French Open 2010 Gets Underway

The 2010 edition of the French Open started on Sunday, and was a good day for most of the seeds. In the men's section almost all the seeded players got through to the second round of the draw, while in the women's section, two of the seeded players failed to make it to the second round. Both the biggest names in tennis, however, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, didn't play on the opening day, and will be seen in action on Day 2.

Men's Results (Seeded Players)
In the men's section, Robin Soderling, the man who knocked out Rafael Nadal last year, played an almost flawless match to win over Laurent Recouderc in straight sets. Soderling, the number 5 seed looked to be in good touch, and will be thinking of avenging his last year's loss to Federer, if and when they meet in the quarter final this year. The number 8 seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, was taken to 5 sets in the opening round itself, and that too by unseeded Daniel Brands of Germany. Prevailing 7-5 in the deciding set, Tsonga needs to pull up his socks if he wants to have a shot at the title. Croat Marin Cilic was stretched to four sets, but overcame Ricardo Mello of Brazil to advance to the second round. In the only upset of the men's draw, Ernests Gulbis had to retire against Julien Benneteau, making him the only seeded player not to advance to the second round on Day 1 of the French Open. Gulbis was seeded 23rd in the tournament.

Other seeds who got through include Mikhail Youzhny who blazed past Michal Przysiezny in 3 fast sets, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who put aside a spirited challenge from Rainer Schuettler, and Albert Montanes, who didn't waste any time in dispatching Stefano Galvani.

Women's Results (Seeded Players)
In the women's draw, the 10th seed Victoria Azarenka, and the 20th seed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, were the only two seeded players who could not make it to the second day of the French Open. Both lost in straight sets pretty easily, Azarenka to Gisela Dulko of Argentina, and Sanchez to Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan. The number 2 seed, Venus Williams, dispatched off Swiss Patty Schnyder in straight sets, and moved forward, no doubt looking for another Grand Slam title. 6th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova also had no trouble getting past Sorana Cirstea in straight sets. Aravane Rezai, took the home court advantage and saw off Heidi El Tabakh 6-1, 6-1 in quick time.

Other seeds who moved to Day 2 include 26th seed Dominika Cibulkova, who defeated Ekaterina Ivanova, 19th seed Nadia Petrova, who brushed aside Chinese Shuai Zhang, and 14th seed Flavia Pennetta, who defeated Anne Keothavong of Germany in straight sets as well.

So no major surprises on Day 1 of the French Open, with almost all those expected to go to the second round making it there. Day two of the French Open 2010 promises to be a scorcher, with both the men's and the women's defending champion playing their first round match ups. Roger Federer will play Peter Luczak in the first round, and will be bidding to win only his second French Open in his illustrious career. Serena Williams, on the other hand, has to be on her best behavior, after being fined for verbal abuse in last year's US Open, or else she faces a ban. However, her first round match against Stefanie Voegele should not upset her too much, and she should move to Day 2 with no problems at all.

Other Seeds Playing on Day 2

Men

3rd seed Novak Djokovic
4th seed Andy Murray
12th seed Fernando Gonzalez
13th seed Gael Monfils
14th seed Ivan Ljubicic
15th seed Tomas Berdych
17th seed John Isner
19th seed Nicolas Almagro
20th seed Stanislas Wawrinka
21st seed Tommy Robredo
24th seed Thomas Bellucci
25th seed Marcos Baghdatis
27th seed Feliciano Lopez

Women

3rd seed Caroline Wozniacki
4th seed Jelena Jankovic
5th seed Elena Dementieva
7th seed Samantha Stosur
8th seed Agnieszka Radwanska
11th seed Na Li
17th seed Francesca Schiavone
24th seed Lucie Safarova
27th seed Alona Bondarenko
28th seed Alisa Kleybanova
31st seed Alexandra Dulgheru
32nd seed Kateryna Bondarenko

As seen above, there is a lot of action coming from Roland Garros on Day Two of the French Open 2010. Undoubtedly, the highlight, and indeed what many people will be watching, is Federer's first match, and his chances of winning another French Open title. Also on watch will be Britain's Andy Murray, the number 4 seed, who has never won a Grand Slam title till date. While many think this might be his best chance, the draw might not be in his favor.

With both, the men's and women's defending champions playing, and a whole host of other seeds taking to the courts on Day 2, you won't want to miss any of the action on Day 2 of the 2010 French Open. Stay Tuned.