French Open 2012

RosyLily · 21-05-2012 11:27pm #1

Qualifying for this year's French Open begins tomorrow at 10am. The men's qualifying draw has been released; the women's qualifying draw will be released tomorrow. Main Draws will probably be announced on Friday.

Prize money is up this year. The winner of the Men's Singles and Women's Singles Titles will receive €1.25m each (2011 was €1.2m). Winners of the doubles will get €340,000 per team, whereas the Mixed Doubles winners will get €100,000 to share.

PaddyPower have installed Rafa Nadal as 8/11 favourite for the Coupe de Mousquetaires, followed by Novak Djokovic (2/1), Roger Federer (7/1), Juan Martin del Potro (16/1) and Andy Murray and David Ferrer (both 25/1). BTW, they have Soderling at 200/1?!?! Obviously have no idea that he's out indefinitely.

On the women's side, Serena Williams is tops at 5/2. Behind her are Victoria Azarenka (4/1), Maria Sharapova (13/2), Na Li (9/1) and Sam Stosur (10/1). Quite surprised that Masha is third; I would have put her ahead of Vika.

Unfortunately, there is no Irish interest this year. Boo-urns!!:mad:

TG4 has coverage of the tournament, for anyone with no Eurosport. Also, ITV will show matches.

afatbollix · 21-05-2012 11:30pm

Its on ITV this year not the BBC. ITV will show the finals while ITV 4 will show 6 hours of live a day.

I know Eurosport will have the 2 channels showing matches live all day for the two weeks.

RosyLily · 21-05-2012 11:48pm

afatbollix wrote: »

Its on ITV this year not the BBC. ITV will show the finals while ITV 4 will show 6 hours of live a day.

I know Eurosport will have the 2 channels showing matches live all day for the two weeks.

Bollocks! Thanks for the heads up. The BBC info is still on the Roland Garros website!:mad:

Scanlas The 2nd · 22-05-2012 8:18am

Another French open in the bag for Rafa it would seem. Would have liked Novak to win his French open and hold all 4 grand slams but it seems his 2011 form is eluding him. I knew his form was gone judging by his Australian open form. He could have easily lost the semi and final. My hopes of Federer winning the French have all but vanished. If he retained his number 2 ranking and Novak was still in top form he had a real chance, now its over for him.

walshb · 22-05-2012 12:52pm

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Another French open in the bag for Rafa it would seem. Would have liked Novak to win his French open and hold all 4 grand slams but it seems his 2011 form is eluding him. I knew his form was gone judging by his Australian open form. He could have easily lost the semi and final. My hopes of Federer winning the French have all but vanished. If he retained his number 2 ranking and Novak was still in top form he had a real chance, now its over for him.

I would love to see Novak win. I know he is slightly dropping, but I still think in a slam he may have an edge over Nadal, clay or not. Obvioulsy the clay will give Nadal a better chance, but Novak can beat him on all surfaces, as he proved last year and this year. Hard to bet against Nadal, but if any one player has his number it's Novak.

Rob2D · 22-05-2012 11:22pm

No BBC this year????

I'm glad really. Their coverage last year was awful.

Nice to see that ITV are picking it up.

_Bella_ · 23-05-2012 9:22am

I think the last few results may have helped Novak. Nadal is now the clear favourite and a majority of the tension and pressure is on him. Novak's big focus has been RG, and he will not lose easily.

jupiterjack · 23-05-2012 3:10pm

cant wait for it to get started.

jmb1 · 24-05-2012 3:10pm

My favorites :
***** : Nadal
**** : Djokovic
*** : Federer, Berdych, Del Potro
* : Ferrer, Isner, Verdasco

KINGVictor · 24-05-2012 9:56pm

RosyLily wrote: »

Qualifying for this year's French Open begins tomorrow at 10am. The men's qualifying draw has been released; the women's qualifying draw will be released tomorrow. Main Draws will probably be announced on Friday.

TG4 has coverage of the tournament, for anyone with no Eurosport. Also, ITV will show matches.

First off, well done Rosylily, you have been outstanding in keeping us up to date and providing useful information and analysis.

