Day of the Disappointing Dudes

Wow. Tomas Berdych. I know you've been disappointing ever since your run to the final of Wimbledon, but I couldn't have realised this level of disappointment.

I've sort of vaguely maybe heard of Tobias Kamke, but I couldn't tell you one thing about him. And yet he put an absolute beatdown on Berdych. I didn't see the match, so I don't know if it was closer than the scoreline or whatever, but dude, DUDE. 6-4 6-1? That is craziness.

Berdych is in the running to claim one of the last three spots for the world tour finals, and this must have hurt his chances big time. Well, at least medium time. Time is running out and he's not the only one after a spot.

...though considering one of the other people after a spot is Fernando Verdasco, who also took an utterly miserable loss, maybe Berdych doesn't need to try so hard. I know Gilles Simon is having some of Awesomeness Renaissance, but 6-1 6-3, Nando? Yowza.

Speaking of miserable losses in Valencia - oh hiiiiiiiiiiiiii, Andy Murray. I know you've already made the WTF so you don't need to try so hard, but dude, come on, Juan Monaco? Really?

But you know who's not disappointing? Roger Federer. That was a nice win over Tipsarevic. It maketh me smile. And also Robin Haase! He beat John Isner. You keep on with your bad self, Robin.

Yeah, I'm Gloating

I'm not going to gloat.

Okay, maybe I am going to gloat a bit. SUCK ON THAT, NOVAK DJOKOVIC!

Yeah, yeah, Roger didn't play THAT well, and he'd swap finals - Shanghai for New York - any day. But he won. And that bitchslap - before 2011 starts - is very important. I'm sure Roger will want to finish the year victorious over all his nearest rivals. Consider yourself tagged, Novak.

I don't think this will really affect Djokovic - or Roger, really - that much. Neither is the other's bitch, and this match isn't going to change anything. But a win over a dude who beat him so heartbreakingly is only going to be good for Roger. And, oh yeah, he got the #2 spot back. AWESOME.

Next up: Murray. Considering he beat Monaco in the semis, Federer is in a bit of a different class. That said, we're never going to count Murray out of anything. This match will be interesting - Federer will be almost as keen to tag Murray as he was Djokovic, but if Murray ends up triumphing, I don't think it will have much bearing on their relationship where it really counts: the Slams.

So much as Roger will be keen to win this one, I think it's a little more important for Murray to win it. He'll be keen to get one back and end 2010 with a bit of a victory over the Federer Express. Will it undo the damage done at the Australian Open? Probably not. But it will important for Murray to get his head a little bit in the game. Just a crack.

Shanghai Showdown Special

Well, I said that Melzer couldn't keep his level up, but I thought he'd at least manage to beat Juan Monaco after defeating Rafa Nadal. Everything I said about Melzer yesterday still stands - this is far and away the best year of his career - but come on, Jurgen, you can do better than that.

Consistency is the name of the game, I suppose, and these streaky players could really do with a dose of the Wozniackis every once in a while.

Meanwhile, we had the Federer/Soderling showdown (I'm pretty sure every match of theirs from now on is going to be characterised as a showdown) and it was not very showdown-y. It was a very one sided affair... and that side was Soderling. Yes, Federer won the match, but could Soderling have played any worse?

It is not Federer's fault that Soderling lost this match. Sure, he contributed - he didn't play badly or anything, but it was hardly GodFed - but Soderling defeated himself in this match. He served awfully, hit awful strokes, made awful decisions and just pretty much played awfully. I don't know if he's got what Djokovic used to have - remember how he played for the #2 ranking like, 100 times, and never got anywhere? Maybe Soderling has the same with the prospect of overtaking Murray so tantalisingly close. I don't know. But something was up, and it didn't feel like injury. It felt like one giant brainfart.

Next up we have Murray/Monaco, which should pretty much be a snoozefest - if Murray loses this match, he is in worse shape than even the most dire naysayer would think - and Federer/Djokovic, which should be very interesting indeed. Like Federer/Soderling, any match these two play is going to be a showdown for a while. I don't know how significant the result would be - I'm hesitant to put too much weight on a single match - but it will be interesting to see who triumphs, no doubt about it.

Jodi's Epic Tennis Adventure 2.5 - Fedophilia

I've sat through tight Federer matches before. I've been to live Federer matches. But I've never been to and sat through a tight Federer match, and it just about killed me.

On paper, it wasn't that tight. Four sets, with the fourth a very tidy bagel... fine, right? Just a brain fart for a set and then an otherwise fine day at the office... but no. Those of us who were there can tell you an entirely different story.

First of all, tennis gods, what kind of first round draw is Igor 'I took you to five sets at the US Open that one time' Andreev? I know he hasn't exactly been in form lately, but if nothing else, his girlfriend beat Sharapova yesterday. Hello, inspo? And his forehand is an evil beast machine. That's all I'm saying.

I didn't actually have tickets to this match, but was gifted with one by a kindly passerby about halfway through the third set... aka 'most nervewracking set of the year so far (and yes, I know it's only January)'. This was the most topsy-turvy bastard of a set ever, and I had about five heart attacks in it. Andreev was up a break, and then Federer came back, and then he was serving for it, and then Andreev came back, and then Andreev was serving for it, and then it went to a breaker... honestly, I think Federer won this one on will alone.

Though that shouldn't be underestimated. Will. Andreev certainly lost his when he lost the third set - you can bet that if he was two sets to one up, he would not have been taking a bagel in the fourth. I guess that's part of what makes a real champion.

But this wasn't the only match I saw today - so let me expound. It didn't rain today - hurrah! So I spent the majority of my day wandering about the grounds (where every second person was wearing an RF cap - he's a brand name as well as a person now!) and I opened my daily account with a Federer practice and a Nadal practice. My Roland Garros cap is now my most prized possession, as Roger signed it... yes, I am a sad fangirl.

