The 2005 French Open was the 104th edition of the tournament. Rafael Nadal, seeded fourth in his first French Open, was a strong favorite after winning the Rome and Monte Carlo Masters, with Guillermo Coria, a 2004 finalist and runner-up in Monaco, calling Nadal the best clay-court player in the world prior to the tournament. After defeating top seed Roger Federer in the semi-finals, Nadal defeated Argentina's Mariano Puerta to claim his first French Open titles, and the first of four won consecutively from 2005 until 2008.
In the women's draw, Justine Henin-Hardenne won her second French Open title, defeating 2000 champion Mary Pierce in the final in just 62 minutes. 2005 marked the first of three consecutive years in which Justine Henin would win the Women's Singles title.
Gastón Gaudio and Anastasia Myskina were unsuccessful in defending their 2004 titles, Gaudio losing in the fourth round and Myskina being upset in the first round. This tournament was also notable for the rise of future French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who upset the 3rd seed Amélie Mauresmo in the third round, before going on to defeat another future champion in Francesca Schiavone on her way to her first Grand Slam quarter-final appearance in what was just her second Grand Slam tournament.
Read more about 2005 French Open: Top 5 Seeds
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