Wozniacki, Zvonareva Survive Drama; Men Yawners at French Open

by Staff | May 25th, 2011, 11:20 pm
  • 181 Comments

Wozniacki, Zvonareva Survive Drama on Day 4 at French Open

World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki put down strong resistance from qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak in her second-round match Wednesday at the French Open, dispatching of the Canadian 6-3, 7-6(6).
ADHEREL
“Thankfully I finished it in two sets. It could easily have been three,” said Wozniacki, who was down triple set point in the tiebreak. “I’m more comfortable on hardcourts but at the same time I think I play well on clay, and I’ve shown that with the results I’ve done on clay so far this season. I’m just going to take it one match at a time here and we’ll see how it goes.”

No. 3-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva likewise had trouble in her second-round meeting with qualifier Sabine Lisicki, eventually outlasting the German 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. Zvonareva weathered a match point and medical drama after the German called the trainer in the third set, and after the loss was taken off the court sobbing uncontrollably, on a stretcher, suffering from dizziness and cramping.


“I didn’t have much in my mind,” Zvonareva said of facing down a match point. “I was just trying to focus one point at a time and fight like I did since the very first point. I got a little lucky and was able to turn the match around.”

Other Top 10-seeded winners were No. 5 Francesca Schiavone, No. 8 Sam Stosur and No. 10 Jelena Jankovic, all straight-set winners.

Lower seeds into the third round on Wednesday included No. 11 Marion Bartoli defeating qualifier Olga Govortsova in three, No. 13 Svetlana Kuznetsova dropping only two games, No. 14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, No. 17 Julia “Gorgeous” Goerges coming back to defeat Lucie Safarova after dropping the opening set, No. 28 Daniela Hantuchova losing only three games, and No. 20 Peng Shuai.

Hantuchova and Wozniacki will next square off, with the world No. 1 leading the career series 3-0.

Argentine Gisela Dulko orchestrated the lone upset of the day, topping No. 32 Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-2.

Among all-unseeded match-ups of note, Bethanie Mattek-Sands edged Varvara Lepchenko in an all-American three-set tussle, Canadian Rebecca Marino came from set down to defeat Spaniard Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Spanish qualifier Nuria Llagostera Vives wiped the court with Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 6-0, 6-2.

Mattek-Sands will next face her buddy Jankovic.

“I haven’t played her in a while,” said Mattek-Sands, who is 2-1 career against Jankovic. “The last time was last year in Rome. I had a tough three set match. She’s been Top 10 for the last five years. She’s one of my good friends actually. We joke a lot. It’s cool that she is very relaxed and outgoing and just seems to enjoy tennis. I think we’ll have a good match. She likes the clay and is playing good, so I’ve got to be ready.”

Matches to watch on Thursday at Roland Garros include (2) Kim Clijsters vs. former world No. 1 junior Arantxa Rus, (7) Maria Sharapova vs. Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, Indian princess Sania Mirza vs. (12) Aggie Radwanska, and Spanish dirtballer Anabel “Funky Cold” Medina Garrigues vs. (24) Jarmila Gajdosova.

13 Men’s Seeds Advanced Untouched on Wednesday at Roland Garros

Yawn.

The men’s seeds at the French Open did their best WTA tour impression on Wednesday, plowing through their opponents while nary dropping a set, with all 13 seeds in action advancing, nine in straight sets.

Favorites No. 2 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Roger Federer hurried into the third round, the Serb defeating Victor Hanescu when the Romanian retired trailing 6-4, 6-1, 2-3 with a left thigh injury, and the Swiss rolling past France’s Max Teixeira 6-3, 6-0, 6-2.

“It’s so difficult to come out and play on a big court when you are not used to it,” said Federer of his rookie opponent. “I’m playing here for the 12th year and I’m very experienced,” clarified the Swiss for fans unfamiliar with his career.

Other Top 10-seeded winners were No. 7 David Ferrer and No. 9 Gael “Force” Monfils, both winners in straights.

Lower seeds advancing on the day were No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny, No. 13 Richard Gasquet (dropping a set to Marc Granollers), No. 14 Stan Wawrinka, No. 17 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 23 Thomaz Bellucci, No. 25 Juan Martin del Potro, No. 29 Janko Tipsarevic, No. 30 Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia-Lopez outlasting Turkey’s Marcel Ilhan 13-11 in the fifth, and No. 31 Serg Stakhovsky defeating Kei Nishikori in four.

Del Potro earns a match-up with Djokovic, who will attempt to stretch his 2011 win-loss record to 40-0.

“It’s a big challenge for both of us,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview. “He always deserved to be a Top 5 player in the world. He can play equally well on any surface. It’s going to be interesting for us to play.”

Excitement on the men’s side on Thursday at Roland Garros includes (4) Andy “Meltdown” Murray vs. Italian Simone Bolelli, the all-French encounter of Jeremy Chardy vs. (18) Gilles Simon, (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Spanish countryman sacrifice Pablo Andujar, Xavier “X-Man” Malisse vs. (16) Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco, (10) Mardy Fish vs. Robin “Not Tommy” Haase, (21) Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Austrian Andreas “Don’t Be a” Haider-Maurer, and (24) “Slammin'” Sam Querrey vs. Ivan Ljubicic.

