2015 French Open Part 2: Latest on the men's matches

Right OK so its time to move on with my look at the 2015 French Open which will cover the men's matches in this post and the post will cover the progress of how the top seeds are doing so far as they all battle it out for the right to hold the trophy.  So let's get cracking and start looking at how the top seeds so far are doing....

Novak Djokovic - starting with the top seed, the undisputed World No.1, Novak Djokovic who so far has been imperious in 2015.  And so far he has continued that form at the French and he kicked off with a very efficient performance against his first opponent, Jarkko Nieminen and despite going down a break in the 2nd set to the Finnish player, Nole soon broke back and restored parity and broke to take the two set lead and in the 3rd he broke twice again to close out the match 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.  In the 2nd round Nole faced Gilles Muller and despite a slight scare when Novak had to get the trainer on to look at his lower back after he fell, it did nothing to deter Novak from his quest and he dismissed Muller in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the 3rd round.  And in the 3rd round Novak took on the young and plucky Australian rising star, Thanasi Kokkinakis but clearly was too good for the young Aussie and he broke him once in each set and effortlessly held onto his serve in each set to win 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.  So far Nole is looking every inch the champion he is and on the fact of it this could very well be Novak's year to win the French open and unless something unforseen happens along the way the stars might just align for him this year to complete that career slam.  And next up for Novak in the 4th round will be Richard Gasquet, which would put Novak in the position to potentially face the next man I will mention....

Rafael Nadal - and this is Rafa and so far despite fears of Rafa's poor form going into Roland Garros, Rafa has put those fears to bed in Paris so far as he has been playing very well and looks every inch the 9 time champion he is.  So Rafa's progress has been pretty serene up to this point and he started off with a straight set win against the French player, Quentin Halys whom he beat 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.  In the 2nd round Rafa took on his fellow Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro whom has been a tricky customer for Rafa in the past but he proved to be no such trouble here as Rafa took out Almagro in a convincing straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 victory.  And in Rafa's latest result he faced the Russian, Andrey Kuznetsov and Rafa simply demolished the young Russian in straight sets to reach the last 16 with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 win and Rafa will face the talented young US player, Jack Sock next, which puts Rafa within one match of his ultimate showdown with Novak.  And I think we all know its coming and when it does let's hope its a cracker and it will be prove one way or another if he can hold onto his crown at Roland Garros. 

Andy Murray - next is Andy Murray who so far has been having his best clay court season to date and currently is unbeaten this season on the red dirt having won back to back titles in Munich and Madrid, beating Rafa in the final of the latter.  Andy at the French so far has also proved to be in solid form and he got off to a very good start in beating the Argentine qualifier, Facundo Arguella in a straight set win 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.  In the 2nd round however Andy faced a sterner test against Joao Sousa of Portugal whom he had beaten in the previous meetings all in straight sets, but this time Andy found Sousa to be made of stronger stuff who came out swinging and took a set off Andy to level the match in the 2nd.  In the 3rd Andy had to save break points on his serve but he went on to break and nab the 3rd set and in the 4th he sped to victory as Sousa faded from the match and Andy reached the last 32 with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win.  And next for Andy was a much anticipated clash with the young Aussie star, Nick Kyrgios which was an entertaining match with some fun points from both players and Kygrios delivering a ridiculous lob at one point.  But in the end Andy was too good and the young Aussie struggled with a wrist injury which saw his challenge wilt in the 3rd and Andy wrapped it up in 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.  So Andy will next face the Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy, which could possibly be quite a dangerous match for him but I think hopefully Andy will come through in maybe four sets which could then set up a quarter final clash with either Marin Cilic or David Ferrer.

Roger Federer - then we have Roger who so far has also been making some fairly serene progress in the tournament and he got off to a pretty good start against Alejandro Falla in an entertaining encounter which he won 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.  In the 2nd round Roger then faced the tricky Spaniard, Marcel Granollers who pushed Roger in the 2nd set and went a break up but eventually relinquished it and as the match went to a tiebreak, Rog dominated it and took the two set lead.  And in the 3rd set Roger broke Granollers again and closed out the match 6-2, 7-6, 6-3 to reach the 3rd round.   As for the 3rd round Roger faced the unseeded Damir Dzumhur a young player who idolised Roger growing up.  The match itself however was pretty easy for Roger but it was also entertaining and Dzumhur acquitted himself very well showing his skills as a player but ultimately the Swiss maestro had too much for him and progressed to the last 16 winning in 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.  And so far Roger in the 4th round is playing Gael Monfils however that match at the time of my typing this (31.05) has been suspended due to bad light and will resume on Monday (01.06) so I will be back with the result of that later.

As for other results in the men's draw:

Stan Wawrinka after having a rather up and down year so far in 2015, has made it through to the quarter finals again at the French after he took out the French No.1, Gilles Simon in the 4th round and he won the match in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.  Stan could next either face his Swiss buddy Roger or the Frenchman, Gael Monfils who is currently locked horns with Roger in their 4th round match which has been suspended till Monday.   

Kei Nishikori also has made it into the quarter finals as well for the first time in his career at the French open after he beat the Russian player Teymuraz Gabashvili in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.  This marked the first time in over 80 years since a Japanese player had reached the quarter finals of the French open and Kei looks in pretty good form so far going into the final eight.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga the home favourite has also been in excellent form so far and he raced through his first three rounds in straight sets before facing Tomas Berdych in the 4th round today.  And in that match Tsonga against hit top gear and sped into a two set lead and grabbed a break to serve for the match but ended up squandering it and let Berdych back in the door who then took the 3rd set on a tiebreak.  In the 4th set Tsonga lost his edge and let Berdych take an early break but he soon regained his momentum and broke back and went on to break Berdy and closed out the match at the second time of asking and became the first Frenchman in the draw to reach the quarter finals with an impressive 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 victory.  Jo will next face Kei Nishikori for a place in the semi finals and on his current form he might just do it but it will be far from easy against Kei who is also showing great form.

Jack Sock who is somewhat a surprise entry on this list, as he is primarily a doubles player has also progressed well at the French open this year as he got his campaign of to an excellent start as he stunned Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets 7-6, 6-2, 6-3.  Sock then went on to sock it (sorry!) to Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in a tight four set win 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6.  And in the 3rd round Sock went on to put in an impressive performance against another rising star, Borna Coric of Croatia with a straight set win 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.  And this sets Jack up with a 4th round meeting with nine time French open champion and the current five time defending champion, Rafael Nadal, which might be a tall order for him to get past the mighty Rafa but we'll see!  

David Ferrer last of all in this list is still in action and has also quietly been making his way through his draw as he got off to a strong start in defeating his 1st round opponent Lucas Lacko in 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.  Ferrer then went on to drub his 2nd round opponent and Spanish compatriot Daniel Gimeno-Traver in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.  Ferrer's 3rd round however was a far tougher match up as he took on the Italian, Simone Bolelli who gave Ferrer a real scare after the Italian went two sets to one up against him.  Ferrer however dug in and came back emphatically in sets four and five, conceding just one game on his way to victory, Ferrer came through in five sets winning 6-3, 1-6, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1.  Ferrer will next take on Marin Cilic who has refound his form at the French open having yet to drop a set going into the last 16.

So that's it for my look at the men's matches so far and I will be back with more results soon in a couple of days.

Until the next one that's it for now!

2015 French Open Part 1: Ladies latest matches

Right OK so this will be my first post on the 2015 French open which is a bit later than anticipated and so far it has been an excellent tournament with plenty of exciting matches and a few upsets along the way. 

So in contrast to my previous detailed posts I've decided to keep things a bit more brief to get myself up to speed so I will instead quickly go through the top seeds of the men's and ladies and mention a bit about their progress so far.

