Birthday girl Justine Henin-Hardenne and former world number one Lleyton Hewitt moved into the French Open third round on Thursday, booking their places before the rains returned to swamp Roland Garros.
Belgium's Henin-Hardenne, the fifth seed and defending champion, celebrated her 24th birthday in miserable weather conditions as she laboured to beat Anastasia Yakimova of Belarus 6-2, 7-5.
She next plays the winner of the tie between Alize Cornet of France and Tathiana Garbin of Italy for a place in the last 16. "I don't remember a day like this before when I played under the rain and I was freezing," she said.
"It was very cold and I had to put on long sleeves in the second set. It was like being in Belgium in November." Hewitt and former women's champion Anastasia Myskina, two players with plenty to prove, also moved into the third round well before rain, which disrupted play on Wednesday, returned causing a lenghty interruption.
Hewitt overcame a difficult first set before seeing off French wildcard Mathieu Montcourt 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 and now faces Slovakian 22nd seed Domimik Hrbaty for a place in the last 16. The 25-year-old Hewitt played his first clay court match in two years in Austria last week, lost in the first round and suffered an ankle injury.
But after saving a set point in the 10th game on Thursday, Hewitt was never really troubled by an opponent ranked 213 in the world and who was playing in his first tour event.
"It was a tough first set," said Hewitt. "I knew nothing about him before the match so it took time to work him out. But once I got the first set under my belt, I got better as the match went on."
Myskina, the 2004 winner who suffered the embarrassment of becoming the first defending women's champion to be knocked out in the first round 12 months later, eased past Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-2, 6-4. The Russian tenth seed now takes on Serbian 19th seed Ana Ivanovic who beat Emilie Loit of France 6-1, 6-1 for a place in the fourth round. Ivanovic reached the quarter-finals here in 2005 accounting for Amelie Mauresmo in the process. Daniela Hantuchova, the Slovakian 15th seed, defeated Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to make the last 32.
Also going through in early action were Czech 11th seed Radek Stepanek, the runner-up at the Hamburg Masters two weeks ago, who beat Davide Sanguinetti of Italy 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. Olivier Rochus of Belgium, the 27th seed, saw off Jiri Vanek of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-0, 6-2.
He will face Spain's Alberto Martin, the conqueror of Andy Roddick, for a place in the last 16.
Martin beat Dieter Kindlmann of Germany 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Tommy Robredo, the Spanish seventh seed, went through beating Serbian qualifier Ilia Bozoljac 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 and now faces Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic. Two men's seeds were knocked out.
Argentinian qualifier Martin Vassallo Arguello accounted for the 21st seed, Sebastien Grosjean of France, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Marcos Baghdatis, the 19th seeded Cypriot, who made the Australian Open final in January, lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4 to Frenchman Julien Benneteau. Britain's interest in the tournament ended when Tim Henman was knocked out by Russian 31st seed Dmitry Tursunov. Henman went down 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in a match held over from It was his third successive loss to Tursunov in the last three Grand Slam tournaments.
Later Thursday, defending men's champion Rafael Nadal, the second seed, facies Amercian lucky loser Kevin Kim.
MEN'S SINGLES SECOND ROUND: Radek Stepanek (CZE x11) bt Davide Sanguinetti (ITA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1; Olivier Rochus (BEL x27) bt Jiri Vanek (CZE) 6-2, 6-0, 6-2; Alberto Martin (ESP) bt Dieter Kindlmann (GER) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x14) bt Mathieu Montcourt (FRA) 7-5, 6-3, 6-3; Martin Vassallo Arguello (ARG) bt Sebastien Grosjean (FRA x21) 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2; Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP x19) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4; Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x31) bt Tim Henman (GBR) 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; Tommy Robredo (ESP x7) bt Ilia Bozoljac (SEM) 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Dominik Hrbaty (SVK x22) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5, 6-2. WOMEN'S SINGLES SECOND ROUND: Ana Ivanovic (SEM x19) bt Emilie Loit (FRA) 6-1, 6-1; Anastasia Myskina (RUS x10) bt Melinda Czink (HUN) 6-2, 6-4; Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x15) bt Emmanuelle Gagliardi (SUI) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Shenay Perry (USA) bt Akiko Morigami (JPN) 6-3, 6-0; Gisela Dulko (ARG x32) bt Yuliana Fedak (UKR) 6-2, 6-4; Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL x5) bt Anastasiya Yakimova (BLR) 6-2, 7-5; Shahar Peer (ISR x31) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 6-2, 6-3.
MEN'S SINGLES SECOND ROUND: Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x6) bt Flavio Saretta (BRA) 6-2, 4-1 retired; Carlos Moya (ESP x30) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Tomas Berdych (CZE x20) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 6-3, 6-1, 6-1; Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Alejandro Falla (COL) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3; Nicolas Massu (CHI x32) bt Max Mirnyi (BLR) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4; Nicolas Kiefer (GER x13) bt Marc Gicquel (FRA) 6-0, 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 11-9; Albert Montanes (ESP) bt Stefano Galvani (ITA) 7-5, 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 6-4; Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) bt Jose Acasuso (ARG x26) 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-1; Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP x24) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; David Nalbandian (ARG x3) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0; Raemon Sluiter (NED) bt Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 6-1, 6-4, 6-1; Mario Ancic (CRO x12) bt Paul Capdeville (CHI) 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Gaston Gaudio (ARG x10) bt Evgeny Korolev (RUS) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4;Sebastien Grosjean (FRA (x21) leads Martin Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 - match suspended; to be completed Thursday; Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x31) leads Tim Henman (GBR) 6-3, 6-2 - match suspended to be completed Thursday;
Tommy Robredo (ESP x 7) leads Ilia Bozoljac (SCG) 7-5, 6-2, 1-3 - match suspended; to be completed Thursday.
WOMEN'S SINGLES FIRST ROUND: Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
SECOND ROUND: Dinara Safina (RUS x14) bt Hana Sromova (CZE) 6-0, 6-2; Aravane Rezai (FRA) bt Ai Sugiyama (JPN x22) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Katarina Srebotnik (SLO x24) bt Ashley Harkleroad (USA) 6-3, 6-2; Flavia Pennetta (ITA x17) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-1, 6-0; Jelena Jankovic (SEM) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA x25) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1; Li Na (CHN) bt Anna Chakvetadze (RUS x27) 7-5, 6-3; Nicole Vaidisova (CZE x16) bt Sun Tiantian (CHN) 6-1, 6-3; Maria Sharapova (RUS x4) bt Iveta Benesova (CZE) 6-4, 6-1; Amelie Mauresmo (FRA x1) bt Vera Dushevina (RUS) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5); Francesca Schiavone (ITA x9) bt Martina Muller (GER) 6-2, 6-2; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS X8) bt Mara Santangelo (ITA) 7-5, 6-2; Alicia Molik (AUS) bt Anda Perianu (ROM) 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3; Julia Vakulenko (UKR) bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE x29) 6-1, 7-5; Patty Schnyder (SUI x7) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) 6-4, 6-2; Venus Williams (USA x11) bt Emma Laine (FIN) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2; Karolina Sprem (CRO) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-4, 4-3 - retired.