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Kuznetsova Determined to Win
Nikolay Davydenko saw off Thomas Johansson yesterday and advanced to the second round of the French Open tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina eased to the second round as well. The rain was the main protagonist at Roland Garros for two days running, breaking its schedule again and again.
Protecting themselves under umbrellas and waiting for the matches to continue after the rainy breakes are the current concerns of spectators at Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Of 128 singles to be played in three days, less than a half was completed by midday Tuesday. Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina (along with their opponents) were the only ones that managed to end their matches in the afternoon.
In-form Kuznetsova faced Japan's Aiko Nakamura in the first round. The match wasn’t spectacular, as the difference in class was too evident. Once it was over, Svetlana had to withstand the attack of reporters – with the better part of matches cancelled due to the rain, the winners were scarce yesterday. The Russian said she had a chat with Justine Henin a couple of weeks ago and Henin inspired her by saying that it could be her year.
On the same day, Russia’s Dinara Safina defeated Katerina Bondarenko 6-1 6-3 in 62 minutes.
The break caused by the rain didn’t particularly bother fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, who won the first two sets from Sweden's Thomas Johansson before it. Back on the court, Davydenko immediately engineered the break point and took the serve of Johansson in the ninth game. The final score was 6-3 6-3 6-3 and Davydenko is through to the second round.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 28, 2008
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