22 May 2010

Federer may face Soderling again at Roland Garros

8:18 am on 22 May 2010

The defending champion Roger Federer is in line for another meeting with the man he beat in last year's final of the French tennis Open, which starts on Sunday.

The Swiss world number one could face Sweden's Robin Soderling again, this time in the last eight. That's if Federer gets past Australian Peter Luczak in his opening round match.

Other potential opponents include Ernest Gulbis and Albert Montanes, who've both beaten Federer on clay in recent weeks, with a meeting with Andy Murray possible in the semi-finals.

The Scot has a tough opening match against France's Richard Gasquet.

Rafael Nadal's in good form following Masters titles in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid, he plays local Gianni Mina first up.

Among those he could face are fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco and Leighton Hewitt, with the man he's just succeeded as world number two, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, seeded to meet him in the semis.

In the women's event, the four-times champion Justine Henin could face Maria Sharapova in the quarters and Serena Williams in the semis, on her return to the Paris Grand Slam tournament.

The defending champion Svetlana Kuznetzova is in the other half of the draw, with Venus Williams a potential semi-final opponent.