So without further ados let's get on with it....

Right so this post will start with the ladies top seeds who are still in for now and this post will cover the first 8 days of play...

Serena Williams - well so far Serena has had a bit of a trying tournament and faced some stern opposition.  Serena however did start off well with a straight set 6-2, 6-3 win over Andrea Hlavackova, but she encountered a tough test against in her 2nd round against Ana-Lena Friedsam in which she had to battle from a set and a break down to win the match in 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.  And in a much anticipated match, Serena then took on Victoria Azarenka in the 3rd round where again she battled back from a down position losing the first set and also a break down in the 2nd, Serena dug in and went to level and break Vika and win the match with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 result, which sees Serena now into the 2nd week.  This match didn't disappointment with momentum toing and froing but ultimaltely Serena proved once again to be the ultimate champion and there was also some controversy over a line call, which caused a bit of animosity between Serena and Vika although they apparently have smoothed things over since.  And while Serena stays in, she will forever be the favourite. 

Maria Sharapova - as for Maria well she started things off well enough beating Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-4, despite suffering from a cold and feeling under the weather she opted not to do her on court interview and of course got some stick from the crowd for it (well they are infamous for it!).  Maria next faced her compatriot Vitalia Diatchenko in the 2nd round whom she had no problem getting past with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.  And in the 3rd round despite a much anticipate cracker, Maria Sharapova made relatively short work of Sam Stosur also in straight sets in 6-3, 6-4 which saw Maria reach the last 16 as well and remains on course for defending her title.

Petra Kvitova - Petra who has had her ups and downs in 2015 so far got her campaign off to a tough start as she had to fight past Marina Erakovic in 3 sets to reach the 2nd round with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 result.  In the 2nd round Petra took on Silvia Soler Espinosa of Spain in another tough match in which Petra had to come from a set down to beat the Spaniard 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.  In the 3rd round however Petra had an easier time of it as she took on the Romanian player, Irina-Camelia Begu and won the match in two straights, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last 16 and the 2nd week.   Petra having won the Madrid open title also has a decent outside chance of winning the title in Paris also if the draw works out for her.

Ana Ivanovic - Ana has had a bad run of luck in slams of late going out early she has often struggled to get to the latter stages of slams despite being a former champion at Roland Garros in 2008.  And Ana got off to a pretty shaky start this year in Paris as she rallied from a set down to beat Yaroslava Shvedova in 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 and continued to have to fight hard to stay in the tournament in the 2nd round as she battled against Misaki Doi of Japan and came from a set down to beat Doi in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.  Ana however in the 3rd round start to hit her stride and she delivered a great performance to take down Donna Vekic in 6-0, 6-3 to reach the last 16.  And in the 4th round Ana continued her improved form as she fought her way past the 9th seed, Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the quarter finals for the first time since she won the title back in 2008.  Ana appears to so far be going from strength to strength and the fact she is still in the event means she has hope yet to lift a 2nd RG title. 

Sara Errani - Sara so far has quietly worked her way through her draw and I could almost draw comparisons to her with David Ferrer as they both have similar styles of play with the incredible speed and athleticism as well as fight and determination.  Sara so far has not had it entirely easy so far either as she had to go to 3 sets to overcome her 1st round in Alison Riske winning 7-6, 2-6, 6-0.  In the 2nd round Sara played a very entertaining match against Carina Witthoft as she to rally from a a set down to beat her 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.  Sara however found her form against last year's semi finalist, Andrea Petkovic as she beat the German 6-3, 6-3 to reach the 4th round where she will next faced Julia Goerges for a place in the quarter finals.       

As for the unsuccessfuls....

