Williams sisters seeded 1-2 at French Open

PARIS - Serena and Venus Williams are the French Open's two top-seeded women, and if it seems as though it's been awhile since that was the case at a Grand Slam tournament, that's because it has.

This is the first time the American sisters are seeded 1-2 at a major championship since the 2003 Australian Open.

Plenty has transpired in their lives during the intervening years. Each Williams has dealt with injuries, absences from the tour and drops in the rankings, as well as the shooting death of half-sister Yetunde Price in September 2003.

Yet Venus and Serena keep returning to the heights of their sport. "You know," Serena said, "people have said we would never be No. 1 and No. 2 in the world again. You look, I don't know, 10 years later and . . . we're still doing the best."

When the French Open begins today, second-ranked Venus will play former top-10 player Patty Schnyder of Switzerland to begin a bid for an eighth Grand Slam singles title.

Among active women, only top-ranked Serena, with 12, owns more major trophies than Venus. Having won this season's Australian Open, Serena will be trying to become the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to get halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam.

Still, this season hardly has been perfect for Serena, 28, who is 15 months younger than Venus. After Australia, Serena was off the tour February through April because of a bothersome left knee. Since returning, she is only 4-2 on clay, losing two of her past three matches.

Venus, meanwhile, is 26-4 in 2010, a tour-leading .867 winning percentage, and is coming off a run to the final on clay at Madrid, where she lost to Aravane Rezai of France. Only one woman could overtake Serena at No. 1 in the rankings by the end of the French Open: Venus.

While most everyone anticipates Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to meet in the French Open men's final for the fourth time in five years, the women's event is expected to be far more competitive.

Justine Henin, a four-time champion, is back after missing the French Open in 2008 and 2009 while taking a break from tennis, and she brings with her a 21-match winning streak at Roland Garros that covers her 2005-07 titles. Rezai proved in Madrid she could be factor. Jelena Jankovic beat both Williams sisters en route to the final at Rome on clay. Three-time major champion Maria Sharapova won a clay-court title at Strasbourg yesterday.

Henin, Sharapova and Serena will play their opening matches Monday or Tuesday, and here is one daunting statistic for the Serena's opponent, Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland, to ponder: Williams is 41-0 for her career in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments.

French could be moving

French Open officials are considering a move outside Paris in 2016. French tennis federation general director Gilbert Ysern said yesterday that relocating the event from Roland Garros is being considered because it needs more space to stay competitive with the three other Grand Slam tournaments.

Three options are being examined, including one next to Versailles castle. A decision could be made next year.