Rrrrrright well the third grand slam of the season is just a week away now at SW19 yep its the Wimbledon championships coming up soon which will see the world's best players hammer it out for the right to win the title. So here is my list of contenders for the title and also to do well at Wimbledon.
And without further ado let's get going....
1. Andy Murray
While this might surprise some I'm putting Andy Murray right at the top of the list this year as going by his form this week on the grass at Queens club in London he has been superb and has already won the title during the odd years at the club from 2009, 2011, 2013. And today he triumped yet again as he beat Kevin Anderson in a very convicning fashion in straight sets and claimed his joint record 4th four title at Queens club as he joins the four time champions of the event including Lleyton Hewitt and Boris Becker. So this couldn't be better preparation for Andy going into Wimbledon and going by the tennis he has played so far this year it would be mad to write off his chances. The only problem however for Andy will be two players that stand in his way, one Novak Djokovic and one Roger Federer and it will remain a stern challenge for Andy to beat either of them particularly Djokovic whom he has lost his last eight matches to. And if you go by those stats you would certainly favour Novak to beat Andy again should they meet at SW19 in either the semis or the final. But on grass things are a bit different as Andy has never lost to Novak on a grass court and I really think he can take his form and use that to beat Djokovic for the first time since that Wimbledon final two years. And given the home support and his form I think Andy once again can triumph at the All England club regardless of his eight losses to Djokovic, something sooner or later will give and he might just have the edge over the Serb this once. Roger Federer however is also a real threat as he will be going for a record 8th title at SW19 and should he meet Andy in the final he could also come up short, but never forget that at the All England club both men are tied at one apiece with Roger triumphing during the Wimbledon championships and Andy going on to win the Olympics there as well. So I might be totally wrong but for me I see Andy as the champion at Wimbledon this year and if not he can definitely reach the final. But the way I see it is Andy took a set off Nole in Melbourne this year, he took two sets off him at the French in Paris and if he can do that he can take three off him at SW19. Prediction: champion or finalist.
2. Novak Djokovic
So at No.2 is Novak Djokovic who is the defending champion and of course the world's best player and given his record in slam finals it would be mad to not see him as the champion yet again. Novak also has the benefit of Boris Becker in his camp now, who himself was a three time champion at Wimbledon. The only drawbacks however for Djokovic are that having lost the French Open once again this year it might knock the sails out him a little bit but probably not too much and also he has opted again not play to a warm up event on grass. However this hasn't troubled Novak in the past and he has won the title twice at Wimbleon already so there is not much doubt he could win a third. The only real snag for Novak at Wimbledon is Andy Murray and while Andy has currently been on the losing end of Nole, the Serb has never beaten Andy on grass and is yet to win a set against him on that surface and I think this could be the perfect chance for revenge against Djokovic. Andy also at the French open really started to bear down on Novak as he levelled their match two sets all before Djokovic regrouped and beat Andy in the 5th, so he could be in danger of dropping three sets this time. Another concern for Novak is of course Roger Federer who pushed him all the way last year to five sets in their incredible final but Nole still managed to get it done in the end despite some nerves. So it has to be said that yes Novak can certainly win Wimbledon this year again and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he did, but he might just be pipped to the post by his rival Andy and maybe even Roger. Prediction: finalist or champion.
3. Roger Federer
Next is Roger Federer who so far has had a pretty good year overall despite an early exit at the Australian open losing to Andreas Seppi in the 3rd round there and coming up short against his Swiss pal Stan Wawrinka at the French Open. And Roger has already firmly stated his intent to try and win Wimbledon this year already and he also has won the title this weekend in Halle, which was his record 8th title at the grass court event. Roger also will be looking to gain his record 8th Wimbledon title as well this year and although there are still a few barriers in his way it would be hard not to see him reach another final. But do I see him as the outright champion??? To be honest no. And the reason why is because I just think given Roger's age that things are starting to catch up with him and I can potentially see Roger being upset by a Wawrinka or a Kygrios. He might of course go on to reach the final but even if he does he will most likely be facing an in form Andy or Novak and given their current forms I would say they are two best players in the world just now. But I definitely think Roger will still go deep at SW19 and the last four or final two might be a safe bet. Prediction: semi finals or final.
4. Stan Wawrinka
So up next is Stan Wawrinka whom I made the complete mistake of leaving him out of my list of the French open contenders list and he went on to win it, so I'm not making that mistake this time round! Stan however has still had an up and down year so far despite his triumph at the French open he has had a string of losses during the tour in 2015. But Stan has still brought it to the slams this year as he also made the semis at the Australian open and put in a pretty good showing before losing out to Novak in five sets. Stan also managed to make it to the quarter finals for the first time last year at Wimbledon and played a good match against Roger Federer before losing in four sets and that was also partly attributed to an injury he had picked up. So this time if Stan remains fit and healthy during the tournament I really think he could do some damage here and while I do not see him as the outright champion at Wimbledon I do think he can reach the last eight or four. Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.
5. Rafael Nadal
After Stan the man we have Rafa who so far has endured the worst season of his career having put together a poor string of results and lost his crown at the French open for the first time in six years. So 2015 so far has not been kind to Rafa as he has struggled with his form and confidence however he has had some good results on grass so far this year as he already won the title in Stuttgart last week, which was his first grass court title since winning Wimbledon in 2011. However Rafa went on to suffer an early exit at Queens where he was beaten in his first round match by Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets, despite being a break up in the 3rd set. And its these errors that are the biggest cause for concern with Rafa as he used to play the big points incredibly well in matches but that is something he has started to lose which has ultimately effected his game and confidence. But despite that I still think Rafa can do fairly well here at SW19 and he even made the 4th round last year before being stunned by Nick Kygrios so I would not be surprised if he was to make the 2nd week and I do think he can make the last eight although if he were to play the likes of Andy or Novak he would certainly come up second best given his current form. Prediction: semi finals or quarter finals.
6. Milos Raonic
Next is last year's semi finalist Milos Raonic who so far has had a pretty good year despite having not yet won a title in 2015 he has been pretty consistent in his results and also reached the quarter finals this year at the Australian open. Raonic also has added a little bit more to his game in the last year or so as next to his incredibly powerful and accurate serve he is also a decent returner and vollyer. Where Raonic falls down however is in his movement as he tends to be on the losing end against the very top players and best movers as he is slightly hampered by his height. Raonic's game is also very much still a work in progress and it will take him quite some time before he can fully enhance his game well enough to help him win a major. So can Raonic win the title? In all honesty no simply because of the bigger names that stand in his way but I still do see him maybe reaching the last eight or four again this year. Prediction: semi finals or quarter finals.
7. Kei Nishikori
After that we have Kei Nishikori who exploded onto the scene last year after reaching the US Open final last year and since then has been one of the most consistent players on the tour and his ranking has gone as high as No.4 in the world. Kei also is one of the game's fastest and fittest athletes so he is more than capable of rallying with the best from the back of the court. Where Kei however falls down is that he has no big weapons so he has to rely on his speed and athleticism to get himself around the court and that may leave him at a disadvantage. Kei however has been pretty consistent so far this year in the slams and has reached the quarter finals at both the Australian and French Open in 2015, which will stand him in good stead to do well at Wimbledon. However despite all that I don't see Kei as the eventual Wimbledon champion and I think he still stands a better chance of winning on hard courts than grass. So while he most likely won't be the champion I think he could reach the last eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
8. Tomas Berdych
Next is the big Czeck Tomas Berdych and he has had a pretty consistent year too so far and he did very well reaching the semis at the Australian open before losing to Andy Murray there. Tomas has also went pretty deep in many of the events on the tour this season so far but he also is yet to win a title this season despite reaching a few finals. And the big Czeck who has even inherited Andy Murray's ex-assistant coach, Dani Velverdu is still yet to unlock his full potential and find a way to win that elusive first major. So while he has the talent to win that major he still lacks that mental edge which has always held him back. Regardless of that though I still think Berdych can do fairly well at SW19 and the last eight is a pretty decent estimate of his chances even if he might not get further. Prediction: quarter finals.
9. David Ferrer
Up next is David Ferrer the Spanish terrier who so far has a fairly good year and so far he has also claimed a few titles in 2015. Ferrer is easily one of my favourite players on the tour and has consistently been in the top ten over the last decade or so which is a testament to just how good the guy not just on clay but on all surfaces, having already reached the quarter final at Wimbledon twice in his career. But the problem for Ferrer is despite his skill, speed and athletic ability around the court is that he too like Nishikori doesn't have any big weapons at his disposal, which leaves him struggling against the big four and in some cases other players as well. Despite that though I think Ferrer can still have a decent run at Wimbledon this year and would not be surprised if we saw him reach the 2nd week so at least the final 16 or 8 would be a good estimate for the Spaniad. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
10. Marin Cilic
And last but not least we have Marin Cilic, the reigning US Open champion who after a few poor results this year has started to pick up his game again and he had put in a decent showing already this year at the French open. Also last year Cilic made his debut in the quarter finals at Wimbledon where he pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets before falling in the deciding set, which bodes well for him this year given that he is starting to pick up his form again. The problem for Cilic however is there are still some tricky players that stand in his way even before he can reach the latter stages such as Viktor Troicki who has beaten him the last five times they've played and he is sure to struggle against the Serb if they meet again at SW19. But given the right draw I still think Cilic can do well here and I think he could also reach the 2nd week and just maybe put in a repeat performance of his quarter final last year. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
There are of course a few other dangerous floaters out there worth looking out for such as Nick Kygrios who announced himself last year at Wimbledon having beaten Rafa to reach the quarter finals there. Thanasis Kokinnakis, Nick's fellow Aussie is another dangerous opponent to watch out for as the young rising star will look to do well here also. Viktor Troicki also showed his good form on grass so far as well this season as he reached the finals last week in Stuttgart and the semi finals this week at Queens. Jack Sock is also another player to watch out for who has been on the rise and made it to the 4th round already this year at the French Open and he is also the defending doubles champion at Wimbledon too. And last of all there is Feliciano Lopez who is a seasoned grass court player who has previously reached the last eight at Wimbledon twice before so there is a chance he could do very well this year again.
So that's it for my look the contenders for Wimbledon and I will be back once coverage get's under way so really looking forward to that.
So until the next un its bye for now.
Sunday 21 June 2015
Monday 8 June 2015
2015 French Open Men's and Ladies finals: 20 and counting and Stan is again da man!
Right so this is the last of my French Open posts in which I will look at the men's and ladies singles finals and how they turned out. So without further adooss let's have a look....
So ladies first which saw the final between Serena Williams the two time champion and maiden finalist Lucie Safarova face each other for a fight to nab the trophy. And the match itself turned out to be another very competitive match between the two players, which saw Serena make the stronger start as she broke Lucie to take the opening set. In the 2nd set Safarova looked sure to be beaten as Serena went up a double break, however Lucie then mounted a brave fightback which saw her level the scores and pushed play into a tiebreak which the Czeck player won to even the match at a set all. And in the 3rd set Safarova broke Serena to go ahead for the first time in the match however she was unable to hold onto her break as Serena broke back. And from here it was all Serena as the World No.1 motored her way past the Czeck player by winning six games in a row she claimed her 3rd title at Roland Garros and her 20th grand slam title overall winning in 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.
