The top-ranked ATP player Roger Federer, when asked to name who he thought would win the French Open, shot back an answer almost as quickly as one of his forehands.
“Kuznetsova,” he said. “I like her game. She plays well.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded third, beat Ekaterina Bychkova in the opening round, then Meghann Shaughnessy in the second, and lastly Dominika Cibulkova to advance to the round four where she will play fifteenth seed Shahar Peer of Israel.
The 21-year-old Russian — a U.S. Open champion in 2004 — reached the final last year, losing to Justine Henin. (source: International Herald Tribune)