Third and final day of the first round today.

- Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal cruise into second round.
- Andy Roddick survives five set scare: the 6th seed came within two points of defeat against Jarko Nieminen, but he
prevailed after a intense battle 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3. It was Roddick’s first match on clay this season.

- Upset of the day: Kimiko Date Krumm defeats Dinara Safina 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
What an embarrassing defeat for two time finalist Dinara Safina who lost to 39 years old Kimiko Date Krumm.
Safina lead by one set and 2 breaks, and then 4-1 in the third set, but she self imploded and offered the match to the japanese veteran. It was Date’s first Grand Slam victory since the 1996 US Open.
Other seeds upsets: Sam Querrey (18), Juan Monaco(26)

- Frenchman of the day: Gianni Mina
The young Frenchman offered some resistance to Rafael Nadal but was overpowered 2-6, 2-6, 2-6.

- Stat of the day: 7
After 7 first round exits Frenchman Nicolas Mahut finally won a match at Roland Garros. He defeated Mischa Zverev in 3 straight sets.

- Quote of the day: Rafael Nadal
“I think I played bad, but I won anyway, without problems, so that’s always important and positive thing. But I can do a lot better next round.”

3 years after her last match in Paris (her win against Ivanovic in the 2007 final), Justine Henin will try to conquer a 5th French Open title. A quick look back at Justine’s previous performances at Roland Garros:

Read the rest of this entry →

Thanks to Warwick, former coach of Marcos Baghdatis and Amélie Mauresmo, who answered our questions. Please note this interview happened three weeks ago (before Kim Clijsters’ withdrawal). If you want to know more about Warwick, please visit our About page.

Q: Let’s talk first about world number one Serena Williams: although she won the French once, her game is not really suited for clay.
Warwick: You never can under estimate Serena. Winning the Australian Open against an in form Henin showed she still has what it takes to fight for a Grand Slam title. However, after coming off a knee injury she acquired in January, the next few matches will determine her survival at the French.

Q: How good are her chances to win in Paris?
A: If she gets a lot of matches in Rome and is physically feeling good, she should at least make the final.

Read the rest of this entry →