FRENCH OPEN ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Bruised but not beaten: Wrist. Knee. Shoulder. They're all working fine for Kim Clijsters -- so far. The two-time French Open runner-up had considered pulling out of the tournament because of an injury to her right knee -- the latest in a long list of problems that have plagued the Belgian. But the knee was heavily wrapped and gave her no apparent problem in her first-round 6-1, 6-0 win Monday against American qualifier Meilen Tu. "I definitely have my list of things I have to look out for," said Clijsters, a finalist in 2001 and '03. "Wrist, knee, shoulder, that's all a part of it." The 21-year-old spent most of 2004 on the sidelines with a wrist injury. She returned to win back-to-back hard court titles in the United States, only to twist her knee in Berlin earlier this month. The demands of clay-court tennis, which requires longer rallies, don't make the comeback easy, especially when the taped knee restricts her ability to bend. But, as Clijsters noted, she entered the 2003 tournament with a foot injury and made it all the way to the final. "I hope," she said, "that history repeats itself here."
Instant replay: Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport has concerns about the U.S. Open's plans to use instant replay. "Players have to know that it's 100 percent accurate," Davenport said. "If they can promise the players that, then that would be nice. But I don't know if they're going to be able to do that." The USTA hopes to implement a system for electric line-calling aids for umpires at this year's U.S. Open. But the word from USTA officials is that trials of the system have not gone well, Davenport said, and another test is planned in July. Other players have spoken out in favor of the system, notably Serena Williams, who lost to Jennifer Capriati at last year's U.S. Open after several officiating errors. Davenport said she's divided over whether players should have the right to make unlimited challenges on line calls, since some might abuse such a system. But she also said a player should be able to challenge bad calls until the end. Williams, who skipped the French Open because of a bad ankle, has said she thinks players shouldn't be allowed to challenge every call.
Spirit of the games: Paris hopes its bid to host the 2012 Olympics will get some mileage from the French Open. Center court is ringed with "Paris 2012" banners as part of a plan to create an "Olympic atmosphere" at the tournament, bid organizers said. The timing of the French Open couldn't be better for promoting the French capital's Olympic aspirations, with a decision expected July 6. Other cities vying to host the Summer Games are New York, London, Moscow and Madrid.
Associated Press