But Svetlana outserved Dinara, putting 78% of her 1st serves in the box (Dinara 61%) and winning 67% of her 1st serve points (Dinara 53%) with only 1 double fault (Dinara: 7 DFs). Sveta also scored on 6 of 6 net approaches (Dinara: 3 of 6) and converted 5 of 7 break point opportunities (Dinara: 2 of 4).
"I came on the court and I just played the match. It was just one more match. If it was first match, it was last match, I just did my best. Definitely it was a lot of emotions inside of me, but I control it. I still cannot open it yet to go out.
"But the most important thing happened, and finally I won here. My favorite tournament is New York [the
] and here. It's very big for me...
"[Dinara is an] amazing athlete. She works very hard. One day she'll make it here. I respect her a lot, and she plays with too much pressure... she work hard, and she's No. 1 because she deserve to be there."
"Pressure I put on myself because I really wanted to win. I just didn't handle it... I was a little bit desperate on the court, and didn't do the things that I I had to do."
Both Svetlana and Dinara received their basic tennis training on red clay courts in Spain. Dinara still leads Svetlana 8-6 in
, and has won 5 of their last 7 meetings. In their previous match, last month on red clay in the Rome final, Dinara won 6-3, 6-2. Svetlana defeated Dinara a week earlier, on red clay in the Stuttgart final, 6-4, 6-3. Svetlana now leads Dinara 5-4 in career matches on clay courts.
is now 11-18 in WTA singles finals; she won this year at Stuttgart, and reached the final at Rome. Svetlana is 28-7 in matches this year; her 2009 record on red clay is 16-3.
is now 11-11 in WTA singles finals; she won big titles this year in Rome and Madrid, and reached the final in Stuttgart, all on red clay. Dinara has a 34-7 match record this season, and has won 18 of her last 20 matches on red clay.
WTA SCOREBOARD: French Open, Roland Garros
French Open, Roland Garros, Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, France
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tourney time: = GMT +2 hours
= US EDT +6 hours
= US PDT +9 hours
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Paris News - France News
Roland Garros: The 128-player main draw for the French Open has 32 seeds, with no 1st-round byes. There are 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Friday.
Main draw play begins on Sunday. Early round play at Roland Garros begins at 11am local time.
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2009: Players practicing at Roland Garros on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 21-23, included the 2008 finalist, top-seeded # 1 Dinara Safina, recently returned from injury Maria Sharapova, and 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic... row 2: On Friday, Ana took part in the main draw ceremony, and players including Serena Williams, Dinara & Ana alerted the media...
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French Open, 1st Round Sun-Tue May 24-26 11am
loser's prize: €15,000 = US $20,432; points: 5
#1 s1 Dinara Safina RUS d #56 Anne Keothavong GBR 6-0, 6-0 Mon
Dinara driving a forehand and after match point, and Anne congratulating Dinara
Dinara said: "I came on the court expecting a good match and tough one because [Anne] had been playing good in Warsaw. She made semis. But then I started to play, and I started to feel good. I felt very good on the court, and I think I played a solid game." postmatch interview
"After I shake her hand she said 'At least you could give me one game.' [Anne said this with a big smile.] I could imagine it's not nice to feel on the court, but I was... playing point by point, game by game. It ended up like that."
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#2 s2 Serena Williams USA d #116 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-3, 6(5)-7, 6-4 Tue
Serena serving to Klara, Klara's backhand drive, Klara serving to Serena, and Serena's backhand
Serena held 5 match points while serving at 5-3 in the 2nd set, but Klara successfully fended off all of them. In the 3rd set, after Klara broke Serena's serve early, Serena broke Klara's serve twice and took a 5-2 lead. But Klara broke Serena again, and reached 4-5, on serve. As Klara served at 4-5 to level the match, Serena broke Klara one more time, winning on her 9th match point.
Klara had defeated an injury-slowed Serena in their previous meeting, in the 1st round at Marbella early last month, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Serena was unavailable for the usual post-match interview because she had a doubles match to play.
Klara said: "I never played before a crowd like this. For me, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I would like to thank all the people near Paris because it was unbelievable...
"I think Serena will be playing better and better each round, so it was the best chance to at least play with her or beat her." LA Times story
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#3 s3 Venus Williams USA d #45 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 Mon
Venus serving, Bethanie about to connect with a backhand, and Venus following one
Venus said: "It's always exciting the first round. Obviously I'm happy to win and play well in the first set and also in the third. I'm definitely a third set player. Once I get to the third set, I feel a new level coming. So it's good for me." postmatch interview
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#4 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #148 q Chanelle Scheepers RSA 6-4, 6-3 Tue
Chanelle following a forehand, Elena following a backhand, and after match point
#5 s5 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #82 Petra Cetkovska CZE 6-2, 6-3 Tue
Three views of Jelena serving, and Jelena's backhand drive
Jelena said: "I thought that I started quite well today, especially in the first set. I was controlling points and was finishing a lot of the points at the net, as well. I tought that I did quite good.