ANYWAY. Tennis. Today's Maria Sharapova Award for most random upset went to Robin Soderling, who managed to lose a match he'd pretty much already won when Marcel Granollers came back from two sets to love down to win it in five. I saw the first set of this match and although it was 7-5 to Soderling, it was far less close than the score suggests. So I really have no idea what happened here. I hope the Yoker isn't injured, because that would be completely crapulent. Better luck at your next Slam, I guess, Robin... and I do believe that is a little Slam called 'Roland Garros'.

Runner up for this weird loss award goes to Juan Carlos Ferrero, who was also two sets up, whom I also saw early in the match, and who managed to lose when winning seemed inevitable. Bizarre. Again, hopefully no injuries for JCF.

I caught the end of Ernests Gulbis's match as well - I know he was the Great Disappointment of 2009, but I just can't quit him. Unfortunately, he didn't provide me with much ammunition here... he lost in straights to Juan Monaco (who bears a resemblance to those old Catholic school pictures of Jesus - if Jesus was totally buff). He smacks the cover off the ball, and when his shots go in, then wow, Ernie... but his shots weren't going in. And this isn't the WTA.

I was also very disappointed in Dominika Cibulkova. She should be able to do better than losing to Vania King. And Mr Tommy 'I beat Andy Murray to win the Hopman Cup' Robredo should not be losing in the first round to Santiago Giraldo. I was not disappointed, however, in Tommy of the Haas variety. I caught the third set of his match against Simon Greul, and I have never noticed what beautiful hands he has at the net before. Absolutely stunning. I'm not sure what section of the draw he is in, but whoever is in it should watch out. He is such a talent... just so unlucky. I confess, I looked at the sky to see when the piano would fall on him.

Someone else who is massively talented - hello, Julie Coin! I've just returned from the night session and I was so, so impressed with her, even if her victory came at the expense of Alicia Molik. She's got a real wheeler-dealer style that appeals to me - similar to Gulbis in that sense, I suppose. She is very aggressive and goes for everything. When she misses, she misses badly, but when she doesn't miss... whoo boy. And she has hands at the net like... like... someone with really good hands at the net.

Simile fail.

Molik will be kicking herself, and rightly so, because she should have won this match. You don't get a set and 5-2 up and get away with not winning a match, really. Coin did start to play with more confidence, but Molik should have squashed her before she really let loose. Nonetheless, Molik could have played a lot worse, and for a comeback, well... I've seen worse.

This was not the most interesting night session ever. It was full of Australians, and largely, I am not that interested in the major Australian players - not when you have a whole world full of tennis personalities to choose from. The first match up was Hewitt versus some Brazilian called Ricardo Hocevar - you'd be lucky if this made a show court at another Slam, but in Australia, bam! Rod Laver. It was a good match from a Hewitt perspective - he totally whaled on Hocevar, which has got to be good for his confidence. But I really would rather have seen the (still ongoing) Gasquet/Youzhny clash.

Tomorrow's night sesh looks like big fun, however - and I will be there! It opens with Henin and Dementieva and then we have Tomic and Cilic. Fun times!

Awesome Times Two

He did it! Oh frabjous day, calloo, callay, etc etc! Joy and celebration and a ticker tape parade!

Ernests Gulbis won two matches in a row.

It was pretty much the crappest way to win ever - on a retirement - but still, I am refusing to be downhearted. He played very well to beat Juan Monaco - even an injured Juan Monaco - and backed up his upset of Stepanek nicely. I am very, very happy.

This was after coming up through qualies, and I'm inclined to think playing the qualies was a good thing for him. It meant he had to string a couple of wins together before the tournament even started, which, sure, weren't over the bestest players EVAH, but it gave him a bit of momentum. This is obviously not something he's going to be able to rely on forever, but for now, I think it served him well. And now he's finally in reasonably deep at a tournament! Hurrah!

You know what would reeeeeeeeeeeally make my day, Ernie? If you won the next round as well. Prove it's not a fluke and you're making a late charge. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!

And in other news, Marat Safin is totally in the third round in Beijing after opening a can of whoop-ass on seventh seed Fernando Gonzalez. I know his heart isn't in the game any more, ra ra ra, but I would dearly love to see him do well in these last few tournaments of his. End it with a bang, Marat. Do it for me.


Today's Results

China Open (Beijing)

Men's Draw

Rafael Nadal def. James Blake, 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-3
Robin Soderling def. Tommy Robredo, 6-3 6-3
Marat Safin def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 6-4
Ivan Ljubicic def. Lukasz Kubot, 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-4


Women's Draw

Nadia Petrova def. Serena Williams, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5)
Vera Zvonareva def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 5-7 7-5
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 4-6 6-4 6-2
Marion Bartoli def. Zhang Shuai, 6-1 6-4


Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Richard Gasquet, 4-6 6-2 6-2
Mikhail Youzhny def. Gilles Simon, 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4
Tomas Berdych def. Andreas Beck, 6-4 6-1
Lleyton Hewitt def. Fabrice Santoro, 3-6 6-3 6-1
Edouard Roger-Vasselin def. Jurgen Melzer, 4-6 6-2 6-3
Ernests Gulbis def. Juan Monaco, 6-3 4-1 retired

Juan of the Juans

So with Roger being out of Tokyo and Shanghai and with Rafa being out for the next god-knows-how-long (I bet Xisca's really pissed about missing that sweet holiday it looks like he had planned!) we could be in for a boring month or so of tennis. Which... you know, is boring.

But I guess we'll just have to make the best of what we have, which at the moment is Metz and Bucharest. And yeah, Bucharest is clay. What's up with that? I've done the out-of-season clay court rant about eleventy million times, so I won't subject you all to that again, but yeah... it's stupid.

Though Juan Monaco is making a real go of it. In the absence of anything else to discuss, we're going to talk Juan - well, one of the many Juans, because you have to think that Juan Martin del Potro rather has the honour of being 'the' Juan as the moment. But Monaco is indeed a fine Juan, and provides me with many punnilicious opportunities, for which I would like to pre-emptively apologise.

