French Open Results 2013: Day 3 Scores, Highlights and Recap

Rain showers put a major damper on Day 3 at the 2013 French Open, as officials were forced to cancel more than a dozen matches, including Victoria Azarenka's first-round showdown against Elena Vesnina according to the tournament's official Twitter account: 

After the rain finally stopped late in the afternoon and the players returned to the courts, fans in Paris saw world No. 1 Novak Djokovic win a hard-fought battle against Belgium's David Goffin in the day's most anticipated matchup.

Meanwhile, in the women's draw, Marion Bartoli fought back late in the final set to avoid an early upset at the hands of Olga Govortsova.   

Three of the day's final matches were suspended after more rain fell before the sun ultimately went down.

Here we'll get you up to speed on what went down in between the bad weather on Tuesday.

Notable Day 3 Results

Match	Score
Men's Draw
Novak Djokovic (1) defeats David Goffin	7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-5
Stanislas Wawrinka (9) defeats Thiemo De Bakker	7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 7-5
Tommy Haas (12) defeats Guillaume Rufin	7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-3
Denis Istomin defeats Florian Mayer (28)	4-6, 6-3, 7-5, retired
Mikhail Youzhny (29) defeats Pablo Andujar	4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
Guido Pella defeats Ivan Dodig	4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 12-10
Women's Draw
Samantha Stosur (9) defeats Kimiko Date-Krumm	6-0, 6-2
Marion Bartoli (13) defeats Olga Govortsova	7-6 (10-8), 4-6, 7-5
Jelena Jankovic (18) defeats Daniela Hantuchova	6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
Alize Cornet (31) defeats Maria Joao Koehler	7-5, 6-2
Dominika Cibulkova defeats Lesia Tsurenko	6-1, 6-4

Click here for complete Day 3 results and scores via RolandGarros.com.

Novak Djokovic Starts With a Bang

2012 French Open finalist Novak Djokovic showed why he is the world's No. 1 ranked player on Tuesday, overcoming a fast start from 22-year-old Belgian David Goffin to win his opening match in straight sets (via Roland Garros):

The unseeded challenger looked strong early on, forcing a first-set tiebreaker that Djokovic would take control of late, winning 7-5 to inch two sets closer to victory (via Roland Garros):

Although the first-round win wasn't the most impressive we've seen Djokovic in recent years, he played well enough to win, recording just 31 unforced errors and converting on 13-of-21 points at the net.

While Rafael Nadal is the favorite to repeat in Paris this summer, Djokovic is seen as the one man who can potentially end the Spaniard's reign in the French capital, having won three of their past six meetings on clay.

Up next for Djokovic, Argentine Guido Pella in Round 2. 

Marion Bartoli Narrowly Escapes an Upset

French star Marion Bartoli, who reached the semifinals of the French Open in 2011, was nearly bounced in the opening round on Tuesday, saving two match points and fighting back to win the third and final set 7-5 against unseeded Olga Govortsova (via Tennis Channel):

Bartoli, who lost in the second round at the 2012 French Open, double faulted 12 times and committed 45 unforced errors in all on Tuesday, looking shaky at times.

Had it not been for a dramatic tiebreaker win in the opening set, the 28-year-old star would have likely been gone in straight sets as Govortsova often looked like the better player in the early goings. 

Credit Bartoli for overcoming some serious adversity, though. It's never easy to pick up an early win as favorite at a major tournament (via Roland Garros):

Bartoli will take on unseeded Mariana Duque-Marino in the second round. 

Guido Pella Wins an Epic Five-Setter 

While all eyes were on Novak Djokovic at Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday evening, Ivan Dodig and Guido Pella were battling back and forth for a spot in the second round on Court No. 5.

After Dodig took the opening set 6-4, Pella won the next two. Dodig recovered in the fourth set, however, forcing a fifth and final frame that required 22 games and over 80 minutes to complete.

The 23-year-old Argentine would win 12-10 in the final set, earning the right to advance in the men's bracket. What makes Pella's win even more remarkable is the fact that this is the first year that he's qualified for the main draw in Paris. 

He qualified for the main draw at the 2012 U.S. Open and 2013 Australian Open but lost in the first round at both Slams.

For his efforts on Tuesday, Pella is rewarded with a second-round matchup against (gulp) Novak Djokovic. 

Rain Cuts Day 3 Short

Rain plagued Day 3 at the French Open from start to finish as showers forced play to be suspended early on and eventually led officials to cancel a handful of first-round matches (via Roland Garros). 

While ugly weather is nothing new for Paris this time of year, or for umbrella-packing tennis fans at Roland Garros, the unwanted precipitation is the only thing that can ruin the atmosphere at the French Open. 

Tuesday wasn't the first time the season's second Grand Slam has been cut short by rain (last year's men's final was forced to Monday because of showers), and it won't be the last. 

The forecast for the coming days calls for plenty more clouds and the potential for more rain on Thursday. The good news: There are six more rounds of tennis still left to be played.

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