Well, well, well. I told you, didn't I? I TOLD you. I told you Dinara Safina was going to beat Maria Sharapova. And you didn't believe me, did you? Hell, I didn't believe me with Safina 5-2 down in the second, when Sharapova had a match point. And then something turned. Something clicked. I don't know what happened - whether Safina got her second wind or was possessed by the mighty spirit of Federer or whether Sharapova had a total breakdown - but there you have it. Jodi was RIGHT.
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I might stop gloating sometime soon.
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Normally I get really, really annoyed when there's a Federer match on and something else is being covered, because I get so few chances to see Federer matches that it is very frustrating to be so close, and yet so far. And to snub a Federer match for a women's match... I don't know if there is any worse sin in the Book of Jodi. But I enjoyed every moment of this match (and, to be honest, Federer didn't seem to be playing up to his normal standard, so it was much less nerve-wracking for me to have something else to focus on!) There was a really, really distinct turnaround. Did anyone else listening on Radio Roland Garros remember the commentators (Chris Bowers and Franck Vardanega at this point, I think) talking like it was all over and saying that they'd switch over to the Federer/Benneteau match as soon as Sharapova eked out the match - which looked like being in about two points time at that point. Safina was down and out. She was almost (or maybe actually) in tears after coming back from the rain break when her game deserted her. I clearly remember one of the commentators saying that 'she couldn't even find the court.' And then... there was Dinara. And boy, did we have a match.
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Some of this must have had to do with Sharapova as well. She's #1 in the world, and you don't get to be there very easily... even when JuJu decides to randomly retire. MaSha is renowned for her mental toughness - though personally, I have a theory that she's just afraid of the scolding she'll get from Daddy Sharapov if she doesn't come through. But we must remember that MaSha and Dinara have a history at Roland Garros. Anyone else remember a few years back when Safina came back from a 1-5 deficit in the third to win the match? That was in the round of sixteen as well. The breaking point for MaSha was in the second set today, not the third - once Dinara took the second, MaSha was never back in it, really. You can't tell me that that match wasn't playing through Sharapova's mind. And now it's happened twice. Sharapova had a match point - A MATCH POINT! - and she lost. Is Safina going to become a claycourt boogeyman for MaSha? Only time will tell.
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That match must have been going through Dinara's mind as well - though I would venture in a different capacity. It must be comforting, knowing you can do it - come back from a massive deficit to pull out the victory. And there was SUCH a distinct turning point in this match - a moment when you could see Dinara go, 'right, let's go.' I'm not sure what exactly her motivation was - whether she just decided she was going to win because she knew she had it in her, or whether she figured that Sharapova was going to win anyway so she had nothing to lose in going for her shots - but in that service game, down 5-2, you could see it. Suddenly... the match changed.
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The actual quality of the match was not especially high, I would guess - though having only listened to it on radio and not actually seen it, it is hard to tell - but for me, there were shades of the match that Dinara's big brother Marat played against Federer in the semis of the Australian Open in 2005. Federer had a match point, Marat looked out of it... and Marat came out of it to win in five. Even though my beloved Federer lost, that is one of my favourite matches ever, because of the struggle that went on. (And I am a big Marat fan as well, so if Roger had to lose to anyone...) I don't know if there has been a match in this decade in which both players have been playing such high quality tennis. Safin at his best is the only person who can challenge Federer at his best. I don't think I am overstating it to say that they are the two players with the greatest amount of natural talent on the ATP tour - though Federer has obviously actualised his a bit better than Safin.
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But I digress. The Safina/Sharapova match wasn't of the same calibre as the Safin/Federer match, but I could distinctly see the likeness between Dinara and Marat. To be down... and then to steel yourself, and back yourself, and come out of it. (They seem to have similar tempers, if the racquet-throwing is anything to judge by... I wouldn't have liked to be their mother. Imagine the tantrums Marat and Dinara must thrown as kids!) Both players were down match point to the #1 player in the world. And both came out of it on top.