He's kind of flown under the radar a bit - who wouldn't, what with Federer's clay court triumph? but he has had a fine, fine clay court record this season. He's right up there in terms of wins - and I can't remember if he's actually won a tournament, but if he hasn't, he should have. In fact, maybe he can do it this week, in this misplaced clay tournament in Bucharest. He overcame eighth seed Pablo Cuevas in his semi final, and Cuevas ain't no slouch on the red stuff.

But then, neither is Monaco, and if he can't overcome the remaining players in the tournament - Greul, Montanes and Ventura - I might have to retract all those nice things I just said about him. This tournament is pretty much his to win now - a nice little curlicue on the end of the victory from that other Argentinian Juan a couple of weeks ago.

And a shout over to Metz - Richou, subject of yesterday's ramble, is in the semis, after overcoming fourth seed Philipp Petzschner. I wanted him to have a good win, and that is one. If he wins the title he will have to go through the top three seeds, Monfils, Kohlschreiber and Mathieu - but nothing's impossible, I have found!


Today's Results

BCR Open Romania (Bucharest)

Juan Monaco def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-3 2-6 6-1
Albert Montanes def. Fabio Fognini, 6-1 6-1
Santiago Ventura def. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, 6-2 6-3
Simon Greul def. Maximo Gonzalez, 6-2 6-2


Open de Moselle (Metz)

Gael Monfils def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-1 4-2 retired
Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Evgeny Korolev, 6-1 6-3
Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Andreas Beck, 6-2 3-6 6-3
Richard Gasquet def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-3


Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

Kimiko Date Krumm def. Daniela Hantuchova, 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4
Maria Kirilenko def. Vera Dushevina, 7-5 7-6 (7-5)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Yung-Jan Chan, 6-0 2-6 7-5
Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 6-3


Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

Yaroslava Shvedova def. Monica Niculescu, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-2
Akgul Amanmuradova def. Stefanie Voegele, 6-1 6-4
Olga Govortsova def. Darya Kustova, 6-3 2-6 6-2
Shahar Peer def. Alexandra Panova, 6-4 6-4

I Ain't Yokin'

I just realised something: Robin Soderling has not lost a match to someone not named Roger Federer since about May. Now that is pretty whoa-worthy.

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Think about it - Madrid. He loses to the great Roger F, who then goes on to beat Nadal in the final. Then he has his spectacular run at Roland Garros, where he comes back from the jaws of defeat against Gonzalez, pounds Davydenko into the ground and, oh yeah, beats the unbeatable Nadal in four sets on the red clay, before going on to lose to the Swiss Mister in the final. And then Wimbledon - he plays Federer tight for three sets, but the Maestro comes out on top once more.

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Remove Roger Federer from the equation, and Robin Soderling would be tearing up the tour right now.

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He's kept his winning streak alive in Bastad, and this time there is no Federer there to stop him, Roger not playing because a) he's busy rubbing Mirka's feet and waiting to meet BabyFed and b) he's sensible and plays tournaments that are congruous with their place in the tour calendar. Soderling had a solid win over fellow Swede Andreas Vinciguerra in the semis and will face Juan Monaco in the final. Monaco is a solid claycourter who absolutely pummelled Tommy Robredo in the semis, but you have to like Soderling to come through this one and win the title. He doesn't lose to anyone not named Federer, it seems... and he ain't yokin' about this tennis lark.

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It's going to be interesting to see how he goes on hard courts - he performed well on grass, so I see no reason why his run of form can't continue. The yoke might be on the rest of the field... watch out for Robin!

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Today's Results

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Catella Swedish Open (Bastad)

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Robin Soderling def. Andreas Vinciguerra, 6-1 7-6 (8-6)

Juan Monaco def. Tommy Robredo, 6-0 6-2

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Mercedes Cup (Stuttgart)

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Victor Hanescu def. Fabio Fognini, 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-2

Jeremy Chardy def. Nicolas Kiefer, 6-3 7-5

Nicolas Kiefer def. Lukasz Kubot, 6-2 6-1

Jeremy Chardy def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

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Internazionali Femminili di Tennis di Palermo (Palermo)

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Flavia Pennetta def. Tathiana Garbin, 6-1 6-1

Sara Errani def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-3 4-6 6-1

Monaco in Madrid

Where on earth did Juan Monaco spring up from?

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This is about the third or fourth tournament where he has upset a player ranked about a billion places higher than him and got through to a round in a big tournament where he does not belong. I remember back in the day him being ranked about #13 or #14 or something, and wondering what on earth he did to deserve it. Now I'm wondering why he isn't ranked higher. He's in as a wildcard in this tournament, and he's just knocked out David Ferrer.

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So what's going to happen with Juan Monaco at Roland Garros now? He is definitely in form heading into the tournament - he could be a surprise quarter finalist. He is looking very comfortable.

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Speaking of comfortable, how about Dinara Safina steamrolling through the draw over in Madrid? Both Williamses are out and Dinara is just bulldozing her way through. I can't think of any more heavy earthmoving equipment to which to compare her so I might have to stop, but she is looking very dangerous heading into the big one!

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Today's Results

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Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-3 6-1

Novak Djokovic def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-3 6-3

Juan Martin del Potro def. Tomas Berdych, 6-2 4-1 retired

Gilles Simon def. Fabio Fognini, 6-3 6-2

Nikolay Davydenko def. Florent Serra, 7-5 6-3

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-4 7-5

Juan Monaco def. David Ferrer, 6-4 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Marin Cilic, 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2)

James Blake def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Andreas Seppi def. Sam Querrey, 6-3 4-6 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Li Na, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Amelie Mauresmo def. Elena Dementieva, 1-6 6-4 6-2

Patty Schnyder def. Nadia Petrova, 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5)

Vera Dushevina def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 4-6 6-2

Alona Bondarenko def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Peng Shuai, 6-4 6-1

Surprise Party

I said yesterday that I wasn't especially surprised at any of the results in Rome. Today... well, today I am, and that's the truth.

