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Jankovic, Venus advance at French Open

Mon 26th, May 2008

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Third-seeded Serbian star Jelena Jankovic and former runner-up Venus Williams were a pair of first-round winners Monday at the French Open.

The 2007 French Open semifinalist Jankovic held off Romanian lucky-loser Monica Niculescu 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, while the eighth-seeded Williams outlasted Israeli Tzipora Obziler 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 on Day 2 on the clay at Stade Roland Garros. The six-time major titlist Williams is the reigning Wimbledon champ and lost to her younger sister Serena in the 2002 French Open final. Jankovic, who is among the tournament favorites here, was a clay-court titlist in Rome earlier this month.

In other action involving top-16 seeds, No. 10 Swiss Patty Schnyder shut down Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-3, 6-4 and No. 12 Hungarian Agnes Szavay held off Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Czech Petra Cetkovska erased 23rd-seeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-0, while 32nd-seeded Italian Karin Knapp handled German Martina Muller 6-0, 6-4.

Additional opening-round wins came for Russian qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Croatian qualifier Jelena Pandzic, Argentine Gisela Dulko, France's Emilie Loit, and Swiss Timea Bacsinszky.

The 2008 French Open champ will pocket more than $1.5 million.

Where the players come to play and STAY.