Serena survives hiccup to reach fourth round

PARIS - Serena Williams looked ill, and not only because she had lost five games in a row at the French Open.

A trainer paid Williams a visit during a changeover, checked her temperature and gave her pills. Then came a third-set surge, and Williams beat 18-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2.

The top-ranked Williams appeared in danger when she fell behind 5-love in the second set and summoned the trainer.

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“Just ran out of a little energy out there,” she said, “just fighting a cold and fighting sickness.”

Soon Williams’ court movement improved, her strokes steadied and she advanced to the fourth round.

“Doesn’t matter the score, especially against her,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “She’s a good fighter. She’s really confident and she is Serena.”

The seesaw win assured Williams of retaining the No. 1 ranking after the tournament.

In the completion of a suspended match, Nadia Petrova reached the fourth round. Petrova, seeded 19th, edged No. 15 Aravane Rezai of France, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-8.  Petrova plays Venus Williams next.

Other winners included Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan and wild card Jarmila Groth of Australia, with both advancing to the fourth round at a major tournament for the first time. No. 18-seeded Shahar Peer and No. 23 Daniela Hantuchova also won.

The third-round showdown between four-time champion Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova was suspended because of darkness at one set apiece. Henin led 6-2, but her streak of 40 consecutive sets won at Roland Garros ended when Sharapova took the second set, 6-3.

On a cloudy, windy, chilly day, the center-court stadium was slow to fill for Serena Williams’ match, the first on the schedule. Her aggressive returns had Pavlyuchenkova’s serve under constant pressure early, but the talented young Russian — a three-time Grand Slam champion in juniors — suddenly reversed the momentum in the second set.

Williams began to look sluggish during points, took her time between them and occasionally grimaced, while Pavlyuchenkova’s booming groundstrokes kept finding the corners.

The pills the trainer gave Williams provided a remedy.

“I don’t what they were, to be honest,” she said. “I just took them. He said they can help me feel better.”

But in the third set, Williams erased three break points to take the lead for good at 2-1. She again became forceful with her returns, and whacked the last one at Pavlyuchenkova’s feet for the win.

“Definitely a weird match,” Williams said. “I played all right. I definitely wasn’t at my best. I just was happy to win, especially against a player that’s on the up and up.”

Pavlyuchenkova, seeded 29th, fell to 8-1 this year in three-set matches. Williams is 100-44 in three-setters.

“After she beat me she has to win the tournament,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “I really hope so.”

Peer won 7-6 (7), 6-2 against No. 13 Marion Bartoli, the last remaining French woman. Hantuchova beat No. 16 Yanina Wickmayer 7-5, 6-3. Shvedova defeated No. 28 Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.

Groth, ranked 107th, defeated fellow Australian Anastasia Rodionova 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. Groth’s husband was happy to get the news back home by telephone.

“I just woke him up,” she said. “He was real angry in the beginning, but then he was very happy for me. And then he was kind of sad actually that he can’t be here to watch my success.”

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Serena wins marathonGijon no match for Sevilla

Venus Williams' tennis dress cheers lace industry

PARIS (AP) -When Grand Slam champion Venus Williams stepped out onto a French Open court in a see-through black lace skirt and red bustier, the beleaguered lace industry let out a cheer.

Williams' corset-like outfit - reminiscent of a 19th-century Parisian can-can chorus costume - shocked many sports fans and prompted wolf whistles and catcalls. But it also intrigued fashion insiders, and lace designers are now hoping that Williams' bold ensemble might boost their game.

"Seeing a tennis woman of Venus' caliber dolled up in lace and resembling more of a figure skater will hopefully revive the industry at a time when French lace makers are going out of business one after the other," said Isabelle Tartier, director of Paris-based Frank Sorbier, one of the few fashion houses that still uses lace.

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Tartier blamed the lace industry's economic woes on cheaper Chinese-industrialized lace flooding the market.

"(It) is rarely made up of 100 percent cotton like French handmade lace, and is supplemented with chemicals such as polyamide, which produces cheaper thread," she said.

Julien De la Rue, finance director at lace factory Solstiss in northern France, said his company's sales had dropped in half in the last three years, from ?30 million ($38 million) in 2006 down to ?15 million ($19 million) in 2009.

"We've seen a decrease in demand these last two years primarily because lace has gone out of fashion. Designers prefer to use leather nowadays, so you simply don't see it on the catwalk," he said.

Williams, who designed the dress and has run her own fashion line Eleven since 2007, was quick to pick up on a possible niche market.

"Lace has never been done before in tennis, and I've been wanting to do it for a long time," she said after her appearance Sunday at Roland Garros, beating Swiss player Penny Schneiden.

Williams' burlesque outfit, with its tutu and frills, didn't do much to disguise her skin-tone underwear and "its illusion of bareness," as Venus described. That illusion - suggesting that she was naked under the lace - is what set tongues wagging and photographers snapping wildly at her muscled, taupe-covered derriere.

"What's the point of wearing lace when there's just black under? The illusion of just having bare skin is definitely for me a lot more beautiful," Williams said.

Marcellous L. Jones, editor of Fashion Insider.com magazine, agreed.

"I thought she looked sublime," he said.

"Her mix of can-can and pom-pom girl look brought cheer and entertainment to a tournament that has become dully predictable. I think it's great publicity for Roland Garros and great for the female tennis players who have become sidelined by the men," he said.

In terms of tennis fashion, women have always had a leg up on their male counterparts. Rafael Nadal's khaki pants and Roger Federer's sleeveless shirts have nothing on the catsuit that Venus' sister Serena Williams, currently ranked world No. 1, wore to the U.S. Open in 2002.

Nor do Andre Agassi's denim shorts and multicolored shirts compare to Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova's micro-miniskirts, or Maria Sharapova's tuxedo-inspired ensemble that she wore to Wimbledon in 2008.

For designer Frank Sorbier, female tennis fashion has always been about breaking the rules.

"When French tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen started playing in the 1920s, she was the first to invent a new style of dressing, which insisted upon wearing short skirts and exposing the player's bare arms. The aim was to liberate the body and leave it free to move," Sorbier said.

The tribute was fitting: Venus Williams wore her flouncy lace skirt in a match on the Suzanne Lenglen Court at Roland Garros.

"It is like a return to the past and a desire to liberate the body once again," Sorbier said.

Asked whether he would consider collaborating with Williams to produce a new tennis fashion line, he said "the door was open."

But his partner Isabelle Tartier said even if Venus has a good eye she needs more fashion schooling.

"Her colors need a bit of work. The red and black, which smacks of a lingerie get-up, is a definite fashion faux-pas," she said.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Primera Liga round-upWilliams’ dress draws more notice than her play

Sharapova, Henin advance to French showdown

PARIS - Maria Sharapova needed only five games Friday to advance at the French Open. Her next match will likely be a lot tougher — she faces four-time champion Justine Henin.

Sharapova and Henin set up a third-round showdown by winning matches suspended overnight because of darkness. Sharapova finished off Kirsten Flipkens, 6-3, 6-3, and Henin beat Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-3.

