Roland Garros Update

[jimlosaltos]

Meanwhile, some big surprises on the WTA side. "Clayleh" Fernandez & Coco into the quarterfinals.

Fernandez in 3 over Anisimova. She has a good change against Trevisan to make the semifinals ! Why not? She's been in a major final.

[jimlosaltos]

Meanwhile, what the heck is happening on Court Philippe-Chatrier ?

I can't see that match live where I am now. Amusingly (not really) the Roland Garros web sites' stats are a mess of errors, so I choose to believe the scoreline is also wrong <g>.

CORRECTION: Rafa has played and won 2 five set matches, just never in a final.

1. JOHN ISNER: This was the first round of French Open 2011. Nadal(#1) was the clear favorite coming into tournament, but had to dig so deep to quell the challenge of John Isner(#39) in the first round, winning 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6–2, 6-4
2. DJOKOVIC :This would be remembered as one of the most epic matches of the decade. Nadal was aiming for his 8th French open title. While Djokovic was looking to clinch all slams in a calender year. Djokovic entered the tournament as clear favorite since Nadal was out of form for last 7–8 months with a knee injury. Though that injury couldn't stop Nadal defeating the then world no. 1 Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7, 9-7 to book a birth in the final eventually winning it.
3. FAA Today.

OK, now he is in a third, mark it down: ... 7:48 PM
Sunday, May 29, 2022 (GMT+2)
Time in Paris, France

FAA is soaring ! (I've got a million FAA puns).

UPDATE: If you can't see and want to listen live, Tennis Channel has created a "Space" on Twitter

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1vOxwyqjaaPGB?s=20

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1vOxwyqjaaPGB

Entering fifth set:
Live audio: Pam Shriver is questioning Rafa going to a soccer match last night "does you justice the night before a big match now in the fifth"

Pam notes it is cold, 61?F and humid, weather Rafa doesn't like. Might as well be a 'dreaded night match'.

TC announcer says Rafa is still the betting favorite. "Razor" another announcer says "FAA is serving bombs".

AHA I just got video through the dreaded Peacock www.peacocktv.com in US

Bye.

[stotty]

Rafa slots into invincible mode in the final set...right at his best. From 2-2 in the fifth the outcome never seemed in doubt. Once he's working inside the baseline, which he was a lot in that fifth set, rallies are as good as over. His forehand is beyond doubt the best ever. It's pummelling, raking, tactically terrific, and just about the hardest shot to deal with in tennis one would imagine.

Novak is looking immaculate so far this tournament and, for me, it's a shame the Rafa/Novak clash is coming so soon. It will be interesting but I honestly think Novak can do it again. That's one match I am not going to miss.

[jimlosaltos]

Rafa slots into invincible mode in the final set...right at his best. From 2-2 in the fifth the outcome never seemed in doubt. Once he's working inside the baseline, which he was a lot in that fifth set, rallies are as good as over. His forehand is beyond doubt the best ever. It's pummelling, raking, tactically terrific, and just about the hardest shot to deal with in tennis one would imagine.

Novak is looking immaculate so far this tournament and, for me, it's a shame the Rafa/Novak clash is coming so soon. It will be interesting but I honestly think Novak can do it again. That's one match I am not going to miss.

And yet the one shot I will remember if Rafa serving and volleying behind a second serve in the final set.

[stotty]

Impressive win for Alcaraz against Khachanov. I don't think I have seen anyone move quite like Alcaraz. He's built like and acrobat and moves just like one. One almost expects him to do double somersaults in the run up to drop shots. The power in his legs is exceptional...explosive.

He's great fun. I'm rooting like mad for the kid.

[stotty]

And yet the one shot I will remember if Rafa serving and volleying behind a second serve in the final set.

It's amazing how serve and volley is sneaking its way back in to modern tennis. It's almost always done to take the opponent unawares. Works well, as both FAA and Rafa demonstrated at times.

[glacierguy]

If watching the French on Discovery+ app, I've just found that if you click the speech bubble at bottom right, you can choose different commentary languages, BUT ALSO, "ambient sound", which is just the recording from the court without the inanity. It's great!

[stroke]

Impressive win for Alcaraz against Khachanov. I don't think I have seen anyone move quite like Alcaraz. He's built like and acrobat and moves just like one. One almost expects him to do double somersaults in the run up to drop shots. The power in his legs is exceptional...explosive.