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We have the usual suspects through - Nadal, Federer and Djokovic all came through in style, especially Nadal, who totally crushed Robin Soderling. I remember hearing that there is no love lost between this pair... I bet Rafa's feeling pretty sweet about that right now! It was all pretty cruise-y for this trio, all three coming through in straights, Federer and Djokovic eliminating Stepanek and Robredo respectively.

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Fernando Verdasco and Juan Martin del Potro both came through as well, though they had to work a little harder, and Fernando Gonzalez as well, none of which are really surprising, but then we do have a couple of unusual faces. I talked a little about Juan Monaco yesterday, and though I wasn't terribly surprised to see him beat Murray - everyone's got an upset in them somewhere - he then backed it up against Marin Cilic, about which I was surprised. I've never really had much time for Monaco - probably because I can't ever really recall seeing him play, to tell the truth - but he certainly seems to be on a bit of a hot streak. Quarters in a Masters. That's something.

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And then Mischa Zverev - I don't even remember him being in the draw, let alone in the quarter finals! He's certainly come through quietly but lethally. He took Gilles Simon in easy straights - and, sure, Simon is in a bit of a funk at the moment, but still, that's a big victory for a qualifier. I have seen Zverev play before - I saw him play Tommy Robredo at the Australian Open in the first round last year. He won the first two sets before Tommy came roaring back to win in five. I only saw the first two sets, so maybe my perspective of Zverev is skewed, but I've always wondered why we haven't seen more of him. He has some sweet, sweet game.

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Over to the women's, and though she may not have strictly deserved it, I think #1 is suiting Dinara Safina well. She's had some excellent wins in Stuttgart, cruising past Daniela Hantuchova today. I'd love her to start her reign with a title - and then back it up with a Slam. That would be sweet.

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Oh, and I have to throw a word out to Sabine Lisicki. She might have lost to Jelena Jankovic today, but she fought hard all the way - and honestly, isn't she just the best thing about the WTA at the moment? She's so refreshing and happy and full of potential - this is what is needed more than anything!

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Today's Results

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Rafael Nadal def. Robin Soderling, 6-1 6-0

Roger Federer def. Radek Stepanek, 6-4 6-1

Novak Djokovic def. Tommy Robredo, 6-1 6-1

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

Fernando Verdasco def. Richard Gasquet, 7-5 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Gilles Simon, 6-4 6-1

Fernando Gonzalez def. Jurgem Melzer, 3-6 6-3 7-5

Juan Monaco def. Marin Cilic, 6-4 6-4

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Dinara Safina def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Agnes Szavay, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Jelena Jankovic def. Sabine Lisicki, 7-5 5-7 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Li Na, 4-6 6-4 7-5

Flavia Pennetta def. Nadia Petrova, 6-2 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Caroline Wozniacki, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3 6-3

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Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem (Fes)

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Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)

Alisa Kleybanova def. Polona Hercog, 6-3 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Marta Domachowska, 6-4 6-4

Melinda Czink def. Lucie Hradecka, 6-4 6-2

Clemency

Now, I could do another post about yet another inductee to the 2009 Club of Lost Souls (I was going to beat on Alize Cornet this time) but then that might just get monotonous. So let's talk about something else.

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The big guns are largely through in Rome - Djokovic went through yesterday, and Nadal and Federer both went through pretty comfortably today - with one notable exception: Andy Murray, who went down in a tight three-setter against Juan Monaco. Now, this might just be my imagination, but Juan Monaco seems to be popping up a bit lately. I can't pinpoint where, but I know his name's been around for doing... something. (Maybe I was beating on him for being not good enough - we all know that's my wont!) This is a good win for him - maybe the biggest one of his career.

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Now, if Nadal, Federer or even Djokovic had taken this loss, I can guarantee that it would be cause of huge concern and there would be massive press and coverage and whatever. As it is, I don't think it's going to be too much of a worry for Murray. He's already greatly exceeded expectations on clay, which is NOT his best surface, and so I think one early loss probably isn't going to be too much of a concern. If anything, it might do him good to have a week off and a bit of a rest.

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Nikolay Davydenko also went out, but considering his recent comeback and good showing in Barcelona, I'm also prepared to show clemency. And I'm even going to be nice about Ernests Gulbis, despite my ranting about his not winning enough - he had a fabulous, fabulous win in the first round against Nicolas Almagro (who is definitely AWOL this year - the Prince of Clay is not in the building) before going out in a tight three sets to Richard Gasquet. Not too bad, not too bad.

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In fact, I don't think there's a single result today which is totally, totally disappointing... in Rome, anyway. There are definitely a few choice words I could say about various people in Fes and Stuttgart. But today is a day for clemency - I'll beat on them tomorrow.

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Today's Results

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Rafael Nadal def. Andreas Seppi, 6-2 6-3

Roger Federer def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-4 6-4

Juan Monaco def. Andy Murray, 1-6 6-3 7-5

Fernando Verdasco def. Mardy Fish, 6-4 5-7 6-3

Jurgen Melzer def. Nikolay Davydenko, 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-4 6-4

Tommy Robredo def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Marin Cilic def. Christophe Rochus, 6-0 5-7 6-2

Robin Soderling def. Victor Crivoi, 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-1

Mischa Zverev def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-0

Radek Stepanek def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-2 6-1

Gilles Simon def. Fabio Fognini, 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-2 1-6 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 6-1 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. David Ferrer, 6-3 2-6 6-2

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Gisela Dulko def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-4 6-3

Jelena Jankovic def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-1 6-1

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Andrea Petkovic, 6-4 5-7 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Zheng Jie, 6-4 5-7 6-4

