Roland Garros 2010 Day 7 Open Thread

Reuters

Had to cater a dinner party last night. Watched much of the tennis (too much, really) in between set up chores, but was too wiped out to write about any of it. Apologies.

Woke up late to see Serena Williams dizzy and Andy Roddick getting his clocked cleaned by Teimuraz Gabashvili. Whenever tennis genius (/snark) Brad Gilbert boasted that Roddick would be excited to play a qualifier in the third round, I wondered if he'd ever seen the Russian play. I thought Roddick might win a set, but if the Russian kept his head, no way would Roddick get through.

The Russian kept his head.

Funny how everybody else can hit through court Suzanne Lenglen but Roddick who thinks it's the slowest court in Stade de Roland Garros. Gabashvili, a flat ballstriker with virtually no topspin on his shots, hit 58 winners, Roddick 14.

Tennis is mental. It was too much to ask for Roddick to make the second week of Roland Garros twice in a row. At least Serena survived her dizzy spell.

Then the score scrolled by and I saw the Bryan Brothers are also lost while I was asleep. Now, Nadia Petrova is trying to serve for the match for the third or fourth or fifth time against Aravane Rezai in an unending chokefest. Both have held three match points, all of Miss Nadia's on her own serve, and yet they're still out their slugging away. I know the match was suspended by darkness, but it feels like it went on through the night for I can see no progress in this storyline. Much like a soap opera.

Anyway....

Schedule for Day 7: Saturday, 29 May 2010

Court Philippe Chatrier 11:00 Start Time
1. Women's Singles - Third Round
Serena Williams (USA)[1] v. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)[29]
Not Before 12:00
2. Women's Singles - Third Round
Aravane Rezai (FRA)[15] v. Nadia Petrova (RUS)[19] To Finish 7-6(2) 4-6 7-7
3. Men's Singles - Third Round
Victor Hanescu (ROU)[31] v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3]
4. Men's Singles - Third Round
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)[28] v. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2]
5. Women's Singles - Third Round
Maria Sharapova (RUS)[12] v. Justine Henin (BEL)[22]

Court Suzanne Lenglen 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Singles - Third Round
Andy Roddick (USA)[6] v. Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS)
2. Women's Singles - Third Round
Shahar Peer (ISR)[18] v. Marion Bartoli (FRA)[13]
3. Men's Singles - Third Round
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)[7] v. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)[30]
4. Women's Singles - Third Round
Jelena Jankovic (SRB)[4] v. Alona Bondarenko (UKR)[27]

Court 1 11:00 Start Time
1. Women's Singles - Third Round
Jarmila Groth (AUS) v. Anastasia Rodionova (AUS)
2. Men's Singles - Third Round
Jurgen Melzer (AUT)[22] v. David Ferrer (ESP)[9]
3. Men's Singles - Third Round
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)[16] v. Robby Ginepri (USA)
4. Women's Singles - Third Round
Anastasia Pivovarova (RUS) v. Samantha Stosur (AUS)[7]

Court 2 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Bob Bryan (USA)/Mike Bryan (USA)[1] v. Marcelo Melo (BRA)/Bruno Soares (BRA)
2. Women's Singles - Third Round
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)[23] v. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)[16]
3. Men's Singles - Third Round
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)[14] v. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)[24]
4. Women's Doubles - Second Round
Serena Williams (USA)Venus Williams (USA)[1] v. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)/Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)

Court 3 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Thierry Ascione (FRA)/Laurent Recouderc (FRA) v. Andrey Golubev (KAZ)/Paolo Lorenzi (ITA)
2. Women's Doubles - Second Round
Alberta Brianti (ITA)/Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) v. Gisela Dulko (ARG)/Flavia Pennetta (ITA)[5]
3. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Julian Knowle (AUT)/Andy Ram (ISR)[10] v. Gael Monfils (FRA)/Josselin Ouanna (FRA)
4. Mixed Doubles - Second Round
Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)/Oliver Marach (AUT)[3] v. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (FRA)/Thierry Ascione (FRA)
5. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Nicolas Almagro (ESP)/Santiago Ventura (ESP) v. Marc Gicquel (FRA)/Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

Court 5 11:00 Start Time
1. Women's Doubles - Second Round
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)/Julia Goerges (GER) v. Andrea Hlavackova (CZE)/Lucie Hradecka (CZE)[16]
2. Women's Doubles - Second Round
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)/Zi Yan (CHN)[9] v. Sara Errani (ITA)/Roberta Vinci (ITA)
3. Women's Doubles - Second Round
Maria Kirilenko (RUS)/Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)[11] v. Petra Kvitova (CZE)/Stefanie Voegele (SUI)