Well this was an excellent final for the ladies event and it ultimately saw once again that Serena is just too good for everyone and now she has 20 grand slam titles to her name she is just two away from equalling Stefi Graff's record of 22 and no doubt she will probably do it. Not only that Serena has an excellent chance of doing the calender slam this year with only Wimbledon and the US Open to go and it would be very hard to discount her chances at either of them. The only thing however that bugged me about Serena during this match and in her semi final was her behaviour as she seemed to undergo the usual on court drama that we tend to see from her. And in the final Serena clearly was in much better condition that she was in her semi final match but at certain periods in the match she resorted to swearing and berating at herself even when she was winning points well. And this sort of thing is what can really put me off Serena is the way that she makes everything a drama. And it reminded me even of her 2013 French open semi final with Sara Errani where she was annihilating Errani but she was getting herself so worked up regardless of how far ahead she was! And if Serena didn't resort to doing this then it would make her that bit more rootable but such as it is her behaviour on court can at times maker her difficult to like as a player. Despite this no one can take away from her achievements as a tennis player and with only four majors to go she can equal Margaret Court who holds the record for the most majors won (24) and go on to become the all time greatest player in the game.
As for Lucie Safarova well is hard not to feel for her given the effort she had put into reaching the final and she played an excellent match in the final herself coming from a set down to level the match she had it briefly in her hands in the 3rd set before Serena wrestled it away. But Lucie showed throughout the tournament she really is quite a player in her own right and having the reached the final she has now broken into the top ten for the first time in her career as she will now go up to No.7 in the world as a result of her reaching the final. And as a nice end to the tournament Lucie managed to go on and winning the doubles title there with her partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands so it was far from all bad for her. Lucie also last year reached her maiden semi final at Wimbledon so this year maybe she could go on to go a bit further there as well so despite this loss things are looking pretty bright for her.
Now we get onto the men's final which for the first time since 2009 saw the opportunity for a new champion at Roland Garros as Rafa had been knocked out in the quarter finals. And the final as we all know was between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka who were both looking to win the title for the first time but it was Novak who was the heavy favourite given he was looking to complete his career slam by winning the title. As for the match itself well it started the way you would probably expect with Novak serving very well and putting Stan ill at ease with her return game and solid serving and he went on to break Stan to take the opening set. In the 2nd set however Stan mounted a fightback as Novak was looking to serve to make it 5-5 was broken by Stan who levelled the match. In the 3rd set with the scores level Stan started to find his range and utilised his immense firepower to break Novak and seized the initiative and took the two sets to one lead. In the 4th set however Novak fought back and looked poised to level the match at two sets all as he went 3-0 up. But Stan was still not done as he broke back and went on to hold serve with the scores evenly poised until 4-4 when Stan did the near unthinkable and broke Djokovic's serve again to put himself in a position to serve for the match. And despite a few jitters Stan did just that as he ripped one of his signature backhand winners down the line he sealed the win and broke Novak's heart once again for another year with the Swiss player winning his second grand slam title and first title at Roland Garros with a stunning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Well this certainly wasn't the result that anyone would have predicted given that this appeared to be Djokovic's title for the taking this year but it stands as testament as to how good a player Stan Wawrinka really is that he managed to pull this win off. The match itself was a very entertaining one and filled with some high quality play from both men as they traded some great rallies and Stan himself produced some breathtaking winners throughout not to mention that stunning backhand winner down the line he produced at championship point. And I think no doubt Stan was helped by his previous grand slam win and also the fact that he had beaten Djokovic last year at the Australian open which no doubt gave him the belief to win here as well. Stan also is a seasoned clay court player himself and he even won the French open juniors event so in a way it would make sense that would have a crack at it some day but you would never had guessed it would have been against the World No.1, which at times he made Novak look quite ordinary in comparison! It also showed that Stan really has the muscle and firepower to challenge the big four and that by winning his second grand slam title that he is no one trick pony and by winning this title he can go on and win more so he deserves nothing but credit for this victory and the title.
As for Djokovic well unfortunately the wait goes on for that elusive career slam and I'm sure he's as surprised as anyone about this result as this title really for once looked to be in his hands. However Novak ultimately just wasn't able to cope with the raw firepower that Stan has and as the match went on his service games were under continual pressure from the Swiss player which eventually saw him crumble. And no doubt Novak would have felt the pressure of trying to achieve his life's dream of winning the French open and perhaps he did get that bit more nervous as a result of realising how close he finally was with his former nemesis Rafa out the way and in the end he didn't bank on Wawrinka. But perhaps Stan also owes a little bit of thanks to Andy Murray as well for softening up Novak for the final given that they played such a gruelling five setter it might have played a part in wearing down Novak on the day in the final although the Swiss player really deserves all the credit himself. But regardless of all that the fact remains that Novak will have to carry on waiting to win that elusive French open trophy and he might yet do it one day although you can't help buy wonder if this was his best ever chance and has blown it but given the player he is he might yet have his day in the sun at Roland Garros.
Right so that's it for the French Open which this year has been a great tournament with some great and dramatic matches which finished on a high with a very fine finale on both the ladies and mens sides of the net.
So next up is the start of the grass court which starts this week in Stuttgart and Nottingham and will carry on next week at Queens club, where Andy Murray will resume his bid to reclaim the title there and also go on to try and win the Wimbledon title for a second time. And given Andy's form this year he has a strong shout of winning both titles although it will be far from easy to do both. But one thing that Andy can take heart from his defeat by Djokovic is that he has never lost to him on grass and now that Djokovic has lost the French open it may have knocked the wind out of his sails a bit but if Novak had won the French then a calendar slam would have looked certain to be on the cards. So with that in mind I'm sure it will serve (no pun intended) as a little extra bit of motivation for Andy and he has already expressed his intent to try and win over Novak at Wimbledon should they meet and hopefully this time if they do he will finally get that much needed victory.
And that's it for now and I will be back soon with more tennis posts probably for Queens but defintely for Wimbledon and I will do a preview of my pick for the men's contenders for the title at SW19 as well at some point.
And with that I shall say bye for now!
So ladies first which saw the final between Serena Williams the two time champion and maiden finalist Lucie Safarova face each other for a fight to nab the trophy. And the match itself turned out to be another very competitive match between the two players, which saw Serena make the stronger start as she broke Lucie to take the opening set. In the 2nd set Safarova looked sure to be beaten as Serena went up a double break, however Lucie then mounted a brave fightback which saw her level the scores and pushed play into a tiebreak which the Czeck player won to even the match at a set all. And in the 3rd set Safarova broke Serena to go ahead for the first time in the match however she was unable to hold onto her break as Serena broke back. And from here it was all Serena as the World No.1 motored her way past the Czeck player by winning six games in a row she claimed her 3rd title at Roland Garros and her 20th grand slam title overall winning in 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.
Well this was an excellent final for the ladies event and it ultimately saw once again that Serena is just too good for everyone and now she has 20 grand slam titles to her name she is just two away from equalling Stefi Graff's record of 22 and no doubt she will probably do it. Not only that Serena has an excellent chance of doing the calender slam this year with only Wimbledon and the US Open to go and it would be very hard to discount her chances at either of them. The only thing however that bugged me about Serena during this match and in her semi final was her behaviour as she seemed to undergo the usual on court drama that we tend to see from her. And in the final Serena clearly was in much better condition that she was in her semi final match but at certain periods in the match she resorted to swearing and berating at herself even when she was winning points well. And this sort of thing is what can really put me off Serena is the way that she makes everything a drama. And it reminded me even of her 2013 French open semi final with Sara Errani where she was annihilating Errani but she was getting herself so worked up regardless of how far ahead she was! And if Serena didn't resort to doing this then it would make her that bit more rootable but such as it is her behaviour on court can at times maker her difficult to like as a player. Despite this no one can take away from her achievements as a tennis player and with only four majors to go she can equal Margaret Court who holds the record for the most majors won (24) and go on to become the all time greatest player in the game.
As for Lucie Safarova well is hard not to feel for her given the effort she had put into reaching the final and she played an excellent match in the final herself coming from a set down to level the match she had it briefly in her hands in the 3rd set before Serena wrestled it away. But Lucie showed throughout the tournament she really is quite a player in her own right and having the reached the final she has now broken into the top ten for the first time in her career as she will now go up to No.7 in the world as a result of her reaching the final. And as a nice end to the tournament Lucie managed to go on and winning the doubles title there with her partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands so it was far from all bad for her. Lucie also last year reached her maiden semi final at Wimbledon so this year maybe she could go on to go a bit further there as well so despite this loss things are looking pretty bright for her.
Now we get onto the men's final which for the first time since 2009 saw the opportunity for a new champion at Roland Garros as Rafa had been knocked out in the quarter finals. And the final as we all know was between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka who were both looking to win the title for the first time but it was Novak who was the heavy favourite given he was looking to complete his career slam by winning the title. As for the match itself well it started the way you would probably expect with Novak serving very well and putting Stan ill at ease with her return game and solid serving and he went on to break Stan to take the opening set. In the 2nd set however Stan mounted a fightback as Novak was looking to serve to make it 5-5 was broken by Stan who levelled the match. In the 3rd set with the scores level Stan started to find his range and utilised his immense firepower to break Novak and seized the initiative and took the two sets to one lead. In the 4th set however Novak fought back and looked poised to level the match at two sets all as he went 3-0 up. But Stan was still not done as he broke back and went on to hold serve with the scores evenly poised until 4-4 when Stan did the near unthinkable and broke Djokovic's serve again to put himself in a position to serve for the match. And despite a few jitters Stan did just that as he ripped one of his signature backhand winners down the line he sealed the win and broke Novak's heart once again for another year with the Swiss player winning his second grand slam title and first title at Roland Garros with a stunning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Well this certainly wasn't the result that anyone would have predicted given that this appeared to be Djokovic's title for the taking this year but it stands as testament as to how good a player Stan Wawrinka really is that he managed to pull this win off. The match itself was a very entertaining one and filled with some high quality play from both men as they traded some great rallies and Stan himself produced some breathtaking winners throughout not to mention that stunning backhand winner down the line he produced at championship point. And I think no doubt Stan was helped by his previous grand slam win and also the fact that he had beaten Djokovic last year at the Australian open which no doubt gave him the belief to win here as well. Stan also is a seasoned clay court player himself and he even won the French open juniors event so in a way it would make sense that would have a crack at it some day but you would never had guessed it would have been against the World No.1, which at times he made Novak look quite ordinary in comparison! It also showed that Stan really has the muscle and firepower to challenge the big four and that by winning his second grand slam title that he is no one trick pony and by winning this title he can go on and win more so he deserves nothing but credit for this victory and the title.
As for Djokovic well unfortunately the wait goes on for that elusive career slam and I'm sure he's as surprised as anyone about this result as this title really for once looked to be in his hands. However Novak ultimately just wasn't able to cope with the raw firepower that Stan has and as the match went on his service games were under continual pressure from the Swiss player which eventually saw him crumble. And no doubt Novak would have felt the pressure of trying to achieve his life's dream of winning the French open and perhaps he did get that bit more nervous as a result of realising how close he finally was with his former nemesis Rafa out the way and in the end he didn't bank on Wawrinka. But perhaps Stan also owes a little bit of thanks to Andy Murray as well for softening up Novak for the final given that they played such a gruelling five setter it might have played a part in wearing down Novak on the day in the final although the Swiss player really deserves all the credit himself. But regardless of all that the fact remains that Novak will have to carry on waiting to win that elusive French open trophy and he might yet do it one day although you can't help buy wonder if this was his best ever chance and has blown it but given the player he is he might yet have his day in the sun at Roland Garros.