Then I had to stop because of the rain. It's not really easy to come back. I felt a little bit slow after the rain delay when I came back on court again. But I managed to finish the job in two sets, so I'm happy to get through." postmatch interview
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#7 s7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #237 wc Claire Feuerstein FRA 6-1, 6-4 Tue
Claire and Svetlana driving forehand and backhand
#8 s8 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #44 Sara Errani ITA 7-6(3), 6-3 Sun
Alona and Maria driving forehand and backhand, Alona lining up another forehand, and after match point
Ana said: "I expected a tough match. I knew I had to work hard for my points today, and I'm very happy I did that. And I kept my composure even when I was making a few mistakes. I had a few opportunities to come in when I didn't. But I knew I just had to work my way... slowly into the match." postmatch interview
About the right knee injury which caused her to withdraw from the Madrid Open two weeks ago, Ana said: "Obviously [I'm] going to feel it here and there, there is still a little bit residue, like feeling of uncomfortness. It's nothing that can stop me from doing what I have to do on the court."
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#9 s9 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #53 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-2, 6-4 Sun
Roberta following a flying forehand, and Vika following a backhand
#10 s10 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #54 Vera Dushevina RUS 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 Mon-dark-Tue
Vera tossing the ball for her serve, Caroline driving a backhand, and after winning a point
#11 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS d #631 wc Lauren Embree USA 6-1, 6-2 Sun
Lauren and Nadia driving forehand and backhand
#12 s12 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #101 Rossana de Los Rios PAR 6-3, 6-1 Mon
#13 s13 Marion Bartoli FRA d #77 Pauline Parmentier FRA 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 Mon
Marion lightly tapping a her two-handed forehand, and Pauline following her one-hander
*#117 Alexa Glatch USA d #14 s14 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-1, 6-1 Mon
#15 s15 Jie Zheng CHN d #127 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA 6-1, 6-3 Mon
*#50 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #16 s16 Amelie Mauresmo FRA 6-4, 6-3 Sun
Anna-Lena serving, and Amelie driving a forehand
*#65 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #17 s17 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-4, 6-3 Mon
#18 s18 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #37 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 Tue
Ekaterina running down a forehand, and Anabel's backhand drive
*#96 q Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ d #19 s19 Kaia Kanepi EST 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-2 Sun
Yaroslava and Kaia following backhands
#20 s20 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #39 Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 Mon
Dominika and Alona following forehand and backhand
#21 s21 Alize Cornet FRA d #135 Maret Ani EST 6-4, 7-5 Tue-dark-Wed
Alize after match point
Alize said: "I really play well when I practice. I have good feelings with the ball and everything, and when I start playing a match, everything goes down one level. I don't know why... I have to play a bit better to win tomorrow." postmatch interview
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#22 s22 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d #78 Edina Gallovits ROU 6-1, 6-4 Mon
*#163 q Polona Hercog SLO d #23 s23 Alisa Kleybanova RUS 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 Mon
#24 s24 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #59 Monica Niculescu ROU 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Tue
#26 s25 Na Li CHN d #92 Marta Domachowska POL 6-4, 6-2 Sun
*#122 LL Mariana Duque Marino COL d #27 s26 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Mon
#28 s27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #106 Iona Raluca Olaru ROU 6-3, 6-2 Sun
Iona Raluca and Anastasia driving backhands
#29 s28 Sybille Bammer AUT d #63 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6-3, 7-6(1) Tue
#30 s29 Agnes Szavay HUN d #156 q Corinna Dentoni ITA 6-3, 6-4 Mon
#31 s30 Samantha Stosur AUS d #41 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-4, 6-2 Tue
*#43 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #32 s31 Shuai Peng CHN 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 Tue
#33 s32 Iveta Benesova CZE d #87 Julia Goerges GER 7-5, 4-1 retired Sun
#34 Virginie Razzano FRA d #36 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-3, 6-3 Tue
*#79 Aravane Rezai FRA d #35 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-3, 6-2 Mon
Ai and Aravane driving forehands
*#46 Lucie Safarova CZE d #38 Sabine Lisicki GER 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 Mon
Lucie and Sabine driving backhands
#40 Sorana Cirstea ROU d #136 q Carly Gullickson USA 6-4, 6-2 Tue
#42 Gisela Dulko ARG d #60 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-1, 6-3 Sun
Gisela following a forehand, and after winning a point
*#260 wc Olivia Rogowska AUS d #47 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-4, 6-4 Mon
#49 Elena Vesnina RUS d #89 Severine Bremond FRA 6-3, 6-3 Sun
Elena serving, and Severine following a forehand
#51 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA d #109 Camille Pin FRA 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 Mon
#52 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d #338 wc Kristina Mladenovic FRA 6-1, 2-6, 8-6 Tue
*#133 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #57 Nicole Vaidisova CZE 6-4, 6-3 Tue
*#93 Jill Craybas USA d #58 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 7-5, 6-2 Mon
#61 Melinda Czink HUN d #125 q Anastasija Sevastova LAT 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Tue
#62 Yanina Wickmayer BEL d #81 Urszula Radwanska POL 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Tue
*#126 Maria Sharapova RUS d #64 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 Mon
Maria serving, Anastasiya launching a forehand on the run, Maria driving a forehand, and after winning a point