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
While Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters bid for their first French Open, Vera Zvonareva is trying to reach the semifinals at all four majors and win her first Slam. Zvonareva Wednesday saved a match point and overcame a 5-2 third set hole to beat a cramping Sabine LisickiNovak Djokovic tied the best streaks Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg ever had at 41. Not bad…Victor Hanescu is the only player thus far to retire from the French Open…How often does Roger Federer play at 11am local time? Not often…Were there really no English press in Federer’s press conference Wednesday? How the mighty have fallen…There are six lefties on the men’s side playing Thursday…Bethanie Mattek-Sands will pass Venus Williams in the next WTA rankings…Andy Murray has never lost to a lucky loser while Simone Bolelli has never beaten a Top 10 player…Xavier Malisse and Mardy Fish are each one win from 250…Caroline Garcia is jailbait at only 17 years old (not in France?)…Zheng Jie has 300 career match wins…American fashion plate Bethanie Mattek-Sands says Lady Gaga is one of her inspirations: “I think she’s very individual. Obviously she’s come out with some crazy stuff. I don’t know that I would be able to play in a meat dress or anything. I was thinking of stapling some bacon on my shoulder or something, but I don’t know how that would work out in the sun. But she’s cool. She has cool songs. Just you never know what she’s going to do next, and I really can appreciate that.”…Leander Paes has played tour doubles events with 86 different partners according to the ATP.


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181 Comments for Wozniacki, Zvonareva Survive Drama; Men Yawners at French Open

jane Says:

Gael force lost a set.

Good milestones for Fish, XMan and Jie.

This is too funny and kind of weird too – bacon on her shoulder! Rotfl. “American fashion plate Bethanie Mattek-Sands says Lady Gaga is one of her inspirations: “I think she’s very individual. Obviously she’s come out with some crazy stuff. I don’t know that I would be able to play in a meat dress or anything. I was thinking of stapling some bacon on my shoulder or something, but I don’t know how that would work out in the sun.”


Dory Says:

I watched Wozniacki and Zvonareva play today and they were so awful – moonballing half of the time. I still don’t get it how Woz can be ranked No.1 just because she’s won a lot of WTA events and Zvonareva a top ten player? Thankfully, I stopped following the WTA tour after the Hingis-Williams-Capriati era. Steffi Graf, Seles and Navratilova really I miss you.


Eric Says:

Dory, so I guess you don’t understand that to win a bunch of titles (six last year, more than anyone else on tour) you have to play better than everyone else at a bunch of tournaments? Her style might not be the most exciting to watch, but it’s extremely effective. It’s a bizarre aberration that she hasn’t won a slam yet, but some day it will come – and will be followed by many more.


Eric Says:

Dory, so I guess you don’t understand that to win a bunch of titles (six last year, more than anyone else on tour) you have to play better than everyone else at a bunch of tournaments? Her style might not be the most exciting to watch, but it’s extremely effective. It’s a bizarre aberration that she hasn’t won a slam yet, but some day it will come – and will be followed by many more.


Eric Says:

Sorry for the double post. :)


margot Says:

Ah Navratilova….my favourite ever….


Ganesh Says:

“I’m playing here for the 12th year and I’m very experienced,” clarified the Swiss for fans unfamiliar with his career … Funny :)


ged Says:

Julia “Gorgeous” Goerges

wow, staff! did you think that up all by your pretty little selves? it’s so subtle, i had to spend several minutes decoding that one.

anyway, i’m a great admire fed’s style of play, but i just can’t see how the djoker is going to lose. his level is simply amazing; one never has the feeling that he’s in getting into a situation that he can’t get out of. maybe it’s going to take a combination of a few 4- or 5-set matches to bring him down.


Huh Says:

Andy “Meltdown” Murray???!!! Lol! ;) :P
Its so funny! :D


Style Intel Says:

Where is Serena Williams?

The Search For Serena Williams

http://blogs.forbes.com/bluecarreon/2011/05/25/the-search-for-serena-williams-3/


Kimmi Says:

kvitova is hitting winners left right and center..she is good to watch when she connects.


Kimmi Says:

what is happening with clijsters hair? looks like she cut it..hmmm, it looks kind of strange in that hat


Kimmi Says:

kim struggling to serve out for the match..she needs to break here now


Kimmi Says:

this is how you close the match..kvitova thru. kim is now on the dog fight…

from 5-2 second set to 5-6. 50 UE from kim now.


Kimmi Says:

ah, kim lost the second set.


Kimmi Says:

ah kim, completely disintegrated, she is broken in the third now..


scineram Says:

I expected Kim to lose but not this early to this player.


Kimmi Says:

well kim is out. bad day at the office. she has a lot of work to be ready for wimbledon.

congratulations to rus. she was able to hang in there and played her best game in the third set.


Dory Says:

This is the biggest problem with women’s tennis. Lack of consistency. You can’t *count* on a Clijsters, Kuznetsova or Wozniacki to win.


