year at Roland Garros, when she lost a tumultuous semifinal to Justine Henin-Hardenne.
New men's champ assured
Williams did well to advance in an upset-filled tournament that has already lost both defending champions.
Juan Carlos Ferrero's bid to repeat ended when he was beaten by Russian Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 women's champion, lost Wednesday.
Venus Williams, seeded fourth, beat Jelena Kostanic 6-3, 6-3. No. 7 Capriati, who won the tournament in 2001, defeated Kveta Peschke 7-5, 6-3. Both Americans overcame first-set deficits by winning six consecutive games.
Second-round winners on the men's side included top-ranked Roger Federer and three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten. They'll meet in the third round.
Darkness forced a suspension in the fifth set of the day's final match between former U.S. Open champion Marat Safin and Felix Mantilla. Safin won the first and third sets, but Mantilla rallied to tie it after four hours, 15 minutes at 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-7.
Gisela Dulko, who beat 47-year-old Martina Navratilova in the first round, eliminated 32-year-old Conchita Martinez 6-4, 7-5.
Russians move on
Three Russian women advanced: No. 6 Anastasia Myskina, No. 11 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 25 Elena Bovina.
All are better known than Kirilenko, who gave up ballet at age 7. She won the U.S. Open junior title in 2002 and returned to New York last year to make her Grand Slam debut, reaching the third round. She arrived in Paris with a career-best ranking of 100th.
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