Roland Garros Day 1: Buckle Up

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

So, the first day of another slam has just finished. The futures and dreams of many a player are about to be or have been shattered. The duel is about to begin and the last man standing will be declared the winner. Frenchman and Spaniards will fall like flies whilst the Swiss stars stand strong. Surprise runs will be had and injuries, too.

Welcome to the 2014 French Open. Buckle up.


MARQUEE MATCH: FEDERER d. LACKO
...Fed hit 40 winners, -- seven aces -- in the process of beating Lacko 6-2/6-4/6-2. He hit just 19 errors, too. It was an almost perfect start for the Swiss, but he did have a match point in the penultimate game of the match. His backhand slice was fluid, his topspin consistent and the forehand was vicious. Lacko fought using what he had but he did not have the artillery needed to really derail the Fed. Federer plays talented Argentinian clay specialist Diego Schwartzman, who is just 21 years old. I don't think the outcome of that match will be different to what we all expect. Lacko will prepare for the grass season now. Lacko was not successful today, but he walks away with 20,000 pounds [about $38,000, I'd estimate] for his efforts. The reason he gets so much is because of Federer and others lobbying. Everyone walks away from this match a winner in one way or another. Lacko did have a great attitude at least. He just kept smiling. He found it all amusing, losing to Federer. It was refreshing. Tennis does not always have to be a serious game.
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ROSOL MOMENT: N/A
...All seeds held firm here. The first Sunday is a strange day. It is like no other day on the tennis calendar. There is certainly discussion about scrapping it, but it does add something new. After all, isn't that what the French Open is all about.
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ISNER-MAHUT WANNABES: NIEMINEN D. PRZYSIEZNY, FIN/POL
...What is it with veterans and long matches on our opening day? It took the Finn about 3 hours and 50 minutes to finally come through his opener. He was down two sets, but came back to win 6-7/6-4/6-7/6-3/6-4. That is not an ideal opening match for the Nordic number one. The big left hander [several times a grand slam quarterfinalist] does not actually play like a big left hander in much the same way Tsonga does not always play the game his body type usually play. Both are capable of it, but harnessing it consistently is something they struggle with. Together both men combined for twenty double faults and just 15 aces. The Finn was 51-53 with regards to winners but his opponent was 60-80. The reason this match went on so long soon becomes obvious. The Finn had 21 break points. He broke just five times. 24% was his break point conversion rate. The Pole managed to find 11 break point opportunities. He converted just 2, leaving him with a conversion rate of 18%. The inability to break is what has cost them. Nieminen should have put this one away long before it ever got near five sets. He didn't and he got dragged into a dogfight.
Hopefully he and his coach will work on playing break points. He plays Janowicz next and I really will be surprised if he gets 21 break points then.
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BLINK AND YOU MISS IT: EDERER/LACKO, SUI/SLO
...It took Fed 85 minutes to finish off the Slovak. Three sets on clay. That is an impressive day's work. Fed has had to work harder when babysitting [four under the age of 5] but then again the twins have methods of hurting Federer. Lacko does not.
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ELVIS AWARD: YOUZHNY, RUS
...Youzhny was gone. He was finished and his singles campaign over. After an hour, his opponent, Busta, lead 6-3/6-1 with 15 winners, 3 aces, and few unforced errors. His back was seriously against the wall. His opponent had won 5 break points from six chances. Youzhny was also struggling with the Spaniard's serve. Youzhny had been in poor form entering the slam. It looked like the Russian's bad form was going to cost him. Then, like the sun coming out on a rainy day, his fortunes reversed. He cut out the errors and increased the winners. He took 44 minutes to win the third and 44 minutes to win the fourth set. He won those 6-3/6-4 to take control of the match. Once he had control of the match, he cruised through the final set. He closed out the match 6-0 in the fifth with that set taking him half an hour to complete. Another veteran who came back from two down is Stepanek. He will play Youzhny for a third round berth. Their combined age is 66. The winner of that is likely to face Gulbis in the third round, if the seeds hold and Gulbis doesn't realize he is playing in a slam.
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HOME GROWN HERO: CHARDY, FRA
...The Frenchman has had a good clay court season. He had a couple of very good victories. He managed to beat Federer in Rome. He is also fairly popular, well known for his interesting fashion sense and for his flashy game.He has been consistently top fifty for a while and he always seems to have a strong, if not stellar season. He gave the crowd something to cheer about late on Day 1. He took 97 minutes to dismiss Traver 7-5/6-2/6-2. It was a tough opening match on paper, but Chardy was barely challenged in the end. The Frenchman was too strong, hitting ten aces and winning six break points from eight opportunities. He managed to play a strong, consistent match against a difficult clay court specialist. His opponent won just 26% of receiving points. Chardy's game is based around the serve, and so it is vital it stays strong. It did today and he won because of that. He plays Djokovic next and I wish him luck. I actually think he will do relatively well. He has a nice aggressive game on
Djokovic's worst surface with the crowd on his side. He should at least lose with dignity.
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