Dory Says:

Sorry btw if I’ve hurt anyone’s feelings with my comments on women’s tennis.

Murray on court now. Verdasco lost a set to Malisse.


Huh Says:

M not much of clijsters fan. Like Kuzu, but lov Maria! ;)
Go Maria, win it! If not Maria(most preferred thou), it’d be nice to see schiavon/kuzu win anothr FO. Go girls!!! ;)


Huh Says:

Navratilova Da Best!!! :D


Dory Says:

Kuzu a.ka. Outova is now my only hope.


Huh Says:

Women’s tennis is best for me when Venus wins a Wimby! :D
Maria winning a slam comes second best(for me)! ;)
But the queen’s only one until she hangs up racquet and thats Serena(althou I hate whenever she beats my Venus). This has stoppd me from becomin a serena fan(I bein a non-serena fan’s got nothin to do with her sometimes avoidabl behavior thou).


Huh Says:

dory:
m referin to kuzetsnova of cours by “kuzu” ;)


Huh Says:

oh hel, slip of hand and brain makes it kuzetsnova, but never mind, i intended to type “kuznetsova”!


Dory Says:

Yes I call Kuznetsova Outova because she hits so many balls out.


Dory Says:

This Bolelli guy. Plays pretty decent but only when behind. Once he gets ahead, he plays horrible.


Dory Says:

Never seen Pablo Andujar play before although his name is always in Masters 1st-2nd rounds.


jane Says:

Weather looks less lovely there today. Did it rain? Sorry just waking up to all the news.


Dory Says:

Didn’t rain but it was very windy during the Murray match.


jane Says:

Rafa looks a touch slow to me, and he is talking to himself. It is strange to see him like this. But the announcers are talking about the “difficult conditions”. It does look windy.


Dory Says:

What a poor service game by Andujar. Had a chance to make it 4-4.


jane Says:

The crowd has begun the do-do-do-do-da-da-dadadada OLE! chant from last year, ha ha. Hadn’t heard it yet.

Okay Murray is through but it didn’t look easy. Oh well, still early goings.


jane Says:

Dory, you could apply this to Andujar too: “Plays pretty decent but only when behind”


Dory Says:

haha, yes at the moment that appears to be true.


Dory Says:

Well done, Andujar.


Kimberly Says:

ugggh! Doesn’t look like RG 2011 is to be Rafa’s tournament, I was convinced before the start he would right the ship and show everyone who’s boss but he has looked the shakiest of the top ten so far (other than berdych of course)


Dory Says:

Maybe Nadal will peak in the second week.


dari Says:

Vamos Maria. Did not pick her in my bracket, but I loved how clean and hard she played first match. Career slam would be amazing, so would caro getting first slam and not hearing that question again!


Dory Says:

How many times will he net that BH??? Wake up Pablo.


jane Says:

Pablo is pablum now. I think Rafa is coming back and righting the ship.


Dory Says:

He’s broken Nadal so many times now and not holding his own serve as many number of times. But this match is very interesting.


dari Says:

Nice, a little defense for Maria


jane Says:

Davy dropped the second set 6-2, so he is still in iffy form. Really, who is in great form on this side of the draw? Soda lost a set to Harrison, but I didn’t see the match. Murray looks good not great from what I have seen so far, much like Rafa. So, I still think it will be these 2 in the semi.

On the other side, who knows!? Delpo, Nole, Fed, Ferrer, Bellucci, Gasquet, Monfils, Tsonga, Youz…not sure who will come through.


jane Says:

I guess there is Melzer and Hotsauce too, on this side. And Fish and Ljub won today.


Dory Says:

2nd week can change things. I still think only Djoker can defeat Nadal, no one else.


Dory Says:

Baghdatis is out. Wasn’t in great form this season.


Dory Says:

Wish Andujar can play with this level always. Always see his name losing in 1st or 2nd rounds of Masters.


Nina Says:

As weak as Rafa has looked all week, he still will find a way to reach the final. But if he meets Nole there, he’ll be toast. He’s definitely in his head, so much that is actually affecting his whole game!


Dory Says:

zOMG massive rally after 30-30 3-4.


jane Says:

I agree: Rafa will still reach the final. Would be shocked if he didn’t. Unless Murray really starts to click. He could throw a wrench into things, especially if Rafa’s form doesn’t improve a lot too.

Meanwhile, oh Maria, Maria. : /


Kimberly Says:

omg, not my day obviously the wrong Maria Sharapova has shown up! In the office so can only see scores. UGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

ok, Miami Heat need to step it up.


skeezerweezer Says:

Rafa just told Pablo to pack it in with a blistering rally that left Pablo cooked well done @30-40, 3-4. Game over.


