Sharapova scoots into 4th round

PARIS - Maria Sharapova saved her most piercing shriek to punctuate her final shot of the first set, a thunderous crosscourt backhand winner to close out a tiebreaker.

She then dominated the rest of the way Saturday to beat Karin Knapp 7-6 (4), 6-0 in the third round of the French Open.

The top-ranked Sharapova needed 81 minutes to win the opening set. She squandered a lead and fell behind in the tiebreaker, then benefited from some shaky shots by Knapp.

In the second set, Sharapova played her best tennis of the week.

“It was like my twin sister was here, and then Maria actually made her flight and made it for the second set,” Sharapova said. “I definitely became a lot more aggressive and stepped in and didn’t give her too many easy balls.”

With no U.S. women left in the tournament, perhaps Americans can claim 18-year-old Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, who has lived and trained the past two years in Scottsdale, Ariz. The No. 16-seeded Azarenka beat No. 18 Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-1 and has lost only six games in three matches this week.

Azarenka took advantage of Schiavone’s weak second serve, winning 23 of those 28 points. Since the start of the year, Azarenka has climbed in the rankings from 30th to a career-high 17th.

“This year I improved a lot my forehand, which was my weak shot,” she said. “Now it’s like my weapon, which helps me a lot.”

Azarenka will next play No. 4-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, who faced only one break point and beat Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-1. Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, beat Azarenka in their two previous meetings, both on hardcourt.

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Ginepri ends mini-skid for U.S. men at French

PARIS - Robby Ginepri is easy to spot at the French Open in his oh-so-American getup: black baseball cap turned backward and sleeveless T-shirt.

His game, remarkably, has the feel of someone from somewhere else. He slides across the court comfortably. He plays defense. He waits, patiently, for openings. Even more remarkably, he is into the fourth round at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament, the first man from the United States to reach that stage since Andre Agassi in 2003.

That Ginepri would beat Florent Serra of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Saturday is not necessarily newsworthy, in and of itself. Ginepri is 25 years old, ranked 88th and was a U.S. Open semifinalist in 2005; Serra is 27, ranked 94th and lost in the first or second round at each of the previous 13 major championships he entered.

Yet consider this: A week ago, Ginepri owned an 0-5 record at Roland Garros and a 6-24 career mark on clay. He was ranked 171st in January after losing in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open.

“He is back,” Serra said.

Had Ginepri lost, one day after Venus and Serena Williams were sent home, this French Open would have been only the second Grand Slam event in the 40-year history of the Open era at which zero American men or women reached the fourth round. The only time it happened was at the 1973 Australian Open, where, it must be noted, zero American men or women were in the field.

“Last guy standing. It’s a good feeling,” said Ginepri, who shares coach Jose Higueras with Roger Federer. “I would definitely like to have a lot of the other Americans still in the tournament, of course, but really not trying to let that weigh on my shoulders.”

There are other countries finding far more success.

Despite Serra’s departure, for example, five men from France reached the French Open’s fourth round, something that last occurred in 1971.

Federer, the No. 1 man, put himself in the second week at the 16th consecutive Slam by beating Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Ancic was the last player to beat Federer at Wimbledon — back in 2002, before the Swiss star won any of his 12 major titles — but has since lost all five of their encounters.

Federer called himself “the overwhelming favorite” going into his match against one of the French Five, 55th-ranked Julien Benneteau, who celebrated his victory over Robin Soderling by tossing his shirt and sneakers into the stands. Other fourth-round matchups include No. 5 David Ferrer vs. No. 21 Radek Stepanek, and France’s Gael Monfils vs. No. 28 Ivan Ljubicic, who erased a two-set deficit to defeat No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

If Ginepri is to reach his second Slam quarterfinal, he will have to beat 2007 Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez for the first time. Gonzalez, who got past No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka in five sets Saturday, won all three previous meetings against Ginepri, though none was on clay.

“I’m going to just keep playing my game the way I have in the last three matches,” Ginepri said, “and hopefully come out on top again.”

He credits his recent turnaround to strategic pointers from Higueras, who guided Michael Chang and Jim Courier to French Open titles, and motivational support from his other coach, Diego Moyano.

“Talking with both of them has really opened up another door with me on the clay court,” said Ginepri, who’s been wearing an odd-looking mix of white and black tape from his right shoulder to his wrist to prevent a triceps injury from acting up. “Before, I really had no clue how to construct points or what type of shots to hit when I was in trouble.”

He limited himself to 18 unforced errors Saturday. Serra had 43.

At 4-4 in the third set, Serra let a 40-15 edge slip away, starting by sailing a forehand long. At deuce, Serra blinked first during a 25-stroke exchange, slapping a forehand into the net. He netted a backhand on the next point to seal the break.

Serving for the match, Ginepri faced three break points — and saved them all, wrapping up a 6-for-7 day in that category. On his second match point, Ginepri scrambled along the baseline to extend the 12-stroke point until Serra sent a forehand wide.

“I’m staying focused throughout the whole, entire match,” said Ginepri, who calls Kennessaw, Ga., home. “Maybe a couple years ago I would have dropped the third set and tried to pull it out in the fourth. So to get through in three today is a great achievement.”

Even better, of course, would be a berth in the quarterfinals, where Federer could await.

What would Higueras do if his two employers were to play each other?

“If that ’problem’ occurs,” Federer said, “I think he’s happy.”

  ALSO ON THIS STORYSharapova scoots into fourth round
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Nadal to face 4th consecutive left-hander in Paris

PARIS (AP) -Rafael Nadal and 19 other left-handers were among the 128 men who entered the French Open. Somehow, Nadal is getting set to face his fourth lefty in four matches.

"Wouldn't be bad to play a right-hander for a change,'' the three-time defending champion said Friday. "But I'm fine with it. You see, I haven't lost a set yet.''

Good point.

The second-seeded Nadal beat No. 26 Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros and improve to 24-0 for his career at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament.

That includes a 3-for-3 mark against lefties this year, all in straight sets.

"I mean, it's obviously very hard to beat him if you're left- or right-handed,'' said Nieminen, who dropped to 0-5 against Nadal. "If you are not physically 100 percent, after a while it starts to get mental, as well. It's very tough to play against him.''

Next up for Nadal is No. 22 Fernando Verdasco, a Spanish southpaw who beat No. 15 Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 Friday. Verdasco, who has lost all five career meetings with Nadal, will be trying to reach his first major quarterfinal when they play Sunday.

"He doesn't give you any points. I'll have to be very patient and sometimes you need to fight for all points against Rafa,'' Verdasco said. "So I'll do my best. And if I do my best and lose, so what?''

Nieminen does think left-handers have a slightly better chance against Nadal, because the shots he directs at righties' backhands go to lefties' forehands.

"It's a little bit easier,'' Nieminen said. "But it's still a very tough shot.''

The indefatigable Nadal was looking forward to getting some rest Saturday after having spent time on court four consecutive days during the rainy tournament. His first-round match originally was scheduled for Monday, didn't begin until Tuesday, and then was suspended after two games. He finished that off Wednesday, and played in the second round Thursday.

"It affected me only a bit. The matches were short,'' Nadal said. "Actually, the worst part was waiting to play my first match. It took two days and waiting that long makes you nervous.''

The only sign of any problem Friday came after the second set, when a trainer came out to treat a blister on the bottom of Nadal's right foot. It's something that bothered him during his loss to Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Rome Masters this month, one of only two defeats for Nadal in his past 113 matches on clay.

"It wasn't hurting too much. I asked for treatment just as a precaution,'' he said. "I didn't want a repeat of what happened a few weeks ago.''

Believe it or not, the man often called the "King of Clay,'' wants more chances to play on grass courts.

He complained in Rome about the ATP clay-court calendar being too compressed, and Friday he discussed the limited grass-court schedule.

"Well, the grass-court season is very, very, very short, no? I always say the same, no?'' the two-time Wimbledon runner-up said. "It's not fair: You only have two weeks (to) prepare for (a) very important tournament like Wimbledon.''

This year, the French Open ends June 8, and Wimbledon begins June 23.

---

MORE DOUBLES: Maria Sharapova is seeing double at the French Open.

She turned in another 10 double-faults, raising her tournament total to a whopping 27 after only two matches, but managed to pull out a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Bethanie Mattek of the United States in a match suspended by darkness Thursday night and finished Friday.

It was considerably more competitive than the last time they met. At a tournament in Charleston, S.C., in April, Sharapova beat Mattek 6-0, 6-0.

