RG13 First Round Action

These past few days have been a whirlwind of "oohs" and "aahs" and enough matches to make any tennis fan feel like a kid in a candy store! Let's recap the major stories....

Men's Singles

Djokovic serving vs. Goffin in R1

Top ranked Novak Djokovic made light work of Belgian David Goffin on Court Philippe Chatrier this Tuesday, defeating him in straight sets (7-6, 6-4, 7-5). Yes it's the result we expected but Goffin deserves some measure of credit for staying level with Nole in the early stages of the match, falling short only on the pressure points that cost him the first set and, eventually, the match. Djokovic faces Argentinian Guido Pella in the second round, who made it past Ivan Dodig in four sets. So Nole is still on the warpath to unseating Nadal from a seven-year reign at the throne of Roland Garros. What NOT to do is underestimate the Serbian as he has proven time and again that Rafa isn't the impenetrable force on clay that he appears to be to so many others.

Daniel Brands of Germany

On the same court later that day, Nadal's first set against German tough guy Daniel Brands was a challenge that some feared he wouldn't find his way out of, but the Mallorcan found the tools to rebound and win the match in four sets (4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3). Admirable power play from Daniel gave him a 5-4, 40-15 lead over Nadal and he blasted a forehand winner that ended the rally, secured him the first set and had the crowd cheering in delightful disbelief. It is rare for Nadal to lose a set, far less a
first set, on the surface and in the tournament that favors him so greatly. But balance in the universe was restored when, after being down 0-3 in the second set tiebreak, Rafa rallied back to take it 7-6 (7-4). Thereafter, typical Rafa could be seen; he wrapped up the match with an irretrievable forehand winner.

Monfils through to R3

Frenchman Gael Monfils made his hometown proud on Monday when he defeated finals contender Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. It seems Gael used his loss to Albert Montanes in the finals of the Nice Open to fuel a wondrous performance on center court. The final score: 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7,
7-5. Monfils continues his unprecedented run with a victory over Ernests Gulbis in the second round. He will play Tommy Robredo in the upcoming third round match.




The legendary Roger Federer dismantled his first and second round opponents, Pablo Carreno-Busta and Somdev Devvarman respectively, in straights, giving him a comfortable spot in the third round, where he will play Julien Benneteau. Experts argue that Federer is now coming into form and will reach the zenith of his clay season magic as he works his way through to the finals. Without Murray in his half of the draw, one can see how this theory holds water. However, the mental monster that can be created with the (lack of) pressure in this half of the draw, combined with the knowledge that he does not have much success in this tournament, may rear its head and cost him the chance to lift the French Open trophy. Rather than count him out, we will leave Federer on the back burner and allow him to sneak into the final four. Just you watch.

More first round action: Marinko Matosevic fell to fourth seed David Ferrer in straights - 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Ferrer then put an end to Nice 2013 champion Albert Montanes's French Open bid with another straight sets win - 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. Next up for the Spaniard David is his compatriot Feliciano Lopez.




Women's Singles

Serena reaching for a backhand

As predicted, Serena Williams took care of business in her first and second round matches, conceding a total of just four games in her triumphs over Anna Tatishvili and Caroline Garcia respectively. With these victories, she improves her season W/L ratio to 38-2 and forges a career best win streak of 26 consecutive matches. She faces Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the third round. Will Serena soon be adding a second French Open title to her striking array of accomplishments?






Victoria Azarenka is hoping not. She cruised through her match in the first round against Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-4 and will play Annika Beck of Germany in the second round. The Belarusian has never made it past the quarterfinals here at the French, but with a 21-2 win/loss ratio coming into the tournament and more experience than previous years (including becoming world #1 after capturing the 2012 Australian Open title, her first GS), Vika can more than see herself claiming the trophy here at Roland Garros. She in the opposite half as Ms. Williams and so stands a good chance of meeting her in the finals, but there's one person who undeniably stands in her way....

Defending champ, Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova has a lot to prove to herself, her critics and especially her chief adversary, Serena Williams, during this tournament. It is easy to forget that she is actually the defending champion here at Roland Garros, probably because, in order to win last year, she didn't have to go through the solid rock that is Serena Williams. Now that both women seem almost destined to make it to the closing rounds, Maria must be eager to set their head-to-head straight (well, as straight as 16-3 would make it) and really take it to the one player who knows just how to break her down. Sharapova has been steadily improving her performance on clay surfaces, transforming from a self-proclaimed "cow on ice" to a crowned champion at Stuttgart, Rome and Paris last year. She won comfortably against Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-1 in the first round. It looks like this might be the year she wins her fifth Grand Slam title and silences some doubts among her detractors (and certainly within herself) about her capabilities and competitive edge on court.

Among other likely contenders of the French Open title are:

• Caroline Wozniacki - The pretty blonde from Denmark has fired off with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Great Britain's Laura Robson, though many believed she wouldn't be able to. Doubts discourage some, but fuel others. I think we know to which group Caro belongs.
• Agnieszka Radwanska - She's a tough cookie and has already earned her spot in the third round. The Polish powerhouse possesses good form on clay, with winning H2Hs against the likes of Li Na and Ana Ivanovic.
• Lisicki and Errani both are in the third round, meaning any lapse in focus is going to result in a major upset by one of these girls. There's no getting to the title without going through them first.
• Li Na -  Former French Open champion (2011) Li Na is also past the first round and she plays Bethanie Mattek-Stands next. After relieving her husband of coaching duties several months ago, Li Na seems to be headed for more consistent GS performances and she continues to improve.
• Sloane Stephens - Perhaps to Serena Williams's dismay, young Sloane Stephens has easily made her way into the third round with straight set wins over Italian Karin Knapp (6-2, 7-5) and fellow American Vania King (6-1, 6-3). The men's chances seem poor but do the women give the US a more than decent shot of bringing home the trophy? Sure, it makes a world of difference who is doing the bringing but a win is a win nonetheless......right?

2011 French Open Champion, Li Na