Roland Garros Day 6: Four sets forces food for thought

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

Tursunov has top fifteen potential. He has a big serve and a solid forehand. He also plays well in clutch moments. He performs solidly at slams usually. He took Gasquet to four at the US Open. He has been as high as twenty [October 2006] but injuries and loss of form caused him to drop. He made back-to-back fourth rounds at Wimbledon 2005/6 and won the Davis cup in '06, as well. He has gone 7-2 in finals on the tour, too. Interestingly, he has also tried to become an American for a while. I found this short report on his dramatic 2006 Wimbledon fourth round: worth a read.

I just finished watching the Kuznetsova/Kvitova match. It is the best women's match I have seen all season. And that is in spite of the fact Kvitova hit in excess of 65 unforced errors in just 36 games. It's about 2 errors a game and that's probably why she lost 6-7/6-1/9-7. Anyways, Granollers came through in four. He actually has a very solid ATP record. I guess that's the Spanish in him. He has four career titles and he has made a slam fourth round the past three years. He has a losing record in singles [116-135] which I find strange, but he does have a very solid record in doubles [190–121]. He has won the Tour finals, won ten titles and also made the quarterfinals of every slam or better. Most of that will have been with Marc Lopez, Rafa's close mate and occasional doubles partner.

Djokovic has a surprisingly strong slice backhand. It really is a weapon he should use more but when you have that many options off one wing how do you choose one? He will not win the French Open this year or any other year, but his game does suit clay to some extent. His is the same story as Federer's. If not for Rafa, how many?

But enough of my talking and whatnot.