I am a die-hard, hardcore Nadal fan so no surprises that I believe he will win the French Open, apart from my sentimental perharps subjective opinion, the fact is that he has an extraordinary record on clay, he has won the competition 6 times and he seems to be overcoming the Novak 'curse' winning in their last 2 matches. Some have attributed this to a dip in Novak's form but I think it is more a case of Nadal stepping up and improving his game especially against Novak.

Nevertheless, Novak is dangerous and no one can rule out the chance of him taking the title. He is hungry for it, because it will enable him win all 4 grandslams and a fourth consecutive GS as well. I won't dismiss Fed Express- surely that would be madness, he is getting to the end of his career (*supposedly*) and I am sure he will like to add this to his collection of titles. The likes of Murray, Ferrer and Berdych have a decent fighting chance as well.

The womens game is more frustrating, it is so unpredictable and can be somewhat annoying. First you had Kvitova winning Wimbledon and we assumed we had a new queen in town only for her to disappoint incredibly, then Victoria Azarenka became world no 1 and she has not been in good form in recent weeks. The most annoying bit for me is the fact that Serena that is 30, injury prone comes from nowhere and wins competitions when she decides to. Don't get me wrong, I respect her but I think it is time for the womens game to move forward.

Sharapova has improved her game tremendously but her level of unforced errors and double faults will show up at the latter stages. Stousor and Li na are unreliable but they have a massive chance if they take their opportunities. To be frank, I will be very upset if any of the old guns- Williams, Li na, Stousor won this year. I will be rooting for Azarenka, she is feisty, young and hungry and it will hopefully lead to a change in direction for the women's game.

Sorry for the long post

- I am just excited and looking forward to what promises to be an interesting and entertaining tournament.

cutty9 · 24-05-2012 9:57pm

i love this time of year for tennis

french open
queens
wimbledon

pure bliss

KINGVictor · 24-05-2012 11:51pm

cutty9 wrote: »

i love this time of year for tennis

french open
queens
wimbledon

pure bliss

Absolutely!

Plus this year in terms of sports we have the Euros, Olympics as added bonuses- heaven!...:D

Rjd2 · 25-05-2012 12:17am

RosyLily wrote: »

Quite surprised that Masha is third; I would have put her ahead of Vika.

her win over Aza a few weeks ago is irrelevant as Azarenka's hand was fooked, before that Aza has battered her. Sharapova was lucky that Li imploded last week as well. Maria will do well but I would be stunned if she won.

Kvitova is to erratic these days to win it, as is Stosur. Radwanska's has had a fine year but I watched her last week and today and sadly for her she can't win as she just doesn't have the power.:( You could say the same for her best mate Wozniacki as well sadly.

Bartoli will have the crowd but she has some abysmal results recently, she was dire yesterday against Aggie's sister. She did reach the semi's last year though coming of a poor run so she will still feel confident of a quarter final finish. Anything more than that will need a lot of luck sadly.

Schiavone is a tricky one, she is doing well in her warm up competition this week so at least she has some sort of form and of course she will have the crowd. Maybe worth a fiver if you can get 100-1.

Out of the rest, the German girls will be interesting to follow. Kerber has done well recently, its unlikely she will win but she could go quite far. Barthel is the wildcard, some terrible losses but also some great performances most notably against Azarenka who she has dragged to 3 sets in their last 2 encounters. Could implode at any stage but none of the favorites will want to meet her early, she has the ability to be quite destructive if she can survive the first couple off rounds.

Not even going to speculate on Li, sometimes you watch her and you wonder how she ever won anything and other times she looks unplayable, this type of unpredictability was evident in Sundays final against Maria.

Out of the rest I will keep an eye on Anastasia Pavlyuchenko, did quite well last year and has a lot of talent. The results this year have been shambolic but anytime you watch her, you know their is serious talent their.

On the men's side, its hard to get that ecited. Roger knows how to beat Rafa except at Slams, while Murray's clay form has been very poor. I'd expect more from the Swiss chap but I can't see either winning. Actually I think Murray could be eliminated first week if he gets a dangerous floater.

Berdych has been in great form recently so you could argue he is the best of the rest, I can see him progressing maybe to the semi's but like the rest he has no chance of beating Rafa.

Del Potro is probably the only other player who can go toe to toe with Rafa as their Davis Cup final proved, but that's it really.

Isner has came of the boil recently so I can't get to excited for him.

Juan Monaco has had some good form recently and is a fine clay courter so he could go far, again no chance to win but may cause some upsets.

