TennisGrandstand

Last year’s semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis has been struggling with injuries throughout the season and retired due to pain in his lower back in the first round match against Sam Querrey. Baghdatis won 2nd set despite 0:3 down in the tie-break (with two mini-breaks) but was forced to retire immediately after dropping his serve in the 5th game of the final set. “I felt a sharp pain and I didn’t want to take any risks,” Baghdatis said. “I felt that if I continued, I would have had problems afterward. So I preferred to stop.”

Three-time Paris champion (2000, 2002, 2004) Marat Safin began his match against qualifier Juan Monaco losing 8 games in a row! The Russian broke back to 2:2 but lost second set in the tie-break on 1st match point for the opponent. Safin said after the match that he considers an end of the career. “I need to sit down and relax and just enjoy my life without any tennis for a couple of months and then I will see,” Safin said.

First round was unsuccessful for the local players. Five out of six French players lost in the first round, including three “wild cards”: Chardy, Mannarino and Ouanna – none of them won a set. This year French organizers decided not to give a “wild card” for any of more experienced French players like Grosjean, Clement, Santoro or Benneteau. Another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet pulled out because of injuried right elbow. He has been replaced in the draw by a qualifier Marcel Granollers.

Paris – First round

(LL)Florent Serra (FRA) d. (LL)Guillermo Canas (ARG) 4-6 7-5 6-3

(q)Juan Monaco (ARG) d. Marat Safin (RUS) 6-0 7-6(4)

Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. (q)Robby Ginepri (USA) 6-4 7-5

(q)Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) vs (q)Viktor Troicki (SRB) 6-3 6-4

Samuel Querrey (USA) d. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 7-5 6-7(5) 3-2 ret.

Tommy Robredo (ESP) d. (WC)Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 7-6(4) 7-6(5)

Mario Ancic (CRO) d. Rainer Schuettler (GER) 6-4 3-6 6-1

Nicolas Kiefer (GER) d. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 6-4 7-5

Feliciano Lopez (ESP) d. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 6-3 6-4

Igor Andreev (RUS) d. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 7-6(6) 6-3

Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs Marc Gicquel (FRA) 6-4 3-6 6-4

Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) d. (WC)Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3 6-2

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)

(q)Simone Bolelli (ITA) d. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 7-5 6-4

Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Andreas Seppi (ITA) 7-6(5) 6-2

Robin Soderling (SWE) vs (WC)Josselyn Ouanna (FRA) 6-3 6-4