Looking Ahead

May 26

Rafael Nadal of Spain enters the 2013 French Open as an underdog due to his world ranking. But the three-time defending champion’s status—as well as his reputation for success on Roland Garros’ clay courts—means that all eyes will be on him when the French Open begins its two-week tournament. Serbia’s Novak Djokavic is the No. 1 ranked player in the world.

May 29

Jury selection for the case of accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan begins at the Texas army base. The Army psychiatrist has been charged with 13 murder counts after his mass shooting on Nov. 5, 2009 at Fort Hood. With a conviction, Hasan faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.

May 30

Top juvenile orthographers will gather for the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Last year’s champion, San Diego’s Snigdha Nandipati, correctly spelled guetapens, a synonym for trap, to win the grand prize. This year, spellers during the preliminary rounds will be tested not only on their spelling of words but also on definitions of those words. The televised finals will proceed as usual.

June 1

The nightmare for Boeing’s troubled 787 Dreamliner may be over. After gaining clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines resumed use of the jetliner in May for flights between Houston and Denver. The FAA has also given Nippon Airways the go-ahead to use the jumbo jet for transpacific flights from San Jose, Calif., to Tokyo beginning June 1. The botched roll-out of the plane was caused by electrical failures on a Japan Airlines flight on Jan. 16.

June 4

Oscar Pistorius, the double leg amputee known as the “Blade Runner,” may have excited fans with his sprinting abilities at the 2012 Olympic games, but he faces a tougher audience on June 4. On that day, Pistorius goes on trial for murdering his girlfriend at his Pretoria, South Africa, home on Feb. 14. Pistorius has claimed he thought Reeva Steenkamp was an intruder, but prosecutors have charged the track star with premeditated murder.