Liveblogging Day Nine at the 2013 French Open

When I looked at the order of play for today and tried to figure out what to write about, I had a simple idea: why not liveblog it all and see what happens? In the immortal words of José Mourinho….why not? Here’s today’s slate of matches on Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen:

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There will be a ton going on at the same time on both courts, and I’ll have a stream for both stadiums up and running. I’m actually thrilled ESPN3 (or WATCHESPN, I guess) is in charge today: better quality is in store.

My timestamps will use glamorous Paris time instead of unglamorous US Central Time. Without further ado, let’s jump right in!

11:08 AM, Paris Time: It doesn’t look like the greatest of mornings in the City of Light. Victoria Azarenka and Francesca Schiavone are in the overhead portion of their warm-up session, while Tommy Haas and Mikhail Youzhny have just started the baseline portion of it. The ladies with a bit of a head start.

Apparently today’s forecast is as follows: a low of 12°C and a maximum of 18°C. That’s not very warm. Oh, and Chatrier is rather empty:

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Lenglen isn’t doing that much better, really.

Here are your Head-To-Heads for the first two matches:

1. Azarenka leads Schiavone 2-1. They haven’t played since the 2009 US Open. Surprisingly enough, Schiavone won that match.

2. Youzhny leads Haaas 4-3. They just played in Rome a couple of weeks ago, and Youzhny won rather easily in straight sets.

Schiavone will start serving in the women’s match, while Haas will do the same in the men’s.

11:18 AM: Schiavone opens with a hold to 30, and Youzhny opens with a break of serve. One of the big questions heading into the men’s match was how much of a physical toll did Haas’ epic win over John Isner take out of the 35 year old German. The answer so far: quite a bit.

11:22 AM: Combined age of the Chatrier players: 55 years. Combined age of the men at Lenglen: 65 years. Here are the four players, listed from oldest to youngest: Haas (35), Schiavone (32), Youzhny (30), Azarenka (23). Azarenka must feel so out of place.

Meanwhile, Tommy Haas got the break back. The men, who started later than the women, have already finished 2 games (both breaks of serve, too), while the women just finished their second game (both have been holds). 1-all…everywhere.

Oh, and the sun is shining. I forgot about that.

11:29 AM: We almost had perfect break of serve synchronicity: Azarenka breaks on Chatrier to go up 2-1, while Haas breaks on Lenglen to go up 3-1. That was fun to watch. Haas broke to love, while Azarenka broke to 30.

For my money, the ladies on Chatrier are putting on quite the show.

11:32 AM: Stan Wawrinka just retweeted a cartoon involving him, Federer, the Coup des Mosquetiers…and well, see for yourself:

Haas is up 4-1 on Youzhny, and Azarenka just saw a GP go by to go up 3-1. Schiavone hit a beauty of a BH CC dropper. Still 2-1 on Chatrier.

11:35 AM: Two more breaks of serve take place: Tommy Haas is now up 5-1 on Youzhny, while Schiavone got the break back and tied it up at 2-all. 

11:39 AM: This cracked me up:

Meanwhile, Tommy Haas has delivered a breadstick on Suzanne Lenglen. And as I type that sentence, Victoria Azarenka drills a deep return up the middle, forces the error from Schiavone, and goes up a break 3-2. The ladies are 2 games behind the pace of the men so far, and it’s not surprising. The more interesting rallies are taking place on Chatrier, whereas Mikhail Youzhny seems to think he was the one who battled John Isner the other day in a never-ending 5 setter the other day.

In interesting news, both Youzhny and Haas went for toilet breaks after the set. (Insert Old Man joke)

11:48 AM: The oldest people on Chatrier and Lenglen strike again Tommy Haas goes up a break to start the 2nd set, and Schiavone breaks back to level the first set at 3-all. Youzhny is a complete mess, and Haas is not missing much. This is why the scoreline on Lenglen reads 6-1, 2-0 in favor of Haas. On the other hand, Schiavone and Azarenka are in quite the dogfight. As I type this, Azarenka goes up 0-30 on Schiavone’s serve after correctly executing a pretty backhand smash.

