This time, it felt less like "au revoir" and more like farewell for Roger Federer. What may have been the great man's last best chance to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open has come and gone.

On the table in front of her, the French Open trophy glittered. Bold Chinese characters on her T-shirt read: "Sport changes everything."

From badminton hopeful in China to Grand Slam tennis champion on the claycourts of Paris, Li Na's rise to stardom has never been short of unconventional.

A month before the French Open, Marion Bartoli was persona non grata in Paris.

Francesca Schiavone of Italy will defend her French Open title at Roland Garros on Saturday against China's Li Na in a tantalising clash of style between two veterans of the courts.

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray reached the French Open semifinals by beating Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6 (2), 7-5, 6-2 Wednesday, but he's not particularly happy with his game ahead of his match against five-time champion Nadal.

Maybe all the pre-tournament "anyone could win" chatter about the women's championship at Roland Garros was right. After all, No. 3 Vera Zvonareva's loss in the fourth round Sunday, following earlier exits by No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 2 Kim Clijsters, makes this year's French Open the first in the Open era with none of the top three seeded women in the quarterfinals.

Roger Federer cruised into the French Open second round on Monday and then hit out at the decision by Roland Garros organisers to introduce new balls at the tournament.

It's tough to decide what's most impressive about Novak Djokovic's 37-0 record in 2011, the best start in men's tennis in more than a quarter-century.

Francesca Schiavone, the defending champion of the French Open, is having more of a love-hate relationship with her preferred clay surface.