The Tennis Thread

[Not Plain Jane]

Two sets...rather shocking!

 

[Scott]

you'd never think or expect isner to remain as close and competitive on clay with the likes of nadal so it makes me wonder how much the new balls may actually have affected rafa and benefitted isner playing at such a high level?

btw,this was rafa's first 5-setter at RG....ever. pretty astounding when they said that.

kudos to john anyway. i did not think he stood a chance,with his form coming in and it being clay and nadal....but he played exceptionally well....worthy of a 16's or QF match,if you ask me.

nice to see kimmy back on court after that bizarre ankle mishap at that wedding. for it being her first match in almost two months she looked in fairly good form. some ****** here and there but hopefully she'll improve a bit more as she gets on in the tournament.

also,am i the only one loving the new softer hair-style and the purple and fuchsia combination? compliments her well....she looked almost glowing out there.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I read that Nadal actually likes the balls and it was him who sort of "approved" them months ago (Babolat is one of his sponsors); the balls bounce really high with topspin, but given Isner's extreme height, the balls were kicking right into his strike zone. Ironic, innit? But John was volleying exceptionally well for a couple of sets there. If he can avoid, well, Mahut, he may have a decent chance to go deep on grass.

 

[purplethistle]

I listened to the Nadal and Isner match up to set 4 on radio and wasn't surprised that Nadal came out on top. It seemed like he started getting his act together.

Just a question but how are the rounds organised at RG? It just feels like R1 matches take so long and also felt like both sides of the draw were having games at the same time.

 

[Chaky]

Did anyone see Lisicki vs Zvonareva? Vera saved a match point and Sabine cramped and lost her lead in the final set. After Vera had won, Sabine collapsed on the floor sobbing and had to be carried off on a stretcher. Never nice to see someone suffering like that.

I actually have to commend Vera who I guess wasn't playing amazingly well. She stayed steady and extremely composed throughout the whole thing.

And I didn't see Wozniacki's match but I hear the crowd were jeering her for questioning a line call in the tiebreak for several minutes. I think she will struggle to get through her tough draw.

Big match I'm looking forward to is Del Potro vs Djokovic. I've no idea who will win but I'm hoping it's not scheduled for when I'm at work.

Just a question but how are the rounds organised at RG? It just feels like R1 matches take so long and also felt like both sides of the draw were having games at the same time.

The French Open starts a day earlier than the other slams so they spread out the rounds a bit more and matches from both sides of the draw will play on the same day.

 

[Scott]

didn't get to see the match as i was away from the telly all day. saw everything when i got home though. has echoes of that incident with mary pierce who oddly enough was playing against vera then too. yeah vera is not the same player she used to be,i don't think. i think she enjoys the position she's in so plays a lot more relaxed than she did a couple years ago. it's still emotional sometimes but it's a good emotion and it doesn't drag her focus or play down.

wozniacki got out of trouble against wozniak. aleksandra made some poor decisions on a few points when serving for the second set and it cost her immensely. but yeah,this doesn't speak well to caro's prospects in winning this title. somehow i feel with her mental fragility at the majors in general as well as that quad injury......it maybe a repeat of last year's run.

btw,did anybody hear about the nonsense over amelie mauresmo? apparently she had received a w/c to play mixed doubles with llodra but in-turn was disqualified because she was not entered into the anti-doping programme. and since,according to this rule,she was essentially coming out of retirement it would have required her to enter the programme. but it's crap,i say. momo has no intention on coming back so this rule makes no sense to her situation at all. and another thing,they never bothered divulging this info to the always classy momo in the first place?

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Kim is out, but I am not surprised. She did not look match groooved at all. Kvitova is clicking along. Also, just watching Rafa a.t.m., and he looks shaky, imo He was broken two times by Andujar in the first set. Mind you he has broken back and ultimately won the set 7-5, but typically this would be an easy 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 type of match for him. The conditions aren't great, with the wind, but again, usually this would not phase Rafa. If Andujar was a better player, Rafa could be in trouble again today.

Speaking of trouble, Nole's streak is really on the line from here on out, given that he got, imo, the toughest draw at the FO. If he passes the Delpo test, it will be test after test from there on out.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Sad to hear that about Mauresmo: would have been great to see her in dubs with Llodra.

 

[Scott]

and sharapova,they say,is a favourite to win this? doubt it. with the conditions today,it really exposed how vulnerable she is on clay and against players with more of a clay court prowess. if these conditions don't change or become a factor again,i can't see her sticking round much longer.

as for garcia....that is some talent to watch. if she can stay healthy or doesn't become a head case,she is dangerous. and maybe....just maybe....france looks like it has some real potential on that level they got from momo and mary pierce. and garcia,coincidentally,is also from the same area as mauresmo too.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Then again, I wouldn't be too surprised if Sharapova does stick around. Maybe it depends on Azarenka's form? Sharapova's compete level is through the roof.

