Two-Day Report: Catch-Up Complete

Wimbledon, Days 5 and 6

We need more sunny days like this.

Although it means some have had to play back-to-back matches the past few days at Wimbledon, we are all done playing catch-up and will resume regular schedule fourth round match play for everyone on Monday. Here is some of the action from Friday and Saturday which has brought us to this point.






GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES

Jerzy Janowicz sent an exuberant Spaniard packing; he beat Nicolas Almagro in straight sets - 7-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Great Britain's greatest hope for a local champion, Andy Murray, did more than keep their expectations high and inspired; he outplayed tour vet Tommy Robredo in a 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 victory that was marked by the World No. 2 breaking Robredo's serve on a number of occasions. The 26-year-old seems more than capable of reaching the finals here again this year and, without the mental monster that is Roger Federer standing in his way, his only real obstacle to the trophy seems to be Novak Djokovic.

Despite the comforting presence of one Maria Sharapova in the audience, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov could not stop the tenacious Grega Zemlja of Slovenia from striking the last blow in their second round match on Friday, which ended 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9. Now, Dimitrov and Sharapova can only watch the proceedings at home. Zemlja would, if it's any consolation to Grigor, be stopped by Juan Martin Del Potro in the third round match the next day.

To make it into the Round of 16, David Ferrer of Spain would beat countryman Roberto Bautista Agut and then the Ukranian Dolgopolov. This may not be his surface of choice but he will try, as always, to break through and win his first Grand Slam title. Seeing that Rafa and Roger are out of the draw, his chances look better than usual.

Stakhovsky couldn't continue his run after beating Federer; Jürgen Melzer gifted him the trip back home with a hard-earned four-set win.

After reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last month, Germany's Tommy Haas is having another great Grand Slam run; he's defeated Taiwanese Jimmy Wang and Spain's Feliciano Lopez to book a spot in the fourth round.

Near perfection, Novak Djokovic is the easy favorite left to win.

Jeremy Chardy may have beaten Struff in the second round but had his deep run aspirations snuffed out by the man himself, Novak Djokovic. Nole looks downright unstoppable and is playing the sort of top rank tennis that has frustrated just about every one of his opponents and earned him the No. 1 spot as well as six major titles. Don't believe me? Take a look at a Day 2 point he won against Florian Mayer here. It'll soon be seven big ones for Novak and we all know it.


Ninth seed Richard Gasquet also fell to the wayside in a thriller from which Australian youngster Bernard Tomic emerged victorious - 7-6, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6. Bernie will face Tomas Berdych in the Round of 16 on Monday.

I sort of see VIktor Troicki and Mikhail Youzhny as having the same traits in personality and somewhat in playing style. So it does surprise me that their third round match wasn't a marathon five-setter that had its ups and downs, and wild swings in momentum. Instead, Troicki essentially rolled over to give Bulldog Youzhny a straights victory in the line of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.

Italian Andreas Seppi managed an "upset" by beating Kei Nishikori, the twelfth seed at this tournament, in a match that ended 3-6, 6-2, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.

And Fernando Verdasco made Ernests Gulbis seem like a rookie in their third round match on Saturday, easily dismantling the Latvian 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

For a full view of the R16 draw for Monday, July 1st, click here. That, by the way, is the beauty of a Grand Slam with no byes: you get such variety in the later rounds. Just like the players have been saying - there are no easy rounds. You give it your all every single time you step on court. No wins are handed to you. You have to reach your racket out and take them.


LADIES' SINGLES

19-year-old Laura Robson (GBR)

After Andy Murray, Laura Robson is Great Britain's next hopeful for a homegrown champion, and the 19-year-old seems up for the task, having beaten Marian Duque-Marino and Maria Erakovic to reach the fourth round, matching her best performance at a major since last year's US Open.

Will Kaia Kanepi be able to stop Robson's deep run? Monday will tell us.

Kanepi's losing opponent in the second round Angelique Kerber of Germany has received death threats on her social media accounts and although the persons have been identified, it is unclear what steps will next be taken. American Alison Riske also fell to Kanepi after beating Urszula Radwanska in the second round.





Germany still has expectations in the person of Sabine Lisicki who, despite her sometimes erratic performance, has reached the fourth round by defeating former US Open champ Sam Stosur 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Petra Kvitova, Sloane Stephens, Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska are also through to the Round of 16.

Serena Williams (L) and Kimiko Date-Krumm (R)

Breaking records as she progressed, 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm is the oldest female to reach the third round at Wimbledon but had the misfortune of meeting reigning champion Serena Williams there. Not to be condescending, but Kimiko moves great for her age and actually frustrated the meticulous Serena with her persistent and varied court presence. She wouldn't surrender a single point and the final scoreline of 6-2, 6-0 does little to laud the trouble she caused  Williams in almost every service game. For match highlights, click here.

Portugal's Michelle Larcher De Brito made history by beating Maria Sharapova in the second round but couldn't capitalize on the upset and was defeated 7-5, 6-2 by Italy's Karin Knapp. Knapp faces Marion Bartoli in the fourth round.


As Week 2 draws closer, we're divided in our expectations: more breakthroughs and upsets or more top stars finishing extravagantly? Maybe Wimbledon has a bit of both in store for us. Keep watching and....


Breathe tennis!!

Suspense at Wimbly

Wimbledon, Day 4

Match play at the All-England Club had us in suspense today. Wait, I mean lack of play....and we weren't really in suspense - matches were just being suspended. The rain really reigned at Wimbledon today; at least seven matches were suspended or postponed due to inclement weather at the British tennis club grounds.

Rain over Center Court on Day 4 at Wimbledon 2013

Gentlemen's Singles

Novak Djokovic made light work of the USA's Bobby Reynolds, dismissing the thirty-year-old in straight sets - 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1.

Gasquet, Berdych and Nishikori all made it through, the latter two in straights.

Argentinian Juan-Martin Del Potro made a convincing entry into the third round by defeating US-turned-Canada representative Jesse Levine by a 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 straight sets scoreline.

And of course, what would the day be without some injury claims?

Spaniard Feliciano Lopez got a free ticket into the third when Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu retired after being down a set and a double break.

And then another Frenchman Michael Llodra said that his hamstrings were acting up and forfeited his singles match against Italian Andreas Seppi, but somehow found the strength to play (and win) his doubles match later in the day with compatriot partner Nicolas Mahut. What a quick and convenient recovery.

The suspended matches among the guys were Chardy vs Struff (6-2, 5-7, 1-2) and Dolgopolov vs Giraldo (6-4, 3-0), while Haas vs Wang and Spanish face-off Ferrer vs Bautista Agut were both postponed until tomorrow.