Will be interested to see if the oldies like Nalbandian and Davydenko can cause some surprises, both have shown some form recently and are good on the surface as well.

_Bella_ · 25-05-2012 11:39am

It really annoys me how Djokovic and Federer are always on the same side of the draw. When Nadal was seeded number 1 he also had Murray the fourth seed in his quarter, yet now with Djokovic number 1 he always seems to have Federer in his half. I know in the Aussie Open they weren't but that was the only grand slam I can think of in the last two years? Are tournaments able to rig it?

jmb1 · 25-05-2012 12:14pm

I think the one who has the worst draw is Del Potro.
He may have to win over Ferrero, then Berdych, then Federer, then Djokovic, and eventually Nadal.

RosyLily · 25-05-2012 1:37pm

Quite surprised that Djokovic is in Federer's half of the draw; definitely thought there might be a chance for a Djoko-Murray SF - something different for a change. But alas, not to be!

Defending champion Rafa Nadal has a managable route to the SF imo. He plays Simone Bolelli in his opening match. Others in his quarter include Janko Tipsarevic, Milos Raonic, Juan Monaco & Nicolas Almagro. Not terrible- he can beat these players. I would reckon we'd see a Nadal-Tipsy QF. Possible SF opponents for the Spaniard are Murray & Ferrer.

This quarter of the draw could be very unpredictable! Many good players in here - Isner, Gasquet, Granollers, Dolgopolov & Tomic. Murray isn't playing great on clay, nursing a back injury and I wouldn't be surprised if he's eliminated early-ish in the tournament. The Scot/Brit (depends what's going on) will play Tatsuma Ito in the first round. Ferrer plays Lukas Lacko in his opener. I would say Ferrer will come through this quarter and face Nadal in SF...but who knows!

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is in the top half of the draw. Possible QF opponent for him is Tsonga; would like to see this match! He plays Potito Starace in his opening match. Interestingly, he could face Lleyton Hewitt in the 2nd round; they had a great match at AO earlier this year. Other players in that part of the draw include Davydenko, Melzer, Verdasco, Simon and Wawarinka. A possible SF opponent for Djokovic is - wait for it - Federer! Hmm, yeah, didn't see that one coming!

Speaking of the Swiss, he'll kick off his FO campaign against Tobias Kamke. This quarter of the draw is probably the stuff of some players' nightmares - Berdych, del Potro, Ferrero, Lopez - all very good on the dirt! Roddick is in this part as well but his form on clay isn't the best. Federer could face Nalbandian in the 2nd round. If Federer manages to made the SF, it's possible that previous matches will take a lot outta him.

BTW, completely agree with the del Potro assumption. He has a horrible draw!!! If he wants to win the FO, he's gotta be at 110% and then some!!

Women's defending champion Na Li is probably not people's favourite for the title. She's been very up-and-down since winning last year. Can't close out matches to save her life sometimes. Fairly tough draw too - Schaivone, Jankovic, Kvitova, Vinci & Zvonareva. If any of these players are in good form and Li is a little off, they will make her pay. Li faces Sorana Cirstea in her opening match. I predict that Kvitova will come through this part of the draw - provided she's over her virus and healthy.

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka will start her FO against Alberta Brianti of Italy. I don't see any problems for her in this match or others; she might face problems against Cibulkova in the 4th round. I'm looking forward to the other (possible) 4th round match here- Stosur vs. Lisicki. I'm not sure if Vika will come through here. I always find the women's draw at French Open so unpredictable; I never pick the winner!

As for the Williams Sisters, Venus has a big task ahead of her. If she defeats Paula Ormaechea in the first round, she will face World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round. Draw doesn't let up after that - Kerber, Ivanovic, Bartoli & Kuznetsova.

Serena doesn't have it any easier. She faces Virginie Razzano in the first round. Sharapova will probably be her QF opponent (thanks a lot Rafa!!). Could be a good match but I would have preferred to see a Serena-Masha final. Other players lurking in the draw include Wozniacki, Goerges, Kanepi, Kirilenko & Pavlyuchenkova.