"I wasn't going to let that happen again,'' Mattek said. "I remember I called one of my friends, crying.''

Sharapova's shaky serving nearly got her in serious trouble while ahead 3-1 in the third set. She double-faulted twice in a row to gift-wrap a break point, then added a ribbon by pushing a forehand long.

But she wouldn't double-fault again - or lose another game.

There really was only one more test for Sharapova, when she sailed two backhands long and gave Mattek a break point for a chance to get within 4-3. Delivering when she had to, though, Sharapova hit a 114 mph serve to set up a groundstroke winner that erased the break point, ended an 11-stroke exchange with a swinging forehand volley, then closed the game with a 105 mph service winner.

"She's still an intimidating player,'' Mattek acknowledged. "She's still Maria Sharapova, and it's always tough to play against her.''

---

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF: A tennis ball autographed by Maria Sharapova and a shirt signed by Novak Djokovic are among the items being auctioned off as part of a project by the ATP and WTA tours to contribute to relief efforts for China's worst earthquake in three decades.

The tours and individual tournaments are donating money, and Roger Federer and Serena Williams also have pledged items for auctions on www.sonyericssonwtatour.com and www.atptennis.com.

Federer and other players, including Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie of China, recorded videotaped messages of support for airing on Chinese national TV.

The confirmed death toll from the earthquake has risen to about 68,000, with more than 18,000 other people missing.

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French Open Show Court Schedules

PARIS (AP) -The show court schedule Saturday for the French Open at Roland Garros:

Play begins on all courts at 0900 GMTCourt Philippe Chatrier
Svetlana Kuznetsova (4), Russia, vs. Nadia Petrova (25), Russia

Maria Sharapova (1), Russia, vs. Karin Knapp (32), Italy

Jurgen Melzer, Austria, vs. Gael Monfils, France

Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, vs. Mario Ancic, Croatia

Court Suzanne Lenglen

Francesca Schiavone (18), Italy, vs. Victoria Azarenka (16), Belarus

Lleyton Hewitt (25), Australia, vs. David Ferrer (5), Spain

Olga Govortsova, Belarus, vs. Elena Dementieva (7), Russia

Julien Benneteau, France, vs. Robin Soderling, Sweden

Court 1

Zheng Jie, China, vs. Dinara Safina (13), Russia

Jelena Jankovic (3), Serbia, vs. Dominika Cibulkova (28), Slovakia, comp. of susp. match

Robby Ginepri, United States, vs. Florent Serra, France

Nikolay Davydenko (4), Russia, vs. Ivan Ljubicic (28), Croatia

Agnes Szavay (12), Hungary, vs. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic

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Serena upset by Srebotnik at French Open

PARIS - For Serena Williams, missed chances came in a flurry.

She shanked overheads, hit wild volleys and squandered six break points Friday at the French Open. The result: a stunning third-round loss to Katarina Srebotnik, 6-4, 6-4.

This was Williams’ earliest exit in nine visits to Roland Garros and guarantees a first-time women’s champion. Williams, who won the French Open in 2002, was the lone former champion to enter the draw.

“I missed a lot of easy shots and a lot of key points that I felt like could have turned the match around,” a subdued Williams said. “I wasn’t able to capitalize.”

No. 1-seeded Maria Sharapova and No. 2 Ana Ivanovic advanced. In the completion of a second-round match halted in the second set Thursday because of darkness, Sharapova beat American Bethanie Mattek 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Ivanovic reached the fourth round by beating 17-year-old Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-1.

Williams, who played the day’s first match on Court Suzanne Lenglen, converted only one of seven break-point chances and was 0-for-5 in the second set. She repeatedly set up points but failed to finish them, losing 14 of 21 at the net.

“There are a lot of things I would try to do different, but you can’t rewind time,” said Williams, who also lost in the third round at Roland Garros in 1999.

Her mother and coach, Oracene Price, said Williams has “been in a funk. It’s not like her. She wasn’t herself.”

Srebotnik, seeded No. 27, earned the biggest victory of her career. She has only one win over a player ranked higher than the No. 5-ranked Williams, beating No. 4 Amelie Mauresmo at Zurich in 2005.

Williams didn’t play like a top player. In the final game of the first set, she dumped an easy overhead into the net. Four points later, she worked her way forward but blew a volley, then bent over in dismay and pressed her forehead against the tip of her racket handle.

Another botched overhead cost her in the sixth game of the second set, helping Srebotnik to reach 3-3.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Williams said. “She was getting a lot of balls back, and I might have let that get into my head. She was just making some shots I don’t think she’s ever made before, or she probably would be in the top two.”

When Williams fell behind she turned up the volume, grunting with almost every shot and screaming in celebration when she hit a winner. But she was unable to rally, and her 27-year-old opponent kept her cool down the stretch.

“Today I woke up and it was just another opportunity,” Srebotnik said. “This is what you work so hard for — to be in third round where you play Serena or someone like that and you have really nothing to lose.”

Srebotnik credited her tactics for the upset, mixing the pace of her ground strokes to keep Williams off balance.

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Federer, Nadal start slow, then roll at French

PARIS - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal showed what they can do when challenged.

The two highest-seeded men at the French Open had tougher-than-expected first sets Thursday, and both responded by reeling off game after game to move into the third round.

Although Federer wasn’t broken, he lost the first set in a tiebreaker before beating Albert Montanes of Spain 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-0, 6-4. Nadal faced a close call in the first set, but the three-time defending champion still beat Nicolas Devilder of France 6-4, 6-0, 6-1.

“It was tough going down a set, but reaction was good and bounced back strong,” Federer said. “Played really well after that.”

Seventh-seeded James Blake lost to 19-year-old Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (2), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and sixth-seeded David Nalbandian was upset by Jeremy Chardy of France 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.

“I wasn’t going for the shots the way I normally do,” Blake said.

In a pair of routs, No. 5 David Ferrer beat Fabrice Sabtoro of France 6-0, 6-1, 6-0, and No. 16 Victoria Azarenka defeated Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea 6-0, 6-0.

Nadal improved to 23-0 at the French Open. The second-seeded Spaniard was leading 5-0 in the second set when rain returned to Roland Garros for the fourth time in five days. When they came back on court, Nadal broke Devilder to take a two-set lead and then jumped to another 5-0 lead in the third.

“The second and third sets were very good,” Nadal said. “What’s really important is that I’m in the third (round) and improving with each match.”

Devilder, who broke once in the first set, held his serve in the sixth game of the third set, running the Spaniard all over the court and tapping a volley into an empty space. As the crowd cheered, the Frenchman raised his hands to celebrate.

But six points later, Nadal was into the third round.

Nadal has won the last three French Open titles, defeating Federer in the final the last two years. He is trying to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win the clay-court Grand Slam tournament four years in a row.

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Venus, Jankovic reach third round of French

PARIS - At 6-foot-1 and with those long arms, Venus Williams can make for an imposing presence up at the net when she decides to play there.

Although she doesn’t usually venture forward that much, things were different Thursday at the French Open.

The No. 8-seeded Williams played much better in the second round than in the first, using plenty of success with volleys to beat 241st-ranked qualifier Selima Sfar of Tunisia 6-2, 6-4.

Williams made 25 unforced errors to Sfar’s nine, but made up for that by winning the point on 24 of her 35 trips to the net.

“It’s really nothing planned. I just really feel comfortable at the net, and I don’t know why. I just do. I like it up there, so I do try to get there when I can,” said Williams, who lost the 2002 French Open final to her younger sister Serena. “It’s just finally kicked in. I should always have been there, years ago.”

She needed three sets to get through her opening match at Roland Garros. And she didn’t start well against Sfar, getting broken to fall behind 2-1.

“I just tried to improve literally on every point I’m playing out there, just to play better every point, play better every match,” Williams said.

She quickly erased the early deficit by putting together a six-game run, not dropping another game until she was ahead 1-0 in the second set.

“You know,” Sfar said, “it’s not easy when you’re playing Venus.”

Williams’ third-round opponent will be No. 26 Flavia Pennetta of Italy, who eliminated 16-year-old qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.

“She is obviously really good and works super hard,” Williams said about Pennetta, “so I’ll just be ready to just try to play some better tennis than what she does.”

Other women moving into the third round with straight-set victories Thursday included No. 3 Jelena Jankovic, No. 7 Elena Dementieva, No. 13 Dinara Safina, and No. 16 Victoria Azarenka, whose 6-0, 6-0 victory over Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea of Romania was the first “double bagel” at the French Open since Serena Williams did it to Barbara Schett in 2003.

