French Open: Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova eye last 32

Roger Federer, the 2009 winner, and defending women's champion Maria Sharapova target places in the French Open third round on Wednesday. Second seed Federer, comfortably in the other half of the draw to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, faces Spanish claycourter Marcel Granollers on Court Suzanne Lenglen

Paris: Roger Federer, the 2009 winner, and defending women's champion Maria Sharapova target places in the French Open third round on Wednesday. Second seed Federer, comfortably in the other half of the draw to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, faces Spanish claycourter Marcel Granollers on Court Suzanne Lenglen.


Roger Federer. Pic/AFP 

Federer has defeated Granollers in all of their three previous meetings. Sharapova, the 2012 and 2014 champion, faces Russian Fed Cup teammate Vitalia Diatchenko with the second-round tie opening play on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Diatchenko, the world number 91, is bidding to make the third round for the first time. Fifth seed Kei Nishikori, the only Japanese man left in the draw of the five who started out, meets Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci, who warmed up for Roland Garros with the claycourt title in Geneva last weekend. Romanian third seed Simona Halep, the runner-up to Sharapova in 2014, faces 33-year-old Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who last made the second round in 2002.

Tomas Berdych, the fourth-seeded Czech, takes on Davis Cup winning teammate Radek Stepanek, who at 36 is the oldest man in the draw. French Open order of play on showcourts on Wednesday, the fourth day of the 2015 tournament at Roland Garros (x denotes seeded player; 0900GMT start): Court Philippe Chatrier Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) v Maria Sharapova (RUS x2) Kei Nishikori (JPN x5) v Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) Gaël Monfils (FRA x13) v Diego Schwartzman (ARG) Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x8) v Virginie Razzano (FRA) Court Suzanne Lenglen Samantha Stosur (AUS x26) v Amandine Hesse (FRA) Marcel Granollers (ESP) v Roger Federer (SUI x2) Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) v Simona Halep (ROM x3) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x14) v Dudi Sela (ISR) Court One Martin Klizan (SVK) v Gilles Simon (FRA x12) Alize Cornet (FRA x29) v Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) Radek Stepanek (CZE) v Tomas Berdych (CZE x4) Ana Ivanovic (SRB x7) v Misaki Doi

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