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Paris - Qualifier Chanelle Scheepers became the first South African woman in more than six years to win a Grand Slam match when she reached the second round of the French Open by beating Mathilde Johansson on Sunday.
The 131st-ranked Scheepers posted her first ever victory at a Grand Slam event by defeating France's Johansson 6-2, 6-4.
Amanda Coetzer was the last woman from South Africa to win a match at a Grand Slam when she made the second round at the Australian Open in 2004.
No South African had reached the second round in the women's draw at Roland Garros since Coetzer and Joannette Kruger nine years ago.
The 26-year-old Scheepers - the highest-ranked player from South Africa - is making her third Grand Slam main-draw appearance. She lost to Elena Dementieva in the first round last year at Roland Garros.
Scheepers will next face Argentina's Gisela Dulko, who upset 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 6-2.
"I know that she's already won four matches because she qualified in the qualifying round," Dulko said. "My brother watched her match today so he's going to give me feedback. I'll take time to analyze her game."
Singles Results (x denotes seeding):
Men - First Round
Alejandro Falla (COL) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
Marin Cilic (CRO x10) bt Ricardo Mello (BRA) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x11) bt Michal Przysiezny (POL) 6-1, 6-0, 6-4
Thiemo de Bakker (NED) bt Olivier Patience (FRA) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Robin Soderling (SWE x5) bt Laurent Recouderc (FRA) 6-0, 6-2, 6-3
Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt Nicolas Massu (CHI) 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Albert Montanes (ESP x29) bt Stefano Galvani (ITA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Guilermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP x32) bt Rainer Schuettler (GER) 7-5, 6-4, 6-2
Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT x23) 6-4, 6-2, 1-0 - retired
Women - First Round
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x6) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 6-3, 6-1
Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) bt Mathilde Johansson (FRA) 6-2, 6-4
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x26) bt Ekaterina Ivanova (RUS) 6-2, 6-0
Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Christina McHale (USA) 7-5, 6-3
Gisela Dulko (ARG) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR x10) 6-1, 6-2
Aravane Rezai (FRA x15) bt Heidi El Tabakh (CAN) 6-1, 6-1
Flavia Pennetta (ITA x14) bt Anne Keothavon (GBR) 6-2, 6-2
Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) bt Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP x20) 6-2, 6-4
Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) bt Claire Feuerstein (FRA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Maria Kirilenko (RUS x30) bt Karolina Sprem (CRO) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Johanna Larsson (SWE) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-2, 6-2