Dory Says:

If Andujar has a coach, he should be able to tell by now that he is netting his BH far too often.


skeezerweezer Says:

^ The net is just too high that is all………..for Andujar :)


JF Says:

For anyone watching the Nadal – Andujar game, what’s the matter with him today? He seems to be struggling to hold serve from what I can see on the Slamtracker.


dari Says:

K- yes Maria is not playing her best, but this is actually more about her opponent. Very tall, hard hitting with the French crowd behind her. She’s out-Maria-ing Maria


Lulu Iberica Says:

I just can’t be emotionally invested in this RG. I’ve been following scores and comments on tennis x, that’s it. Rafa and Murray both seem shaky. Seems like Fed, Djoker, Delpo, and maybe Soda (to lesser extent) are pretty solid. I’m rooting for this Veic guy so Rafa doesn’t have to face Davy. Depressing tourney so far, though I’m excited for Nole — Delpo match. If Rafa’s going to flame out, I hope Fed wins it all. Or maybe Delpo. Nice to see Mardy Fish and some American women through to the third round, and Dolgo doing well.


dari Says:

^Conditions, too of course


Kimberly Says:

hopefully maria settled in and will win the next two sets. Can’t have both clijsters and sharapova crash out the same day?


Dory Says:

Andujar’s playing well and breaking Rafa too but screwing up in his own service game at the end of the set.


Lulu Iberica Says:

Yes, Maria looks to be going down. :( If she’s out, I hope Francesca can defend her title — she’s so wonderful to watch and has a great personality. I also like Kuzzy. If it’s anyone else, I’m not so interested. Azarenka, Stosur — blah. Oh! What does it mean that I totally forgot about Woz!!? Poor thing — she really is a hard working, lovely girl.


jane Says:

Yes, well, Maria needs a break then! Come on Maria, hold at leeeeeast.

Andujar has no choice but to hit the backhand Dory, if Rafa keeps bludgeoning the ball in that direction. :)


jane Says:

^ But yeah, it should go over the net. ha ha.


Dory Says:

Main thing is this guy can play with precision. Has great potential for improvement.


Dory Says:

In the third set, Andujar’s playing awesome!


dari Says:

No doubt Maria is gonna fight!


Dory Says:

Nadal broken down in 3rd set. Now hopefully he won’t lose focus in the 4th.


Dory Says:

Choke at set point!


C!P! Says:

Nadal is playing crap!


C!P! Says:

as a Nadal fan ,i’d rather see him lose now and make a lesser player happy then lose in higher rounds and thus Nadal falling in a deeper mental hole


jane Says:

Maria is back on track sort of, but she neeeeeeds to break here.

Nadal gets one break back to stave off a breadstick.


Dory Says:

Crap! How does one choke at 5-1, 40-0?


jane Says:

Davy will have to go five sets to pull through.


C!P! Says:

it’s not a choke ,he relaxed a little ,but he will get the 3rd set ,Andujar i mean


C!P! Says:

if you ask me ,nadal’s mind is AWOL ,and it is like that for a couple of months already ; i mean ,how can a world number 1 need 3 breaks of serve to get a set?! ,it should’ve been 6-0 not ,7-5 in the 1st,normally


jane Says:

Yes! Maria!

How did Nadal’s USO serve appear suddenly and disappear just as suddenly? He could not be broken at the USO, but here he has been broken numerous times. Maybe it is a surface thing. Or confidence.


dari Says:

This is why you conjure Maria when you’re having a tough match!
Rafa, too, but I think Pablo is gonna take the set. He should be ashamed of he doesn’t!
What’s up w/ all of Rafa’s breaks?


skeezerweezer Says:

Pablo just told Rafa he is unpacking his bags and wants to stay longer at the BBQ. Whats up with supposed 135+mph serve Rafa?


Dory Says:

Andujar’s game somewhat like Djokovic. Even the commentator said that. But with more UEs.


jane Says:

I gotta say, I thought Kim’s outfit here was horrid. And it wasn’t so great at the AO too. Fila needs to do better! At least with Wimbledon, the all-white code prevents too many crazy dresses.


jane Says:

Dory, somewhat, but Nole’s backhand is ++++++++++


Dory Says:

Of course no doubt about that. Nole’s a class apart.


jane Says:

Whenever players smile like that, after a bad miss, they almost always lose the point and/or game. Remember that Fed and F-Lo tiebreak and F-Lo’s bad smash? He smiled and then unraveled. Does that mean Andujar is going to unravel now? I have seen that happen a number of times. Like the smile is a letdown or something, ha, silly theory but it happens.

Phew Maria held.


Dory Says:

The Rafa we know is returning after 1-5 down 0-40.


jane Says:

And broke! Gooooooo Maria.

Pablo has lost it on the smile ;)


Dory Says:

I am feeling very sad for him. At least he should have got that set.


El Flaco Says:

Another set point for Andujar


El Flaco Says:

OMG. Easy overhead missed. This guy Andujar is choking so bad and it’s only to win 1 set.


jane Says:

Maria cruising. Andujar has utterly imploded. I honestly wouldn’t give this comeback all to Rafa as Andujar has made error after error when it mattered. But Rafa stayed focused and never gave up the fight, so he deserves some credit too. You feel kind of bad for Pablo. He really did seem to “deserve” a set after the way he has played today.


jane Says:

Davy is down a break in the 5th. I knew he woudn’t do much here. I think Munich was a one-off. He hasn’t played well on clay overall. And he usually doesn’t do well on grass. Maybe he will salvage his season later on hardcourts. But I can’t seeing him doing any damage here. Do not even know the guy he is playing – Veic from Croata?