Gonna be an interesting fortnight!:D

Rjd2 · 25-05-2012 9:06pm

RosyLily wrote: »

Defending champion Rafa Nadal has a managable route to the SF imo. He plays Simone Bolelli in his opening match. Others in his quarter include Janko Tipsarevic, Milos Raonic, Juan Monaco & Nicolas Almagro. Not terrible- he can beat these players. I would reckon we'd see a Nadal-Tipsy QF. Possible SF opponents for the Spaniard are Murray & Ferrer.

This quarter of the draw could be very unpredictable! Many good players in here - Isner, Gasquet, Granollers, Dolgopolov & Tomic. Murray isn't playing great on clay, nursing a back injury and I wouldn't be surprised if he's eliminated early-ish in the tournament. The Scot/Brit (depends what's going on) will play Tatsuma Ito in the first round. Ferrer plays Lukas Lacko in his opener. I would say Ferrer will come through this quarter and face Nadal in SF...but who knows!

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is in the top half of the draw. Possible QF opponent for him is Tsonga; would like to see this match! He plays Potito Starace in his opening match. Interestingly, he could face Lleyton Hewitt in the 2nd round; they had a great match at AO earlier this year. Other players in that part of the draw include Davydenko, Melzer, Verdasco, Simon and Wawarinka. A possible SF opponent for Djokovic is - wait for it - Federer! Hmm, yeah, didn't see that one coming!

Speaking of the Swiss, he'll kick off his FO campaign against Tobias Kamke. This quarter of the draw is probably the stuff of some players' nightmares - Berdych, del Potro, Ferrero, Lopez - all very good on the dirt! Roddick is in this part as well but his form on clay isn't the best. Federer could face Nalbandian in the 2nd round. If Federer manages to made the SF, it's possible that previous matches will take a lot outta him.

BTW, completely agree with the del Potro assumption. He has a horrible draw!!! If he wants to win the FO, he's gotta be at 110% and then some!!

Women's defending champion Na Li is probably not people's favourite for the title. She's been very up-and-down since winning last year. Can't close out matches to save her life sometimes. Fairly tough draw too - Schaivone, Jankovic, Kvitova, Vinci & Zvonareva. If any of these players are in good form and Li is a little off, they will make her pay. Li faces Sorana Cirstea in her opening match. I predict that Kvitova will come through this part of the draw - provided she's over her virus and healthy.

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka will start her FO against Alberta Brianti of Italy. I don't see any problems for her in this match or others; she might face problems against Cibulkova in the 4th round. I'm looking forward to the other (possible) 4th round match here- Stosur vs. Lisicki. I'm not sure if Vika will come through here. I always find the women's draw at French Open so unpredictable; I never pick the winner!

As for the Williams Sisters, Venus has a big task ahead of her. If she defeats Paula Ormaechea in the first round, she will face World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round. Draw doesn't let up after that - Kerber, Ivanovic, Bartoli & Kuznetsova.

Serena doesn't have it any easier. She faces Virginie Razzano in the first round. Sharapova will probably be her QF opponent (thanks a lot Rafa!!). Could be a good match but I would have preferred to see a Serena-Masha final. Other players lurking in the draw include Wozniacki, Goerges, Kanepi, Kirilenko & Pavlyuchenkova.

Gonna be an interesting fortnight!:D

Managable may be the biggest understatement ever, its an absolute bye to the semi.I'd expect him to batter everyone until then and even in the semi, he will cruise it. Other side is much more tricky to predict.

Serena's half is very tough,so the likes of Kerber, Stosur, Bartoli, Azerenka and Aggie will be pleased to be in the other side.

Also Zvonareva and Lisicki have been dreadful all year, would be astounded if either did anything.

KINGVictor · 25-05-2012 10:53pm

Very interesting draws today. I would have prefered a Novak/ Nadal- Murray/Federrer semi-final line up but hey it will still be intriguing nonetheless.

However,I find Fed's analysis very funny:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/frenchopen/9290422/French-Open-2012-Rafael-Nadal-will-create-history-in-Paris-not-Novak-Djokovic-believes-Roger-Federer.html

He is usually very tight lipped and diplomatic, while I agree with his summation in the article- I think he is playing mind games with both Nadal and Novak- Genius that he is.

RosyLily · 25-05-2012 11:51pm

Rjd2 wrote: »

Managable may be the biggest understatement ever, its an absolute bye to the semi.I'd expect him to batter everyone until then and even in the semi, he will cruise it. Other side is much more tricky to predict.