Right so that's it for the French Open which this year has been a great tournament with some great and dramatic matches which finished on a high with a very fine finale on both the ladies and mens sides of the net.
So next up is the start of the grass court which starts this week in Stuttgart and Nottingham and will carry on next week at Queens club, where Andy Murray will resume his bid to reclaim the title there and also go on to try and win the Wimbledon title for a second time. And given Andy's form this year he has a strong shout of winning both titles although it will be far from easy to do both. But one thing that Andy can take heart from his defeat by Djokovic is that he has never lost to him on grass and now that Djokovic has lost the French open it may have knocked the wind out of his sails a bit but if Novak had won the French then a calendar slam would have looked certain to be on the cards. So with that in mind I'm sure it will serve (no pun intended) as a little extra bit of motivation for Andy and he has already expressed his intent to try and win over Novak at Wimbledon should they meet and hopefully this time if they do he will finally get that much needed victory.
And that's it for now and I will be back soon with more tennis posts probably for Queens but defintely for Wimbledon and I will do a preview of my pick for the men's contenders for the title at SW19 as well at some point.
And with that I shall say bye for now!
Saturday 6 June 2015
2015 French Open Part 7 Men's semis: digging deep and the career slam beckons....
Right so this post will cover my look at the men's semi final matches at the French open and it will see who reached the final two to fight it out with a chance for a first time winner at RG. So let's give them a look.....
So the first match was between the two time semi finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and home favourite against Stan Wawrinka, the 9th seed who took out his pal Roger Federer in the previous round. And the match itself was quite an up and down yet competitive affair as both men played in brutally humid conditions with high winds swirling about making play difficult. However it was Stan who got off to the stronger start as he broke Tsonga and went on to close out the 1st set as the Frenchman already appeared to be showing nerves. The 2nd set however was far more closer as both men pushed each other into a tiebreak which saw Tsonga raise his game as Stan went off his and the Frenchman levelled the match at a set all. In the 3rd set there was nothing to separate the two again as play went to another tiebreak but Stan took the initiative this time and won the breaker to take the two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set Jo blinked first as he dropped his serve it was ultimately his undoing as Stan held firm who pressed for a double break but couldn't quite get it but went on to serve it out to secure his 2nd grand slam final and first at the French open after a hard fought 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 win.
Well in one way its quite surprising to see Stan do so well at the French open this year given the up and down year he has had so far but in a way it is also not so surprising as he is an excellent clay court player who's game is tailor made for the surface. And it showed also that while Stan can be inconsistent in his form at times that he is also no one trick pony as any player that can reach more than one slam final and already have one under the belt is more than capable of grabbing another one. However its going to be a very tough ask for Stan to win his second major with whoever awaits him in the other side of the draw, which I will get to it in a tic. As for Tsonga well he did really well for the most part in this match and at least this time he showed up and fought hard in this semi final unlike his previous one with David Ferrer where he choked. So no doubt this result showed put Tsonga back in the top 10 after next week given he reached the semi finals.
Now we get onto what was perhaps next to the Rafa vs Nole encounter the most anticipated match of the tournament so far which was the clash between Novak Djokovic and his old rival Andy Murray. On paper this had all the makings of a classic even though Andy was on the losing end to Djokovic the last seven times they had met and given Djokovic's determination and brilliance so far in the tournament it was a big ask for Andy to make an impact on Nole's game. And as for the match itself it certainly seemed to be the case at the start as Andy struggled to deal with not only the windy conditions on court but also Djokovic's exceptional form as he appeared to have just about all the answers to every shot Andy made. And in the 1st set Andy at 4-3 got sloppy and dropped his serve to hand the break to Novak who served out the set confidently. In the 2nd set Andy continued to struggle with Novak who kept up his domination over him and Andy dropped serve again and as he looked to try and prevent going down a double break he played a shocker of an overhead which went long to meekly hand Novak the two sets to love lead. In the 3rd set Andy had to really battle to hold onto his serve as the wind picked up to such extremes and he had to stave off two break points on his serve at 2-3 which would surely have spelled the end of the match had he lost them. However from here Andy picked up his level and held serve to go 5-5 and then things turned in his favour as he whipped a stunning forehand pass over Novak and went on to break the imperious No.1 for the first time and also went on to serve out the 3rd set to keep himself a live in the match.
In the 4th set Andy kept his momentum with an early break however he squandered it and let Nole back in to the set but by this time the level of play had risen and the rallies had become higher in quality. Andy however again found himself in a hole as struggle on serve and staved off three more break points at 2-3 which he saved to go 3-3. After this however match play was suspended due to an incoming storm so the players left the court for the night. Play then continued the next day with both men coming out sharp particularly Andy who then went on and sealed another break on the Djokovic serve and did the almost unthinkable as he served out the set to level the match at two sets all. However in the 5th set Djokovic seized the initiative as Andy finally blinked on serve and he went up a break and unfortunately from here Novak put down the hammer and raced to a double break and quickly served out the match with an ace to reach his 3rd final at the French open after an epic battle winning in 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1 in 4 hours and 9 minutes.
Well its slow start and rather disappointing end aside this match was undoubtedly one of the real highlights of the French open so far as both players at times played some terrific points and incredible rallies which had the French crowd up on their feet and even cheering for Andy who was the clear underdog. Novak started off the match in such imperious form and had looked so solid throughout the tournament up to this point, probably did not expect after goings two sets up such an incredible fightback from Andy but he sure got one. And for this alone it is sheer testament as to just how good a player Andy is as he went toe to toe with the world's best player for over 4 hours whereas every other player so far has struggled to even keep with the Serb's incredible form and walking into this match he had not even dropped a set. This is especially surprising given that Djokovic demolished Rafa so convincingly in their quarter final clash. However in the end Novak knows a thing or two about winning himself and as soon he started the 5th set he hit the reset switch and went on to play like he did in the first two sets and proved yet again that he is the world's best player and just too damn good for everyone else. But at least in the end Andy did avoid the dreaded bagel as he has suffered a 6-0 loss in two of their previous big matches in Melbourne and Miami so the breadstick (1 in tennis) is better than the bagel (0 in tennis) any day!
So that is the end of the French open for Andy but it has easily been his best ever clay court season to date having only sustained one loss in the whole season with a mighty impressive 15-1 record on the red dirt he couldn't really have done much better if he tried. And not only that he really showed in this event and right now that he is the world's second best player like he was two years ago even if Federer currently has the No.2 spot I can see Andy in the near future reclaim it. It also showed that his rivalry with Djokovic really is starting to ignite again despite having lost eight straight matches to the guy he is starting to compete as well as he possibly could against him and he should take huge encouragement from this match alone. And with the grass court season just round the corner I think Andy has an excellent chance of winning his 2nd Wimbledon title and he might just get revenge over Novak there as given his confidence and form and with a British crowd fully behind him that could make all the difference so we will see how things go from here.
So that is the French open final now set between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, its the Djoker versus Stan the man. So the question has to be asked: who will win it????? Wellll again I have to go with Djokovic as the guy is the world's best player, he hasn't lost a match in over three months and right now he's never played better. However Stan is a very dangerous player and he has alot of firepower and he has the game to beat Novak as well and their previous four slam matches have all gone to five sets so you can expect it to be another very tough match tomorrow. Stan also has a better 2nd serve than Andy and as such it can make it that bit easier for him to hold serve and that could prove also to be key as there is no question that Stan will need to serve well to win the match and the title. Stan also can take confidence from his sole grand slam match win over Djokovic last year in Melbourne where he pushed Novak hard and ultimately beat him 9-7 in the 5th set, so a win in the final is not impossible. But in the end I think Novak will just have that bit extra over Stan and he will have more than enough belief and desire in himself to ensure that he get's that much eluded final grand slam title to complete the career slam that he so badly wants.
So my prediction for the match is that Novak will win it in four or five sets and while I think Stan can definitely make a match of it ultimately I think he will come up short against the World No.1 who is on an unstoppable mission to put himself right up among the greats in the game by winning all four majors as he knows full well this is his best shot at it.
Right so that's it for now and I will be back with my final French open post with the results for both the men's and ladies final singles matches.
Until the next one its bye for now!
So the first match was between the two time semi finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and home favourite against Stan Wawrinka, the 9th seed who took out his pal Roger Federer in the previous round. And the match itself was quite an up and down yet competitive affair as both men played in brutally humid conditions with high winds swirling about making play difficult. However it was Stan who got off to the stronger start as he broke Tsonga and went on to close out the 1st set as the Frenchman already appeared to be showing nerves. The 2nd set however was far more closer as both men pushed each other into a tiebreak which saw Tsonga raise his game as Stan went off his and the Frenchman levelled the match at a set all. In the 3rd set there was nothing to separate the two again as play went to another tiebreak but Stan took the initiative this time and won the breaker to take the two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set Jo blinked first as he dropped his serve it was ultimately his undoing as Stan held firm who pressed for a double break but couldn't quite get it but went on to serve it out to secure his 2nd grand slam final and first at the French open after a hard fought 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 win.
Well in one way its quite surprising to see Stan do so well at the French open this year given the up and down year he has had so far but in a way it is also not so surprising as he is an excellent clay court player who's game is tailor made for the surface. And it showed also that while Stan can be inconsistent in his form at times that he is also no one trick pony as any player that can reach more than one slam final and already have one under the belt is more than capable of grabbing another one. However its going to be a very tough ask for Stan to win his second major with whoever awaits him in the other side of the draw, which I will get to it in a tic. As for Tsonga well he did really well for the most part in this match and at least this time he showed up and fought hard in this semi final unlike his previous one with David Ferrer where he choked. So no doubt this result showed put Tsonga back in the top 10 after next week given he reached the semi finals.
Now we get onto what was perhaps next to the Rafa vs Nole encounter the most anticipated match of the tournament so far which was the clash between Novak Djokovic and his old rival Andy Murray. On paper this had all the makings of a classic even though Andy was on the losing end to Djokovic the last seven times they had met and given Djokovic's determination and brilliance so far in the tournament it was a big ask for Andy to make an impact on Nole's game. And as for the match itself it certainly seemed to be the case at the start as Andy struggled to deal with not only the windy conditions on court but also Djokovic's exceptional form as he appeared to have just about all the answers to every shot Andy made. And in the 1st set Andy at 4-3 got sloppy and dropped his serve to hand the break to Novak who served out the set confidently. In the 2nd set Andy continued to struggle with Novak who kept up his domination over him and Andy dropped serve again and as he looked to try and prevent going down a double break he played a shocker of an overhead which went long to meekly hand Novak the two sets to love lead. In the 3rd set Andy had to really battle to hold onto his serve as the wind picked up to such extremes and he had to stave off two break points on his serve at 2-3 which would surely have spelled the end of the match had he lost them. However from here Andy picked up his level and held serve to go 5-5 and then things turned in his favour as he whipped a stunning forehand pass over Novak and went on to break the imperious No.1 for the first time and also went on to serve out the 3rd set to keep himself a live in the match.
