NOTEBOOK From Roland Garros

Beating the rain: First, Nikolay Davydenko thought he might miss his match altogether. Then, he was worried rain wouldn’t let him finish it. Seeded fourth at the French Open, Davydenko beat Stefano Galvani of Italy 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in the only men’s match completed Monday. Davydenko and Galvani were both smiling as they finished in a heavy downpour. What was Davydenko thinking near the end? “Play faster,” the Russian said. Theirs was the first match scheduled for Court 1, with an 11 a.m. start, and Davydenko got caught in traffic on the way to Roland Garros from a practice court. “I didn’t take a shower, [didn’t] change clothes,” said Davydenko, semifinalist at the 2005 French Open. “Straight to the court.” However, after they warmed up, the match was delayed by rain. The players walked off the court and didn’t start until about three hours later. Two days into the clay-court tournament, only 14 matches were finished. While speed around the court is considered one of Davydenko’s strengths, he thinks Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo are the best in the game. “For 100 meters, maybe I lose to everybody,” Davydenko said.

Shop ’til you drop (shot): Li Na is thinking more about the Champs-Elysees than the red clay. The 16th-seeded Chinese player advanced to the second round of the French Open by beating Sandra Kloesel of Germany 7-6 (4), 6-0 Monday. But if Li loses her next match, she’ll head to central Paris and its famed shopping avenue. “I don’t like clay, but I like Paris, you know, because I love the shopping,” Li said with a laugh. “So for me, if I lose the match, I just go shopping.” Li reached the third round at Roland Garros last year, when she also got to Wimbledon’s quarterfinals.

Associated Press