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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!!
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