In the 4th set Andy kept his momentum with an early break however he squandered it and let Nole back in to the set but by this time the level of play had risen and the rallies had become higher in quality. Andy however again found himself in a hole as struggle on serve and staved off three more break points at 2-3 which he saved to go 3-3. After this however match play was suspended due to an incoming storm so the players left the court for the night. Play then continued the next day with both men coming out sharp particularly Andy who then went on and sealed another break on the Djokovic serve and did the almost unthinkable as he served out the set to level the match at two sets all. However in the 5th set Djokovic seized the initiative as Andy finally blinked on serve and he went up a break and unfortunately from here Novak put down the hammer and raced to a double break and quickly served out the match with an ace to reach his 3rd final at the French open after an epic battle winning in 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1 in 4 hours and 9 minutes.
Well its slow start and rather disappointing end aside this match was undoubtedly one of the real highlights of the French open so far as both players at times played some terrific points and incredible rallies which had the French crowd up on their feet and even cheering for Andy who was the clear underdog. Novak started off the match in such imperious form and had looked so solid throughout the tournament up to this point, probably did not expect after goings two sets up such an incredible fightback from Andy but he sure got one. And for this alone it is sheer testament as to just how good a player Andy is as he went toe to toe with the world's best player for over 4 hours whereas every other player so far has struggled to even keep with the Serb's incredible form and walking into this match he had not even dropped a set. This is especially surprising given that Djokovic demolished Rafa so convincingly in their quarter final clash. However in the end Novak knows a thing or two about winning himself and as soon he started the 5th set he hit the reset switch and went on to play like he did in the first two sets and proved yet again that he is the world's best player and just too damn good for everyone else. But at least in the end Andy did avoid the dreaded bagel as he has suffered a 6-0 loss in two of their previous big matches in Melbourne and Miami so the breadstick (1 in tennis) is better than the bagel (0 in tennis) any day!
So that is the end of the French open for Andy but it has easily been his best ever clay court season to date having only sustained one loss in the whole season with a mighty impressive 15-1 record on the red dirt he couldn't really have done much better if he tried. And not only that he really showed in this event and right now that he is the world's second best player like he was two years ago even if Federer currently has the No.2 spot I can see Andy in the near future reclaim it. It also showed that his rivalry with Djokovic really is starting to ignite again despite having lost eight straight matches to the guy he is starting to compete as well as he possibly could against him and he should take huge encouragement from this match alone. And with the grass court season just round the corner I think Andy has an excellent chance of winning his 2nd Wimbledon title and he might just get revenge over Novak there as given his confidence and form and with a British crowd fully behind him that could make all the difference so we will see how things go from here.
So that is the French open final now set between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, its the Djoker versus Stan the man. So the question has to be asked: who will win it????? Wellll again I have to go with Djokovic as the guy is the world's best player, he hasn't lost a match in over three months and right now he's never played better. However Stan is a very dangerous player and he has alot of firepower and he has the game to beat Novak as well and their previous four slam matches have all gone to five sets so you can expect it to be another very tough match tomorrow. Stan also has a better 2nd serve than Andy and as such it can make it that bit easier for him to hold serve and that could prove also to be key as there is no question that Stan will need to serve well to win the match and the title. Stan also can take confidence from his sole grand slam match win over Djokovic last year in Melbourne where he pushed Novak hard and ultimately beat him 9-7 in the 5th set, so a win in the final is not impossible. But in the end I think Novak will just have that bit extra over Stan and he will have more than enough belief and desire in himself to ensure that he get's that much eluded final grand slam title to complete the career slam that he so badly wants.
So my prediction for the match is that Novak will win it in four or five sets and while I think Stan can definitely make a match of it ultimately I think he will come up short against the World No.1 who is on an unstoppable mission to put himself right up among the greats in the game by winning all four majors as he knows full well this is his best shot at it.
Right so that's it for now and I will be back with my final French open post with the results for both the men's and ladies final singles matches.
Until the next one its bye for now!
Thursday 4 June 2015
2015 French Open Part 6 Mens matches: Dethroning the king
Right so now its time for my look at the men's matches from Days 11 and 12 at the French open which will cover the quarter finals matches. So let's have a look.....
So the first match of the day was the most anticipated match of the tournament between two of the game's greatest modern rivals, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. And we all know the story with these two as Novak has been desparate to win the French open to complete his career grand slam and has been on losing end of Rafa's might at Roland Garros over their last six matches. So was this all about to change???? Well.....yes. The match itself however was billed to be an epic but in the end it didn't quite turn out that way as it was clear in this match that the usual high quality of their rivalry had now suffered a bit of a gulf. In the first set however we were treated to some classic Nole vs Rafa action as Rafa battled back from 4-0 down to level the scores and the first continued on serve until Rafa was broken at 5-6 and Nole took the 1st set. In the 2nd set Rafa continued to try and live with Novak who had become more comfortable on serve and he went on to break Rafa to grab a two set lead, which saw for the first time in quite some time Rafa's title defence really come under threat. And in the 3rd set any hope of a great fightback was squashed as Rafa simply could not contend with Djokovic's unrelenting brilliance on the court and Rafa dropped serve twice to go down the double break. And as Rafa tried to make Novak serve it out he failed to do it and instead in the cruellest of ironic fates, did what Novak did in their previous two finals: double fault on match point down to end his reign at Roland Garros as his old rival Novak beat him for the first time with a stunning 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win.
Well there was not much doubt that Djokovic could have won this match but I admit I was rather surprised by the way in which he won it in such an emphatic manner. However as I said before the alarm bells did start to ring when I saw Rafa's blip against Jack Sock as he failed to serve out the match in the 3rd set, which made me think if he makes mistakes like that against Novak he will get punished. So the result was surprising in one way but also not in another and it really does show that Novak is the undisputed World No.1 now as he has even evicted and dethroned the king of clay in his own backyard he must surely be the favourite to go and win this title now and at this rate I think it will be incredibly hard for anyone to stop him.
As for Rafa well let's just hope he bounces back (no pun intended!) and picks up his game for the grass court season as he will be determined to try and get his confidence back. There is also the question mark however not just his confidence but if there has been still any physical issues with him after his apendectomy, which might also have impact on their performances in matches. And its clear that Rafa has shown some struggles but may have been trying to hide them from the public eye and so far its also clear that he is having the same kind of struggles that Andy had last year in terms of his results. But ultimately Rafa is too good a player to struggle indefinitely and while he lags way behind his old rival Novak in form just now I'm sure he can work his way back up again and hopefully as he has said himself will be back to fight for the French open title again next year.
Now we get to the next match which was between Andy Murray and David Ferrer which promised to be a highly entertaining encounter. Andy had never previously beaten Ferrer on clay in any of their meetings on that surface so this no doubt was going to be quite a challenging match for him. And right enough it was just that as from the first set both men engaged in some intense rallies and both exchanged breaks of serve which eventually saw them head to a tiebreak which Andy won. In the 2nd set Andy fired on a cylinders and secured a double break over the Spaniard to grab a two set lead. However in the 3rd depsite going a break up, Andy was broken back by Ferrer and play went by serve until 5-4 where Andy had a match point but with the crowd fully supporting Ferrer, he saved it and went on to hold serve and break Andy himself and he took the 3rd set to keep himself alive. But in the 4th set Andy regrouped and found his best form and steamrolled over Ferrer as he raced to a double break lead and in the end served out the match to reach his 3rd RG semi final and secured his first ever win over Ferrer with a gruelling 7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 scoreline.
There wasn't much doubt this was a very entertaining and tense match between two great players who just went at it full pelt for most of the match and it showed once again Andy's incredible form on clay this season. And the fact that Andy has now beaten both Rafa and Ferrer on clay in the one season is quite remarkable and impressive in itself and if he maintains his form he could very well give himself a chance for the mighty challenge that lies ahead of him (more on that in a minute!). The only concern for Andy in this match however was how he surrendered his break in the 3rd set as it inevitably lead to his downfall in losing that set he was forced to expend more energy and time on court that he would have liked to have. But in the end Andy showed his remarkable ability to regroup after losing a set and play great tennis to finish off a match which has always been a great strength of his against the top players. As for Ferrer well he put up a great fight as you would expect but ultimately he beat himself in a way by being too distracted by the photographers at the side of the court and also he double faulted over 10 times clearly feeling the pressure from Andy it cost him but despite he has still had a good run at RG.
So..... this now sets up another epic showdown between another two rivals in the men's game as Andy and Nole will face each other in the semi finals for a place in the final. And this begs one question: who is going to win????? Well............... this one doesn't require too much imagination as I think Novak will win it simply because the guy has looked unstoppable throughout this tournament and he is yet to drop a set. And this will also prove key for Novak as he has spent much less time on court than Andy has and has also served more consistently as well as he regularly has kept his 1st serve in the 70s. Not only that Novak is no stranger to winning streaks himself and while Andy sits on a very impressive unbeaten 15 match winning streak on clay just now, Novak also has one as well and overall he has a 27 match winning streak this year so far and its hard to see past him for that alone. Not only that Novak has won all of their last previous seven matches.
However having said that Andy will still have his own chances and he also knows how to take the game to Novak and unlike just about every other player knows how to attack and break Novak's serve. The problem for Andy here will be twofold, first he has dropped three sets so far in the tournament and just played a pretty gruelling match against Ferrer so he is bound to be physically less fresh than Novak is. And second is Andy's serve, which has never been reliable at the best of times and if he is to have any chance against Novak he will need to serve as well as he possibly can and this is something he has struggled to do in their previous seven matches. Another factor also comes from the fact that the temperatures for tomorrow's matches are to be very hot as Paris will hit around the mid-30 degrees mark. And in that intense heat there is a chance that given the time Andy has spent on court already could impact on his performance out there as well. Also added to that in their past matches Novak has always been able to physically (and mentally) outlast Andy and while Andy can undoubtedly test and challenge Novak, he ultimately has always ended up being worn down by him. Andy will also need to be wary of Djokovic's body language and behaviour on court because if its a physical match (which it doubtless will be) and he tries to bluff Andy into thinking he's injured like he appeared to do before in Melbourne, then Andy better not fall for it. However Novak should and will think twice of doing that in front of the French open crowd who are notoriously unforgiving of any foul play so I don't imagine we will see that from him.
But despite those concerns Andy still has the ability to test Novak like few other players can with the exception of Federer and Wawrinka who also can push the World No.1. And where Andy can also succeed is in frustrating Novak on the court and he can push his buttons when he competes at his best with him. And a case in point was when Andy broke Djokovic's serve at the Miami open final this year to level a set all and afterwards Djokovic was fuming and snapped angry words back at his camp and alarmed a ball boy in the process by snatching the towel from him (for which Djokovic later publicly apologised for). And the one area of weakness that Andy could exploit is Djokovic's second serve and his ability to step in and punish it, which could also prove to be crucial to his success in the match. So while Andy is the underdog in this match he will still have his opportunities but he will need to be fully prepared to take them when they come along and given Novak's form throughout the tournament so far they won't come that often.
Soooooo as for my prediction I think Novak will win this one in four sets but hopefully it will be a high quality match and if Novak does win it in four let's just hope he doesn't bagel Andy this time!
Anyway so that's it for now and I will be back soon with the results of the ladies final (permitting it happens considering Serena's illness) and the men's semis.
Until then bye for now!
