The French Open began on the 27th in less than perfect conditions. The tournament this year has been affected by rain, cloudy skies and windy conditions, reminding us of the tricky weather situation last year when the first week had damp conditions and the second week of the tournament was bright and sunny. The first 2 rounds went as per predictions with a few upsets thrown in.

The biggest upset so far has been the straight set elimination of Fernando Gonzalez, the fifth seed at the hands of Radek Stepanek. Stepanek went on to lose to unheralded French player Edouard Roger-Vasselin in five sets in the next round.

Americans not finding their feet on clay

Seeded American players were also bitten by the upset bug, as third seed Andy Roddick and eighth seed James Blake were sent packing by Igor Andreev and Ivo Karlovic respectively. Seven more American followed their two high-profile countrymen out of the tournament. Andre Agassi was the last American men’s singles champion at the French Open in 1999 and the only champion before him was Courier in 1992. It looks like there wont be an American champion for quite some time to come.

But there is good news for American tennis as the Williams sisters are playing their part pretty well. Both progressed to the third round where Venus would play Jelena Jankovic (who has already beaten Venus this year) - and Serena plays Michaella Krajicek.
Elsewhere, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the prime contenders for the title are making good progress, with neither dropping a set in their first two matches. Federer might face his first challenge in the form of former Roland Garros Champion Juan Carlos Ferrero or Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round, while Nadal’s fourth round foe could be former world no.1 Lleyton Hewitt.

Sania Update
From the Indian perspective, Sania Mirza was knocked out in straight sets in the second round by Anna Ivanovic. Not really a surprise considering how much she hates playing on clay and the fact that she has been recovering from an injury. She should do much better in the grass in England.