Tennis-X Notes: Top 4 Seeds in Mens French Semis?

Posted on June 7, 2006

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Looks like the rain and cold are history in Paris as temps are expected to only climb through to the finals...Roger Federer has won 26 straight in Grand Slams, passing Pete Sampras' 25. Rod Laver owns the record at 29...Roger Federer has dropped one set en route to the semifinals. Last year he dropped zero sets...Dinara Safina won just three points in the second set against Svetlana Kuznetsova. Nice effort, get in shape...Rafael Nadal has won 57 straight on clay but has lost more sets (2) in the last two rounds than his opponent Novak Djokovic...Donald Young can't win on the pro tour, and now he can no longer win in the juniors, falling in three sets in the boys' third round. Next stop for The Donald, the Wimbledon juniors...The highest-ranked player Ivan Ljubicic has beaten at Roland Garros is No. 79 Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo and now he gets No. 95 Juliean Benneteau...Dinara Safina really did only win three points in the second set...17-year-old Nicole Vaidisova has won her last two matches over Slam champions, and to win the title will have to play two more...Mario Ancic remains the last guy to beat Roger Federer on grass...Justine Henin-Hardenne has won her last 12 matches at Roland Garros, and 20 of her last 21...USA Today tennis writer Doug Robson says don't look for Kim Clijsters to keep her word about retiring at the end of 2007: "It's hard to imagine a player giving up status, fame, and millions of dollars in their tennis prime that isn't suffering from a debilitating injury -- which Clijsters isn't. The Belgian 22-year-old (she turns 23 June 8) insists -- as she did earlier this week in Paris -- that she wants to retire healthy to start a family. When you see her goo-goo eyes around American boyfriend Brian Lynch and the unrequited affection she showers on children, it seems feasible. But if I were betting, I'd say she'll reconsider and play longer than she intends -- if she is injury-free."...Should Rafael Nadal and Ivan Ljubicic win Wednesday it will be the first time the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinal since 1985 when John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and Mats Wilander last set the mark...Nicole Vaidisova on, you know, picking up, you know, experience this year: "Definitely, you know, played a little more matches, you know, tried to get a little more experience, you know, on the big stages. You know, in Australia I played on center court and US. By picking up those matches, it's definitely great. You know, you can take a lot of it to your next matches."...Nicole Vaidisova's uncle is Daniel Vacek...Justine Henin-Hardenne on the logically-difficult life of the tennis pro: "It's a very difficult life. You do a lot of sacrifices. It's quite logical. Probably some years ago players didn't feel it so much because they didn't play so fast, it wasn't so physical as it is today. Today, it's a very difficult life. I think it's rather logical." And H-H on her new buddy-buddy relationship with countrywoman Kim Clijsters: "We discuss things normally. We'll probably go out for lunch during Roland Garros. In Liege, we put the problems of the past aside. We were both professionals. We were happy to have this experience together. We were part of a team. Today we're competitors again. We don't have any problems between us. We have a lot of respect for each other. We each know what each of us has done is quite fabulous. Of course, we need to respect each other, so we do. We have a very healthy relationship. I think that is very important. It's best that way."...Punter alert: unless she has an extended case of the nerves as she did in the beginning of her match against Dinara Safina, look for Svetlana Kuznetsova to exploit the still-developing claycourt movement of Nicole Vaidisova in a straight-set win...Here's ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez's waffling no-pick for the all-Belgian semifinal: "Belgians Justine Henin-Hardenne (the defending champion) and Kim Clijsters (the No. 2 seed) have a long history together, playing each other since they were kids. But their semifinal match is going to come down to who is stronger mentally on the given day and who wants it more. On clay, Henin-Hardenne's game is a little more complete -- she uses more of the court and the angles. But for me, Clijsters' game is ideal for this surface. She can defend until the very end and hits heavy enough where she can hurt you and open up the court. But it's going to come down to who can handle the stage because their games are so similar. We'll see if Henin-Hardenne feels the pressure since everyone thinks she's now the one to beat. However, it's a semifinal and not a final, so maybe that will help Clijsters. There are a lot of components that go into this matchup."...ESPN's Luke Jensen picked two of Tuesday's six matches correctly, double ouch, you and Brad Gilbert should get together, start an on-line tennis betting advice column...From tennis blogger Peter Bodo: "I went before the board of the International Tennis Writer's Association to discuss my having gone public with information that the ITWA board felt was strictly internal and confidential material (the backstory is at my Whistle-Blower Me blog). It isn't necessary or relevant for me to discuss the specifics of the meeting, and I think ITWA's request to keep the substance of the discussion confidential is reasonable and fair. But I also feel obliged to tell you all that my position has not changed on the public's "right-to-know" issues, and I will report on any relevant developments at the appropriate time."...From tennis writer Joe Drucker writing for CBS Sportsline.com under the headline "Radical Proposal": "Fifteen days for a (Slam) event is ridiculous, testing the stamina not just of players but of fans trying to follow these superb Slam events. I'm convinced one reason tennis has such a hard time generating traction for itself in the U.S. is that its four most important tournaments take too long. I'm certain many will vilify for me this, but here's my suggestion: Cut Slams draws in half to 64. This will make entry into a Slam something that must be earned rather than exist as the ongoing welfare state for those who haven't played as well throughout the year...And, yes, make every match for both genders two-out-of-three sets." -- Think that's already being done Joel, they're called Masters Series and Tier I events respectively...Roger Federer has reached eight consecutive Slam semifinals, second only to Ivan Lendl's 10 (1985 US Open-1988 Australian Open).