Maria said: "I started pretty lousy. Even though I was up a break, I was just not doing the right things, and letting [Anastasiya] play really well. She got a lot of balls back. She made me hit a lot of balls. I was just a little sloppy. But I totally changed it around, and I started playing a lot better and more aggressive." postmatch interview
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*#151 q Vitalia Diatchenko RUS d #66 Mathilde Johansson FRA 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 Sun
Vitalia driving her two-handed forehand, Mathilde following her one-hander, and Vitalia tossing the ball for her serve
#67 Julie Coin FRA d #86 Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP 7-5, 6-2 Sun
Nuria driving a backhand, and Julie following one
#68 Tathiana Garbin ITA d #73 Ayumi Morita JPN 7-5, 7-5 Mon
#69 Olga Govortsova BLR d #111 LL Katie O'Brien GBR 6-1, 6-1 Mon
*#90 Mariya Koryttseva UKR d #70 Patricia Mayr AUT 6-1, 6-1 Mon
#71 Jarmila Groth SVK d #312 wc Kinnie Laisné FRA 6-4, 6-3 Mon
#72 Jelena Dokic AUS d #88 Karolina Sprem CRO 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 Tue
Jelena following a backhand, after winning a point, and her backpack "entourage" as she departs after the match
#74 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #94 Varvara Lepchenko USA 6-3, 6-3 Sun
*#83 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d #75 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 6-1, 4-6, 9-7 Mon
#76 Kristina Barrois GER d #489 sr95 Maria Emilia Salerni ARG 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 Sun
#84 Lucie Hradecka CZE d #130 q Yvonne Meusburger AUT 6-1, 6-2 Mon
*#95 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ d #91 Sania Mirza IND 6-4, 7-6(3) Tue
#97 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #118 wc Emilie Loit FRA 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 Sun
Timea following a forehand, and Emilie about to swat a backhand
#99 Kirsten Flipkens BEL d #103 Stephanie Foretz FRA 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Mon
Stephanie about to fire a forehand, and Kirsten fielding a backhand
#100 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB d #254 wc Irena Pavlovic FRA 6-3, 6-4 Mon
*#187 q Petra Martic CRO d #108 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-4, 6-2 Tue
#115 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR d #192 q Zuzana Ondraskova CZE 6-2, 6-4 Tue
*#132 q Michelle Larcher de Brito POR d #121 Melanie South GBR 0-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 Mon
#143 q Arantxa Rus NED d #223 wc Olivia Sanchez FRA 6-1, 6-1 Sun
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French Open, 2nd Rd Wed-Thu May 27-28 11am
loser's prize: €24,500 = US $33,371; points: 100
#1 s1 Dinara Safina RUS d #151 q Vitalia Diatchenko RUS 6-1, 6-1 Wed
Dinara and Vitalia driving forehand and backhand
Dinara said: "I just played good game today, good enough to win. [Vitalia is] still young, and I think she respects me too much." postmatch interview
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#2 s2 Serena Williams USA d #133 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP 6-2, 6-0 Thu
Virginia and Serena preparing to swat one and two-handed backhands, and Vivi congratulating Serena after match point
This may have been the last singles match of Virginia's career. She reached a career high rank of # 28 in singles in 1999, and has won 3 WTA singles titles. She is not yet finished in doubles; she has won 41 WTA doubles titles during her career while amassing, so far, $5.6 million in prize money.
Revision, June 9: Although Vivi did not enter Wimbledon singles qualifying, she is an alternate on the singles entry lists for both the Bad Gastein and Portoroz tourneys in July.
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#3 s3 Venus Williams USA d #46 Lucie Safarova CZE 6(5)-7, 6-2, 7-5 Wed-dark-Thu
Venus and Lucie delivering righty and lefty forehands, and Lucie congratulating Venus after match point
Lucie held a match point while Venus served trailing 4-5 in the 3rd set, but could not convert it.
Venus said: "It was a well-played match. Yesterday I think I did too many things wrong. [Lucie] just was firing for every shot and making them. Obviously with the delay was a lot of things to think about what I could do different, and just tried to be as aggressive as I could. The last two sets, you know, it was close. But these kind of matches are really rewarding, and she was playing well." postmatch interview - AP story
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#4 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #72 Jelena Dokic AUS 2-6, 4-3 retired—back injury Thu
Jelena serving, Elena following a backhand, and Elena consoling Jelena after she could not continue
Jelena injured her low back while making a return at 2-2 in the 2nd set. After an injury timeout, she managed to break Elena's serve and take a 3-2 lead. But she was clearly in much pain, and after Elena won the next two games, Jelena retired from the match.
Jelena said: "I went for a return and I just went down and couldn't get back up...
"It's very painful. I hope it's not too serious. It's very disappointing because I felt as if I had the match in my hands." ABC story
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#5 s5 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #52 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-1, 6-2 Thu
Jelena serving, Magdalena fielding a low backhand, and Jelena driving a high one
Jelena said: "I think I'm coming back. This is the most important thing for me, especially when you saw me playing a few months ago. It was really disastrous. I was moving terrible. I was making so many errors. My game was completely off, as well as my confidence.
"Now I think I'm on the right track, and I'm trying to get into my form again, the form that made me win a lot of matches last year. It made me the player I was before. So I think I'm doing well at this moment. I hope to continue.
"I'm back to my normal weight, as well. I lost some muscle, and I wasn't used to my body before, I had maybe 7 kilos more than I have now, which is a lot for me. When you put that kind of weight on and you are not used to it, it's tough to move around.