Well so far the players that haven't faired so well and have gone out so far include Caroline Wozniacki, the 5th seed who lost out to the German, Julia Goerges in the 2nd round.  Eugenie Bouchard also fell at the first hurdle against Kristina Mladenovic and lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.  Agnieszka Radwanska who so far has been having a miserable year found things come even worse for her in Paris as she lost in the 1st round to Annika Beck of Germany who won 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 which means Aga could plummet even further down the rankings into maybe the top 30!  Simona Halep last year's finalist so far has proven to be the biggest scalp in the ladies tournament so far as she also was beaten early on by the veteran Croatian player, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in two sets 7-5, 6-1.  Angeliquer Kerber also fell to last year's quarter finalist, Gabrine Muguruza who won in three sets 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.  And last of all Svetlana Kuznetsova lost out in an epic match against her old rival Francesca Schiavone in an encounter that was of high quality and lasted nearly as long as their incredible 2011 Australian open match which lasted 4 hours and 44 minutes, but this one lasted 3 hours and 49 minutes with the same result as Schiavone edged out Kuznetsova with a remarkable 5-7, 7-6, 10-8 victory.

So that's us up to speed with the ladies now its time to turn to the men's matches so I will be back with that in the next post.

See you in a bit!       

 

2015 French Open men's preview

Well its been quite a while since I've updated this blog and alot has happened on the tennis front since then and this post will cover my pick of the men's favourites or contenders to win the French open.

So let's get cracking with this and have a look at who's got the best chance (or not so best) of lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy at Roland Garros this year (please also note this post will be subject to being updated so it might a few changes here and there). 

1. Novak Djokovic

OK so right at the top of the tree we once again have the undisputed World No.1 Novak Djokovic who has had a stellar season this year even by his own incredibly high standards and he has so far in 2015 wracked up a remarkable 22 match winning streak with only two losses so far to his name (in Doha and Dubai).  Novak so far has claimed the first major of the year in Australia and went on to win the first three Masters titles on the trot in Indian Wells, Miami and also Monte Carlo before taking a break by not appearing in Madrid so its been quite a run so far and he had just added to it today by winning the Italian open in Rome defeating Roger Federer.  Novak has had his chances at Roland Garros in the last three years or so but he has always come up short against Rafa in the key moments.  This was especially noted in his two previous French open finals where he double faulted in both matches on championship point to hand the title to Rafa and he also squandered a key break in the 5th set of their epic semi final clash in 2013.  But somewhere sooner or later something has to give and Rafa's stranglehold on the French can't last forever and if there is one man than can relinquish that title from Rafa's hands it is this man.  So will Nole win it this year???  I think its not quite a done deal but it is a relatively safe bet and his form in 2015 so far would suggest so especially given that Rafa has been way below par this season, especially during the clay court season.  So I think this could well be Novak's year and while there is always a chance he could lose again it might just be third time lucky this time around in Paris, but time will tell.  Prediction: champion or finalist

2. Rafael Nadal

Next up is Rafa himself even though he has had his struggles in 2015 which so far has proved to be his worst season in what must be 10 years or so and it has seen his ranking plummet down to No.7 in the world.  And after Rafa's surprise exit in Rome last week it has done nothing to help his seeding either at the French open and the organisers at the French have said they will not take his amazing record at Roland Garros into favour so there won't be any hope of Rafa being in the top four seeds.  However his ranking has not gone down any further so he is still at No.7 in the world and if Milos Raonic pulls out (as he has had foot surgery but thought might recover in time for the French) then Rafa will go up to No.6 in the seedings.  But this could still spell bad news for Rafa in Paris as he could very well face any of the the top three guys in the quarter finals and it would especially be unfortunate if he were to face an in form Novak Djokovic, which could spell the end of his unbeaten run there.  And it is also worth noting that Rafa has failed to beat any of the other members of the big four so far as he has already fallen to Nole in Monte Carlo and suffered a surprise defeat to Andy Murray in Madrid.  However there is something about the French open that invigorates Rafa even if he has struggled during the tour in the past when he get's to Roland Garros things just seem to click into place for him.  So I think it would still be sillly to write off Rafa's chances because if he get's through a couple of tough first rounds and into the 2nd week that will give him confidence to push on and just maybe get himself into another final and from there anything is possible for him.  So this year its harder to predict if Rafa will be the outright winner at the French but given his remarkable record there I still wouldn't write off his chances and he can definitely reach the 2nd week even if he does for the first time in six years come up short.  But if Rafa does reach the final... I think he could still win it, such as his record there in the finals that 10th Roland Garros crown might yet be on the cards.  Prediction: champion, finalist or quarter finals. 