Who has what it takes to stop Nole? No one, methinks.

Ladies' Singles

Defending champion and top seed Serena Williams defeated Caroline Garcia with a 6-3, 6-2 victory. Don't be fooled though - Garcia, at a career-high ranking of 99, was very impressive in the wee stages of the first set, and it was only Williams's smashing serve and mental refusal to lose that settled things back to normal before it was too late.

Other Grand Slam winners who earned their spots in the third round are Li Na (French Open, 2011) who defeated Simona Halep 6-2, 1-6, 6-0 - if you're wondering what caused the second set blunder, Li admits that she lost concentration at the tail of the first set (post-match interview here, very interesting to watch) - and Sam Stosur (US Open, 2011) who beat Olga Puchkova by a 6-2, 6-2 tally.

Aggie Radwanska, Roberta Vinci and Madison Keys are all in, as well (full results).

Suspended matches were as follows:

• L. Robson vs M. Duque-Marino
• A. Kerber vs K. Kanepi
• U. Radwanska vs. A. Riske

Serena, perfectionist in her ways, really cleaned up her act to get the win.

Remember that you can watch live matches at the link here and, of course, do come back here to the Breathe Tennis blog for more tennis news.

Breathe tennis!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend heartfelt 28th birthday greetings to 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Russia and the tennis world at large are pleased to have a heroine as exemplary as you. Do have a splendid day!!

Svetlana Kuznetsova with Roland Garros trophy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

No Ordinary Cup of Tea

Wimbledon Days 2 and 3

If you thought Nadal's loss to 135th ranked Darcis in the first round on Monday was shocking, wait 'til you hear this: no less than SIX top players in the gentlemen's and ladies' singles draws are out of the competition, some due to injury but a few (if you don't know, you'll never guess) due to shocking losses.

Among the ousted are:

Victoria Azarenka

 The Australian Open champ from Belarus screamed in pain on Monday when she fell awkwardly on the slippery grass but trudged on through the match towards a hard-earned victory. However, her withdrawal was announced shortly before her match against Flavia Pennetta of Italy today.

Maria Sharapova

Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito now has the privilege of reaching the third round of Wimbledon for the very first time after upsetting 3rd seed Maria Sharapova. The petite Portuguese fighter was all over Sharapova, preying on her less than perfect net approach and producing stunning passing shots that were a splendid surprise for the English crowd. Sharapova was becoming more and more flustered about the slippery grass conditions on court after a few falls here and there, one of which cost her a break. But her opponent Larcher de Brito would not let up and broke the Russian's serve several times on her way to serving out a straight sets victory on her fifth match point.

 For match highlights, click here.

Caroline Wozniacki

2-6, 2-6 was the final scoreline, one that will probably have Camp Wozniacki thinking long and hard about the young Dane's consistency on court. Petra Cetkovská is responsible for yet another upset at Wimbledon this year, beating in straight sets a former World No. 1 with relative ease. Cetkovská had the edge on Wozniacki in virtually every department, including 1st serve points won and break points converted. Caroline was only able to muster 6 winners and a 69% 1st serve percentage, whereas Cetkovská was brilliant at the net, winning 14 of 15 points there and converting four times out of eight on break opportunities. Wozniacki will want to end the drought of Grand Slam titles if she does not want to be remembered as the "no-hit wonder" of our time.

Roger Federer

Another multiple Grand Slam winner and personal favorite of the All-England Club, Roger Federer, is down and out after losing to Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine, ranked 116th in the world. A series of netted backhands on break points from Federer would give the twenty-seven-year-old the lead he needed to push Federer over the edge and into the loser's circle, Roger's worst performance at a major in ten years. Stakhovsky won most of the big points and kept the pressure on and precise to give the crowd yet another startle after Nadal's loss on Monday. 2 for 2 is the tally as far as the fallen of the Big Four are concerned. Is there more astonishment left in the bag for us or is a Murray-Djokovic final around the corner?

Federer waves goodbye at Wimbledon 2013

Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga

This is not the way Frenchman Jo-Willy Tsonga wanted to imitate the form of Spanish conqueror Rafa Nadal, I can safely assume. But both men have now lost their bids to be crowned Wimbledon 2013 champ thanks to bothersome left knees. The odds of Tsonga actually taking the title weren't very high in our minds to begin with, but now that he's given Latvian Ernests Gulbis a free pass into the third round, we must begin to wonder which country - or even continent - has a Grand Slam that the twenty-eight-year-old can win. He was well on his way, after defeating Federer in straights, to claiming the home crown at Roland Garros (and his first major title) less than three weeks ago but it was Rafa who took home the title for a record eighth time. Now, both France and Spain have lost their top players and the path looks clear as day for Djokovic to lift the trophy for the second time. Oh well, maybe next year Jo....

John Isner

Towering over most of the other contenders on tour at 6'9", American John Isner came into All-England Club this year among the few players with warm-up tourney titles under their belts. Isner had impressively won the Campbell's Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island just a few days ago by beating Aussie legend Lleyton Hewitt. High hopes are what he had to reach further in the rounds this year on the grass courts at Wimbledon, but after an injury timeout, he was forced to retire in his second round match versus Adrian Mannarino of France. Now America's last hope probably rests on the racket of 16-time major winner Serena Williams. Now, that's not so much of a wild dream, is it...

Steve Darcis

We said the gods of fortune wouldn't favor Steve Darcis - the man who beat Nadal on Monday - for too long. Darcis, the Belgian who seems to have instigated this upset domino effect, did not even step on court today for his second round match against Kubot of Poland, but withdrew with right shoulder pain after revealing to the press that a dive during his match against Nadal left him unable to move his arm after the adrenaline had worn off. So sorrow follows joy, but Darcis should be back next year for more; this isn't the first time he's had to deal with shoulder injuries and Ye Olde English Club could use a jaw-dropper of a match like that next year.

Also out, says tennis.com: "10th-seeded Marin Cilic (walkover, left knee); 2006 quarterfinalist Radek Stepanek (retirement, left hamstring); and Yaroslava Shvedova (walkover, right arm)."

The plot does grow thicker as the doubts shrink thinner for Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams. If the misfortune plaguing their best rivals does not touch them, they're almost guaranteed the singles titles. But, as we very well know.....it's too soon to say.

Top contenders left in the draw at Wimbledon 2013

For more information, stay here!

Breathe tennis!!

Nadal Can't Cope With Grass

Wimbledon, Day 1

Serena Williams avenged her early round upset at the French Open last year by claiming the title this year, eleven years after her first title victory there. Nadal couldn't even match his second round loss here last year to Lukas Rosol; he fell to Steve Darcis of Belgium on Monday, who is ranked 135th in the world, in his first round match on Centre Court.