"Now I'm back to the position that I used to be in almost all my career, so my game is getting back together. I'm trying to, little by little, play more aggressive and move into the net as much as I can, and try to improve my serve." postmatch interview
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#7 s7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #95 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 6-0, 6-2 Thu
Svetlana's backhand drive
#8 s8 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #51 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA 6-1, 6-2 Wed
Ana serving, Tammy driving a backhand, Ana following one, and after match point
Ana said: "It wasn't an easy match. I mean we had lots of close games. I think conditions today were alot tougher than the first day. It was much slower. It took some time for me to adjust, but I was in the moment and trying to play each point." postmatch interview
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#9 s9 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #76 Kristina Barrois GER 7-6(1), 7-5 Wed
#10 s10 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #93 Jill Craybas USA 6-1, 6-4 Thu
Jill's running backhand, Caroline following a forehand, and after match point
Caroline said: "I actually felt like I was playing pretty well. I don't have any problems when I'm hitting the balls, and so I was feeling pretty good out there...
"I was there from the first point. I started to attack [Jill], and I got the advantage from the beginning. I felt like it was my game." postmatch interview
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*#126 Maria Sharapova RUS d #11 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-2, 1-6, 8-6 Wed
Maria serving, Nadia running down a forehand, and Maria after match point
Maria said: "I got off to a really good start. I kind of started stumbling away. Things went in the wrong direction. I was just glad I could pick myself up and keep fighting and do the right things, and end the match with a win...
"Obviously I am spending a little bit more time out there than I want to, but I think I'm learning so many new things, as well. I think this was a great match where I had to fight my way through many, many challenges. And I did." AP story
Maria is now 6-1 in career matches against Nadia. Nadia said: "It's been another tough match, and [Maria] really showed, even though she has been out for a while, she's willing to compete till the end. I'm disappointed with me, because I just didn't finish it off when I had everything in my hands." postmatch interview
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#12 s12 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #90 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-1, 6-4 Thu
*#68 Tathiana Garbin ITA d #13 s13 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-3, 7-5 Thu
Tathiana preparing to launch a backhand, Marion about to connect with one, and Tathiana after match point
*#132 q Michelle Larcher de Brito POR d #15 s15 Jie Zheng CHN 6-4, 6-3 Wed
Jie driving a backhand, Michelle following one, and after match point
*#34 Virginie Razzano FRA d #18 s18 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-2, 6-2 Thu
Anabel and Virginie following forehand and backhand
#20 s20 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #99 Kirsten Flipkens BEL 6-1, 6-0 Wed
Dominika's backhand drive
*#40 Sorana Cirstea ROU d #21 s21 Alize Cornet FRA 6-3, 6-2 Thu
Sorana serving, Alize driving a backhand, and Sorana after reaching a Grand Slam 3rd round for the first time
Alize said: "[Sorana] played well. I don't think she played 'the' match of her life. I think she played at her standard level, but I think I really gave her many points at the end of the first set, and for free.
"So she didn't try and play more than she needed to. I would make mistakes easily. I was trying to find my bearings. I didn't know what to do, if I had to get in the court, to wait from the baseline, be active or passive. And I did a bit of everything, which means a bit of nothing.
"I think I improved at the beginning of the second set, but then my serve betrayed me. It's unacceptable to lose that many service games. I don't know what happened, really." postmatch interview
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#22 s22 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d #84 Lucie Hradecka CZE 6-2, 6-4 Wed
#24 s24 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #187 q Petra Martic CRO 6-3, 6-3 Thu
#26 s25 Na Li CHN d #97 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-1, 6-4 Wed
#28 s27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #67 Julie Coin FRA 6-2, 7-6(2) Wed
*#61 Melinda Czink HUN d #29 s28 Sybille Bammer AUT 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 Thu
Lefties Sybille and Melinda driving backhand and forehand
#30 s29 Agnes Szavay HUN d #49 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-2, 6-0 Wed
Agnes after winning a point
#31 s30 Samantha Stosur AUS d #62 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 Thu
#33 s32 Iveta Benesova CZE d #74 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-1, 6-2 Wed
#42 Gisela Dulko ARG d #50 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 7-6(5), 0-6, 6-2 Wed
Gisela and Anna-Lena driving backhands, and Gisela after winning a point late in the match
#43 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #115 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 Thu
#65 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #260 wc Olivia Rogowska AUS 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 Thu
#69 Olga Govortsova BLR d #100 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 6-3, 6(3)-7, 7-5 Wed
#71 Jarmila Groth SVK d #122 LL Mariana Duque Marino COL 6-2, 7-6(9) Thu
Mariana and Jarmila driving backhands
#79 Aravane Rezai FRA d #163 q Polona Hercog SLO 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Wed
Aravane after match point
#83 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d #117 Alexa Glatch USA 7-6(0), 7-5 Thu
#96 q Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ d #143 q Arantxa Rus NED 6-0, 6-2 Wed
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French Open, 3rd Rd Fri-Sat May 29-30 11am
loser's prize: €40,600 = US $55,301; points: 160
#1 s1 Dinara Safina RUS d #28 s27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-2, 6-0 Fri
Dinara serving, and Anastasia and Dinara driving backhands
Dinara said: "I didn't know exactly what to expect from [Anastasia], how she plays. One thing, you watch her on TV; and the second thing, you play against her.
"I think she started very good, the match. It was like few very tough games. When I broke her I feel I started to play much more aggressive, and then I was dominating." postmatch interview
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#2 s2 Serena Williams USA d #43 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Sat
Serena serving, Maria Jose launching a backhand on the run, and Serena driving one
*#30 s29 Agnes Szavay HUN d #3 s3 Venus Williams USA 6-0, 6-4 Fri
Agnes following a backhand, Venus driving one on the run, and Agnes after match point
Venus said: "I had a tough day, and I didn't get the ball in the court, and that didn't help me at all. It was just a day where they didn't go in. So it was a little difficult to recover from that first set. I'm used to beating people 6-0. I'm not used to my shot not going in and losing a set 6-0. So it completely was foreign ground for me...
