As we roll through the first week of Roland Garros, let’s check the “momentum scene” with winners over the past several weeks. (Sorry – I’ve been off the grid since early May!)
Since my last post about the blue clay in Madrid, Roger Federer seemed the only one minus-complaints about the surface…and he went on to win the tournament. Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg won the doubles championship. On the ladies side, Serena Williams won on the blue clay while Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci picked up the doubles trophy.
The following week, on red clay in Italy…Rafael Nadal won another French Open primer, while Marc Lopez and Marcel Granollers won the doubles event. Maria Sharapova showed strength and coordination on clay winning the singles title, while Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci won again – no doubt, wishing London’s Olympic surface would be red and grainy!
Then, last week in Nice – Nicolas Almagro won the the singles title while Bob and Mike Bryan picked up the doubles trophy. The ladies played in Brussels – where Agnieszka Radwanska won the singles title and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the doubles trophy with partner Sania Mirza; the ladies also played in Strasbourg where former French Open champ Francesca Schiavone won the title and Olga Govortsova won the doubles title with partner Klaudia Jans-Ignacik.
Rankings leading up to Roland Garros…
Guys:
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Roger Federer
4. Andy Murray
5. Jo-Wilfired Tsonga
6. David Ferrer
7. Tomas Berdych
8. Janko Tipsarevic
9. Juan Martin del-Potro
10. Mardy Fish
11. John Isner
Ladies:
1. Victoria Azarenka
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Agnieszka Radwanska
4. Petra Kvitova
5. Serena Williams
6. Sam Stosur
7. Na Li
8. Marion Bartoli
9. Caroline Wozniacki
10. Angelilque Kerber
Now…after the first two days of play at Roland Garros, the American ladies are playing well, but Andy Roddick was eliminated Sunday by Nicolas Mahut in four sets; Ryan Harrison was taken-down in four-sets by Gilles Simon; yet after five surgeries over the past several years (ranked 141 in the world), Nashville’s Brian Baker made his Roland Garros debut at the age of 27 and defeated Xavier Malisse in straight-sets. He’ll play Gilles Simon on Wednesday. Other first round exits for the guys include Nicolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian and Lleyton Hewitt…
Roger Federer has now tied Jimmie Connors career record with 233 Grand Slam match wins; while Alex Bogomolov isn’t winning any more fans, retiring from his four-plus hour match vs. Arnaud Clement, quitting while serving to try and save match point. Come on, really?!
For the ladies, Victoria Azarenka came back down a set and love-four in the second, to beat Alberta Brianti 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-2. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Meanie Oudin, Sloane Stephens, Christina McHale, Vania King, Lauren Davis and Bethanie Mattek-Sands have all advanced ; while Julie Hampton plays her first-round match today.
Big names on court today include: Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Sam Querry, James Blake, Donald Young, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki…hey, it’s early – there’s a lot of great tennis left to be played on the clay at Roland Garros.