So the first match of the day was the most anticipated match of the tournament between two of the game's greatest modern rivals, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. And we all know the story with these two as Novak has been desparate to win the French open to complete his career grand slam and has been on losing end of Rafa's might at Roland Garros over their last six matches. So was this all about to change???? Well.....yes. The match itself however was billed to be an epic but in the end it didn't quite turn out that way as it was clear in this match that the usual high quality of their rivalry had now suffered a bit of a gulf. In the first set however we were treated to some classic Nole vs Rafa action as Rafa battled back from 4-0 down to level the scores and the first continued on serve until Rafa was broken at 5-6 and Nole took the 1st set. In the 2nd set Rafa continued to try and live with Novak who had become more comfortable on serve and he went on to break Rafa to grab a two set lead, which saw for the first time in quite some time Rafa's title defence really come under threat. And in the 3rd set any hope of a great fightback was squashed as Rafa simply could not contend with Djokovic's unrelenting brilliance on the court and Rafa dropped serve twice to go down the double break. And as Rafa tried to make Novak serve it out he failed to do it and instead in the cruellest of ironic fates, did what Novak did in their previous two finals: double fault on match point down to end his reign at Roland Garros as his old rival Novak beat him for the first time with a stunning 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win.
Well there was not much doubt that Djokovic could have won this match but I admit I was rather surprised by the way in which he won it in such an emphatic manner. However as I said before the alarm bells did start to ring when I saw Rafa's blip against Jack Sock as he failed to serve out the match in the 3rd set, which made me think if he makes mistakes like that against Novak he will get punished. So the result was surprising in one way but also not in another and it really does show that Novak is the undisputed World No.1 now as he has even evicted and dethroned the king of clay in his own backyard he must surely be the favourite to go and win this title now and at this rate I think it will be incredibly hard for anyone to stop him.
As for Rafa well let's just hope he bounces back (no pun intended!) and picks up his game for the grass court season as he will be determined to try and get his confidence back. There is also the question mark however not just his confidence but if there has been still any physical issues with him after his apendectomy, which might also have impact on their performances in matches. And its clear that Rafa has shown some struggles but may have been trying to hide them from the public eye and so far its also clear that he is having the same kind of struggles that Andy had last year in terms of his results. But ultimately Rafa is too good a player to struggle indefinitely and while he lags way behind his old rival Novak in form just now I'm sure he can work his way back up again and hopefully as he has said himself will be back to fight for the French open title again next year.
Now we get to the next match which was between Andy Murray and David Ferrer which promised to be a highly entertaining encounter. Andy had never previously beaten Ferrer on clay in any of their meetings on that surface so this no doubt was going to be quite a challenging match for him. And right enough it was just that as from the first set both men engaged in some intense rallies and both exchanged breaks of serve which eventually saw them head to a tiebreak which Andy won. In the 2nd set Andy fired on a cylinders and secured a double break over the Spaniard to grab a two set lead. However in the 3rd depsite going a break up, Andy was broken back by Ferrer and play went by serve until 5-4 where Andy had a match point but with the crowd fully supporting Ferrer, he saved it and went on to hold serve and break Andy himself and he took the 3rd set to keep himself alive. But in the 4th set Andy regrouped and found his best form and steamrolled over Ferrer as he raced to a double break lead and in the end served out the match to reach his 3rd RG semi final and secured his first ever win over Ferrer with a gruelling 7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 scoreline.
There wasn't much doubt this was a very entertaining and tense match between two great players who just went at it full pelt for most of the match and it showed once again Andy's incredible form on clay this season. And the fact that Andy has now beaten both Rafa and Ferrer on clay in the one season is quite remarkable and impressive in itself and if he maintains his form he could very well give himself a chance for the mighty challenge that lies ahead of him (more on that in a minute!). The only concern for Andy in this match however was how he surrendered his break in the 3rd set as it inevitably lead to his downfall in losing that set he was forced to expend more energy and time on court that he would have liked to have. But in the end Andy showed his remarkable ability to regroup after losing a set and play great tennis to finish off a match which has always been a great strength of his against the top players. As for Ferrer well he put up a great fight as you would expect but ultimately he beat himself in a way by being too distracted by the photographers at the side of the court and also he double faulted over 10 times clearly feeling the pressure from Andy it cost him but despite he has still had a good run at RG.
So..... this now sets up another epic showdown between another two rivals in the men's game as Andy and Nole will face each other in the semi finals for a place in the final. And this begs one question: who is going to win????? Well............... this one doesn't require too much imagination as I think Novak will win it simply because the guy has looked unstoppable throughout this tournament and he is yet to drop a set. And this will also prove key for Novak as he has spent much less time on court than Andy has and has also served more consistently as well as he regularly has kept his 1st serve in the 70s. Not only that Novak is no stranger to winning streaks himself and while Andy sits on a very impressive unbeaten 15 match winning streak on clay just now, Novak also has one as well and overall he has a 27 match winning streak this year so far and its hard to see past him for that alone. Not only that Novak has won all of their last previous seven matches.
However having said that Andy will still have his own chances and he also knows how to take the game to Novak and unlike just about every other player knows how to attack and break Novak's serve. The problem for Andy here will be twofold, first he has dropped three sets so far in the tournament and just played a pretty gruelling match against Ferrer so he is bound to be physically less fresh than Novak is. And second is Andy's serve, which has never been reliable at the best of times and if he is to have any chance against Novak he will need to serve as well as he possibly can and this is something he has struggled to do in their previous seven matches. Another factor also comes from the fact that the temperatures for tomorrow's matches are to be very hot as Paris will hit around the mid-30 degrees mark. And in that intense heat there is a chance that given the time Andy has spent on court already could impact on his performance out there as well. Also added to that in their past matches Novak has always been able to physically (and mentally) outlast Andy and while Andy can undoubtedly test and challenge Novak, he ultimately has always ended up being worn down by him. Andy will also need to be wary of Djokovic's body language and behaviour on court because if its a physical match (which it doubtless will be) and he tries to bluff Andy into thinking he's injured like he appeared to do before in Melbourne, then Andy better not fall for it. However Novak should and will think twice of doing that in front of the French open crowd who are notoriously unforgiving of any foul play so I don't imagine we will see that from him.
But despite those concerns Andy still has the ability to test Novak like few other players can with the exception of Federer and Wawrinka who also can push the World No.1. And where Andy can also succeed is in frustrating Novak on the court and he can push his buttons when he competes at his best with him. And a case in point was when Andy broke Djokovic's serve at the Miami open final this year to level a set all and afterwards Djokovic was fuming and snapped angry words back at his camp and alarmed a ball boy in the process by snatching the towel from him (for which Djokovic later publicly apologised for). And the one area of weakness that Andy could exploit is Djokovic's second serve and his ability to step in and punish it, which could also prove to be crucial to his success in the match. So while Andy is the underdog in this match he will still have his opportunities but he will need to be fully prepared to take them when they come along and given Novak's form throughout the tournament so far they won't come that often.
Soooooo as for my prediction I think Novak will win this one in four sets but hopefully it will be a high quality match and if Novak does win it in four let's just hope he doesn't bagel Andy this time!
Anyway so that's it for now and I will be back soon with the results of the ladies final (permitting it happens considering Serena's illness) and the men's semis.
Until then bye for now!
2015 French Open Part 5: Ladies matches - fighting through it
Right time for my latest look at the 2015 French open which is now getting near the end of its run so this will post will cover the action from the ladies set of the net on days 11 and 12 of the event. So let's get cracking....
So Day 11 started with Serena Williams taking on Sara Errani for a place in the last four and their match has so far been a bit of a nightmare for poor Sara as she has always been on the receiving end of Serena's raw power. And this match proved to be no exception either as right from the start the plucky Italian failed to hold onto her serve and deal with Serena's explosive returns as she battered Errani's slow 1st and 2nd serve right back at her with interest as she went up a double break and served out the 1st with ease. In the 2nd set Errani tried her best to keep things competitive and she did a bit better as she managed to level the scores to 3-3. However that was as good as it got for the former finalist and after that Serena broke Errani once more and as Errani tried her best to make Serena serve it out, Serena yet again demolished Erran's tame serve and ultimately the Italian crumbled under the World No.1's physical might as Serena reached the semis with an emphatic 6-1, 6-3 win. There is no doubt that this match would be one way traffic as right from the get go it was obvious that Errani could not cope with Serena's power and in the end there was always going to be only one winner.
As for the other match of the day we had two unlikely quarter finalists in the 23rd seed Timea Bacsinszky against the Belgium player Alison Van Uytvanck (good name!). And this match proved to be a far more even and competitive affair as both players went at it but it was the seeded player, Timea that broke the Belgium's serve to take the opening set. The 2nd set was a tight affair as well with both players going at it again but the seeded Bascinszky again proved to be that bit more consistent as she went on to break her opponent again and seal the deal to reach her first ever career grand slam semi final with a 6-4, 7-5 win. Its always good to see new players get into the deep of the the major tournaments so this was a great win for Timea who is an excellent player who at one point had even considered dropping out of tennis and get into the hotel management business but no doubt she will be happy she stuck with her tennis!
Right so now we get onto day 12 which saw the ladies semi finals matches take place as the last four battled it out for a place in the final. The first match up was between Ana Ivanovic, the former 2008 champion and Lucie Safarova, the 13th seed who has had a very impressive run so far in the tournament and had beaten the defending champion, Maria Sharapova in the 4th round. The match itself promised to be a very competitive one and it was just that as both women fought it out on Court Philippe Chatrier even though it was Ivanovic who got off to an early lead who went 4-1 up. However Safarova soon broke back and levelled the scores and went on to break Ivanovic as well to move ahead and she closed out the opening set. In the 2nd set Safarova went up an early break herself and she consolidated it until 5-4 where she was serving for a place in the final when she got tight and dropped serve in her attempts to serve it out to let Ana back into the match. However Ivanovic herself struggled again on serve and was broken again by Safarova who then on the second time of asking did the job and secured her first ever major final with an impressive 7-5, 7-5 victory. This was a great win for Lucie Safarova and it was wonderful to see yet another player on the tour make their maiden grand slam final and Safarova herself is a well liked and respected player among the female players on the tour so its great to see her finally make it to the final of a big one.
Next up we had the other semi final which was between Serena Williams and Timea Bascinszky which had its own drama about it as Serena prior to match had been ill with a virus of some kind. And the match itself for Serena was not helped by soaring temperatures on court and she repetatedly had to call for ice packs to cool her down. So as for the match itself well it was quite a competitive one and Timea came out strong taking advantage of Serena's weakened form she managed to grab a break and went on to serve out the 1st set. In the 2nd set however Serena, even though she was still struggling with her form she managed to break Timea and went on to level the scores at a set all. And in the 3rd set despite her continued physical ailments, Serena managed to steamroll her opponent who's challenged quickly faded and she dished out the Swiss player a bagel to finish off the match and in doing sealed her place in her third final at the French open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 win.
Well this was quite a peculiar match which clearly saw that Serena was way below her best and physically not feeling well either, yet somehow she still managed to dig out this win. The troubling thing about that though is it did remind of the similar situation with Novak Djokovic earlier this year at the Australian open when he appeared fatigued and injured during the match yet he pounced on Andy with great physical prowess during the points, and the same happened here with Serena. And this was especially evident as the match progressed as during the points Serena fired up and energised and outmanoevering her opponent but afterwards she would move weakily back to the service line. Its almost like the scene in the Star Wars prequel, Attack of the clones, where Yoda one minute using his walking stick to aid him to move about and the next minute in his fight with Count Dooku he's like a superhuman athlete spinning and doing somersaults all over the place! And while I'm sure Serena was clearly suffering with some sort of illness it still seems bizarre how she could physically play those points so well as if there was nothing wrong with her. And we all know that Serena herself is no stranger to drama. However in the end drama or not she is still one of the greatest players in the history of the game and one way or another she knows how to get it done.
