Paris ? Gael Monfils is giving locals hope of a long-awaited homegrown champion at the French Open.

Frenchman Monfils, 19, overcame a 2-1 deficit for the second consecutive match and defeated the oldest man in the field, 35-year-old Dick Norman, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-0, 7-5, Thursday to reach the third round, equaling his best Grand Slam showing.

“This is the kind of match that happens just a few times in a career,” Monfils said.

The last French man to win the title at Roland Garros was Yannick Noah in 1983. Monfils won three Grand Slam junior titles in 2004, and he already has accomplished enough on the main tour to merit being seeded 25th in Paris.

Still, this was only his 10th match in the main draw of a major.

“I think I might have a bit more experience,” Norman said in the understatement of the day, “but he definitely has more physicality.”

Another 19-year-old, Novak Djokovic of Serbia-Montenegro, eliminated No. 9 Fernando Gonzalez, 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1.

Five others were postponed because of rain, including defending champion Rafael Nadal vs. Kevin Kim of the United States, and matches involving No. 2 Kim Clijsters and five-time major champion Martina Hingis. Martina Navratilova, competing in doubles at age 49, had her first-round match pushed back a second consecutive day.

Among those who did play, and won: Justine Henin-Hardenne and Anastasia Myskina, winners of the past three women’s titles in Paris.

Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 and 2005 champion, beat Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus, 6-2, 7-5. Myskina, the 2004 champ, eliminated Melinda Czink, 6-2, 6-4.

Golf

Archer shoots 9-under 60

Newport, Wales – Philip Archer missed shooting the first 59 in PGA European Tour history when he lipped out a six-foot putt on the 18th hole in the Wales Open.

Archer finished with a 9-under 60 on the short 6,743-yard, par-69 Roman Road Course at Celtic Manor. Sweden’s Robert Karlsson shot a 61, and Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie broke out of a slump with a 63.

Flesch avoids bunkers

Dublin, Ohio – Steve Flesch was one of the few players who had no issues with the bunkers at the Memorial, and for good reason. He wasn’t in any of them Thursday, which might explain why he was atop the leaderboard.

Flesch made sure he kept his ball in the lush grass of Muirfield Village, playing his best golf of the year to reach 6 under through 17 holes when the first round was suspended because of storms.

Sean O’Hair made double bogey from a bunker on No. 3, then responded with four birdies on his next six holes. He saved par the next time he was in the sand, birdied the 18th and finished one of his best rounds this year with a 5-under 67.

The large group at 69 included Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Nick Price, most of whom had one thing in common – they could do without the furrows left behind by the gap-tooth rakes being used as an experiment this week. Mickelson was tied for the lead until hitting into a fairway bunker led to bogey on the 17th, and he failed to get up-and-down from short of the 18th for another bogey.

Huskies lead NCAA meet

Sunriver Ore. – Washington’s Zach Bixler shot a 4-under 68 to move within three strokes of Wake Forest’s Kyle Reifers for the individual lead and help the Huskies take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Reifers followed his opening 65 with a 70 for a 9-under 135 total on the Crosswater Golf Club at Sunriver Resort. Bixler was 6 under along with Arizona State’s Niklas Lemke (68) and Oklahoma State teammates Jonathan Moore (70) and Pablo Martin (72).

Washington, seeking its first title, had a 6-under 282 total Thursday to top the team standings at 13-under 563, with the top four scores from the five-player squad counting in the total. Arizona State and first-round leader Wake Forest were 10 under, followed by Florida at 7 under and Clemson and Kentucky at 6 under.

Bixler was one of three Washington players in the top 10. Alex Prugh (72) was tied for sixth at 5 under, and defending champion James Lepp (71) was tied for 10th at 4 under. Erik Olson was 2 over after a 71, while Sterling Clark’s 82 did not count in the team total.

Sorenstam seeks repeat

Galloway Township, N.J. – Winless in her last six starts, Annika Sorenstam enters the ShopRite LPGA Classic hoping to find the game that helped her win the tournament three times but has eluded her recently.

“I have some great memories from this place,” Sorenstam said Thursday.

The 54-hole tournament begins today at the Seaview Resort, where Sorenstam capped a memorable comeback last year with a 38-foot eagle putt on the final hole to beat Juli Inkster. Former winner Cristie Kerr is here, along with veteran Karrie Webb, Lorena Ochoa and perennial contender Inkster.

“I’m not driving it accurate,” Sorenstam said. “I don’t think I’m hitting as many greens. It’s just a little bit of everything, to be honest. I’m playing well. I’m just not scoring.”

College Baseball

Five in running for award

Durham N.C. – North Carolina pitcher Andrew Miller was honored Thursday as one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur in the country. Washington pitcher Tim Lincecum, Long Beach State third baseman Evan Longoria, Vanderbilt pitcher David Price and Texas outfielder Drew Stubbs are the other finalists announced by USA Baseball. The award will be presented on June 23.

NFL

Taylor pleads no contest

Miami – Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor reached an agreement with prosecutors to drop felony charges against him and pleaded no contest Thursday to two misdemeanors in an assault case.

The deal calls for Taylor to be placed on 18 months’ probation, talk about education at 10 Miami-Dade County schools and contribute $1,000 for scholarships to each of those schools. He must also pay $429 in court costs. Taylor, 23, had been scheduled to go to trial on July 10. He had faced a maximum of 46 years in prison if convicted on three aggravated assault charges and one misdemeanor charge stemming from a confrontation last June after his all-terrain vehicles were taken.