Court 6 11:00 Start Time
1. Women's Doubles - Second Round
Darija Jurak (CRO)/Petra Martic (CRO) v. Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)[2]
Not Before 12:00
2. Men's Singles - Third Round
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)[11] v. Viktor Troicki (SRB) To Finish 2-6 7-6(4) 6-2 3-1
3. Women's Doubles - Second Round
Lucie Safarova (CZE)/Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) v. Iveta Benesova (CZE)/Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE)[13]
4. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Mardy Fish (USA)/Mark Knowles (BAH)[13] v. Guillaume Rufin (FRA)/Alexandre Sidorenko (FRA)
5. Mixed Doubles - First Round
Rennae Stubbs (AUS)/Robert Lindstedt (SWE) v. Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)/Bruno Soares (BRA)
6. Mixed Doubles - First Round
Tathiana Garbin (ITA)/Marcin Matkowski (POL) v. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)/Mark Knowles (BAH)[4]

Court 7 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Doubles - First Round
Rohan Bopanna (IND)/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) v. Fabio Fognini (ITA)/Michael Russell (USA)
2. Women's Singles - Third Round
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)[28] v. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)
3. Men's Singles - Third Round
Nicolas Almagro (ESP)[19] v. Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr (UKR)
4. Mixed Doubles - First Round
Liezel Huber (USA)/Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)[1] v. Yung-Jan Chan (TPE)/Eric Butorac (USA)
5. Mixed Doubles - Second Round
Elena Vesnina (RUS)/Andy Ram (ISR) v. Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)[6]/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)[6]

Court 8 11:00 Start Time
1. Mixed Doubles - First Round
Julie Coin (FRA)/Nicolas Mahut (FRA) v. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)/Horia Tecau (ROU)
2. Men's Doubles - First Round
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP)/Albert Montanes (ESP) v. Wesley Moodie (RSA)/Dick Norman (BEL)[4]
3. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Viktor Troicki (SRB)/Dusan Vemic (SRB) v. Santiago Gonzalez (MEX)/Travis Rettenmaier (USA)

Court 16 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Jonathan Erlich (ISR)/Dudi Sela (ISR) v. Stephen Huss (AUS)/Andre Sa (BRA)
2. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)/Max Mirnyi (BLR)[5] v. Marc Lopez (ESP)/Pere Riba (ESP)
3. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR)/Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) v. Frantisek Cermak (CZE)/Michal Mertinak (SVK)[9]
4. Mixed Doubles - First Round
Lisa Raymond (USA)/Wesley Moodie (RSA)[7] v. Vania King (USA)/Christopher Kas (GER)
5. Mixed Doubles - First Round
Flavia Pennetta (ITA)/Dusan Vemic (SRB) v. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)/Max Mirnyi (BLR)[5]

Court 17 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Lukas Dlouhy (CZE)/Leander Paes (IND)[3] v. Yves Allegro (SUI)/Andreas Beck (GER)
2. Men's Doubles - First Round
Lukasz Kubot (POL)/Oliver Marach (AUT)[6] v. Thiemo De Bakker (NED)/Rogier Wassen (NED)
3. Men's Doubles - Second Round
Simon Greul (GER)/Peter Luczak (AUS) v. Daniel Nestor (CAN)/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)[2]
4. Mixed Doubles - First Round
Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB)/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) v. Chia-Jung Chuang (TPE)/Filip Polasek (SVK)
5. Mixed Doubles - Second Round
Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)/Julian Knowle (AUT) v. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE)/Frantisek Cermak (CZE)

Madrid Champions

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Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai celebrates with her trophy after defeating American Venus Williams during their final match of the Madrid Masters on May 16, 2010 at the Caja Magic sports complex in Madrid. Aravane Rezai won 6-2, 7-5.

::

Clay has always brings out the relentless shotmaking this power merchant is able to execute. Doesn't matter where the ball is -- at her shoelaces or just above her head -- she can rifle an angled winner with the precision of Monica Seles.

Venus simply can't close in a big match right now. She had 6 set points and many of them were wasted on her own racquet. Aggressive on most of Rezai's game points to get it back to deuce, she played her set points against Rezai's serve like a weak seedling. Who knows what might happened in the third set -- Williams would complete the rally or Rezai would serve up a bagel as she did to Justine Henin in the first round -- but the match certainly ought to have gone there.

As I said earlier, I'd give half the farm to see a French player take Roland Garros. The entire nation might slide into the Atlantic Ocean, taking the Iberian Peninsula with it. Rezai is the only player on either tour who has the chance to do it in 2010.

After all, the only set she surrendered this week was the first set she played. Against Henin.

