No feet of clay for China's aces

Paris surface no longer a problem as domestic stars shine in first round

The idea that clay is the Achilles heel of Chinese tennis players is being put firmly to bed in Paris.

With four of five Chinese players finishing on the winning side after the first day's play, this year's French Open is serving up a strong argument against the long-perceived notion that clay-court tennis doesn't suit the hard-court-dependent Chinese.

At least, it certainly wasn't the case on Sunday, as China's domestic stars prevailed at Roland Garros on the slow-paced, high-bounce dirt surfaces that very few of them had access to early on in their careers.