3. Andy Murray

Next is Andy Murray who so far has had a great 2015 as he reached the finals at the Australian open and Miami open even though he came up short to Djokovic in both it saw that he had fully recovered from his back surgery problems last year and he had found his form again.  But even more impressively Andy has so far put together his best clay court season to date as he won his first clay court title in Munich against Philipp Kohlschreiber and last week he stunned Rafa at the Madrid open to claim his 2nd title on the red dirt.  So the signs are looking very good so far for the British No.1 as he has continued to rack up the points this year and it sees him sit comfortably at No.3 in the world.  Andy has also faired very well at the French open in the past having reached the semi finals on two occassions both last year and in 2011 where he came up short against Rafa both times.  However Andy has proven so far this year to be a different animal on the red dirt and I think he will have his chances to claim the title for himself also.  The only problem for Andy however is that he could still could lose out to one of the top clay court specialists on their day at the French such as maybe David Ferrer or Fabio Fognini, which might prove to be the one obstacle that might stop Andy in his tracks.  But if Andy get's a favourable draw then I can definitely see him go deep into the 2nd week and while it has to be said I don't see him as the outright champ at Roland Garros he can still go far and you just never know.  Prediction: semi finals or finalist.

4. Roger Federer

And next we have the final member of the "big four" Roger Federer who so far in 2015 has had a pretty good season although not quite as stellar as it was in 2014, Roger still has made an impression at some of the bigger tournaments.  Roger also won the inaugural tournament at the Istanbul open earlier this month, which was his first clay court title in three years and he reached the final in Rome today but he was defeated in a convincing fashion however by Novak Djokovic.  Roger however did struggle to do well at the Australian open this year as he was stunned by Andreas Seppi there in the 3rd round which does leave one or two question marks over Roger's ability to progress at the French.  Roger also lost out last year as well at the French to an in form Ernest Gulbis in the fourth round, which shows that Roger lately at the slams has shown signs of vulnerability with age maybe also playing a factor here.  However Roger is still perhaps the greatest player to have played the game and there will be no doubt that this year he will be incredibly motivated to do well at the French to make up for his early exit in Melbourne.  So while I think it will be difficult to see Roger as the outright champion I still think that Roger can do pretty deep in Paris and I wouldn't be surprised if we see him in the final four at RG.  Prediction: semi finals.

5. David Ferrer

Next is the former FO 2013 finalist David Ferrer who so far has had quite an impressive season in 2015 and outside Rafa (well his poor form of late permitting that is) and Novak, he is the second best clay court player in the world just now.  And that is why Ferrer sits here at No.5 as he has proven he can really go deep in any clay court event and if it wasn't for Rafa in 2013 he would have won his first grand slam in Paris and its maybe a sad fact that Ferrer may well go down in history as the best player to never have won a slam.  But that is not to say that Ferrer won't have his chances and with a favourable draw Ferrer could have the opportunity to really go deep in Paris yet again and while I don't see him as the champion in the city of lights I still see him reach the final four or at least the last eight.  Prediction: quarter finals or semi final.

