Today I had my first round match, the round of 16 against a German player, Marion Von Gerlach. She moved well and ran down a lot of dropshots…enough so that I had to change my strategy and hit deeper as she was moving forward. We had some nice points and it was a good first round. The courts are quite slippery…when I warmed up earlier I was asked what the tread was on my shoes and was told they were good for clay…they may be but the courts are hard underneath with a slippery coating of clay on top. It’s the same for everyone though.

Tomorrow I play the #5 seed, who plays in the same club team as Marion. Her name is Brigitte Friedl and I watched her play most of her second set today. She’s quite tall and slender and has a big forehand and good backhand.

Canadians Taras Beyko and Denis Dumas had different results today; Taras won easily and Denis lost to a German player.

There was a nice player dinner tonight, with champagne (for those who imbibe), and grilled salmon and sausages and salads.

No photos today, but I hope to get in some action shots tomorrow.