A schedule backlog caused by rain created a parade of champions on the sixth day of the tournament. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Venus and Serena Williams were among those who advanced.

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Now the champions start playing each other. Henin has a 6-3 record against Sharapova.

“We’ve had some great matches in the past,” Sharapova said. “I’ve had some tough losses and great wins. I look forward to this one.”

Sharapova won their most recent meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Australian Open. That was Henin’s last Grand Slam match before she retired.

Now the Belgian is mounting a career comeback and playing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2007.

“It’s going to be an interesting match,” Henin said. “Comes very early, of course, third round, but I expect a big fight as we always had in the past. It’s going to be very exciting to play her again in the second career. The motivation is going to be really high just to keep going in this tournament.”

Seeded 22nd, Henin has French Open winning streaks of 23 matches and 39 sets. The No. 12-seeded Sharapova is seeking the only Grand Slam title she has yet to win, and she said she’s becoming more comfortable on clay.

“I really do enjoy it,” the Russian said. “I’ve learned a lot playing on it the last few years. It doesn’t affect me as it did many years ago, because I knew I couldn’t last quite as long as I feel that I can now.”

While Henin and Sharapova won quickly, Serena Williams and Nadal did as well, taking the court on a sunny, cool morning. Both were done before lunch.

The top-ranked Williams won nine consecutive games and advanced to the third round by beating Julia Goerges 6-1, 6-1. Four-time champion Nadal lost serve only once and beat Horacio Zeballos 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

Williams won in 55 minutes and said such a rout can help her in later matches.

“I can learn a lot, like, ’OK, what am I doing today? How can I get them to all be like that?”’ she said. “Those are the questions that I ask and I try to answer.”

  French Open 

 May 23-June 6, Paris  Sharapova, Henin advance to showdownFederer, Nadal keep on rolling through tourneyTennis.com: Record vs. Nadal is Federer's failingVenus Williams' tennis dress cheers lace industry  Vote: What do you think of Venus' outfit?Tennis.com: Nadal will win title  |  Henin alsoCicma: It'll be Nadal-Federer  |  Serena vs. HeninInteractive: Top men, women to watchFrench Open schedules, scoreboard 

 

Venus Williams reached the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time since 2006 by beating No. 26 Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 6-4. Once again wearing the lacy corset that has created the tournament’s biggest buzz, Williams hit six aces and lost only four points on her first serve.

Serena and Venus are seeded 1-2 and wouldn’t meet until the final.

“We’re having so much fun at this time of my career, and you know, we just feel good,” Serena said. “We’re doing the best we can, and we’re enjoying every moment.”

Russian qualifier Anastasia Pivovarova, ranked 187th, upset No. 25-seeded Zheng Jie of China 6-4, 6-3. Unseeded American Jill Craybas lost to No. 29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-1.

Serena Williams, bidding for her first title at Roland Garros since 2002, played aggressively and still committed only four unforced errors to 20 for Goerges. Williams often moved two steps inside the baseline to smack returns, and she won 15 of 19 points on Goerges’ weak second serves.

Williams held every service game and sprinted forward several times to finish off points with swinging volleys.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion has won 41 consecutive second-round matches in major tournaments since losing in that round in her Grand Slam debut in 1998 to her older sister.

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Ronaldo proud of seasonSerena, SharapovaВ withdraw from Family Circle Cup

Roddick reaches third round of French Open

PARIS - Maybe this is progress for Andy Roddick on clay: He lost serve seven times Thursday and still won.

On a rainy, chilly day at Roland Garros, Roddick endured two delays and difficult conditions to defeat Blaz Kavcic 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

The damp weather took some zip off Roddick’s biggest weapon, and for much of the match he was dueling from the baseline on his worst surface. But Roddick has become a more patient player in recent months, and he willingly settled into rallies that often lasted more than two dozen shots.

Roddick hadn’t played a match on clay this year when he arrived in Paris, but he’s now above .500 lifetime at Roland Garros — 9-8.

No. 4 Andy Murray beat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2. American John Isner, seeded 17th, hit 38 aces and defeated Marco Chiudinelli 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7), 6-4.

In a match that took two days to complete, Fabio Fognini beat No. 13 Gael Monfils of France 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 9-7. The match was suspended because of darkness Wednesday at 5-all in the fifth set.

Sixteen singles matches were postponed, including those involving Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, meaning they won’t play their second-round matches until at least Friday — the sixth day of the tournament. Nadal faces Horacio Zeballos, Djokovic plays Kei Nishikori, and Williams takes on Julia Goerges.

Twenty doubles matches were also postponed.

Roddick’s match looked like a mismatch on paper — the 112th-ranked Kavcic has won a single tour-level match this year — but the weather and clay were equalizers.

The No. 6-seeded Roddick lost 48 points serving, but despite his trouble holding, he seemed in control when he broke for a 4-3 lead in the second set. He promptly gave the break back, and rain halted play with Kavcic serving at 5-all, love-15.

When the match resumed nearly an hour later, Roddick lost eight consecutive points and the set to even the match.

As Roddick’s mood soured, he snapped at the umpire and at Kavcic.

“That’s a horrible read,” he said after the umpire rejected his appeal on a line call. “I know how to look at a mark and read it.”

The crowd jeered Roddick.

During later disputes about two marks in the same game, Roddick and Kavcic exchanged words.

“Don’t get upset with me when you just checked that one,” Roddick said.

But the American displayed patience at the baseline, as he mixed drop shots and lobs with conservative groundstrokes.

A rally that put him up a break in the fourth set lasted 39 shots and left a weary Kavcic bent over. The fresher-looking Roddick swept the final four games.

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Federer hopes Madrid will provide turning pointReal play down Barca visit

French Open Show Court Schedules

Arantxa Parra Santonja, Spain, vs. Venus Williams (2), United States

Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, vs. Alejandro Falla, Colombia

Fabio Fognini, Italy, vs. Gael Monfils (13), France

Elena Dementieva (5), Russia, vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues, Spain

Court Suzanne Lenglen

Taylor Dent, United States, vs. Robin Soderling (5), Sweden

Josselin Ouanna, France, vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (8), France

Aravane Rezai (15), France, vs. Angelique Kerber, Germany

Tathiana Garbin, Italy, vs. Caroline Wozniacki (3), Denmark

Court 1

Leonardo Mayer, Argentina, vs. Julien Benneteau, France

Svetlana Kuznetsova (6), Russia, vs. Andrea Petkovic, Germany

Andy Murray (4), Britain, vs. Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentina

Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, France, vs. Li Na (11), China

Court 2

Marin Cilic (10), Croatia, vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, Spain

Flavia Pennetta (14), Italy, vs. Roberta Vinci, Italy

Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, vs. Tomas Berdych (15), Czech Republic

Francesca Schiavone (17), Italy, vs. Sophie Ferguson, Australia

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Spanish qualifier beats ClijstersDiarra welcomes United link

Williams' dress draws more notice than her play

PARIS (AP) -Venus Williams' latest fashion statement is generating plenty of questions.

