FRENCH OPEN NOTEBOOK From Roland Garros

Money talks: Serena Williams has won more than $11 million playing tennis. Money, however, has not lost its charm for her. Williams is three victories from earning $966,000 as the French Open champion. In January she won $654,000 as the Australian Open champion, and jokingly complained that wasn't enough. "I've always been motivated at the U.S. Open because they always pay a lot," Williams said Sunday. "I mean, this year I think it will probably be $950,000. Who wouldn't want to win that? "But it's tough for tournaments like Australia," she said with a smile. "I definitely play to win the Grand Slam when I go there." When told about her comment, Australian Open champion Andre Agassi said: "My prayer is that I never get to a point in life where I think hundreds of thousands of dollars isn't a lot of money."
Celebrate: When Justine Henin-Hardenne's husband awoke Sunday, he forgot to wish her happy birthday. The oversight made Henin-Hardenne laugh and helped take her mind off the day's challenge: playing in the fourth round at the French Open. "It eased my tension because I thought it was funny," the Belgian said. "It took him a few minutes before he realized." Henin-Hardenne defeated No. 19 Patty Schnyder 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, where she'll play Chanda Rubin. "It's lovely to win on your 21st birthday," said Henin-Hardenne, a 2001 semifinalist at Roland Garros with nine career singles titles.
Late bloomer: Tennis wasn't always the top priority for French Open quarterfinalist Martin Verkerk. "I was pretty lazy about my sport," the 24-year-old Dutchman said. "I enjoyed my time from 18 until 21. ... I've seen everything that a young guy should have seen." He took the advice of coaches and buckled down, nurturing the talent that was evident Sunday when he beat No. 11 Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 to win a spot in the quarters. Not bad for a guy who'd never won a Grand Slam match before last week. Verkerk, who exited the Australian Open and last year's U.S. Open in the first round, faces 1998 French Open winner Carlos Moya next.
Source: Associated Press