"[Agnes] hung in there. She played really well, but I definitely have to attribute that loss to me not being able to execute what I wanted to on the court." postmatch interview
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*#31 s30 Samantha Stosur AUS d #4 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 Sat
Samantha and Elena driving forehands, Samantha driving a backhand, and after match point
#5 s5 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #71 Jarmila Groth SVK 6-1, 6-1 Sat
Jelena about to fire a forehand, Jarmila following one, and Jelena's backhand drive
#7 s7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #61 Melinda Czink HUN 6-1, 6-3 Sat
Melinda serving, Svetlana driving a backhand, and after match point
Svetlana said: "I never play [Melinda] before, so it was very unpredictable for me to be there. I was just doing my thing. I was depending on myself and not on her. I saw the court pretty well. I see the empty spots on the court, and I played there. I think I controlled all of the match...
"I love to play on clay. My game is very effective to play on clay." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #33 s32 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-0, 6-2 Fri
Ana serving to Iveta, Iveta and Ana driving forehand and backhand, and Ana after match point
Ana said: "It was a pretty good match. I was really happy. You know, still, the score doesn't indicate how hard I had to work for some points. [Iveta] started playing much, much better in the second set, and started hitting the ball much heavier. I just played really good and stayed in the moment and did what I had to do out there." postmatch interview
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#9 s9 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #22 s22 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 Fri-dark-Sat
Victoria and Carla driving two-handed and one-handed backhands, and Vika following a forehand
*#40 Sorana Cirstea ROU d #10 s10 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 7-6(3), 7-5 Sat
Caroline serving to Sorana, Sorana and Caroline following forehands, Sorana serving to Caroline, and after match point
#12 s12 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #65 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-2, 6-4 Sat
Agnieszka's forehand drive, and Kateryna and Agnieszka driving backhands
#20 s20 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #42 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-4, 6-2 Fri
Gisela and Dominika driving forehands, and Dominika after match point
#24 s24 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #83 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Sat
Aleksandra driving a forehand, Lourdes following one, and Aleksandra's backhand drive
#26 s25 Na Li CHN d #69 Olga Govortsova BLR 7-5, 6-1 Fri
Olga and Na driving forehand and backhand, and Na after match point
#34 Virginie Razzano FRA d #68 Tathiana Garbin ITA 7-5, 7-5 Sat
Virginie serving, Tathiana driving a forehand, Virginie fielding a backhand, and after winning a point
Virginie said: "It was not easy for me today, because the conditions were more difficult. The wind was swirling. Sometimes you would have the wind with you, sometimes against you. Yes, it was blowing quite hard. Maybe the people out there, the crowd on the stands, didn't realize. But then if you're down there on the court, I can tell you that it's difficult for both of us.
"So today, that was it. I had to be more patient, and I had to better negotiate these points, because I played against a player who played really well, and I said, Be careful." postmatch interview
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#79 Aravane Rezai FRA d #132 q Michelle Larcher de Brito POR 7-6(3), 6-2 Fri
Aravane serving, Michelle following a backhand, Michelle serving, and Aravane following a backhand
Aravane said: "I did play [Michelle] on hard surfaces before, and it was different. I took the ball early. I managed to manage the game more. This time it was more difficult. I had trouble adjusting in the first set, and I could not really apply my sort of game. And it was difficult.
"She has improved. She runs better around the court. She defends better. So yes, it was a match between two hard hitters, and I tried to vary my game. I did it better in the second set." postmatch interview
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*#126 Maria Sharapova RUS d #96 q Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Fri
Maria serving to Yaroslava, Yaroslava driving a backhand, Yaroslava serving to Maria Maria's backhand drive, Maria after match point, and Yaroslava congratulating Maria
Maria said: "I dug a nice pothole for myself there... so many errors and so many mistakes. Then, got rid of those errors and started playing better." AP story
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French Open, 4th Rd Sun-Mon May 31-Jun 1 11am
loser's prize: €68,400 = US $93,168; points: 280
#1 s1 Dinara Safina RUS d #79 Aravane Rezai FRA 6-1, 6-0 Sun
Dinara serving, Aravane driving a backhand, Dinara following a forehand, and after match point
Dinara has lost only 5 games in the first 4 rounds at Roland Garros. Dinara said: "It feels good getting into the quarterfinals like this. Because I remember Australia, and I don't know how many hours I spent there before I go to the quarters. I'm feeling very good right now... Since I became No. 1. I think I'm playing better and better." postmatch interview
Aravane said: "[Dinara] played really well. I did not feel helpless. I didn't think it's impossible to defeat her, but she is the world's No. 1. She deserves it. She deserves to be in that ranking.
