Busy Nadal facing Nieminen challenge

Three-times defending champion Rafael Nadal will be in action for a fourth consecutive day on Friday as the third round gets under way at the French Open.

• The Spanish second seed, whose first-round match spanned two days due to rain before he booked his place in round three on Thursday, faces 26th seed and fellow left-hander Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in the second match on Suzanne Lenglen Court.
• Serbian second seed Ana Ivanovic, runner-up to Justine Henin last year, opens proceedings on Centre Court against Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki.
• Eighth seed Venus Williams continues her bid for a first Roland Garros crown against Italy’s 26th seed Flavia Pennetta in the final match scheduled for Centre Court.
• Venus’s sister Serena, the only former winner in the women’s draw, opens the action on Court Suzanne Lenglen against Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik.
• Novak Djokovic, the Serbian third seed, will look to reach the fourth round for a third consecutive year against unseeded American Wayne Odesnik.