Williams Upholds Top Seeding at French Open

It was 3:15 local time in Paris. Serena Williams, down a set, was a blur of pink and lavender as she galloped after an Anna-Lena Friedsam forehand. As the ball sailed just over the baseline, Williams flung her left hand high in the air and thrust her fingers toward the clouds.

The ball landed out. Williams had just leveled the match at a set apiece.

The familiar, almost desperate "out" gesture spoke volumes about Williams' anxiety on a day of drama and chaos for the WTA at the French Open. It also served as a signal that after a tumultuous start, order was about to be restored. For Williams went on to uphold her top seeding, closing out Friedsam in three sets 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Petra Kvitova had a comparable experience earlier in the day. The No. 4 seed, she once again dropped the first set, hit no aces and committed 54 unforced errors. She was lucky to survive against Silvia Soler Espinosa.

Caroline Wozniacki was not as fortunate. Seeded No. 5, she was belted off the court by Germany's Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6 (4). It did not appear to be a life-altering experience for Wozniacki. During one second-set changeover, she reportedly passed the time by picking red clay from under her fingernails. After the loss, she said: "I would have liked to have been through to the next round, but I'm not. So, you know, I just have to move on, I suppose."

Wozniacki's lack of passion was more than offset by the surfeit of desire on display in the Bullring (Court 1) shortly thereafter.

There, No. 18 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone, two former champions in Paris, reprised their 2011 4-hour, 44-minute "Battle of Melbourne." That match still remains the longest Grand Slam singles match between women. This one ended up the third longest in French Open history, at 3 hours, 50 minutes. Schiavone won this one as well, 6-7 (11), 7-5, 10-8.

The No. 12 seed also stumbled out early on this windy Thursday in Paris. Karolina Pliskova was beaten by No. 99 Andreea Mitu.

Friedsam, a good mover with a dangerous forehand, pushed Williams all around the court early in the first set. Williams looked so disgruntled that at one point the French crowd showered her with boos. Williams noticed, and later she told reporters, "I was not very professional."

Williams wasn't especially interested in laying out any areas of concern following her long fight back. By the end, she was looking solid. "A win is a win," Williams said. She also challenged the convenient assumption that she's subject to a lot more pressure than the parade of underdogs who have nothing to lose when they face her at majors.

Friedsam, for example, won just one main-tour match this year before qualifying for the French Open. In some ways, Williams feels free to swing away with nothing to lose.

"If I'd have lost that match, I still would have Wimbledon in a few weeks," she reminded everyone. "So it's a different mindset for me, as well."

Williams clarified her statement, explaining that she's just looking for Grand Slam title No 20. She feels she's "totally capable" of bagging it. But even if Williams fails to win another, she's not likely to be depressed about it. "I think having that [attitude] has really been able to calm me down in general and been able to make me be able to play better."