"There were solutions, except that I wasn't capable of finding solutions to put her in a difficult position. Today I did not play well... She managed to put me off balance immediately ever since we started rallying, and that made the difference." postmatch interview
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#2 s2 Serena Williams USA d #24 s24 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 6-1, 6-2 Mon
Serena serving, Aleksandra driving a backhand, Serena following a forehand, and after match point
Serena said: postmatch interview video transcript not available as of this writing
Aleksandra said: "I was really tight. I was like a rock. I couldn't let go on my shots and play my game... [Serena] didn't make any mistakes. She was playing clean tennis today... All I can do is learn from this experience and get stronger for next time... It's my first time on [Court] Philippe Chatrier. Emotions get involved and you just get tight and you can't play really your game, so it's tough." postmatch interview
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*#40 Sorana Cirstea ROU d #5 s5 Jelena Jankovic SRB 3-6, 6-0, 9-7 Mon
Sorana serving, Jelena and Sorana driving backhands, and Sorana after match point
Sorana was struggling this year before Roland Garros; her match record for 2009 was 5-11. Now she has won 4 straight, and her last two wins were over top 10 players.
Sorana said: "Most important is that I'm happy with my game and the way I'm playing. I hope I can keep up like this, and hope it's just the beginning...
"Maybe I wanted too much in the first set and I wasn't playing the right way. I was a little nervous. But then after I lose the first set, I said, 'I have nothing to lose. I just need to relax.' I did that until the end of the third set when I started to get again nervous because it was an important match for me and was the first time I was playing fourth round. I really wanted to win, but I think I was trying to take control of all the points and just stay aggressive." postmatch interview
Jelena said: "It was a long match. To be honest, I kind of let down in the second set... Of course in the third set. I serve at 6-5. I had 30-Love, and that's when I should have went more for my shots and reached a little more and tried to finish off the match point by point...
"I didn't know how well [Sorana] could play, but I know how well I can play. I'm not producing that game... Qbviously I'm not playing the same game and not same style as I used to play last year, end of the year when I was winning a lot of matches and was the No. 1 player in the world." postmatch interview
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#7 s7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #12 s12 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 Mon
Svetlana driving a forehand, Agnieszka and Svetlana driving backhands, and Sveta after match point
Svetlana said: " I was really nervous today. I don't know why. And I saw [Agnieszka] also was. But first set, it was not very great game from both of us, but she did more unforced errors and I won. I served well. Second set, I played little bad and I did a lot of mistakes. I wasn't moving that much.
"After I went to change the clothes, I been thinking, I relax a little bit, just to play my game. I started to do much better. Started to move her around, not doing many unforced errors from my side." postmatch interview
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*#9 s9 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #8 s8 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-2, 6-3 Sun
Victoria serving, Ana driving a backhand, Vika driving a forehand, and after match point
Victoria said: "I was very consistent today and very aggressive. I didn't let [Ana] play her game, which she normally does. I was just being I think too aggressive...
"She's the champion, and it was obvious that the crowd would be for her. But I hope they will be a little bit more for me now." postmatch interview
Ana was troubled by dizziness during the match. Ana said: "I started really well, and I felt really good in the beginning. Then after the third game, actually after first point in the fourth game, I just suddenly started feeling so dizzy, and I completely lost my balance.
"Ever since then it was really hard. I struggled with like looking up. I started feeling very dizzy, and I was struggling a little bit to find my balance. It was really hard. [Victoria] played well." postmatch interview
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#20 s20 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #30 s29 Agnes Szavay HUN 6-2, 6-4 Sun
Dominika serving, Agnes driving a backhand, Dominika following one, and after match point
Dominika said: "I was really, really prepared for this match. I was not going on the court like, 'It will be easy,' and I was not going on the court like, 'It will be tough.' I was not expecting anything, and I just wanted to play my game. I think I did well." postmatch interview
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*#126 Maria Sharapova RUS d #26 s25 Na Li CHN 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 Sun
Maria serving, Na's running forehand, Na serving, Maria's running forehand, and after match point
Maria said: "[Na] knows how to play the game, and she plays it really well. She's really aggressive. I think she's improved her serve a lot. It was really important for me to return well today. I think in the end, that and serving really well helped me win the match." postmatch interview
Na said: "The match was tough... I lost the first set, win second set easy, and then maybe I lose a little bit concentration.
"{Maria} never give up. She was like fighting every point on the court... Yeah, she's tough. I mean, I would say she's top player in all the world." postmatch interview
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#31 s30 Samantha Stosur AUS d #34 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-1, 6-2 Mon
Samantha serving, Virginie following a forehand, Samantha driving a backhand, and after match point
Samantha is the first Australian to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 21 years.
Virginie said: "This was an excellent match for [Samantha]. Unfortunately there's nothing I could do on the court. For me, it was a tough match. As I had said before, I said this player is a tough player. I had to be careful about the match... To me, her match was perfect. I felt I was powerless on the court. I couldn't find the solutions to win...
"I'd say that she serves even better than Serena or Venus, because she can do all types of serves. She can vary her serves. That is, hit a very strong first serve, or she would give spin to the ball so that the ball is inside out... She has two weapons: her big serve and big forehand." postmatch interview
About her quarterfinal opponent, Sorana Cirstea, Samantha said: "We've never played. I've never practiced with her, never hit a ball against her. It will be something completely new, but I'm going to try and talk to a couple of people. I think my coach watched a few games of her match today. We'll have a chat about it tomorrow, I guess, and work out what to do, but probably focus more on my game than worry too much about hers." postmatch interview
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French Open, QFs, Tue-Wed Jun 2-3 2pm
loser's prize: €132,500 = US $180,478; points: 500
#1 s1 Dinara Safina RUS d #9 s9 Victoria Azarenka BLR 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 Tue
Dinara and Victoria following forehands, Dinara driving a backhand, and after match point
Dinara said: "[In the 1st set, Victoria] was playing well, and basically I was not doing anything to complicate it. I was playing exactly in her zone: everything to the middle, and I was running forehand, backhand. I just lost the set. At least I should hold my serve and put a little bit pressure on the return.
