© 2012 Daily Tennis News Wire -
Roland Garros Men's Sunday Summary
Paris, France

Roland Garros
Singles - First Round: (5) J Tsonga def. And. Kuznetsov 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has a big lead in the contest for #5, but it feels as if he'll need to play better than this to stay there.

Singles - First Round: (9) J del Potro def. A Montanes 6-2 6-7(5-7) 6-2 6-1
Juan Martin del Potro had to have the trainer out at the end of the second set to help with his knee. It was amazing how quickly the painkillers kicked in -- placebo effect, maybe. Albert Montanes is doubtless wishing it had taken longer, because Montanes was defending fourth round points and is going to fall to around #100 -- and that with the clay season just about over.

Singles - First Round: (14) F Verdasco def. S Darcis 6-3 6-2 7-6(7-4)
Fernando Verdasco continues to make his Olympic case. Steve Darcis, who last year made the third round as a qualifier, will probably fall below #70.

Singles - First Round: (18) S Wawrinka def. F Cipolla 6-3 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-2
A very tough start, considering that Stanislas Wawrinka made the quarterfinal last year; he will almost certainly need at least one more win to stay Top 25.

Singles - First Round: (21) M Cilic def. D Munoz-de la Nava 6-4 6-4 7-5
This won't put Marin Cilic back in the Top Twenty, but he doesn't have anything to defend; it won't take much more.

Singles - First Round: N Mahut def. (26) A Roddick 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-2
How much of this is attributable to clay, how much to rust, and how much to Nicolas Mahut we don't know. But this means that Andy Roddick will stay stuck below #30. Possibly significantly below. His Wimbledon seed is in real danger. And while he can't have expected to do much here, he surely is hoping for luck on the grass....

Singles - First Round: M Berrer def. (30) J Melzer 6-7(5-7) 4-6 6-2 6-2 6-3
Jurgen Melzer wasn't defending much, but this almost certainly means no return to the Top Thirty.

Singles - First Round: J Ferrero def. J Dasnieres De Veigy 6-1 6-4 6-3
Juan Carlos Ferrero wasn't even able to play last year, so this might be enough to put him in the Top Forty. One more win would just about guarantee it.

Singles - First Round: F Fognini def. A Mannarino 6-0 7-5 6-1
Fabio Fognini made the quarterfinal last year, so he needs more than this to stay Top Fifty.

Singles - First Round: E Roger-Vasselin def. V Pospisil 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-2
This is, in a way, a milestone for Edouard Roger-Vasselin: He needed wildcards here in 2007, 2010, and 2011, and didn't play the main draw in 2008 or 2009. So it was big for him to get direct entry. And, by winning, he makes it more likely that he'll get direct entry next time!

Singles - First Round: G Muller def. I Sijsling 2-6 7-5 3-6 6-4 8-6
If Gilles Muller makes the Top Fifty this week, which he might, he'll have earned it -- this was the third five-setter of the tournament, but the first to make it past 6-6 in the third. Although Kevin Anderson is currently at 7-7 in the fifth with Rui Machado, so there will be at least one more....

Singles - First Round: C Stebe def. J Souza 6-3 2-0, retired
Not the most memorable way for Cedrik-Marcel Stebe to earn his first Sam win, but it's a win....

Singles - First Round: N Devilder def. F Krajinovic 6-2 6-2 6-0
It looks as if this will be this year's match with the lowest combined ranking of the two players. Good news for Nicolas Devilder, who earns his first ATP win since Wimbledon 2009.

Singles - First Round: P Andujar def. V Hanescu 6-1 2-6 1-6 6-3 6-1
Victor Hanescu remains well below #100. This will probably be the last slam for a while at which he has direct entry.