Reuters

Yup. That's you, buddy. Your second big title on home soil. First on clay. And as a bonus, you stand alone, holding the most Masters titles of man in history. Oh, yeah. And you're the first to win the trinity of clay Masters events back-to-back-to-back. Not to mention returning to No. 2 in the world.

Savor it.

Getty

With this straight-set victory over Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, the current world No. 1's, the Americans Bob and Mike Bryan will return to the top spot tomorrow.

Getty

These historic siblings ended the 17-match winning streak of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta. Also in straight sets.

Not a bad showing for those Americans with supposed allergies to the red stuff.

Quote For The Day

"Britain's Andy Murray has received such a big clothing contract from adidas — around £15m over five years — that the brand have ditched Novak Djokovic, Marcos Baghdatis and the Bryan brothers to help fund it. So there was understandable meltdown within adidas when Murray turned up for a photoshoot last week at Dubai’s new racecourse wearing a distinctive Hugo Boss-branded polo shirt. Jim Latham, head of adidas tennis, will be making clear his disappointment to the Murray camp." --Charles Sale

ATP World Tour Awards Announced

I'm way late with this news as I've already been planting in my greenhouse. Spring is coming early to Maine this year and I've got to be ready.

As expected, Roger Federer and the doubles pair of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan received top honors while John Isner picked up most improved player and MaliVai Washington was named Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year for his charity work for underprivileged children in Florida. Not a bad day for fans of American tennis.

View complete awards.

Brother Love

Reuters

Bob Bryan and brother Mike Bryan of the U.S. kiss the champion's trophy after defeating Daniel Nestor of Canada and Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the men's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 30, 2010.

World Tour Finals Final

Reuters/Getty

The one who defeated Roger Federer en route to this final should take the title.

Oh, wait. They both did that.

Okay. So. The one who returns serve most aggressively should take the title. Nikolay Davydenko, who returns to his second year-end final in a row, is capable of serving into the corners when you least expect him. But Juan Martín del Potro won't be as frustrated by the Russian's delivery as he was by the Swede's so he should find himself with more looks to break through. But Kolya returns serve about as well as anyone, leads their head-to-head 2-1 with both victories on indoor hard courts, and gave the reigning US Open champion quite a shellacking at this event last year. Still, the Tower of Tandil is a different player now than he was a year ago.

I've no doubt both of them can hoist the tour's final 2009 trophy, so I'll take another third-set breaker, a tub of popcorn, and may the most composed man win.

United States 2, Switzerland 1

Bob and Mike Bryan have become the most successful doubles team in U.S. Davis Cup history with their four-set victory over Ives Allegro and Stanislas Wawrinka today. 15 wins.

Now it's up to the closer to put this thing away tomorrow.

World Group - Day 2 Results

ARGENTINA defeated NETHERLANDS 3-0
Lucas Arnold Ker/Martin Vassallo Arguello (ARG) d. Jesse Huta Galung/Rogier Wassen (NED) 64 75 63

CZECH REPUBLIC leads FRANCE 2-1
Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Richard Gasquet/Michael Llodra (FRA) 63 16 64 62

USA leads SWITZERLAND 2-1
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) d. Yves Allegro/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 63 64 36 76(2)

CROATIA defeated CHILE 3-0
Mario Ancic/Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Paul Capdeville/Nicolas Massu (CHI) 63 63 36 64

SWEDEN leads ISRAEL 2-1
Simon Aspelin/Robert Lindstedt (SWE) d. Amir Hadad/Andy Ram (ISR) 64 16 76(4) 64

RUSSIA leads ROMANIA 2-1
Marius Copil/Horia Tecau (ROU) d. Marat Safin/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 46 67(2) 76(4) 76(5) 64

GERMANY leads AUSTRIA 2-1
Nicolas Kiefer/Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Julian Knowle/Alexander Peya (AUT) 63 76(6) 36 64

SPAIN leads SERBIA 2-1
David Ferrer (ESP) d. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 63 63 76(4)
Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 61 60 62
Viktor Troicki/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) d. Feliciano Lopez/Tommy Robredo (ESP) 76(5) 64 76(7)

On Parole

I'm happy to see the top players speaking out against this nonsense:

Top tennis players including Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal are in open revolt at what they consider to be intrusive new anti-doping rules that demand testers know their location every day.

Players jeered representatives of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) when details of the stringent regulations were announced at a stormy meeting at the Australian Open in Melbourne last month. One player walked out and others questioned ITF officials on the mandatory requirement of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

Under Wada’s ruling, athletes must report where they are for one hour of each day for the whole year so that investigators can call at any time, unannounced. Anyone who misses three tests in an 18-month period could be suspended for up to two years.

(...)