Rafa warded off break points in his first two service games, already seeming shaky with some slips in the grass. Darcis would be quick and merciless in exploiting what was obviously his best chance to beat a top ten player for the very first time.

Commentators assumed that Nadal was merely finding his range during the first few games, wherein he was misjudging and mistiming shots, and eventually found himself triple break point down at 2-2. Tenacious net play and smart serving allowed him to save all three and then hold for a 3-2 lead.

But surprises were more than in store as Darcis broke Nadal in the eleventh game to lead 6-5 in the first set.

Counter-puncher Rafa would never concede defeat without a fight and broke back to force a tiebreak (It's strange, watching a twelve-time Grand Slam champion struggle to play catch-up), but Darcis was rolling with the momentum and quickly took the first set after one hour of play.

Set two was where the source of the problem became abundantly clear. The delicate knee, which held strong to give Rafa a record eighth French Open trophy just one week before, was finally showing signs of weariness and weakness after almost five months into the Spaniard's comeback tour.

Nadal's massive upper body strength facilitated decent serves and service holds for the first ten games of this set. He did not get a decent look at a break point on Steve Darcis's serve until the eleventh game, at which point Nadal was visibly uncomfortable - moving tentatively, returning awfully and barely allowing his body weight to fall on the left leg. Yet still, he broke for a 6-5 lead.

Serving for the set, I doubt anyone in the crowd anticipated the stroke of misfortune and immovability that brought him to 0-30 down in a matter of seconds, with the net cord and his knee both conspiring against him. Darcis's relentless play would then produce a break back to play out the second set in another tiebreaker.

In no time at all, Darcis had earned the second set 7-6 (10-8), dismissing Nadal's set points with ease.

Now chipping in every return of serve short and without much pace, chasing nothing, limping around, trying to run around every backhand (and failing miserably), missing practically all his first serves and struggling just to hold serve, Nadal found himself in heaps of trouble and in a more painful predicament than last year when the knee pain first arose: by favoring the right knee so greatly, he was essentially putting it under the same pressure that caused the left knee to fail.

But Darcis would not be distracted and maintained his assault on the injured Mallorcan, quickly making his way to 5-4 after two hours and fifty-three minutes. With the chance to serve it out, and Rafa looking as despondent and brave-faced as ever, the twenty-nine-year-old from Belgium whipped an ace down the tee, to which Nadal barely responded, and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history by beating a former champion in the first round, and certainly the greatest match win of his life.

Did Rafa predict that playing back-to-back majors with no warm-up tournaments and only a week of recovery in between would place far too much strain in transitioning his body? He has never lost in the first round of his previous 34 major campaigns but was keen in pre-match interviews not to admit whether he felt he could win the title and, although 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash expressed his confidence in Nadal's ability to pull through and win the title, someone in Rafa's camp must have known what an ask this was.

This takes nothing away from Steve Darcis, who played an amazing match chock-full of hot shots and such daring improvisation as is only really expected of players 125 spots or more above his ranking. The 5'10" right-hander is due to play Lukasz Kubot of Poland on Wednesday.

The lowest ranked player to ever win at the All England Club was Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, who was ranked 125 at the time, BUT Australian Mark Edmondson who took his homeland title in 1976 when he was ranked 212th in the world, so it isn't entirely impossible for Darcis to defy the odds and win the championship.

However, with the top four players still looming in the imminent later rounds, I predict the Belgian isn't going to strike lightning twice, thrice or four more times.

For match highlights, click here.

Steve Darcis (L) d. Rafael Nadal (R) in Round 1 at Wimbledon

Federer Dismisses Hanescu

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer got off to a great start earlier on Monday with a  3-0 lead over Romanian Victor Hanescu. Hanescu was only able to hold serve in the fourth game but the score would soon be 5-2 and Roger would serve it out 6-3 after a must-hold from the Romanian.

Six minutes into the second set, Fed was again up 2-0, breaking Hanescu in the opening service game. Hanescu was trying to be aggressive but only came up with a pile of errors and handed the set to the Swiss former No. 1, 6-2.

By the third set, Roger was almost toying with Victor, turning virtually every shot into a winner. Down 0-4, Hanescu had reached the point where the crowd would cheer wildly on the rare occasion that he did win a point. On Hanescu's serve, Fed hit a lob good enough to foil the 6'6" frame of the Romanian to go up 5-0 and serve out the match.

After just one hour and nine minutes on centre court, Roger Federer had gotten the best of Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-2, 6-0.

For match highlights, click here.

Victor Hanescu of Romania

Sharapova Must Fight to Best Mladenovic

Maria Sharapova did not breeze through her opening match on Court 1 this Monday. Serbia-born French player Kristina Mladenovic (ranked 37th) stayed toe to toe with the 2004 Wimbledon champion throughout most of the first set.

Suffering a lapse in concentration over a scuff with the umpire about a serving rule during a point replay (about which she was sorely mistaken), Sharapova almost lost the first set but regrouped with excellent serving to take it 7-6 (7-5) in a tough tiebreak.

Finally remembering her ranking, Mladenovic began serving poorly in the second set and allowed MaSha too much leeway with a 4-1 lead over her.

Much more resolute than in her earlier years, Sharapova did not falter in grabbing the match with a 6-3 second set win.

For match highlights, click here.

Maria Sharapova (R) d. Kristina Mladenovic (L) in Round 1 at Wimbledon

Murray and Azarenka Also Through to 2R

Murray had little trouble displacing Benjamin Becker of Germany with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win on the grass courts at Wimbledon. British #1 Murray surrendered an early lead in the first and was late on seizing a break point, but it came with a set point then and there was nothing more Becker could do.

Vika battled through knee pain after an awkward slide in the grass to win her match against

Maria João Koehler of Portual 6-1, 6-2, after eliminating break point in the last service game.

Match highlights of Murray/Becker can be watched here; Azarenka/Koehler here.

Continue staying with us for all the latest updates at the All-England Club.

Breathe tennis!!

Wimbledon Live Streaming

I'm so sorry I forgot to post the link for live streaming.

You can watch today's matches and much more by clicking right here.

Enjoy it!

Breathe tennis!!

Wimbledon Preamble

We've undergone a fantastic start to the grass season this year. The draws are out, the schedule is set, and the regular crop of superstars is already settled in and practicing ahead of the Royal Games at Wimbledon.

A series of warm-up tournaments have been rolled up inside the trophy cases of such contenders as Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Nicolas Mahut.