He's great fun. I'm rooting like mad for the kid.

He won vs Ramos V because of his unparalleled foot speed court coverage on a couple of gets late in the 5th set. Not hard to discern his oddsmakers betting line rank as a solid #3 favorite. Stef, I just don't know if his backhand is good enough to win the FO.

[stroke]

Novak a solid favorite vs Nadal with an implied probability of 68.5% of winning the match. That is really something considering Nadal's record at RG. Oddsmakers seem to be practically making it too tempting to bet on Nadal.

[jimlosaltos]

Novak a solid favorite vs Nadal with an implied probability of 68.5% of winning the match. That is really something considering Nadal's record at RG. Oddsmakers seem to be practically making it too tempting to bet on Nadal.

Do we know yet if it is a day or night match?
Both players seem to think it makes a big difference.
Last semifinal at RG between the two "seemed" to turn on nightfall.

[stroke]

Do we know yet if it is a day or night match?
Both players seem to think it makes a big difference.
Last semifinal at RG between the two "seemed" to turn on nightfall.

Night match, which would seem to favor Novak. I am certain that was in the equation for the betting odds.

[jimlosaltos]

He won vs Ramos V because of his unparalleled foot speed court coverage on a couple of gets late in the 5th set. Not hard to discern his oddsmakers betting line rank as a solid #3 favorite. Stef, I just don't know if his backhand is good enough to win the FO.

I did not get to see Alcaraz vs Ramos.

Curiously, Ramos was the first player Alcaraz beat on tour, and all three of their matches have been close with 5 tiebreaks.

I'm trying to remember Ramos. I believe he's better on hard courts, and hits flat, hard forehands.

Is there a pattern? Alcaraz lost to Seb Korda (avenged at RG) who went wide to Alcaraz's forehand, then flat to the backhand (as if he was playing Rafa).

de Minaur had match points vs Alcaraz (Who saved one with a point that exemplifies your comments on his movement. De Minaur hit behind him, must have thought for an instant he'd won, but Carlos just kept running to his backhand corner but turned sideways while running, reached behind with his forehand and hit a passing shot winner.") Although de Minaur is completely different than Korda, he played a bit the same - flat forehand to the backhand.

I need more evidence but there might be a pattern.

[jimlosaltos]

Night match, which would seem to favor Novak. I am certain that was in the equation for the betting odds.

Thanks. Absolutely. Shame; less offense more grinder ball

[jimlosaltos]

19 year olds RULE !

Teen Qinwen Zheng has Iga in a tiebreak, with a mini-break as I type !

Danish teen Holger Rune takes out Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to quarter-final at Roland-Garros on Monday.

UPDATE: decided to do a round up on the teens.


Danish 19 yo Holger Rune upsets Stef Tsisipas. Simply solid play. My amatuer view, Stef was too passive, perhaps expecting the youngster to make errors. Next up is Caspar Ruud, in the first majors quarterfinal for both, I believe. Ruud is a dotering, old 23
Hmm, embedding links doesn't seem to work so let's go old school Good Highlights here.: https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/v...ipas-r4-rg2022

19 yo Chinese phenom Qinwen Zheng not only took Iga Swiatek to a tiebreak but went up a mini-break, went down then WON THE FIRST SET -- before Iga mended the tear in the space-time continuum 6-7(5), 6-0 6-2 returning to her habit of serving opponents a starchy diet, here a breadstick & a half-pretzel. Iga takes on billion-heire$$ Jessica Pegula of the US. Again, Pegula can make number two in the world if she wins the title, otherwise, I believe that falls to Anett Kontaveit.


19 yo Carlos Alcaraz (you might have heard of him lately?) got back to winning matches in straight sets, this over Karen Khachanov 1,4,4 so he next meets Sasha Zverev, whom he beat handily in the Madrid final. Zverev looked flat and tired there, so I'm guessing this is more spirited. Zverev beat Alcaraz twice on hard courts last year ... but that was waaaaay back when Carlos was 18 <g>.


Leylah Annie Fernandez, who I am hereby nicknaming "Clay-Lah" is, you guessed it, 19 years old ! Into her first quarterfinals, against Martina Trevisan, who must surely be over the hill at a hoary 28 yo.

[stotty]

Stef, I just don't know if his backhand is good enough to win the FO.

Tend to agree while Novak and Rafa are around. Maybe after they are gone those odds may go up a bit. He's a good clay court player otherwise.