Serena's half is very tough,so the likes of Kerber, Stosur, Bartoli, Azerenka and Aggie will be pleased to be in the other side.

Also Zvonareva and Lisicki have been dreadful all year, would be astounded if either did anything.

Or as the French would say, "le cake walk":pac:

/gets coat

KINGVictor wrote: »

Very interesting draws today. I would have prefered a Novak/ Nadal- Murray/Federrer semi-final line up but hey it will still be intriguing nonetheless.

However,I find Fed's analysis very funny:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ten...r-Federer.html

He is usually very tight lipped and diplomatic, while I agree with his summation in the article- I think he is playing mind games with both Nadal and Novak- Genius that he is.

Nadal is adept at these type of mind games pre-Grand Slam; talks down his chances and takes up Federer and/or Djokovic (but it was usually Fed). Interesting that Roger is taking a leaf outta the Spaniard's book now. Many people would agree with his musing. Nadal is favourite followed by Djokovic & himself.

Strangely enough, I would rather see Nadal win than Djokovic??? This never happens!!

mike65 · 27-05-2012 3:48pm

Its on ITV3 from 5.30 today and switches to ITV4 tomorrow morning - they seem to have wal lto wall coverage - 11 hours.

jupiterjack · 27-05-2012 10:22pm

jurgen melzer and andy roddick out on day 1.

RosyLily · 28-05-2012 1:33pm

Vera Zvonareva has been a late withdrawal from Roland Garros, citing a shoulder injury. She is replaced by Sesil Karatantcheva, who is playing Timea Babos right now on Court 2. Sesil is 5-1 up in the first set.

No.15 seed Feliciano Lopez retired at 0-5 in the first set in his match against Florent Serra.

Very poor performance from Victoria Azarenka earlier today. She was god awful in some parts of the match; an error-strewn contest! 60 unforced errors to 32 winners from the Belarussian. If she plays like that against the likes of Stosur, Serena, Maria etc in the later rounds, she'll lose. But, I'm sure she'll learn from this and improve in the next rounds.

Roger Federer has won his opening match against Tobias Kamke on Suzanne Lenglen Court, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. Up and down match from the Swiss, kind of rusty in spots. Took him a while to finish the match though. He'll play either Adrian Ungur or David Nalbandian in the second round.

Defending Women's Champion Na Li is on Phillipe Chatrier atm. She is playing Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Li won the first set 6-2 and is 3-0 up in the second.

Rjd2 · 29-05-2012 3:15am

Rjd2 wrote: »

Barthel is the wildcard, some terrible losses but also some great performances most notably against Azarenka who she has dragged to 3 sets in their last 2 encounters. Could implode at any stage but none of the favorites will want to meet her early, she has the ability to be quite destructive if she can survive the first couple off rounds.

Lost to to Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1 and from all accounts was unbelievably bad, type of performance that was so dismal it couldn't have been fixed because nobody would ever be that obvious.:eek:

Azarenka willl get better, its still a reasonable quarter, Sharapova in her first match last year was a set and 4-0 down against some French local and still came back and reached the final.

Warper · 29-05-2012 2:56pm

Anywhere to watch this online now its gone from TG4?

jupiterjack · 29-05-2012 4:18pm

Warper wrote: »

Anywhere to watch this online now its gone from TG4?

http://www.vipbox.tv/ i watch most sports on this link.

jupiterjack · 29-05-2012 4:32pm

Nadal beats Bolelli Rd1 6/2 6/2 6/1

steelcityblues · 29-05-2012 8:00pm

Seriously thought she would do a Novotna in 93 for a second, but fair play to her!

Wonder if Serena is half-thinking of retirement, she's set for life and celebrity.

Rjd2 · 29-05-2012 8:45pm

steelcityblues wrote: »

Seriously thought she would do a Novotna in 93 for a second, but fair play to her!

Wonder if Serena is half-thinking of retirement, she's set for life and celebrity.

Always going to be her trickiest Slam to win, I wouldn't write her off at Wimbledon to quickly. Lets not forget she has been battering everyone since she returned.

KINGVictor · 29-05-2012 9:54pm

Rjd2 wrote: »

Always going to be her trickiest Slam to win, I wouldn't write her off at Wimbledon to quickly. Lets not forget she has been battering everyone since she returned.

+1......