So this sets up a very intruiging final between Serena and Lucie Safarova which should be hopefully quite a good contest as Lucie has been known to give Serena a few problems in the past. However Safarova unforunately has never beaten Serena in any of their previous 8 meetings which is the bad news for her but on the other hand if Serena is still hampered by her illness to an extent than just maybe Lucie could use this to her advantage. The only problem of course is that Serena has proven time and time again she is able to overcome just about any resistance and ultimately the only person that can beat her is herself.
So who will win this one???? Well its hard to look past Serena as she has proven she can beat anyone on a tennis court and having already an emphatic head to head of 8-0 over Safarova its difficult to see any other outcome. However Safarova will no doubt have her chances and she herself is an aggressive player with a big serve and a powerful forehand so she can do a fair bit of damage herself in this match. But in the end it will come down to who plays the big points better and more often than not Serena is the person who has done that. So while I think a Serena victory is inevitable I do think it will be quite a close match and I can see Serena being pushed to a 3rd set yet again in order to claim the title but I think she will do it.
Anyway so that's it for my look at the ladies match now let's look at the men's quarter finals.
Back in a bit.
So Day 11 started with Serena Williams taking on Sara Errani for a place in the last four and their match has so far been a bit of a nightmare for poor Sara as she has always been on the receiving end of Serena's raw power. And this match proved to be no exception either as right from the start the plucky Italian failed to hold onto her serve and deal with Serena's explosive returns as she battered Errani's slow 1st and 2nd serve right back at her with interest as she went up a double break and served out the 1st with ease. In the 2nd set Errani tried her best to keep things competitive and she did a bit better as she managed to level the scores to 3-3. However that was as good as it got for the former finalist and after that Serena broke Errani once more and as Errani tried her best to make Serena serve it out, Serena yet again demolished Erran's tame serve and ultimately the Italian crumbled under the World No.1's physical might as Serena reached the semis with an emphatic 6-1, 6-3 win. There is no doubt that this match would be one way traffic as right from the get go it was obvious that Errani could not cope with Serena's power and in the end there was always going to be only one winner.
As for the other match of the day we had two unlikely quarter finalists in the 23rd seed Timea Bacsinszky against the Belgium player Alison Van Uytvanck (good name!). And this match proved to be a far more even and competitive affair as both players went at it but it was the seeded player, Timea that broke the Belgium's serve to take the opening set. The 2nd set was a tight affair as well with both players going at it again but the seeded Bascinszky again proved to be that bit more consistent as she went on to break her opponent again and seal the deal to reach her first ever career grand slam semi final with a 6-4, 7-5 win. Its always good to see new players get into the deep of the the major tournaments so this was a great win for Timea who is an excellent player who at one point had even considered dropping out of tennis and get into the hotel management business but no doubt she will be happy she stuck with her tennis!
Right so now we get onto day 12 which saw the ladies semi finals matches take place as the last four battled it out for a place in the final. The first match up was between Ana Ivanovic, the former 2008 champion and Lucie Safarova, the 13th seed who has had a very impressive run so far in the tournament and had beaten the defending champion, Maria Sharapova in the 4th round. The match itself promised to be a very competitive one and it was just that as both women fought it out on Court Philippe Chatrier even though it was Ivanovic who got off to an early lead who went 4-1 up. However Safarova soon broke back and levelled the scores and went on to break Ivanovic as well to move ahead and she closed out the opening set. In the 2nd set Safarova went up an early break herself and she consolidated it until 5-4 where she was serving for a place in the final when she got tight and dropped serve in her attempts to serve it out to let Ana back into the match. However Ivanovic herself struggled again on serve and was broken again by Safarova who then on the second time of asking did the job and secured her first ever major final with an impressive 7-5, 7-5 victory. This was a great win for Lucie Safarova and it was wonderful to see yet another player on the tour make their maiden grand slam final and Safarova herself is a well liked and respected player among the female players on the tour so its great to see her finally make it to the final of a big one.
Next up we had the other semi final which was between Serena Williams and Timea Bascinszky which had its own drama about it as Serena prior to match had been ill with a virus of some kind. And the match itself for Serena was not helped by soaring temperatures on court and she repetatedly had to call for ice packs to cool her down. So as for the match itself well it was quite a competitive one and Timea came out strong taking advantage of Serena's weakened form she managed to grab a break and went on to serve out the 1st set. In the 2nd set however Serena, even though she was still struggling with her form she managed to break Timea and went on to level the scores at a set all. And in the 3rd set despite her continued physical ailments, Serena managed to steamroll her opponent who's challenged quickly faded and she dished out the Swiss player a bagel to finish off the match and in doing sealed her place in her third final at the French open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 win.
Well this was quite a peculiar match which clearly saw that Serena was way below her best and physically not feeling well either, yet somehow she still managed to dig out this win. The troubling thing about that though is it did remind of the similar situation with Novak Djokovic earlier this year at the Australian open when he appeared fatigued and injured during the match yet he pounced on Andy with great physical prowess during the points, and the same happened here with Serena. And this was especially evident as the match progressed as during the points Serena fired up and energised and outmanoevering her opponent but afterwards she would move weakily back to the service line. Its almost like the scene in the Star Wars prequel, Attack of the clones, where Yoda one minute using his walking stick to aid him to move about and the next minute in his fight with Count Dooku he's like a superhuman athlete spinning and doing somersaults all over the place! And while I'm sure Serena was clearly suffering with some sort of illness it still seems bizarre how she could physically play those points so well as if there was nothing wrong with her. And we all know that Serena herself is no stranger to drama. However in the end drama or not she is still one of the greatest players in the history of the game and one way or another she knows how to get it done.
So this sets up a very intruiging final between Serena and Lucie Safarova which should be hopefully quite a good contest as Lucie has been known to give Serena a few problems in the past. However Safarova unforunately has never beaten Serena in any of their previous 8 meetings which is the bad news for her but on the other hand if Serena is still hampered by her illness to an extent than just maybe Lucie could use this to her advantage. The only problem of course is that Serena has proven time and time again she is able to overcome just about any resistance and ultimately the only person that can beat her is herself.
So who will win this one???? Well its hard to look past Serena as she has proven she can beat anyone on a tennis court and having already an emphatic head to head of 8-0 over Safarova its difficult to see any other outcome. However Safarova will no doubt have her chances and she herself is an aggressive player with a big serve and a powerful forehand so she can do a fair bit of damage herself in this match. But in the end it will come down to who plays the big points better and more often than not Serena is the person who has done that. So while I think a Serena victory is inevitable I do think it will be quite a close match and I can see Serena being pushed to a 3rd set yet again in order to claim the title but I think she will do it.
Anyway so that's it for my look at the ladies match now let's look at the men's quarter finals.
Back in a bit.
Tuesday 2 June 2015
2015 French Open Men's matches: More upsets and the ultimate showdown (three rounds early!)
Right well now its time for my catch up with the men's matches from this year's French open which will cover days 9 and 10 of the action. So let's get cracking....
So starting with Day 9 the action kicked off on Court Philippe Chatrier with the resumption of the 4th round match between Roger Federer and Gael Monfils which was tied at a set all at the time of suspension on Sunday just there due to bad light. And when the match resumed it was Roger who took the lead in the 3rd set as he went on to broke Monfils and grab the two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set Monfils's hopes came to an end as he appeared to get stuck between showboating and making too many errors which ultimately cost him a double break and the match as Roger sped to victory in just over two hours with a four set 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
And after this we saw Novak Djokovic take on another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet for a place in the last eight. And the match itself was pretty much a non event as after the first three very tight games of the first set, Novak went on to run away with the set as Gasquet's unforced errors piled up, Nole grabbed a double break to take the lead. And more errors came off Gasquet's racquet in the 2nd set as the Frenchman was simply unable to contend with Djokovic's unbelievable form and consistency on serve as he surrendered to a double break and a two set deficit. And in the 3rd set despite one ray of light for Gasquet after he broke back to go 3-3 it was short lived as the Frenchman yet again quickly succumbed to the pressure on the othe side of the net as Novak broke again and served out the match in emphatic fashion with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 (easy 1, 2 and 3!). This match yet again really showed just how formidable Novak is looking so far in the tournament and he is showing no signs of losing that momentum which could still carry him to victory this year for the first time at Roland Garros. However all that depends on the winner of the next match which I will mention...
And that match was between Rafael Nadal, the nine time champion and the talented upcoming American, Jack Sock. The match itself however at the start was plain sailing for Rafa as the young Sock struggled to cope with Rafa's form and he soon found himself staring down the barrel of a two set deficit. However in the 3rd set despite going a break down, Sock fought back as Rafa blinked when trying to serve for the match at 5-4 he let Sock back in to make it 5-5. And from here Sock went on to break Rafa and take the third set, which was the first set that Rafa had dropped in the whole tournament. But in the 4th set Rafa restored his control and saw off any further dangers from the young American as Sock faltered twice on serve which let Rafa serve out the match to reach the quarter finals and set up a huge clash with his old rival Novak Djokovic (which I will get to soon!) after toughing out a four set 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win. This match certainly raised a question mark over Rafa's form the first time in the tournament where he blinked at a key moment in the match whereas in previous years Rafa doubtless would have served out the match in straight sets. But despite it still shows that Rafa's fighting spirit is strong as ever and so far he has only dropped one set in the tournament which sees him with plenty of energy left for the big fight that lies ahead (again more on that soon!).
And last of all we had Andy Murray who so far is still unbeaten on clay in 2015 as he is having his best ever season on the red dirt but in his 4th round he was up against a very dangerous player, the Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy. Andy however managed to get off to a strong start in the match as he broke Chardy to take the first set. In the 2nd set however the complexion of the match changed dramatically as Chardy went on to break Andy's serve with a blistering backhand winner and went on to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set Chardy continued to threaten Andy as he nabbed another early break but this time he was unable to hang on to it and Andy broke back to bring parity to the match and he later seized the chance for a two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set Andy outclassed the Frenchman and he played some amazing points as Chardy's challenge faded and Andy reached the quarter finals at the French open for a 5th time after a hard fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. This was another very entertaining match which saw the Partisan crowd get on Andy's case at times as they are of course the rudest crowd in the history of the sport but also they provide a great pantomine atmosphere to matches which Andy enjoyed and there is no doubt he loves to play away from home against home favourites.
So this will set up a quarter final clash for Andy with David Ferrer who has shown great form so far in the event as he thrashed Marin Cilic in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter finals also. And this will be a very dangerous match for Andy as he has never beaten Ferrer on clay and he also lost to Ferrer in their only previous encounter at the French three years ago in four sets. However Andy's form has improved considerably on clay this year and he is also now injury free as he was struggling badly back then with his back injury. So this will even the scales a bit more this time although I still think its hard to predict an outright winner as I think this will be a very close match but I think this time Andy will hopefully win it as he has shown great determination this year and is now on a 14 match winning streak on clay. But it will be a very tough and physically gruelling encounter as both men are playing very well and if Andy does win it, it will take him at least four sets or maybe five to do so but whichever way it goes it promises to be a real cracker.
