Tennis Weekly Wrap: French Open Recap - Days 7 to 9 by Nadya Vlassoff
French Open Day 9: Monfils
ousts Roddick, Federer Fights Back
Andy Roddick's French Open woes appeared to be over as he made it into the fourth round for the first time in his career. Gael Monfils was there to put a stop to Roddick's dreams in an instant. The first set went well for both players but it was Monfils who got the decisive break and never wavered although he faced his own break points. It was Monfils and his beautiful touch on the drop shot that allowed him to keep Roddick off balance. Roddick, who normally relies on his trusty serve to get him out of a tight spot, was unable to respond to Monfils' first toss onslaught, which included 11 aces in the first two sets alone. Then, after managing to hold serve, Roddick argued with the chair umpire, insisting the match be suspended due to darkness before turning his attention on Monfils which drew the ire of the crowd. In the second set, Gael Monfils served 5-2 but Roddick went up 0-40 to get triple break point. But like his play during the entire match, Roddick was unable to do anything and lost all three break point chances, as Monfils reeled off 5 straight points to take the game and the set. There was no going back for Monfils as he continued to dominate in the third set, breaking Roddick in the first game and then holding on to continue his dominance on the outclassed American. At the end of the clay day, Gael Monfils won in the fading light, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
It was another day and another match for Roger Federer who has been catapulted into the limelight after the shocking defeat of Rafael Nadal on Sunday. However, this match was anything but textbook for Federer who took on Tommy Haas from Germany. Although it wasn't a match for the ages, Haas surprised everyone when he took the first two sets but later threw the goodwill away to Federer's forehand game, which forced the match to five sets.
Serena Williams had a much easier time on Monday morning as she took to the court against the Canadian Aleksandra Wozniack. Although Serena struggled in her previous two matches, both went to three sets, and she had no problems in her 4th round match as she served harder and played better than her outmatched opponent. Facing the press after the match, Serena revealed that she was more focused in the 4th round, which clearly showed as she amped up her game in her relentless quest for another Roland Garros title.
In
another upset on the women's tour, it was the
fifth seeded Jelena Jankovic who couldn't handle
her crafty young opponent, the Romanian teenager
Sorana Cirstea. At first, Jankovic came out
strong as she held well in the first set to
take it, 6-3. It was Cirstea's surprising net
game that kept the former two-time French Open
semi-finalist off pace, as she failed to win
a single game in the second set. It was a race
to the finish in the last set as both Jankovic
and Cirstea battled to break each other. With
Jankovic serving for the win, Cirstea saved
match point before the teenager caught the ball
on her backhand for a crosscourt winner that
sealed the victory and Jankovic's fate for another
loss in a Grand Slam tournament.
In other clay play, Aussie Samantha Stosur took on Virginie Razzano of France in a surprising battle of 4th round contenders. There was little time for Razzano to even think about her potential quarterfinal match, as Stosur dismantled the Frenchwoman so quickly that it soon felt like Razzano took to the court for show only. Although Razzano held serve in the 7th game of the second set after what felt like never ending deuce, it was "deuces wild" indeed as both Stosur and Razzano traded advantage over and again before Virginie found the advantage. But that was all the leeway Stosur gave as she served out the match and took it 6-1, 6-2. Stosur will face Cirstea in the quarter-finals.
In the other two 4th round match-ups, Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets to claim a spot in the quarterfinals where she faces the much improved Serena Williams. It will be a tough test for the Russian who is a dark horse in the competition. As for the Spanish armada at the French Open, 16th seeded Tommy Robredo won his 4th round match against the 29th seed Phillip Kholschreiber in 4 sets and is now the highest ranked Spaniard left in contention after Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco both bowed out on the weekend. Robredo previously reached the quarterfinals 3 times and meets Juan Martin del Potro in his fourth quarterfinal appearance.