Flavia Pennetta def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-2 6-0

Daniela Hantuchova def. Alizé Cornet, 6-3 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-3

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Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem (Fes)

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Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Klara Zakopalova, 1-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3

Alisa Kleybanova def. Jarmila Groth, 6-4 6-1

Melinda Czink def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-3

Ekaterina Makarova def. Akiko Morigami, 6-0 6-1

Polona Hercog def. Roberta Vinci, 6-2 6-4

Lucie Hradecka def. Shahar Peer, 6-4 6-1

Lourdes Domínguez Lino def. Anne Keothavong, 4-6 7-5 6-3

Marta Domachowska def. Eva Fernández-Brugues, 6-4 6-4

Endangered Species

Aiyaiyai, Monte Carlo. We had some ker-RAZY results there overnight. Sure, the big boys got through all right - Djokovic and Murray came through in pretty convincing straights - but the rung below that? Yeesh. Berdych? Gone. Monfils? Gone. Simon? Gone.

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What is up with that?

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But there were even more shocking results than that - yes, even more shocking than Gilles Simon being beaten by Andreas Beck, who I recall having seen play and liked before - but still, qualifier. There were two that I would NOT have picked - whoever wins the bracket challenge this tournament is clearly psychic. Tommy Robredo, who has been playing so well and whom I have tipped to go deep at the French, lost to Juan Monaco, with whom I have not been impressed in the past. Sure, he's a claycourter, but Robredo is a pocket dynamo! This is not a good result at all.

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But even more shocking, the player who has regularly been #3 in the claycourt season over the past couple of years behind Rafa and Roger, the Prince of Clay himself, Nicolas Almagro, lost to Albert Montanes. It was a third set breaker, but THAT IS NO EXCUSE! I have high expectations of Almagro and this was just not cool. Montanes is a wily veteran, but Almagro is genuinely up there with the best in the world on the red stuff. This wasn't good enough.

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Maybe I'm expecting too much. The season has only just started and maybe the players need some time to get their eye in or whatever. But... ugh, please. Seeded players are becoming an endangered species in Monte Carlo. It's starting to look like a WTA tournament.

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Though it will be interesting to see what some of these lower-ranked guys can do... (Kudos to Marat Safin, incidentally. Always keen to see him through!)

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Today's Results

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Monte Carlo Rolex Masters (Monte Carlo)

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Novak Djokovic def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-1 6-2

Andy Murray def. Victor Hanescu, 6-3 6-2

Andreas Beck def. Gilles Simon, 7-5 6-1

Juan Monaco def. Tommy Robredo, 6-2 6-4

Janko Tipsarevic def. Gael Monfils, 6-3 6-1

David Nalbandian def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-4 3-6 6-3

Albert Montanes def. Nicolas Almagro, 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

Fabio Fognini def. Tomas Berdych 1-6 6-3 6-3

Jean-Rene Lisnard def. Christophe Rochus, 6-2 6-2

Martin Vassallo Arguello def. Igor Andreev, 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

David Ferrer def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-2 6-3

Ivo Karlovic def. Florent Serra, 6-4 6-4

Marat Safin def. Lleyton Hewitt, 6-4 7-5

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Family Circle Cup (Charleston)

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Vera Zvonareva def. Rossana de los Ríos, 6-3 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Anastasija Sevastova, 6-1 6-3

Dominika Cibulkova def. Tamira Paszek, 6-4 6-0

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Abigail Spears, 6-3 4-6 6-0

Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. Mariana Duque Marino, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

Shenay Perry def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 7-5 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Marie-Ève Pelletier, 7-5 6-4

Elena Vesnina def. Evgeniya Rodina, 6-0 6-2

Alla Kudryavtseva def. Angela Haynes, 6-4 5-7 6-0

Akgul Amanmuradova def. Alexandra Stevenson, 6-2 6-4

Sania Mirza def. Sesil Karatantcheva, 6-4 6-4

Viktoriya Kutuzova def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-1 6-1

Stéphanie Dubois def. Katie O'Brien, 4-6 6-2 6-1

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Barcelona Ladies' Open (Barcelona)

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Masa Zec Peskiric def. Kaia Kanepi, 3-6 6-2 6-4

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Estrella Cabeza Candela, 6-2 6-0

Maria Kirilenko def. Camille Pin, 6-2 6-0

Anastasiya Yakimova def. Sorana Cirstea, 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5)

Francesca Schiavone def. Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-2 6-2

Nicole Vaidisova def. Yevgenia Savranska, 6-2 6-4

Severine Brémond def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Tatjana Malek def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-3 3-6 6-1

Emilie Loit def. Mervana Jugic-Salkic, 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-2

Lleyton Lifts

As I write this, Tommy Robredo has four match points against Juan Monaco in the final of Buenos Aires... of which he has now lost three, but even if he loses the match, then my point still stands. He's one of the guys to beat at this point in the season. Watch this space.

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Another one who's been good to watch this week has been - surprise, surprise - Lleyton Hewitt. I know I'm jumping on this bandwagon a little late, but he's seriously been playing some inspired stuff. He won more points than Roddick did in that match, and if he hadn't played such a dodgy breaker in the second...

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He has said that he wants to get back into the top ten, and while I think that one's a little out of his grasp, if he continues to play like he did in Memphis this week, he certainly has a shot of finding himself well within the top fifty again. A Grand Slam seeding is a good goal for him, I think... and with his current level of play, it should be no trouble.

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And Tommy Robredo just won in Buenos Aires. That's two tournaments on the trot. Not bad, eh? And Victoria Azarenka just won her second career title in Memphis. Are we going to see her and her bad attitude take a run at the top ten?