As for Day 10 well we saw two upsets on the men's side and the first proved to be the biggest of the tournament so far as Stan Wawrinka stunned Roger Federer in their encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen in front of a packed crowd. Stan proved today that he was indeed the man and after taking a two set lead he then went on to seal the deal in a tense tiebreaker in which Stan overpowered Roger and claimed his 3rd win over his good friend in 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. This match really did show what game and power that Stan has at his disposal and on his day he can beat absolutely anyone and he sure did show that against Roger. And this also shows that Stan remains a real dark horse and a strong contender for the title and given that clay is his second strongest surface he has a very decent shout at claiming his second major title.
And for the second men's match we had Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the last Frenchman standing at the tournament who faced the Japenese No.1, Kei Nishikori for a place in the last four. On paper Kei was the favourite here as he lead their head to head 4-1 going into this match but it was Jo that made the better start as he dominated Nishikori with a powerful display of big serving and hitting which quickly saw Tsonga take a two sets to love lead. The match however saw some drama off the court as there was an accident during play due to the strong winds, a piece of metal sheeting collapsed and fell onto some of the spectators, leaving one of them injured, which saw the match suspended to sort things out. After play resumed Tsonga seemed a bit distracted and his mind wandered which let Nishikori back into the match as he grabbed the 3rd set to keep his hopes alive in the match and he also went on to take the 4th to level the scores. However Jo was not deterred and he finally got his mojo back and broke Nishikori to take the lead and he never relinquished it again as he served out the match and earned his place in the semi finals in front of a jubilant home crowd with a remarkable 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 win.
This was quite an epic encounter between both men and it gave the French crowd a much needed victory and it ended with memorable scenes of Tsonga writing "I love you Roland Garros" in the clay and lying down flat on the dirt to a rousing reception. It also showed that Tsonga after struggling with injuries in his career over the past few months, really has come back into his own and has rekindled his great form. And you never know in this form he could very well make it all the way to the final even though he has a very tough opponent in Stan Wawrinka awaiting him. But Tsonga is no stranger to feeding off the crowd and right now he knows how to fully utilise the support of a home crowd and I just think he might be able to do it and reach his home major final. But can Jo win the title???? Well we'll save that one for another day.
And now for my preview of the big one...... yep this is the match we have been waiting for all since the draw for the French open came out just under two weeks ago and this is the much anticipated quarter final clash between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. And we all pretty much know the story between these two as they have already meet six times at Roland Garros and Rafa has won all six of them so far. But given Rafa's ropey form this year going into RG and the fact that Djokovic is currently on a 26 match winning streak this could make things a little different this time round as Novak has never looked in better form going into this match. Its also a very exciting and unique match as they have never faced each other at such an earlier stage in a major tournament, which simply boils down to Rafa's plummet in the rankings down to No.7 in the world.
But this all begs the question: who is going to win it???? Well..... this is a very tough one to predict as both men are playing very well so far in the tournament with only Rafa having dropped one set so far between them. On paper for once it has to be said that Novak is the favourite here and Rafa is the underdog as Novak's form has been incredible this year in 2015 and he has also beaten Rafa five times out of their last six meetings and he has beaten Rafa in every clay court Masters event they have played since Rome 2012. Not only that Novak has been inching ever closer to beating Rafa at Roland Garros and he came the closest he ever has to beating him during their epic semi final two years where Novak pushed Rafa to absolute limit in a five set thriller which Rafa finally edged 9-7 in the final set. And sooner or later Novak is sure to make that breakthrough against his old rival and his current form really does suggest that he can finally do it tomorrow.
However.... on the other side Rafa has won this event nine times and that is three times more than his idol, Bjorn Borg has and no one knows Court Philippe Chatrier better than he does and in this time he has only lost ONCE and holds a remarkable 70-1 winning record at the event and has not lost in six years since Robin Soderling beat him in 2009. And that is the good news for Rafa and the other good news is that tomorrow the match will take place on his 29th birthday which means it could also serve (no pun intended!) as little bit of extra motivation to do well, although ultimately I don't think it will play a big part in the outcome! And another thing which is good news for Rafa and bad news for Djokovic is that Rafa has won his last four grand slam matches against the Serb who has not defeated Rafa in a grand slam match since the final of the 2012 Australian open, which shows that Rafa since then has always been able to bring it against Novak on the biggest occassions.
Soooooooo this is a very difficult one to predict with any degree of accuracy.... but it has to be said that in spite of Novak being the heavy favourite this year, Rafa could still win it. And ultimately at the French open, this event inspires something in Rafa like no other that get's him going and no matter how poor his form might have been going into this event he can always rely on his experience at RG to see him get past any oppositon no matter how tough it might be. However Novak without a doubt will have his chances and if he doesn't make any rookie errors like he did two years when he tripped into the net which ultimately saw him surrender his key break in the 5th set then he will give himself his best ever shot at winning the match and going on to win the title. And make no mistake that whoever wins this match should go on to claim the title and just maybe it might be time for a change of the guard.
So I have to say I'm still a bit non-committal about the outcome of this match and there is also no doubt that despite Rafa's amazing record at the French, Novak definitely still has a real shot here, maybe his best ever shot and it is still a very unpredictable match to size up taking into account Rafa's unrivaled record at the tournament and Novak's current superb form. So my sum up is this: if Rafa wins I think he will do it in five sets, if Novak wins he might do it four or five sets or if he is on absolute fire than maybe even straight sets. But regardless of whichever way it goes let's hope its a classic and one to remember.
And that's it for now and I will be back sometime soon with more results on both sides of the net.
Until then bye for now!
So starting with Day 9 the action kicked off on Court Philippe Chatrier with the resumption of the 4th round match between Roger Federer and Gael Monfils which was tied at a set all at the time of suspension on Sunday just there due to bad light. And when the match resumed it was Roger who took the lead in the 3rd set as he went on to broke Monfils and grab the two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set Monfils's hopes came to an end as he appeared to get stuck between showboating and making too many errors which ultimately cost him a double break and the match as Roger sped to victory in just over two hours with a four set 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
And after this we saw Novak Djokovic take on another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet for a place in the last eight. And the match itself was pretty much a non event as after the first three very tight games of the first set, Novak went on to run away with the set as Gasquet's unforced errors piled up, Nole grabbed a double break to take the lead. And more errors came off Gasquet's racquet in the 2nd set as the Frenchman was simply unable to contend with Djokovic's unbelievable form and consistency on serve as he surrendered to a double break and a two set deficit. And in the 3rd set despite one ray of light for Gasquet after he broke back to go 3-3 it was short lived as the Frenchman yet again quickly succumbed to the pressure on the othe side of the net as Novak broke again and served out the match in emphatic fashion with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 (easy 1, 2 and 3!). This match yet again really showed just how formidable Novak is looking so far in the tournament and he is showing no signs of losing that momentum which could still carry him to victory this year for the first time at Roland Garros. However all that depends on the winner of the next match which I will mention...
And that match was between Rafael Nadal, the nine time champion and the talented upcoming American, Jack Sock. The match itself however at the start was plain sailing for Rafa as the young Sock struggled to cope with Rafa's form and he soon found himself staring down the barrel of a two set deficit. However in the 3rd set despite going a break down, Sock fought back as Rafa blinked when trying to serve for the match at 5-4 he let Sock back in to make it 5-5. And from here Sock went on to break Rafa and take the third set, which was the first set that Rafa had dropped in the whole tournament. But in the 4th set Rafa restored his control and saw off any further dangers from the young American as Sock faltered twice on serve which let Rafa serve out the match to reach the quarter finals and set up a huge clash with his old rival Novak Djokovic (which I will get to soon!) after toughing out a four set 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win. This match certainly raised a question mark over Rafa's form the first time in the tournament where he blinked at a key moment in the match whereas in previous years Rafa doubtless would have served out the match in straight sets. But despite it still shows that Rafa's fighting spirit is strong as ever and so far he has only dropped one set in the tournament which sees him with plenty of energy left for the big fight that lies ahead (again more on that soon!).
And last of all we had Andy Murray who so far is still unbeaten on clay in 2015 as he is having his best ever season on the red dirt but in his 4th round he was up against a very dangerous player, the Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy. Andy however managed to get off to a strong start in the match as he broke Chardy to take the first set. In the 2nd set however the complexion of the match changed dramatically as Chardy went on to break Andy's serve with a blistering backhand winner and went on to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set Chardy continued to threaten Andy as he nabbed another early break but this time he was unable to hang on to it and Andy broke back to bring parity to the match and he later seized the chance for a two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set Andy outclassed the Frenchman and he played some amazing points as Chardy's challenge faded and Andy reached the quarter finals at the French open for a 5th time after a hard fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. This was another very entertaining match which saw the Partisan crowd get on Andy's case at times as they are of course the rudest crowd in the history of the sport but also they provide a great pantomine atmosphere to matches which Andy enjoyed and there is no doubt he loves to play away from home against home favourites.
So this will set up a quarter final clash for Andy with David Ferrer who has shown great form so far in the event as he thrashed Marin Cilic in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter finals also. And this will be a very dangerous match for Andy as he has never beaten Ferrer on clay and he also lost to Ferrer in their only previous encounter at the French three years ago in four sets. However Andy's form has improved considerably on clay this year and he is also now injury free as he was struggling badly back then with his back injury. So this will even the scales a bit more this time although I still think its hard to predict an outright winner as I think this will be a very close match but I think this time Andy will hopefully win it as he has shown great determination this year and is now on a 14 match winning streak on clay. But it will be a very tough and physically gruelling encounter as both men are playing very well and if Andy does win it, it will take him at least four sets or maybe five to do so but whichever way it goes it promises to be a real cracker.
As for Day 10 well we saw two upsets on the men's side and the first proved to be the biggest of the tournament so far as Stan Wawrinka stunned Roger Federer in their encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen in front of a packed crowd. Stan proved today that he was indeed the man and after taking a two set lead he then went on to seal the deal in a tense tiebreaker in which Stan overpowered Roger and claimed his 3rd win over his good friend in 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. This match really did show what game and power that Stan has at his disposal and on his day he can beat absolutely anyone and he sure did show that against Roger. And this also shows that Stan remains a real dark horse and a strong contender for the title and given that clay is his second strongest surface he has a very decent shout at claiming his second major title.
And for the second men's match we had Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the last Frenchman standing at the tournament who faced the Japenese No.1, Kei Nishikori for a place in the last four. On paper Kei was the favourite here as he lead their head to head 4-1 going into this match but it was Jo that made the better start as he dominated Nishikori with a powerful display of big serving and hitting which quickly saw Tsonga take a two sets to love lead. The match however saw some drama off the court as there was an accident during play due to the strong winds, a piece of metal sheeting collapsed and fell onto some of the spectators, leaving one of them injured, which saw the match suspended to sort things out. After play resumed Tsonga seemed a bit distracted and his mind wandered which let Nishikori back into the match as he grabbed the 3rd set to keep his hopes alive in the match and he also went on to take the 4th to level the scores. However Jo was not deterred and he finally got his mojo back and broke Nishikori to take the lead and he never relinquished it again as he served out the match and earned his place in the semi finals in front of a jubilant home crowd with a remarkable 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 win.
