PARIS (AP) Brian Baker's remarkable run up the rankings in his return to professional tennis carried him all the way to the French Open's main stadium and a second-round meeting with 11th-seeded Gilles Simon.
Baker couldn't quite pull off a comeback this time.
Playing in his first Grand Slam tournament in 6 1/2 years because of a series of surgeries that forced him off the tour, the 27-year-old from Nashville, Tenn., fought back from a two-set deficit to force a fifth before losing to Simon 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (4), 1-6, 6-0 on Wednesday.
Using an effective drop shot and success at the net to pile up points, Baker made things rather interesting on an overcast afternoon. But Simon, an Australian Open quarterfinalist in 2009, regained control down the stretch.