Roland Garros
Singles - First Round: (1) Victoria Azarenka def.
Alberta Brianti 6-7(6-8) 6-4 6-2
In the first set of this, Alberta Brianti played very
well, and in the first part of the second set, Victoria
Azarenka seemed to lose track of where the court was.
But Azarenka came to life from 4-2 down in the second
set....

Singles - First Round: (7) Li Na def. Sorana Cirstea 6-2
6-1
A much better start to Li Na's title defense than we
expected -- but she is still only #11 in safe points.
(It would have been #12 had she lost.) Sorana Cirstea,
who was defending 160 points, will very likely lose her
Top Fifty spot.

Singles - First Round: (8) Marion Bartoli def. (Q)
Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-3
Marion Bartoli still has 800 points to defend, but her
chances of staying #8 look surprisingly good. It's just
that she will have a hard time climbing much.

Singles - First Round: Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. (12)
Sabine Lisicki 6-4 6-3
More evidence that Sabine Lisicki came back too soon.
She will fall at least one ranking spot, to #14, and it
may be more.

Singles - First Round: (15) Dominika Cibulkova def. (WC)
Kristina Mladenovic 6-2 6-1
Dominika Cibulkova lost her opener last year, so this
gives her a fair shot at a Top Fifteen ranking.

Singles - First Round: Sofia Arvidsson def. (17) Roberta
Vinci 6-2 4-6 6-3
It really does seem as if Sofia Arvidsson has suddenly,
very late in her career, discovered clay. She looks
likely to hit the Top Fifty -- but Roberta Vinci's Top
Twenty ranking may be in some slight danger.

Singles - First Round: (Q) Lauren Davis def. (30) Mona
Barthel 6-1 6-1
Mona Barthel just can't make it to the Top Thirty.
Indeed, she was defending points this week, so she is
going to fall.

Singles - First Round: (31) Zheng Jie def. Alize Cornet
6-4 6-4
So ends Alize Cornet's hot streak. And she made the
second round last year, so it appears she will fall
below #70.

Singles - First Round: Nina Bratchikova def. (32) Monica
Niculescu 0-6 6-3 6-3
The end of a truly miserable clay season will leave
Monica Niculescu at or a little below #30.

Singles - First Round: Christina McHale def. (Q) Kiki
Bertens 2-6 6-4 6-4
Christina McHale could have been seeded if Vera
Zvonareva hadn't waited so long to withdraw. But she
still manages to add points. As does Kiki Bertens, who
should move above #90.

Singles - First Round: Sloane Stephens def. Ekaterina
Makarova 6-4 7-6(8-6)
Ekaterina Makarova made the fourth found last year, so
she will fall below #50.

Singles - First Round: Olga Govortsova def. Romina
Oprandi 6-4 6-1
A nice start for Olga Govortsova, but she still has 150
points to defend. We'd guess this will keep her Top
Hundred -- but perhaps not by much.

Singles - First Round: (LL) Sesil Karatantcheva def.
Timea Babos 6-1 6-0
Timea Babos will not make the Top Sixty after this. We
suspect she'll be quite glad to finish with clay.
Sesil Karatantcheva earned her main draw spot because
Vera Zvonareva is out -- her shoulder is still too bad.
That almost certainly means that Zvonareva will not be
returning to the Top Ten, even though she is currently
#10 in safe points.