And it is not easy to play against the crowd's favourite especially in the first round. But she only has her self to blame really, she was 5-1 up in the tiebreak but squandered her chances by a momentary loss in concentration.

I'd say well done to Razzano. Despite the fact that she was in pain, she kept her cool and closed the match, although I don't see her passing the third round at most which is quite unfortunate.

I agree that it is not yet time to dismiss Serena, she is a determined player and has shown her ability to bounce back on several occasions. If any player should hang up the boots, it should be her older sister.

Anyways the FO is living up to expectations! exciting and quite unpredictable. Hope we don't get more shocking surprises not that it will be a bad thing.:D...........Well except for any of the top 3 +1 men players getting knocked out early.

In other news, exceptional display by Nadal and Sharopova today. Masha literally walked over her Romanian opponent, winning 6-0 6-0. Nadal also produced some wonderful tennis by beating Bolleli 6-2 6-2 6-1.
However, the highlight of the day for me was the victory of T. Hass, very determined and exemplary player, at 34 still going on- fairplay to him.

_Bella_ · 29-05-2012 10:40pm

That last game between Razzano and Serena was crazy. I think whoever won that game would have won the match, the momentum just kept shifting. The hindrance call in that game was ridiculous and ironically it was the exact same umpire who did it to Williams in the Australian Open. In that match I thought the umpire was right but in the match today it was unfair, it was unnecessary and could have decided the outcome of the match. I also have to say the French tennis head dancing was hilarious.

Rob2D · 29-05-2012 11:11pm

KINGVictor wrote: »

the highlight of the day for me was the victory of T. Hass, very determined and exemplary player, at 34 still going on- fairplay to him.

Hear, hear. Best of luck to him, Tommy was always my favourite.

RosyLily · 29-05-2012 11:25pm

Very shocked by Serena's loss to Razzano. I flicked it off when she was serving for the match- thought it was in the bag....must have been a giant hole in said bag!:eek:
Well done to Virginie though; she managed to keep her focus and play her game! She's have quite a tough few months, it's nice to see her have some joy. Best win of her career!

Maria will definitely fancy her chances of getting to the SFs after Serena's exit. She's in top form and absolutely demolished Cadantu 6-0 6-0. I'd bump her up to favourite now.

Nadal in great form too! Played some fantastic shots against Bolelli. He'll play Denis Istomin in the 2nd round. He should breeze through it.

Very happy to see Heather Watson beat Vesnina 6-2, 6-4. She's went for her shots and the serve didn't falter. Had great support out on court too. 25th seed Julia Goerges is up next for her.

On Philippe Chatrier Court tomorrow are:
Azarenka VS. Pfizenmaier (hope Vika has upped her game)
Federer VS. Ungur
Simon VS. Baker (Baker has had a great comeback after 2 years off tour)
Radwanska VS. V. Williams (looking forward to this one!)

On Suzanne Lenglen:
Djokovic VS. Kavcic
Johansson VS. Cetkovska
Martic VS. Bartoli
Stebe VS. Tsonga

Also on court tomorrow are Stosur, Berdych, del Potro, Ivanovic, Kerber & Verdasco.

Really enjoying this years RG!! Unpredictable and some excellent tennis!:)

RosyLily · 31-05-2012 12:05am

Another Williams bites the dust. Venus lost out in straight sets to Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-3. Was expecting a bit more from this match but Venus was outshone by the Pole. Have a sneaky suspicion that Venus might retire at the end of this season...or maybe next. She has some flashes of brilliance but it would be a shame to see her fade away.

Roger Federer had an awkward match against Adrian Ungur. Was taken to 4 sets but managed to prevail 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3. Fed had 2 match points in the tie-break but couldn't capitalise. Ungur played some great tennis in the 3rd set but didn't continue it. Federer will play Nicolas Mahut next.

Azarenka seems to have overcome her first round slump and defeated Pfizenmaier 6-1, 6-1. Vika will play Aleksandra Wozniak in the third round. The surprise of the day has to be Bartoli losing to Petra Martic in 3 sets 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Petra played so well in the match but lost concentration a little in the 2nd, allowing Bartoli in. Sam Stosur had an easier day of it, beating American Irina Falconi 6-1, 6-4.

