French Open at a glance

TODAY’S FEATURED MATCHES

(world rankings in parentheses)

Andy Roddick (6) vs. Gael Monfils (10), France

Roddick said his recent wedding has no relevance to his season because, for one thing, the ceremony “took all of 15 minutes,” and what a relief. It’s easy to root for guys who don’t make people sit through turgid hourlong vows before getting to the reception.

Serena Williams (2) vs. Aleksandra Wozniak (24), Canada

After Saturday brought a three-set tussle, a third-set bout of hyperventilation, a fierce coughing spell and an opponent who seemingly cheated to get a point, Williams claimed that drama follows her around. She might just be onto something.

Roger Federer (2), Switzerland, vs. Tommy Haas (63), Germany

With Rafael Nadal eerily gone, Federer stands four wins from thorough, rapturous, unvarnished, immortal glory. There’s no pressure or anything.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (9), France, vs. Juan Martin Del Potro (5), Argentina

Tsonga, part of a thrilling French revelation with Monfils, said he heard “people saying I can’t do it” here at Roland Garros. Sheesh, French sports talk radio must be soooo sneering.

Jelena Jankovic (5), Serbia, vs. Sorana Cirstea (41), Romania

Jankovic, possessor of one of the world’s readiest smiles, has a so-so chance to win her first Grand Slam here. Anyone who would begrudge her that is not someone with whom you would want to reside on a regular basis.

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A FRENCH MORSEL

Pressed for one adjective to describe the tennis tours, you might not go too wrong with “vicious.” Here’s this charming young lady from Belgrade, Ana Ivanovic, who won the French Open last year and looked ready to hoard her share of trophies. Then she had the colossal gall to have her caliber drop by half a notch for reasons that remain inexplicable, and look now: She’s an also-ran seeded No. 8 and just shooed from the joint by 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round by Victoria Azarenka, a 19-year-old onrushing former junior sensation from Minsk, Belarus. “With all these young players coming up, I start to feel a little bit old,” Ivanovic said. She’s 21.

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SUNDAY IN PARIS

The apparently remarkable Dinara Safina has gone a stunning 48-5 in games thus far in reaching the quarterfinals, and claims that reaching No. 1 for the first time has decreased the pressure. . . . Andy Murray, the great Scot, continues being deeply impressive, reaching his first French quarterfinal on his worst Grand Slam surface after roaring through tough, 13th-ranked Marin Cilic. . . . Maria Sharapova certainly has tested that rotator cuff plus just about every other muscle and joint, playing the maximum 12 sets to reach the quarterfinals from a layoff-caused ranking of No. 102, after edging Li Na of China, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4. . . . The budding Grand Slam doubles dream of Venus and Serena Williams, Australian Open champions, ended in a third-round classic, a 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-6 (6) loss to countrywoman Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Russia’s Nadia Petrova.

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THE ENDANGERED AMERICAN MALES

The wee United States’ last overmatched scrapper, Roddick, plays a round-of-16 road match today against France’s Gael Monfils, a semifinalist here in 2008 and the world’s No. 10-ranked player. This gives our Roddick, a Nebraska fan during childhood, a chance to try to summon his inner Kansas State and rise up from hopelessness and slay a mastodon country like France.

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STAT OF THE DAY

31-1: Nadal’s record, lifetime, at the French Open. It’s still rather good.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Nadal, on his preparation plans for defending his Wimbledon championship: “Right now, my preparation is for the swimming pool of my house.”

-- Chuck Culpepper