Fire escape helps Schwank blaze trail in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - He may have extinguished the hopes of a former champion at the French Open but grand slam debutant Eduardo Schwank is unlikely to highlight that achievement as the defining moment of his life.

For the Argentine qualifier is lucky to even be alive.

Two weeks ago, Schwank escaped a fire that engulfed a players' hotel in the southern French city of Bordeaux, where he was competing in a second tier Challenger event.

"Well, we were having breakfast and we heard the sirens and the firemen," said Schwank, who knocked out 1998 champion Carlos Moya from Roland Garros on Sunday and is now preparing for his second-round match against Spaniard Marcel Granollers.

"We were not paying much attention. But all of a sudden, the hotel manager came to us, and said, "Hey, it's in your room"."

A struggling journeyman ranked 75th in the world, the incident not only landed Schwank in trouble with the police but also cost him dear.

His passport and laptop were among his possessions that were destroyed but he had taken the incident in his stride.

"We've tried to fix things, and everything's not over yet," he said referring to the investigation.

"I spent the whole day in the police station. We have a lawyer managing all this because we couldn't do anything else. But we sort of put this aside because we wanted to go on with the tournaments."

But having enjoyed a dream start at his first major, the 22-year-old said the episode will help him to do well on court.

"It was a great lesson for me. Coping with (difficult) situations as quickly as possible... when you're on the court, it's the same thing. You realize everything you have to fight for. I've managed to cope with everything, and that's the most important thing."

(Editing by Miles Evans)