Djokovic is also through to the third round, after defeating Blaz Kavcic 6-0, 6-4, 6-4. Scoreline is kind of misleading; Kavcic put up a good fight in the final 2 sets but was silenced by the Serb. Berdych through to the 3rd round; he came through against Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. Del Potro didn't have it easy against Frenchman Roger-Vasselin, who kept him on court 3hrs 40mins. Really good match but the knee is very much a worry for the Argentine. He needed treatment for it after the first set (I think) and tbh it doesn't look good. He plays Marin Cilic next. If Cilic keeps Delpo moving, he might sneak this one.

Up tomorrow are Murray (vs. Nieminen), Wozniacki (vs. Gajdosova), Isner (vs. Mathieu), Sharapova (vs. Morita), Kvitova (vs. U. Radwanska), Nadal (vs. Istomin), Li (vs. Fortez-Gacon) and Schiavone (vs. Pironkova).
Also, Tsonga and Clement have to finish their matches. The former is in the 3rd set whereas the latter is in the final set.

_Bella_ · 31-05-2012 11:10am

Murray should just retire, he is only aggravating his injury, might as well retire and start preparing for Wimbledon.

MoscowFlyer · 31-05-2012 11:38am

Standard Murray faking his opponent into thinking the injury is worse than it is. I have no doubt his back was stiff but not nearly as stiff as he was making out.

grohlisagod · 31-05-2012 2:04pm

Round up of yesterday's action.

http://cork.studenty.me/2012/05/31/day-four-at-roland-garros/

jupiterjack · 31-05-2012 2:21pm

Nadal just takes 2nd set 6/2

jupiterjack · 31-05-2012 2:46pm

Nadal wins 6/2 6/2 6/0

Pighead · 31-05-2012 7:28pm

Isner involved in another marathon match here against Mathieu. Currently 11-11 in th 5th set and I really can't call it. Isner is after saving three match points to keep the match alive.

Isner has an unreal ability in saving break points. Think he has saved 17 out of 20 today. Obviously his serve helps but he still has to keep his nerve and find the lines. 12-11 to Mathieu as I type. Looks like Sharapova match won't be on this evening.

baby and crumble · 31-05-2012 7:34pm

Pighead wrote: »

Isner involved in another marathon match here against Mathieu. Currently 11-11 in th 5th set and I really can't call it. Isner is after saving three match points to keep the match alive.

Isner has an unreal ability in saving break points. Think he has saved 17 out of 20 today. Obviously his serve helps but he still has to keep his nerve and find the lines. 12-11 to Mathieu as I type. Looks like Sharapova match won't be on this evening.

It's a cracker of a match alright!

Podge_irl · 31-05-2012 8:00pm

Isner is dead on his feet out there. He's playing for the end of today's play rather then to win but I don't think he'll make it.

jupiterjack · 31-05-2012 8:06pm

its another marathon alrite for Isner, 17 / 16 now to Mathieu

jupiterjack · 31-05-2012 8:08pm

Mathieu could take him here.

jupiterjack · 31-05-2012 8:08pm

2 match points..

jupiterjack · 31-05-2012 8:09pm

thats it..

Rjd2 · 31-05-2012 9:37pm

Pighead wrote: »

Isner has an unreal ability in saving break points. Think he has saved 17 out of 20 today. Obviously his serve helps but he still has to keep his nerve and find the lines. 12-11 to Mathieu as I type. Looks like Sharapova match won't be on this evening.

It must be infuriating at the other end, you get some break points and you gee yourself and bang he nails a few monster first serves. Djokovic when he lost to him last month had numerous openings on his serve and he consistently came up with a monster serve to save himself.

Anyways Isner been gone is good news for Ferrer, Nadal and Murray and the rest in his side, he was always going to be a tough nut to crack.

Nobody will lose sleep ever Mathieu.

RosyLily · 01-06-2012 3:45pm

Sharapova is looking very comfortable on the clay. Beat Ayumi Morita 6-1, 6-1. She's definitely the freshest of players having spent less than 2 hours on court so far. If her first serve is firing, she'll be quite hard to beat. Maria is playing her third round match against Shuai Peng tomorrow.

Feel sorry for Isner; he had chances to win but just couldn't capitalise. It takes him an age to win and an age to lose! Agree with Rjd2, no one will be losing sleep over playing PHM.