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Today's Results

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Regions Morgan Keenan Championships (Memphis)

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Victoria Azarenka def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-1 6-3

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Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)

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Tommy Robredo def. Juan Monaco, 7-5 2-6 7-6 (7-5)

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Open 13 (Marseille)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Michael Llodra, 7-5 7-6 (7-3)

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Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)

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María José Martínez Sánchez def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 6-2

Robredo Rolls In 2009

You know who has been a real surprise package for the whole of this season - a guy who is totally ominous form but whom no one is talking about? Tommy Robredo. Seriously, the guy is on a major roll at the moment, and no one has said a word.

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Let's look at the Aussie Open. Until his round of sixteen loss to the also in-form Andy Roddick, he gave up something like eleven games over only three matches. The phrase I heard someone use was 'cantering through the draw' and it was about right. I saw about a set of his second round victory against Viktor Troicki, who gave Rafa Nadal some serious trouble in the first round the year before, and Tommy absolutely went to town on him.

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Then Tommy won a difficult final in Costa do Sauipe against hometown hero and Star of the Future Thomaz Bellucci, which can't have been easy. And now he's absolutely steamrolled his way through the field in Buenos Aires. He won his semi against local boy Jose Acasuso in pretty hot-looking form, and will go on now to face another local, Juan Monaco, in the final. Monaco did take top seed David Nalbandian in his semi... but come on, it's Dave. If LameDave showed up, then blind Freddy could beat him.

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So I'd put pretty good money on Tommy winning again. Are we going to see a streak like the one big Juan Martin del Potro had last year, where he won four tournaments on the trot? I certainly think it's a distinct possibility. And if Tommy keeps up this form into Roland Garros, I certainly would not be surprised to see him go deep. I think Roger and Rafa would be a bit too much for Tommy, but if he's drawn in the Djokovic or Murray quarters, then I would not be surprised AT ALL to see him in the semis.

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In fact, that is my early prediction for the French Open. Should Robredo be drawn in the Djokovic or Murray quarters, he'll be in the semis. You heard it here first.

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Today's Results

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Regions Morgan Keenan Championships (Memphis)
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Radek Stepanek def. Dudi Sela, 6-3 6-1

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Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)

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Juan Monaco def. David Nalbandian, 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-2)

Tommy Robredo def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

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Open 13 (Marseille)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Novak Djokovic, 6-4 7-6 (7-1)

Michael Llodra def. Gilles Simon, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

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Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai)

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Venus Williams def. Virginie Razzano, 6-4 6-2

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Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)

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Gisela Dulko def. Edina Gallovits, 6-2 6-3

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Patricia Mayr, 7-5 7-5

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PS. I'd just like to applaud Bernard Tomic for the wonderful work he did yesterday, raising money for the victims of the Victorian bushfire tragedy. I don't know how much coverage this natural disaster has got worldwide, but it was one of the biggest disasters we've had here in a long time, with 208 people (currently) perishing in blazes all over Victoria. This was coupled with terrible floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales. So kudos, Bernard, for doing your bit.

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PPS. It has nothing to do with tennis, but if you have a spare moment, check out my other blog, The Black Valentine's Day Manifesto. I started it a week ago because of the massive response I had to a note I posted on Facebook, and it's really started ot take off! So check it out, if that's your cup of tea.

Talking Hopman

Well, Marat Safin's tennis year must be pretty much over now, with that loss in Paris. I'm a bit annoyed about that one - a player of his talent should be able to pound someone like Juan Monaco into the ground. But that's Safin for you, I guess. And if we reflect on his tennis year, it's been better than the past couple. He made a final and a couple of quarters, as well as a Slam semi on his least favourite surface. That's not so bad.

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Though who ever thought we'd be saying that about Marat Safin?

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Marin Cilic had a win, though, on a happier note - though, may I ask, where is Ernests Gulbis this tournament? He didn't appear to be on the draw when I did the bracket challenge. That sucks, as he is all awesome and stuff. Maybe next year - which is the same thing I can say for Marat Safin. Maybe next year will be the year. I am hoping that playing Hopman Cup with his sister will be awesome for Marat. Maybe he'll pick up on whatever it is that's making her so fabulous. I am absolutely dying to go - when else will I get the chance to see the Safin(a) siblings playing together? But it is in Perth... and my boss just might kill me...

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There have been six teams announced so far out of the eight for the Hopman Cup, and it looks like it'll be a great competition. We have Lleyton Hewitt and Casey Dellacqua for Australia, Marat and Dinara for Russia (made of awesome!), Dominik Hrbaty and Dominika Cibulkova for the Slovak Republic (I had a vague notion he'd retired - guess not), Flavia Pennetta and Simone Bolelli for Italy, Alize Cornet and Gilles Simon for France and Nicolas Kiefer and Sabine Lisicki for Germany. There are two more teams to go, and there are just so many possibilities! One of the teams has to be from Asia, I think - I'm pretty sure one of the spots is reserved for the winner of the Asian Hopman Cup, which was Chinese Taipei last year. I wouldn't mind seeing Japan coming through this year - how about Kei Nishikori and Ai Sugiyama for you? I'd love to see Kei in particular play Hopman.

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Who else could we have? I'd love to see Federer and Schnyder play for Switzerland because I think they'd be a rad doubles team, but I think the chances of that are less than zero. Federer's played Hopman Cup before - with Hingis and with his girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec - so I guess it's kind of 'been there, done that' for him. I'd love to see Rafa or Ferru play with Anabel Medina Garrigues or Nuria Llagostera Vives, but again, I think the chances are pretty low. There was a great Serbian team last year, Djokovic and Jankovic, but I don't think they'll be coming back... unless we get, say, Tipsarevic and Ivanovic, which could be fun. How about Andy Murray and Anne Keothavong? If only there were a nice Latvian girl or Croatian girl for Gulbis or Cilic to play with. That would be big fun. And are there any Argentinian women that play tennis? There are so many guys, but I seriously can't think of one girl.

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But there is world enough and time for Hopman Cup. This week is Paris-Bercy, so I should probably talk about that I guess... Federer's definitely playing! He's never won this one before, so I'm cheering for him bigtime!

