Qualifying draw, Daniela's section:


Daniela starts with Anna Tatishvili, the number seven seed in qualifying. She's ranked 109 and her best win this year was beating Siegemund in Miami qualifying and that's her only top 100 win this year. She also beat Karolina Pliskova at the US Open last year which is easily her best recent win and she also beat Dodin in Luxembourg. Most of the time she's played ITFs and she's had reasonable enough results there although she lost in the first round of her last tournament in Trnava to 311 ranked Vondrousova. She's someone that Daniela can beat but at the same time she can beat Daniela. It's been so long since Daniela's played so it's tough to have a gauge of her form but she should be rested and refreshed. We'll see what happens.

It feels so strange to be talking about Daniela being in qualifying for a slam as this is her first time since 2000.

We like to party! Daniela gets it done 6-2 7-5!

Dani was brilliant in the 1st, terrific on 1st serve. She ripped the last 4 games of the set, then the first two of the 2nd. Anna broke back, the only time our gal dropped serve all day. From there, it was good old fashioned Maalox Melodrama. Daniela missed on a number of break points, and then at 5-4 and 6-5 at least 4 MP's, finally connecting to end it. I say at least 4 because the Roland Garros live score was horrible, skipping as many as 3 points after excruciating waits.

This took place while I was at a character breakfast at Disney World. It's been a vacation I have not been enjoying all that much. But right now, Disney World is again the happiest place on earth! Thanks, Dani.

Daniela plays Barbora Stefkova next who beat Jaksic in straight sets. Stefkova got to the final of an ITF in Istanbul last month although that was on hardcourt and she also got to the final of an ITF in Australia on grass. Those are her best results this year and she lost in the first round of her last two clay tournaments to Hlavackova at 181 and Eguchi at 195. Jaksic gave Daniela a tough match here two years ago and Stefkova beat her so she's got to be respected. We'll see how Daniela feels after today.

Chasing former glories: Hantuchova, Kanepi on road back

By Matt Trollope on Tuesday 17 May 2016
Once highly-ranked Grand Slam forces, Daniela Hantuchova and Kaia Kanepi languish in unfamiliar territory, but managed to score wins in qualifying on Tuesday.

Daniela Hantuchova and Kaia Kanepi are not used to battling it out on the back courts of Roland Garros in qualifying.
Both were once highly-ranked stars; Hantuchova a former world No.5 and two-time winner at Indian Wells, Kanepi a five-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist and former world No.15. In 2012, the pair faced off in the final of the Brisbane International, a prestigious Premier-level warm-up event for the Australian Open.

On Tuesday in Paris, there was no large show court crammed with spectators, or the prospect of matches carrying large sums of ranking points and prize money. Instead, the two veterans were on Court No.8 and No.17 respectively, yet despite the more modest environment, they did what they have spent large chunks of their careers doing - winning in straight sets.

Hantuchova, now 33, overcame American Anna Tatishvili in a battle between two impressive ball-strikers. The Slovak breezed through the first set yet found Tatishvili a tougher test in the second. Searching, probing rallies ensued, and five match points came and went, yet a final forehand winner allowed Hantuchova to seal a 6-2 7-5 victory.

After 15 consecutive years in the year-end top 100 - and 13 as a top 35-ranked player from 2002 to 2013 - Hantuchova has since slipped to world No.172. Yet despite having to contest qualifying for the first time at Roland Garros in her distinguished career, she insisted she was still enjoying her tennis.

"Actually I'm probably enjoying it much more than ever before," she said.

"I had no expectations coming here. Years before, I was always expecting so much from myself and trying to make sure that every practice was perfect and all this, that I forgot to actually enjoy the city and being able to be here.

"Going all the way down (the rankings) it does make you appreciate things much more and gives me a totally different perspective. Now I can realise what I've done right and what I've done wrong, and I'm just extremely happy that I'm still able to play. I just love playing, so why not?"

She spent some time reminiscing about her best results at Roland Garros. There was a fourth-round loss to the great Monica Seles in 2002, her first outing on Court Philippe Chatrier. There was her win over then-world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in the third round in 2011, which she believes was the best match she ever played.

Hantuchova believes she's an even better player now than she was compared to her halcyon days of top-five fame and regularly reaching the second week in Paris. Having overcome some injury niggles, she hopes to take advantage of her good health and start playing and practising more effectively.

She'll attempt to continue on this positive trajectory when she takes on Barbora Stefkova in the second round of qualifying.

"I'm much more aware of what I have to do on the court, how I have to manage to get through the matches. Of course, the game got so much faster, so much stronger, so that's where I still have to find a way how to get through. But it's a challenge that I really like to compete against and see where I can go from here."

Good win 6-2 6-1. Gets Brady in the final qualifying round,who I have never seen play.

A good solid win by Daniela, she won the first set easily and didn't let up in the second to win it 6-1. She could actually have won 6-0 as she had 3 BPs in Stefkova's first service game where Stefkova eventually held and Daniela also had to save 2 BPs on her last service game from 15-40 but she won the last 8 points of the match.

A good quick win that won't have taken too much out of Daniela.


Daniela plays Jennifer Brady in the final round. Brady's actually in form at the moment as she won an Indian Harbour Beach ITF on clay in her previous tournament, beating Tatishvili along the way, and she also beat Krunic in the first round of qualifying. Brady's played most of her tournaments on clay this year so she's used to the surface although pretty much all of her tournaments have been ITFs. She's got some momentum and confidence so she has to be respected.

Great few days from Daniela although I am nervous about tomorrow against Brady.

Hopefully Daniela will bring her A game and Brady will be nervous.

The good thing is that Daniela's earned 30 points this week so that's going to help her ensure she can play qualifications at Wimbledon.