The French Open Days
7 and 8
The
first full weekend at the French Open was lively,
energetic and shocking all in one. The fourth
round began with the returning champions both
ready to defend their titles, taking to the
courts as if the task would not be quite that
difficult. As the heavy hitters readied for
French Open play, there were a slew of other
seeded players who were looking to dethrone
the champions to stake their own claim on the
Roland Garros crown. However, like at any Grand
Slam tournament, the higher the seed, the further
the fall can be, and that is exactly what happened
when it came to the most watched player in the
tournament and the "once' odds on sure Spanish
bet to rewrite the record books.
First, the Roland Garros round-up between Day 7 and Day 8 at The French Open.
Russian Elena Dementieva looked much less like her winning tennis-self in January as she took on the Australian Samantha Stosur in the third round. It is a disappointing showing for the current Olympic Champion who started the season on a high note but was unable to maintain her pace on the tricky clay courts at Roland Garros.
Serena Williams was also part of the action in the second half of the third round. But instead of seamless intensity we've seen in previous Serena matches, it was more of a bizarre display when in the first set Williams hit a return directly at her Spanish opponent, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez that allegedly glanced off her racket for the winning point. A furious Serena demanded the point be taken away because it had clearly hit Sanchez's body. However, the call stood and Serena went on to win the match in three sets, but the anger was still evident in her post-match press conference where she called Sanchez a "cheater" for not replaying the point. A win is a win, but it boils down to ethics where each player is as responsible for their game as much as the officials. Was Serena right? Perhaps. Was Sanchez wrong? Against a player like Serena you take any advantage you can get, but small favors alone certainly don't guarantee a win.
Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska, and Aleksandra Wozniak also made it through to the fourth round while the 10th seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki was bounced in straight sets against the unseeded Sorana Cirstea.
Following Dementieva to the exit door at Roland Garros was defending champ Ana Ivanovic who took to the court against 9th seeded Victoria Azarenka, a player who is enjoying the most successful year of her career. Ivanovic, who never looked at her best, held her own in the first set until she began to suffer from dizziness. After calling for a trainer, Ivanovic attempted to find her game but was unable to combat the relentless onslaught of her 19-year-old opponent. It only took two sets for Azarenka to advance to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time, and for Ivanovic to leave Roland Garros unable to defend her title.
Dinara
Safina of Russia continued to steamroll over
her competition as she took on Aravane Rezai
from France. All it took was 53 minutes for
the world #1 to crush the helpless Rezai in
what was an on-court display of complete domination.
Safina fought off early break points from Rezai
and from there took control of the match. In
her post-match interview, Safina told the press
that she wanted to serve better, but it's hard
to think that she could play any better after
only giving up a nearly unheralded total of
5 games in four matches. While the majority
of Safina's opponents haven't been top seeds,
there is still plenty of power brewing within
in the young Russian's game. The only question
is whether Dinara can control her game against
more experienced and higher seeded players like
Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Along with Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova, the unrelenting Maria Sharapova has continued to surprise opponents and spectators alike in her quest to regain her top form after a shoulder injury. On Sunday, facing Na Li from China, Sharapova was ready for another gruelling match and taxing it was for the Russian who sports a taped shoulder as a recovering fashion statement. It was the 4th 3-set match for Sharapova who looked solid early on before losing the second set to love. However, Maria somehow managed to regain focus to earn back a break and finally win the match. Li, having reached the 4th round for the first time, revealed to the press after the match that she had lost focus in the last set, which Sharapova took full advantage of despite playing below her top form. After playing out each of her matches to three set wins, the big question is whether Maria's shoulder can withstand more French Open marathons.
