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‘King of Clay’ Nadal starts bid for 11th French Open title

PARIS — Rafael Nadal headlines the second day at the French Open, beginning his bid for an 11th title at Roland Garros.
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Rafael Nadal is working on his bid for an 11th title at the French Open. (Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

PARIS — Rafael Nadal headlines the second day at the French Open, beginning his bid for an 11th title at Roland Garros.

The “King of Clay” is 79-2 in Paris and is the title favourite again. He has lost only one match on his favourite surface this season, claiming titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.

The top-ranked Spaniard faces Simone Bolelli of Italy on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Seventh-seeded Dominic Thiem, the only player to beat Nadal this season on clay, is also on the day’s busy program, taking on Ilya Ivashka of Belarus on Court 1.

Former champion Novak Djokovic, the No. 20 seed, is up against Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil.

In women’s play, No. 2 seed Caroline Wozniacki takes on American Danielle Collins, while two-time champion Maria Sharapova faces Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands.