Right so now for Part 3 of my look at the men's French open tournament which will cover days 9 and 10 and the remainder of the fourth round matches and the first quarter final matches. So let's give them a look.....
So to start with Day 9 Rafa Nadal started play as he took on the young upcoming Serbian, Dusan Lajovic, who debuted in making this far at the French Open in the 4th round. And the young Serb even asked his fellow native, Novak Djokovic for a few pointers on how to handle Rafa. However in the end they weren't much use as Dusan is no Djokovic and Rafa hammered the young Serb with no mercy and he sped to a very straightforward victory dropping just four games in 6-1, 6-2 6-1. Whether or not this really shows Rafa's form so far remains to be seen, as there is no doubt he has been playing well at the French this year, but he also hasn't really been tested yet and has had a pretty easy draw so far, however that will soon change of course.
And this could very well change with the winner of the next match, who will go on to face Rafa, and the match was between David Ferrer and the South African giant, Kevin Anderson. And for the most part Ferrer was in ful control of the match and took a two set lead in fairly quick time, however Anderson did fight back well in the 3rd set and pushed play to a tiebreak, which Ferrer lost, and was the first set he dropped in the tournament. However it was no more than a blip as Ferrer regained full control in the 4th and went on to race to the finish line and another quarter final in Paris with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 win. So this sets up a big clash between two of the clay's biggest rivals Rafa and Ferrer who will win??? Well you have to go with Rafa, but it could potentially be a tight match, although last year Rafa thumped Ferrer quite convincingly so a straight set win could well be on the cards here. But it will act as a barometer of where Rafa's game is at just now in the French as this will be his first real test, but I still think he can come through this one in either three or four sets.
After this we had Gael Monfils take on the Spaniard, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in what could have been a real tight encounter. However it was Monfils that produced the goods and produced some of his typical moments of genius to take a quick two set lead, dropping only two games. The 3rd set was a tighter one but it was Monfils that finally pulled the trigger and smelled sweet victory with a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. This sees Monfils back in the quarter finals again for the first time in three years, but can he go further??? Well that will depend on the winner of the next match.
And this match was between Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco, and although Andy leads their head to head 9-1, this was to be their first meeting on clay, so in a way the result would be difficult to decide given Verdasco's calibre as a clay court player. However that didn't really matter as it was Andy that put in a top performance to keep Verdasco at bay and he soon took the first set with a break. In the second set, things went by serve until 5-5 and Andy managed to secure the break and after a tricky service game he held to take the two set lead. And in the 3rd set Andy got an early break, and he was intent on getting a second, but Verdasco held firm and kept it to a single one. And at 4-2, there was a controversial call from the umpire as Verdasco's serve was called out but it was on the line and it lead to a heated argument with the umpire, but Andy diffused the situation by conceding the point and game. However it served (no pun intended) as the catalyst for Verdasco to make a fightback and he broke Andy's serve to level the scores at 4-4 in the 3rd. And play continued on serve into a tiebreak, where Andy put down the finishing touches and outclassed Verdasco to seal it and his place in his 4th quarter final at the French open with a hard fought 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 scoreline.
This was a really entertaining match and it was easily the most impressive match from Andy yet in the tournament as he served well, and moved and defended superbly throughout and it showed that he is growing more comfortable on the red dirt. And for Andy to beat a clay court player such as Verdasco in straight sets is even more impressive, especially given Verdasco's firey fightback in the third set. And it also continues to show Andy's excellent consistency in the grand slams as he has now reached his 13th consecutive major quarter final, which is quite a feat in itself. So this now sees Andy set up a rematch of his 2006 French open match against Gael Monfils, which promises to be a very entertaining match, as both players have great variety. Who will win it???? Well not to sound too biased but I'd favour Andy, however Monfils will be a danger for him, especially as he will have the home crowd on his side and if he is inspired by them, then Monfils could very well pull off an upset here. So even though I'm going with Andy its by no means a given, as Monfils on his day can beat just about anyone (with the exception of Djokovic that is, who he's never beaten!) so he will have to watch out and play very well if he wants to make it to the semis. So I'd say Andy might make it through in four sets (or Monfils in four or five if he scores the upset, but hopefully Andy can win it).
Right now onto Day 10 which saw the men's quarter finals get underway, starting with the headline match of the day which was Novak Djokovic who faced the big serving Canadian, Milos Raonic. This was a much anticipated clash and promised to be a real test for Nole, especially after their last brutal encounter in Rome, which Novak scraped through. However in this match Novak was far more in control and in the first set as play went by serve, Nole managed to eventually secure a break of Raonic's serve to take the opening one. In the 2nd set however play went to a tiebreak, with Raonic now with a real chance to level the match, however Djokovic snuffed out his chances and took the two set lead with a 7-5 score. In the 3rd set Djokovic took the early break and moved ahead to go 5-2, but as he served it out he made a few errors to let Raonic get one of the breaks back and the big Canadian was given a stay of execution as he held to keep it to the single break at 5-4. But in the end Novak had no problem in serving it out a second time and reached the semi finals at the French for the fourth straight year running with a comfortable 7-5, 7-6, 6-4 result.
So that means that Nole would play the winner of the next match which was between Tomas Berdych, the No.6 seed and the in form Ernest Gulbis, who took out Roger Federer in his previous match. And Gulbis showed his impressive form once again here as he took an emphatic lead against Berdych and raced into a two set lead, and he went on to break early in the 3rd set with Berdych managed to keep it to the single break. However Gulbis had no trouble in serving it out and he reached his first ever grand slam semi final with a very impressive 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory. While I'm not a big fan of Gulbis I do appreciate this is a very impressive result for him and his next clash will be a potentially very good one with Novak Djokovic.
So who will win that one??????? Well I have to go with Djokovic as his confidence is pretty good just now and I think not even an in form Gulbis will be able to stop Nole in his quest to win his first maiden French title. However I think it promises to be a really good match and I'm sure Gulbis will give Novak a really tough match and it might even be one of the matches of the tournament, but I think the Serb will come through in four or five sets to reach his second final in Paris.
Right well that's it for now and I'll be back in a day or two with the results of the quarters and semis for the men's and ladies.
Till then au revoir!
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
2014 Roland Garros Ladies Part 3: Digging deep on the dirt
Right time for the third part of my look at the ladies French Open which will cover days 9 and 10 and the remaning 4th round and first bout of quarter final matches of the ladies event. So let's get looking....
So beginning with day 9 we had Andrea Petkovic first on Philippe Chatrier court playing the talented Kiki Bertens from the Netherlands and the two of them had a real fight together but it eventually saw the resurging Petko win the match from a set down to reach the quarter finals of the French for the second time with a 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 win. Simona Halep also continued her impressive run and form this year by reaching the last eight as well by beating Sloane Stephens in straight sets with a 6-4, 6-3 victory, which saw reach her first French Open quarter final and sees the small Romanian still as a potential favourite for the title. Sara Errani the former finalist two years ago, had a tough and very entertaining match against Jelena Jankovic, which in the first set saw the momentum swing back and forth but eventually the diminutive Italian took it on the breaker. In the 2nd set it was an easier affair for Errani who broke an injured Jankovic, who's movement was hampered and she reached the quarter finals for a third straight year with a 7-6, 6-2 victory. And last of all Svetlana Kuznetsova took on the Czeck player Lucie Safarova, and despite some plucky stuff from Safarova, the former 2009 champion, Kuznetsova was too good for her in the end and she reached the quarter finals with a 6-3,6-4 scoreline.
Moving onto day 10 we first round of quarter final matches which started with a much anticipated match between Maria Sharapova and the surprise of the tournament, Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who took out Serena Williams earlier in round two. And in the first set it looked like Muguruza was going to stage another big upset as she bossed Sharapova (not a phrase that is often used!) around the court and she took the first set convincingly with a double break. In the 2nd set Sharapova went a break up but then Muguruza broke back and play went by serve to 5-4, with Sharapova teetering on the edge she managed to fight hard to stay in to make 5-5 and she went from there to manufacture a break of her to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set however Muguruza's challenge finally started to fade as Sharapova started to assert herself in the match and she broke the young Spaniard twice to close out the match and seal her place in the semis with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory, and within two matches of a second French Open title.
And in the second quarter final match of the day we had the newcomer Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, who announced herself on the tour last year and this year even reached the last four in Melbourne, and she was up against Carla Suarez-Navarro of Spain, a clay court specialist. However it was Bouchard that looked like the expert at times as the two of them fought a close match, which saw a tight first set go to Bouchard on a tiebreak. In the 2nd set however Navarro fought back and broke the young Canadian twice to level the match with a set apiece, and in the 3rd, despite being 4-1 down, Bouchard managed to mentally stay tough and she broke back and battled on to create a break of her own which saw her serve it out to reach her second consecutive grand slam semi final with a hard fought 7-6, 2-6, 7-5 result.
So this sets up the first section of the semi finals for the ladies, which is looking very promising and will see Maria Sharapova take on the young gun in Eugenie Bouchard. So who will win it??? Well I have to go with Sharapova simply because of her ultimate warrior status and her experience in the slams is far greater so whatever Bouchard will throw at her, Sharapova will utlimately weather the storm. So I think Maria is in pole position for reaching another final at the French and I also think she will possibly take the title as well as despite the talented players that are left, she can outfight them all when it comes purely down to mental strength and inner belief, there are hardly any that can live with Sharapova. However we will see how it pans out and how the other quarter final matches go.
Right so that's it for now and I'll be back with the men's matches.
So beginning with day 9 we had Andrea Petkovic first on Philippe Chatrier court playing the talented Kiki Bertens from the Netherlands and the two of them had a real fight together but it eventually saw the resurging Petko win the match from a set down to reach the quarter finals of the French for the second time with a 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 win. Simona Halep also continued her impressive run and form this year by reaching the last eight as well by beating Sloane Stephens in straight sets with a 6-4, 6-3 victory, which saw reach her first French Open quarter final and sees the small Romanian still as a potential favourite for the title. Sara Errani the former finalist two years ago, had a tough and very entertaining match against Jelena Jankovic, which in the first set saw the momentum swing back and forth but eventually the diminutive Italian took it on the breaker. In the 2nd set it was an easier affair for Errani who broke an injured Jankovic, who's movement was hampered and she reached the quarter finals for a third straight year with a 7-6, 6-2 victory. And last of all Svetlana Kuznetsova took on the Czeck player Lucie Safarova, and despite some plucky stuff from Safarova, the former 2009 champion, Kuznetsova was too good for her in the end and she reached the quarter finals with a 6-3,6-4 scoreline.
Moving onto day 10 we first round of quarter final matches which started with a much anticipated match between Maria Sharapova and the surprise of the tournament, Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who took out Serena Williams earlier in round two. And in the first set it looked like Muguruza was going to stage another big upset as she bossed Sharapova (not a phrase that is often used!) around the court and she took the first set convincingly with a double break. In the 2nd set Sharapova went a break up but then Muguruza broke back and play went by serve to 5-4, with Sharapova teetering on the edge she managed to fight hard to stay in to make 5-5 and she went from there to manufacture a break of her to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set however Muguruza's challenge finally started to fade as Sharapova started to assert herself in the match and she broke the young Spaniard twice to close out the match and seal her place in the semis with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory, and within two matches of a second French Open title.
And in the second quarter final match of the day we had the newcomer Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, who announced herself on the tour last year and this year even reached the last four in Melbourne, and she was up against Carla Suarez-Navarro of Spain, a clay court specialist. However it was Bouchard that looked like the expert at times as the two of them fought a close match, which saw a tight first set go to Bouchard on a tiebreak. In the 2nd set however Navarro fought back and broke the young Canadian twice to level the match with a set apiece, and in the 3rd, despite being 4-1 down, Bouchard managed to mentally stay tough and she broke back and battled on to create a break of her own which saw her serve it out to reach her second consecutive grand slam semi final with a hard fought 7-6, 2-6, 7-5 result.
So this sets up the first section of the semi finals for the ladies, which is looking very promising and will see Maria Sharapova take on the young gun in Eugenie Bouchard. So who will win it??? Well I have to go with Sharapova simply because of her ultimate warrior status and her experience in the slams is far greater so whatever Bouchard will throw at her, Sharapova will utlimately weather the storm. So I think Maria is in pole position for reaching another final at the French and I also think she will possibly take the title as well as despite the talented players that are left, she can outfight them all when it comes purely down to mental strength and inner belief, there are hardly any that can live with Sharapova. However we will see how it pans out and how the other quarter final matches go.
Right so that's it for now and I'll be back with the men's matches.
Sunday, 1 June 2014
2014 Roland Garros Men's Part 2: Narrow scrapes...
Right now so we get onto the men's event at the 2014 French Open and this post will actually cover days 5 to 8 so I will get started without further ados.....
Right so starting with day 5 we had Rafa Nadal on court first as he took on the talented newcomer, the Austrian 20 year old, Dominic Thiem, who showed his potential in this match. However despite a couple of breaks of serve from the plucky Thiem who put in an impressive performance, Rafa was too good for the young yin in the end and he defeated him in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. Although Thiem ultimately came up short this match proved to be a promising stepping stone towards bigger things in his career ahead. After that Richard Gasquet, the Frenchman, took on the Argentine player, Carlos Berlocq who Gasquet managed to beat in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. David Ferrer also continued his serene progress through to the 3rd round as he dismissed Simone Bolleli of Italy in 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. And lastly the French favourite, Gael Monfils took on Jan-Lennard Struff, whom he beat 7-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Moving onto day 6 we had Roger Federer face his first test against the Russian, Dimitri Tursinov and dropped his first set of the tournament and was forced to fight against the big hitting Russian, but ultimately came through in 7-5, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. Novak Djokovic also faced his first threat in the tournament as he played the big Croatian, Marin Cilic, and after breezing the first two sets, Cilic fought back to claim the 3rd set on a tiebreak. In the 4th set both men traded breaks but the match ended on a cruel twist of fate as Cilic double faulted on match point just when a member of the audience called out, to end the match prematurely in 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 and Djokovic naturally drew a big sigh of relief afterwards. Milos Raonic also had a tough battle on his hands as he played another Frenchman, Gilles Simon and was taken the distance before he was able to emerge triumphant in the 5th set with a 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 scoreline. And Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his good run as he defeated the big bean Pole, Jerzy Janowic winning in 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Tomas Berdych also had to slog it out to reach the 4th round as he beat Roberto Bautista-Augt in four sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. And lastly John Isner also had a tough match on his hands as he was up against Tommy Robredo and at two sets to love up, Isner looked comfortably in charge, but Robredo manage to win the 3rd set on a breaker, which could have seen him mount an amazing fightback from two sets down like he did last year three times in a row. However this year it wasn't to be as Isner ended the Spaniard's hopes in the 4th set as he won a tough scrap in 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5.
Now onto day 7 which started with Rafa taking on an Argentine player, Leonardo Mayer and for the first time in the tournament, Rafa looked uncomfortable as his back pain appeared to resurface which haunted him at the Australian open final earlier this year. But it didn't stop Rafa who still managed to beat Mayer, who did well in the match but not well enough and Rafa won the match in 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. Rafa's fitness with his back is now a bit of an issue again although he appeared to dismiss and play it down, I still don't think it will be play a big factor for him hopefully as it would a pity if he had to withdraw from the tournament, but at his favourite event, I'm certain Rafa won't do that and do all he can to ensure that doesn't happen.
As for other matches David Ferrer continued making his sold progress through the rounds as he defeated the Italian, Andreas Seppi, who posed a mild threat in the second set having taken it to a tiebreak, but it didn't stop Ferrer who went on to win the match in three, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3. Gael Monfils on the other had a pretty whacky match against his opponent, the firey Italian, Fabio Fognini, which was very topsy turvey in quality and saw both men trade breaks throughout. Fognini however is well known for his temper tantrums and at one point he even threw his racquet down which narrowly avoided hitting a ball boy, but play went to a deciding set where it was Monfils who finally defeated Fognini on his second go in Paris to reach the last 16 with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 win. Richard Gasquet and Fernando Verdasco also played against each other but due to bad light they were forced to suspend the match with Verdasco leading two sets to love.
Now we get on to Andy Murray's match with the German player, Philipp Kolhscrheiber which promised to be a real tough encounter, especially given that it is PK's best surface (his initials!) and he had recently won a title on clay in Dusseldorf. And the match proved to be just that as Andy was given the sternest test of his season to date and he was forced to do battle with the German, who got off to a strong start as he broke Andy twice to win the opening set. In the 2nd set however Andy managed to gain momentum and he broke Kolschreiber to move ahead and take it to level and he went on to nab the 3rd with a two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set things again looked rosy for Andy as he went up a break, but he couldn't hold onto as Kohlschreiber mounted a fightback and he levelled the scores by breaking Andy and pushing the match into a 5th set. In the 5th set both men traded breaks and play went by serve until 7-7 when they were forced to suspend the match due to limited lighting at night. Play however resumed the next day and both men, now rested, came out and played some superb tennis, which went by serve, given there is no tiebreak in the final set of the French open (or the Aussie or Wimbledon for that matter) with Andy nabbing a chance to end the match with a match point at 9-8, which he wasn't able to take. But at 11-10, with Kohlschreiber looking to level up at 11-11, Andy finally got the chance he needed and secured the win with two match points he fired a backhand winner to close out an exhausting epic match in 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, 12-10.
There's no doubt while this was quite a frustrating encounter at times it was also quite exhilirating as well and both men produced some wonderful tennis for the crowd. Kohlschreiber also deserves much credit for his fight in this match as he battled back from two sets to one down to level the scores and he even had a break in the 5th set, which he surrendered, before he eventually got broken on his own serve to lose the match. Andy on the other hand, while his low 1st serve percentage and slow 2nd serve once again proved to be a real problem during the match (and his career!) he also deserves all the credit for digging out this win, although it really was a match he should have put to bed long before he finally did. However with this match he also completed another mini milestone in his career as it was the first time he was taken to beyond 6-6 in the 5th set of a slam, with no tiebreaks, the winner has to go two games clear to seal the match, and it was credit yet again to Andy that he was somehow able to hold onto his serve and close it out.
But the main thing is Andy is into the 4th round and the second week and next up he will face Fernando Verdasco who won his match against Richard Gasquet in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. So this promises to be quite a tough encounter even though Andy has an overwhelmingly positive head to head record over the Spanish player (9-1), but Verdasco has also been playing well and this will be their first meeting on clay, so Andy will really need to up his game again to reach the quarter finals, and Verdasco given his calibre as a clay court player might have an advantage over him tomorrow. But one thing is for certain is that Andy has proven while he lacks consistency on the ATP tour events, he has been very consistent in the slams in the last three years or so if he does make it through it will be his 13th consecutive slam quarter final, which is very impressive in itself, so we'll see if he makes it.
So now onto Day 8 which began with Roger Federer taking on the in form and very dangerous Latvian, Ernest Gulbis, who had beaten Roger previously on clay before as well. And right from the get go Gulbis was a big threat and he moved ahead a break, but Roger broke back and as play went to a tiebreak he won the first set. But Gulbis soon responded by taking sets two and three, although in the 4th momtenum swung back to Roger and he took it to level the match. In the 5th set however it was Gulbis who managed to pull off the biggest upset in the men's draw yet as he broke Fed and held his nerve to serve out the match to reach his first French Open quarter final in 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Although I'm not a big fan of Gulbis as I think he can be a bit of a dick in what he says in the media about other players and most recently how tennis isn't really a sport for women, his rising talent as a player is undeniable and he's got a good chance to move ahead into the final four.
In other matches Tomas Berdych also won his match against John Isner in quite convincing fashion as the American struggled to deal with Berdych's superior return game and movement and it saw the big Czeck put out the big Yank in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. And last but not least (well it sort of is actually!) we had Novak Djokovic take on the French No.1, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in what promised to be another epic encounter, similar to the one they had two years ago at the French. However this one couldn't have been more different as Tsonga was nowhere to be seen on court, or rather he was, but it was more like watching an imposter as he just couldn't get anything going at all against Djokovic, who was just relentless and near flawless from the first point to the last of the match. After losing the first set on a double break, there were glimmers of hope in the 2nd set, as Nole got a double break, Tsonga wrestled one of them back, but he couldn't do anymore and Novak confidently served it to take a two set lead in just over an hour! And in the 3rd set the match turned into a total write off as Tsonga looked the beaten man he was and surrendered to a double break which saw Nole stride into the quarter finals in just an hour and a half with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 rout.
This was a puzzling match and a real heavy defeat for Tsonga, who curiously enough was all dressed in white as if he turned up for Wimbledon (perhaps he got confused about which slam he was playing in today!!). And even as the match went on into the 2nd set you felt that the real Tsonga would arrive on court, but he just didn't show, and there were the odd flashes of brilliance here and there but it wasn't anywhere near enough. And with Tsonga the problem is for him that there is no plan B and its either all or nothing, with a see it, hit it mentality, and every time today he just went for too much and in the end he handed the match to Djokovic. So overall it was a big disappointment and a non-event, although I'm certain that Novak won't be too sad about that himself as he has now reached his 20th consecutive grand slam quarter final, which is remarkable in itself and he remains on course to be the favourite to win the title, despite Rafa's record here, Nole looks very much the man to beat.
Right so I will leave it there for now and will be back in a couple of days with the results of the 4th round and quarter final matches (well some of them).
See you laters.
Right so starting with day 5 we had Rafa Nadal on court first as he took on the talented newcomer, the Austrian 20 year old, Dominic Thiem, who showed his potential in this match. However despite a couple of breaks of serve from the plucky Thiem who put in an impressive performance, Rafa was too good for the young yin in the end and he defeated him in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. Although Thiem ultimately came up short this match proved to be a promising stepping stone towards bigger things in his career ahead. After that Richard Gasquet, the Frenchman, took on the Argentine player, Carlos Berlocq who Gasquet managed to beat in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. David Ferrer also continued his serene progress through to the 3rd round as he dismissed Simone Bolleli of Italy in 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. And lastly the French favourite, Gael Monfils took on Jan-Lennard Struff, whom he beat 7-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Moving onto day 6 we had Roger Federer face his first test against the Russian, Dimitri Tursinov and dropped his first set of the tournament and was forced to fight against the big hitting Russian, but ultimately came through in 7-5, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. Novak Djokovic also faced his first threat in the tournament as he played the big Croatian, Marin Cilic, and after breezing the first two sets, Cilic fought back to claim the 3rd set on a tiebreak. In the 4th set both men traded breaks but the match ended on a cruel twist of fate as Cilic double faulted on match point just when a member of the audience called out, to end the match prematurely in 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 and Djokovic naturally drew a big sigh of relief afterwards. Milos Raonic also had a tough battle on his hands as he played another Frenchman, Gilles Simon and was taken the distance before he was able to emerge triumphant in the 5th set with a 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 scoreline. And Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his good run as he defeated the big bean Pole, Jerzy Janowic winning in 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Tomas Berdych also had to slog it out to reach the 4th round as he beat Roberto Bautista-Augt in four sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. And lastly John Isner also had a tough match on his hands as he was up against Tommy Robredo and at two sets to love up, Isner looked comfortably in charge, but Robredo manage to win the 3rd set on a breaker, which could have seen him mount an amazing fightback from two sets down like he did last year three times in a row. However this year it wasn't to be as Isner ended the Spaniard's hopes in the 4th set as he won a tough scrap in 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5.
Now onto day 7 which started with Rafa taking on an Argentine player, Leonardo Mayer and for the first time in the tournament, Rafa looked uncomfortable as his back pain appeared to resurface which haunted him at the Australian open final earlier this year. But it didn't stop Rafa who still managed to beat Mayer, who did well in the match but not well enough and Rafa won the match in 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. Rafa's fitness with his back is now a bit of an issue again although he appeared to dismiss and play it down, I still don't think it will be play a big factor for him hopefully as it would a pity if he had to withdraw from the tournament, but at his favourite event, I'm certain Rafa won't do that and do all he can to ensure that doesn't happen.
As for other matches David Ferrer continued making his sold progress through the rounds as he defeated the Italian, Andreas Seppi, who posed a mild threat in the second set having taken it to a tiebreak, but it didn't stop Ferrer who went on to win the match in three, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3. Gael Monfils on the other had a pretty whacky match against his opponent, the firey Italian, Fabio Fognini, which was very topsy turvey in quality and saw both men trade breaks throughout. Fognini however is well known for his temper tantrums and at one point he even threw his racquet down which narrowly avoided hitting a ball boy, but play went to a deciding set where it was Monfils who finally defeated Fognini on his second go in Paris to reach the last 16 with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 win. Richard Gasquet and Fernando Verdasco also played against each other but due to bad light they were forced to suspend the match with Verdasco leading two sets to love.
Now we get on to Andy Murray's match with the German player, Philipp Kolhscrheiber which promised to be a real tough encounter, especially given that it is PK's best surface (his initials!) and he had recently won a title on clay in Dusseldorf. And the match proved to be just that as Andy was given the sternest test of his season to date and he was forced to do battle with the German, who got off to a strong start as he broke Andy twice to win the opening set. In the 2nd set however Andy managed to gain momentum and he broke Kolschreiber to move ahead and take it to level and he went on to nab the 3rd with a two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set things again looked rosy for Andy as he went up a break, but he couldn't hold onto as Kohlschreiber mounted a fightback and he levelled the scores by breaking Andy and pushing the match into a 5th set. In the 5th set both men traded breaks and play went by serve until 7-7 when they were forced to suspend the match due to limited lighting at night. Play however resumed the next day and both men, now rested, came out and played some superb tennis, which went by serve, given there is no tiebreak in the final set of the French open (or the Aussie or Wimbledon for that matter) with Andy nabbing a chance to end the match with a match point at 9-8, which he wasn't able to take. But at 11-10, with Kohlschreiber looking to level up at 11-11, Andy finally got the chance he needed and secured the win with two match points he fired a backhand winner to close out an exhausting epic match in 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, 12-10.
There's no doubt while this was quite a frustrating encounter at times it was also quite exhilirating as well and both men produced some wonderful tennis for the crowd. Kohlschreiber also deserves much credit for his fight in this match as he battled back from two sets to one down to level the scores and he even had a break in the 5th set, which he surrendered, before he eventually got broken on his own serve to lose the match. Andy on the other hand, while his low 1st serve percentage and slow 2nd serve once again proved to be a real problem during the match (and his career!) he also deserves all the credit for digging out this win, although it really was a match he should have put to bed long before he finally did. However with this match he also completed another mini milestone in his career as it was the first time he was taken to beyond 6-6 in the 5th set of a slam, with no tiebreaks, the winner has to go two games clear to seal the match, and it was credit yet again to Andy that he was somehow able to hold onto his serve and close it out.
But the main thing is Andy is into the 4th round and the second week and next up he will face Fernando Verdasco who won his match against Richard Gasquet in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. So this promises to be quite a tough encounter even though Andy has an overwhelmingly positive head to head record over the Spanish player (9-1), but Verdasco has also been playing well and this will be their first meeting on clay, so Andy will really need to up his game again to reach the quarter finals, and Verdasco given his calibre as a clay court player might have an advantage over him tomorrow. But one thing is for certain is that Andy has proven while he lacks consistency on the ATP tour events, he has been very consistent in the slams in the last three years or so if he does make it through it will be his 13th consecutive slam quarter final, which is very impressive in itself, so we'll see if he makes it.
So now onto Day 8 which began with Roger Federer taking on the in form and very dangerous Latvian, Ernest Gulbis, who had beaten Roger previously on clay before as well. And right from the get go Gulbis was a big threat and he moved ahead a break, but Roger broke back and as play went to a tiebreak he won the first set. But Gulbis soon responded by taking sets two and three, although in the 4th momtenum swung back to Roger and he took it to level the match. In the 5th set however it was Gulbis who managed to pull off the biggest upset in the men's draw yet as he broke Fed and held his nerve to serve out the match to reach his first French Open quarter final in 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Although I'm not a big fan of Gulbis as I think he can be a bit of a dick in what he says in the media about other players and most recently how tennis isn't really a sport for women, his rising talent as a player is undeniable and he's got a good chance to move ahead into the final four.
In other matches Tomas Berdych also won his match against John Isner in quite convincing fashion as the American struggled to deal with Berdych's superior return game and movement and it saw the big Czeck put out the big Yank in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. And last but not least (well it sort of is actually!) we had Novak Djokovic take on the French No.1, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in what promised to be another epic encounter, similar to the one they had two years ago at the French. However this one couldn't have been more different as Tsonga was nowhere to be seen on court, or rather he was, but it was more like watching an imposter as he just couldn't get anything going at all against Djokovic, who was just relentless and near flawless from the first point to the last of the match. After losing the first set on a double break, there were glimmers of hope in the 2nd set, as Nole got a double break, Tsonga wrestled one of them back, but he couldn't do anymore and Novak confidently served it to take a two set lead in just over an hour! And in the 3rd set the match turned into a total write off as Tsonga looked the beaten man he was and surrendered to a double break which saw Nole stride into the quarter finals in just an hour and a half with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 rout.
This was a puzzling match and a real heavy defeat for Tsonga, who curiously enough was all dressed in white as if he turned up for Wimbledon (perhaps he got confused about which slam he was playing in today!!). And even as the match went on into the 2nd set you felt that the real Tsonga would arrive on court, but he just didn't show, and there were the odd flashes of brilliance here and there but it wasn't anywhere near enough. And with Tsonga the problem is for him that there is no plan B and its either all or nothing, with a see it, hit it mentality, and every time today he just went for too much and in the end he handed the match to Djokovic. So overall it was a big disappointment and a non-event, although I'm certain that Novak won't be too sad about that himself as he has now reached his 20th consecutive grand slam quarter final, which is remarkable in itself and he remains on course to be the favourite to win the title, despite Rafa's record here, Nole looks very much the man to beat.
Right so I will leave it there for now and will be back in a couple of days with the results of the 4th round and quarter final matches (well some of them).
See you laters.
2014 Roland Garros Ladies Part 2: And the seeds are still tumblin....
So now I'm onto my third entry on my look at the 2014 French open and this will cover the ladies days 5-7 which will cover the 2nd and 3rd round action. So let's give this a look.....
Right so to begin with Day 5 first up on court Philipe Chatrier we had Jelena Jankovic take on the Japenese player Kurumi Nara, who after a tight first set put the Nara to bed with a bagel in the 2nd which saw Jelena reach the last 32 in 7-5, 6-0. Ana Ivanovic had a fairly testing time in her match against Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine but came through in straight sets 7-5, 6-2. Kristina Mladenovic had a tough battle on her hands as she fought her way past Alison Riske in three sets in 7-6, 3-6, 6-3. Petra Kvitova put in a solid performance though to move past the Aussie Marina Erakovic in 6-4, 6-4.
On Day 6 we had some drama and another big upset on the ladies side of the net as Agnieszka Radwanska, the No.3 went out against the world no.72 Ajla Tomljanovic who stunned the Pole in 6-4, 6-4. This now means the top 3 seeds in the ladies event have all been knocked as Radwanska joins Serena Williams and Li Na who also were both stunned in their matches. Maria Sharapova on the other hand had no such trouble with her opponent however as utterly trounced Paula Ormaechea of Argentina and was so selfish she didn't even let her win a single game and saw the mighty Pova speed to victory with an emphatic 6-0, 6-0 win. With Serena Williams now out of the tournament, Sharapova it has to be said is now the firm favourite to win the title and I think given her status and warrior qualities she will be very tough to beat. Sam Stosur also made it through with an impressive straight set win over the diminutive player Dominika Cibulkova of the Slovak republic with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. And lastly Angelique Kerber made it into the last 32 as well by defeating another Slovak player, Daniella Hantuchova in 7-5, 6-3.
Now we get onto day 7 which saw the 3rd round matches get firmly under way and we had first up on the Chatrier court an epic battle between Petra Kvitova and the former champion at the French in 2009, Svetlana Kuznetsova. The match itself was a real topsy turvey affair as both players traded breaks throughout and as play went into a deciding set momentum, kept swinging and despite Petra serving for the match at 6-5, Svetlana broke back to keep the match alive, and with no tiebreak in the final set, play went on serve. But in the end it was Svetlana who got the win as she knocked out another top seed in Petra by winning a near three and a quarter hour epic battle in 6-7, 6-1, 9-7. Andrea Petkovic also managed to fight her way past the French player Kristina Mladenovic as she was pushed hard but came through in 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. This sees Petkovic, who had spent time out in the last two years or so with injury make a good return to her tennis and she has an opportunity to go higher up the rankings and maybe soon she will regain her top 10 spot.
In other matches Sloane Stephens, the hotly tipped American player to replace Serena Williams in the future as the next great female player, secured her way into the 4th round as she beat Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. And another big casualty of the top seeds was Ana Ivanovic, ranked No.12 she was taken out the 23rd seed, Lucie Safarova of the Czeck Republic who won her match quite convincingly in straight sets in 6-3, 6-3. It now seems that pretty much most of all the top seeds are going out, which leaves a precious few left in the draw so it will be fascinating to see who eventually manages to get through. And lastly another big favourite for the title, Simona Halep, the No.4 seed continued her convincing and impressive progress and she dismissed the Spanish player, Maria Teresa Torro Flor in 6-3, 6-0 to reach the last 16. Halep definitely looks to be on course for at least making the final four or perhaps even the final as she could be up against Sara Errani or even Jelena Jankovic, so she will have her chances to reach the final.
Right so that's it for my look at the ladies matches so far and I will get back with more results soon for the 4th round and maybe the quarter finals. Now up for the men...
Right so to begin with Day 5 first up on court Philipe Chatrier we had Jelena Jankovic take on the Japenese player Kurumi Nara, who after a tight first set put the Nara to bed with a bagel in the 2nd which saw Jelena reach the last 32 in 7-5, 6-0. Ana Ivanovic had a fairly testing time in her match against Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine but came through in straight sets 7-5, 6-2. Kristina Mladenovic had a tough battle on her hands as she fought her way past Alison Riske in three sets in 7-6, 3-6, 6-3. Petra Kvitova put in a solid performance though to move past the Aussie Marina Erakovic in 6-4, 6-4.
On Day 6 we had some drama and another big upset on the ladies side of the net as Agnieszka Radwanska, the No.3 went out against the world no.72 Ajla Tomljanovic who stunned the Pole in 6-4, 6-4. This now means the top 3 seeds in the ladies event have all been knocked as Radwanska joins Serena Williams and Li Na who also were both stunned in their matches. Maria Sharapova on the other hand had no such trouble with her opponent however as utterly trounced Paula Ormaechea of Argentina and was so selfish she didn't even let her win a single game and saw the mighty Pova speed to victory with an emphatic 6-0, 6-0 win. With Serena Williams now out of the tournament, Sharapova it has to be said is now the firm favourite to win the title and I think given her status and warrior qualities she will be very tough to beat. Sam Stosur also made it through with an impressive straight set win over the diminutive player Dominika Cibulkova of the Slovak republic with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. And lastly Angelique Kerber made it into the last 32 as well by defeating another Slovak player, Daniella Hantuchova in 7-5, 6-3.
Now we get onto day 7 which saw the 3rd round matches get firmly under way and we had first up on the Chatrier court an epic battle between Petra Kvitova and the former champion at the French in 2009, Svetlana Kuznetsova. The match itself was a real topsy turvey affair as both players traded breaks throughout and as play went into a deciding set momentum, kept swinging and despite Petra serving for the match at 6-5, Svetlana broke back to keep the match alive, and with no tiebreak in the final set, play went on serve. But in the end it was Svetlana who got the win as she knocked out another top seed in Petra by winning a near three and a quarter hour epic battle in 6-7, 6-1, 9-7. Andrea Petkovic also managed to fight her way past the French player Kristina Mladenovic as she was pushed hard but came through in 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. This sees Petkovic, who had spent time out in the last two years or so with injury make a good return to her tennis and she has an opportunity to go higher up the rankings and maybe soon she will regain her top 10 spot.
In other matches Sloane Stephens, the hotly tipped American player to replace Serena Williams in the future as the next great female player, secured her way into the 4th round as she beat Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. And another big casualty of the top seeds was Ana Ivanovic, ranked No.12 she was taken out the 23rd seed, Lucie Safarova of the Czeck Republic who won her match quite convincingly in straight sets in 6-3, 6-3. It now seems that pretty much most of all the top seeds are going out, which leaves a precious few left in the draw so it will be fascinating to see who eventually manages to get through. And lastly another big favourite for the title, Simona Halep, the No.4 seed continued her convincing and impressive progress and she dismissed the Spanish player, Maria Teresa Torro Flor in 6-3, 6-0 to reach the last 16. Halep definitely looks to be on course for at least making the final four or perhaps even the final as she could be up against Sara Errani or even Jelena Jankovic, so she will have her chances to reach the final.
Right so that's it for my look at the ladies matches so far and I will get back with more results soon for the 4th round and maybe the quarter finals. Now up for the men...
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
2014 Roland Garros Men's Part 1: Seeds are tumblin.....
Right now for the men's side of the net as I will cover the men's matches from the first four days of 2014 French Open, the second grand slam of the tennis season on red clay courts at Roland Garros. And without further ado let's get cracking...
So starting with day 1 we had Roger Federer on court first as he took on the Slovak player, Lukas Lacko, and Roger had no trouble whatsoever in getting past the almost Rafa lookalike-esque player and he put out Lacko in straight sets in 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, the French No.2, also put in a convincing first round display against his fellow countryman, Eduardo Roger-Vasselin, as after two tight sets, which saw Tsonga take a two set lead, Tsonga secured a double break in the 3rd and won the match in 7-6, 7-5, 6-2. Milos Raonic of Canada, the big server, also secured his way into the 2nd round as well as he defeated the Australian player, Nick Kyrgios with a straight set 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win. And lastly John Isner, the big Yank with just as meaty a serve, also managed to get into the 2nd round as he took down the Frenchman, Pierre Hughes Robert in a tight straight set match with a 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 scoreline.
Moving onto day 2, Novak Djokovic opened up his quest to try and win a maiden French open title and complete his career slam, and he played Joao Sousa of Portugal, who he dismissed with ease and secured a straight set 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win. Rafael Nadal, the eight time RG champion started off his campaign as well and he made a very impressive start as he faced the American player, Robby Ginepri and he lost only three games as he raced past the American in 6-0, 6-3, 6-0. Gilles Simon, the Frenchman, also got off to a solid start as he defeated the Croatian player, Ante Pavic in just 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. However all was not happy with the seeds on day 2 as Kei Nishikori, the 9th seed crashed out in his first round match in straight sets, which was possibly due to injury. But the biggest upset of the day was Stanislas Wawrinka who took on the Spaniard, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and the reigning Australian open champion was far from his best and Stan could not deliver as Garcia-Lopez put in a fine performance to stun the World No.3 with a four set 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 surprise victory. This was a real shock given Wawrinka's form this year, and although he has had a few losses on the tour, I would have expected him to have a delivered a more consistent performance at the French open, given that clay is his best overall surface and his recent performances in the slams which have been excellent. And it was almost a surprising coincidence that both the ladies and mens singles Australian open champions have both gone out in the first round as that is Li Na and Stan Wawrinka both out now. However with them gone it certainly does open up the draw a bit for some of the other players which makes things that bit more intruiging.
And lastly the match of the day was between Julienne Benneteau and Argentine qualifier, Facundo Bagnis as the two of them battled it out as Bagnis was playing in his first grand slam main draw match and as both men levelled the scores at two sets all, they played an epic 5th set which matched the scoreline of the longest 5th set in the history of RG in terms of games played. And in the 5th set despite the odds, it was Bagnis that finally broke Benneteau's serve and went on to win his first ever grand slam match with a remarkable 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 18-16 victory.
Now onto day 3 we started with last year's finalist, David Ferrer, who is easily the 2nd best clay court player on the tour just now (next to Rafa and Djokovic) and he put in a very solid performance in dismissing Igor Slijsling of the Netherlands in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Gael Monfils, the popular French player had a tougher time of it but still came through his match in four sets, defeating Victor Hanescu with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 score. Richard Gasquet on the other hand started off his campaign in fine style and he breezed past the Aussie, Bernard Tomic, whom he beat in 6-2, 6-1, 7-5. And lastlty Andy Murray started his first French Open since 2012, as he was forced to withdraw last year due to his back injury and Andy was up against the Kazahkstan player, Andrei Golubev. This promised to be a tricky opener as Golubev so far has alrady had a good season and help his team mates in reaching the quarter finals of the Davis cup and he defeated Stan Wawrinka in the process. But Andy made a very good start as he played some excellent tennis to take the first two sets, despite trading breaks in the 2nd. However in the 3rd set, Andy's level dipped and Golubev broke to go ahead and take the set to take a foothold in the match. But in the end it was short lived and Andy broke Golubev again in the 4th set and served out the match to reach the 2nd round in 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
This wasn't a bad start from Andy at all but his serve once again brought his game into question and he was up a break early in the 3rd set and should have closed out the match in straight sets, but in the end he wasn't able to. But all things considered Andy played a pretty good match in very tricky conditions as the court was damp and it was very windy on court also. So next up Andy will faced Marinko Matosevic, the Australian player and thankfully for Andy their last meeting saw the Brit beat Matosevic convincingly and hopefully Andy can do so again tomorrow when they are set to meet, so maybe Andy can get a straight sets win there.
Now we move onto day 4 which saw some routine wins for the top seeds, starting with Novak Djokovic who wasted little time in beating another Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy with a very efficient straight set win 6-1 6-4, 6-2. So far Nole is looking pretty good in the tournament and as he is yet to drop as set this bodes well for him in saving his energy for the more demanding rounds ahead. And Novak's next clash with Marin Cilic, the big Croatian player, might prove to be his first test and should be one to watch out for, but I think Novak will come through in either 3 or 4 sets. After that we had Roger Federer who also had an easy time of it as he played Diego Sebastian-Schwartzman and he put the Argentine player through his paces and Rog produced a very efficeint and clinical performance to win the match in just under 1 hour and 45 minutes in 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Roger so far is also looking very good in the tournament and confident as he should as he is making very good progress so far in the early rounds, although tougher tests lie ahead with Dimitri Tursunov up next and either the in form Ernest Gulbis or Radek Stepanek in the 4th round.
In other day 4 matches we also Jo-Wilfried Tsonga take on Jurgen Melzer and he also had an easy time of it against the Austrian and Tsonga raced to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory. Tsonga so far is looking very good in the tournament however he will have his work cut out soon as he could very well face Novak Djokovic in the 4th round, and if its anything like their incredible 2012 encounter, it will be one to watch. And Gilles Simon continued his progress as a home favourite by beating Alejandro Gonzalez in just 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round. Tomas Berdych who won his first round match with ease, had to fight hard in his second round match against another Kazahk player, Aleksander Nedoyesov and came from a set down to win in four sets 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. And lastly John Isner managed to battle his way into the 3rd round as well as he defeated the Kazahkstan player (quite alot of them here!), Mikhail Kukushkin in a four set scrap with a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 win. As for the losing seeds, Alexandr Dolgoplov is out as he was beaten by the Spaniard Marcel Granollers, who won in 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 and Mikhail Youzhny lost to Radek Stepanek who won in four sets 6-0, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Right so that's me caught up with the tennis so far at the French Open I will be back in a couple of days with more results of the men's and ladies 2nd and 3rd round matches.
Till then bye for now!
So starting with day 1 we had Roger Federer on court first as he took on the Slovak player, Lukas Lacko, and Roger had no trouble whatsoever in getting past the almost Rafa lookalike-esque player and he put out Lacko in straight sets in 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, the French No.2, also put in a convincing first round display against his fellow countryman, Eduardo Roger-Vasselin, as after two tight sets, which saw Tsonga take a two set lead, Tsonga secured a double break in the 3rd and won the match in 7-6, 7-5, 6-2. Milos Raonic of Canada, the big server, also secured his way into the 2nd round as well as he defeated the Australian player, Nick Kyrgios with a straight set 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win. And lastly John Isner, the big Yank with just as meaty a serve, also managed to get into the 2nd round as he took down the Frenchman, Pierre Hughes Robert in a tight straight set match with a 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 scoreline.
Moving onto day 2, Novak Djokovic opened up his quest to try and win a maiden French open title and complete his career slam, and he played Joao Sousa of Portugal, who he dismissed with ease and secured a straight set 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win. Rafael Nadal, the eight time RG champion started off his campaign as well and he made a very impressive start as he faced the American player, Robby Ginepri and he lost only three games as he raced past the American in 6-0, 6-3, 6-0. Gilles Simon, the Frenchman, also got off to a solid start as he defeated the Croatian player, Ante Pavic in just 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. However all was not happy with the seeds on day 2 as Kei Nishikori, the 9th seed crashed out in his first round match in straight sets, which was possibly due to injury. But the biggest upset of the day was Stanislas Wawrinka who took on the Spaniard, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and the reigning Australian open champion was far from his best and Stan could not deliver as Garcia-Lopez put in a fine performance to stun the World No.3 with a four set 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 surprise victory. This was a real shock given Wawrinka's form this year, and although he has had a few losses on the tour, I would have expected him to have a delivered a more consistent performance at the French open, given that clay is his best overall surface and his recent performances in the slams which have been excellent. And it was almost a surprising coincidence that both the ladies and mens singles Australian open champions have both gone out in the first round as that is Li Na and Stan Wawrinka both out now. However with them gone it certainly does open up the draw a bit for some of the other players which makes things that bit more intruiging.
And lastly the match of the day was between Julienne Benneteau and Argentine qualifier, Facundo Bagnis as the two of them battled it out as Bagnis was playing in his first grand slam main draw match and as both men levelled the scores at two sets all, they played an epic 5th set which matched the scoreline of the longest 5th set in the history of RG in terms of games played. And in the 5th set despite the odds, it was Bagnis that finally broke Benneteau's serve and went on to win his first ever grand slam match with a remarkable 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 18-16 victory.
Now onto day 3 we started with last year's finalist, David Ferrer, who is easily the 2nd best clay court player on the tour just now (next to Rafa and Djokovic) and he put in a very solid performance in dismissing Igor Slijsling of the Netherlands in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Gael Monfils, the popular French player had a tougher time of it but still came through his match in four sets, defeating Victor Hanescu with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 score. Richard Gasquet on the other hand started off his campaign in fine style and he breezed past the Aussie, Bernard Tomic, whom he beat in 6-2, 6-1, 7-5. And lastlty Andy Murray started his first French Open since 2012, as he was forced to withdraw last year due to his back injury and Andy was up against the Kazahkstan player, Andrei Golubev. This promised to be a tricky opener as Golubev so far has alrady had a good season and help his team mates in reaching the quarter finals of the Davis cup and he defeated Stan Wawrinka in the process. But Andy made a very good start as he played some excellent tennis to take the first two sets, despite trading breaks in the 2nd. However in the 3rd set, Andy's level dipped and Golubev broke to go ahead and take the set to take a foothold in the match. But in the end it was short lived and Andy broke Golubev again in the 4th set and served out the match to reach the 2nd round in 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
This wasn't a bad start from Andy at all but his serve once again brought his game into question and he was up a break early in the 3rd set and should have closed out the match in straight sets, but in the end he wasn't able to. But all things considered Andy played a pretty good match in very tricky conditions as the court was damp and it was very windy on court also. So next up Andy will faced Marinko Matosevic, the Australian player and thankfully for Andy their last meeting saw the Brit beat Matosevic convincingly and hopefully Andy can do so again tomorrow when they are set to meet, so maybe Andy can get a straight sets win there.
Now we move onto day 4 which saw some routine wins for the top seeds, starting with Novak Djokovic who wasted little time in beating another Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy with a very efficient straight set win 6-1 6-4, 6-2. So far Nole is looking pretty good in the tournament and as he is yet to drop as set this bodes well for him in saving his energy for the more demanding rounds ahead. And Novak's next clash with Marin Cilic, the big Croatian player, might prove to be his first test and should be one to watch out for, but I think Novak will come through in either 3 or 4 sets. After that we had Roger Federer who also had an easy time of it as he played Diego Sebastian-Schwartzman and he put the Argentine player through his paces and Rog produced a very efficeint and clinical performance to win the match in just under 1 hour and 45 minutes in 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Roger so far is also looking very good in the tournament and confident as he should as he is making very good progress so far in the early rounds, although tougher tests lie ahead with Dimitri Tursunov up next and either the in form Ernest Gulbis or Radek Stepanek in the 4th round.
In other day 4 matches we also Jo-Wilfried Tsonga take on Jurgen Melzer and he also had an easy time of it against the Austrian and Tsonga raced to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory. Tsonga so far is looking very good in the tournament however he will have his work cut out soon as he could very well face Novak Djokovic in the 4th round, and if its anything like their incredible 2012 encounter, it will be one to watch. And Gilles Simon continued his progress as a home favourite by beating Alejandro Gonzalez in just 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round. Tomas Berdych who won his first round match with ease, had to fight hard in his second round match against another Kazahk player, Aleksander Nedoyesov and came from a set down to win in four sets 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. And lastly John Isner managed to battle his way into the 3rd round as well as he defeated the Kazahkstan player (quite alot of them here!), Mikhail Kukushkin in a four set scrap with a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 win. As for the losing seeds, Alexandr Dolgoplov is out as he was beaten by the Spaniard Marcel Granollers, who won in 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 and Mikhail Youzhny lost to Radek Stepanek who won in four sets 6-0, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Right so that's me caught up with the tennis so far at the French Open I will be back in a couple of days with more results of the men's and ladies 2nd and 3rd round matches.
Till then bye for now!
2014 Roland Garros Ladies Part 1: Upsetting the champions and the odds
Rrrrright welcome to my first post on the 2014 French Open, the second grand slam of the tennis season and I will cover the first four days of the tournament on here for the men's and ladies. Now as this is quite a task I will need to condense down the results quite alot this time and I will prvoide a few paragraphs for the key matches of the day. So let's get on the red dirt and have a look at the action so far and first up I'll look at the ladies in this post....
OK so starting with the ladies and day 1 we had Agnieszka Radwanska open the proceedings as she played the first match on Philippe Chatrier of the tournament and she had little trouble in getting past Zhang Shuai of China i 6-3, 6-0. Then we had the defending champion Serena Williams take on the French wildcard, Alize Zim, whom after a slight wobble in the first set dismissed easily in 6-2, 6-1 to secure her place in the second round. Venus Williams also managed to negotiate her way past her opponent Belinda Bencic, dropping just five games on the way and securing her 2nd round place with a 6-4, 6-1 result. And lastly Angelique Kerber also had an easy time of it against the Polish player, Katarzyna Piter as she raced to a 6-3, 6-1 win.
On Day 2 we had Maria Sharapova the fomer champion from 2012 open her campaign against Ksenia Pervak and she had no trouble at all to beat her Russian compatriot (although you would never guess given Sharapova's accent) in 6-1, 6-2. The French No.1, Alize Cornet who has been in good form lately also pulled out a good victory against the Aussie, Ashleigh Barty and routed the lass from Oz winning in 6-2, 6-1. Dominika Cibulkova however had a slightly tougher time of it as she went up against the former conqueror of Serena Williams two years ago at the French, Virginie Razanno, but after a tough first set, the pint sized Slovak player dismissed the French woman in 7-5, 6-0. And lastly Petra Kvitova made it through as she faced off against the Kazhak player, Zarina Diyas and came through 7-5, 6-2.
Onto day 3 this is where the drama began as the last 1st round matches were played and the former 2011 champion, Li Na became one of the biggest casualties of the tournament so far as she was stunned by the French player, Kristina Mladenovic, who beat the No.2 seed, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. Given that Li Na was the No. 2 seed and a hot favourite to win the title, this was a puzzling defeat, but it just shows the unpredictability of tennis. Simona Halep on the other hand made light work of her opponent, the Russian, Ailsa Kleybanova, as she went right through her dropping just two games on her way to victory in 6-0, 6-2. Ana Ivanovic also made a solid start to her campaign, also a former champion in 2008 and she defeated Caroline Garcia of France in 6-1, 6-3. Sara Errani on the other hand had a tough time of it in securing her first win of the tournament as she battled it out against the talented American player, Madison Keyes, but after play went a set all, Errani dug deep and ended up securing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 scoreline to reach the 2nd round. And lastly Heather Watson, who made her way through qualifiers to reach the 1st round, made an impressive start in the main draw as she beat the temperamental Barbora Zalahova-Strycova in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to make the 2nd round. This is a great start for Heather although her next opponent could see that run come to an end as she will be up against Simona Halep of Romania, the World No.4, however they had a tough three set match in Melbourne, so there if Heather plays aggressive she will have a chance, but overall I'd favour Halep on that one.
So now onto day 4 which had even more drama and opened up with Venus Williams who was on the losing end of a real fight against Anna Schmiedlova who came from a set down to beat the American former No.1 in 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Maria Sharapova had a tricky test against the Bulgarian player, Tsetvana Pironkova as she had to fight from a break down in the first set to level and then broke herself to take the 1st set, but the 2nd was easier as Maria got a double break to win the match in 7-5, 6-2. And another seed was upset, the French No.1 and 20th seed, Alize Cornet who took on the very promising and upcoming American player, Taylor Townsend, and despite Cornet being the favourite, it was Townsend who upset the odds and at one point she was a set and a double break up, but Cornet broke back to level the scores to a set all. And the 3rd set had a similar pattern as Townsend went 5-1 up, but Cornet yet again broke back again to a single break. But Taylor finally held her nerve and served out the match to claim a big win and reach the 3rd round of the French Open with a terrific 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Its great to always see a new face emerge on the tour and Taylor Townsend like Sloane Stephens before her, is one to watch out for on the tour in future.
And now last but far from least we had the biggest upset of the tournament so far as Serena Williams faced the Spaniard, Garbine Muguruza, who on paper didn't stand much of a chance against the 17 time slam champion and two time French Open champ. However Muguruza pulled off the near impossible as she played superb aggressive tennis and left Serena flat footed, who barely managed to get herself going and was left frustrated and helpless against the powerful game Muguruza has. And after going a double break down in the 1st set, Serena did the same in the 2nd and there was no way back as Garbine Muguruza served out the match for the win of her career with a remarkable 6-2, 6-2 upset victory. This was a terrific result for Muguruza who pulled of an incredible upset here and after the match Serena congratulated her and said that if she continues to play like that she could win the tournament! Can she??? Not so sure about that, however given this form Muguruza could well go on and have a great run at Roland Garros and if she get's herself into the 2nd week, she will have a good shot at going deep.
Right so that's it for the ladies next is the men's.
See you in a bit...
OK so starting with the ladies and day 1 we had Agnieszka Radwanska open the proceedings as she played the first match on Philippe Chatrier of the tournament and she had little trouble in getting past Zhang Shuai of China i 6-3, 6-0. Then we had the defending champion Serena Williams take on the French wildcard, Alize Zim, whom after a slight wobble in the first set dismissed easily in 6-2, 6-1 to secure her place in the second round. Venus Williams also managed to negotiate her way past her opponent Belinda Bencic, dropping just five games on the way and securing her 2nd round place with a 6-4, 6-1 result. And lastly Angelique Kerber also had an easy time of it against the Polish player, Katarzyna Piter as she raced to a 6-3, 6-1 win.
On Day 2 we had Maria Sharapova the fomer champion from 2012 open her campaign against Ksenia Pervak and she had no trouble at all to beat her Russian compatriot (although you would never guess given Sharapova's accent) in 6-1, 6-2. The French No.1, Alize Cornet who has been in good form lately also pulled out a good victory against the Aussie, Ashleigh Barty and routed the lass from Oz winning in 6-2, 6-1. Dominika Cibulkova however had a slightly tougher time of it as she went up against the former conqueror of Serena Williams two years ago at the French, Virginie Razanno, but after a tough first set, the pint sized Slovak player dismissed the French woman in 7-5, 6-0. And lastly Petra Kvitova made it through as she faced off against the Kazhak player, Zarina Diyas and came through 7-5, 6-2.
Onto day 3 this is where the drama began as the last 1st round matches were played and the former 2011 champion, Li Na became one of the biggest casualties of the tournament so far as she was stunned by the French player, Kristina Mladenovic, who beat the No.2 seed, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. Given that Li Na was the No. 2 seed and a hot favourite to win the title, this was a puzzling defeat, but it just shows the unpredictability of tennis. Simona Halep on the other hand made light work of her opponent, the Russian, Ailsa Kleybanova, as she went right through her dropping just two games on her way to victory in 6-0, 6-2. Ana Ivanovic also made a solid start to her campaign, also a former champion in 2008 and she defeated Caroline Garcia of France in 6-1, 6-3. Sara Errani on the other hand had a tough time of it in securing her first win of the tournament as she battled it out against the talented American player, Madison Keyes, but after play went a set all, Errani dug deep and ended up securing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 scoreline to reach the 2nd round. And lastly Heather Watson, who made her way through qualifiers to reach the 1st round, made an impressive start in the main draw as she beat the temperamental Barbora Zalahova-Strycova in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to make the 2nd round. This is a great start for Heather although her next opponent could see that run come to an end as she will be up against Simona Halep of Romania, the World No.4, however they had a tough three set match in Melbourne, so there if Heather plays aggressive she will have a chance, but overall I'd favour Halep on that one.