“These new rules are so draconian that it makes it almost impossible to live a normal life,” the British No 1 said. “I got a visit at 7am one morning at my home right after I had travelled home from Australia. I woke up not really knowing where I was and suffering badly from jet lag. It seemed ridiculous to me as I’d been tested just four days earlier, straight after the match I had lost in the Australian Open.

“The official who came to my home wanted me to produce identification to prove who I was. He insisted on watching me provide a sample, literally with my trousers round my ankles, and then insisted that I wrote down my own address, even though he was at my private home at 7am.”

Athletes need not be treated like (worse than?) criminals on parole just to keep the sport clean. Dopers will dope no matter how stringent the rules. Undetectable performance enhancing drugs will continue to be invented.

The Bryan Brothers spoke at length about the new rules in Melbourne.

Q. Could you talk about the challenges of the new drug testing regime.

BOB BRYAN: Yeah, it's pretty strict. We got tested a few times when we were home. The tough thing is you got to be worried to go to breakfast at 8 in the morning. You got to wait it out and stay until 9. If you're clear, you can go eat breakfast. You always got to kind of be on‑call. I guess it's the responsibility of a professional athlete.

It's a little bit brutal. They can't call you. I guess that's the rule now. We have one or two missed tests, so we got to be really aware of what we're doing and make sure.

MIKE BRYAN: Yeah, you got to communicate with whoever it is, the ITF, where you're going to be at all times. They even want to know when you're flying in, the day you arrive, if you're going to be at the hotel for an hour.

We missed a couple. Just weren't thinking. Just down in L.A. One time I got a flat tire. But, yeah, you just got to be ready for anything.

Q. They just knock on the door?

MIKE BRYAN: Yeah, they just knock on the door.

BOB BRYAN: Knock on the door. If you're not there... They used to call you, and you have one hour. That's usually enough time to get to the house. But now they don't call you.

Mike missed a test. He was just at breakfast. Just had an extra long breakfast.

MIKE BRYAN: Every time we're home, they're usually there, one of the days. I think we got tested 15 to 20 times last year. It's either USADA or the ITF. Yeah, you just got to be home.

Q. Can you not miss another test?

MIKE BRYAN: I think I have ‑‑ April ‑‑

BOB BRYAN: Until April he's got to be clean.

MIKE BRYAN: But I'm sure I can appeal because this body doesn't look like a 'roided‑out body.

Q. Rafa described it in Spanish as intolerable harassment, and Roger says it's a necessary evil. Where do you come down on that?

BOB BRYAN: I don't know. I think once someone gets banned for missing a few tests, then you hear the stories and they're kind of ridiculous stories, then I think we'll probably have a problem with it. If it's one of our friends that goes out, if Mike gets banned...

MIKE BRYAN: I think it has to be done, though. It's fair across the board. You don't want doping in tennis. The fans definitely don't want anyone playing that's ‑‑

BOB BRYAN: ‑‑ cheating.

MIKE BRYAN: It's good. I think we just got to get used to the strictness.

BOB BRYAN: The strictness.

Q. Was it really a flat tire?

MIKE BRYAN: I missed a couple. One of them, I think I got a flat tire. I was trying to make my way back up from L.A. One I decided to take my girlfriend to San Francisco for a day. I wasn't thinking. I didn't call my agent or the ITF.

Q. Do you feel targeted by the drug testing or is it everyone?

BOB BRYAN: It's everyone.

MIKE BRYAN: They're not coming after any one individual player. I'm pretty sure it's fair across the board.

What brought this on? There haven't been any high-profile doping scandals in tennis, so why the need for even more stringency?

Seven

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Bob (L) and Mike Bryan of the US pose with their trophy after victory in their men's doubles match against Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Mark Knowles of Bahamas at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 31, 2009. Bob and Mike Bryan won their seventh Grand Slam doubles title when they bounced back to crush Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles 2-6, 7-5, 6-0 in the Australian Open final.

Battle of the N.D.'s

Wasn't that much of a battle really. The younger N.D. beat the elder N.D. and finished the year as he began it. Good for him. Good for his fans. I remain uninspired.



Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and Daniel Nestor of Canada beat Bob and Mike Bryan to win the doubles title and finish the year atop the rankings, stopping the American twins from four top finishes in a row.

The Bryans are USO Champions Again

Men's Doubles Medal Ceremony

Bryan Brothers Still On Top

In a photo provided by Stanford Financial Group, top-ranked ATP doubles champions and twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan hold a trophy presented to them by Stanford Financial Group in honor of their ranking at the International Tennis Championships in Delray Beach, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. It is the third year in a row they have been ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Stanford Financial Group, Hans Deryk)

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Interview