Come on Maria – cook a bagel! :)


El Flaco Says:

40-0 on serve for Andujar now it’s deuce.


dari Says:

Yay Maria!
Good show from Garcia. AM thinks she will be #1!


skeezerweezer Says:

Rafa would be losing against a more experienced top tenner. Where is his offense?


jane Says:

dari, is AM Mauresmo? Did you hear about what happened, how she was supposed to play mixed doubles here with Llodra but they disqualified her because she wasn’t registered in the drug program or something? Well of course she wasn’t; she’s been retired! Shame that, as it would’ve been nice to see her back on court, and with Llodra no less!


jane Says:

p.s. Yahooo Maria! :)


Lulu Iberica Says:

I should know better than to count Maria out! Nice 3rd set bagel!


jane Says:

Oh boy, major chokejob from Andujar. He really should have won this set.


jane Says:

Awww nice point there from Pablo. Nadal is playing better too. He is trying to step in more.


dari Says:

Sorry, AM- Andy Murray on tweets ;)
I did hear that amelie story though!
Heard mika entered her without telling, so there wasn’t a lot of time to think about logistics. Whoops. Woulda been nice to see her!


jane Says:

Davy just went down a double break in the fifth. I’d say, he’s toast. That opens things up for Rafa. Tennis gods are smiling on him. ;)


scineram Says:

It was a hilarious choke job I must say, not seen very often.


jane Says:

i wondered if you meant Andy M, dari, but I thought since we were talking ladies, you might’ve meant Amilie. Sometimes she commentates during the FO doesn’t she?


dari Says:

C’Mon andujar!
He needs to get this set. I would be feel sad for him if not!


El Flaco Says:

3.30 hour straight set victory for Nadal


dari Says:

Crap drop shot on that point he shoulda won!
Nice ass pat from andujar at the net.
Ok folks, all the big kids made it through!


jane Says:

Davy is out – had a breadstick in the final set. Melzer also lost a set and seems to be struggling so far. He barely won the first set 7-6. What if Melzer drops out today too? This side of the draw could be really opening up.


Duro Says:

Shaken, baby, shaken…


jane Says:

This young Croatian who beat Davy, Veic, just ripped his shirt off, so excited he beat Davy. He’s a quallie, and his next opponent is Rafa. Ha.


skeezerweezer Says:

@Duro

I got that…lol

Rafa…interesting….Isner, a Hard Courter, pushes Rafa to 5 sets in the 1rst rd, then 2nd rd plays #48 int he world….and well..you all saw it. This match could have easily went 5 sets if Pablo had have a brain….but entertaining match…..


skeezerweezer Says:

So Rafa now plays a Qualie? Hee Haw….well he needs a confidence booster…this should help.


Dory Says:

Who has thinner legs? Chardy or Simon?


Dory Says:

There is no chance Verdasco can take Rafa out so it’s up to Soderling or Murray only. Or Nole in the final.


jane Says:

I think Simon has the thinnest gams Dory. :) Agree – only Soda or Murray have a chance of beating Rafa before the final, and that chance is slim.

Dory, Nole in the final? He has Delpo in the third round. No lucky breaks for him here, unless Hanescu’s reitrement counts. Otherwise, it’s test, test, test, test, test. He could be toast if he even reaches the final, kind of like at the USO, where he went through Federer and, imo, a fairly tough draw. No one ranked outside top 50 really, except Blake. But Blake at the USO could’ve been tough. Anyhow, I am not looking beyond tomorrow for Djoko. One match at a time.


jane Says:

BTW, Daniel Nestor just recorded his 800TH WIN!!!!! There is a lovely and deserving tribute to him at the ATP site; here is the link:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE-Tennis/Nestor-800/Nestor-800-Feature.aspx


Dory Says:

I am only worried about the Federer hurdle for Djokovic. Tommorrow should be no problem for him I think nor should Gasquet/Belluci or Youzhny.


Dory Says:

Chardy’s BH side is not good enough. Why doesn’t Simon attack his BH with his own two handed one?


jane Says:

Melzer’s back on track and Dolgo won first set. Go pogo serve! I kind of forget about him since he’s done really nothing for a while other than in doubles. If he starts to play well it could be interesting. I don’t even know who he’s playing, Haider-Maurer.


Dory Says:

JMDP would have been a tough opponent for 2008-2010 Djoko. Nole 2011 is a class apart. Just my two cents.


Huh Says:

Its so obvious that Rafa’s clearly not playin his best. The guy may’ve lost 2 him in 3 sets, but the damage’s been already done by stretchin him to 200 minutes, I’d say! 4 hr 1st match n 3.5 hr 2nd matches’re not gonna help him in the later rounds. However one thing that I must say’s that Andujar was playin aggressiv(thou error-prone tennis), he was chokin as wel as fightin in the match. I’d not b too upset about this effort from Andujar if I were his coach, he made Rafa earn the win in a tough match, so would cut him some slack for squanderin the unassailabl lead in the 3rd set. On the other hand, if I were Nadal’s coach, I’d be worried about the game n confidenc level of Rafa coz now even his countrymen have started showin courage against him n are darin to put up a fight!!! Nothin positiv to take from this match(and the match befor) for Nadal, I think.


jane Says:

I find Simon slow to get into a match. He kind of works his way in. I would expect him to prevail. Chardy is another guy we haven’t heard much of in a while; has he been injured or what?

