Roddick Grinds, Monfils Folds at French Open
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Andy Roddick won out over the elements on Thursday at Roland Garros, including a slow, wet court and three rains delays to muddle past unheralded Blaz Kavcic 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 to move into the third round at the French Open.
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Kavcic broke the vaunted Roddick serve seven times during the match, but the American turned his own share of breaks.
“It’s the slowest here,” Roddick said. “It’s the most challenging for me. I feel like every time I play out there it’s raining. Wet day on [court] Lenglen has been my Achilles heel. I’ve lost a lot of matches out there in conditions exactly like that. I was able to get through that one today. That was one that might have gotten away from me awhile ago. But I was just kind of staying the course.”
French Open officials postponed 37 matches, including Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, as a number of players will be faced with back-to-back matches for the remainder of week one.
Joining Roddick as the only other Top 10-seeded player through on Thursday was No. 4 Andy Murray, who handled Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2.
No. 13 Gael Monfils played tight in a resumption of his match with Italian Fabio Fognini, who when the pair picked up the match at 5-5 in the fifth eventually triumphed 9-7.
“The first set and the second set were very quick and easy for him, 6-2, 6-4,” Fognini told the media regarding his strategy. “Then after, I wanted to have a longer match — I wanted to have longer rallies. Yes, it was a good idea. At the end of the day it worked well.”
Other winners in rain-delayed resumptions were No. 17 John Isner defeating Marcos Chuidinelli 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 7-6(7), 6-4, and No. 25 Marcos Baghdatis topping Marcel Granollers 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2.
“I think the last two years I suffered a bit with injuries, and, you know, with mind problems,” Baghdatis says of his rankings drop. “I can say helped me mature a bit, and, you know, have more experience. I think I’m tougher than what I was before. I’m ready for any problem. I’m ready to find any solution.”
Two matches were level on Thursday when called by darkness — No. 14 Ivan Ljubicic and Mardy Fish at a set all, and No. 24 Thomasz Bellucci and Spain’s Pablo Andujar at a set all.
Highlights of a loaded Friday at Roland Garros are (2) Rafael Nadal vs. Horacio Zeballos, (1) Roger Federer vs. Julian Reister, (4) Andy Murray vs. (25) Marcos Baghdatis, Kei Nishikori vs. (3) Novak Djokovic, (29) Albert Montanes vs. (5) Robin Soderling, Xavier “X-Man” Malisse vs. (9) David Ferrer, (17) John Isner vs. (15) Tomas Berdych, and (20) Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Fabio Fognini.
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