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Today's Results

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BNP Paribas Masters (Paris)

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Marin Cilic def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Nicolas Kiefer def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-4 7-5

Mario Ancic def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-4 3-6 6-1

Sam Querrey def. Marcos Baghdatis, 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 3-2 retired

Tomas Berdych def. Robby Ginepri, 6-4 7-5

Juan Monaco def. Marat Safin, 6-0 7-6 (7-4)

Simone Bolelli def. Jarkko Nieminen, 7-5 6-4

Igor Andreev def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3

Feliciano Lopez def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-3 6-4

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Bell Challenge (Quebec)

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Julie Ditty def. Urszula Radwanska, 7-6 (7-1) 6-2

Valérie Tétreault def. Mathilde Johansson, 6-1 7-5

Ka-Phau

How about Bjorn Phau? He's what, five hundred years old in tennis terms, a real journeyman, and though the score might not quite reflect it, he gave Rafa a bit of a run for his money. I bet that Rafa wasn't really very pleased about spending three hours on court in the first round, not with the amount of tennis he's played of late. If Rafa's going to win this tournament, he really is going to have to get the job done quicker than that, or he's just going to burn out. I know he's, like, the God of Fitness, but no one can play that much tennis and not feel it. He said he was tired going into Beijing, which is why he dropped that set to Potito Starace - so even though he's had a week off, imagine how he must feel now. Poor guy must be buggered.

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That's the price of being good, I guess. You win lots of tournaments in a row = you play many, many matches. You can't win by not playing. If Rafa insists on going on these hots streaks, he'll just have to pay the price.

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Both Rafa and Roger have come out and talked about the sheer insanity of the schedule. I mean, they have no control over the Olympics and that schedule, but really, it's pretty tough to have a one week turn around from such a huge tournament. It's worse than the turnaround between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and that's pretty crazy too. Both Roger and Rafa played a hell of a lot of matches in the Olympic week, what with both going deep in singles and doubles, so I hope it isn't too hectic for them. Roger will be all right, I think - never thought I'd count those early losses in the Masters Series events as a sort of blessing! - but Rafa has played pretty much non stop since April. So, moral of the story is, Rafa, get the job done fast as you can. I know you did it in straights, but it still took you three hours, and that is just a bit crazy.

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But all credit to Bjorn Phau. Rafa was making uncharacteristic errors, sure, but Phau exploited them. He got in there and had a go. He didn't get intimidated by the situation or the opponent, and he gave it his all - and damn can he hit hard! 'Phau' (Pow) is right. (And I apologise, once again, for the terrible tennis pun which is the title of today's blog. I am helpless in the face of puns.)

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There were no major upsets - at least, not yet. The day isn't quite finished yet! Rafa won, Murray won, so did Ferru and Stan and Headbandian. The only male seed to lose was Juan Monaco, who lost to fast-rising Nishikori from Japan. I've never been particularly impressed with Monaco, so I wasn't especially surprised. Oh, and Lopez lost as well, which was a bit sad... but Wimbledon is his place for success, I think.

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In the women, we did have one that was sort of big - Anna Chakvetadze lost to Ekaterina Makarova, one of the other Russians. The only other seed to fall was Shahar Peer, who went out to Li Na. Li seems to win all the time - how is she not seeded? One of those mysteries of the women's game that I will never understand. Oh, and Kirilenko went out to Paszek. Otherwise, everything seems to be going to plan - Jankovic is on court right now putting the beatdown on Coco Vanderweghe, and sentimental favourite Davenport won as well.

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So no major upset stories so far... which is not necessarily a bad thing! But an intriguing beginning nonetheless.

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Bjorn Phau, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

David Ferrer def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 6-2

Andy Murray def. Sergio Roitman, 6-3 6-4 6-0

Gael Monfils def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-4 6-4 6-1

Andreas Beck def. John Isner, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Simone Bolelli, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-3

Jiri Vanek def. Stephane Bohli, 3-6 6-3 6-2 7-5

Ryler de Heart def. Olivier Rochus, 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-4 3-6 6-4

Roko Karanusic def. Ryan Sweeting, 7-5 7-5 3-6 6-2

Wayne Odesnik def. Fabio Fognini, 2-6 6-0 4-6 6-3 6-4

Jurgen Melzer def. Feliciano Lopez, 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 2-6 6-4

Evgeny Korolev def. Robin Soderling, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (11-9)

Michael Llodra def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4)

Andrey Golubev def. Brendan Evans, 6-4 6-3 6-2

Gilles Simon def. Marcel Granollers, 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-2

Viktor Troicki def. Carsten Ball, 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 6-1

David Nalbandian def. Marcos Daniel, 6-1 6-2 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Luis Horna, 6-2 6-3 6-2

Kei Nishikori def. Juan Monaco, 6-2 6-2 5-7 6-2

Jose Acasuso def. Michael Berrer, 6-4 6-2 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro def. Guillermo Canas, 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 6-1

Thomaz Bellucci def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5

James Blake def. Donald Young, 6-1 3-6 6-1 4-6 6-4

Steve Darcis def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-1 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Elena Dementieva def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-4 7-5

Lindsay Davenport def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-2

Jelena Jankovic def. Coco Vandeweghe, 6-3 6-1

Ekaterina Makarova def. Anna Chakvetadze, 1-6 6-2 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Shuai Zhang, 6-4 6-2

Li Na def. Shahar Peer, 2-6 6-0 6-1

Caroline Wozniacki def. Ahsha Rolle, 6-2 6-1

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Vania King, 6-2 4-6 6-2

Virginia Ruano Pascula def. Petra Kvitova, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2

Francesca Schiavone def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 7-5 7-5

Yvonne Meusburger def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-1 6-2

Maria Elena Camerin def. Emilie Loit, 6-0 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Yanina Wickmayer, 3-6 6-0 6-3

