Ljubicic, Wildcard Monfils Win at WTA Metz

"The court is slow, the balls are heavy and he started off really well," Ljubicic said. "I was very consistent with my serve and I waited for my opportunities that came in the second set. In the third, he miss one or two shots in the tiebreak that decided on the match."

But the biggest surprise for the homecountry fans was 18-year-old wildcard Gael Monfils, defeating No. 2 seed Xavier "X-Man" Malisse with the Belgian retiring with an elbow injury after the two split sets.

"I am very pleased to be in the next round obviously," Monfils said of an ATP win in his debut. "However this is not as if I had won the match. Xavier retired and I think if he had kept he still had good chances of defeating me."

Monfils is one of only four players to have won three slams in a year, and the first since Stefan Edberg in 1983.

Other winners on the day were all French in Gregory Carraz (d. Arthurs 7-6 in the third, saving a match point), qualifier Jerome Haehnel (d. (Q) Gicquel), wildcard Richard Gasquet (d. Dupuis in three, saving a match point), and Arnaud Clement (d. countryman Olivier "Mucus" Mutis).

On court Thursday are Olivier "All We Need is Just a Little" Patience vs. (WC) Monfils in an all-French, Carraz vs. Corretja, Mathieu vs. (Q) Serra in an all-French, and (6) Julien "United Colors of" Benneteau vs. Jeff "Baby Krajicek" Morrison.