=============
ROLAND GARROS (Paris, France; red clay; Grand Slam)
============= http://www.rolandgarros.com/
Contents
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1. UK TV-alert
2. First-round draw
3. Anna Chakvetadze preview
4. Order of play for Monday

--------------
1. UK TV-alert
--------------

The French Open will be televised on BBCi from 10:00 BST each day of
the tournament (digital viewers press Red or select the appropriate
Freeview-channel - 301 or 302).

Live: Sunday 25th May to Wednesday 4th June, 10:00-19:00, BBCi
Highlights: Sunday 25th May to Friday 6th June, 20:00-09:59, BBCi

Highlights: Saturday 31st May, 13:00-14:10, BBC 1

Women's semis live: Thursday 5th June, 13:00-19:00, BBCi

Men's semis live: Friday 6th June, 10:00-19:00, BBCi

Women's final live: Saturday 7th June, 14:00-16:30, BBC 2
Highlights: Saturday 7th June, 16:30-09:59, BBCi

Men's final live: Sunday 8th June: 14:00-18:00, BBC 2
Highlights: Sunday 8th June, 18:00-11:59, BBCi

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/6102132.stm

-------------------
2. First-round draw
-------------------
2.1 Top quarter: Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonarëva
---------------------------------------------------

* MARIA SHARAPOVA [1,EF] v Evgeniya Rodina (DAVAI MARIA!!)
* Bethanie Mattek [Q] v Madison Brengle [WC]
* Jarmila Gajdošová [Q] v Olivia Sánchez [WC]
* Martina Müller v KARIN KNAPP [32]

* MARIA KIRILENKO [21,DF] v Maria Elena Camerin (my loyalty is to
Maria... er, Kirilenko!)
* Zheng,Jie [Q] v Mara Santangelo
* Magdaléna Rybáriková [Q,DF] v Karolina Šprem [DF] (mouthwatering
match; my loyalty is to Magda)
* Kateryna Bondarenko v DINARA SAFINA [13]

* VERA ZVONARËVA [11,EF] v Stéphanie Foretz [WC] (DAVAI VERA!!)
* Ioana Raluca Olaru v Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro
* Yanina Wickmayer [Q] v Akgul Amanmuradova
* Aleksandra Wozniak v SYBILLE BAMMER [20]

* AI SUGIYAMA [31] v Alla Kudryavtseva
* Yuliana Fedak v Olga Govortsova (davai Yuliana!)
* Marta Domachowska v Rossana de los Ríos (dawaj Marta!)
* ELENA DEMENTIEVA [7] v Vera Dushevina (davai Elena!)


2.2 Second quarter: Anna Chakvetadze
------------------------------------

* Aiko Nakamura [S] v SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA [4] (ganbatte Aiko!)
* Vania King v Violette Huck [WC]
* Alisa Kleybanova v Tamarine Tanasugarn
* Aravane Rezaď v NADIA PETROVA [25] (allez Aravane!)

* FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE [18] v Jill Craybas
* Michaëlla Krajícek [DF] v Sanda Mamic (kom op Michaëlla!)
* Sorana-Mihaela Cîrstea v Anne Kremer
* Edina Gallovits v VICTORIA AZARENKA [16]

* ÁGNES SZÁVAY [12] v Ayumi Morita [S]
* Sabine Lisicki v Elena Vesnina (my Passion says Elena but my Reason
says Sabine)
* Akiko Morigami [S] v Petra Kvitová (ganbatte Akiko!)
* SHAHAR PE'ER [17] v Samantha Stosur [WC] (kadima Shahar!)

* ANABEL MEDINA GARRIGUES [29] v María José Martínez Sánchez [Q]
* Tsvetana Pironkova v Chan,Yung-Jan (aide Tsvetana!)
* Kaia Kanepi v Yuan,Meng
* ANNA CHAKVETADZE [6,EF] v Nuria Llagostera Vives (DAVAI ANNA!!)


2.3 Third quarter
-----------------

* VENUS WILLIAMS [8] v Tzipora Obziler
* Selima Sfar [Q] won
* Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [Q] v María-Emilia Salerni
* FLAVIA PENNETTA [26,DF] v Tatiana Perebiynis (my loyalty is to
Flavia)

* AMÉLIE MAURESMO [22] v Olga Savchuk
* Carla Suárez Navarro [Q] v Pauline Parmentier
* Nathalie Dechy won
* MARION BARTOLI [9,DF,S] v Casey Dell'Acqua (allez Marion!)

* AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA [14] v Mariya Koryttseva
* Séverine Brémond [WC] v Jelena Pandzic [Q] (allez Séverine!)
* Gisela Dulko [DF] v Sara Errani, 6-4 4-6 1-3* suspended
* ALIZÉ CORNET [19] won

* DOMINIKA CIBULKOVÁ [28] won
* Milagros Sequera won
* Marina Erakovic v Tathiana Garbin (go Marina!)
* Monica Niculescu [LL] v JELENA JANKOVIC [3]


2.4 Bottom quarter: Lucie Šafárová
----------------------------------

* SERENA WILLIAMS [5] won
* Mathilde Johansson [WC] won
* Ekaterina Makarova won
* Virginia Ruano Pascual v KATARINA SREBOTNIK [27]

* Klára Zakopalová won
* Yan,Zi [S] v Emilie Loit (jia you Zi!)
* Tamira Paszek v Timea Bacsinszky (my loyalty is to Tamira)
* Ekaterina Bychkova v PATTY SCHNYDER [10] (davai Ekaterina!)

* Iveta Benešová [Q] won
* Peng,Shuai [S] v Anastasia Rodionova (jia you Shuai!)
* Galina Voskoboeva won
* ALYONA BONDARENKO [30] v Petra Cetkovská (davai Alyona!)

* CAROLINE WOZNIACKI [30] won
* Anastasiya Yakimova [Q] won
* Lucie Šafárová [EF] won
* ANA IVANOVIC [2,DF] won

---------------------------
3. Anna Chakvetadze preview
---------------------------

Anna is having a strange year after being tied up by burglars at her
Moscow-home last December. After a third-round loss at the Australian
Open, she seemed to have put her problems behind her by winning
Paris, but then went on a lean streak before reaching the semi-finals
of Rome.


3.1 First round
---------------

This could be a tough opener for Anna against the diminutive Nuria
Llagostera Vives, who beat her at ITF Bronx 2004. More relevant is
their Fed Cup rubber on clay last year, which Anna only won
3-6 7-6(5) 6-2.

And Llagostera Vives has had some pretty impressive results on clay
this year: she was runner-up at Vińa del Mar, and won Bogotá with a
series of one-sided scorelines against players ranked no higher than
#63. Less impressive was her 7-5 6-1 loss to Angelika Bachmann in the
first round of qualifying for Berlin.

Anna should win this, but we have to be ready for a tough three-
setter with the danger of a loss.


3.2 Second round
----------------

I don't have time to analyse Kaia Kanepi and Yuan,Meng right now, but
if Anna is too good for Llagostera Vives, she should certainly be too
good for her second-round opponent.


3.3 Third round
---------------

Anabel Medina Garrigues is very dangerous on clay: she beat my
Daniela Hantuchová in the third round of the French Open 2007, and
just won Strasbourg.

But Anna has the huge advantage of a 5:0 head to head over Medina
Garrigues, including their only claycourt-meeting at Berlin 2006.

I would prefer the cute Tsvetana Pironkova to come through here, of
course. Tsvetana won five matches to qualify and reach the quarter-
finals of Rome - including a sensational 6-4 5-7 6-2 over Ana
Ivanovic. But it was Anna who beat her in the quarters, 6-2 3-6 6-1 -
the only time they've ever played each other.


3.4 Fourth round
----------------

If the seedings hold, it will be Ágnes Szávay. Anna leads Szávay 2:0
head to head, but they were both three-setters: 6-4 6-7(1) 6-4 at the
French Open 2007, and 6-3 2-6 6-2 in the Paris 2008 final.

Like Anna, Szávay hasn't done much since Paris... apart from beating
Dinara Safina to reach the quarter-finals of Charleston, and also
reaching the quarters of Berlin. But her last match was a 6-0 6-3
thrashing by Sara Errani at Rome.

Or it could be Shahar Pe'er, although she's in a bit of a slump at
the moment; her last match was a 7-5 6-1 loss to Sabine Lisicki at
Berlin. Lisicki herself could come through here - I've heard great
things about her this year, as well as noting her beauty!
Another possibility is Anna's best friend Elena Vesnina.


3.5 Quarter-final
-----------------

This would probably be the end of the road for Anna if she has to
play Svetlana Kuznetsova, who leads her 3:0 including a 6-1 6-1
hammering on the clay of Warsaw 2006.

Kuznetsova certainly has claycourt-pedigree, being runner-up at the
French Open 2006 (as well as winning the US Open 2004). She's also
having an impressive 2008 without actually winning a title - it was
she who snapped Maria Sharapova's winning-streak at Indian Wells.


3.6 Semi-final
--------------

At this stage, I can only dream of a mouthwatering semi-final with
Maria Sharapova. Maria leads their head to head 6:0 without even
counting a couple of exhibitions. Two of those matches came at the
French Open: third round in 2005 and a quarter-final in 2007.

---------------------------
4. Order of play for Monday
---------------------------

Court 1 (start 11:00 CEST = 09:00 GMT = 10:00 BST)
WS 1r: Séverine Brémond [WC] v Jelena Pandzic [Q]
MS 1r: Michael Llodra v Oliver Patience
WS 1r: ANNA CHAKVETADZE [6,EF] v Nuria Llagostera Vives
MS 1r: STANISLAS WAWRINKA [9] v Philipp Kohlschreiber

Full order of play:
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/chakv/