I was curious, so I looked it up: this is only the third time Mikhail Youzhny has made it this far at Rolly G. He has a Round of 16 appearance in 2007, and a QF berth in 2010.

11:53 AM: As I typed the previous update, two more breaks of serve happened: Azarenka broke to go up 4-3, whereas Mikhail Youzhny lost serve yet again and is now down 1-6, 0-3.

Dr. Youzhny seems like he’s in the mood for some fresh baked goods this morning. For those of you keeping score at home, Youzhny broke serve to start the match…and hasn’t won a game since.

In completely unrelated news, here is what a recent commercial break looked like on my streams:

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Frightening, eh?

Back to tennis: both Youzhny and Azarenka held serve. Azarenka up 5-3 in the 1st, Haas up 4-0 in the second.

12:00 PM: Breaking news!!! Mikhail Youzhny just held serve for the first time in the entire match. Sadly for him, he’s down 1-6, 1-4.  On the other hand, Azarenka breaks Schiavone’s serve again, and takes the first set 6-3. Francesca has also held serve only once so far.

So far, there have been 12 breaks of serve on Chatrier and Lenglen combined. 6 for the women, and 6 for the men.

#BreakCity

12:05 PM: Here are your first set stats for both matches:

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1 Winner and 11 UFE for Youzhny in that set for Youzhny. Sounds about right.

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Incredible 1st serve percentage by Azarenka.

Two more breaks of serve: Tommy Haas breaks Youzhny yet again, and seals a 2nd set breadstick, whereas Victoria Azarenka is now up a break in the second set, 2-0.

Here are your 2nd set stats for the wasteland known as Haas-Youzhny:

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 Slightly better from Youzhny…but still a trainwreck. Just to remind you:

1. Youzhny easily beat Haas 2 weeks ago.

2. Haas won his previous round 10-8 in the fifth set, and Youzhny won his third round match in straight sets.

12:15 PM: Three more breaks of serve to report: Azarenka is now rolling, up 4-0 in the second, while Youzhny and Haas exchanged breaks to start the third set.

Haas just held to go up 2-1. As a reminder, Youzhny and Schiavone have only held serve once so far.

12:18: Schiavone shows some signs of life: up 15-40 on Azarenka’s serve to try and get one of the breaks back. However, both BPs go begging. And…BREAKING NEWS!!! Mikhail Youzhny just held serve. 2-all in the 3rd on Lenglen.

 

In vaguely related news: 3 out of the 4 players on the two main show courts have one-handed backhands. In related news, they’re all at least 30 years old. Yet another thing Azarenka doesn’t have in common with the older folks.

12:25 AM: Azarenka easily tracks down a bad dropper from Schiavone, and she has double match point at 15-40, 5-0 in the second. And Azarenka only needs one! Game, Set and Match to the World No. 3, 6-3, 6-0. 

That was a demolition. Poor Schiavone could only hang around for a few games in the first set, and then she got trampled by too much depth, too much consistency, too much defense, and too many great returns. That was an impressive win for Azarenka.

On Lenglen, Youzhny is somehow still on serve at 2-3. Even had a BP in the previous Haas service game.

12:31 PM: What did I just say about Youzhny being miraculously on serve? Not anymore: Tommy Haas breaks and is up 4-2 in the third. 

Djokovic and Kohlschreiber will be coming on Philippe Chatrier soon. Here’s the H2H:

Djokovic leads 2-1, but the pair haven’t played since the 2010 Indian Wells 3rd round. Kohlschreiber, as we know, produced the monster upset of Djokovic at the 2009 French Open by a triple 6-4 scoreline.

 

The big story around this particular match is how will the World No. 1 respond to the death of his first (and arguably most important) coach, Jelena Gencic. She was the one who saw Djokovic’s potential firsthand, and was a huge influence for him since they met almost 20 years ago. Novak’s team withheld the news from him ahead of his demolition of Grigor Dimitrov, but told him after the match was over. Djokovic reportedly broke down in tears and cancelled his post-match presser.