During her second-round victory at the French Open on Wednesday, Williams sported the same black lace dress with bright red trim that she wore in her first match.

And after beating Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-4, Williams was asked much more about the dress than, for example, the 128 mph serve she hit or the fact that she's now 14-2 on clay in 2010.

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Williams said the corset-like outfit's overlay and skin-toned undergarments are "about the illusion of bareness."

"Lace has never been done before in tennis, and I've been wanting to do it for a long time," she said. "The illusion of just having bare skin is definitely for me a lot more beautiful."

French Tennis Federation spokesman Christophe Proust said: "It gives the illusion that she's naked (underneath), but she isn't. Maybe some people didn't like it, but from what I know there was no angry reaction from the organizers or French federation officials."

---

ANGRY TSONGA: Top French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lashed out at French Open organizers for turning down his request to have his first-round match scheduled for the second or third day of the tournament.

Instead, he had to play on Day 1.

"Frankly, I was a bit disappointed because I was playing on a Sunday," the eighth-seeded Tsonga said after beating countryman Josselin Ouanna 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in the second round Wednesday. "I had asked not to play on a Sunday, absolutely, because I had practiced in such a way that I thought I wanted to play on a Monday or Tuesday, to be totally fit. But they imposed it on me."

Tsonga said he deserved more respect considering his ranking and nationality.

"Today, we're in France. I'm French. I'm the French No. 1. I would have thought it was legitimate for me to be listened to," said Tsonga, the 2008 Australian Open runner-up.

"If you look at (Andy) Murray, if he decides on a day or a time schedule at Wimbledon, nobody is going to impose anything on him. For (Roger) Federer, in his country it's the same. And in the U.S., I suppose it's the same thing for the best American players. I think that Lleyton (Hewitt) probably plays in the sun during the Australian Open because he loves the sun and other opponents don't like the sun."

Another French player, Richard Gasquet, said the tournament refused to give him an extra day off after he won a tuneup tournament in Nice. Gasquet lost to Murray in five sets in the first round at Roland Garros.

---

SOUTH AFRICAN WINS AGAIN: Chanelle Scheepers looked up to Amanda Coetzer. Now Scheepers hopes South African kids who want to take up tennis will look up to her.

Scheepers, who had to go through qualifying to get into the French Open, became the first South African woman to reach the third round at a Grand Slam tournament in almost seven years by beating Gisela Dulko of Argentina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday.

"Tennis hasn't been a big thing in South Africa, especially women's tennis," Scheepers said. "Hopefully with this, it can get bigger, and people will see what I do and think, 'That's what I want to do."'

Coetzer was the last woman from their country to advance to the third round in a major tournament, accomplishing the feat at the U.S. Open in 2003.

In 2001, Coetzer was also the last South African woman to reach the third round at Roland Garros.

The 131st-ranked Scheepers never had won a match at any Grand Slam event before this French Open.

"It's nice to accomplish things for your country, but at the same time, you have your personal goals," Scheepers said. "When I won that first round, I said, 'OK, I want more."'

---

AP Sports Writer Sam Petrequin contributed to this report.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Venus wins again at French, talks about вЂskin’Blanc linked with Sevilla

Venus wins again at French, talks about вЂskin’

PARIS - Before the rain, No. 2-seeded Venus Williams used her big serve to beat Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-4 in the second round at the French Open on Wednesday.

Williams whiffed on a forehand and was often bested in long rallies, but serves at up to 128 mph kept her in control, and she was never broken.

“On the bigger points, especially on my serve, I thought I played those really well,” Williams said. “I think that was key.”

The defending women’s champion, sixth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, overcame four matches points in the second set and beat Andrea Petkovic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Petkovic committed unforced errors on all four points.

Williams improved to 14-2 on clay in 2010. She’s seeded second behind her younger sister Serena, who scouted while sitting next to their father. The sisters could meet in the final.

No. 26 Dominika Cibulkova rallied past American Varvara Lepchenko 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. Cibulkova, a semifinalist last year, faces Williams next.

“I’ll continue to try to execute my game and not worry really a ton about what my opponent is doing,” Williams said.

Two-time semifinalist Nadia Petrova, seeded 19th, beat Agnes Szavay 6-1, 6-2. No. 14 Flavia Pennetta defeated Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-1.

 Slideshow 

Serena wins marathonDepor ace talks stall

Federer endures one tense set, two rain delays

PARIS - Roger Federer sat under a courtside umbrella and looked up at the gray sky as rain fell.

Tennis, anyone? With drizzle continuing after a one-hour delay, Federer rose from his chair, removed his warmup jacket and went back to work.

A change in the weather Wednesday at the French Open barely slowed Federer, who eliminated Alejandro Falla 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4. The No. 1-ranked Federer calmly endured two weather delays to reach the third round.

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“This is how this game has been played for decades,” he said. “We’re used to walking on and off the court and being flexible about these kind of things.”

After three days of warm sunshine, conditions were damp and cool for the start of round two. There was a third delay of 90 minutes after Federer finished.

Before the rain, No. 2-seeded Venus Williams used her big serve to beat Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-4. Williams whiffed on a forehand and was often bested in long rallies, but serves at up to 128 mph kept her in control, and she was never broken.

Federer lost serve just once against Falla, at 5-all in the opening set, then broke back and hit four winners in the tiebreaker.

“I thought the first set was good, actually, from both sides,” Federer said. “He really pushed me to come up with something special, which I couldn’t do in the first set, really. I definitely got a little bit lucky to get out of that one.”

From there only rain could slow Federer. The match was stopped for 15 minutes in the second set, and again for an hour in the third before play resumed in a drizzle.

He tweaked his game as an adjustment to the weather.

“The texture of the clay changes drastically when there’s no sun,” he said. “Conditions slow down a lot. ... There are advantages and disadvantages, and you’ve got to use them if you can.”

Federer, who completed a career Grand Slam when he won at Roland Garros last year, is seeking his 17th major title.

No. 5-seeded Robin Soderling won 20 of the first 22 points and went on to beat unseeded American Taylor Dent 6-0, 6-1, 6-1. Soderling, who upset Rafael Nadal last year and then lost to Federer in the final, has dropped only seven games through two matches.

  French Open 

 May 23-June 6, ParisVenus wins again at French, talks about ‘skin’  Vote: What do you think of Venus' outfit?  Federer endures one tense set, two rain delaysTennis.com: Strong start for Americans in ParisTennis.com: Day 3 features joy, rage, gloom, moreTennis.com: Nadal will win title  |  Henin alsoCicma: It'll be Nadal-Federer  |  Serena vs. HeninInteractive: Top men, women to watchFrench Open schedules, scoreboard 

 

Other men’s winners included No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 10 Marin Cilic and No. 11 Mikhail Youzhny.

Dent, a 12th-year pro, won at Roland Garros for the first time in the opening round, but against Soderling his serve deserted him. The American double-faulted eight times and won only 11 points on his first serve.

“That was fun, huh?” Dent said. “I’d be a fool to say that I felt like I was in it at any stage. It would be tough for me to beat the 12-and-under French champion playing that way.”