Azarenka is cruising, and if Maria gets through the next round, that is likely who she will meet. I don’t like Sharpie’s chances in that match up. : /


Van orten Says:

What a choker!!!!!!!!incredible choking performance! Rafa is zero convincing, but his draw will help him at least get though the next couple of rounds


Dory Says:

See JMDP’s photo as young boy here (scroll down): http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/13553284.stm


Huh Says:

Nadal is MOST lucky that he isn’t facin JMDP in the next round, if Isner can push him to 5 sets and Andujar can stretch him to 200 minutes, then I’m sure that even this current 60-80% JMDP (not to mention a fit n in-form JMDP) can cause more damage than any of these aforementioned two! I generally don’t say this about players, but can’t help sayin that Nadal’s really heavily lucky that he’d not hav to face both Nole n JMDP here, rather they’d be takin on each other first n then Federer, heck, even this Federer may pose some serios threat to nadal (considerin the way nadal’s been playin of late).


Dory Says:

Note that today was the first meeting between Rafa and Andujar. I think the 1st round Nadal played not so good but today his play although not his 100% wasn’t so bad. His serve is gone and he’s playing far less offensive, far too behind?


Dory Says:

Okay guys I’m off to sleep. It’s 11:45 PM in IND.

Bye Jane, Kimberly, Huh, Kimmi, Duro, dari, El Flaco, skeezerweezer, Eric, margot and others.

Who’s everyone’s pick in Gasquet vs Belluci?


Kimberly Says:

He could be toast if he even reaches the final, kind of like at the USO, where he went through Federer and, imo, a fairly tough draw.
__________________________________________

Jane you’ve got to give Rafa his due there, he played an amazing final :-) Novak got the extra day rest because of the rain and barely had a QF opponent against Monfils who decided to be a ludicrous clown. But ever since then Novak’s game has gone to a new level!


Kimberly Says:

good news for nadal and his fans-he came back from 1-5 in the third set and won the set.

bad news, he was down 1-5 to pablo andujar in the first place.

I will take the glass half full approach. Yay! A fed fan on this site once advised me when I was sulking over a rafa poor performance to be grateful he was still in the tournament and root for him.


dari Says:

way to go, vika, making her way through two rounds very easily!


dari Says:

WWRD- what would rafa do?
the same, be glad he is in next round and work on the rest!


Kimberly Says:

looks like meltzer not in good shape and simon in a fight


dari Says:

and a big ALLEZ to rog for the match tomorrow, janko apparently has been playing great the first couple rounds. lets go!


Kimberly Says:

4/5 of the bracket busters have done their duty.


Eric Says:

So apparently women’s tennis just can’t win — when a seed loses, everyone goes “oh, how like women’s tennis. They’re so weak!” But when the men’s seeds advance easily — well, that’s also like women’s tennis, because “those unseeded challengers, what journeymen – they can’t put up a fight to the seeds. They’re weak, just like women!”


Eric Says:

Boo. Melzer almost broke twice in a row to go from 1-4 to serving at 5-4, but Rosol held him off. Now he is serving at 4-5 instead – danger zone…


Eric Says:

And he choked…


Eric Says:

At least Simon is winning. :(


Miki Says:

Dory, you are not the only one regarding the Fed hurdle. Everyone takes for granted that if Novak beat JMDP he will manage to get in the final. As Jane said, one match at a time. No one should even take the SF for granted. I hope he wins tomorrow, but it’s not going to be easy against Delpo. And Fed showed some nice game, sure, the opponents weren’t exactly performing top notch but he was playing well. After all, he was the last one to beat Novak, was it so long ago that everyone forgot? :)


El Flaco Says:

I wasn’t impressed with Murray today in particular his forehand. He rolls over it too much rather than hitting through the ball. His draw is looking good though. He should handle Berrer in straight sets then there could be a tough match against either Troicki or Dolgo. Then if he gets through that match it should be a very winnable quarterfinal against an unseeded player.


Eric Says:

Jane, your love for Djokovic is making his draw into a more fearsome beast than it really is. Del Potro is a tough opponent: but Nole shouldn’t have trouble with this Del Potro who is on and off the circuit with injuries. Granted, he must be playing well now to get these good wins, but if Nole has trouble with him then he would have trouble with him in the QF or SF too where they “should” meet.

But after Delpo? Gasquet will make Djokovic play nice, clean tennis that doesn’t leave Richard too many opportunities for amazing BH winners. But unless this really is a bright new Gasquet era, Novak has no reason to fear.

Now that Berdych is gone (and, let’s be honest, even if he were still around – Berdych, the great one hit wonder, only plays well <50% of the time), his quarter is a joke. Who’s going to give him a problem? Youzhny, on clay? Yeah right. Montanes? Garcia-Lopez? Yeah, nothing much there.