Seeded losers included No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze, No. 21 Maria Kirilenko, and No. 22 Amelie Mauresmo, a two-time major champion.

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Serena in 3rd round of French? No big deal

PARIS - When the ball was in play, Maria Sharapova at least was able to make something happen.

The top-seeded Russian struggled with her serve in the wind at the French Open, hitting 17 double-faults and barely managing to defeat 103rd-ranked Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 3-6, 8-6 Wednesday in the first round.

Fifth-seeded Serena Williams, the only former champion in the women’s field, won the final four games to defeat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-2, 7-5 and advance to the third round.

“I haven’t played my best tennis,” said Williams, who won the French Open title in 2002. “Hopefully in the next round I’ll play better.”

Sharapova landed only 64 percent of her first serves in the match on center court, where she is trying to complete a career Grand Slam at the clay-court major.

“I was very close to losing this match,” Sharapova said. “Not many things were working for me today after the first set.”

The 19-year-old Rodina came within two points of winning at 5-4 in the third set, but Sharapova won the next two with strong serves to hold. At 6-6, Sharapova regained control by breaking serve for the first time in the final set, returning a second serve with a big forehand that caught Rodina flat-footed.

Then, serving for the match, Sharapova double-faulted one final time, but took the next three points to end it.

In the fifth game of the second set, Sharapova double-faulted three times in a row. After the third, she put her hands on her hips and stared blankly.

“I had problems in every department of my game today, so I’ll have to improve on every aspect of those things,” Sharapova said.

Although Sharapova had trouble landing her serves, the three-time Grand Slam champion was more consistent with her groundstrokes, often playing long rallies before hitting a winner or waiting for Rodina to make a mistake.

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Roscoe Tanner charged with grand theft

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Former tennis star Roscoe Tanner has been arraigned on felony theft charges in Knox County.

According to information from the Knox County General Sessions Court, Tanner is accused of writing a $72,263.43 check to a Knoxville Toyota dealership for two Toyota Highlanders and refusing to return the vehicles when the check bounced.

Tanner appeared in court Wednesday for the arraignment but did not enter a plea. A court hearing is set for July 8.

His attorney, Scott Green, did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Tanner was convicted of grand theft in Florida in 2000 after bouncing a $35,595 check used to buy a 32-foot boat.

A Chattanooga native, Tanner won the 1977 Australian Open.

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Collins: Clay fray challenges Maria

getCSS("3315906")Bud CollinsPARIS – What no one expected from Maria Sharapova in her opening-round match at Roland Garros was for the world’s top player to be on the court almost two and a half hours before she could send packing a much lesser player in her fellow Russian Evgeniya Rodina, 6-1, 3-6, 8-6.

Barely squeaking out a three-set win in the first of seven potential French Open hurdles she will have to clear this Paris fortnight to win the only major to allude since she turned pro in 2001 is not usually the kind of opening act that’s part of a championship script.

She managed to keep from bidding adieu to the Parisians much too early at the season’s second major but her struggles to stay alive on dirt in what was looked upon as a solid chance to get off to a convincing start here reminds anyone -- who has somehow forgotten – of an important fact of Sharapova’s tennis life: that the surface on these courts is not her favorite ground on which to compete.

Sharapova’s less-than-stellar curtain raiser on clay sends a clear message that while she’s the top ranked player in the world, she’s no shoo-in to finally emerge the queen of clay.

What the much-more-difficult-than-expected tangle with Rodina tells all is that there are several elite players besides the abundantly talented Russian who could be holding the champion’s trophy in Paris this spring. They are Serena Williams, my pick for the title, 2007 French Open finalist Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams as well.

It certainly looks as if Sharapova has convinced herself that clay is her worst surface and that’s a key as to why she has not had the type of success she’s had on other surfaces. Her best result in five previous tries at Roland Garros was making the semifinals last year.

If playing championship-caliber tennis on clay is a mental roadblock for the world No. 1 that’s something she needs to overcome if she is ever going to complete the career Grand Slam. She’s way too young at 21 and way too talented to have that kind of mental negative affecting her focus on the dirt courts.

Sharapova survived Rodina despite major serving woes. Many were left to wonder what was going with the star after she committed 17 double faults – and did so in a first-round match to boot. That just should never happen to the top ranked player in the world against an inferior opponent.

Her serve was a glaring issue for Sharapova. She tried to go hard on the first serve, but when that didn’t work she chose to just spin the second serve in. A top ranked player should be able to do more than just try to get the ball in play. This is especially true for Sharapova with her height (6-foot-2) helping drive her serves.

There are those that might reason that the extremely windy conditions earlier in the day were the cause of Sharapova’s issues with her serve. To that I say, “Weather happens,” so I was glad to see Sharapova did not offer that up as an excuse. She was doing something wrong with what usually is such a big weapon for her and failed to make any successful adjustments to her serve given the windy conditions.

Regardless of whether the wind is blowing hard or not, Sharapova needs work on her ball toss with her serve. In my mind, her toss is too high, which prevents her from controlling the ball.

I guess the real analysis of the match, however, is that she showed the heart and mental fortitude to win when she easily could have been sent packing. The other kid she played – I don’t know all that much about Rodina but I found out today she brings a lot to the table if she’s challenging the No. 1 in the world. Rodina played very well and was just a couple of points away from creating a huge upset that could have been one of the biggest upsets in Roland Garros history.

Sharapova prevented losing a stunner by doing what champions often do so well – stepping it up and hitting fearlessly when most needed. That effort put her into the second round but she’ll have to play a much better overall game to get on a potential title run here.

She has an incredibly favorable draw. Her next opponent is American Bethanie Mattek and that should be all but a give-me for the top seed. Her quarter of the draw should spell little trouble with a few key names lurking about in fellow Russians Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina but she should be able to handle all of those opponents. She has fellow Russian, No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova in her half of the draw but I believe if they meet, Sharapova wins.

Where her sternest challenge to winning this major for the first time could occur is in the final if she manages to get there. Some heavy hitters are potential opponents there for the Russian: Serena and Venus Williams, Ivanovic and Jankovic comprise the list.

  ALSO ON THIS STORY  Sound off on tennis discussion boards

But Sharapova cannot get ahead of herself. She needs to work on playing better with each round, especially after the start against Rodina. She also needs to remember that while she possesses a mental toughness that can see her through rocky matches like her opening-rounder here, she’s not the only player with the sort of ultra tough mindset that leads to winning championships. The Williams sisters can match her in that regard.

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French Open Show Court Schedule

PARIS (AP) -The show court schedule Monday for the French Open at Roland Garros:

Play begins on all courts at 9 a.m. GMTCourt Philippe Chatrier
Tommy Robredo (12), Spain, vs. Guillermo Coria, Argentina

Venus Williams (8), United States, vs. Tzipi Obziler, Israel

Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil, vs. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain

Amelie Mauresmo (22), France, vs. Olga Savchuk, Ukraine

Court Suzanne Lenglen

Monica Niculescu, Romania, vs. Jelena Jankovic (3), Serbia

Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, vs. Sam Querrey, United States

Florent Serra, France, vs. Richard Gasquet (8), France

Casey Dellacqua, Australia, vs. Marion Bartoli (9), France

Court 1

Severine Bremond, France, vs. Jelena Pandzic, Croatia

Michael Llodra, France, vs. Olivier Patience, France

Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spain, vs. Anna Chakvetadze (6), Russia

Stanislas Wawrinka (9), Switzerland, vs. Philipp Kohschreiber, Germany

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French Open Results

PARIS (AP) -Results Tuesday from the French Open at Stade Roland Garros (seedings in parentheses):

SinglesMen
Nikolay Davydenko (4), Russia, def. Thomas Johansson, Sweden, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

Stanislas Wawrinka (9), Switzerland, def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, Germany, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

Paul Capdeville, Chile, def. Mischa Zverev, Germany, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

Robin Soderling, Sweden, def. Juan Monaco (13), Argentina, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.

Mario Ancic, Croatia, def. Andreas Seppi (31), Italy, 6-2, 7-6 (1), 6-2.

David Marrero, Spain, leads Victor Crivoi, Romania, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-3, suspended

Marin Cilic, Croatia, leads Robin Haase, Netherlands, 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-5, suspended.

