PARIS -- Quel Chaos at the French Open! First there was a bomb scare on Court One. Then there was a real bomb, Senegal, smacking the defending champion French in the World Cup during which most of the premises at Roland Garros were virtually deserted and the local press as well as populace virtually drowned themselves in fine wine. Speaking of which, as if that wasn't enough, chianti and fava beans were on order when somebody named Clarisa bombed out the No. 4 seed and last year's surprise finalist, Kim Clijsters, who went down 6-4, 6-0 -- with the silence, naturally, of a lamb.

	Clarissa Fernandez created a sensation when she dropped kicked the No. 4 seed Kim Clijsters.

Actually, it shouldn't have been so stunning that Clarisa Fernandez -- 20, left-handed, ranked 87 on the WTA circuit after taking up the game just five years ago ("I had many injuries ... I was growing a lot ... and I lacked coordination," she said) -- created such a sensation. She is, after all, from Argentina. Where, if you don't hold your own amid the dusty confines of the clay-court tennis world these days, all your male peers might disown you. Or worse -- send you back to Buenos Aires, Cordoba, (Fernandez' birthplace) or some other poor, wobegotten economic spot in their demoralized, devalued homeland.

Nobody cries for Argentina on the male side of the French draw, however, inasmuch as five aggressive young players from that country remain among the last 24. Advancing to the fourth round on Friday was Guillermo Canas, 24, who ground up the favored Carlos Moya so totally in the last two sets of a four and a half hour marathon (or rather a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-2 forced march that was interrupted by a "bomb" that turned out to be a briefcase left by a forgetful spectator) that he had the former champion mumbling about "hitting against a rock." And advancing, too, was Mariano Zabeleta, who's also 24 and who also came from behind to beat Fernando Vicente, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. Their compadres -- who still must beat some formidable opposition to progress into the second week -- are Gaston Gaudio, 23 (who plays Hicham Arazi) and 20-year-olds David Nabaldian (Marat Safin) and Guillermo Coria (Juan Carlos Ferrero). And that's not to mention Juan Ignacio Chela, 22, who was upset in the first round here. All except for Coria are ranked among the top 52 in the world according to the champions race -- nine Argies are among the top 100 -- and, even more surprising, more aren't named for the sublime, poetic godfather of (Argentine, clay-coated) soles, Guillermo Vilas.

"I do believe one of this generation will win a Grand Slam," the still scruffy-locksed, romantic idol and four-Slams champion (Paris '77) told the International Herald Tribune. "And I believe it will happen here next week."

If it does, Canas may be the best bet -- especially if he can get by world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt on Sunday -- inasmuch as he's put together the best record on all surfaces over the past 18 months. Canas is seeded 15th and he had Hewitt down two sets to love in The French last spring before folding. "If (Canas) plays like he did against me," said the exhausted, bewildered Moya, "they'll be out there six hours. I never expected to lose like that when I played so well. I never hit the ball harder in my life than against this guy, but it kept coming back. Unbelievable!"

Moya was asked about the onslaught of the Argentine Army, which seems to have partially usurped the limelight from the "Spanish Armada" that he helped lead in the '90s. "For sure they have the big tradition with Vilas. And maybe the situation in the country (Agentina's political instability and socioeconomic breakdown) is why they fight so much," Moya said. "Maybe it's the only way to get out of the country and have a good life. They get hungry to practice harder and to win money and all these things."

	Guillermo Canas was unstoppable on Friday. Everything Carlos Moya threw his way came right back.

Just as he assiduously rammed back Moya's shots, however, Canas countered: "I think (that's) not true. We have big economic problems at the moment," he said. "But we practice the same for many years. And now in the moment we have very good results. Now like, maybe, we explode."

Zabaleta, the former world junior champ from Tandil who won the Roland Garros event for juniors in '95, exploded in celebration after his second round upset of number five seed Yevgeni Kafelnikov by donning Argentina's national soccer team jersey. (His father was a well known rugby player for the Argies back in the day -- that figures.) The last time he did that in Paris was in another World Cup year, 1998, after the Zabster upset Peter Korda, who was ranked No. 2 in the world.

"If Argentina wins right now, for everybody at home it would be motivation," Zabaleta vows. "It's a really bad situation there, and if the soccer team plays well or we play well, it's nice for everybody."

Obviously the soccer team will play well in Japan/South Korea -- Hernan Crespo and Pablo Aimar are among the best young kickers on the globe and the blue and white-stripes are among the heavy favorites in the World Cup. And if the Argentine Army keeps grinding opponents into the grime -- and keeps themselves out of drug trouble; both Coria and Chela have tested positive for illegal steroids in the past two years and served suspensions -- maybe the country's tennis athletes can boost up that sport at home, as well.

And with it a whole bunch of national morale.

Curry Kirkpatrick is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at curry.kirkpatrick@espnmag.com.