MARQUEE MATCH: FEDERER d. TURSUNOV
...Yep. Tursunov took a set. That wasn't totally unexpected. Seeded 31st, yes, but with the game of a top tenner when he puts it all together. It took Federer everything he had to see off the challenge of the Russian. He hit 59 winners, 15 aces, and just 39 errors, one double, but his opponent went 41-46 in winners. Tursunov is one of those names you just don't want to see in your section of the draw. No thank you. He could go out in straights in the first round or catch fire and and up burning you. Federer has a way of simply upping his game when he needs. He has a gear, another level which, when he can hit it, moves him to another plateau. To a plateau where few save Nadal can live with him. That is the story of Federer really -- "few save Nadal". He would have been the Navratilova, the Graf of the men's game were it not for Rafa. Federer won the first set 7-5 and had points for a two sets to none lead. Tursunov came back at him, saving them in the process. At the sit down, the GOAT thought about what he could do. He decided to elevate his game. He took the third set 6-2, then edged out the fourth 6-4. The last two sets both took 41 minutes. Incredibly, Federer was four from 21 on break points [19 per cent] but his opponent had just two. It was a good performance overall from Federer, in getting past a very tricky opponent. He needs to improve on break points but Tursunov is a clutch player. He plays Gulbis next and he will win in four. Federer will a thousand per cent be turning up in full force for that. He will play his A-game all day long and Gulbis can't live with that.
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Un autre match intéressant: DJOKOVIC d. CILIC
...As I write this Nadal leads by a double break over Mayer. No, not that one. Aah well, there's always sets two and three. Djokovic owns Cilic on the head to head. Cilic has the kind of game the Djoker can just soak up. He has the kind of game that cannot really hurt Djokovic, especially not over five sets. He has to do the classic hold serve until an opportunity arises. Cilic has had a good comeback but he is out of his depth against certain players. Djokovic and Federer have both been tested so far whilst Nadal has not, but Rafa's draw has not been too daunting. It was a typical Djokovic performance. 33-37 in winners but force the opponent to go for more. He did it all day in a four set victory, 6-3/6-2/6-7/6-4. Cilic could only manage a 42-64 with the winners count. Djokovic also won far more points. He won 147 points to the Croat's 128.Cilic fashioned 11 break points and took 3. The area he did best was in saving break points. He managed to save 15 from 22. What was impressive also was how he took it to Djokovic in that breaker and took it 7-2. Djokovic plays Tsonga next and I can't call that.
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ROSOL MOMENT: BEGEMAN/HAASE D. PEYA/SOARES
...Lots of upsets in the doubles, but I'll take the biggest of them all so far. Yep, the second seeds are done. Over and out. They lost 5-7/6-4/6-4 in 127 minutes. Their opponents were far too strong. With one break per set, the entire bottom half of the draw is wide open. In fact, the Bryans may not even get through to the final. I think we may well find ourselves with a complete surprise winning the men's doubles.
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ISNER-MAHUT WANNABE'S: RAONIC D. SIMON
...Raonic won 4-6/6-3/2-6/6-2/7-5 in three hours plus and became the very first man from Canada to reach that stage. Raonic fired 19 aces down and had 60 winners total. He also managed to take 6 of 12 break points. What is not forgivable is the 74 unforced errors he committed. In the end, winning 144 points, six more than his opponent, was enough to get the job done. Raonic needs to keep serving well. The whole key to his game is his serve. It even affects his returns. With only third round points to defend, he will be rising in the rankings should he make the semifinals a realistic prospect. He may fall out of the top eight seedings at Wimbledon because they change them up. But I think he will be world number 7 at worst by the time it rolls around and that should be enough.
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BLINK AND YOU MISS IT: (N/a)
...We are getting to the stage where there are no short matches. Individual matches will be focused on more soon.
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ELVIS AWARD: RAONIC, CAN
...The Canuck had his back against the wall in that fifth set. He really struggled. He was broken while serving for it. It is an impressive feat from Simon -- breaking Raonic when serving for the match. The Canadian showed inner steel and came back and broke the Frenchman's serve before closing it out 7-5. He had to come back from two sets to one as well. He was done in a lot of that match but never really gave up. He just kept going, kept hitting those shots and eventually triumphed. It was an impressive performance. He plays Granollers next. The winner goes through to their maiden grand slam quarterfinal. It must be bizarre for Raonic to be seeded to reach a stage he never has before. Raonic has been to the fourth round of every slam except, bizarrely, Wimbledon. He will beat Granollers in four. He will then play Tsonga or Djokovic. I can't call that match.
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HOME GROWN HERO: TSONGA, FRA
...The prodigal [T]son[GA] returns. When Tsonga made his deep run to the semifinals last year it meant so much to the French crowd. That run meant to the French what Murray's Wimbledon win meant to the British [I won't say us, I was born elsewhere]. It meant success, it meant that the waiting was over. The French finally had a home semifinalist again after all those years. In a horrible, ironic twist of fate, the French crowd let Tsonga down. They were drained after the epic Djokovic-Rafa clash. They needed a break and Tsonga couldn't feed off of them. Tsonga [Gasquet and Monfils, too] have turned up this year. To be fair, they usually do turn up for the French. Anyway, he bested a tricky opponent yesterday. He bested Janowicz 6-4/6-4/6-3. Janowicz went 5-9 on aces, 31-38 on winners. Tsonga managed to go 24-18 and 4-0. Therein proved to be the difference, the factor that perhaps turned it in the Frenchman's favour. Tsonga went 5 from 8 on the break points whilst Janowicz could only manage 2 from 3. Tsonga is using the crowd to force himself to find form. It's the right play. Tsonga/Djokovic up next and it has serious five set classic potential. Djokovic leads 11-5 but there is potential there for a big upset. Tsonga deserved to beat Djokovic here two years ago in the quarterfinals. He was the better player. He also upset him in five at the Aussie in 2010, the last man to beat him there before this past January. It's going to be good and, err, fireworky.
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Any other notes?

* - Gulbis said something questionable in an interview again. Not outright sexist, but too close to the line for comfort. He said that he didn't want his daughter if he had one to play tennis. A woman's place is in the home, raising children, cooking etc. Sharapova responded well, of course, saying you can't take anything he says seriously.

* - It gets worse for Tomic. There are serious allegations he did not just have a cocaine party, but invited sixteen year old girls along, too. I would post a picture of Bernard Tomic in a strip club...actually no I wouldn't.

* - Marion Bartoli is a pretty good commentator. Also, she and John Inverdale get on fine.

* - Kohlschreiber can upset Murray. I certainly think he will take a set, maybe even two. He is one of these players who, when he can smell an upset really goes for it. See 2008 Australian Open and Roddick, 2009 French Open and Djokovic.

* - Is Gulbis the new Iva Majoli? Is that his aim?

* - The clay is favouring the heavier 'spinners,' as usual. Rafa and Stosur are both playing well. Cibulkova and Thiem both struggled mightily against the heavy rising topspin.

* - Granollers leads Klizan 6-7/6-2/7-6. I would not be surprised if the break has given Klizan fresh energy. It is almost best of two now, except Klizan has to win the first set.

* - A Canadian in the men's singles fourth round [first time], in the ladies fourth round, in the men's doubles third round, in the mixed second round, too. If they all win their matches the Canadians will have four in quarterfinals out of the 'big fve disciplines'. Oh Canada.

Thanx all and visit WTABACKSPIN please.

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