AFP Sports looks at the players drawn to face the top seeds at the French Open which starts at Roland Garros on Sunday (x denotes seeding):
MEN
Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) v Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE)
Djokovic leads head-to-head 1-0
- 32-year-old Lu is ranked at 100 and will be playing in his first main tour event of the year. Has reached the second round at Roland Garros on two occasions but his finest hour at the Slams came at Wimbledon in 2010 when he defeated Andy Roddick on his way to the quarter-finals where his run was ended by Djokovic. Reached a career high of 33 later that year.
Radek Stepanek (CZE) v Andy Murray (GBR x2)
Murray leads head-to-head 6-2
- At 37 years old, 129-ranked Stepanek is the oldest player in the tournament having come through qualifying. A former Davis Cup and Grand Slam doubles champion, Stepanek was as high as world number eight but his career was almost ended by a crippling neck injury. Colourful and controversial, the Czech's best performance in singles at the majors was a quarter-final run at Wimbledon 10 years ago. Was engaged to Martina Hingis, married and divorced former player Nicola Vaidisova and briefly dated two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Took a set off Murray in Madrid this season. Made last 16 in Paris in 2008.
Lukas Rosol (CZE) v Stan Wawrinka (SUI x3)
Wawrinka leads head-to-head 4-0
- Rosol, 30, famously knocked Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon in a bad-tempered five-setter in 2012. Now ranked at 68, Rosol has developed a habit of getting under the skin of players -- Murray told him 'everyone hates you' when the pair played in Munich last year. Has twice made the third round at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) v Sam Groth (AUS)
First meeting
- World number 95 Groth has won just two matches on the main tour all year, the most recent of which came in March. The 28-year-old hasn't played on clay in 2016. Has played just one match at Roland Garros -- a first round loss to Pablo Cuevas in 2015. Best Grand Slam performances came last year with third round runs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
WOMEN
Serena Williams (USA x1) v Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK)
Williams leads head-to-head 1-0
- Rybarikova, the world number 76, is 27 and more at home on hard courts than the slower clay with her four career titles coming on faster surfaces including the 2009 Birmingham grasscourt crown. Reached the last-eight at Indian Wells in March but her only outing on clay this spring was a first round defeat at an ITF event in Trnava. Has never got beyond second round at Roland Garros.
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) v Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x2)
Radwanska leads head-to-head 1-0
- The 24-year-old Jovanovski, whose ranking has slumped to 129 from the brink of the top 30, has yet to win a match in 2016 with injury sidelining her since February. Her most recent win on the tour was back in November in Carlsbad. Made the third round in Paris in 2013 a year after her only career clash with Radwanska resulted in a first round loss on the same courts where she managed just one game.
Angelique Kerber (GER x3) v Kiki Bertens (NED)
Kerber leads head-to-head 1-0
- Bertens, the world number 89, enjoys the clay having won the Nuremberg title on Saturday, reached the semi-finals in Rabat as well as winning both her rubbers in the Netherlands' Fed Cup semi-final loss to France. Made the last-16 at Roland Garros in 2014 where she lost a three-setter to Andrea Petkovic. Defeated by Kerber at Indian Wells in March but only via an injury retirement in the third set.
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) v Garbine Muguruza (ESP x4)
Muguruza leads head-to-head 4-0
- Another tough first round opponent, Schmiedlova is 21 and ranked at 37 in the world. One of her two career titles came on clay in Bucharest last year. Made the third round in Paris in 2014, defeating Venus Williams in the second round before falling to Muguruza. The Spaniard triumphed again on clay in Madrid in April.
AFP
Sat May 21 2016
World number 95 Groth has won just two matches on the main tour all year, the most recent of which came in March. - AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Sah! Tiga kapal tetap berlayar, redah laut Mediterranean 24 April ini
FFC mengesahkan tiga kapal yang terlibat dalam misi Break the Siege of Gaza Freedom Flotilla akan memulakan pelayaran pada 24 April depan.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Sah! Tiga kapal tetap berlayar, redah laut Mediterranean 24 April ini
FFC mengesahkan tiga kapal yang terlibat dalam misi Break the Siege of Gaza Freedom Flotilla akan memulakan pelayaran pada 24 April 2024 bersamaan hari Rabu.
SkyTrax: Kedudukan KLIA jatuh ke tangga 71
Kedudukan KLIA kini di tangga ke-71 mengikut Senarai Lapangan Terbang Terbaik Dunia SkyTrax 2024, jatuh empat anak tangga berbanding tahun sebelumnya.
