Tursunov could play Federer in third round of French

Roger Federer seeks his second French Open title.
2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   No. 31 seed Dmitry Tursunov, a Russian veteran based in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, could meet fourth seed and 2009 champion Roger Federer in the third round of the French Open.
   But it won't be easy for Tursunov to get that far.
   The draw for the year's second Grand Slam tournament, scheduled for Sunday through June 8 in Paris, was held Friday. 
   Tursunov has a deceptively tough first-round match against qualifier Potito Starace, a 32-year-old Italian ranked No. 178, on Sunday. Tursunov, 31, has never won a set in three career matches, including two on clay, against Starace.
   They met 10 years ago in the first round of the French Open, with Starace cruising 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. Clay is Starace's best surface and the hard-hitting Tursunov's worst.
   The Tursunov-Starace survivor could face Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native and former Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis, in the second round. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey, ranked 64th, will play another 32-year-old Italian, No. 97 Filippo Volandri, for the first time on Sunday.
   Stanford graduate Bradley Klahn will play wild card Axel Michon of France in a first-round clash of 23-year-olds. Klahn is ranked No. 73 and Michon No. 206. The winner will meet either 19th-seeded Kevin Anderson, a 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) ex-Capital from South Africa, or Stephane Robert of France.
   Tursunov has won only one set in four career matches, all on hardcourts, against Federer. They met for the first time in six years in March at Indian Wells, with the 32-year-old Swiss star prevailing 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2) in the third round.
   Querrey is 2-2 lifetime, also all on hardcourts, against Tursunov. Querrey won the last meeting 7-5, 6-4 in the first round at Brisbane in January.
   The best results of Tursunov and the 26-year-old Querrey, also a hard hitter, at the French Open are third-round appearances in 2006 and 2008 (Tursunov) and last year (Querrey).
   USTA National Hardcourts -- The deadline to enter the United States Tennis Association National Open Hard Court Championships in San Diego is Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (PDT).   
   The national tournament, which will feature some of the top Open division players in the country, is scheduled for June 2-8 at the Balboa Tennis Club.
   The tournament offers men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. The entry fee is $65 for singles and $43 per player for doubles.
   “Unlike other national tennis tournaments, which are limited to certain age groups, this event is open to everyone,” said tournament director Colleen Clery Ferrell.  “We had more than 160 entries last year with players ranging from an 11-year-old junior to a 70-year-old senior competitor.”
   Clery Ferrell encourages all players interested in playing in the national championship to register as soon as possible before the deadline. To register, go to http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=138230