So now onto day 4 which had even more drama and opened up with Venus Williams who was on the losing end of a real fight against Anna Schmiedlova who came from a set down to beat the American former No.1 in 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Maria Sharapova had a tricky test against the Bulgarian player, Tsetvana Pironkova as she had to fight from a break down in the first set to level and then broke herself to take the 1st set, but the 2nd was easier as Maria got a double break to win the match in 7-5, 6-2. And another seed was upset, the French No.1 and 20th seed, Alize Cornet who took on the very promising and upcoming American player, Taylor Townsend, and despite Cornet being the favourite, it was Townsend who upset the odds and at one point she was a set and a double break up, but Cornet broke back to level the scores to a set all. And the 3rd set had a similar pattern as Townsend went 5-1 up, but Cornet yet again broke back again to a single break. But Taylor finally held her nerve and served out the match to claim a big win and reach the 3rd round of the French Open with a terrific 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Its great to always see a new face emerge on the tour and Taylor Townsend like Sloane Stephens before her, is one to watch out for on the tour in future.
And now last but far from least we had the biggest upset of the tournament so far as Serena Williams faced the Spaniard, Garbine Muguruza, who on paper didn't stand much of a chance against the 17 time slam champion and two time French Open champ. However Muguruza pulled off the near impossible as she played superb aggressive tennis and left Serena flat footed, who barely managed to get herself going and was left frustrated and helpless against the powerful game Muguruza has. And after going a double break down in the 1st set, Serena did the same in the 2nd and there was no way back as Garbine Muguruza served out the match for the win of her career with a remarkable 6-2, 6-2 upset victory. This was a terrific result for Muguruza who pulled of an incredible upset here and after the match Serena congratulated her and said that if she continues to play like that she could win the tournament! Can she??? Not so sure about that, however given this form Muguruza could well go on and have a great run at Roland Garros and if she get's herself into the 2nd week, she will have a good shot at going deep.
Right so that's it for the ladies next is the men's.
See you in a bit...
Monday, 26 May 2014
2014 French Open ladies contenders
Right so the first day of the French open is already over however I thought I would do this post before its too late and here is my pick of contenders for the title at Roland Garros.
Serena Williams
Right at the top of the list is of course Serena Williams who is the defending champion from last year and this year she could well be on course to repeat her incredible victory, which saw her win every grand slam more than once, as it was her second French open title. So can Serena win again this year??? Well its a bit of a no brainer, absolutely, however it will depend purely on how well she plays and the only player that can really beat her is herself. So far Serena has avoided the first round jitters as she successfully defeat her opponent Alize Lim in 6-2, 6-1. From here however it doesn't get much easier and Serena could very well go on to face Maria Sharapova in the quarter finals, so Serena's draw will be far from serene (crap I know!) which could well be followed by Agnieszka Radwanska in the semis and a potential final with Li Na, the former champion. But Serena is still leagues ahead of the rest of the competition given her powerful and accurate serve and powerplay game, if she is at her best over the fortnight, she will be virtually impossible to stop. So I think its a safe bet that Serena will at least reach the final, unless an upset is likely on the cards. Prediction: champion, finalist or semi finals.
Li Na
Li Na has to be the next favourite as she is the current World No.2 and also a former champion at RG as she won her first grand slam title in Paris, so Li promises to do very well again this year. Li Na also won her second grand slam this year in Melbourne so by doing that she proved that she is no one trick pony and there is a fair chance she can go on to win another at the French open. However Li Na's downfall can be here inconsistency on serve and while she has a big game and can threaten the very best players, she can also threaten to come off the rails as well and she may well find it tough to negotiate her way past the likes of Serena Williams. However next to Serena I can't really see anyone else stopping Li Na from reaching the final or beating her in it, apart from maybe Sharapova, so I think there is a fair chance that Li can battle her way into the final, she might not win it, but she is a safe bet to be in the last two. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Maria Sharapova
Next is Maria Sharapova, now given that Serena Williams could be a potential quarter final opponent and that Maria has struggled to find a solution to beat the American for years, her draw could very well open up if Serena is upset before they are due to meet in the last eight. And Serena and Li Na aside there really aren't any other players that can live with Sharapova in the draw, also her clay court game has improved considerably over the last few years as well, as she is a former champion in Paris as well. This year Maria has also won in Stuttgart (as pictured holding the trophy) and Madrid on clay so her clay court season so far has been excellent and to win a second RG title would cap it off perfectly. However it remains to be seen how Maria will get on in Paris and she too can have her lapses of concentration with her high risk game coming undone at times, given her erratic serve and unforced error count which can really pile up. But she is also one of the great warriors in the game and she is tough as nails and I think given a good draw and Serena out of the equation, Maria has a good chance of claiming another title in Paris. Prediction: quarter finals, finalist or champion.
Sara Errani
Next we have Sara Errani, the pint sized Italian No.1, who was a former finalist at the French two years ago. Errani's best overall surface is clay and it is a surface she is very comfortable on and last year she also made the last four at RG before she was crushed by Serena Williams. The trouble for Errani is that she could potentially face Serena in the final again as they are in opposite sides of the draw and if she does well it could very well be one-way traffic for the American. But Errani on the plus side has great variety in her game, great net skills (as she is the world's best doubles player along with her partner Roberta Vinci) and she has the footspeed to trouble many a player and give them a real headache. So I can see Errani do very well again at the French and I definitely can see her reach the last four or maybe even the final, will she win it? Doubtful as she would really need a very kind draw to do so, but she will go deep. Prediction: semi finals.
Simona Halep
Simon has to be my next choice as she is by far and a way the most improved player over the last year or so in the ladies game as her rise in 2013 was meteoric, which saw her win a remarkable six titles in one year and on all three surfaces. Halep is now sitting at a career high ranking of No.4 in the world and she looks set to put in a very good run at Roland Garros and I'm sure she can go pretty deep here. Halep also is quite an aggressive player and her footspeed and agility to reach any ball as well as to hit winners from anywhere on the court will make her a real threat to the other players out there. However I'm not quite certain if Halep will win the title, she certainly has the talent and skill to do so and is full of confidence this year, but she still has to contend against the big hitters such as Li Na and Serena Williams and both of them will be pretty big obstacles for the 5ft 6inch Romanian. Nonetheless Halep still has all the ability to go real deep in Paris I definitely think she has a good shot at reaching the last four. Prediction: semi finals.
Agnieszka Radwanska
After Simona we have Agnieszka Radwanska who it has to be said is one of my favourite players on the ladies tour, as her game is a real breath of fresh air and is built on guile, ingenuity and constructing the points rather than relying on brute force, Radwanska uses her wits to outfox her opponents. Radwanska however has said that clay is her least favourite surface but despite that she still managed to make the quarter finals last year before falling to Sara Errani in a very entertaining straight set encounter. So I think Aga (her nickname) has a good chance to do well her again this year and make it to the 2nd week and maybe the last eight anyway. However I don't know if Radwanska can go any further and while her results have been certainly consistent this year she has failed to reach many finals of the WTA events, with the exception of Indian Wells where she played with an injury and lost to Flavia Pennetta. But if Aga can reach the final it would be great to see her there and it would be really refreshing to see a crafty counterpuncher win a slam for a change rather than a big hitter who bludgeons the balll from the baseline as Radwanska offers so much more than that. But I have to say that Radwanska might get as far as the semis but with a possible meeting with Serena there, I can't see her get further unless her draws opens up then who knows. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Jelena Jankovic
Up next is Jelena Jankovic who has made a real resurgance in the last year or so as she was a former World No.1 and at the top of the game for years, however in recent times she fell back down again and lost her confidence. That is until last year when Jankovic started to find her form again and she put together some impressive and fairly consistent results and she even reached the quarter finals at the French last year as well as well as the semi finals of the WTA championships. Jankovic however quite often has also struggled with consistency and her game is also prone to errors, which may cost her from getting to the final and making the big step to lift the title. But on the other hand Jankovic is a natural clay court player and she is also one of the great defensive players and movers on the tour and given that she is now firmly back in the Top 10, ranked as No.6 in the world, I'm sure Jelena can put together a decent run in Paris, but she might find it hard to get past the final eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Ana Ivanovic
Then we have Ana Ivanovic, a former French Open champion back in 2008, however Ivanovic for years was in a wilderness as she struggled for ages to get anywhere near a final again in a slam, although in the last year or so she has made up for that, reaching the last 16 out in three of the four slams in 2013, which isn't too bad and this year she already has reached the quarters in Melbourne. Ivanovic also is knocking on the door of the top 10 again as she is currently ranked No.12 in the world and she already won two titles this year in Monterrey and Auckland and reached the final of Stuttgart where she narrowly lost to Sharapova. So Ana's form coming into the French is excellent and I also think she can do pretty well here, given that she has quite a big serve and a really potent forehand, she can do some damage in Paris. Ivanovic however still has her struggles against the players right at the top such as Sharapova and Serena, although this year she has actually managed to beat Serena in the Australian open 4th round so she might stand a chance to cause some upsets here as well again and she just might go on a killer run and lift a second French open title. However I don't quite think Ivanovic will get there as she could face the in form Simona Halep in the quarters and maybe Li Na in the semis before a final showdown with Serena, but anything is possible, so I predict Ana will have a good year at RG. Prediction: quarters or semi finals.