Soderling remained on course for a Roland Garros rematch against Federer in the quarterfinals.

“I’m feeling good,” Soderling said. “I won two matches pretty easy in straight sets, and I didn’t have to run for many hours on court so far, so I feel fresh.”

Tsonga, France’s best title hope, defeated fellow Frenchman Josselin Ouanna 6-0, 6-1, 6-4. Cilic swept Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2, and Youzhny rallied past Lukas Lacko 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

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Federer hopes Madrid will provide turning pointRonaldo harbours title hope

Henin wins in 1st French Open match since ’07

PARIS - As always, Justine Henin punctuated her best shots with shouts of “Allez!” — French for “Come on!”

In this case, it also meant, “I’m back!”

Henin took a big step Tuesday in her return from retirement, beating Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round of the French Open 6-4, 6-3. The match was Henin’s first at Roland Garros since 2007, when she won the tournament for the fourth time.

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“I didn’t know really what to expect and how I was going to deal with my emotions,” the Belgian said. “As I walked in and I was into my match, I felt a lot of things were coming back. It was just fantastic to share this again with the crowd, as they gave me one more time great support. So it was very good to be back.”

Henin rejoined the tour in January following a 20-month retirement, and while she’s seeded only 22nd, she’s considered one of the favorites for the title.

“She has all of the chances to win this tournament,” said Pironkova, who had played — and lost to — Henin three times before. “She still plays great. I don’t think she lost (anything) with that rest that she had. I think she is playing even better. She’s faster, and her strokes are more secure.”

Henin endured some ragged moments in the second set, when Pironkova won three consecutive games for a 3-2 lead. Henin swept 10 points in a row to regain control, and following another wobble serving at 4-3, she took the final six points.

“I didn’t serve really good in that match, that’s for sure,” Henin said. “First round is never easy. So I’m just happy I came through.”

Henin hit picturesque backhands, nifty drop shots and booming overhead slams — all staples in a repertoire that has helped her win seven Grand Slam titles. She also missed more than half of her first serves, however, and blew a handful of easy putaways.

“I’ve worked pretty hard in the last few months, but the way is still very long,” she said. “I’m probably less consistent now than I was in terms of keeping the intensity all the time. That’s what I’m working on at the moment.”

  French Open 

 May 23-June 6, ParisRoddick rallies to win 5-setterHenin wins first French Open match since 2007Tennis.com: Rafa will stay step ahead of RogerTennis.com: Henin will defeat both WilliamsesCicma: Nadal will beat Federer to win FrenchCicma: Serena, Henin will battle for titleInteractive: Top men, women to watchFrench Open schedules, scoreboard 

 

Despite the inconsistent play, Henin extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 22 consecutive matches and 37 consecutive sets. She hasn’t lost at the French Open since 2004.

Trying to win the only Grand Slam title missing from her resume, the 12th-seeded Maria Sharapova eliminated 110th-ranked Ksenia Pervak 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday.

Sharapova had won 24 consecutive first-round matches at Grand Slams until being upset at that stage at the Australian Open in January. Now she’s starting a new streak.

Sharapova’s best showing at Roland Garros was the 2007 semifinals. She missed time this season with a right elbow injury, but won a clay-court tuneup at Strasbourg last weekend.

It was the 18-year-old Pervak’s debut in the main draw of a major tournament.

Kimiko Date Krumm also made a successful Roland Garros comeback, beating two-time runner-up Dinara Safina 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. The 39-year-old Date Krumm is the second-oldest woman to win a match in the tournament. She ended a 12-year retirement in 2008, was playing in the French Open for the first time since 1996.

French Open scoreboardMen's, women's singles matches

Seeded women advancing included No. 18 Shahar Peer, No. 21 Vera Zvonareva, No. 23 Daniela Hantuchova and No. 29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. None lost more than six games.

Two U.S. women won — Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jill Craybas. Top-seeded Venus and Serena Williams won their opening doubles match, beating Kirsten Flipkens and Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-0, 6-1.

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federer: вЂNo complex whatsoever’ about NadalRonaldo calm ahead of Clasico

Federer: вЂNo complex whatsoever’ about Nadal

PARIS - Plenty of tennis tournaments, big and small, ask Roger Federer to participate in their draw ceremonies — show up, shake some hands, pose for a few photos, lend prestige. He has a ready response.

“I always say, ’No,”’ the 16-time major champion explained, “just because I don’t want to be a part of it.”

At this year’s French Open, Federer did not have a choice in the matter. The French Open, you see, always invites the previous year’s male and female champions to help determine the brackets by reaching into the tournament’s silver trophies, randomly selecting numbers assigned to players. Finally, Federer was eligible.

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So there he was Friday morning at the French tennis federation’s museum on the Roland Garros grounds, wearing a dark blazer, crisp collared shirt and jeans. Smiling for the cameras. Pulling numbers out of a trophy. Performing, at long last, the duties of the French Open’s defending champion.

A few hours later and a short stroll away, Federer donned a gray T-shirt, black shorts and aqua headband and worked up a sweat while practicing in the main stadium, on the very court where a year ago he shed tears while kissing the one major trophy that previously was missing from his collection.

Arriving on site this year “felt different because I have so many great memories from this court now, whereas in the past, I mean, I played good matches, but I couldn’t come back and think, ’This is where I’ve had my most emotional wins in my career.’ I didn’t. They were all at Wimbledon or U.S. Open or other places,” Federer said Friday.

Stepping on Court Philippe Chatrier this week has allowed him to relive what happened in 2009 — the nerves that nearly overwhelmed him before serving for the last time in the final against Robin Soderling, for example, or the sensation of dropping to his knees after winning match point.

  French Open 

 May 23-June 6, ParisTennis.com: Rafa will stay step ahead of RogerTennis.com: Federer could derail Nadal in ParisFederer: ‘No complex whatsoever’ about NadalSerena, Venus ranked 1-2 entering tournamentTennis.com: Henin will defeat both WilliamsesCicma: Nadal will beat Federer to win FrenchHenin angling for spectacular return to ParisCicma: Serena, Henin will battle for titleHenin gets tough draw in French Open returnInteractive: Top men, women to watchSlam no slam dunk; does Federer have shot?Show court schedules for Day 1 on Sunday 

 

And he is thrilled to never be asked again the sorts of questions he was pelted with countless times before last year: Why haven’t you won the French Open? Will you ever win the French Open?

“If anything, I feel a little less pressure because I’ve proven it to myself — and maybe to many other people,” Federer said. “I feel like I’m entering the tournament in the right spirit.”

Only one man has managed to beat Federer at Roland Garros during the past five years: his chief rival, Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has won the French Open four times, and each journey to the title required a victory against Federer — in the 2005 semifinals, and the 2006-08 finals. A year ago, though, Nadal was upset in the fourth round, dropping his career mark at Roland Garros to 31-1.

So now it’s Nadal who is getting rather tired of hearing the same query over and over: Does it feel different NOT being the defending champion?