Roger Federer was also in action in the third round as he faced the 32nd seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu. Federer began more sluggish than usual and lost the first set but was able to control the match for the remainder of his time on the court. With his forehand getting better at every point, Federer over-powered Mathieu, who hoped to make it to the second week but fell victim to one of the toughest threats on tour. Along with Federer, Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils also claimed victories to make it into the 4th round. The biggest loss for the men's tour on Saturday came when the 29th seeded Phillip Kholschreiber beat the feisty 4th seeded Novak Djokovic. The crafty Serb Djokovic was a favourite heading into Roland Garros but was upset by the German who racked up a surprising 6-2 record on clay this year.
The biggest
upset of the tournament and arguable of the
year occurred on Sunday, when the four time
returning champion Rafael Nadal, fell in four
sets, to Swede Robin Soderling. It was like
a slap in the face for Nadal's loyal fans who
saw their hero become a French Open mortal at
the hands of Soderling who played the game of
his life. Soderling, who scurried around like
a mouse dodging a pouncing cat, outdid Rafa's
usual quickness on the court. The upset comes
on the heels of Rafa's loss to Federer the week
before and marks the first loss ever for Nadal
at the French Open, opening the door for anyone
who has the drive, determination, and passion
to win the championship. Many are now expecting
Roger Federer to win the one Grand Slam that
has eluded him for his entire career, due in
most part to Nadal's ability to win time and
time again on Roland Garros clay. Will this
be Federer's turn? Only the following rounds
will tell.
In
another upset on the women's tour, it was the
fifth seeded Jelena Jankovic who couldn't handle
her crafty young opponent, the Romanian teenager
Sorana Cirstea. At first, Jankovic came out
strong as she held well in the first set to
take it, 6-3. It was Cirstea's surprising net
game that kept the former two-time French Open
semi-finalist off pace, as she failed to win
a single game in the second set. It was a race
to the finish in the last set as both Jankovic
and Cirstea battled to break each other. With
Jankovic serving for the win, Cirstea saved
match point before the teenager caught the ball
on her backhand for a crosscourt winner that
sealed the victory and Jankovic's fate for another
loss in a Grand Slam tournament.
The
first full weekend at the French Open was lively,
energetic and shocking all in one. The fourth
round began with the returning champions both
ready to defend their titles, taking to the
courts as if the task would not be quite that
difficult. As the heavy hitters readied for
French Open play, there were a slew of other
seeded players who were looking to dethrone
the champions to stake their own claim on the
Roland Garros crown. However, like at any Grand
Slam tournament, the higher the seed, the further
the fall can be, and that is exactly what happened
when it came to the most watched player in the
tournament and the "once' odds on sure Spanish
bet to rewrite the record books.
Dinara
Safina of Russia continued to steamroll over
her competition as she took on Aravane Rezai
from France. All it took was 53 minutes for
the world #1 to crush the helpless Rezai in
what was an on-court display of complete domination.
Safina fought off early break points from Rezai
and from there took control of the match. In
her post-match interview, Safina told the press
that she wanted to serve better, but it's hard
to think that she could play any better after
only giving up a nearly unheralded total of
5 games in four matches. While the majority
of Safina's opponents haven't been top seeds,
there is still plenty of power brewing within
in the young Russian's game. The only question
is whether Dinara can control her game against
more experienced and higher seeded players like
Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The biggest
upset of the tournament and arguable of the
year occurred on Sunday, when the four time
returning champion Rafael Nadal, fell in four
sets, to Swede Robin Soderling. It was like
a slap in the face for Nadal's loyal fans who
saw their hero become a French Open mortal at
the hands of Soderling who played the game of
his life. Soderling, who scurried around like
a mouse dodging a pouncing cat, outdid Rafa's
usual quickness on the court. The upset comes
on the heels of Rafa's loss to Federer the week
before and marks the first loss ever for Nadal
at the French Open, opening the door for anyone
who has the drive, determination, and passion
to win the championship. Many are now expecting
Roger Federer to win the one Grand Slam that
has eluded him for his entire career, due in
most part to Nadal's ability to win time and
time again on Roland Garros clay. Will this
be Federer's turn? Only the following rounds
will tell.