Murray Wins at Queens

At the Aegon Championships in Queens, Andy Murray uprooted Croatian defending champ Marin Cilic to reclaim the ATP 250 series title since he (Murray) last won it in 2011. The two exchanged the first two sets at 7-5, with Murray losing the first and Cilic showing some smart moves that even the defending US Open champ couldn't conquer. But the British No. 1 was not to be pushed around in the decider and impressively earned his third Queens title (the first being in 2009).

Andy Murray d. Marin Cilic 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 at Queens, London

Federer Wins at Halle

At the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, meanwhile, Mikhail Youzhny of Russia could do precious little to stop top player Roger Federer from claiming his sixth victory at the ATP 250 series tournament. The crowd was eating up both men's performances, even as Mikhail won the first set 7-6. But the second set went more in Roger's direction, as Youzhny double-faulted himself into a 3-5 pit amid yells of frustration and increasing errors on both wings. The decider was much the same story; Federer sped through it to win, all smiles, his favorite warm-up tourney ahead of Wimbledon.

Roger Federer d. Mikhail Youzhny 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 at Halle, Germany

Mahut Wins in the Netherlands

Swiss  No. 2 player Stanislas Wawrinka was more than a bit out of rhythm in his finals match against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. Stan was outsmarted, outmaneuvered and outpaced by Mahut's noteworthy finesse with the ball on the grass court at 's-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch, to avoid the mouthful) and surrendered the match in straight sets. This is Mahut's first title win at the Topshelf Open (formerly known as the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships) and his first title of the year.

Nicolas Mahu d. Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 at Den Bosch, Netherlands

Lopez Wins at Eastbourne 

Spaniard  Feliciano Lopez recorded his first ATP title win in three years by defeating Gilles Simon of France at the Aegon International in Eastbourne, UK. The first set tiebreak went the way of the lefty Lopez, while Simon took the second set in another tiebreaker. However, Lopez got an early break in the deciding third and raced to a 5-0 lead against Simon, who seemed too discouraged to turn things around. Lopez had match point with a break opportunity on Simon's serve when the Frenchman slipped on the grass and sailed the final forehand long, awarding Lopez the win while he sat, defeated, on his bum.

Feliciano Lopez d. Gilles Simon 7-6, 6-7, 6-0 at Eastbourne, UK

 Isner Wins at Newport

American John Isner has made it a hat trick at the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island by beating Australian Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. [The highlights video for this match will be posted when available.]

John Isner with Hall of Fame trophy in 2013

Other ATP top players like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have opted to show up at Wimbledon without warm-up titles under their belts, so how can we expect them to perform on the grass at the All-England Club, where play begins on Monday, June 24?

For Novak, it will be a much smoother transition as his athleticism is unlikely to be hampered by the surface on which the 2011 Wimbledon champion has proven he can handle. For Rafa, however, with his recovering knee and preference for faster surfaces, this may be a real challenge. Roger Federer, a seven-time champion here, will not be feeling too unfamiliar, while Andy Murray must have a bit of vengeance on his mind as he fell to the Swiss No. 1 just last year in an emotional battle that ended in tears.

Moreover, the draws have placed Djokovic in a world of his own in the top half, whereas Nadal, Federer and Murray are all crowding up the bottom half. An upset seems inevitable and we can't really tell at this point who's going to be sent packing prematurely.

What we can do is watch closely for signs of strength (and weakness) and continue to.....

 Breathe tennis!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm 33rd birthday greetings to 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. We would like to wish you all the best at Wimbledon, for the rest of the season and above all today. Have an enjoyable day!!

Italian Francesca Schiavone posing with Roland Garros trophy in 2010

BUON COMPLEANNO!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend hearty 27th birthday greetings to Frenchman Richard Gasquet. You strike the back-hand with one-handed precision, just as you've single-handedly garnered our respect for your natural talent (and you look good too!). Have an amazing day!!

Richard Gasquet of France

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm 33rd birthday greetings to 7-time Grand Slam champion, fashion designer and author Venus Williams. Formidable character that you are, both on and off the courts, we are certain you're a source of inspiration for younger sister Serena, as well as an incredible example for aspiring players and young women. Have a splendid day!!

5-time Wimbledon champ, Venus Williams

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm 28th birthday greetings to Marcos Baghdatis. You've made your homeland Cyprus proud and entertained millions of tennis fans with your passionate and aggressive play. Do have a SMASHING day!!

Marcos Baghdatis

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm 44th birthday greetings to 22-time Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf (born Stefanie Maria Graf). You've defied the laws of tennis wins, given us many marvelous years of goddess-like talent to gaze upon and become an unforgettable legend in the process. Do have a fantastic day!

German superstar, Steffi Graf

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Nadal Wins 8th French Open

On a chilly Sunday afternoon in Paris, the fastest man in track witnessed the fastest man on clay etch himself into the pages of history with an incredible eighth French Open win. Usain Bolt, the Jamaican record sprinter who was to present the winner with the trophy, could be seen in the stands wearing sunglasses and a light fedora.

Rafael Nadal fulfilled his once-in-a-lifetime campaign by pummeling his friend and compatriot David Ferrer to a pulp in three arduous sets. The constant pushes and pulls which occurred are not reflected in the 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 final scoreline, but it was Rafa's match to win from the get-go.

In just the third game, Nadal's high-bouncing forehand whiplashes were already lethal enough to force a break out of David and the reigning champ would go up 2-1.

But the tenacious David, never mindful of the scoreboard, drew a string of errors in Nadal's would-be consolidation service game to break back for 2-2.

Ferrer then held serve with tidy play at the net, followed by Nadal's hold with fewer errors than his previous service game.

Two heartrending breaks of serve in Nadal's benefit hinted at the fact that Ferrer was the less competent player on court, and so the first set went to Rafa, 6-3.

Off the bat in the second set, Rafa broke for 2-0 despite truly superb efforts from Ferrer and consolidated the lead with a series of winners. 3-1 Nadal.

Game 5 of set 2 was chock full of deuces and break points, the fourth of which Nadal sent packing with a flat and low backhand pass that fell just inside the baseline corner of the ad court almost at his command. Soon after, Rafa would hold for 4-1.

Now, the tone was getting more sombre as neither inexhaustible competitor was about to subside in contest for the title.

Nadal paused play on Ferrer's serve at 4-1, 30-15 to glare at members of the audience who refused to sit and be quiet, despite repeated requests in that respect from the chair umpire. The French crowd was not very fond of his annoyed disposition, and Ferrer used the mental preoccupation plaguing Nadal to erase three break points; still, Nadal found a way to get the break on the fifth chance to go up 5-1.

