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Seeded 13th and with genuine aspirations of becoming the
first Frenchwoman to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since Mary
Pierce in 2000, Mladenovic faces Italian clay-court specialist
Sara Errani in a tough second round encounter.
After playing through the pain barrier of a pulled back muscle
to overcome American Jennifer Brady in a marathon three-set
first round encounter, the popular 24-year-old promised the
crowd she would "fight until the end".
In the absence of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova,
Mladenovic has been tipped as one of the favourites for the
tournament after reaching finals in Stuttgart and Madrid, but
her path to the title remains littered with dangerous opponents.
Tsonga's title aspirations are less realistic but the atmosphere
on Philippe Chatrier will be at fever pitch when he resumes his
first round clash against Argentina's Renzo Olivio
two-sets-to-one down and serving at 4-5 in the fourth.
Just one poor game could end the dynamic 32-year-old's Paris
adventure for another year, but a recovery in a match the 12th
seed came close to losing in straight sets might kick-start a
run in a tournament whose semi-finals he graced two years ago.
Elsewhere, men's title favorite Rafa Nadal takes on Dutchman
Robin Haase later in the day on the same court, while defending
champion Novak Djokovic faces Portugal's Joao Sousa over on
Suzanne Lenglen.
(Editing by John O'Brien)
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