Jarkko Nieminen (26), Finland, leads Marc Lopez, Spain, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-2 (40-15), suspended.

Martin Vassallo Arguello, Argentina, leads Feliciano Lopez, Spain, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 3-6, 2-1 (15-40), suspended.

Bobby Reynolds, United States, leads Thierry Ascione, France, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 5-3 (15-15), suspended.

Dmitry Tursunov (30), Russia, leads Daniel Brands, Germany, 5-2 (30-0), suspended.

Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentina, leads John Isner, United States, 2-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 1-1 (15-0), suspended.

Dudi Sela, Israel, leads Victor Hanescu, Romania, 6-4, 1-2 (30-15), suspended.

Mikhail Youzhny (15), Russia, vs. Benjamin Becker, Germany, 1-1 (40-40), suspended.

Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil, vs. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain, 1-1, suspended.

Jean-Rene Lisnard, Monaco, leads Marat Safin, Russia, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 2-1, suspended.

Marc Gicquel, France, leads Viktor Troicki, Serbia, 6-4, 6-3, 2-1, suspended.

Julien Benneteau, France, leads Vince Spadea, United States, 4-3, suspended.

Albert Montanes, Spain, leads Kristof Vliegen, Belgium, 7-6 (5), 3-2, suspended.

WomenFirst Round

Svetlana Kuznetsova (4), Russia, def. Aiko Nakamura, Japan, 6-2, 6-3.

Dinara Safina (13), Russia, def. Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, 6-1, 6-3.

Amelie Mauresmo (22), France, def. Olga Savchuk, Ukraine, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

Ai Sugiyama (31), Japan, def. Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.

Sabine Lisicki, Germany, def. Elena Vesnina, Russia, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Olivia Sanchez, France, def. Jarmila Gajdosova, Slovakia, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8).

Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain, def. Pauline Parmentier, France, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

Agnieszka Radwanska (14), Poland, def. Mariya Koryttseva, Ukraine, 6-4, 6-3.

Marion Bartoli (9), France, leads Casey Dellacqua, Australia, 6-5, suspended.

Flavia Pennetta (26), Italy, leads Tatiana Perebiynis, Ukraine, 4-3 (Ad-40), suspended.

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Federer improves clay record with French win

PARIS - Roger Federer added another win to his already burgeoning clay-court record this season.

Federer improved to 16-3 on clay in 2008 by beating Sam Querrey of the United States 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 Monday in the first round of the French Open, where he is trying to become only the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam.

“I’ve played well all clay-court season long,” said the top-ranked Federer, who is 27-7 overall this year. “Didn’t have many hiccups really, and I have plenty of matches. That was my goal as well.”

Federer came into the French Open with only one title this year, which he won on clay. His seven losses are more than he had for the entire season in 2004, ’05 and ’06.

On Tuesday, the start of play was delayed by rain for 2 hours, 50 minutes. Rafael Nadal was scheduled to begin his quest for a fourth straight French Open title against Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil. Nikolay Davydenko, Lleyton Hewitt and 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero were also to play.

Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo were to play in the women’s tournament.

Federer was broken once early in the first set Monday, but he managed to win five times on Querrey’s serve.

“I got through with my first round, which is sometimes a difficult match in a tournament,” said Federer, who has lost to Nadal in each of the last two French Open finals.

The second day of play at Roland Garros ended early because of rain. It also rained Sunday.

No. 8 Venus Williams joined sister Serena in the second round, completing her win just before play was suspended Monday. The eight-time Grand Slam champion overcame a second-set lapse to beat Tzipora Obziler of Israel 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

“It’s nice to have a quick match but it’s nice to have a challenge also,” said Williams, who had eight double-faults. “I’m glad at the end that I figured it out.”

Third-seeded Jelena Jankovic also advanced, getting a little love from the net to help her beat Monica Niculescu 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Leading 4-2 in the first-set tiebreaker, last year’s French Open semifinalist had a drop volley hit the top of the net and roll along the tape before falling into the opposite court. Jankovic put her hand up as if to say, “Sorry,” and then bent down and kissed the white tape.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, the youngest person in the singles tournament at 16, reached the second round by beating Maria Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-1, 6-1. No. 10 Patty Schnyder, No. 12 Agnes Szavay and No. 32 Karin Knapp also advanced, while No. 23 Alona Bondarenko lost to Petra Cetkovska 6-3, 6-0.

No. 17 Marco Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up, lost to Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the men’s draw. No. 29 Guillermo Canas also lost, but No. 11 Tomas Berdych, No. 12 Tommy Robredo, No. 22 Fernando Verdasco and No. 24 Fernando Gonzalez advanced.

  ALSO ON THIS STORY  Discuss: Sound off on tennis message boards

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Venus recovers in time to avoid huge upset

PARIS - Venus Williams was cruising along with a ho-hum 6-3, 4-1 lead over her 35-year-old opponent at the French Open on Monday when suddenly everything went awry.

The double-faults piled up. The forehand errors did, too, and Williams lost six consecutive games to fall behind as a drizzle fell. The crowd was rooting for the underdog, applauding in unison every time 93rd-ranked Tzipora Obziler of Israel earned a point.

When the No. 8-seeded Williams would hit a winner, the sounds of approval emanated mainly from her personal guests. “Whooo!” one of her sisters kept yelling.

“I told the people in our box, ’Be quiet, so she can concentrate,”’ said Williams’ father and coach, Richard. “Venus is a great thinker and a great player. I wasn’t nervous at all.”

Eventually, six-time major champion Williams did manage to turn things back around quickly enough to pull out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Obziler and reach the second round at Roland Garros before the rain grew heavier and washed out the latter part of the day’s schedule.

“I’m glad at the end that I figured it out,” Williams said.

Three-time defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal was supposed to follow her on center court, but his match never began. Among those who did play Monday was No. 1 Roger Federer, who wasn’t tested much in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sam Querrey of the United States.

“You never think you’re going to be the guy that’s going to draw him when the draw comes out,” the 40th-ranked Querrey said. “But someone has to.”

The day’s most significant upset was produced by another American, 106th-ranked Wayne Odesnik, who beat No. 29 Guillermo Canas of Argentina 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8). The match lasted the minimum number of sets yet took 3 hours, 46 minutes.

“There’s not too much to say. I think he played well,” said Canas, who’s lost his past six matches, all on clay. “I didn’t play well at all.”

The only other seeded man to exit on Day 2 was No. 17 Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up, who lost to Simone Bolelli of Italy in straight sets. Baghdatis always draws a big crowd at Roland Garros because he trains at a Paris tennis academy.

Another product of that academy is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 16-year-old Russian who won a Grand Slam match for the first time by beating Maria Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-1, 6-1.

“I just play. I don’t think about the results,” said Pavlyuchenkova, who recently finished high school and is the youngest player in the tournament.

Odesnik is only 22, yet he was exhausted after his match and was checked by a doctor. He credited recent work with a sports psychologist for helping him play well in all of those tiebreakers.

“On the big points, I thought I played more aggressive and executed my shots better,” said Odesnik, who was born in South Africa and moved to the United States as a toddler.

He’s been trying to improve his clay-court game lately with Felix Mantilla, a Spaniard once ranked as high as 10th. Odesnik actually calls clay his favorite surface, something that’s rare to hear from an American.

Querrey also doesn’t mind playing on the red stuff, although he also said he basically doesn’t pay too much attention to what is underfoot.

“He is a young player who is capable of playing a good match on clay,” Federer said, “so I’m glad it’s over.”

Querrey is 6-foot-6 and relies on his big serve, one that once produced 10 consecutive aces in a match. But Federer had little trouble getting serves back, limiting Querrey to six aces and compiling 12 break points, five of which he converted.

“He just seems like he gets the racket on everything,” Querrey said.

There are those, though, who wonder whether Federer is slipping a bit. Consider: The 12-time major champion already has lost seven matches this year, more than for the entire seasons of 2004, 2005 and 2006. He also has only one title so far.

“He’s still got all the shots of a No. 1 player,” Querrey said.

Querrey wanted to forget whom he was facing so he could relax.

“It’s hard. I mean, I’m still in awe of him,” the American said. “Sometimes he hits shots, you’re just like, ’I’ve seen that on TV a bunch of times.”’

Same goes for Williams, who used to be ranked No. 1 and has had stretches of brilliance, particularly at Wimbledon, but never has been all that successful at the French Open. This is the only Grand Slam tournament at which she’s been past the quarterfinals only once — in 2002, when she lost to sister Serena in the final.