6. Kei Nishikori

Up next is Kei Nishikori who last year really broke out onto the scene as he made it into the top ten for the first time and reached his first grand slam final at the US Open where he came up short against Marin Cilic.  But since then Nishikori has largely still maintained that impressive momentum even though he hasn't quite backed up those results to the same extent.  Nishikori did also put together a good run on clay this year as he defended his Barcelona title successfully and he reached the semi finals of Madrid before being beaten by Andy Murray there.  And Nishikori definitely remains one of the dangerous contenders just outside the big four who has a real shot at winning a grand slam and I think one day he might just do it.  However I still don't quite see Kei winning his first major at Paris this year but I think a trip to the last eight or final four is likely.  Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.     

7. Tomas Berdych

Next we have Tomas Berdych who so far has also had a pretty good season this year as he has reached three finals so far this year and consistently gone deep in most of the other tournaments he has played.  The problem however for Tomas so far is his record in finals as he has lost more than he has won having reached 27 finals he has lost 17 of them which isn't too enviable a stat.  Berdych also while he is known for having a very powerful game with potent groundstrokes and a big serve he is also one of the more mentally flaky players on the tour as he often lacks the edge needed to give him that final push he needs to win titles.  So while I think Berdych has a good chance of going quite far in Paris again I don't see him winning his maiden grand slam here either, but the last eight or semi finals is still a safe bet.  Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.

8. Milos Raonic

Then we have the big Canadian server, Milos Raonic, who so far has had a pretty consistent season so far this year but hasn't won any titles as of yet having reached three finals.  But Raonic so far has proven to be one of the most consistent players on the tour and his serve is one of the best in game and has often been a real weapon that has gotten him out of trouble.  On top of that Raonic has worked hard to improve his game and added a few elements to it as he is a decent returner and also a competent vollyer at the net.  Raonic has also clocked some pretty good wins already this year as he beat Nishikori in Brisbane and most notably stunned Rafa at Indian wells as he defeated the mighty Spaniard for the first time in his career there.  However Raonic has often proven in the past to not be the best mover on the court and he often can have the top players run rings around him when it comes to playing long rallies which can leave him at a real disadvantage and his game is also still very much a work in progress.  So can Raonic win the French?  In short: no, but I still think he will make a decent run of things there and the last eight is a safe bet.  Prediction: quarter finals.

9. Nick Kygrios

Next there is the young rising star from Australia, Nick Kygrios who really announced himself last year to the tennis world after he upset Rafa at Wimbledon in the fourth round to reach his first major quarter final.  But Nick went on to prove he was no one trick pony either as he reached the quarter finals this year at his own home slam in Melbourne showing that this young guy could very well become a force to be reckoned with in the future.  Nick also pulled of a stunning win this year against Roger Federer in Madrid as he toppled him in three tight sets, which shows that Nick is a big match player who loves the big stage.  And this is what makes Nick very dangerous at the French open this year as although he is still very much a work in progress he is also a fearless and hungry player with nothing to lose.  So I think its safe to say that the young Aussie could do quite well in Paris and although I don't see him break his maiden slam duck here I do think he will reach the 2nd week and the last 16 or eight.  Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.

10. Grigor Dimitrov

And last of all we have Grigor Dimitrov who is strangely enough right at the bottom here even though he is still very much a contender.  But it has to be said that 2015 so far hasn't been the best year for Grigor as he has endured some early exits and even though he put in a fairly good showing in Australia before he was finally upended by Andy Murray in the 4th round (which prompted one of the most spectacular racquet breaks in history by Dimitrov!).  Dimitrov also suffered a 1st round exit at the French last year which was a big disappointment given his impressive showing down under in Melbourne where he reached his first quarter final.  However despite that I'm sure Dimitrov will be determined to put in a better showing this year at the French and I can see him probably make the 2nd week but I don't see him being the eventual champion, however the last 16 or 8 is still possible.  Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.

So that's it for my look at the pick of the men's contenders for the French open crown and I'm sure at least one or two of them will be accurate but however it goes it will be interesting as no doubt there might a few upsets in there.

And that's it for now and I will be back next week to start my coverage of the French open on this blog.

Until then bye for now!