This is the second year in a row that Djokovic has to deal with the death of a hugely influential figure in his life: his grandfather passed away during Monte Carlo last year. It can’t be easy to focus on the proper way to hit a yellow fuzzy ball when you’re dealing with such things.

12:43 PM: Over on Lenglen, it’s Game, Set and Match to Tommy Haas! 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. A great performance by the 35 year-old, and a truly atrocious showing by Mikhail Youzhny. Hence the lopsided scoreline. Double kudos to Haas for bouncing back from his epic five-setter two days ago. He couldn’t have asked for a better follow-up than this. Up next for him is the winner of Djokovic-Kohlschreiber, which interestingly enough would pitt Haas against two people he’s recently beaten.

I apparently missed Youzhny destroying his racquet. Even though I had a stream for that match going. #JankoSigh

12:50 PM: The World No. 1 opens with a straightforward hold on Chatrier. Here’s what his outfit looks like:

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Meanwhile, Kohlschreiber holds easily as well. 1-all. On Lenglen, Mattek-Sands and Kirilenko have yet to take the court.

1:00 PM: Mattek-Sands and Kirilenko are warming up. I find their H2H humorous:

Kirilenko has won their only match…which took place this year in Miami. I think it’s amazing that a 26 year-old and a 28 year-old play each other after so many years on tour. The quirks of the draw, I guess.

Meanwhile on Chatrier, Kohlschreiber goes up a break, 3-2.  He’s held extremely easily so far, and Djokovic has gotten off to a slow start.

1:06 PM: Mattek-Sands starts off with a love hold. On Chatrier, Kohlschreiber DFs on GP, but he’s up 40-30, so he’ll have another chance. A pretty dropper leads to the consolidation of the break.

It should be said, Philipp Kohlschreiber has won all the sets of tennis he’s played against Novak Djokovic at the French Open.

1:16 PM: Bethanie Mattek-Sands is off to a great start: she just broke serve and is up 2-0 on Kirilenko. On Chatrier, Djokovic still hasn’t found a way to get into the match, and has already smashed a racquet.

I can’t blame Novak for finding it hard to focus today. I’d have a hard time focusing on my job if someone I called my “second mother” passed away suddenly. Even more so if that second mother was such an immense influence on the man I am now. Still, the World No.1 holds serve, and Kohlschreiber will attempt to serve out the match at 5-4.

How about some #LiveAnalysis for that?

Kohlschreiber starts off with a FH UFE. Then he puts away a short FH correctly, so it’s 15-all. Djokovic drops a 2nd serve return well short, Kohlschreiber goes on the offensive with his FH, and takes the point. 30-15. A CC BH exchange then presents Djokovic with a chance to put away a short FH. He does, and it’s 30-all. 2nd serve (yet again), but Djokovic doesn’t get punished by his consistent lack of depth. A Kohlschreiber lob barely misses, and it’s 30-all. But then Philipp fires away with his FH (that shot is working very well today), and he has a SP at 40-30.  The pair play a fun point, which saw Djokovic gain the edge after a wonderful return. However, the key shot was a gorgeous BH slice off a Kohlschreiber netcord. Deuce #1. It’s SP #2 after a horrific BH DTL UFE by Djokovic. He completely mistimed that one – it landed far from the doubles alley. Moments later, Philipp Kohlschreiber wins his 4th straight set of tennis over Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros when a BH slice of his clips the net and dies a few inches into Djokovic’s side of the court.

First set to Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-4. Not only is that the 4th straight set at Roland Garros that Kohlschreiber has taken over Djokovic, but the 4th straight 6-4 set. Eerie.

1:30 PM: Here are your first set stats for Djokovic-Kohlschreiber:

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Both men have held serve to start the 2nd set. Over on Lenglen, Mattek-Sands is still up a break on Kirilenko, 4-1 in the first.