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So the upshot is this: massive, MASSIVE kudos to Dinara Safina. This girl has game - and she's not just Marat Safin's little sister any more.
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Although two of the matches were stopped by rain, I was correct in my other six quarter final picks. Safina did indeed make it through, and she will face Dementieva in the next round. That should be an interesting match - Dementieva is a veteran who is really mentally tough. I'm really gunning for Dinara to keep it going (and not, like her brother, blow hot and cold) but the possibility of a slump after the adrenaline high of this match is always there. Nevertheless, go Safina! Logic would say that Dementieva will win, but if you believe logic, we'd have Sharapova through to the next round. So I'm picking Safina as my semi finalist here.
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The Kvitova/Kanepi match got stopped at one set all, so I don't know whether or not I'm right there. It looks like I'm going to be wrong in my Azarenka pick over Kuznetsova, as Sveta totally whaled on her in the first set, but you never know. I'll give you my semi final pick tomorrow, once we know who the quarterfinalists are!
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And I picked all four male quarterfinalists correctly, to go with my perfect set from yesterday! (Why this talent hasn't manifested itself in the Masters Series Bracket Challenge I do not know, as I seem to totally suck at it!) Gonzalez beat Ginepri - big surprise. I think Ginepri was as surprised as I was to find himself in the fourth round. Ferrer came through against Stepanek in another five set match (does anyone else find Stepanek kind of creepy? He's a bit weird looking, but he has this string of high-profile girlfriends who are GORGEOUS - Hingis and Vaidisova, to name a few. What's going on there?) Monfils beat Ljubicic, which was sad, though one has to be a little bit glad - it would have been very depressing for the French to have five players in the round of sixteen and then to see every single one knocked out!
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And, of course, Federer beat Benneteau. Due to the Radio Roland Garros coverage of the Safina match, I can't talk in a particularly educated way about this match, but it seemed pretty clear to me that Federer was playing exactly as well as he had to to win and nothing more - because if serves that way against a Nadal instead of a Benneteau, he will get hammered. It's probably the one part of his game that isn't back to consistently firing on four cylinders after the glandular fever. It's close - he served pretty well in the first three rounds - but there have been two occasions this season where he has been a double break up on Rafa and has lost the set. So here's hoping that he can pull it together!
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But, hell, what am I saying? Federer won, and he won in straight sets. Sure, it wasn't a beatdown, but he was hardly out there for 6 hours, and the matchplay will certainly be good for him. I don't think he'll have too many issues with Gonzalez in the quarters if he serves all right, so he is my semi final pick there.
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My gut is going Ferrer for the other semi, so that is who I am going to say. But I think Monfils is in with a shot. He's got the home crowd backing and that flashy shotmaking which is fabulous when it works, and Ferrer is coming off two five setters. So... we shall see, we shall see.
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To revise my semi final picks for the bottom half - I'm seeing Jankovic/Ivanovic and Nadal/Djokovic... though I would really, really like to see Nadal/Gulbis! Surely it's time for one of the Serbian trio to fall...? I look forward, however, to a Jankovic/Ivanovic match with pleasure. That one will be really interesting - especially with the whole not liking each other aspect.
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Actually, according to Radio Roland Garros (I'm not a junkie! I promise!) Safina and Sharapova don't like each other either. As Sharapova doesn't appear to like anyone (except maybe Maria Kirilenko) I'm not surprised. I have the feeling that all the other Russians kind of huddle in the corner and glare at her. I bet there was a party in Camp Russia last night - a tame one, of course, what with Safina having to back up in a few days! - but I sure hope Dinara's big brother clapped her on the back and told her 'well done.'
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Roland Garros Results - Day #9
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Men's Draw
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Roger Federer def. Julien Benneteau, 6-4 7-5 7-5
Fernando Gonzalez def. Robby Ginepri, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-1
David Ferrer def. Radek Stepanek, 4-6 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-3
Gael Monfils def. Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-3 6-2
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Women's Draw
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Dinara Safina def. Maria Sharapova, 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2
Elena Dementieva def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-4 1-6 6-2
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