“I know I’m going to have to answer this question 100 times more,” Nadal said Friday. “I’m going to repeat the same (answer), no? I didn’t win last year, but the goal is still the same every year. ... If I was the champion or I am not the champion last year, doesn’t matter.”

Nadal leads the head-to-head series against Federer 14-7. His edge is 10-2 on clay, including a win over Federer in the final of last week’s Madrid Masters.

Still, Federer insisted Friday he has “no complex whatsoever” about facing Nadal, who hasn’t lost a match on clay to anyone this season. Federer added that he might acknowledge having a mental block if the record were “50-0 in his favor, but this is not the case.”

 Timeline 

Blanc linked with SevillaFederer hopes Madrid will provide turning point

Federer happy to see Nadal fit, ready for Paris

LONDON - Rafa Nadal used to mess with his head, ruffle his feathers and on occasions even make him cry, but no one will be happier to see the Mallorcan rekindle his love affair with Roland Garros more than Roger Federer.

When the French Open begins on Sunday the men's drawsheet will have a familiar look with Swiss world number one Federer and his claycourt nemesis separated by 126 other players -- six wins each away from an eighth grand slam final clash.

Twelve months ago Nadal's lock on Roland Garros was cracked by Sweden's Robin Soderling in a stunning fourth-round loss and Federer slid through the door to claim the elusive major he craved.

It completed his career slam and as the Swiss marched on to claim a record breaking 15th major at Wimbledon a few weeks later, Nadal watched from afar in Spain, the tendonitis in his knees casting doubts over his career and his off-court harmony shattered by his parents split.

Suddenly a classic rivalry that had elevated men's tennis to supreme new heights looked in jeopardy.

Nadal's aura faded to such an extent that after returning in Montreal he failed to win a title for the rest of the year and when he was outgunned by Briton Andy Murray in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this year many thought his swashbuckling days were behind him at the age of 23.

Thankfully, talk of his demise was greatly exaggerated and the reassuring feel of red dust under his feet has re-ignited Nadal's engines and after dropping just 14 games on his way to a sixth successive Monte Carlo title last month the world knew that Rafa was back.

Incredible stuff
Not that Federer, who will arrive in Paris as top seed but without a title since the Australian Open, ever doubted it.

"I expected him to come back strong, for me he was never gone," Federer said last week in Madrid before they met in a final for the first time in more than a year -- Nadal's victory taking him past Andre Agassi's record of 17 Masters titles.

 Slideshow 

Nadal beats Federer in Madrid for 18th Masters winBenzema happy at Real

Henin angling for spectacular return to Paris

LONDON - Two years after Justine Henin stunned the sport by announcing her retirement at age 25 on the eve of her French Open defense, the Belgian is back and eager to show Roland Garros what it has been missing.

Before Henin's self-enforced break, she reigned supreme on Parisian clay, winning the title on four out of the five previous years and she is already being picked to win.

Svetlana Kuznetsova won the tournament last year, beating Dinara Safina in a mediocre final, while Ana Ivanovic claimed the title the year before. Worthy champions as they were, neither came anywhere close to emulating the tennis conjured by Henin.

There are few better sights in tennis than the Belgian in full flow. At 5 feet 5, there is not much of her but she prowls the court like an old-fashioned gunslinger, thrashing clean winners and producing angles that defy mathematical explanation.

However, since returning to the Tour in January she has been steady rather than spectacular — not quite the impact that compatriot Kim Clijsters enjoyed when winning the U.S. Open last year after coming out of retirement.

Serena Williams stood between her and the Australian Open title at the start of the year — proof that not all Belgian women can take a lengthy career time-out and return directly to pocket a grand slam title.

Henin won her first title since returning last month on clay in Stuttgart yet bailed out in the first round of Madrid a week later and her game is not quite back to the level she was at in 2007 when she spent all but seven weeks ranked world number one.

 Video 

 

  Celebrity tennis fans
A look at some well-known fans in the world of tennis.

more photos

 

 

Serena has been troubled by a left knee injury since beating Henin in Melbourne and admitted last week she is struggling for sharpness.

For the first time for a while it is older sister Venus who could pose the biggest threat here, having not been past the fourth round since losing in the 2002 final.

With her 30th birthday just around the corner she might not get many more chances.

"I feel like I'm playing well, I feel confident in my game," said Venus, who has reached four finals this year.

With Denmark's third-ranked Caroline Wozniacki troubled by an ankle injury, former world No. 1 Dinara Safina yet to really recover from a back injury, Clijsters already ruled out and Kuznetsova just struggling for form, the stage is set for Henin.

"It's been very interesting the last few months and I have learned a lot of things and generally it's been pretty positive for myself," Henin said. "I feel I took the right decision to come back and it's been very exciting for me."

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Pique - Messi is the bestHenin stunned in Madrid, Sharapova bows out

Sharapova beats Medina Garrigues in Strasbourg

STRASBOURG, France (AP) -Maria Sharapova rallied past Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Friday to face the unseeded German Kristina Barrois in the Strasbourg International final.

The top-seeded Russian will chase her 22nd title while Barrois will play her first final on the WTA Tour after outlasting Vania King of the United States 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6).

Sharapova needed to win two matches in the same day because two quarterfinals were interrupted by rain on Thursday.

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Early on Friday, Sharapova beat Julia Goerges of Germany 7-6 (2), 6-1 and Medina Garrigues defeated Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden 6-2, 7-5. Sharapova was leading 3-2 on Thursday while the fifth-seeded Spaniard took the first set before rain started.

Sharapova managed to hold serve only once in the opening set of her match against three-time champion Medina Garrigues. But she started the second set by winning five straight games and won the match by breaking the Spaniard twice in the final set.

Sharapova is looking to get back to her best before the start of the French Open after recovering from a right elbow injury.

Meanwhile, the 77th-ranked Barrois converted her second match point in a tight encounter in which she won just one more point than King (86 to 85).

Barrois failed to serve out the match at 6-5, letting King break back to force a tiebreaker.

King took a 3-0 lead in the opening set but Barrois broke twice in the second set to level.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Spanish qualifier beats ClijstersXavi’s Barca joy

Verdasco beats Mayer to reach final in Nice

NICE, France (AP) -Fernando Verdasco edged Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 7-6 (3), 7-5 on Friday to reach the final of the Open de Nice.

The second-seeded Spaniard will chase his sixth title against Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who beat Potito Starace of Italy 7-6 (1), 7-6 (6).

"It's going to make me very happy if I can win here and get the confidence to go to Paris with the title in Nice," Verdasco said.

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Verdasco created two break chances in the last game and converted his second match point when a backhand from Mayer went long.

"At 6-5, he didn't serve maybe that well," Verdasco said. "I was able to return a few balls deep and push him to make unforced errors."

In the opening set, Verdasco broke Mayer's serve at 4-4 following an unforced error from the Argentine. Mayer slammed his racket to the ground in frustration but managed to break back in the next game to force a tiebreaker.

Verdasco took a 5-1 lead and won the set when Mayer hit a backhand return long.

Meanwhile, Gasquet stretched his winning streak to nine matches.

