Gibbs leads Watson in suspended French Open match

Nicole Gibbs, who starred at Stanford, leads Heather Watson of Great
Britain in the first round of the French Open. 2016 photo by Paul Bauman

   Nicole Gibbs, a former Stanford star from Marina del Rey in the Los Angeles area, led Heather Watson of Great Britain 7-5, 2-6, 2-1 (one service break) on Sunday when rain suspended their first-round match in the French Open in Paris.
   The match is scheduled to resume today after a 2 a.m. PDT men's singles encounter, although rain is forecast again.
   Watson, ranked No. 54, faces more pressure in the match than No. 72 Gibbs. Watson, 24, has points to defend after reaching the second round at Roland Garros last year and is trying to qualify for the Olympics. The 23-year-old Gibbs, who seeks her first career French Open victory, has neither of those issues.
   Watson twice came within two points of stunning Serena Williams in the third round at Wimbledon last year before falling 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. Watson led 3-0 (two service breaks) in the third set and served for the match at 5-4. Williams went on to win the title.
   Sam Querrey, a 28-year-old San Francisco native living in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica, is scheduled to play U.S. wild card Bjorn Fratangelo, who won the 2011 French Open boys singles title, today in the first round.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey is ranked No. 37, and Fratangelo is a career-high No. 104.
   Querrey won the Geneva doubles title last week with fellow Los Angeles-area resident Steve Johnson.