PREVIEW: Murray faces tough test against specialist Chela

By Bill Scott May 23, 2009, 15:07 GMT

Paris - Andy Murray will put his clay court fitness to a first-round test as he begins his French Open campaign against noted Argentine grinder Juan Chela.

The fourth year of a Sunday start will test Murray's 3-1 record in the series as they clash on clay for the first time.

The Scottish world number 3 has a surprisingly strong 10-5 record against players from the South American nation, standing 2-2 in clay meetings.

Murray began his clay season with a surprise Monte Carlo semi- final showing, exited early in Rome and got the last week's Madrid quarters, where he lost to Juan Del Potro.

'I've obviously played well the last few months, and my ranking's got up there with those guys,' said Murray. 'But I haven't played necessarily my best tennis on clay, but I have played much better so far this year.'

'Chela's obviously a tough clay court player. He had a bad injury last year and he's come back this year and is playing well. I think he's made the second week here quite a few times, so I definitely can't afford to look past him.'

Seventh seed Gilles Simon will be first to feel the fabled home pressure at Roland Garros as the Frenchman starts with Wayne Odesnik.

Simon will need a quick lift after winning just four of his 11 clay matches so far this spring, including going 0-3 at this week's ARAG World Team Championship in Duesseldorf.

France's Florent Serra will face the might of Spanish eighth seed Fernando Verdasco in a showcase first-round.

Australian Lleyton Hewitt will hope to make a run from his current 50th ranking as he opens against Ivo Karlovic, the No.29 seed from Croatia.

Hewitt's comeback from hip surgery last August was boosted when he won a Houston clay title in April, but the 28-year-old found it tough to get wildcards.

He got only four European matches on the surface, going 2-2 including a loss to Marat Safin in Monte Carlo.

Karlovic has won each of their three matches, most famously when he upset defending champion Hewitt in the first round of Wimbledon in 2003.

The Aussie twice reached Paris quarter-finals (2001, 2004). In 2008 he lost in the third round over five sets to Spaniard David Ferrer.

In women's play, Ana Ivanovic begins her title defence against Italian Sara Errani, with the Serb world number eight confident that game is up to the task after several weeks of inactivity due to a knee injury.

'It wasn't ideal having to have some days off,' said the player who missed the required event in Madrid. 'I had to do lots of rehab on it, but match-wise, I think last year I had maybe one more match than I had this year, so it's something positive to look at.

'I put lots of hard work in before, doing some rehab on the bike, so I don't feel like I lost any match fitness.'

French 16th seed Amelie Mauresmo, now with nothing to lose after never performing up to expectations in the Roland Garros cauldron, faces German Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Her last second-week appearance was a 2004 quarter-final.