1:33 PM: Kohlschreiber just missed a short FH DTL that would’ve given him a BP on Djokovic’s serve. Could be a costly, costly mistake. Moments later, the German misses a BH badly, and the World No. 1 has held.

Maria Kirilenko also held serve, so she’s down 2-4 to Mattek-Sands.

1:40 PM: After creating a slew of BPs, Maria Kirilenko has broken back. On Chatrier, Djokovic is still having trouble with the depth of his shots, and Kohlschreiber is doing a great job of bossing the World No. 1 around.

1:44 PM: Djokovic and Kohlschreiber play a long, hard-fought multi-deuce game, and it’s Novak who comes out on top with the break. He’s up 3-1 in the second. On Lenglen, Kirilenko held, so we’re tied at 4-all in the first.

1:51 PM: Mattek-Sands held serve, but then called the trainer, who is out with someone who looks like a doctor. She’s back out after a short visit, which is a good thing.

Meanwhile, Djokovic and Kohlschreiber are tied up in a long, protracted game in which Kohlschreiber has had a few BPs, and has hit the netcord about 5 million times. They’re on Deuce #….who knows. But in the end, the current French Open runner-up manages to hold and consolidate the break. He’s up 4-1 in the second.

2:02 PM: At 15-30, 4-2 on Djokovic’s serve, the World No. 1 gets a time violation warning from Pascal Maria. What is this, an ATP match? Djokovic proceeds to DF. However, he digs himself out of the double-BP hole with some forceful play.

However, Bethanie Mattek-Sands can’t dig herself out of a BP hole, and Maria Kirilenko breaks. She will try to serve out the first set at 6-5 in a few moments.

2:09 PM: Displaying the best form of the match, Novak Djokovic serves out the 2nd set at love. Second set to Novak Djokovic, 6-3. And within mere seconds, Maria Kirilenko has a SP on her own serve. However, she DFs.

No bother, though: just a minute later Kirilenko completes the job. First set to Maria Kirilenko, 7-5.

And in case you’re confused by the weird acronyms, here’s the tennis shorthand I use during LiveAnalysis:

BH: Backhand
BP: Break Point
CC: Cross-court
DF: Double-fault
DTL: Down the line (means the same as “up the line”)
FH: Forehand
GP: Game Point
I-I: Inside-In
I-O: Inside-Out
SP: Set Point
SW: Service Winner
UFE: Unforced Error

2:20 PM: Within seconds of each other, Novak Djokovic and Maria Kirilenko have broken serve. Djokovic is up 2-1 in the 3rd set, whereas Kirilenko is up 1-0 in the second. The World No.1 is looking better and better on Chatrier. Related: Kohlschreiber is not playing nearly as well as in the first set.

2:25 PM: Both Mattek-Sands and Kohlschreiber had BPs in their next return games. But only Bethanie managed to break back. Djokovic holds for 3-1, while Mattek-Sands tied the second set at 1 game all.

However, Mattek-Sands just couldn’t consolidate that break: Maria Kirilenko breaks right back, and leads 2-1 in the second set.

2:49 PM; Maria Kirilenko still has a break lead at 4-2 in the 2nd set, while Novak Djokovic has taken the third set, 6-4.

 

That’s pretty bad, Pammy.

4:30 PM: Here are the things that happened while I fell asleep:

– Novak Djokovic completed the turnaround and beat Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

– Maria Kirilenko held off Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 7-5, 6-4. 

Richard Gasquet took the first set against Stan Wawrinka, 7-6. Gasquet is also up a break in the second, 2-0.

– Rafael Nadal is up a break at 5-4 in the 1st set and will serve for the set now.

Sorry about the blip – I just couldn’t stay awake. Blame Youzhny.

Oh, and the stream for Suzanne Lenglen seems to have died. All we have is the Chatrier/ESPN2 feed.

5:10 PM: Rafael Nadal is now up two breaks in the second set at 5-1, and he served out the first set at 6-4.

On Lenglen, Richard Gasquet just served out the second set, 6-4. Apparently, he was up 4-0 at one point.