Basically, Nole’s draw: an easy first two rounds, a rough third round, a potentially-but-not-likely difficult fourth round, and a joke QF. It’s not an EASY draw by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s hardly the stiffest draw in the history of tennis…


Miki Says:

Agree Eric, Delpo could be trouble, Fed even more, but Novak is good at shifting gears lately, and he can play great when needed. The rest is simply out of his league right now, except if Djoko has the worst day in his career, which I doubt will happen.


Eric Says:

Anyway, this result really sucks for Melzer. He is going to lose hundreds of points and fall out, I think, of the top ten. It seems like he just had trouble with consistency or stamina or something and just barely got edged out… Oh well, maybe he can still improve over the remainder of the season.


dari Says:

yeah, half last years semifinalists out!


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Now we’re into the fun part of the tourney, lots of entertaining matches tomorrow.
Of course, JMDP/Nole is #1

but Wawrinka and Tsonga should be a beaut, Gasquet/Bellucci, Fed/Tipsarevic, all have potential to be highly entertaining.

Seems very strange that Rafa has been struggling like this. Isner, ok, he has that serve that the new balls are giving extra kick to, but needing Andjuar to choke is not a standard Rafa strategy. Very good luck to have Davydenko cleared out, and Verdasco should present no problems for him. The way he’s playing, Soda and Murray could be real challenges.


stu Says:

I like ESPN’s Kamakshi Tandon’s take on delPo-Nole:

“He is one of the few players whose game is big enough to potentially unsettle Djokovic’s current groove, and he has both the boldness of youth and the experience of playing big matches. He is respectful but not overawed at the prospect of facing Djokovic and the streak.”

Even so, my money’s on Nole in 3, maybe 4.


Kimberly Says:

Hopefully Nadal can make it into the second week and then maybe lift his game when it counts. I pray it will turn out like other tournmants that he won but struggles. Remember at USO he needed tiebreaks against Gabashvalli and Istomin in the first two rounds. And Wimbledon needs no words, I thought I was going to have a heart attack during the Haase and Petzchner matches.

However, I feel like Lulu, slightly de-invested in this tournment perhaps because of the disheartening losses prior? I am trying to get charged up and motivated. Maybe if Rafa makes it into the second week? Maybe because I have a cold? Maybe because I lost my own match Tuesday? Maybe I am rooting for too many peope/teams at once? I don’t know.


Kimberly Says:

Very insightful comment from Rafa on playing in the win:

When you are playing well, it feels like a little bit of wind, when you are playing bad it feels like a hurricane. The solutions come from inside.


Dan Martin Says:

Not to pick on the Funk-Trunk thing but when did Nadal win 5 consecutive French Opens? How is Nole #5 for funk with an undefeated 2011? Anyway, I will write something before the end of the weekend.


jane Says:

Eric. Maybe. But I still think it is tough. At least the Delpo match is later tomorrow so I can watch. Besides Delpo, almost more worrisome than Gasquet, imo, is Bellucci, who had Nole on the ropes in Madrid. That lefty serve!

Anyhow, just sticking with one match at a time and we’ll see. Hope there is less wind tomorrow.


jane Says:

Kimberly true re: Rafa / USO; his draw was pretty smooth, though, overall, but he was playing excellently.


Fritz Says:

No complaints about Andy’s draw. And the way Rafa is playing, Andy’s draw looks even better!


marrisv Says:

Wow. Nadal seems really nervous more than anything… Hopefully it comes together for him soon.


Nina Says:

The only one positive thing, Jane, is that at least Bellucci snd Gasquet have to fight each other and Nole can only play one of them. :)

But really if Nole doesn’t have a bad day, the title is his to take. It’s now or never. Delpo shouldn’t be a problem, Fed and Rafa are.


Fritz Says:

@Nina,

Are you sure that Andy isn’t?


jamie Says:

Nole winning RG this year is a foregone conclusion.

http://imageshack.us/m/829/7664/djokovicrg2011winner.jpg


mat4 Says:

Good evening everyone.

I was away on work, and there I have little opportunities to watch tennis. From your posts I got an idea about the matches, and I hope you have enjoyed them.

Has anybody watch Mardy’s match? He seems to do well. And Troicki?


Kimberly Says:

jamie, we get the point.


Kimmi Says:

“No complaints about Andy’s draw. And the way Rafa is playing, Andy’s draw looks even better!”

LOL Fritz, your comment is super funny.


jane Says:

Fritz, okay we know what you think about Murray’s draw and I agree: care to comment on his form? Would love to hear.

Mat4, have not seen any of Fish or Troicki, but both have won in straights.


Kimmi Says:

what a day! federer probably has a chance to win this tournament with rafa playing like this..

so jane, r u still worried about the bounce the new balls make, if andujar can push rafa like this muzza and nole should be able to deal with rafa FH spin pretty good. no worries there..


jane Says:

Kimmi, no don’t care about the bounce, just Delpo for now. :) One match at a time. My mantra.