Patty Schnyder def. Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-3 3-6 6-3

Jie Zheng def. Shenay Perry, 6-2 6-3

Tatiana Perebiynis def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-1 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-2 6-1

Iveta Benesova def. Karin Knapp, 6-0 6-3

Sofia Arvidsson def. Yan Zi, 6-2 6-4

Pauline Parmentier def. Marina Erakovic, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Sara Errani def. Jelena Kostanic Tosic, 6-4 6-2

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Gisela Dulko, 6-4 6-0

Anne Keothavong def. Alexa Glatch, 6-2 6-2

Tamira Paszek def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-3 3-6 6-4

Aravane Rezai def. Asia Muhammad, 6-2 6-4

Marion Bartoli def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-2 6-3

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-4 7-5

Vera Zvonareva def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-4 6-3

Sybille Bammer def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-4 6-2

Ekaterina Bychkova def. Anastastia Rodionova, 6-1 6-3

Sorana Cirstea def. Lucie Safarova, 6-4 4-6 6-2

Alisa Kleybanova def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-2 7-5

Stan the Man

So, on the whole, not so much tennis happened yesterday. While the rain was great yesterday, today it bit the big one as it delayed the start to an hour unsensible for Aussies. How dare it rain in France when I don’t want it to?

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As a result, the Nadal/Belluci match I was looking forward to never eventuated. Alas. You’d think that with three days for a first round instead of two it might all get done, but no. I’m beginning to have flashbacks of Wimbledon where, due to rain and a walkover, Federer basically didn’t have to play for a week. Great for my nerves but not so much for the tournament, I suspect!

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In lieu of the promised Nadal match, I followed Wawrinka/Kohlschreiber instead. Who knew Stan the man was good enough to break the top ten? I sure didn’t, till wham! There he was, the week after Rome. I was lucky enough to see him play when I was in Australia – I saw the first set of his first round match on Show Court 3, though I can’t for the life of me remember who he played! I knew then that Roger’s #2 was a good player, but I never would have guessed this top 10 thing. But ain’t no one can say he doesn’t deserve it!

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I suppose it shows just how close the guys in the middle of the pack are. You have Federer, Nadal and (unfortunately) Djokovic at the top, then you have your Davydenko, Ferrer, Roddick and Nalbandian, and then a clump of guys who are really, really close. Wawrinka jumped fourteen places by reaching the final in Rome – from #24 to #10, no less. That’s pretty remarkable. And those guys in the middle aren’t slouches. That’s where your Berdyches and Baghdatises and Youzhnys hang out.

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So, to sum up: Go Stan! You the man!

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Philipp Kohlschreiber, on the other hand, is always someone I’m underwhelmed by. I think I might be under the impression that he’s a better player than he actually is. He certainly has great potential and a wonderful backhand – anyone remember him knocking out Roddick in the third round of the Australian Open this year? Kohlschreiber is a good player, and I’m always surprised that he’s unseeded. The 32^nd seed at this tournament is Janko Tipsarevic and the 31^st is Andreas Seppi (both of whom lost in the first round, incidentally.) If you asked me to take a gamble in a Seppi/Kohlschreiber match or a  Tipsarevic/Kohlschreiber match, I’d take Kohlschreiber in either instance. But he is the lower ranked one.

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So, with my misguided impressions of Kohlschreiber, I was expecting a tight one yesterday. I expected Stan to come out on top, but I wouldn’t have been surprised to see it go to five. Instead, it had a very similar scoreline to the Federer/Querrey match. I was cheering for Stan, so I was glad he won, but I must say I felt a bit cheated.

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Like yesterday, there was another upset of an Argentinian seed – Soderling (who played extraordinarily well in World Team Tennis in Dusseldorf last week) took out Juan Monaco. Like Stan, Monaco is another one who has snuck up the rankings with me noticing. He was seeded #13 here. I thought the days when the Argentines were all up in the top 20 was gone with the demise of Coria and Gaudio and the fall of Nalbandian from #3 to #7ish. But no… although they aren’t exactly having the greatest Roland Garros this year.

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And, on a side note, I tuned into Radio Roland Garros for a bit before the start of play to find them interviewing Roger Rasheed… the genius (ahem) who believes that ‘tennis is about getting into the other guy’s kitchen.’ I’m unsure why he felt the need to elaborate ad nauseam about how he nearly punched out Florent Serra’s coach at Roland Garros ’06, but although I like tennis gossip, I could have lived quite happily without the Rasheed monologue there.

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Though speaking of gossip… Monfils and Cibulkova! Who knew?

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And can I just say… you know how everyone was all like, ‘oh my God, they’ve put Federer on Suzanne Lenglen instead of Philippe Chatrier! Mon dieu! Le slap in face!’ the other day? Well, it’s tournament policy that no one can play all seven matches on the same court… so you can bet Rafa will be out there for one of his matches (unless he loses against Belluci, but really, as if!) But where have they put Djokovic for tomorrow, hmmm? Court #1. Not even Lenglen. And to that I say… ahahahahaha!

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Roland Garros Results – Day #3

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Men’s Draw

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Nikolay Davydenko def. Thomasa Johansson, 6-3 6-3 6-3

Robin Soderling def. Juan Monaco, 6-2 6-3 6-1

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-3 6-4 6-3

Paul Capdeville def. Mischa Zverev, 6-1 6-4 6-2

Mario Ancic def. Andreas Seppi, 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 6-2

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Women’s Draw

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Amelie Mauresmo def. Olga Savchuk, 7-5 4-6 6-1

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-2 6-3

Dinara Safina def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-1 6-3

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-4 6-3

Ai Sugiyama def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-1 2-6 6-3

Sabine Lisicki def. Elena Vesnina, 3-6 6-4 6-0

Olivia Sanchez def. Jarmila Gajdosova, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (10-8)

Carla Suarez Navarro def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-4 5-7 6-2