A former top-10 player, the Frenchman is looking to get back to his best after his career was hit by a suspension last year for testing positive for cocaine. He sealed the win when Starace netted a return.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Abidal ready for big weekWozniacki beats Gorvotsova to win at Ponte Vedra

US splits singles with Spain at World Team Cup

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) -The United States split the singles matches against Spain on Tuesday at the World Team Cup.

Sam Querrey leveled for the Americans by beating Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 6-4, after Spain's Nicolas Almagro saved a match point before overcoming Robby Ginepri 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (4).

The best-of-three series will be decided by a doubles match Wednesday.

Also in the Red Group, the Czech Republic leads Australia 1-0 after Jan Hajek overwhelmed Peter Luczak 6-1, 6-2.

In the Blue Group, Germany leads Argentina 1-0 after Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4, and France and Serbia are level at 1-1.

Paul-Henri Mathieu beat Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-3 before Viktor Troicki leveled for Serbia by beating Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-2.

Querrey was always on top against Gimeno-Traver, breaking for 4-2 in the opening set and staying ahead in the second after the first three games went against serve.

Ginepri had little to show for his efforts against Almagro. The American held five break points in the first set before Almagro broke to lead 4-2. Ginepri held the only break points of the second set at 6-5, converting when Almagro made a forehand error.

After an early exchange of breaks in the final set Ginepri held a match point at 6-5, which Almagro fought off with a backhand winner, and the Spaniard went on to take the tiebreaker.

Ginepri had not expected to be playing in the competition, only arriving in the city the previous evening from Paris. He only discovered on Monday that he had a place in the main draw for the French Open and would not need to go through qualifiying. He quickly accepted an invitation from Querrey to head for Duesseldorf.

"I'm pretty happy with the way it went today," Ginepri said. "A little unfortunate I didn't come out with a victory, but he's one of the better clay courters out there. So, I'll take a lot of positives from this match."

Each match in the round-robin format consists of two singles and a doubles, played over two days. The winner of each group will meet in Saturday's final.

Iniesta gets training boostU.S. beats Australia in World Team Cup

Queen Elizabeth planning to attend Wimbledon

Queen Elizabeth II is returning to Wimbledon for the first time in 33 years.

The All England Club says the British monarch is planning to attend the tournament on June 24, her first visit to the grass-court Grand Slam since 1977.

In a statement on the Wimbledon website, All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said "we are delighted and honored that the queen has indicated that she will be attending the championship this year and we very much look forward to welcoming Her Majesty back to Wimbledon."

The queen will presumably be hoping to watch Andy Murray, who is under immense pressure to become the first British men's Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

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Guti set for Dubai dealNewcombe has skin cancer surgery

Li advances in Warsaw Open

WARSAW, Poland (AP) -Third-seeded Li Na's run of good form on European clay continued when the Chinese beat Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 7-6 (4), 6-0 to reach the second round of the rain-disrupted Warsaw Open on Tuesday.

Li, coming off quarterfinals at Madrid and Stuttgart, and was tuning up well for the French Open, where she reached the last 16 last year.

Next up for Li will be Katarzyna Piter, who defeated another local wild card, Marta Domachowska, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-5, in a match that was resumed from Monday, when rain halted play after two sets.

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With heavy clouds hanging over the Legia Club, Tathiana Garbin of Italy defeated Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4 and another Czech, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, beat Andreja Klepac of Slovenia 6-3, 6-1.

Greta Arn of Hungary beat Petra Martic of Croatia 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in match that lasted just under three hours.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top-seeded Wozniacki advances at CharlestonReal play down Barca visit

U.S. beats Australia in World Team Cup

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) -John Isner and Sam Querrey beat Carsten Ball and Paul Hanley in doubles Monday to give the United States a 2-1 victory over Australia at the World Team Cup.

With brothers Bob and Mike Bryan still en route from Madrid after claiming their record-tying 61st doubles title, the American duo won 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 in a champions tiebreaker.

The match was played in a largely empty stadium after several rain delays disrupted the schedule.

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Also in the Red Group, the Czech Republic clinched a win over Spain after Tomas Berdych outlasted Nicolas Almagro 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3 to give his team a 2-0 lead ahead of the doubles.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Jonas - Messi won’t leave BarcaAustralia, U.S. tied in World Team Cup tennis

Nadal beats Federer in Madrid for 18th Masters win

MADRID (AP) -The way Rafael Nadal has been playing on clay, it's hard to imagine he won't take home a fifth French Open title this year.

Nadal improved to 15-0 on clay this season and won a record 18th Masters title Sunday, beating top-ranked Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the Madrid final.

Nadal, who will return to No. 2 in Monday's rankings, dodged questions about being the favorite at the French Open starting May 23.

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"I'm very happy with everything so far this year. I think I've returned to my top form and that's the most important thing for me," Nadal said. "Am I favorite to win at Roland Garros? I was last year and I lost."

Nadal, hampered by nagging knee injuries last season, reversed the result of the 2009 final - the last time he and Federer faced each other - to win in Madrid for a second time and move one Masters title ahead of Andre Agassi and two in front of Federer.

"The most important thing is winning at home; winning in Madrid is a dream. After that, I think about the ranking," said Nadal. "Against this opponent, it's always going to be difficult."

In the women's final, Venus Williams was beaten 6-2, 7-5 by unseeded Aravane Rezai of France.

Nadal also won titles in Monte Carlo and Rome to become the first player to win all three titles in the same season. He has lost only two sets during that run and is 14-7 all-time against Federer, including 10-2 on clay.

"I wasn't able to defend my title here today but I thought Rafa played an incredible clay-court season," said Federer. "I'm looking forward to Paris now. I'm happy with my clay-court game."

Both players struggled to hold serve early on - Nadal broke on his third attempt to go up 2-1 before the Swiss player broke back.

Nadal, who won in Madrid in 2005, went up 4-3 when Federer sent a backhand into the net after saving four break points.

Federer should have broken in the next game when Nadal's double-fault took the score to 15-40. Solid serving from the Spaniard kept him in that game and he punched the air in celebration as he went on to take the set with a perfectly judged crosscourt forehand.

With Federer's forehand misfiring, he hit the net to lose serve at the start of the second set before breaking back immediately.

A crosscourt backhand on the run gave Nadal another opportunity to break at 2-2 and he took it with a passing shot down the line.

Serving at 4-3, Nadal slipped over when retrieving a shot and Federer slotted the ball away for 0-30. The Swiss created a break chance with an audacious drop shot and broke to stay in the match when Nadal hit the ball long.

Nadal brought the Manolo Santana Stadium to its feet when he held serve for 5-5 by ending a fierce baseline rally with a crosscourt dropshot.

In the tiebreaker, a Federer backhand into the net gave Nadal two match points on his own serve and the Swiss saved the first with a stinging forehand winner before mis-hitting on the second to hand his rival the title.

"It's nice that we have had a chance to play each other again and live up to the expectations with a good match, and it was a nice performance from both of us," Federer said. "He comes up with incredible stuff. He's Rafa Nadal after all."

Rezai rallied from two breaks down in the second set to win her third career title in her sixth final.

