French Open Day 2: Au revoir, Lopez

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

When a seed or big name falls early, chaos reigns in their bit. When it's a lower seed, suddenly anyone can make the third round and from there it's just two wins to the quarterfinals. When a middling seed goes down it means that the eighth of the draw they happen to be in becomes a little more unbalanced. If any seed higher than eight goes out then all hell can break loose. When Serena or Sharapova loses early the feel and the atmosphere of a slam or tournament changes. When Djokovic loses or Federer capitulates there's suddenly a feeling of hope. It's the same for Nadal and to a lesser extent Murray.

When Wawrinka and Cilic collapsed in Geneva last week, suddenly everybody else realized tht they might be the ones who would take advantage. And that is replicated here. Melzer beat Mannarino, but that was expected. Karlovic losing to Baghdatis was not too much of a surprise. But clay court veterans and aficionados Garcia-Lopez and Lopez were expected to string together a few wins. Both are dangerous and experienced. Wawrinka will now not face a seed until the fourth. With Gulbis against Mahut and Simon facing Klizan, Wawrinka may not have to face a seed until the quarters. Johnson's five set win over GGL gives him a great shot at taking on Wawrinka. He just has to beat Stakhovsky first.

Lopez lost to Gabashvili tamely and that means Bautista-Agut can now take full advantage. Monaco has a great chance to conquer the conqueror. But whichever one of them gets through to the fourth will have momentum against Nishikori if he gets there. That Lopez loss may well alter the way this tournament plays out.

You know you're in a slam when the first seed goes down.

*Suicide Pick*
We all know how this works. Pick a player to win each round but you cannot pick them again. I'm in a little late but the first round is still going. Well, I blew the Barthel pick which is frustrating but I survive in the men's singles.

Men's Singles: Verdasco [32] d. Daniel [Q].
Women's Singles: Barthel d. Kania


PHILIPPE CHATRIER: SIMON D. POUILLE
...Sometimes there are matches at slams you can just put a ring around and say that it is certain to be on a show court. It may be an unseeded but talented youngster against an aging middling seed with upset potential. It may be a big seed [Nishikori] or a name that will pull crowds [Nadal] and it may even be a match with a hometown favorite. And this match falls into the latter. Pouille and Simon are both French, so onto Chatrier they went. And that's totally understandable. Show off what you got while they're still around. It turned out to be an entertaining match, although for the French that is just a bonus. Pouille is the French future, especially now that Paire has proven to be a dud. He took the first set but the sheer consistency and metronomic quality of Simon's "style" wore him down. Gilles came through 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. Simon managed to go 30-28 on the winners but his opponent could only manage 34-50. Simon rolls through to face Klizan. Klizan is more than capable of forcing four sets. He could also cause an upset.
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PHILIPPE CHATRIER: MURRAY D. ARGUELLO
...This match was never going to be as easy as it looked on paper. Arguello ran out of steam towards the end but the final score line -- a 3, 3 and 1 loss -- doesn't do him justice. He and Murray both played well, although Murray was again a little too passive at times. The 83% win percentage on first serves is where it needs to be, but the 56 percent on the second serve has to be improved when it comes to the later rounds. Murray was consistent and his defensive capabilities once more not only shone through but also saved him. He will never be number one. That chance, and it was always a slim one, is gone now. But perhaps he can add to his weeks at number two. Pospisil or Sousa is next and that will not be an easy match, either. Murray will be hoping for Sousa. Pospisil is very dangerous. The Canadian has shown flashes of his old form this year, though mainly in the doubles. I don't think Murray will lose to either of them, but this is Murray we're talking about.
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SUZANNE LENGLEN: BERDYCH D. NISHIOKA
...You thought Japan was just Nishikori and a rabble? No, think again. Nishioka is a tricky lefty who has already won a challenger and hasn't turned 20 years old, either. The 19-year old is the Japanese number four and is in the top 150. He is rising, too.



He struggled for the first little while but as soon as he found his feet he started to come into his own. He even began to compete. Berdych won the first set 6-0 but if you put that aside, losing 7-5, 6-3 to the world number four is respectable. Especially if you're 19. Berdych hit 32 winners but Nishioka hit just four. Yes, four. I personally think someone miscounted but if they didn't then that is the big area he has to work on. Up next is Stepanek for the Czech world number four [ten ranking points makes all the difference], and Stepanek has just found some form. He beat Dodig in four but has won three sets in a row and all of them fairly comfortably. Chance of upset? 12%.
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SUZANNE LENGLEN: MONFILS D. ROGER-VASSELIN
...Monfils is one of these players who just generates bizarre score lines. He throws not just games but entire sets. He is excitingly erratic. Sometimes he does things that defy physics but he is just as likely to double fault twice in a row then give up for four games. He doesn't care about playing tennis. He only lives to entertain. He won 6-2, 6-7[5], 6-1, 7-5. He hit 18 aces and 68 winners overall. His opponent could only manage 35 winners. For the first time possibly ever Monfils was twice as aggressive as his opponent. And that in itself is strange. If he can maintain this form he will be dangerous in the latter stages. Of course, this is Monfils:



Diego Schwartzman is up next. He is pint sized at 5 foot 7, but on clay he is dangerous. Monfils has to take this match seriously. Normally that should be unsaid, but this is Monfils. He needs a therapist, not a coach.
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COURT ONE: PAIRE D. ELIAS
...Do you ever find yourself in the storage part of your house, flat, caravan or other abode? Well, the last time you were in there perhaps you found an old jacket with theatre tickets in it. Perhaps a photo of a friend you promised to stay in touch with 20 years ago. A postcard from an ex from some exotic location. Even a picture of a house you once shared with seven other people or, at a stretch, a CD you and a certain someone listened to endlessly that one summer. Well, seeing Paire is like that feeling. You forgot he existed just like you forgot that evening at the theatre. Until you see the tickets or the name and nostalgia hits you like a brick. Well, Paire reminded us all he is still here with a 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 decision. It's a seed for Paire next. He and Fognini will play. May God have mercy on us all.
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OUTER COURT SELECTION: GABASHVILI D. LOPEZ
...I could talk about Thiem or Kokkinakis. Perhaps Fognini deserves a mention for a consistent performance? But since Lopez is a big seed and the first of the top 20 to depart, the focus shall be drawn to him. And besides, who doesn't enjoy looking at Deliciano?



He's close to Banderas looks wise and that's always a plus. Ah, if only he had that voice. The way he plays tennis is swashbuckling and attractive, too. Which brings us nicely back to where we started, before the obligatory comment on how pretty Lopez is. Lopez lost to Gabashvili 6-3, 7-6[9], 6-3. The world number 12 is gone. He served poorly and hit only ten aces. He struggles on this surface and the trend continued.
Backspin HQ has Lopez in the Attractive Hall of Fame next to Philippoussis and Sabatini. Not that we're shallow or anything. It's all for official purposes, of course.
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Any other notes?

* - Stephens beat Williams but was defeated by a Pidgeon
* - Some of these outfits are just terrible. Also Murray's hair...is he trying to be John McEnroe? Because if he is he can just throw a temper tantrum and verbally abuse Jimmy Connors over Twitter. Much easier.
* - Casey Dellacqua lost 6-2, 6-2 to Tomljanovic. Let's move swiftly on.

Well, I'm out for now.

Thanks all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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