FRENCH OPEN NOTEBOOK From Paris

Shadow: It’s not easy to stand in the shadow of Roger Federer. Ask any tennis fan to name a Swiss player ranked in the top 10, and almost everyone will give a quick answer: “Federer.” But Stanislas Wawrinka has also cracked the list, and he joined Federer in the second round of the French Open on Tuesday.

“Today I served really well, especially on the important points, on the difficult ones,” said Wawrinka, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. “It also helped me feel more confident, more reassured.” In the third set, Wawrinka hit three aces in a row to even the score at 2. “They can be a very strong weapon, especially if your serves allow you to win points easily,” said Wawrinka, whose best showing at the clay-court major was reaching the third round in 2005. He did win the junior title at the 2003 French Open, however, and also reached the final at this year’s Rome Masters. “It makes me much more self-confident,” Wawrinka said. “If I am ranked now at that level, it’s because I’ve won some matches. I’ve beaten some opponents.” Federer, who advanced to the second round on Monday, has high hopes for his Davis Cup teammate. “For him, it was just a matter of time, and now at Roland Garros this year he will be able to play well,” Federer said. “I can tell you that in the past he had a difficult draw here at Roland Garros, so I hope that he will produce a good performance.”

Harder at home: Olivia Sanchez, like most tennis players from France, really starts to feel the pressure when the French Open comes around. After losing in the first round last year, the 25-year-old Parisian nearly decided to never again play at Roland Garros. “I’m a very emotional girl, and when I play at home with my family, my friends, I put so much pressure on myself that I never really play well,” Sanchez said. “So I had decided never to play in Paris again.” Luckily for Sanchez, she changed her mind. On Tuesday, Sanchez advanced to the second round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time by beating Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8).

“This means also I’m going to be among the top 100, which was my objective,” said Sanchez, currently ranked 114th. “So everything is well.”

Associated Press