The fourth-seeded Williams was seeking to win a 10th clay-court title and improve on her 12-1 record on the surface this year. It was the 70th final of her career, and she will rise to No. 2 in the rankings on Monday for the first time since May 2003.

"I probably wasn't at the highest of my energy today. I felt a little slower than normal, but I tried hard and I feel very good about my game," Williams said. "Sometimes you run into a player who's red hot; they hit every shot, they don't miss - and credit to them."

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pellegrini admits uncertaintyFederer hopes Madrid will provide turning point

Australia, U.S. tied in World Team Cup tennis

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) -Lleyton Hewitt beat John Isner in straight sets Sunday to pull Australia into a tie with the United States on the opening day at the World Team Cup.

Sam Querrey put the Americans ahead by beating Peter Luczak 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, but former No. 1 Hewitt outplayed 19th-ranked Isner in a 6-2, 6-4 victory to even the score.

A doubles match on Monday will decide the winner of the opening tie in the Red Group, which also includes Spain and the Czech Republic.

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The Blue Group is made up of Argentina, France, Germany and defending champion Serbia.

The winner of each group will meet in Saturday's final.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pique - Messi is the bestBryan brothers within 1 of Woodies’ record

Federer hopes Madrid will provide turning point

MADRID (AP) -Roger Federer is hoping the Madrid Masters will again prove to be a turning point in his season.

The top-ranked Swiss won the clay-court tournament last year after beating Rafael Nadal in the final, and then went on to claim his first French Open title before adding his sixth Wimbledon crown.

That win "gave me immense confidence," Federer said, and after a poor start to the clay season this year he's hoping Madrid will provide a similar spark.

"Not only did I win the tournament but I beat fellow rivals," Federer said of last year's tournament. "I had a brutal draw - I played (Robin) Soderling here in the first round. To go on and beat (James) Blake, (Andy) Roddick, (Juan Martin) del Potro and then Rafa (Nadal), it was a great tournament for me."

He could use a similar confidence boost this time.

Federer lost to Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in his first clay-court match of the year at the Rome Masters and was then eliminated in the Estoril Open semifinals by Albert Montanes of Spain.

However, he insisted he is not far from finding his best form.

"I'm doing the right things in practice," he said. "I'm just lacking a bit of luck at times and I'm maybe not hitting the ball as clean as I was at the beginning of the season."

He could run into Nadal in the final again this year, with the Spaniard looking nearly as invincible on clay this year as he was before knee injuries hampered him last season.

"I expected (Nadal) to come back again strong," Federer said. "For me he was never gone, for you maybe he was. He was in the same situation I had to go through last year."

Higuain relishing Barca clash

Nadal beats Ferrer to win Rome Masters

Serena wins marathon

MADRID (AP) -Serena Williams won the longest match of her career, playing 3 hours, 26 minutes in defeating Vera Dushevina of Russia 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to reach the third round of the Madrid Masters.

The top-seeded American looked set to close the match when she broke serve to go 5-2 up, but squandered the lead and then trailed 4-0 in the decisive tiebreaker. She saved a match point before going on to win.

"I definitely feel really proud because I definitely wasn't playing my best tennis and I was far off playing well," she said. "Also, at that point I wasn't going to lose. After three hours, I'd better win."

Williams left the court for treatment when ahead 3-2 in the third set. She returned with a strapped right thigh and does not yet know the extent of the injury.

Williams wasted three set points in the first and then faced a match point on her serve when trailing 6-5 in the second, but held on despite a slew of unforced errors.

In another second-round match, Francesca Schiavone beat Sybille Bammer 6-2, 6-1.

In the first round, Peng Shuai advanced when 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka retired while trailing 3-0. Other seeded winners were No. 8 Samantha Stosur, No. 14 Flavia Pennetta and No. 16 Nadia Petrova.

In the men's first round, 12th-seeded Gael Monfils of France beat compatriot Stephane Robert 6-2, 7-5. Qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. of Ukraine downed Andrea Seppi of Italy 6-3, 6-4 and will meet Rafael Nadal in the second round. Austria's Jurgen Melzer topped South African qualifier Kevin Anderson 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to set up a meeting with David Nalbandian or Tomas Berdych.

Ronaldo calm ahead of Clasico

La Liga round-up

Top-seeded Wozniacki advances at Charleston

Henin stunned in Madrid, Sharapova bows out

MADRID - Four-times French Open champion Justine Henin's preparations for the Roland Garros grand slam event suffered a shuddering jolt with defeat to France's Aravane Rezai in the Madrid Open first round on Sunday.

Henin won the Stuttgart title on clay last week and is considered a dangerous outsider in Paris later this month but said she had been suffering from sickness since the German event and was not at 100 percent.

"When I came back from Stuttgart, I wasn't feeling well at all," she told a news conference.

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"I just tried to come and see how I felt but to practice and play a match is a different story.

"Madrid has been a difficult experience this year and I hope that next year will be better."

Her first serve was inconsistent and Rezai, the world number 22, took full advantage with a 4-6 7-5 6-0 win as the Belgian's game collapsed in the deciding set.

Henin beat Australia's Samantha Stosur in the final in Stuttgart last Sunday for her first title since she ended her 19-month self-imposed exile at the start of the year.

She had been suffering infections in her nose and throat and had lacked energy on the court.

"She was at a very good level and I was probably below my capacity and it wasn't an easy day," she said.

"I hope I will get better in a few days and get ready for the French Open now."

TOP-10 DREAM

Maria Sharapova was another former world number one to fall at the first hurdle on the clay in Madrid, the Russian 11th seed going down 6-4 6-3 to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic.

Fourth seed Venus Williams, also a former number one, had a much gentler day's work, the powerful American easing past Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele 6-4 6-2.

"It's a struggle trying to find the rhythm," a philosophical Sharapova, who was playing her first tournament since pulling out of the Sony Ericsson Open in March with an elbow injury, told a news conference.

Safarova broke Sharapova's serve four times and the Czech is on course for a possible last-16 clash with sixth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva.

"If you win against these top players, as I have the last couple of months, then you get your confidence and you realize you can be up there," the world number 35, who beat number two Caroline Wozniacki in Stuttgart, told a news conference.

"My dream is to be top 10 and it's a lot about believing in yourself."

Copyright 2010 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Serena, SharapovaВ withdraw from Family Circle CupBenzema happy at Real

Montanes successfully defends Estoril open title

OEIRAS, Portugal (AP) -Albert Montanes successfully defended the Estoril Open, beating unseeded Frederico Gil of Portugal 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-5 in Sunday's final.

The fourth-seeded Spaniard withstood a fightback from Gil, blowing two match points when leading 5-3 in the second set.

The 120th-ranked Gil took the ensuing tiebreaker and then twice broke Montanes to open a 3-0 lead thanks to some inspired passing shots and fast court speed.

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The Portuguese faded as the set wore on, allowing Montanes to level at 4-4 before dropping serve in the 12th game.