Part of it is that clay dulls her stinging serve. Part of it is that moving around on clay is tough. Part of it is the sort of inconsistency on display in the middle of Monday’s match, when she kept slumping her shoulders and hanging her head after miscues.

“Venus can play a lot better than she did today,” her father said. “After she settled down, she pulled it out.”

He shed no light on whatever health issues might be troubling her. Venus Williams was off the tour for about a month this year after having medical tests. She hasn’t said what the tests were for — and even her father said he doesn’t know.

“Venus never talked to me about it, and I never asked her. The only thing I asked is, ’Are you sure it’s time to come back?’ And she said, ’Yes,”’ he said. “Does it have an affect on her or not? This I don’t know.”

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Harkleroad to be in Playboy magazine

PARIS - Ashley Harkleroad, the 61st-ranked American who lost to Serena Williams 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday in the first round of the French Open, said she posed for the August edition of Playboy magazine.

“I thought about it, and it was something that I did,” Harkleroad said after the match. “I’m proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete’s body.”

The 23-year-old noted other athletes who have appeared in the magazine, including Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard and former volleyball player Gabrielle Reese.

“I’ll be the first tennis player ever. That’s kind of cool,” Harkleroad said.

“There’s a few reasons why I did it, but I can’t really go into it right now,” she added. “But like I said, I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I’m proud of my body. I stay in shape and try to stay fit.”

Williams, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, said she respected Harkleroad’s decision to pose for the men’s magazine, but ruled out her own pictorial.

“I can’t say right now it’s in any thought of my mind to be in that mag,” Williams said. “But I’m happy for her if that’s what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage.”

TOUGH MONTH
Eduardo Schwank has been through quite a bit the last few weeks, including a hotel fire that destroyed his laptop, passport, equipment and his winner’s check of $6,780 from a Challenger event in Rome.

On Sunday, the 75th-ranked Argentine overcame cramps in his Grand Slam debut to beat a former French Open champion — and guarantee himself at least $37,463 in prize money.

Schwank, playing in only his sixth tour-level event, beat 1998 champion Carlos Moya 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (1), 4-6, 6-3 in the first round. But before he could finish off his Spanish opponent, Schwank had to recover from cramps that left him lying in the red clay at Roland Garros.

“I did suffer cramps, and I was a bit nervous,” said Schwank, who was playing in a five-set match for the first time.

About two weeks ago, Schwank’s room at a hotel in Bordeaux, France, caught fire and the building had to be evacuated.

“We were having breakfast and we heard the sirens and the firemen. We were not paying much attention,” he said. “But all of a sudden, the hotel manager came to us, and said, ’Hey, it’s in your room.’

“So, of course, I turned blank. We tried to fix things, and everything’s not over yet. We have a lawyer managing all this.”

After arriving in Paris, Schwank had to win three qualifying matches to get his spot in the men’s field.

“We had to fight quite a lot, but I made it and I’m very happy,” Schwank said. “With this fire, maybe I could have left the tournament, but I went to the end and it turned out right.”

FIRST WIN
Andy Murray survived a five-set marathon in the first round of the French Open, winning his first match at the clay court major in his second attempt.

The 10th-seeded Briton beat wild card Jonathan Eysseric of France 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Eysseric turns 18 on Tuesday and is the youngest player in the men’s field.

“Obviously playing a young guy you’ve not seen takes a little bit of time to get used to,” Murray said. “I didn’t know how comfortable he was up at the net. I didn’t know how well he moved. He obviously moved very well and was not bad up at the net.”

Murray, who lost in the first round in 2006 in his only other appearance at Roland Garros, said he was playing despite a throat infection.

“I’ve been on antibiotics since Tuesday and I’ve not been too well,” Murray said. “I haven’t had much practice in the last five days. I was told to do half of what I would normally do. I had to make sure I wasn’t tiring myself out too much.”

getCSS("3053751")Slide show


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Collins: Venus could be Paris surprise

getCSS("3315906")Bud CollinsPARIS – It’s the general feeling that there is no clear-cut favorite in the women’s draw at the French Open after the unexpected and stunning retirement of three-time defending champion Justine Henin just 11 days before the start date of the season’s second major – and the only one of the sport’s four majors that is contested on clay.

When Henin announced her decision to pack her bags and go home to another life that doesn’t include playing tennis for a living, it opened the door for some top players to take home the championship at Roland Garros and here’s my five top challengers for the title: Serena Williams (my pick to win), Maria Sharapova, Ana  Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and yes, Venus Williams.

If I have learned one thing about the Williams sisters since they first joined the WTA tour it’s never to count them out of any tournament. In the past I and many others have counted them out of contention based on some circumstances that seemed to be working against them heading into tournaments and then they’ve gone on to prove all of us wrong. So I’m not about to do that again with Venus at the French Open.

When I take a look at Venus, who came into this Paris fortnight with just a few clay-court matches played this year -- three to be exact -- I still see her in a positive light.  A player like Venus doesn’t pay much attention to the surface she’s playing on. Venus doesn’t much care about the surface she’s performing on for any given tournament. Venus takes a look in front of her, sees a tennis court and says I can play and win on it so let’s go. She’s got that kind of confidence.

Venus, who is seeded eighth here, was certainly not in her best form in her first-round match at Roland Garros on Monday when she beat Israeli Tzipora Obziler 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Venus served poorly -- eight double faults, five of which came in the final set. I thought it somewhat discouraging that Venus allowed Obziler -- a 35-year-old player ranked No. 93, who is not nearly the quality of player Venus is by any stretch of the imagination -- take the match to a third set. That is a serious no-no, but Venus survived that risk.

There were some encouraging things about Venus’ performance against Obziler. Most importantly she came to the net quite a few times. That is great for her since she has long arms and so why not use such a great wingspan towards winning points off volleys. For years Billie Jean King, Venus’ one-time Federation Cup captain, tried to get her to do that -- get up there and force the play.

Looking at the big picture things could prove quite favorable for Venus the next couple of weeks in the City of Lights. She appears to be in a good mood and she has always been a huge fan of Paris. In my mind she came to this major with no pressure and that’s a good way to compete.

Venus and Serena never appear to feel much pressure at any tournament primarily because they have wonderful temperament. But if Venus was to be feeling pressure at a major it would be at Wimbledon later this year when she will be attempting to defend her title, something I believe she is very capable of doing.

When looking at Venus’ draw at Roland Garros it’s definitely fair to anticipate her reaching the quarterfinals, where if play holds to form she would come up against third-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia. If Venus gets past that match, she will likely be looking at either little sis – fifth-seeded Serena Williams or second-seeded Ana Ivanovic -- in the semifinals. While Venus might not be the favorite against either of those players in the semifinals there is no reason why she -- if playing top quality tennis -- couldn’t beat either Serena or Ana.

Only once (in 2002 when Serena beat her for the title) has Venus made the French Open final. It’s puzzling as to why Venus has not fared better on clay overall and especially at Roland Garros. She should have a better history in Paris  because she is way too good a player not to have made more than just one serious run at being the queen of this major.  

As far as a weakness for Venus on clay? Well, it’s probably the same thing she has fought against no matter what surface she is playing on. Venus tends at times to lose her concentration on the court. And the result of forgetting to pay attention to the task at hand is that Venus’ forehand goes south and she starts dumping balls into the net.

  ALSO ON THIS STORY  Sound off on tennis discussion boards

y take on the Williams sisters going forward is that they can’t be dismissed no matter what the tournament and no matter what the circumstances involved. Venus at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2007 – well those are perfect examples of what I’m talking about -- she seemed down and persevered both years, summoning her game to a high level on the lawns and thus went on to win two more majors.  She simply has the stuff of champions and who am I to dispute that winning quality. 

So when asked if Venus can win the title at Roland Garros this year, I say, why not?

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Serena cruises into French second round

PARIS - Eight-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams advanced to the second round of the French Open, beating Ashley Harkleroad 6-2, 6-1.

The fifth-seeded Williams, the only woman in the field who has won the clay-court major, had a 10-0 edge in aces.

“I guess I do have pressure,” Williams said, “but I don’t put pressure on myself.”

She ceded the first two games before winning 6-2, 6-1 in a drizzle against 61st-ranked Ashley Harkleroad, an American who’ll appear in the August issue of Playboy.

“I’m just surprised she beat me to it,” Williams said with a hearty laugh. “Darn.”

Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Ana Ivanovic struggled before beating Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 7-5.

The first seeded player to lose was No. 15 Nicole Vaidisova. She reached the French Open semifinals in 2006 and the quarterfinals last year, but was upset by Iveta Benesova 7-6 (2), 6-1.

The second-ranked Ivanovic, who became the first player representing Serbia to play in a major final at last year’s French Open, had six double-faults on center court and was broken by her Swedish opponent when serving for the first set at 5-1.

“I let my intensity go down for a bit ... and she used it and she started playing much better,” Ivanovic said. “But towards the end I’m happy that I found back my game and managed to break her back, and win the second set.”

Ivanovic, who reached the final at this year’s Australian Open, was also broken in the third game of the second set. In her next service game, while trailing 3-1, Ivanovic saved three break points before holding. Then, after breaking Arvidsson to get to 3-3, the Serb saved two more break points.

In the final game, Ivanovic hit two forehands down the line to break Arvidsson and win the match.

“In the end it was close, but I didn’t win the important points,” Arvidsson said.

Ivanovic also beat Arvidsson in the first round at Roland Garros last year, winning 6-2, 6-0 on her way to the final, where she lost to Justine Henin. The Belgian is not defending her title, having announced her retirement this month.

“Last year I just broke into top 10, and I had much less pressure, honestly speaking,” Ivanovic said. “Now I’m No. 2, and obviously I have more expectations for myself. So that’s something I’m still learning how to deal with it.”

Ivanovic will face Lucie Safarova in the second round. The Czech player beat Sandra Kloesel of Germany 6-1, 6-1.

Vaidisova reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, but she has now lost six straight matches.

“It’s always hard to play your best friend,” the 19-year-old Vaidisova said.

Vaidisova double-faulted on match point to put the 70th-ranked Benesova into the second round at Roland Garros for the fourth time.

In the first set, Benesova jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker.

“The key point of the first set was the tiebreaker,” Benesova said. “I knew I had to come in and try to attack her and make her move. I was going for the big shots and it was working.”

  ALSO ON THIS STORY  Discuss: Sound off on tennis message boards

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Harkleroad to be in Playboy magazine

PARIS (AP) -Ashley Harkleroad, the 61st-ranked American who lost to Serena Williams 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday in the first round of the French Open, said she posed for the August edition of Playboy magazine.

"I thought about it, and it was something that I did,'' Harkleroad said after the match. "I'm proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete's body.''

The 23-year-old noted other athletes who have appeared in the magazine, including Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard and former volleyball player Gabrielle Reese.

"I'll be the first tennis player ever. That's kind of cool,'' Harkleroad said.

"There's a few reasons why I did it, but I can't really go into it right now,'' she added. "But like I said, I really didn't think it was that big of a deal. I'm proud of my body. I stay in shape and try to stay fit.''

Williams, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, said she respected Harkleroad's decision to pose for the men's magazine, but ruled out her own pictorial.

"I can't say right now it's in any thought of my mind to be in that mag,'' Williams said. "But I'm happy for her if that's what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage.''

---

TOUGH MONTH: Eduardo Schwank has been through quite a bit the last few weeks, including a hotel fire that destroyed his laptop, passport, equipment and his winner's check of $6,780 from a Challenger event in Rome.

On Sunday, the 75th-ranked Argentine overcame cramps in his Grand Slam debut to beat a former French Open champion - and guarantee himself at least $37,463 in prize money.

Schwank, playing in only his sixth tour-level event, beat 1998 champion Carlos Moya 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (1), 4-6, 6-3 in the first round. But before he could finish off his Spanish opponent, Schwank had to recover from cramps that left him lying in the red clay at Roland Garros.

"I did suffer cramps, and I was a bit nervous,'' said Schwank, who was playing in a five-set match for the first time.

About two weeks ago, Schwank's room at a hotel in Bordeaux, France, caught fire and the building had to be evacuated.

"We were having breakfast and we heard the sirens and the firemen. We were not paying much attention,'' he said. "But all of a sudden, the hotel manager came to us, and said, 'Hey, it's in your room.'

"So, of course, I turned blank. We tried to fix things, and everything's not over yet. We have a lawyer managing all this.''

After arriving in Paris, Schwank had to win three qualifying matches to get his spot in the men's field.

"We had to fight quite a lot, but I made it and I'm very happy,'' Schwank said. "With this fire, maybe I could have left the tournament, but I went to the end and it turned out right.''

---

FIRST WIN: Andy Murray survived a five-set marathon in the first round of the French Open, winning his first match at the clay court major in his second attempt.

The 10th-seeded Briton beat wild card Jonathan Eysseric of France 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Eysseric turns 18 on Tuesday and is the youngest player in the men's field.

"Obviously playing a young guy you've not seen takes a little bit of time to get used to,'' Murray said. "I didn't know how comfortable he was up at the net. I didn't know how well he moved. He obviously moved very well and was not bad up at the net.''

Murray, who lost in the first round in 2006 in his only other appearance at Roland Garros, said he was playing despite a throat infection.

"I've been on antibiotics since Tuesday and I've not been too well,'' Murray said. "I haven't had much practice in the last five days. I was told to do half of what I would normally do. I had to make sure I wasn't tiring myself out too much.''

Murray broke his 390th-ranked opponent twice in the first set Sunday to take an early lead. But Eysseric cut down his unforced errors and played more aggressively in the second set, while Murray was having trouble with his consistency.

"As a lefty, I'm a pain in the neck for anybody,'' Eysseric said. "I didn't think too much. I tried to play my own game. I had no specific tactics.''

Eysseric was playing in only his second Grand Slam tournament. He also lost in the first round at Roland Garros last year, falling to Olivier Patience 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

"Well, I think I did quite well. If you compare the two Roland Garros tournaments last year and this year, there is a huge difference,'' Eysseric said. "I went from four sets against Patience to five sets against Murray, which is great for me.''

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Collins: Blake’s goal is progress in Paris

getCSS("3315906")Bud CollinsPARIS - It would not be surprising if James Blake is getting good vibes this year at Roland Garros. Part of why could be the lack of pressure on him given his previous struggles on clay and at this major (read little is expected of him). Part of why could be a seemingly favorable draw and part of why could be that he’s playing better tennis then when he got to the Paris fortnight a year ago.

It’s too soon to be saying welcome back to the American men at Roland Garros but at least the seventh-seeded Blake put the U.S. on the map at this year’s event by winning his first- round match 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 against Rainer Schuettler. And that’s way more than we can say about how last year’s tournament went for the guys who were supposed to wave the red, white and blue as none reached the second round. The Yanks went 0-9 in first-round matches.

After beating Schuettler maybe Blake was having a little fun when he said the American male contingent of players at the season’s second major was already showing success because after last year’s early wipeout the bar had been set low enough that it could be cleared after just one win by Blake on the first day of play in Paris. It’s kind of humorous how winning one or two rounds on clay is regarded as improvement for the American guys, but that’s how it is these days.

Even this year as the top American in the draw courtesy of Andy Roddick staying home to nurse a right shoulder injury, Blake has no pressure on him from media and fans in his home country and I assume he is not putting any pressure on himself either. His first-round match against Schuettler was a bonus as the German has certainly dissipated from the days when he was the 2003 Australian Open finalist. If things go well for Blake here he could possibly make the second week. Oh, how U.S. tennis fans would relish that as it would be wonderful for them if Blake can get to the quarterfinals. Blake’s chances on clay are at least slightly better than they have been in the past as he attempts to surpass his best showing at Roland Garros, which was reaching the third round in 2006.

Blake will play talented Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the second round and could face crafty Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the third round. Other names of note in his quarter of the draw are Marcos Baghdatis, Michael Llodra, Tomas Berdych, Paul-Henri Matthieu, Guillermo Canas and Novak Djokovic.

Blake’s a top-10 player but at Roland Garros pretty much any match could be a danger zone for him. He looked fairly steady against Schuettler but the match also showed his vulnerabilities. He led in the final set 5-1 before pulling it out in the tiebreaker and I know that his Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe was wondering why he allowed that monumental lead to slip. After the match Blake viewed what happened as something of a positive, saying that his opponent “played like the Schuettler of old” and that the German made him work for the win.

Blake said that his first-round match had its “ups and downs” and that he was happy he handled the down side well and walked off court a winner. I guess I’m willing to give that to him but it’s also fair to say that relatively speaking he had an easy day at the office against a not-so-great opponent.