China arahkan Apple keluarkan WhatsApp dan Thread daripada App Store
Kerajaan China mengarahkan Apple untuk mengeluarkan aplikasi Whatsapp dan Threads daripada App store China.
Empat pelari terlibat kontroversi dilucut pingat
Penganjur acara separa maraton Beijing mengumumkan pada Jumaat bahawa empat pelari yang terlibat dalam perlumbaan kontroversi pada Ahad lepas telah dilucutkan pingat, lapor Xinhua.
ASEAN gesa patuhi konsensus lima perkara
Negara-negara anggota ASEAN menzahirkan kebimbangan terhadap ketegangan yang berlaku di Myawaddy, Kayin State yang terletak di sempadan Myanmar-Thailand, serta di Rakhine State, Myanmar.
ASEAN berkata, ia ingin menegaskan semula komitmen untuk membantu Myanmar mencari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan penuh Konsensus Lima Perkara yang dipersetujui sebelum ini.
ASEAN berkata, ia ingin menegaskan semula komitmen untuk membantu Myanmar mencari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan penuh Konsensus Lima Perkara yang dipersetujui sebelum ini.
Setiap parti politik ada kaedah sendiri – Zahid
Setiap parti politik di dalam Kerajaan Perpaduan mempunyai kaedah sendiri untuk membantu memenangkan calon mereka pada Pilihan Raya Kecil Kuala Kubu Bharu, bulan depan.
Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas laporan mengenai kenyataan MCA tidak akan berkempen pada PRK itu.
Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas laporan mengenai kenyataan MCA tidak akan berkempen pada PRK itu.
Masih setia dengan UMNO, kritikan hanya untuk beri semangat
Ahli Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) UMNO, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz menegaskan beliau masih setia bersama parti itu meskipun ada mengkritik kepemimpinan UMNO Selangor sebelum ini.
Bekas Bendahari UMNO Selangor itu berkata, kritikan yang dibuatnya sebelum ini adalah berbentuk konstruktif dan hanya ingin membakar semangat parti itu.
Bekas Bendahari UMNO Selangor itu berkata, kritikan yang dibuatnya sebelum ini adalah berbentuk konstruktif dan hanya ingin membakar semangat parti itu.
Titah Addendum: Anwar enggan terlibat, itu bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan dan YDP Agong
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tidak mahu terlibat dengan perbincangan membabitkan titah tambahan berhubung tahanan di rumah membabitkan bekas Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Anwar berkata, ini kerana perkara itu merupakan di bawah bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan Wilayah Persekutuan dan juga melibatkan Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Raja-Raja Melayu.
Anwar berkata, ini kerana perkara itu merupakan di bawah bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan Wilayah Persekutuan dan juga melibatkan Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Raja-Raja Melayu.
Giat Mara Bagan Datuk naik taraf jadi kampus MCI
Giat Mara Bagan Datuk telah dinaik taraf menjadi kampus Malaysia-China Institute (MCI) bagi melatih pelajar tempatan di dalam bidang Latihan Teknikal Dan Vokasional Malaysia (TVET) sebelum di hantar ke China.
Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, sejajar dengan itu, keluasan institusi berkenaan serta fasiliti akan ditambah.
Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, sejajar dengan itu, keluasan institusi berkenaan serta fasiliti akan ditambah.
Tenis Terbuka Perancis: Nadal mudah lepasi pusingan pertama
Nadal yang mempamerkan aksi dominan, menang 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 untuk mara ke pusingan kedua dengan mudah.
Rafael Nadal raih gelaran ke-12 Terbuka Perancis
Rafael Nadal meraih gelaran ke-12 kejuaraan tenis Terbuka Perancis selepas menewaskan Dominic Thiem 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 sebentar tadi.
Ranking ke-10 dunia milik Chong Wei
Menurut senarai terbaru yang dikeluarkan Persekutuan Badminton Dunia (BWF), Chong Wei melonjak sembilan tangga daripada ranking ke-19 susulan kejuaraan Terbuka Perancis pada Ahad lalu.
Wei Feng mara ke undian utama Terbuka Perancis
Pemain perseorangan kedua negara, Chong Wei Feng layak ke undian utama badminton Siri Super Terbuka Perancis selepas melepasi dua halangan peringkat kelayakan malam tadi.
Stan Wawrinka menang Terbuka Perancis, Djokovic gagal buat kali ketiga
Stan Wawrinka musnahkan harapan Novak Djokovic untuk meraih career grand slam pada Ahad dan terus menjadi pemenang Terbuka Perancis paling tua dalam tempoh 25 tahun.