Montanes eliminated No. 1 Roger Federer in two sets in Saturday's semifinals.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pellegrini salutes RonaldoNadal beats Ferrer to win Rome Masters

Newcombe has skin cancer surgery

SYDNEY (AP) -Australian tennis great John Newcombe expects to attend Wimbledon next month after recovering from an operation for skin cancer.

The 65-year-old Newcombe had a growth removed from the right side of his nose after his doctor discovered the cancer had spread under the skin.

"It's just a small little white thing you can hardly see it," Newcombe told Australia's Channel 10 television network.

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"It's a cancerous growth so he (the doctor) had to cut ... and I finished up having to have 64 stitches."

Newcombe won seven grand slam singles titles and reached the world's No. 1 ranking.

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Kuznetsova cruises in StuttgartReal sweating on Kaka fitness

Back problem affecting Dinara Safina's training

ROME (AP) -Third-ranked Dinara Safina says she no longer has back pain when she plays, but can't train off the court like she used to.

Speaking at the Italian Open on Monday, the defending champion said her tennis game is unaffected but "in conditioning, I am not allowed to do any more jumps or do anything that causes me a lot of pressure on the spine."

The former top-ranked player lost to Shahar Peer in the quarterfinals of last week's Porsche Grand Prix, her first tournament since retiring from the Australian Open in January with a lower back injury.

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Her first opponent at the Foro Italico will be Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania.

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Devastation for DragutinovicSerena, SharapovaВ withdraw from Family Circle Cup

Bryan brothers within 1 of Woodies' record

ROME (AP) -The Bryan brothers have moved within one victory of matching the Woodies for the most doubles titles in the Open Era.

The twins - Bob and Mike - beat fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey 6-2, 6-3 Sunday in the final at the Rome Masters for their fourth title of the year and 60th in their careers.

The retired Australian pair of Todd Woodbrige and Mark Woodforde - known as the Woodies - hold the tour record with 61 career titles.

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"It's huge for us to be considered a great team like the Woodies," Mike Bryan told The Associated Press. "Hopefully we don't get stuck on 60 for a long time."

The Bryans can match the Woodies at their next tournament in Madrid in two weeks, and possibly break the record at the French Open, which starts May 23, but they have other plans.

"Probably Wimbledon would be the best place to do it because that's TV live back to the states, Centre Court match, so that would be exciting," Mike said.

The Bryans are planning on attending when the Woodies are inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame later this year. Then they want to chase the Woodies' 11 Grand Slam titles, with the Bryans currently at eight.

The twins turned 32 on Thursday and have no plans to retire anytime soon, noting that doubles specialists often play into their late 30s.

"We're still feeling pretty young," Mike said.

The Bryans have been a doubles fixture for the United States in Davis Cup since 2003, and they see Isner and Querrey as possible successors in that role.

When Mike got sidelined with food poisoning against Serbia in March, Isner partnered with Bob to beat specialists Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic. A day later, Isner pushed second-ranked Novak Djokovic to five sets before losing in singles.

Isner and Querrey have compiled a 14-5 record in doubles this season, and are also the brightest young American hopes in singles. With Andy Roddick taking this week off, Isner and Querrey were the only Americans in the singles draw, and both were seeded.

Clay isn't their best surface, however, and Isner made it to the second round while Querrey lost his opening match.

"They're the future of American tennis," Mike Bryan said. "We're the old guys now and they're going to have bright futures with their weapons - and they can do singles and doubles. They want to go to London and make the Masters in doubles and I think they're going to do it."

Isner and Querrey beat Roger Federer and Swiss teammate Yves Allegro in the third round.

"It's fun to play doubles, especially in a week like this where we lost early in the tournament," Querrey said. "You're still here playing doubles at least, you're not sitting around practicing for six days. It gives you something to look forward to."

Roddick is sitting out Davis Cup this season, and Mike Bryan doesn't expect him to return in the future.

"I think Roddick has kind of moved on," Mike said. "He hasn't officially retired but John and Sam are pretty eager to play and they've showed they can step up."

U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe decides the lineup.

"Anytime Patrick needs us, we'll be ready," Querrey said.

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Chela beats Querrey in Clay Court ChampionshipsGijon no match for Sevilla

Nadal beats Ferrer to win Rome Masters

ROME (AP) -Rafael Nadal maintained his focus through two rain delays to beat fellow Spanish player David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday and claim his fifth Rome Masters title in six years.

Having won the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago to end an 11-month title drought, Nadal improved to 10-0 on clay this year and provided another signal that he is back to dominating on his preferred surface after a series of injuries.

In contrast to his emotional celebration in Monte Carlo, Nadal was comparatively subdued upon winning Sunday, simply raising his hands over his head and letting out a big smile before calmly walking to the net to shake hands with Ferrer.

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Nadal showed no sign of fatigue after pulling out a long, three-set win over Ernests Gulbis in the semifinals on Saturday.

The win enabled Nadal to match Andre Agassi's record of 17 Masters Series titles. Agassi achieved the feat at the age of 34, though, while Nadal is only 23.

Top-ranked Roger Federer, who was beaten in an upset by Gulbis in the second round, is second with 16 Masters Series titles.

This tournament is an important warmup for the French Open, which starts May 23. Nadal won four consecutive titles at Roland Garros before being stunned by Robin Soderling in the fourth round last year in Paris.

Nadal's only loss in Rome came against fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening round two years ago, when he was slowed by a foot blister. No other player has won more than three titles at the Foro Italico.

Nadal has now won his last seven meetings with Ferrer, who was playing the first Masters Series final of his career.

Before a bundled-up crowd of 10,500 inside the tournament's new stadium, both players had to deal with a wet and slippery court, as well as swirling winds.

Nadal applied pressure from the start. And at 2-2 in the first set, Ferrer had to save five break points with some uncharacteristic attacking play, going for outright winners to the corners.

Midway through the first set, Nadal won a spectacular point that included a behind-the-back shot from Ferrer.

The match was suspended for an hour due to rain with Ferrer serving at 4-4 in the first set. Ferrer maintained his concentration when the players came back out and held serve to take a 5-4 lead. But Nadal broke at his next opportunity when Ferrer's forehand clipped the top of the net to end a long rally.

Nadal didn't face a break point until he served for the first set, and he saved it with a well-positioned serve out wide that Ferrer returned long. On the next point, Nadal moved Ferrer from corner to corner and then rushed forward to put away an easy volley.

On his first set point, Nadal hit another solid first serve and Ferrer's reply sailed long.

Nadal broke again in the third game of the second set, and the match was then suspended again for 1 hour, 45 minutes - causing many fans to head home. When the players came out again, Ferrer hit a costly double fault and followed that with a loose forehand wide to hand Nadal another break and let him serve out the match.

Nadal concluded with 24 winners to Ferrer's 15 and 13 fewer unforced errors.

Ferrer committed five double faults to Nadal's none and won only 39 percent of the points on his second serve to Nadal's 67 percent.

Nadal collected the winner's check for ?434,000 ($578,000).

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ronaldo calm ahead of ClasicoStosur wins Family Circle Cup over Zvonareva