Before Nadal could serve next, a shirtless fan with a lighted flare had to be shoved off the court. Perhaps fazed and momentarily afraid, Nadal played a tight game and surrendered the break 5-2.

Next it was David Ferrer who got tight and lost a quick but significant game on serve to lose the set 6-2 and hand the reins back to Nadal.

Rafa started the third set with a love hold in five minutes, still energized after one hour and thirty-nine minutes of play, then broke Ferrer's serve for a 2-0 lead.

Ferrer was not making it at all easy for Nadal, who was beginning to serve and retrieve poorly after almost two hours working with the new "old" knee on court. This gave Ferrer the chance to break back at 0-40, which he did, but the exertion necessary to out-stroke Nadal  was apparent in his body language. Luckily for them both, a steady drizzle paused play just long enough for them to compose themselves.

Deceptively re-energized, Ferrer stepped back onto court when the skies cleared up a bit and consolidated the break for 2-all. Nadal too was relentless in battle and kept his neck out in front with a 3-2 hold.

Sacrificing accuracy for aggression, David was going all out on his shots and hence making a heap of errors, allowing Rafa to maintain the lead. Something or someone on the side of the court from which Rafa was complaining in the second set seemed to be troubling Ferrer; he and Nadal exchanged a knowing look and a wry smile, and David continued trucking on, 3-3.

Two hours and six minutes into the match, Nadal won a pivotal seventh game to go up 4-3.

Another nervous game from Ferrer culminated with a double fault that gave Rafa the break for 5-3. Serving for the match, Nadal let Ferrer hammer the nails into his own coffin by forcing errors in order to get to double championship point.

Straight-faced, he took to the baseline and sealed his place in the hall of tennis fame with a helluva big serve followed by his favorite forehand, irretrievable by what was left of the crushed spirit in David Ferrer. Then he was on the ground, ritualistic even in celebration, as he soiled his shirt in the red dirt that adores him and covered his face with his hands.

Rafa can now boast a whopping twelve major titles, on par with Roy Emerson and eclipsed only by Pete Sampras's fourteen and Roger Federer's insuperable seventeen titles. That isn't bad for a guy whose physicality has been both the boon and bane of his performance.

But Roger already had fifteen titles in 2009 when he was the same age that Rafa is now (27 years). So will Rafa be able to overtake him? It certainly isn't at the forefront of his mind; Nadal says he is focused only on continuing to play consistently well for as long as he can.

We're the ones who want to see if he can make it there and who, if anyone (*cough* Djokovic), can stop him. With the clay season wrapped up (mostly in Nadal's trophy case), and the green grass of Wimbledon just on the horizon, we won't have to wait too long to get some answers.

Rafael Nadal (L) accepts the French Open trophy from Usain Bolt (R)

Breathe tennis!!

French Open 2013 Women's Singles Final: Serena Williams (USA) v. Maria Sharapova (RUS)

The Women's Singles Final at Roland Garros on Saturday, June 8, 2013 went every bit as expected.....in the favor of fifteen-time Major champion and Parisian by acclimatization Serena Williams.

The 31-year-old, who owns an apartment in Paris, fell early in the first set to a 0-2 deficit. Her opponent Maria Sharapova was being amply aggressive, kicking the proverbial dust in Serena's face as she raced out of the starting gate.

But did she really think Serena would roll over and just give her the set on a silver platter? Williams quickly broke back to forge a 4-2 lead.

Sharapova had a tactic, though: go wide to Williams's forehand to force the errors. It worked well enough to allow her to break back and make it 4-all.

At 15-30, unfortunately, MaSha dumped a wild backhand to hand Serena two break chances. The American would capitalize on them and go on to win the first set 6-4.

Sharapova was working mightily hard to put in big serves but Serena only returned them with interest, as she did at the start of the second set. That and an untimely double fault put Maria down 0-30. It must have been difficult to stick with the forehand target game-plan with the wind whipping as it was.

After warding off 5 break points for an important hold, Sharapova screamed with emotion. 1-0 was the score.

But in her next service game, she would be broken at love. 3-1, favor of the American.

Williams was really smacking her around at this point, and having far less trouble holding her own serve. As in the previous set, Maria was up 40-15 when Serena crashed her party to make it deuce. But MaSha steadied her nerves to keep Serena's lead down to only one break.....and there we were at 3-2.

New balls were brought out for the sixth game and, after a few powerful serves, Serena kept her head in front at 4-2.

Maria then held serve again, fending off what could have easily been an embarrassing 2-5 hole.

When Serena again served her way to 5-3, many feared how close to over this match was.

In game #9, it seemed for a moment that Maria would hold easily, but it was deuce in the blink of an eye, and she had to fight with everything she had just to stay in the match.

Serena fired an ace to begin the tenth game.

The second point went to Sharapova as Williams spawned a wild backhand to make it 15-all.

A second ace (195 km/h) put her back on track. 30-15.

Then she hit a perfectly measured backhand down the line to garner double championship point.

And with one more ace, her 41st of the tournament, she'd proven that eleven years did little to water down her form. Nearly in tears, she fell to her knees in palpable elation, perhaps not even hearing the roaring cheers of the crowd as they lauded their great Roland Garros winner.

Two-time French Open Champion, Serena Williams

Breathe tennis!!

The King for All Intents and Purposes

Already, the world is poring over what has been the most epic Grand Slam match since the Wimbledon final in 2008, or for these two rivals since the Australian Open final last year. Rafael Nadal asserts himself as the rightful King of Clay, more specifically the Master of Roland Garros........in the semifinals.

The heavens looked favorably upon the center court at Roland Garros, bathing Court Philippe Chatrier in glorious sunshine. The crowd cheered boisterously as both men entered the arena. The sweet smell of revenge swirled about the sun-drenched surface of the court, flitting about in the breeze. And the way the stands were bloated with fans, you'd think this were a final.

That's because the stakes couldn't be higher: Djokovic could complete his Career Grand Slam with the French Open title, with the added perk of dethroning Nadal from yet another sovereignty. Rafa, on the other hand, could become the first man in the Open Era to win the same tournament eight times and begin to screech to a halt the slippery slope on which his 20-15 head-to-head against Djokovic is sliding. Two particularly admirable aspirations, unlikely to be matched or even approached, but only one man could walk away with his dreams still alive.

Service holds were fulfilled at the start of the first set, as expected, and with a plethora of unforgettable points strewn in between. Par exemple, in the sixth game, Nadal opened his service game with one jammer of a serve that caused the stunned Djokovic to play a short return. Rafa then lasered a forehand way into the far corner but was a step behind Novak's unintended drop-shot return. Making up for his bad timing with lightning speed, Nadal would scoop the ball back behind the fast-approaching Djokovic, forcing him to play a lob that landed just wide of the service line.