I believe that Blake is a better player than he was last year and I credit his involvement in the winning Davis Cup team effort last year for making him a better player. Blake, Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan worked very hard for many years to achieve that Davis Cup victory and having helped deliver a record 32nd Davis Cup title to the U.S. provided a tremendous boost of confidence for Blake.

This year Blake’s reached the final at Houston on that funny green stuff we Americans call clay. He also advanced to the quarterfinals in Rome on the traditional red clay, which is a pretty good showing. For the season, Blake has showed some consistency by also reaching the finals at Delray Beach, where he suffered an odd loss to newcomer Kei Nishikori of Japan. He also made it to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, San Jose, Indian Wells and Miami.

From how he’s played in 2008 Blake has shown he is continuing to improve. I strongly subscribe to the theory that a player at age 28 like Blake is should still be getting better. Blake would help his chances by strengthening his net game. Instead of staying back and banging a lot of ground strokes I would like to see him use his capabilities and take short balls and come in -- if he would do that he’d make playing tennis much easier on himself.

Where the Americans most falter on clay is that they lack the patience for this style of tennis. They run out of patience and they try to hit a winner when the opportunity isn’t really there. And then there’s the issue that the American guys don’t truly know how to slide well on the surface. But considering that Blake grew up on hard courts, he’s doing fairly well on this gritty stuff.

It’s not like American men have always struggled at the French Open. The greatest generation of American players was quite adept on the surface. Jim Courier won Roland Garros twice and Michael Chang and Andre Agassi won it once. And even Pete Sampras threatened for a title here by reaching the semifinals once in his career. These accomplishments in no way should embarrass today’s group of U.S. male players but the last generation of guys were simply better players -- Hall of Famers to be sure.

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When I look at Blake it’s fair to say that he may have hit his career ceiling. But that’s not a negative at all. If he has hit his ceiling it’s a very comfortable ceiling where he can stay in the top 10, make a lot of money and experience some very pleasurable moments on the court. But I don’t feel he’s likely to win a major -- that ship has probably sailed for him. But his career is a fine one, it’s far from over, and the challenge at present is making hay on clay.

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Austin: Serena a top threat in Paris

getCSS("3315906")Tracy AustinEleven days before the start of the season’s second major the news came that Justine Henin, the No. 1 ranked player on the WTA Tour and the three-time defending French Open champion, was retiring effective immediately. A shocker indeed and a loss for the sport.

In the wake of Henin’s exit is left a wide open French Open with fifth-seeded Serena Williams the only woman in the draw who has won a title at Roland Garros. With Henin gone, Serena has a good shot at repeating that feat.

Clay is not a favorite surface for top seeded Maria Sharapova but the Russian star could come away a Paris champion as she’s up for the challenge of winning the only major she has not yet conquered.

Two others who look like they could take the title are Serbs Jelena Jankovic, the third seed, and Ana Ivanovic, seeded second.

Serena looking title worthy
Serena hasn’t played Paris in two of the last three years but did make the quarterfinals last year before Henin ended her run on dirt. Serena is fitter than she has been in a long time. She’s had her best pre-Paris preparation since 2002 – the year she emerged as the Queen of the clay fortnight. Serena’s not only comfortable playing on the dirt, she’s motivated to do so and that motivation – as we’ve seen at times over the course of her career and most recently at the 2007 Australian Open – can carry her to a title.

On the dirt Serena benefits from her athleticism, which helps her to move very well on the surface. She’s excellent at quickly changing direction and sliding into her shots. She has a terrific combination of patience and power and can add in the angles to widen the court on clay, which helps her to outmaneuver her opponents. On clay Serena realizes it’s not all a power game that succeeds but a thinking one as well. Crafting points on clay is key and Serena excels at that.

Maria counting on her serve
Sharapova does not move as well as Serena on dirt but she possesses an awesome game on any surface. She relies so much on her power and on her ability to get that first strike on her serve and her return of serve so she can draw an advantage in the point. On clay she must play good defense because the surface is one where players can get themselves out of trouble and get back into points and doing this will be key for the Russian.

Sharapova’s game is so sound, her technique so good and she hits with such depth that if she serves big she could leave Paris a champion. Serving big will enable her to get a lot of first strikes against opponents, who then won’t be moving her around the court -- something she wants to avoid since she doesn’t fare all that well when scrambling around on the dirt.

Earlier in her career Sharapova wasn’t at all comfortable on clay. But while it will never be her favorite surface she is getting more comfortable on it with each passing year. The more time she spends playing on dirt, the better she’ll feel about making the surface work for her.

Jankovic looks ready for feat of clay
The Serb is a rising star who has never won a major so she has yet to answer the question of whether she can win seven matches over a two-week span when the stakes are at their highest. Working in her favor is that she likes playing on clay and moves extremely well on the surface impressively sliding into her shots.

She has to draw confidence from her strong showing at a warm-up event in Rome where she took a tough three-setter from Venus Williams on her way to the title. Jankovic is a real tough customer on the dirt who makes opponents work hard for every point. When she’s in a good mindset and feels ready to grind out matches on clay, she’s extremely difficult to beat. Making the semifinals at the French Open last year sends a message she can’t be overlooked when it comes to top title contenders.

Another big run from Ana?
Last year Ivanovic made it to the Paris final before losing to Henin. It was only her third French Open appearance. Her play has been spotty this season but there is no denying that she has the weapons in her game to beat any opponent on a given day. She is not a great mover on clay but is still a tough opponent on the surface.

She has the talent and skills to be a champion in Paris. Her biggest challenge is to handle the pressure that comes with the high expectations that surround her game. Her chances at a championship this fortnight may be hurt because before Roland Garros she played just five matches on clay. Her confidence may also be a bit shaken by clay losses to Elena Dementieva at the German Open and qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in Rome.

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Venus and Svetlana
Venus Williams is seeded eighth and while I don’t see her winning the clay major she could get to the second week and the quarterfinals where if the tournament plays to form she would meet up with Jankovic. Venus has made the French Open final only once and that was in 2002 when she lost the title match to sister Serena.

Clay is not a great surface for Venus and that may be because she is longer limbed than most players and they can work against her when having to abruptly change directions. She has played just three matches on clay this year so that is another factor that could work against her. She also has played in only five tournaments.

One other player to closely watch is fourth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, a French Open finalist in 2006, who is helped on clay by her ability to move around the court. An opponent really has to have a good day to beat the Russian on this surface. She’s very athletic and has a big forehand – two definite advantages on clay.

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Sweden wins 4th World Team Cup

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) -Sweden won the World Team Cup for the fourth time Saturday, capturing the doubles to beat Russia 2-1.

With the best-of-three series at 1-1, Robin Soderling and Robert Lindstedt edged Mikhail Youzhny and Dmitry Tursunov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9 after saving a match point at 9-8 in the match tiebreaker.

Sweden also won the title in 1988, 1991 and 1995. Russia has never won it.

Soderling maintained his unbeaten record this week, winning all eight matches he played in singles and doubles. He is only the third player in the 31-year history of the event to achieve the feat, following John McEnroe of the United States in 1984 and Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in 2003.

Soderling began by overwhelming Youzhny 6-3, 6-1 in just 63 minutes, before Igor Andreev rallied to beat Thomas Johansson 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to level the series.

Soderling broke to lead 4-2 in the first set when Youzhny hit a forehand long. He broke for a 2-1 advantage in the second set. Another forehand error then gave Soderling a further break for 4-1, and he broke again in the final game.

In the second match, Johansson sped to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. But Andreev's speed and powerful forehand began to turn the match, and a break for 3-1 was enough to secure the second set.

In the final set, Andreev broke for a 1-0 lead on a backhand error. Johansson held a break point to level at 4-4, but Andreev won the next two games.

"I didn't start 100 percent,'' Andreev said. "I was maybe nervous, but then the concentration started. I served better and found my game.''

Russia took the first set of the doubles and held a break in the second before Sweden leveled at 4-4. Lindstedt fought off a break point before holding for a 5-4 edge, and Sweden went on to win both tiebreakers.

The winners received $457,600 and the losers $300,000.

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Henin: No way I'll come back

PARIS - Justine Henin is certain that she's done playing tennis.

"I don't think I will ever come back. I think that it's important just to move on," Henin said at Roland Garros on Saturday, the day before the French Open starts.

Earlier this month, she became the first woman to retire while No. 1 in the WTA rankings, opting not to try for a fourth consecutive French Open championship.