 

[Chaky]

Today's been weird. I was following the Clijsters score at work and when you see her reach match point you just don't expect to see her crumble in that fashion.

And Nadal saving something like 8 set points against Andujar. He's not looking so invincible right now.

And Garcia on the verge of putting away Sharapova. Maria though has form in coming back from bad positions to win. Remember against Camille Pin in Australia? Andy Murray tweeted that Caroline Garcia is a future no.1.

Scott - shame if what you say about Mauresmo is true. These doping regulations need a rethink. They seem far too prescriptive and don't have the scope to look at individual circumstances in a common-sense way. Who is losing out here? The fans at RG who would get a chance to see a champion former #1 play again.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Well it looks like Azarenka is in good nick. She will probably beat Sharapova should that match come to pass after the next round.

 

[Scott]

vika certainly looks good but let's hope she doesn't have another mishap and has to retire.

you know,andy murray probably isn't that far off in his prediction. she genuinely looked like a top player out there for that first set and a half. she had a real intention in what she was doing. you don't see that very often with such young players especially one who has never faced a top player of maria's calibre before. it's too bad she got nervous because that was her match.

chaky,that's my thoughts as well. for momo being the last champ in france,how could they disallow her this opportunity and the opportunity for fans to see her grace the courts again? shame on the FFT.....because it was they who apparently alerted the ITF about it.

 

[purplethistle]

what a day its been so far. Stosur, Goerges and Wozniaki gone
This GS is now really wide open.

 

[Scott]

i dunno,to be honest,it hasn't really changed my view on who has the potential. wozniacki struggled mightily throughout the european clay season and stosur hasn't exactly been in top form lately either. i think i was more surprised with goerges going out. yeah it was bartoli but given goerges' form on clay this season.....

i still say azarenka and kvitova are the players to win or lose this title. also schiavone has started to play a lot better and you can never underestimate her at all. kuzy too has played very well. i never would have expected her to be so dominant in her first three matches with the form she brought in. she looks good and can certainly make a deep run,if anybody else can. i've been following petkovic's matches too and she's actually looked in strong form as well.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Yeah, what about Kuz or Schiavone: anyone think they have a chance? I didn't think Woz or Stosur would win, but I thought Goerges had a good shot to go deeper. I don't personallu enjoy Bartoli's play and she probably won't capitalize on this win. She can't run or move well and a smart player will take her down accordingly.

 

[Chaky]

I think Kuznetsova definitely has a shot. Schiavone has played pretty well but I don't think she's met a tough opponent yet so she could come unstuck.

Then you've got Zvonareva who could sneak into another final. She hasn't played that well so far but a slam is all about getting through the first week and then increasing your level. Possible.

And in the bottom half there's Sharapova of course. And Azarenka, Kvitova or, who knows, even Petkovic.

This thing's wide open. I wouldn't be surprised to see someone else in the final apart from those I've mentioned.

According to the WTA, this is the first time ever that both #1 and #2 women's seeds have failed to make the 4th round of a slam. WTA slumping right now? Or in a transitional phase which might be a nicer way of putting it. I'm hoping some of the newer girls with exciting games step up and take their chances here. We need some good rivalries at the top.

 

[NakedIfIWantTo]

Great comeback from Wawrinka! Funny enough I started watching right when he was about to lose in the third set, I'd like to think that had to do with his turning around

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Great comeback from Wawrinka! Funny enough I started watching right when he was about to lose in the third set, I'd like to think that had to do with his turning around

Yeah but Tsonga had quite a bit to do with that; the guy is such a headcase; he has "Plan A" in a match, and that's it. If he cools off, it's over. Much like versus Dolgopolov at the AO. Too bad Tsonga's talent will never realize its full potential.

Exciting, but also frustrating, is the Djokovic-Delpotro match, suspended in limbo. What bad luck for Djokovic, considering his streak and what he is trying to do, to draw Delpotro 3rd round. This should be a semi-final or at least quarters.

Meanwhile Nadal and Murray's side (Murray's quarter especially) is WIDE open. So those two should meet in the semis.

On the other side, it'll be Fed vs. the winner of Nole-Delpo, imo. Unless Ferrer and Gasquet play really well, or Nole-Delpo crap out from tiredness of playing over two days.

Ladies? Who knows? Schiavone, Kuz, Sharapova, Kvitova, Azarenka? Those are my main five contenders at this point, I should think.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I guess you could say Dolgo and Soderling are darkhorses on the top half of the men's draw, but their horses are almost black, fading into the dark gloom over the clay in Paris. Nadal and Murray have the sheeen over there. Though both (shocking as it is to say that about Rafa at RG of ALL places) haven't been entirely convincing.