It also emerged that Gasquet did indeed request being scheduled on Suzanne Lenglen. Which is hilarious, since that court doesn’t host the final, the semifinals or even the quarterfinals. Ah, Richard.

Apparently I missed these things:

 

5:2o PM: Rafael Nadal takes the second set, 6-1. The birthday boy is rolling through.

5:29 PM: Apparently there’s some mayhem going on on Lenglen:

 

 

 

Both Lenglen and Chatrier are on serve in their respective sets: Nishikori is serving at 1-2 (after being up 0-30 in Nadal’s previous game and losing 3 straight points), whereas Gasquet will serve at 2-3. Both matches in third sets.

5:34 PM: Rafael Nadal breaks Nishikori’s serve once again, and it’s 3-1 in the third set.  Shortly after, he holds for a 4-1 lead. This one seems like it’ll be wrapping up very soon.


I just saw video of the bad line call that sparked the controversy on Lenglen. That’s one for the ages, really. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a call be so late. Related: it was wrong, too.

5:49 PM: Rafael Nadal will serve out the match at 5-3 in the third. #LiveAnalysis time!

Nishikori absolutely kills a CC FH, and it’s 0-15. However, Nadal gets some good depth with his trusty CC FH, and forces the error from Kei. 15-all. Rafael then pounces on a short ball and kills it with his I-O FH. 30-15. A thoroughly entertaining all-court rally ends with a rather inexplicable Nadal BH UFE. 30-all. 2nd serve. Nishikori runs around his BH and blasts a FH DTL return winner from the Deuce court. That was a fantastic shot. BP for Nishikori at 30-40. Nishikori got a good return in play, hung around the point, but when he had a look at a mid-court FH, he hooked it wide. Deuce #1. Kei sends the same hooked FH wide on a 2nd serve return. MP #1 for Rafael “birthday boy” Nadal. And Nadal takes the match with his trusty wide serve + DTL FH combo! 

Game, Set and Match to Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

The Chatrier crowd is singing happy birthday to Nadal. That was rather surprising. It seems like there will be a ceremony of sorts now, as they carry out a table to the middle of the court.  

6:06 PM: So the table the carried out wasn’t even big enough for the monstrous cake that the French Open prepared for Nadal:

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Epic, epic cake. Simply amazing.

That was amazing. ANYWAY, Stan Wawrinka took the 3rd set 6-4, and they’re on serve at 3-all in the fourth.

Turns out, the table was indeed big enough for the cake:

6:23 PM: I’ve moved out to the living room, since the Tennis Channel isn’t streaming Gasquet-Wawrinka. The men are in the midst of an epic, EPIC 4-3 game in the fourth set. I’ve seen a long string of winners, hit from all over the place.

Meanwhile on Chatrier, Maria Sharapova and Sloane Stephens have started their match. Sloane held to start.

6:27 PM: At one point, Gasquet and Wawrinka combined to hit 9 straight winners. They were insane. Gasquet ends up holding, so it’s 4-all in the fourth set. The crowd on Lenglen is going bonkers.

And here’s more Nadal Cake tweet/picspam:

6:35 PM: Gasquet and Wawrinka are playing an incredible match right now. They’re absolutely murdering the ball, and aiming for the tape. Simply gorgeous tennis. Stan just held for a 5-4 lead, but Gasquet forced some BPs after being down 40-0 in that game. A glorious lob was involved. It’s all happening.

6:43 PM: Gasquet just held for 5-all. The quality has yet to drop in this match.

Richard Gasquet has a chance to break at 5-all, 30-40. Stan just missed an I-O FH. 2nd serve. Stan plays the point masterfully: he drives three straight I-O FHs into Gasquet’s BH, pulling the Frenchman wider and wider. A SW, and Stan has a chance to hold. Rinse and repeat, and Wawrinka has held. Richard will serve to force a tiebreaker.

6:48 PM: Maria Sharapova has gone up a break on Chatrier, 4-3 In other news, Jerzy Janowicz and Tomasz Bednarek are serving for a spot in the Round of 16, at 6-4, 5-4.