This was quite an epic encounter between both men and it gave the French crowd a much needed victory and it ended with memorable scenes of Tsonga writing "I love you Roland Garros" in the clay and lying down flat on the dirt to a rousing reception. It also showed that Tsonga after struggling with injuries in his career over the past few months, really has come back into his own and has rekindled his great form. And you never know in this form he could very well make it all the way to the final even though he has a very tough opponent in Stan Wawrinka awaiting him. But Tsonga is no stranger to feeding off the crowd and right now he knows how to fully utilise the support of a home crowd and I just think he might be able to do it and reach his home major final. But can Jo win the title???? Well we'll save that one for another day.
And now for my preview of the big one...... yep this is the match we have been waiting for all since the draw for the French open came out just under two weeks ago and this is the much anticipated quarter final clash between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. And we all pretty much know the story between these two as they have already meet six times at Roland Garros and Rafa has won all six of them so far. But given Rafa's ropey form this year going into RG and the fact that Djokovic is currently on a 26 match winning streak this could make things a little different this time round as Novak has never looked in better form going into this match. Its also a very exciting and unique match as they have never faced each other at such an earlier stage in a major tournament, which simply boils down to Rafa's plummet in the rankings down to No.7 in the world.
But this all begs the question: who is going to win it???? Well..... this is a very tough one to predict as both men are playing very well so far in the tournament with only Rafa having dropped one set so far between them. On paper for once it has to be said that Novak is the favourite here and Rafa is the underdog as Novak's form has been incredible this year in 2015 and he has also beaten Rafa five times out of their last six meetings and he has beaten Rafa in every clay court Masters event they have played since Rome 2012. Not only that Novak has been inching ever closer to beating Rafa at Roland Garros and he came the closest he ever has to beating him during their epic semi final two years where Novak pushed Rafa to absolute limit in a five set thriller which Rafa finally edged 9-7 in the final set. And sooner or later Novak is sure to make that breakthrough against his old rival and his current form really does suggest that he can finally do it tomorrow.
However.... on the other side Rafa has won this event nine times and that is three times more than his idol, Bjorn Borg has and no one knows Court Philippe Chatrier better than he does and in this time he has only lost ONCE and holds a remarkable 70-1 winning record at the event and has not lost in six years since Robin Soderling beat him in 2009. And that is the good news for Rafa and the other good news is that tomorrow the match will take place on his 29th birthday which means it could also serve (no pun intended!) as little bit of extra motivation to do well, although ultimately I don't think it will play a big part in the outcome! And another thing which is good news for Rafa and bad news for Djokovic is that Rafa has won his last four grand slam matches against the Serb who has not defeated Rafa in a grand slam match since the final of the 2012 Australian open, which shows that Rafa since then has always been able to bring it against Novak on the biggest occassions.
Soooooooo this is a very difficult one to predict with any degree of accuracy.... but it has to be said that in spite of Novak being the heavy favourite this year, Rafa could still win it. And ultimately at the French open, this event inspires something in Rafa like no other that get's him going and no matter how poor his form might have been going into this event he can always rely on his experience at RG to see him get past any oppositon no matter how tough it might be. However Novak without a doubt will have his chances and if he doesn't make any rookie errors like he did two years when he tripped into the net which ultimately saw him surrender his key break in the 5th set then he will give himself his best ever shot at winning the match and going on to win the title. And make no mistake that whoever wins this match should go on to claim the title and just maybe it might be time for a change of the guard.
So I have to say I'm still a bit non-committal about the outcome of this match and there is also no doubt that despite Rafa's amazing record at the French, Novak definitely still has a real shot here, maybe his best ever shot and it is still a very unpredictable match to size up taking into account Rafa's unrivaled record at the tournament and Novak's current superb form. So my sum up is this: if Rafa wins I think he will do it in five sets, if Novak wins he might do it four or five sets or if he is on absolute fire than maybe even straight sets. But regardless of whichever way it goes let's hope its a classic and one to remember.
And that's it for now and I will be back sometime soon with more results on both sides of the net.
Until then bye for now!
2015 French Open Part 3: Ladies matches - upsets and more upsets
Right so its time for my look at the latest matches from the ladies side of the net at the 2015 French Open and its been quite a tournament this year which already has seen some excellent matches. And now things are really hotting up as we get down to the business end of the tournament and I will cover days 9 and 10 of the action. So let's give it a look....
So starting with day 9 we had a big upset where we saw the defending champion, Maria Sharapova take on the 13th seed Lucie Safarova. And right from the start Lucie took to the mighty Pova with her powerful forehand and big serving and she took the 1st set on the tiebreak. In the 2nd set Safarova went a break up but Sharapova broke back, however it was short lived as Safarova broke again and went on to pull off the biggest upset in the ladies draw so far as she dumped out Sharapova in straight sets 7-6, 6-4. This was a terrific win for Lucie Safarova who has come into the French open playing her very best tennis and this being her first quarter final at Roland Garros it shows great promise that she can deeper into the tournament.
After this we had Serena Williams, the former two time champion who faced her compatriot, Sloane Stephens in a clash which saw the World No.1 drop the first set to Stephens having gone down a double break. In the 2nd set Serena fought back and edged a close set to level the match and in the 3rd set Serena took control and broke Stephens and went on to serve it out for a place in the quarter finals after a tough 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win. This was another testing match for Serena but so far she has proved yet again that she is the undisputed World No.1 and she can come back from just about anything. And there is no doubt that Serena still remains the hot favourite to win the title and her quarter final opponent next will be Sara Errani who beat the German player, Julia Goerges in 6-2 6-2. Unfortunately for Sara, Serena has demolished her in their previous meetings so I expect it to be a pretty short match and she will reach the final four with ease.
As for the other matches of the day, Garbine Muguruza, last year's quarter finalist beat the seasoned Italian veteran, Flavia Pennetta in straight sets to advance to her second quarter final winning in 6-3. 6-4. And we had another big upset with Petra Kvitova, the 4th seed and defending Wimbledon champion who took on the 23rd seed, Timea Bacsinszky who had already beaten the Czeck No.1 in their only previous meeting. And after a strong start from Petra, despite her best efforts history repeated itself as the Swiss player, Timea broke Kvitova and went on to serve out the match to reach her first career grand slam quarter final with a 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 win. And last of all we had another surprise winner with the Belgium player, Alison van Uytvanck (good name!) who beat Andreea Mitu in straight sets to reach her first ever quarter final in a major also with an impressive 6-1, 6-3 win.
So moving onto Day 10 we had the first of the ladies quarter finals matches starting with Ana Ivanovic who has returned to good form at the French by reaching the quarter finals there for the first time since she won the title back in 2008. And Ana took on the Ukranian player, Elina Svitolina in a match which Ana completely dominated from start to finish and Ana broke Svitolina's serve once in the 1st set and twice in the 2nd to secure her place in the semi finals with a 6-3, 6-2. This was another very impressive win for Ivanovic who has finally recovered her good form in the slams again which is good to see and if she maintains this form she will have a strong shout of reaching the final. However that will depend purely on how Ana will get on against the winner of the next match......
And that match was between Lucie Safarova and Garbine Muguruza who clashed on the second biggest court, Court Suzanne Lenglen in a high quality match which saw both players battle it out for a place in the last four. The first set particularly was great and both players brought their A game and in the 2nd set Lucie showed her class and went on to break and serve out for a place in her first Roland Garros semi final. And this proves that Safarova is now a real legitimate threat in this tournament and she could even be a contender for the title as she has in the past also given the very best players such as Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka a run for their money. However as her next opponent is Ana Ivanovic who has already won the French open this will be quite a test for her to come through if she is to make her first career major final but the match itself promises to be one to watch and Safarova leads their head to head 5-3 which could give her the edge she needs to make it.
Right so that's it for my look at the ladies matches for now and I will be back soon with the men's matches from Days 9 and 10.
See you soon!
So starting with day 9 we had a big upset where we saw the defending champion, Maria Sharapova take on the 13th seed Lucie Safarova. And right from the start Lucie took to the mighty Pova with her powerful forehand and big serving and she took the 1st set on the tiebreak. In the 2nd set Safarova went a break up but Sharapova broke back, however it was short lived as Safarova broke again and went on to pull off the biggest upset in the ladies draw so far as she dumped out Sharapova in straight sets 7-6, 6-4. This was a terrific win for Lucie Safarova who has come into the French open playing her very best tennis and this being her first quarter final at Roland Garros it shows great promise that she can deeper into the tournament.
After this we had Serena Williams, the former two time champion who faced her compatriot, Sloane Stephens in a clash which saw the World No.1 drop the first set to Stephens having gone down a double break. In the 2nd set Serena fought back and edged a close set to level the match and in the 3rd set Serena took control and broke Stephens and went on to serve it out for a place in the quarter finals after a tough 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win. This was another testing match for Serena but so far she has proved yet again that she is the undisputed World No.1 and she can come back from just about anything. And there is no doubt that Serena still remains the hot favourite to win the title and her quarter final opponent next will be Sara Errani who beat the German player, Julia Goerges in 6-2 6-2. Unfortunately for Sara, Serena has demolished her in their previous meetings so I expect it to be a pretty short match and she will reach the final four with ease.
As for the other matches of the day, Garbine Muguruza, last year's quarter finalist beat the seasoned Italian veteran, Flavia Pennetta in straight sets to advance to her second quarter final winning in 6-3. 6-4. And we had another big upset with Petra Kvitova, the 4th seed and defending Wimbledon champion who took on the 23rd seed, Timea Bacsinszky who had already beaten the Czeck No.1 in their only previous meeting. And after a strong start from Petra, despite her best efforts history repeated itself as the Swiss player, Timea broke Kvitova and went on to serve out the match to reach her first career grand slam quarter final with a 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 win. And last of all we had another surprise winner with the Belgium player, Alison van Uytvanck (good name!) who beat Andreea Mitu in straight sets to reach her first ever quarter final in a major also with an impressive 6-1, 6-3 win.
So moving onto Day 10 we had the first of the ladies quarter finals matches starting with Ana Ivanovic who has returned to good form at the French by reaching the quarter finals there for the first time since she won the title back in 2008. And Ana took on the Ukranian player, Elina Svitolina in a match which Ana completely dominated from start to finish and Ana broke Svitolina's serve once in the 1st set and twice in the 2nd to secure her place in the semi finals with a 6-3, 6-2. This was another very impressive win for Ivanovic who has finally recovered her good form in the slams again which is good to see and if she maintains this form she will have a strong shout of reaching the final. However that will depend purely on how Ana will get on against the winner of the next match......
And that match was between Lucie Safarova and Garbine Muguruza who clashed on the second biggest court, Court Suzanne Lenglen in a high quality match which saw both players battle it out for a place in the last four. The first set particularly was great and both players brought their A game and in the 2nd set Lucie showed her class and went on to break and serve out for a place in her first Roland Garros semi final. And this proves that Safarova is now a real legitimate threat in this tournament and she could even be a contender for the title as she has in the past also given the very best players such as Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka a run for their money. However as her next opponent is Ana Ivanovic who has already won the French open this will be quite a test for her to come through if she is to make her first career major final but the match itself promises to be one to watch and Safarova leads their head to head 5-3 which could give her the edge she needs to make it.
Right so that's it for my look at the ladies matches for now and I will be back soon with the men's matches from Days 9 and 10.
See you soon!
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