And then King Cobra Nadal landed a deadly strike: he broke Nole's serve in the seventh game, then followed that up with a love hold to take a 5-3 lead. In just over 50 minutes, Rafa had the first set in the bag, 6-4.

Things seemed routine again in the second set until the fifth game when, serving at 2-all, 30-40 down, Djokovic would, for lack of a better way to end the rally, hiccup a drop-shot sufficiently low to foil any other opponent's plans to win the point. But this is Rafael "Quick Feet" Nadal we're talking about. Of course, he got there with time to spare and caressed a backhand pass down the line while Djokovic looked on helplessly from the center service line. 3-2 Nadal.

Now, as most players on tour know, even worse than being outplayed by Djokovic is thinking you're about to grab an easy one from under him when he comes out of nowhere and almost magically throws you into the hole you just tried to push him into. Rafael Nadal knows this feeling all too well. In a manner that can only be attributed to the world #1, Novak Djokovic made a hard-earned comeback, putting himself in a good position at 4-3, with one break opportunity against the Spaniard. And the result of practically painting the lines with uncanny angles, as well as exploiting Rafa's not-so-effective backhand slice, was a 5-3 lead for the Serb.

'Goodness, they're hitting the ball hard' is what one would have thought a few minutes later during game 9. And an outstanding backhand skidding off the loose dirt would prove too good for Rafa as he relinquished the second set to an energized Djoko. Second set: 6-3 Djokovic.

The loss of the second set seemed to have reignited the flame of controlled aggression within Nadal, for he wasted little time in jumping to a 5-1 lead in the third. And then, more drama would ensue..... Two points away from clinching the third set, Rafa played a captivating game of offensive defense with Novak: the Serbian carved out a decent drop-shot and covered the closer half of the court in rightful anticipation of Nadal's down-the-line pass attempt. But Rafa easily chased down the lob that followed and, to the utter surprise of the crowd, Djokovic netted the smash from less than two meters behind the net. He would win only one more point before thrashing a forehand long. Third set: 6-1 Nadal.

In the fourth set, the only thing as spectacular to watch as Djokovic's delicate drop-shots were Nadal's impossible retrieving skills. Hence, the two stayed deadlocked for ten consecutive games, until the Spaniard shook himself loose and a fraction ahead with a break for 6-5.

Then there was precious little time for onlookers to register that Nadal was serving for the match, so rapidly did Djokovic seize control of the game and force a tiebreaker upon the proceedings at Roland Garros.

Rolling with the momentum, Nole would tug at the tense strings possibly stiffening Nadal at the time. In a flash, the top seed had grabbed the fourth set 7-6 (7-3) and forced a deciding fifth, much to the delight of the French crowd.

The moment of guts, nuts and powerful shots lay right before both men as they entered the final set. Nadal was broken right off the bat, seeming to stumble now that the clock registered more than three grueling hours since the match had commenced.

No amount of scrambling from Rafa would cause Djokovic to surrender this vital lead; even two scorching backhands in the fifth game couldn't erase the break difference that kept Novak a hair's breadth nearer to victory than Nadal.

But we all sensed that something else, something humongous was on the horizon, and we were right. Nole was maintaining the strangle-hold at 4-3 and deuce when he lost balance on a net smash approach and almost fell forward over the net. Chair umpire Pascal Maria felt the only logical thing to do was to penalize Djokovic for winning the point! Advantage Nadal thus. And 6-6 soon after for the final tiebreak showdown.

Still employing the drop-shot effectively, Novak had only to keep holding serve to prevent an unfortunate exit. Nadal, sent running away from the net with yet another lob, delighted fans with a "tweener" that rose high enough for Djokovic to sack the smash. Again.

At 8-7, 40-0, the door that Nadal had been banging on all match at last began to creak as he crouched to receive Djokovic's must-win serve. And when Novak the Great pushed a forehand a mere three feet past the baseline, that door swung open most emphatically. Four hours and thirty seven minutes after the first ball bounced on Court Philippe Chatrier that afternoon, Rafael Nadal and his team were jumping for joy at his (semi)final win over the formidable Djokovic.

Far from being over, Rafa Nadal faces yet another formidable opponent in fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. Convinced Sunday's final will be a blowout? Might I remind you that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was flying sky-high after eliminating Roger Federer in straight sets but couldn't find the will or the way to oust Ferrer. There's no telling what the Spaniard can achieve now, driven and focused as he is at the moment. He is going for his very first Grand Slam title and at age 31, this may be his last chance.

All we are hoping for is another blockbuster of a match, with emotions running high, momentum swinging back and forth, umpire decisions on which to speculate, and dazzling points that seem humanly impossible to execute. One way or another, we will have a Spanish King. Yes, Nadal has already proven his point; let's see if he can make it official.

Nadal feels the triumph of beating Djokovic in the semifinal at RG13

Breathe tennis!!

Closer to Crowning the Champs

TUESDAY, DAY 10

Les Hommes

Well, we weren't too startled to hear that David Ferrer of Spain had dismissed his countryman Tommy Robredo in straight sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen for a seat in the quarterfinal huddle.

But we were astonished by Federer's loss (oh how sacrilegious it seems to utter these words in that order!!) to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an elimination as quick and unexpected as an axe to a chicken's neck.

In one of his sloppiest matches of the year to date, Roger Federer was shoved out of the race to RG coronation by one tenacious and light-footed Tsonga. Fed was shown no mercy by the Frenchman after racking up a few forehand errors in the middle of the first set. JW Tsonga took full advantage and won the set 7-5.

What astounded the French crowd, and the millions watching from all over the world, was the lack of comeback by the Swiss Maestro. The last time Federer lost the first set in a Grand Slam final was last year at Wimbledon against Andy Murray, but he won then (4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4) and we all expected him to win here against a seemingly less qualified opponent than the clean-hitting Murray.

But Jo-Willy was not ready to let down his home crowd and blasted his way to the finish line, ignoring Roger's sluggish movements and channeling all his energy on executing his own game successfully.

The final score of 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 marks an auspicious moment for French tennis by the hands of Tsonga, who has hopes of commemorating the 30th anniversary of a local French Open champion (Yannick Noah, 1983) with a win of his own, come Sunday.

Unfortunately, it also marks the third time that Federer has lost in a French Open quarterfinal. It has been four years since Roger has hoisted La Coupe des Mousquetaires (or "Musketeer's Trophy", as the silver-lined cup is commonly called) in his first and only Parisian conquest in 2009.

