Saturday, May 21, 2011

News from the French: part III

Smiley
Roger arrives at RolandA very relaxed-looking Roger Federer had his first practice session on Philippe Chatrier court at 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon. The 2009 winner took things very easy and had a light hitting session, with his fitness coach Séverin Lüthi and physio Stéphane Vivier in attendance. Richard Gasquet meanwhile was out on Suzanne Lenglen court hitting with up-and-coming French youngster Gianni Mina. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was scheduled to practice but did not end up coming out on court.
Kim coming to RolandKim Clijsters has finally confirmed that she will indeed play this year's French Open. "I will be able to take part as long as I have some very tight strapping on my ankle," said the Belgian, who has been out of action since the end of March. This will be the first time that the 2001 and 2003 finalist has come to Roland Garros since 2006.
Qualifiers - start your engines!The qualifying tournament for Roland Garros officially got under way on Monday evening with the draw for the men's singles. 128 players are involved, with 16 places up for grabs for those who can win three rounds.
The tie of the first round for those who like coincidences will be US youngster Alex Kuznetsov facing his Russian counterpart Andrey Kuznetsov… There will of course be plenty of homegrown interest with 17 French players involved, most notably Marc Gicquel who won the recent Challenger event in Bordeaux. The first matches will get started at 10 am on Tuesday 17 May, while the women's draw will be made at 6 pm that evening.

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