FRENCH OPEN '17: Djokovic, Muguruza try to defend titles

PARIS (AP) - A glance at the French Open, the year's second Grand Slam tennis tournament:

SITE: Roland Garros.

SURFACE: Red clay.

SCHEDULE: Main-draw play begins Sunday. The 15-day tournament closes with the women's singles final June 10 and the men's singles final June 11.

2016 MEN'S SINGLES CHAMPION: Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

2016 WOMEN'S SINGLES CHAMPION: Garbine Muguruza of Spain.

LAST YEAR: Djokovic became the first man in nearly a half-century to win four consecutive major tennis championships, completing a career Grand Slam, by beating Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. It was Djokovic's 12th appearance at Roland Garros and his fourth final. Muguruza won her first major trophy, defeating Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

KEY STATISTIC I: 9 - Record number of French Open titles for Rafael Nadal, who is favored by many to collect No. 10 this year.

KEY STATISTIC II: 3 - Women in the field who are past French Open champions (Muguruza, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Francesca Schiavone); neither Serena Williams (pregnant) nor Maria Sharapova (ranking not high enough after doping suspension; denied a wild card) will play in Paris.

PRIZE MONEY: Total prize fund is nearly 36 million euros (about $40 million), a 12 percent increase from 2016, with 2.1 million euros (about $2.35 million) each for the men's and women's singles champions.

SUNDAY'S KEY MATCHES: Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will play for the first time since being stabbed during an attack in her home in December, facing 86th-ranked Julie Boserup of the U.S. in the tournament's first match in the main stadium. That will be followed by No. 1-seeded Angelique Kerber against Ekaterina Makarova. Other matchups to keep an eye on include 38-year-old Ivo Karlovic against 18-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, and 15-year-old American wild-card entry Amanda Anisimova against an opponent a decade older. Also in action: Venus Williams, the 2002 runner-up.

SUNDAY'S FORECAST: Partly cloudy with a high of 90 degrees (32 Celsius).

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Online: http://www.rolandgarros.com/index.html

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