"I started to fight point by point just trying to change a little bit... [In the 2nd and 3rd set] she started to miss much more. I think she was missing way too much today...
"In third set, every time I was break up, but I was always struggling to hold my serve. I had couple times like love-30. I don't know. I'm not really happy with my game today." postmatch interview
Victoria said: " I think I just didn't take mychances, which I had. I had a lot of chances, but [Dinara] definitely stepped it up and played some good points on the key moments, which I have to give her all the credit. I think I just missed a lot of my chances today...
"I just have to learn how to play better in these moments. It's all experience, which I have to learn from, and hopefully I'll do better next time." postmatch interview
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*#7 s7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #2 s2 Serena Williams USA 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-5 Wed
Svetlana serving, Serena and Svetlana driving backhands, and Sveta after match point
Svetlana said: "It was very tough match. It was difficult to me. And if I would say about first set, I was 3-love up and then [Serena] start to play better and better and it was equal. I would say normally I would think that she would win first set and I'll have to win second set. So it was very confusing.
"But as match was going on, I had chances in the second set and I didn't use them. That game that I twisted my feet, I was more concentrate of my feet don't hurt. Thinking about it I lost my serve, and she start to play better.
"It was same scenario as Australian Open [Serena defeated Sveta in the quarterfinals, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1]. It was identically. In second set, third set I was pushing myself to fight, and still she was break up. With her it's a big difference. She started to serve great, and I'm very proud that I push myself and I could fight still for the third set. This brought me the victory, because I still fight until the end." postmatch interview
Serena said: "It was definitely close. I had chances to win... I made it hard for myself a lot, too, more than anything. Honestly I think I lost because of me and not because of anything [Svetlana] did." postmatch interview
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#20 s20 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #126 Maria Sharapova RUS 6-0, 6-2 Tue
Dominika following a forehand, Maria and Dominika following backhands, and Dominika after match point
Dominika said: "Today I was playing really solid. I was playing very solid from the baseline. I think I made really just not a lot of unforced errors. I was returning well, and my serve was like so-so today. It was not the best, but I knew if I played solid, and if I make her move, and if I play well, then I have this chance...
"It was my tactic to play close to the baseline, and to make her move, and not to be scared of her first, two, three, fast shots. I knew that if I managed to put it back, then I have my chances." postmatch interview
Maria's first four matches had all gone three sets. Maria said: "Everything fell a little short today. The pace wasn't there on my strokes, and I was five steps slower today. I think everything kind of combines. [Dominika] played really solid and made me hit a lot of balls, and I came up short today...
"I was very appreciative of the way [the French fans] were rooting for me, asking for me to fight and to keep working and find a way to turn things around. Yeah, definitely. I've had a really great last few weeks here, and I can only tell them that I'll be back next year." postmatch interview
About her right shoulder, which had kept her from playing for over nine months, Maria said: "It's fine. It's good."
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#31 s30 Samantha Stosur AUS d #40 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-1, 6-3 Wed
Samantha serving, Sorana and Samantha driving backhand and forehand, and Sam after match point
Samantha said: "I think the first four or five games [Sorana] had game points in every single one, but I was 4-1 up. I'm just really pleased that even though I may have been down in the game, I could hang in there and fight my way back. If she was going to win the game she had to earn it from me. I wasn't going to give anything away today.
At 6-1, 4-1 I was feeling pretty good, but I knew it certainly wasn't over. Serving at 4-3, just went for a little bit more and got that game. And then again, 40-15 down in that last game, and just kept my head down and made her earn it and I ended up breaking." postmatch interview
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French Open, SFs, Thu Jun 4 2pm
loser's prize: €265,000 = US $360,956; points: 900
#1 s1 Dinara Safina RUS d #20 s20 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6-3, 6-3
Dinara serving, Dominika and Dinara driving forehand and backhand, and Dominika congratulating Dinara after match point
Dinara said: "I think I didn't play aggressive, I mean, when I had to from the beginning of the match. Once I was down I started to play better, but I think still I have to be much more dominant on the court." postmatch interview
Dominika said: "I knew how [Dinara was] going to play. She didn't surprise me with anything. She played a lot of cross, good backhand. I played a lot to her backhand and I didn't make her move a lot, because I was scared to play on the lines, just to miss the ball. I didn't move her enough, and I didn't return well at all. I was returning terrible...
"I was planning to serve better, and to make pressure with the return. But today I was just standing so far from the baseline, and I couldn't do anything. I was just there and just running and she was making the pressure." postmatch interview
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#7 s7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #31 s30 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-4, 6(5)-7, 6-3
Svetlana serving, Samantha driving a forehand and Svetlana following a backhand, and Sam congratulating Sveta after match point
Svetlana said: "I thank my coach, Larisa [Savchenko Neiland], so much, because she stays all match positive. Doesn't matter what happens, she just stays calm. 'It's okay. Play, play.' To me it's important. I can't stand when people make me nervous, say, 'How you do this? How you do that?' I say, 'Guys, just go and play yourself if you want to do better [laughter.]' It's very important for me. She supports me all the way, and it's really great.
"[Samantha has] been playing great, so I expected very tough match. She serves great. I mean, I been playing ball from the second floor up here [due to the high bounce from the spin Samantha puts on the ball]. It was not very comfortable. I had to play two meters behind [the baseline]... The spin which Sam puts on the ball is really difficult." postmatch interview
Samantha said: "At the start [of the 3rd set], we were both holding serve pretty easy those first four games. I had that one break point, I think it was 30-40 at 2-all, and probably maybe should have backed myself a little bit more and tried to run around it rather than taking a backhand.
"But I hit a good serve, and then lost serve, and then I felt like the match was still pretty even but I was 4-2 down. You know, I tried to the last point, but you go a break down in the third, it's not as easy to try and get it back." postmatch interview
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French Open, Final, Sat Jun 6 3pm (9am EDT 6am PDT NBC-TV)
loser's prize: €530,000 = US $721,913; points: 1400
winner's prize: €1,060,000 = US $1,443,827; pts: 2000
*#7 s7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #1 s1 Dinara Safina RUS 6-4, 6-2
Svetlana serving, Dinara fielding a forehand, Svetlana driving a backhand, Dinara driving a forehand, Svetlana following one, and Dinara congratulating Sveta after match point
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French Open, Doubles Final, Fri Jun 5
losers' prize: €156,000 = US $212,488
winners' prize: €312,000 = US $424,975
cdr10 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP & Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP
d cdr58 s12 Victoria Azarenka BLR & Elena Vesnina RUS 6-1, 6-1
Anabel & Vivi, and Vika & Elena
It is Anabel's second Grand Slam doubles title; she and Virginia also won last year at Roland Garros. 35-years-young Vivi has won ten Grand Slam doubles titles; her other eight were all with now-retired Paola Suarez: four at Roland Garros, three at the US Open, and one at the Australian Open.
Anabel said: "We make a beautiful team because we understand each other. Vivi is a very good player when she comes to the net, and from the baseline I have powerful shots. With the Spanish style, the high balls, she has a beautiful strategy. This is something we use when we play together."
Vivi said: "Last year I said that after the Olympics I would probably retire, but I did not do it, because I love tennis. Sometimes when you win, you feel you should stop when you're at the height of your career. It's a very special moment for me today. I always said I might retire, and maybe on a beautiful victory like this. But maybe now I'll keep playing." WTA story
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French Open, Mixed Doubles Final, Thu Jun 4
losers' prize: €50,000 = US $68,105
winners' prize: €100,000 = US $136,210
s1 Liezel Huber USA & Bob Bryan USA d Vania King USA & Marcelo Melo BRA 5-7, 7-6(5), (10-7)
French Open, Girls Singles Final, Sun Jun 7 c2 m2
s9 wta#338 Kristina Mladenovic FRA d wta#463 Daria Gavrilova RUS 6-3, 6-2
Daria and Kristina about to swat forehands, and Kristina with the hardware after the match
French Open, Girls Doubles Final, Sat Jun 6 11am c2
s2 Elena Bogdan ROU & Noppawan Lertcheewakarn THA d s3 Timea Babos HUN & Heather Watson GBR 3-6, 6-3, (10-8)
French Open, Qualifying Finals Fri May 22 11am
Q-1st losers: €2,080 = US $2,833 ; 2 points
Q-2nd losers: €3,950 = US $5,380; 40 points Q-Final losers: €7,350 = US $10,011; 50 points; qualifier: 60 points
#96 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ d #124 Elena Baltacha GBR 6-2, 6-2
#143 Arantxa Rus NED d #111 Katie O'Brien GBR 6-4, 7-6(8)
*#130 Yvonne Meusburger AUT d #114 Tatjana Malek GER 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-1
*#163 Polona Hercog SLO d #122 Mariana Duque Marino COL 6(4)-7, 6-4, 6-1
#125 Anastasija Sevastova LAT d #219 Nina Bratchikova RUS 6-0, 5-7, 6-4
#132 Michelle Larcher De Brito POR d #150 Ekaterina Ivanova RUS 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
*#187 Petra Martic CRO d #134 Evgeniya Rodina RUS 6-4, 6-4
#136 Carly Gullickson USA d #165 Lauren Albanese USA 6-4, 6-3
#148 Chanelle Scheepers RSA d #149 Kathrin Woerle GER 6-3, 6-1
#151 Vitalia Diatchenko RUS d #210 Irina Begu ROU 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
#156 Corinna Dentoni ITA d #200 Youlia Fedossova FRA 6-2, 7-5
*#192 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE d #191 Carmen Klaschka GER 6-4, 6-1
French Open, Withdrawals
#6 s6 Vera Zvonareva RUS tore ankle ligaments in Charleston
#25 Katarina Srebotnik SLO left achilles injury
#48 Petra Kvitova CZE ankle injury
#55 Shahar Peer ISR right foot injury
#80 Marina Erakovic NZL left hip injury
#85 Yung-Jan Chan TPE left foot injury
#112 Casey Dellacqua AUS left shoulder
#139 Jelena Kostanic Tosic CRO neck injury
#994 sr61 Meghann Shaughnessy USA left knee injury
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although the prize money in Euros has increased, in dollars it is less than in 2008. In May, 2008, one Euro was worth about $1.56 US; this year €1 is worth about $1.36.
The top half of the draw played first in 2009. The bottom half of the draw played first in 2008, instead of the more usual top half first.
Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the
: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.
