Second-round leaderboard:
-10 A Canizares (Spa) -9 M Kaymer (Ger) -8 RJ Derksen (Ned) Selected others: -3 L Westwood (Eng), I Poulter (Eng), O Wilson (Eng) -1 C Wood (Eng), A Cabrera (Arg) +1 M Campbell (NZ) +2 C Montgomerie (Sco) +3 R Fisher (Eng) +10 JM Olazabal (Spa)
German Martin Kaymer has bolstered his hopes of claiming a place in the Ryder Cup team with a 67 at the French Open.
Kaymer, who beat England's Lee Westwood to win the French Open in 2009, sits one point off the pace behind overnight leader Alejandro Canizares.
Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, both doubtful before the start with leg problems, are three under par.
World number 11 Kaymer is currently sixth in the race to make Colin Montgomerie's European Ryder Cup squad.
Both Kaymer, 25, and Canizares, son of 1989 Ryder cup hero Jose-Maria, had their rounds interrupted by a thunderstorm at Le Golf National.
At that stage they were two behind Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen, but Canizares then had four birdies in his last five holes for a second 66 in a row and Kaymer birdied the 10th, 14th and 17th.
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Westwood, 37, had three birdies early on but bogeyed the 17th for the second day running and put his tee shot into the lake for a double-bogey five at the short second.
World number three Westwood made further birdies on the sixth and seventh, just as Derksen hit trouble.
Derksen, 36, had gone four clear by picking up shots on the 10th and 11th but was in the water at the 13th and also bogeyed the 17th.
"The last five or six holes the driver wasn't very good, but overall not too bad," said Derksen. "It's a difficult course and you know you are going to make mistakes."
Westwood went to hospital for a check-up on Wednesday after it was feared that he might have a blood clot, but tests proved negative.
The Englishman also revealed that he has been battling with a sore Achilles tendon for seven months.
"I think I just need to ice it," he stated. "It doesn't hurt when I swing - I guess a little bit on the way through - but it's the walking.
 Derksen is looking for his first European title in five years
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"It doesn't feel very nice on short, sharp hills and there are a lot of them around here."
Poulter was pleased with his recovery from a bad reaction to an insect bite on Monday and did not drop a stroke.
Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, the other top-10 players in the field, were both three under as well, but Montgomerie failed to make the cut after missing a 15-foot birdie putt on the last which left him two over.
Frenchman Jean Van de Velde, who in his second event of the year began with a 66 for joint second place, set off again with a double bogey and with a 76 fell back to level par.
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