Ivanovic is gone, beaten in 3 sets by Sara Errani. The Serb played a great 1st set, winning 6-1 but then the errors started to flow. Errani played some lovely tennis, although she has a very tough task next against Svetlana Kuznetsova, who made Radwanska look fairly ordinary. Svety beat the Pole 6-1, 6-2.

Sam Stosur has just beaten Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-3. She'll play American Sloane Stephens in the fourth round. No problems there for Sam.

_Bella_ · 01-06-2012 6:28pm

Stosur is looking very good on the clay, a surprise winner? Sharapova though too is looking very strong though it's worth noting that she flew through the earlier rounds in both the Australian Open and Wimbledon though ended up losing in the final.

The mens side is fairly predictable. One would expect that it will be the usual suspects in the semis with the only question mark being over Murray. Berdych could cause an upset against Federer especially as he hasn't been his clinical self dropping a set in the last round and now against Mahut, but Berdych had a tough 5 setter against Anderson today and has a tough fourth round draw as well.

KINGVictor · 01-06-2012 8:43pm

Generally a dull day at the French open today. Apart from a few matches, most have been predictable and lacked the excitement we saw yesterday.

I was surprised how Svetlana Kuznetsova demolished Radwanska taking the match 6-1 6-2, I actually thought Aggie had a chance of progressing after her wonderful display against V. Williams and her recent decent performances but in fairness Kuznetsova is a clay specialist and she aptly demonstrated that with efficiency today. Sharapova's match was boring and I think she herself would have wanted a tougher opposition before the "real tournament" commences in the fourth round. Fairplay to her though because she is a day behind other players due to the Isner/ mathieu match and she needed to end that match swiftly.

Ivonovic as expected is out early, she seemed to have improved in the last few months under a new coach but I think she needs more time to get to her previous form.

In the men's category, interesting match played by Tsonga and Fognini. I actually was rooting for Fognini, he is a very talented player but can sometimes be ill-tempered and inconsistent. Going by that match, I think Tsonga is right that no French player has a chance of winning this year. He is very good but his lack of concentration and excessive demonstrativeness on the court kills his game. He is in Djokovic's draw and they may well meet in the quarters, he will have a tough time trying to win that match. Fed won his match against Mahut as expected but he remains the only top 3 to have dropped a set in two consecutive games - Nadal and Djokovic have not lost any set. And speaking of Djokovic, he is currently playing against the French player- Devilder in what seems to be a practise match, he is currently leading 6-1 6-2 5-2.

I expect finer tennis tomorrow with Nadal, Sharapova, Tipsarevic, Kvitova, Ferrer ( Pitbull), Gasquet, Wozniaki (Mrs Mcllroy), Na Li- all in action.

Oh and Djokovic just won 6-1 6-2 6-2 and I also mourn the exit of a fav player- Verdasco ousted by Seppi but consoled by Wawrinka's win over Simon ( it was well deserved)

Rjd2 · 02-06-2012 12:37am

Wozniacki v Kanepi and Gasquet v haas could be great fun tomorrow aye.

RosyLily · 02-06-2012 5:08pm

Sharapova, Li and Kvitova are all through to the fourth round. Maria had the easier match of the three, beating 28th seed Shuai Peng 6-2, 6-1. She'll play Klara Zakopalova of Czech Republic. I think Klara might push Maria more than her earlier opponents. Even though she's unseeded, she has nothing to lose. Li played American Christina McHale earlier today. Really good match, Li lost the first set 6-3 but managed to recover and won the other sets 6-2, 6-1. Li will play Yaroslava Shvedova next. McHale has a good future but you'd worry that pressure from the Americans after Williams' et al. retire will hurt her. Kvitova also played a three setter against Nina Bratchikova, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. First time in the competition Kvitova has been challenged. She plays another lefty, Varvara Lepchenko, in the 4th round. Varvara knocked out the 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone 3-6, 6-3, 8-6. Great, competitive match with some fantastic rallies, over 3 hours long.

David Ferrer had a comfortable passage to the fourth round, defeating Mikhail Youzhny 6-0, 6-2, 6-2. He'll play either Paul-Henri Mathieu or Marcel Granollers next. Murray also made it through after beating Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Next for him is Richard Gasquet.

Rafael Nadal is on court against Eduardo Schwank. Nadal is presently 3-0 up.

French Open 2012

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