Gasquet and Wawrinka are tied up at 30-all, 5-6. Stan 2 points away from a 5th set. The pair play a fun, side to side point, but Stan slightly hooks a CC FH wide. GP for Gasquet, who tries an ill-advised dropper that gets punished with ease. Deuce #1. The men play yet another entertaining rally, and Stan will have a BP after he hit a wonderful dropper up the middle. Richard seems to be running on fumes at the moment. 2nd serve. And WOWOWOWOWOW!!!! After a tentative rally, Stan gets a look at a FH DTL, and absolutely murders it.

Fourth set to Stan Wawrinka, 7-5!

7:00 PM: Maria Sharapova serves out the 1st set at love, 6-4 Stan and Richard have started their fifth set on Lenglen, and one hopes the Tennis Channel switches to that. Gasquet took a medical timeout between sets.

7:06 PM: Nope, the Tennis Channel took a long commercial break, and came back to Sharapova-Stephens. By the way, Maria Sharapova just broke to start the second set.

I just don’t get this line of thinking. Maria Sharapova is well in command of her match. Wawrinka and Gasquet are starting a fifth set. Fifth sets are what Slams are for, right? You don’t get them anywhere else than here or Davis Cup! And you don’t show it? This is simply ridiculous.

The worst part? There’s no stream available. There’s no choice for tennis fans.

7:20 PM: It happened a while ago, but Sloane Stephens got the break back early in the 1st set. They’re now on serve, 2-1 in the 2nd.

Meanwhile on Lenglen, Richard Gasquet just played an outrageous point, even though his gas light went on about half an hour ago. He has a GP to tie this up at 4-all. Which he does after a SW. He now asks the crowd to get louder and louder. Lenglen obliges.

As long as this match is on TV, I’ll be doing #LiveAnalysis for it:

4-4: Gasquet starts by rifling a return deep and forcing the error. 0-15. Stan responds by punishing a short return. A SW out wide, and it’s 30-15. Ace out wide, 40-15. That was clutch. Now, a DF. That was not clutch. 40-30. Now Stan goes for a huge BH DTL, but nets it. Deuce #1. Crowd is going nuts, and Gasquet has an opening. And…the crowd starts whistling as Wawrinka’s FH clips the net and dies a few feet into Gasquet’s court. That was cruel. AD-Wawrinka. 2nd serve. And Stan holds after a masterful BH DTL after an AD court exchange. That surely was clutch.

5-4, Wawrinka: Stan almost hit a point that would’ve topped the of best points of the tournament. It was a simply ridiculous point. 15-all, and a SW makes it 30-15. SW again, 40-15. Then a blistering BH DTL by Gasquet clips the tape and forces Wawrinka’s error.

These guys just keep fighting. Amazing level. This is already the best match of the tournament.

5-5: An error from Stan, and it’s 0-15. This crowd would absolutely explode if Gasquet breaks. Stan with a FH UFE, and it’s 0-30. 2nd serve. A very good wide 2nd serve can’t be returned by Gasquet. A half chance gone by – that was hardly the hardest shot Gasquet had to hit in the past few games. 15-30. 2nd serve again. Gasquet gets pushed back to the back fence, but somehow drills a FH DTL that catches Stan by surprise. 15-40, double BP. 2nd serve. A tentative point ensues, with a BH slice by Gasquet that barely goes over the net. Stan approaches the net, and Richard goes for pace instead of placement. Stan is there to block the volley away. 30-40. Gasquet then gets a very, VERY good look at a mid-court FH…and misses it by about 4 feet. Deuce #1. Then, a clutch wide SW by Wawrinka. AD-Stan. A blistering I-I FH winner by Stan clinches the hold.

Stan stared down the abyss there, and Gasquet surely helped with that FH UFE at 30-40. We’ll see if that shot is still on Gasquet’s mind in the next game.

On Chatrier, Maria Sharapova has gone up a break, 4-2. Somehow, I don’t think that’s the last we hear from that match – Sloane Stephens was showing quite a bit of grit.