So where does this leave us? With several questions, one of which is whether Roger will be physically able to contest this tournament next year (by then, he will close to 33 years young) amid twenty-somethings fresh out of the junior circuit and hungry for titles.

An even more gut-wrenching question: with the "Big Four" all over the age of 25, Roger leading the way in age, titles and all-time records, is the "Golden Era" of tennis coming to a close? Or is another great age headed our way under the ensign of the little ones like Jerzy Janowicz, John Isner and Grigor Dimitrov? Only time will tell.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, victorious in battle against Roger Federer at RG13

Les Dames

Ms. Williams was in full control of her quarterfinal match against Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia on Court Philippe Chatrier. Despite hot hitting from the Russian (who is known for her occasional inconsistency), Serena was able to forge a 6-1 first set choke-hold.

Perhaps sensing Williams's propensity to outpace opponents, Kuznetsova began the clever technique of using the slice backhand to draw Serena in towards the net and then whoosh deep passing shots to gain easy points. Amazingly, Serena did not find an answer to that for the duration of the second set; hence, Svetlana loosened the choke-hold with a 6-3 equalizer.

Looking to pick up the slack before momentum rolled too far away from her, and apparently coming to terms with the butt-load of forehand errors she made in the second set, Serena upped her game just enough to come back from 0-2 down and steal the match from between Lana's deft fingers.

The mood changed at 15-all in the sixth game of the third set when Williams curled a forehand in the ad court to end a long rally with a grimace and a grunt. Showing improved anticipation and timing thenceforth, Serena won the next two games to consolidate a vital break for 5-2.

Not to be put away without retaliation, Kuznetsova bravely held serve then to force Serena to serve it out.

And as her final forehand, laced with controlled aggression, bounced past the 27-year-old Kuznetsova, multiple Grand Slam champion Serena Williams would do just that, crouching in transparent emotion at this, her laborious triumph.

Italy's Sara Errani is her next competitor. Maybe the petite clay court expert from Bologna will be able to bring her best game against Williams, who, in spite of her 15 singles titles, is not as adept on this surface.

Serena Williams advances to the French Open semifinals

WEDNESDAY, DAY 11

Les Hommes

1		N. Djokovic	6	77	7			Quarterfinals
12		T. Haas	3	65	5			Jun 5, Completed
3		R. Nadal	6	6	6			Quarterfinals
9		S. Wawrinka	2	3	1			Jun 5, Completed

[Quarterfinal results in the Men's Singles draw at Roland Garros, as obtained from the Google search engine.]

Some experts argue that, notwithstanding these latest match results in which Djokovic's scoreline is closer than Nadal's, the Serbian has had an easier time progressing through the draw than the Spaniard.

The tournament statistics attest to this fact: Djokovic has conceded 57 games and just one set en route to this semifinal match with Nadal, who has conceded a total of 62 games and two sets.

What's worrying is the fact that both sets lost by Nadal were first sets to lower ranked players in the first two rounds. In his ongoing comeback, Rafa has been starting off shakily and improving his form as the tournaments progress to their final stages. He is slowly beginning to trust his somewhat-healed knee and his ability to run around and hit his signature whipping forehand.

The problem is that even healthy, pre-comeback Nadal had loads of difficulty beating Djokovic, without exception of surface. And Nole has already stopped him from claiming a record ninth Monte-Carlo title earlier this year. Therefore isn't far-fetched at all to think that the Serb has it in him to beat Nadal here.

All Novak must hope for is not to be bothered by the ego exuding off a man who has been in eight consecutive ATP finals over the past four months and captured six of those titles in grand style. But then again..... Always honest about his feelings, Rafa has already admitted his nervousness ahead of the match against Novak on Friday but promised fans to be driven more by desire to win than (justified) nerves.

Friday's proceedings  on Court Philippe Chatrier will put to bed all the wanderings of our imagination, since whoever wins this semifinal would be the overwhelming favorite to win the title. A king must be crowned. Who will it be?

Djokovic at the French Open 2013

Les Dames

Victoria Azarenka had a pretty routine win over Russian player Maria Kirilenko to book her place in the semifinals on Thursday.

Another Maria, Sharapova specifically, would have an almost as troubling time. Former world #1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia had Sharapova stumbling from one corner of the court to the next, thrashing a mixture of topspin-heavy winners and wild ground-strokes at the defending champion to capture the first set with a bagel (6-0).

In the second set , Sharapova was able to anticipate the ball much better and exploited a few forehands down the line to get an early break with consolidation to lead 3-1. Working the angles much better, MaSha made good on more break opportunities to go up 4-1. Jankovic appeared less and less nimble in her lateral movement but broke back to stay in the set at 5-4. Before long, however, Sharapova had the second set in the bag at 6-4.

Showing telltale signs of exhaustion after one and a half hours of intense play versus a younger opponent, Jankovic eased up off the gas pedal in the third set, allowing Sharapova to easily read her less than deft drop-shots to go up 5-3. Jankovic fervently needed to hold serve at this point but was double match point down when she sent a forehand just wide of the service line and ran almost instinctively to the net to congratulate Sharapova on the win.

Sharapova faces Vika Azarenka in the semifinals on Thursday.

2008 US Open finalist Jelena Jankovic on the stretch

Breathe tennis!!

Stan the Man

After one hour and fifty two minutes of irremissible misses on the forehand and backhand sides, Stanislas Wawrinka was two sets down and facing break points at 2-all, 15-40 when he almost visibly roused himself from latency with a spicy cross-court forehand.

His opponent Richard Gasquet paced patiently for a few moments while Stan wiped away his tentativeness in the court-side towel, the both of them wondering if the match were almost over.

In the next point, the second line call in a span of five minutes ensued, again going in Wawrinka's favor - his forehand was well inside the service line. He still had a few words to share with the chair umpire though, pointing his finger accusingly and raising his voice in anger.

Vexed outbursts more often than not cloud a player's focus and cause him/her to lose the match, mostly because it is the unattractive scoreline that frustrates them and not so much the particular incident at hand. But Wawrinka kept his cool - or rather his heat - and took the next two sets.

Richard of France was well aware that he'd just squandered a two sets to love lead to an enraged opponent and conjured up enough decent play to force a deciding tiebreak.

Fighting to stay in the match at 6-7, 15-40, however, his first serve betrayed him at the worst possible time and, whether he realized or not that he had one more opportunity to avoid an exit, he made little effort to return an inch-perfect down-the-line forehand from Wawrinka and lost - or forfeited, I dare say - his berth on the royal French clay.

Against the odds, Stanislas Wawrinka had made it to the quarterfinals, final score: 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6.

