PARIS: Sweltering conditions during the opening week of this year’s French Open have added a fresh challenge, with players including Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina saying success will hinge on who adapts best over the course of the tournament. Like much of Western Europe, France is experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures in May, with the mercury climbing past 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) in Paris and baking the red clay at Roland Garros on the opening four days. While the dry heat falls short of furnace-like conditions often seen at the Australian Open in January, it has quickened the courts and tested players by placing a premium on managing their bodies and constructing points carefully. In hot conditions, the ball travels faster through the air and bounces higher off the dry clay, shortening reaction times, quickening rallies and making control tougher, especially in longer exchanges as players adjust to the livelier surface. “I think in tennis you’re used to it,” seventh seed Elina Svitolina told reporters after her efficient 6-0 6-4 win over Kaitlin Quevedo in the second round. “Every single day is a different story. Even when you’re playing in the same tournament, you can play in the morning, you can play at night.