TENNIS in DEPTH.

Fabio Fognini maintained his composure to seal a tense five-set win over home favourite Gael Monfils in the second round of the French Open.

The match was halted on Wednesday shortly before 2200 local time with the match poised at 5-5 in the decider.

Both players were unhappy with the decision, with Fognini docked a time penalty point, but the Italian returned on Thursday to win 2-6 4-6 7-5 6-4 9-7.

Both players were incensed with officials with the match delicately poised in the fifth set.

Monfils, who reached the quarter-finals in Paris last year and the semi-finals in 2008, squandered two break points on Fognini’s serve when the game resumed in the early evening.

And despite the audible boos from the partisan crowd when the match resumed on Phillippe Chatrier, Fognini managed to hold serve before wrapping up the match in 31 minutes.

“He beat me fair and square,” said Monfils.

A delighted Fognini responded: “It’s a great match. Look at the score. It’s an incredible match.”

Bookmark It

Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova were both a set up when play was suspended due to fading light at the French Open on Thursday evening.

Title favourite Henin, looking to win her 23rd consecutive match at Roland Garros, made a good start against Klara Zakopalova.

The four-time French Open winner broke her Czech opponent’s serve twice as she took the opening set 6-3 in just 34 minutes.

And she led 3-2 in the second when the players were called off Court Philippe Chatrier just after 2115 local time – nearly 45 minutes earlier than play had continued until the previous night.

Over on Court Two, Sharapova was 6-3 2-2 up on Kirsten Flipkens when the light intervened.

The match, which has already featured six breaks of serve, will conclude on Friday.

The other women’s singles match which will have to be completed on Friday is Marion Bartoli’s all-French clash with Olivia Sanchez.

The former Wimbledon finalist trailed 4-5 overnight.

Bookmark It

Jelena Jankovic had to fight hard to see off the challenge of Kaia Kanepi to reach round three of the French Open.

The fourth seed, in good form of late, was pushed all the way by her Estonian opponent before winning 6-2 3-6 6-4.

It had not looked like it was going to be a hard day at the office for Jankovic when she raced into a 4-0 lead on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros.

But Kanepi, a quarter-finalist in Paris two years ago, steeled herself and fought back in the second set, taking it courtesy of a break of serve in game eight.

Jankovic gained the first break in the decider, claiming Kanepi’s serve to love in th sixth game, only for her opponent to hit straight back.

But Jankovic was not to be denied and a further break of serve saw her keep her hopes of breaking her Grand Slam title duck very much alive.

Bookmark It

Ana Ivanovic crashed out of the French Open on Thursday, suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Alisa Kleybanova.

Ivanovic, winner at Roland Garros in 2008, has slipped down the rankings to 42nd in the world over the past 18 months after an awful run of form.

When she won in Paris, Ivanovic climbed into the world number one spot but that looked a long time ago as the Serb went down 6-3 6-0.

Ivanovic was at least competitive in the first set and in some points showed flashes of her true ability.

But two double faults from Ivanovic in the sixth game proved crucial as she lost her serve and from there Kleybanova served out the set.

The second set was more one-sided, Kleybanova taking control with a break of serve in the opening game and then pushing on to move into the last 32.

Bookmark It

Thursday morning and it’s pissing down! The forecast is for some clearing in the afternoon, but more of the same tomorrow. Saturday is expected to be the start of a few days of sunshine.

Hey, it’s Paris in the spring! Ooo la la!

Bookmark It

Ana takes on 28th seed Alisa Kleybanova in the second round of the French Open on Thursday. The clash will be the fourth meeting between the pair, with the Russian leading the head-to-head series 2-1.

Kleybanova triumphed in the third round of the 2009 Australian Open when the two players first met, winning 6-2 in the third set. Just a month later Ana avenged that defeat thanks to a 7-5, 6-4 victory in Dubai, but the 20-year-old beat Ana convincingly during the Serbia-Russia Fed Cup tie in Belgrade three months ago.

The Russian reached the second round here with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Mariya Koryttseva of the Ukraine in round one.

Ana said: “I know what to expect, having played her a few times already. She hits the ball very hard and she covers the court pretty well. It’s going to be a very tough match for sure.”

The match is scheduled as the first on Court 1 and will begin at 11am local time

Bookmark It

An angry Andy Murray walked off Court One at Roland Garros on Wednesday evening despite taking a one-set lead over Juan Ignacio Chela in his French Open second-round match.

Play was suspended until Thursday due to bad light at just after 9.30pm local time, with Murray leading 6-2 3-3 and seemingly keen to play on.

But Chela was not so eager and won the battle of wills when tournament officials called a halt to proceedings, much to Murray’s annoyance.

A succession of rain delays on day four at Roland Garros meant the contest did not begin on Court One until 8.07pm local time and there was never any real prospect of it finishing in one go.

Murray admitted after Monday’s epic first-round win over Richard Gasquet that, with his congenital knee problem currently giving him grief, another five-setter could kill off his tournament hopes.

So in one respect, the prospect of playing his match with Chela in two parts might have appealed to the Scot, especially in light of his record against the Argentinian.

Bookmark It

Reigning champion Svetlana Kuznetsova held on by her fingernails at the French Open on Wednesday, saving four match points against Germany’s Andrea Petkovic to keep alive her hopes of defending the title.

The Russian sixth seed was on the brink when Petkovic served at 5-4, 40-0 in the second set of a rain-interrupted scrap on Court One but survived to win 4-6 7-5 6-4.

Petkovic’s nerves got the better of her as she wasted all her match points with unforced errors and Kuznetsova, who had been woefully off from, took full advantage.

Kuznetsova also wobbled serving at 5-3 in the decider as Petkovic broke back but sealed victory on her fourth match point in the next game when her opponent drilled a backhand long.

Aravane Rezai battled past German Angelique Kerber to book her place in the third round of the French Open with a 6-2 2-6 6-3 win on Wednesday.

The 15th-seeded Rezai took control of the match but suffered a dip in concentration as play resumed following a rain break, allowing Kerber back into the contest.

Rezai, who beat Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams earlier this month to win the Madrid Open, eventually prevailed on her first match point with a backhand winner after one hour and 43 minutes.

She will next face the Russian 19th seed Nadia Petrova for a place in the fourth round.

Bookmark It