Swiss #2 Stanislas Wawrinka on Day at Roland Garros

Weekend Blitz

From Saturday to Monday, we really got down to business in France and showed the world who's boss at the French Open.


Saturday

To close off the third round action among the men, an octet of matches were played and I don't think you'll be TOO surprised at the results.

In defeating Jerzy Janowicz 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, Swiss #2 player Stanislas Wawrinka sealed a sweet deal for the fourth round, which isn't too much of a shock in a battle between a feisty newbie and a seasoned vet with one of the best backhands on tour. Regardless of that, it must have been as momentous an occasion as his victory at the Portugal Open last month for his fourth career title. In fact, Stan's performance thus far this year has been nothing short of stellar. Just a few weeks ago in Madrid, he advanced all the way to the finals but was defeated by the very man he may face in the quarterfinals here, Rafael Nadal. And while Nadal has much more at stake here in Paris than he did in Madrid, "WOWrinka" may not need an invitation to kick some butt in the name of sweet, sweet revenge.

Again without surprises, Djokovic, Kohlschreiber and Gasquet all comfortably advanced to the fourth round in straight sets, as follows:

Novak Djokovic d. Grigor Dimitrov: 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Richard Gasquet d. Nikolay Davydenko: 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
Philipp Kohlschreiber d. Victor Hanescu: 6-9, 7-6, 6-1

Tommy Haas continued to make miracles at age 35, defeating marathon-lover John Isner in five grueling sets: 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 10-8. Both men sporting white caps a la Andy Roddick, it was Haas who produced stunning shots that the seven foot wingspan of Isner could not retrieve. Even despite Isner's truly humongous serve (Haas's position for returning serve was so close to the first row of bleachers that he eluded the aerial camera at the start of almost every return game point.), Tommy managed to pull a win out of the old bag, and thus out went the last American man in the draw.

Mikhail Youzhny, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori also earned their fourth round spots via straight set victories.

Wawrinka carving a slice backhand at RG13

The ladies were just as productive.

Jelena Jankovic knocked out 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Jamie Hampton, Francesca Schiavone and Maria Kirilenko defeated their opponents in straight sets to advance to the fourth round.

On a roll of sorts, Bethanie Mattek-Sands needed three sets to beat Paula Ormaechea (4-6, 6-1, 6-3) and continue her amazing run towards the finish line at Roland Garros.

Sloane Stephens earned a bit of wows herself, getting past Marina Erakovic in three sets (6-4, 6-7, 6-3) to match her best performance at this tournament, when she made it to the fourth round last year.

And finally, the two top-tiered ladies of the day advanced without too much difficulty, Maria Sharapova defeating Jie Zheng 6-1, 7-5; and Victoria Azarenka defeating Alize Cornet in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Sloane Stephens on Day 9 at Roland Garros

Sunday

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer ran away with their matches in straights. Tsonga defeated Viktor Troicki in straight sets, each at 6-3; whereas Ferrer got rid of Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

Conversely, Roger Federer and Tommy Robredo were pushed to the limit in five set battles that could easily have gone the other way. But they managed to survive, defeating respective opponents Gilles Simon and Nicolas Almagro.

If this were any other surface, we'd expect to see Roger thriving and Rafa trying to settle in at this point. But this is clay and as the tournament progresses, we're seeing Nadal winning matches more comfortably while Federer is just a bit unsteady. The draw still favors Federer, who, unlike Nadal, won't have to face Novak Djokovic before the finals. But this is a new year, with new birthdays, new injuries and new circumstances that give either of the three men a fair chance to walk away with the title.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga whipping a forehand at the French Open

Among the women, Kuznetsova, Radwanska and Errani successfully advanced to the quarterfinals, as follows:

S. Kuznetsova d. Angelique Kerber 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
A. Radwanska d. A. Ivanovic 6-2, 6-4
S. Errani d. C. Suarez-Navarro 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

Needless to say, all-star Serena Williams defeated Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-3 to make it to the quarters and keep alive her dream of winning the French Open for only the second time.

Agnieszka Radwanska

Monday

Nadal inched even closer to the expectant semifinal clash with Novak Djokovic by defeating competitor Kei Nishikori (6-4, 6-1, 6-3). The Japanese contender all but unraveled in frustration as one attempted winner after another seemed to sail long or wide. It's a feeling that many players experience while playing perhaps the most prosperous clay-court player the Open Era has ever seen. Nishikori certainly did not roll over but, after over an hour of being pushed around by the defending champion, his body language betrayed any gusto he may have been feigning. Not too long after smashing his Wilson racket to the ground as a wordless sign of defeat, the match had ended and he was officially out. Maybe Novak really is the only person who can stop - or at least slow down - Nadal from arriving at the winner's circle.

Speaking of the world #1, Novak Djokovic needed four sets to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber (4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4) in what seemed only for a moment like a formidable obstacle to the guy at the height of the rankings. Is he rounding into form or not admitting that the recent aggravation of his ankle injury is subtly diminishing his effectiveness at the Open? We'll do anything but credit Kohlschreiber, just another name on the list of opponents who underrate Djokovic's ability to significantly up his level of play and win matches, no matter how deep a hole he's dug for himself.

Battle of the backhands took place when Stanislas Wawrinka overcame a two-set deficit to beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet in five sets 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6. The Swiss player would not be dismissed and proved too much for the high-strung Gasquet.

Veteran Tommy Haas is making his hometown of Hamburg, Germany proud as he progressed through the draw at the ripe old untitled age of 35 by beating Russian bulldog Mikhail Youzhny....and in straight sets, mind you. The final score of 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 reflects Youzhny's inconsistent level of play as of late. Haas, on the other hand, has never advanced past the fourth round at the French Open (or past the semis in any of the four Grand Slams in a pro career almost two decades in the making). It doesn't look like he will do any better this year either - he faces Djokovic in the quartfinals on Wednesday.

Tommy Haas, victorious in the fourth round at Paris

And on the women's side:

Jelena Jankovic continued to impress fans with a comprehensive win over American Jamie Hampton in straight sets 6-0, 6-2.

Maria Kirilenko had the pleasure of dismissing Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-5, 6-4 and stop dead in its tracks the zooming train that ran over Li Na in the second round last week.

Sloane Stephens was not good enough to beat reigning champion Maria Sharapova. A match riddled with errors from Stephens gave Sharapova an easy 6-4, 6-3 win.

And Victoria Azarenka defeated Italian Francesca Schiavone in a 6-3, 6-0 blowout.

Vika Azarenka in a press interview ahead of the French Open

Thus the pieces are placed and the stage set to host some tantalizing quarterfinal combats in Paris on Tuesday.

Stay right here for more results and commentary. Breathe tennis!!