6-5, Wawrinka: For some reason, the Tennis Channel keeps jumping in the action after a few points have gone by. We arrive at 30-0, and Stan punishes a bad Gasquet dropper. Then, Gasquet’s FH delivers the UFE on a Deuce court rally. 30-all. Stan 2 points away from the win. Then, a wonderful point by Gasquet, who yanks Stan wide on the FH side, and then hits a BH DTL behind him. GP at 40-30. And Gasquet holds after playing some INSANE defense. Simply INSANE. Stan blasted a FH into the net to seal the hold.

This is just special tennis going on in Lenglen.

6-6: Ace by Stan to start off. Then…Gasquet displays some more incredible athleticism on a fantastic overhead smash. 15-all. Then, SW. 30-15. 2nd serve. Stan then hits a FH winner off a very short Gasquet return. 40-15. Shortly after, Stan holds.

My wife just alerted me to something I hadn’t realized: Hampton and Jankovic are set to play on Lenglen AFTER Wawrinka and Gasquet. Time to move them somewhere else, Rolly G.

7-6, Wawrinka: Again, we miss 2 points of a Stan-Gasquet game. We barely saw Gasquet hit a BH from way outside of the court and miss. 15-all. Gasquet now hooks a CC FH well wide, and it’s 15-30. Stan two points away from the match yet again. And now we have a double MP for Stan, as Richard shanks a BH while on the forecourt. 15-40. AND…WOW. Stan gets a look at a I-I FH…and he fully, fully commits. A glorious winner for a glorious match. Full kudos to Stan the Man.

The two men shared a nice hug at net. They left it all on the court, really. Wonderful Grand Slam tennis. This is the kind of stuff that turns casual fans into fans.

Game, Set and Match to Stan Wawrinka: 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6

7:50 PM: And in near perfect synchronicity, Maria Sharapova breaks Sloane Stephens again at 5-3.

Game, Set and Match to Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 6-3.

8:14 PM: Turns out that Jamie Hampton and Jelena Jankovic are playing their fourth round match after all. They went on court even before Stan Wawrinka left it. Can’t blame the hurry.

Jankovic has started well, and she’s up a break, 3-0 Actually, make that “very well:” the former World No. 1 is now up 2 breaks, 5-0.

Sorry everyone for stopping so abruptly here, but my dear friends at Comcast (my cable provider, who incidentally own NBC as well) had an internet & cable outage that lasted all the way until now (6:24 PM Central Time, which would amount to 1:24 AM Paris time).

As we know, Jelena Jankovic blitzed Jamie Hampton 0 and 2. Great win for Jankovic, and even though it was a lopsided defeat, I think Jamie Hampton can only draw positives from her great run into the second week of Rolly G.

Thanks for following along with all the madness today!


Juan José loves a well struck backhand down the line, statistics that tell a story, a nice lob winner, and competent returns of serve.

5 Responses

  1. Tennisfan
    Tennisfan June 2, 2013 at 9:26 pm |

    Schiavone has had a nice resurgent run on form so far, here’s hoping she can show a little bit og magic left on her best court- would be fitting to see both ladies and mens 30s taking over RG this year! (If the prospects aren’t doing anything, might as well the oldies?) #Rollyg

  2. J. Lee
    J. Lee June 2, 2013 at 9:47 pm |

    Pulling an all nighter to cover Rolly G! Respect, JJ! Keep up with the great work.

  3. Wendy
    Wendy June 2, 2013 at 11:20 pm |

    Thanks for doing the live blogging today. Have to go to court today in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky and will miss much of the morning tennis. Will be able to catch up on the tennis when I come back to Lexington.

  4. Anna
    Anna June 3, 2013 at 12:00 am |

    Hello! Are you going to watch the last match on court 2? The yesterday’s match was really exciting!

  5. Max
    Max June 3, 2013 at 7:13 am |

    Another day when it’s getting tough to defend the whole equal prize money thing.

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