Kimmi Says:

OK jane, i get it. wish i was home tomorrow to watch the showdown. I am rooting for delpo 52% just because i love him, and nole 48% just because he a rafa slayer. :)

federer vs tipsy..please fed, bring it on..


jane Says:

Kimmi, you worried about Tipsy? He does seem to like a big match at the slams. However, at most he’ll be lucky to get a set. F-Lo couldn’t get one and he’s been in good form. So probably nothing to be worried about. My suspicion is that if Delpo beats Nole, he could very well get to the finals. It will boost his confidence.


Nina Says:

Fritz: I’m not discounting Muzza, hell no. But I don’t see him beating Nadal in 5 sets. Despite showing some great form on clay this surface doesn’t suit him like grass or hard courts. I think he has a better chance of winning Wimbledon, I’d love to see that happen though.


Nina Says:

jane Says:

Kimmi, no don’t care about the bounce, just Delpo for now. :) One match at a time. My mantra.

LOL jane! Nole thinks the same, me too. One match at a time. The final is still too far ahead and many big obstacles on the way. How exciting.


Kimmi Says:

jane, you should stop saying “if delpo beat nole.. coz when you say it so many time it might seem true. then you will worry too much, that means no sleep tonight…which is not healthy :)

ha-ha, who is talking. i am worried about tipsy already. how did tipsy manage to bake breadsticks and bagels to his opponents here..something must be clicking…


mat4 Says:

@Jane:

Merci, chère Jane (Would have written this in English, but in French it’s so more normal). I don’t know why, but I always liked these kind of players who were maturing slowly, in tennis and chess alike.


jane Says:

I like those two players also, mat4. Too bad they have to face each other.

Kimmi, oh I don’t want that. Mum’s the word then!


jane Says:

^ Oops I meant Fish and Ljubicic in my post to you mat4, though Troicki is quietly under the radar. Dolgo could be a challenge, but he is very unpredictable.


Fritz Says:

@jane,

Regarding Murray’s form – knowing how unpredictable he is, I will be in position to comment on that only after his semi-final match, for that’ll be the match in which he will be motivated to give his best.

Until then, I am just watching. He should (emphasis on ‘should’) easily beat his possible opponents prior to the semi-final (Troicki/Dolg, followed by a player in QF who is ranked around 100)


mat4 Says:

@Fritz:

I agree that Troicki is not the kind of player that could make problems to AM, but Dolgopolov, I am not so convinced.

I just said something plain stupid. The only player that could now bother AM is AM. Though, sometimes he really likes to do so.


Kimmi Says:

fritz -i can see how that QF section is opened up

kubot ranked 122
Falla ranked 120
Rosol ranked 111
chela ranked 34

I see chela must be licking his chops. he could reach his first french open QF..


jane Says:

Wow Kimmi, when you put it like that! And, yes Fritz, Muzza is a match at a time guy. But there don’t seem to be any real banana peels in his path to the semi. Mat4 might be right. The only one is …Muzza Himself. ;)


mat4 Says:

I just remembered a scene from a Jack London’s novel: a box match, some reflections about maturity at the expense of youth and strength, and some concealed and intense moments of sublime and unintended poetry.

Sometimes, I have the impression that AM will stop falling asleep in his matches only at the expense of youth and strength.


mat4 Says:

That’s why he is so good in defense, against attackers: he doesn’t have the time to start dreaming under pressure.


Kimmi Says:

oh, i just checked..chela reached QF at RG in 2004. so it wont be his first but will be very happy to do it again.

or any of those other three will be happy to reach the QF..


marrisv Says:

interesting comment from Murray on his twitter feed.

“The girl sharapova is playing is going to be number one in the world one day caroline garcia, what a player u heard it here first”


Kimmi Says:

well, murray knows his tennis. we need some new blood in WTA. someone with aggressive game..


Eric Says:

It’s cool of Murray to be so open and positive in his opinions…

Chela, by the way, has to get through Rosol first, who must have just been playing some wild tennis to take out Melzer, a guy who has been having a great clay season so far – beating Roger, plus he had just come through his first round in straights. So maybe we are seeing something exciting here. And Kubot and Falla are both excellent as always – Kubot, remember, actually gave Djokovic quite a fight in their Rome match, even if the scoreline didn’t reflect that at all. (I find it interesting how sometimes a 6-4 set can seem less really competitive than a 6-2 or 6-1 washout… Like when you are watching Federer play, sometimes he has trouble actually getting the breaks, so his sets often end up just as 6-3 or 6-4 deals, but there’s never actually any doubt that he’ll take the set eventually. Whereas a lot of bagels are actually closely contested, full of games that go to deuce, but the winner just manages to comprehensively outplay the opponent on the really important points.)


margot Says:

mat4: loved your comments about Andy, made me give a wry smile :)
He didn’t play very well yesterday, but is a sensitive soul and doesn’t like the wind, seemed to disrupt his serve and his touch. Also was again standing way too far back, as, I noticed, was Rafa. Hope Cahill tells him off pronto.
However, as Fritz said, it’s one match at a time for Andy and his fans. :)

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