The 25-year-old Belgian said Saturday that she didn't retire because of any health issues — she just does not feel the passion for playing tennis that carried her to seven Grand Slam singles titles.

"Now I don't need the competition to be happy. I don't need this adrenaline being in front of thousands of people to really be happy," Henin said. "I just need to be myself. I'm a simple person. I can live very easily."

She said it took her months to decide to walk away from the sport she dominated for stretches of the past few years.

Henin won a total of four French Open titles, prompting French tennis federation president Christian Bimes to say Saturday: "Justine will be one of the great names of tennis forever here in Roland Garros."

She also won the Australian Open in 2004, and the U.S. Open in 2003 and 2007. She was ranked No. 1 for more than 100 weeks and won nearly $20 million in prize money.

Henin was struggling by her standards this season, but still stunned the tennis world with her announcement — particularly because it came right before the French Open.

"It's sad. It's a pity for tennis: The very top player quits tennis. She certainly has her own reasons. I hope she has good reasons, because it's an extreme decision," Roger Federer said Friday at Roland Garros. "What I'm surprised about is her timing, because it was so sudden."

Henin's explanation? If she didn't feel up to giving her all, she didn't feel up to giving her all, no matter where.

Even at what she called her favorite event.

"If I feel I'm at the end of my way, there is no reason why I should play this tournament," she said.

"I don't need this anymore," she continued. "I know what I did here in the past, and I don't need to live this again. I'm fine with my career. I'm really happy and proud of what I did, and I don't need to live these moments anymore."

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Davydenko wins title in Austria

POERTSCHACH, Austria (AP) -Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko overcame a thigh injury to beat defending champion Juan Monaco 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 Saturday and win the Hypo Group International for a third time.

This was Davydenko's 13th ATP Tour title and second of the season after winning the Masters Series event in Miami last month. The fourth-ranked Russian also won this tournament, a clay-court tuneup for the French Open, in 2005 and 2006.

Davydenko broke serve in the opening game and Monaco looked vulnerable from the baseline during the first set. The second-seeded Argentine needed treatment for a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.

Davydenko added another break to close the set, and then was treated for an injured left thigh. In the second set, Davydenko appeared hampered by his injury and Monaco found his rhythm, using three breaks to even the match.

Davydenko raised his game in the third set and dominated from the baseline. He wrapped up victory with a backhand winner on his second match point.

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Federer hopes new coach is missing ingredient

PARIS - If Roger Federer was looking for a coach with intimate knowledge of Roland Garros, he certainly found his man in Jose Higueras.

Federer conducted his post-draw French Open news conference on Friday, busy dismissing the notion he's having an average season and refusing to look toward yet another final against Rafael Nadal. And Higueras? Done putting Federer through his paces for the day, he was holding court in a hallway near the main locker rooms.

He got a tap on the shoulder from Nadal, Federer's nemesis and the three-time reigning champion at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. "Rafaelito!'' Higueras called out as his countryman sauntered past.

He traded kisses on each cheek with Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion and runner-up in Paris two years ago. He paused to chat in French with a man who worked tournament security when Higueras reached the semifinals twice in the early 1980s.

"I know everybody here over 60,'' Higueras said.

He coached Michael Chang to the 1989 French Open title, then guided Jim Courier to the 1991 and 1992 trophies. If Higueras thinks he can help Federer finally add the Coupe des Mousquetaires to his collection, he wasn't saying two days before the tournament.

Indeed, Higueras didn't want to answer questions about Federer. So it was left to the player to explain how he might benefit from a coach he's worked with on and off since mid-April.

"A guy seeing it from a different angle. Somebody you can discuss and talk about tactics and certain things,'' said Federer, who plays 41st-ranked Sam Querrey of the United States in the first round on Tuesday. "If he sees something in my technique, that is something that you can then work on in the practice sessions. That is something we haven't had a chance to really look at. If you're down, sure, he can build you up. But I wasn't really down since we started working together.''

Federer insists he hasn't been down much at all, even though this is the first season since 2001 he'll begin the French having won only one title.

"I wish I could have won maybe a tournament here and there a little bit more. But if I keep on winning the next few, I don't really care what happened in the past,'' said the top-ranked Federer, whose 12 major titles put him two from Pete Sampras' career record. "I'm happy with the season so far. You might think it's average. I don't.''

If anyone speaks more glowingly of Federer's chances than Federer himself, it's Nadal. He's always quick to point out who is No. 1 in the rankings and who is No. 2.

On Friday, Nadal called Federer "one of the best clay-court players.'' Nadal noted that Federer has played in "three finals in Monte Carlo, two finals in Rome, two more finals here, one more semifinal here.'' What the Spaniard neglected to mention is that seven of those eight matches were played against Nadal, and Federer's record in those encounters is 0-7.

As for Higueras, Nadal wondered how much Federer's game might have changed in such a short time together.

"If I have a new coach, it's impossible to change my game in three weeks,'' said Nadal, whose first-round opponent is qualifier Thomaz Bellucci, a 20-year-old Brazilian making his Grand Slam debut.

While Federer hopes to become the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam, Nadal wants to become only the second in history to win four consecutive French Opens.

Remember: Nadal is 21-0 at this tournament. He's also won 108 of his past 110 matches on clay overall. Then again, one of those losses came against Federer.

"All I need to know is that I know I can beat him,'' Federer said. "We're six matches away, again, from each other. My focus is not on Rafa yet.''

Nadal could have a more interesting path, including a possible semifinal against No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who upset Federer en route to winning the Australian Open in January.

"I'm coming to this year's French Open as a more mature player,'' Djokovic said. "And considering that fact, I believe much more in myself and that I can win against Rafa on clay, or Roger on any surface.''

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Serena likes her chances in France

PARIS (AP) -Serena Williams is not one to play down her chances at any tournament. So it should come as no surprise she likes her title chances at the French Open.

Even if she hasn't been past the quarterfinals at Roland Garros since 2003?

Even if she didn't show up for her Italian Open quarterfinal last week because of a bad back?

"I'm pretty much insatiable. Like, I always shoot and strive for the best,'' the 2002 French Open champion said Friday at Roland Garros, where she is seeded fifth and could meet older sister Venus in the semifinals.

"I feel like my scale is going up right now. I feel like so far I've probably gotten to a 5 or a 6, but I'm still able to climb up,'' she added.

Williams pronounced herself "definitely 100 percent fit,'' and said she feels good about her game on clay. She is 9-1 on the surface this season.

"It's probably the best preparation I've had since 2002. I feel like I've played so many clay-court tournaments,'' she said. "I just really am feeling like a real clay-court player, which, I think, is important for me.''

Williams, who will play Ashley Harkleroad of the United States in the first round Sunday or Monday, said she's added "lots of new things'' to her game on clay.

Asked for details, Williams said: "Just keep watching, baby.''

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I FEEL PRETTY: Whatever tennis titles Maria Sharapova wins, she always will be seen as a fashion star.

This month, the WTA Tour wanted her to participate in a four-hour promotional photo shoot before a tournament in Rome. Sharapova initially opposed the photo shoot, but eventually compromised after, she said, the WTA threatened her with a $300,000 fine.

"It was not just waking up and going on set and doing a four-hour shoot,'' Sharapova said Friday at Roland Garros. "You have to do wardrobe and makeup and hair, which is another two hours.''

Her links to the entertainment world came up when a reporter told Sharapova she is singer Mariah Carey's favorite tennis player - and that Carey wants to go to the U.S. Open this year.

"Oh, really? Well, I'll get her a ticket, no problem. Maybe not box access but she'll get a good ticket,'' Sharapova said playfully. "She'll get a front-row seat in exchange for a good ticket at her concert.''

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RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: Novak Djokovic might be watching the weather forecast more closely than any other French Open title contender.

The Australian Open champion, seeded third at Roland Garros, wants the courts as quick as possible. The less damp weather, the better, as far as he's concerned.

"It's a bit slow, especially for my type of game,'' Djokovic said Friday. "For those who watched the semifinals in Hamburg, I think they've seen enough. There was a lot of difficulties with the weather.''

Djokovic lost 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 to No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the Hamburg Masters semifinals.

It was a familiar outcome for Djokovic. He exited the French Open in the 2006 quarterfinals against Nadal, and in the 2007 semifinals against him, too. They could meet in this year's semifinals.

"I lost to the same player, Nadal, who is the best player on this surface,'' Djokovic said. "So let's see how we go this year.''

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