Angelique Kerber
And last but far form least is Angelique Kerber, the German No.1 who announced herself on the tour during the US open of 2011 and she went on to break into the top 10 in 2012 and has remained there since. Kerber however hasn't quite put together the stellar results since her efforts in 2012 as last year she managed to reach the 4th round of three out of the four slams which is not bad, and also this year in Melbourne as well, but she will need to do a bit better to go further this year. But I still think that Angelique could do potentially well in Paris as she has already reached the quarter finals here in 2012 and she might be set to do the same again this year. Kerber is also an excellent athlete as she has really good movement and can cover the court very well and is also quite an aggressive counterpuncher, which goes well in her favour against the big hitters. However she does lack the mental edge needed to make the final leap and that is where she has come up short in the past so I don't see her with a real chance to win the title. But I still think that Angie can make the second week in Paris and at the very least will be in the last 16 and possibly the final 8. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Right so that was a bit later than expected to post up but its done now and with day 2 coming up of the French we will see how my predictions pan out and I will report back with the results as the tournament carries on.
So until the next one bye the now.
Serena Williams
Right at the top of the list is of course Serena Williams who is the defending champion from last year and this year she could well be on course to repeat her incredible victory, which saw her win every grand slam more than once, as it was her second French open title. So can Serena win again this year??? Well its a bit of a no brainer, absolutely, however it will depend purely on how well she plays and the only player that can really beat her is herself. So far Serena has avoided the first round jitters as she successfully defeat her opponent Alize Lim in 6-2, 6-1. From here however it doesn't get much easier and Serena could very well go on to face Maria Sharapova in the quarter finals, so Serena's draw will be far from serene (crap I know!) which could well be followed by Agnieszka Radwanska in the semis and a potential final with Li Na, the former champion. But Serena is still leagues ahead of the rest of the competition given her powerful and accurate serve and powerplay game, if she is at her best over the fortnight, she will be virtually impossible to stop. So I think its a safe bet that Serena will at least reach the final, unless an upset is likely on the cards. Prediction: champion, finalist or semi finals.
Li Na
Li Na has to be the next favourite as she is the current World No.2 and also a former champion at RG as she won her first grand slam title in Paris, so Li promises to do very well again this year. Li Na also won her second grand slam this year in Melbourne so by doing that she proved that she is no one trick pony and there is a fair chance she can go on to win another at the French open. However Li Na's downfall can be here inconsistency on serve and while she has a big game and can threaten the very best players, she can also threaten to come off the rails as well and she may well find it tough to negotiate her way past the likes of Serena Williams. However next to Serena I can't really see anyone else stopping Li Na from reaching the final or beating her in it, apart from maybe Sharapova, so I think there is a fair chance that Li can battle her way into the final, she might not win it, but she is a safe bet to be in the last two. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Maria Sharapova
Next is Maria Sharapova, now given that Serena Williams could be a potential quarter final opponent and that Maria has struggled to find a solution to beat the American for years, her draw could very well open up if Serena is upset before they are due to meet in the last eight. And Serena and Li Na aside there really aren't any other players that can live with Sharapova in the draw, also her clay court game has improved considerably over the last few years as well, as she is a former champion in Paris as well. This year Maria has also won in Stuttgart (as pictured holding the trophy) and Madrid on clay so her clay court season so far has been excellent and to win a second RG title would cap it off perfectly. However it remains to be seen how Maria will get on in Paris and she too can have her lapses of concentration with her high risk game coming undone at times, given her erratic serve and unforced error count which can really pile up. But she is also one of the great warriors in the game and she is tough as nails and I think given a good draw and Serena out of the equation, Maria has a good chance of claiming another title in Paris. Prediction: quarter finals, finalist or champion.
Sara Errani
Next we have Sara Errani, the pint sized Italian No.1, who was a former finalist at the French two years ago. Errani's best overall surface is clay and it is a surface she is very comfortable on and last year she also made the last four at RG before she was crushed by Serena Williams. The trouble for Errani is that she could potentially face Serena in the final again as they are in opposite sides of the draw and if she does well it could very well be one-way traffic for the American. But Errani on the plus side has great variety in her game, great net skills (as she is the world's best doubles player along with her partner Roberta Vinci) and she has the footspeed to trouble many a player and give them a real headache. So I can see Errani do very well again at the French and I definitely can see her reach the last four or maybe even the final, will she win it? Doubtful as she would really need a very kind draw to do so, but she will go deep. Prediction: semi finals.
Simona Halep
Simon has to be my next choice as she is by far and a way the most improved player over the last year or so in the ladies game as her rise in 2013 was meteoric, which saw her win a remarkable six titles in one year and on all three surfaces. Halep is now sitting at a career high ranking of No.4 in the world and she looks set to put in a very good run at Roland Garros and I'm sure she can go pretty deep here. Halep also is quite an aggressive player and her footspeed and agility to reach any ball as well as to hit winners from anywhere on the court will make her a real threat to the other players out there. However I'm not quite certain if Halep will win the title, she certainly has the talent and skill to do so and is full of confidence this year, but she still has to contend against the big hitters such as Li Na and Serena Williams and both of them will be pretty big obstacles for the 5ft 6inch Romanian. Nonetheless Halep still has all the ability to go real deep in Paris I definitely think she has a good shot at reaching the last four. Prediction: semi finals.
Agnieszka Radwanska
After Simona we have Agnieszka Radwanska who it has to be said is one of my favourite players on the ladies tour, as her game is a real breath of fresh air and is built on guile, ingenuity and constructing the points rather than relying on brute force, Radwanska uses her wits to outfox her opponents. Radwanska however has said that clay is her least favourite surface but despite that she still managed to make the quarter finals last year before falling to Sara Errani in a very entertaining straight set encounter. So I think Aga (her nickname) has a good chance to do well her again this year and make it to the 2nd week and maybe the last eight anyway. However I don't know if Radwanska can go any further and while her results have been certainly consistent this year she has failed to reach many finals of the WTA events, with the exception of Indian Wells where she played with an injury and lost to Flavia Pennetta. But if Aga can reach the final it would be great to see her there and it would be really refreshing to see a crafty counterpuncher win a slam for a change rather than a big hitter who bludgeons the balll from the baseline as Radwanska offers so much more than that. But I have to say that Radwanska might get as far as the semis but with a possible meeting with Serena there, I can't see her get further unless her draws opens up then who knows. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Jelena Jankovic
Up next is Jelena Jankovic who has made a real resurgance in the last year or so as she was a former World No.1 and at the top of the game for years, however in recent times she fell back down again and lost her confidence. That is until last year when Jankovic started to find her form again and she put together some impressive and fairly consistent results and she even reached the quarter finals at the French last year as well as well as the semi finals of the WTA championships. Jankovic however quite often has also struggled with consistency and her game is also prone to errors, which may cost her from getting to the final and making the big step to lift the title. But on the other hand Jankovic is a natural clay court player and she is also one of the great defensive players and movers on the tour and given that she is now firmly back in the Top 10, ranked as No.6 in the world, I'm sure Jelena can put together a decent run in Paris, but she might find it hard to get past the final eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
Ana Ivanovic
Then we have Ana Ivanovic, a former French Open champion back in 2008, however Ivanovic for years was in a wilderness as she struggled for ages to get anywhere near a final again in a slam, although in the last year or so she has made up for that, reaching the last 16 out in three of the four slams in 2013, which isn't too bad and this year she already has reached the quarters in Melbourne. Ivanovic also is knocking on the door of the top 10 again as she is currently ranked No.12 in the world and she already won two titles this year in Monterrey and Auckland and reached the final of Stuttgart where she narrowly lost to Sharapova. So Ana's form coming into the French is excellent and I also think she can do pretty well here, given that she has quite a big serve and a really potent forehand, she can do some damage in Paris. Ivanovic however still has her struggles against the players right at the top such as Sharapova and Serena, although this year she has actually managed to beat Serena in the Australian open 4th round so she might stand a chance to cause some upsets here as well again and she just might go on a killer run and lift a second French open title. However I don't quite think Ivanovic will get there as she could face the in form Simona Halep in the quarters and maybe Li Na in the semis before a final showdown with Serena, but anything is possible, so I predict Ana will have a good year at RG. Prediction: quarters or semi finals.
Angelique Kerber
And last but far form least is Angelique Kerber, the German No.1 who announced herself on the tour during the US open of 2011 and she went on to break into the top 10 in 2012 and has remained there since. Kerber however hasn't quite put together the stellar results since her efforts in 2012 as last year she managed to reach the 4th round of three out of the four slams which is not bad, and also this year in Melbourne as well, but she will need to do a bit better to go further this year. But I still think that Angelique could do potentially well in Paris as she has already reached the quarter finals here in 2012 and she might be set to do the same again this year. Kerber is also an excellent athlete as she has really good movement and can cover the court very well and is also quite an aggressive counterpuncher, which goes well in her favour against the big hitters. However she does lack the mental edge needed to make the final leap and that is where she has come up short in the past so I don't see her with a real chance to win the title. But I still think that Angie can make the second week in Paris and at the very least will be in the last 16 and possibly the final 8. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Right so that was a bit later than expected to post up but its done now and with day 2 coming up of the French we will see how my predictions pan out and I will report back with the results as the tournament carries on.
So until the next one bye the now.
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