PARIS, May 29: Reputations counted for little at the French Open on Thursday when Amelie Mauresmo, James Blake and David Nalbandian were toppled by opponents ranked outside the world’s top 75.

Triple champion Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic survived the carnage and dodged the rain, which once again returned to Roland Garros, to stride on.

Mauresmo’s slender hopes of winning her home grand slam were shredded in the second round by a 19-year-old upstart ranked 132 in the world.

Before arriving in Paris, Carla Suarez Navarro had never played at a Grand Slam. That did not stop the Spanish qualifier from embarrassing the 22nd seed Mauresmo with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Seventh seed Blake, one of five American men to reach the second round, had been hoping to join compatriot Wayne Odesnik in the last 32 but was bounced out by an opponent who hails from a family of basketball players.

Latvian teenager Ernests Gulbis, ranked 80th in the world, ensured Blake’s nightmare in Paris continued with a 7-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 humbling on Court One. The American has never passed the third round in six attempts.

Unlike Mauresmo and Blake, sixth seed Nalbandian had enjoyed a good track record at the claycourt major after reaching the semi-finals in 2004 and 2006, but he surrendered a two-set lead to go down 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 to French wildcard Jeremy Chardy.

Chardy caught Nalbandian napping in the third and fourth sets to draw level. The local favourite remained unfazed even when he was cramping and 0-2 down in the fifth set.

He pulled off the biggest victory of his career when Nalbandian scooped a backhand into the net after three hours of see-saw action.

Thursday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Second round: 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-0, 6-4; 22-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5; 28-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt Diego Junqueira (Argentina) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Nicolas Devilder (France) 6-4, 6-0, 6-1; 24-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) bt Pablo Andujar (Spain) 7-5, 6-0, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3); 26-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) bt Martin Vassallo Argueello (Argentina) 7-5, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2); 9-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Marin Cilic (Croatia) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) bt Bobby Reynolds (US) 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5; 15-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; Jeremy Chardy (France) bt 6-David Nalbandian (Argentina) 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2; Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) bt 7-James Blake (US) 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3; 30-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0, 6-0.

Wednesday’s remaining results:

Second round: Wayne Odesnik (US) bt Lee Hyung-taik (South Korea) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Eduardo Schwank (Argentina) bt Marcel Granollers (Spain) 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4; 10-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Jose Acasuso (Argentina) 6-4, 6-0, 6-4; Michael Llodra (France) bt 11-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Simone Bolelli (Italy) bt Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) 3-6, 7-6 (7-0), 7-5, 6-2; 19-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) bt Sebastian Decoud (Argentina) 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-1; 18-Paul-Henri

Mathieu (France) bt Oscar Hernandez (Spain) 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 6-2.

First round: Gael Monfils (France) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 7-5, 6-3, 6-1; 27-Igor Andreev (Russia) bt Potito Starace (Italy) 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-4; Alejandro Falla (Colombia) bt 20-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-4; Robby Ginepri (US) bt Donald Young (US) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

Women’s singles:

Second round: Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-2, 6-1; 7-Elena Dementieva (Russia) bt Marta Domachowska (Poland) 6-1, 6-4; Casey Dellacqua (Australia) bt Nathalie Dechy (France) 6-4, 6-2; Olga Govortsova (Belarus) bt 31-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-0, 7-5; Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) bt 22-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-3, 6-4; 19-Alize Cornet (France) bt Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4; 3-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); 26-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) bt Galina Voskoboeva (Russia) 7-5, 6-3; 8-Venus Williams (US) bt Selima Sfar (Tunisia) 6-2, 6-4; 27-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-0, 7-5; Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) bt Peng Shuai (China) 6-4, 6-3; 28-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) bt Milagros Sequera (Venezuela) 6-3, 6-0.

Wednesday’s remaining results:

Second round: 5-Serena Williams (US) bt Mathilde Johansson (France) 6-2, 7-5; 10-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) bt Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; 2-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-1, 6-2; 30-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarus) 6-0, 6-4.

First round: Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) bt Chan Yung-jan (Taiwan) 5-7, 6-2, 6-0; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt 17-Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; 29-Anabel Medina (Spain) bt Maria Jose Martinez (Spain) 6-3, 6-2; 16-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Edina Gallovits (Romania) 6-1, 6-3; Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Akiko Morigami (Japan) 6-4, 6-3; Zheng Jie (China) bt Mara Santangelo (Italy) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0; Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (France) bt Raluca Olaru (Romania) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.—Reuters