Shots of the day: Roman warriors (15/05)

The clouds may have looked threatening, but they were nothing compared to the action on the court. The first round of Rome kicked off in style yesterday, with wins for Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Juan Martin del Potro.

: Ninth seed Venus Williams fought hard to down Slava Shvedova 64 76(4). Photo: Getty Images

: Venus is playing her first tournament on red clay this year. Photo: Getty Images

: Sharapova enjoyed the win in front of a bust Rome crowd. Photo: Getty Images

: Maria Sharapova got off to a flying start with a 64 62 win over Christina McHale. Photo: Getty Images

: Dimitrov took the opening set but fell away in sets two and three. Photo: Getty Images

: Grigor Dimitrov went down in three sets to Juan Martin del Potro. Photo: Getty Images

: Although the rain held off, it was threatening to wash out the day. Photo: Getty Images

: Nicolas Almagro upset home favourite Andreas Seppi 76(6) 63. Photo: Getty Images

: Wildcard Sara Errani crashed out in front of her home crowd. Photo: Getty Images

: Alize Cornet was a 63 64 winner over Sara Errani. Photo: Getty Images

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