Men's qualies set to excite

Remember brave Belgian Filip Dewulf, a Roland Garros semi-finalist back in 1997? How about the battling Uruguayan Marcelo Filippini, who reached the quarter-finals in1999? Both were unfancied qualifiers who built on their success in the week before the French Open to make a charge on the tournament proper. So, how about this year? Will anyone emerge from the qualifiers to mount a challenge? Guillermo Canas just might. The Argentinian has reached the quarter-finals on three occasions, in 2002, 2005 and 2007. Just 2 years ago he was one of the top clay-court players in the world, and a serious pretender to the throne. An injury to his left wrist halted his progress in 2008, and Canas has been a shadow of his former self so far in 2009. Now a lowly 107th in the world, the man from Buenos Aires will be looking to get his career back on track in Paris, starting this week. Hrbaty, ten years on Canas is far from the only recognised name in the tournament. Italian Filippo Volandri, Spaniards Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo and Santiago Ventura and Peruvian Luis Horna are all on show, as is Mariano Zabaleta from Argentina. Zabaleta has twice made it into the last sixteen in Paris and is another clay court specialist returning from injury. Belgian Olivier Rochus is also heading for Roland Garros a week earlier than they would like. Dominik Hrbaty was a semi-finalist here in 1999 but now has to fight his way though the qualies like everyone else. That was the year Andre Agassi won the French Open of course, and the American will be made a very welcome guest when he visits the City of Light this year, accompanied by his wife, Steffi Graf. Agassi will no doubt remember how close he came to losing to Hrbaty that year, in a classic semi-final that stretched over two days. Local fans will have plenty to savour too. A recent winner of the Bordeaux Challenger tournament, Mathieu Montcourt is probably the brightest French hope. Oliver Patience and Nicolas Mahut, meanwhile, will draw on their experience in an attempt to progress. Sergei Bubka the son of the famous pole-vaulter of the same name, is one of a host of young players hoping to make names for themselves. All in all then, the 2009 qualies promise a great deal. And who knows? Maybe they will produce another dark horse this year.