2013 Tennis Thread

[Smallville22]

New tennis league takes steps to combat spot-fixing

The founder of the soon to be launched International Premier Tennis League is planning to meet with the sport's integrity unit in London next month to try to insure the competition is not affected by ******* ******** and spot-fixing.
The league, due to start in late 2014, has been compared in format with cricket's Indian Premier League, a competition recently embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal.
Former India Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two other players were arrested along with 11 bookmakers last week on suspicion of spot-fixing in the ongoing Twenty20 league.
The IPTL will take place in six as yet undecided cities across Asia and will see some of the sport's biggest names drafted into teams to play against each other in one-set shootout tennis.
The competition's founder, Indian doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi, said they will do all they can to ensure the league is unaffected by the problems that have tarnished cricket.
"I have some meetings with people who are part of the Tennis Integrity Unit in London next month," Bhupathi said in an interview with Reuters at the French Open in Paris.
"We will try and batten down as much as we can to insure we do not have these issues.
"It (******* ******** and spot-fixing) is a huge issue in the IPL right now and we will do all we can to insure we have all the 'I's dotted and 'T's crossed."
Bhupathi said a number of cities were under consideration to form teams for the tennis league including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Manilla, Bangalore, Calcutta, Doha and Dubai.
"There is a couple of important criteria, the first is that they have to have an international airport, security, stadium size, so we have a mandate," Bhupathi said.
"At the end of the day, we would like to spread it, ideally in the first year, I don't want to have two teams in India, even if there is demand because of the IPL success. As we grow, we plan to start with six and grow over time."

 

[Smallville22]

Top players 'intrigued' by IPTL - Bhupathi

If Novak Djokovic is to be believed then Mahesh Bhupathi has lit the touchpaper for a revolution in tennis.
The Indian doubles specialist is the driving ***** behind the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), launched earlier this week to great fanfare with a dazzling list of top-rank players already signed up.
World number one Djokovic will be joined in the inaugural edition, scheduled for December 2014, by 11-times grand slam winner Rafa Nadal and U.S. Open holder Andy Murray. Retired grand slam champions Pete Sampras and Carlos Moya will also take part.
Among the women, 15-times major winner Serena Williams and twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka will be the headline acts.
"The players are intrigued and willing to commit and I think we will bring a whole new set of fans to the sport, with a fast-paced entertaining short concept like this," Bhupathi told Reuters in an interview at the French Open in Paris.
The only notable absentees, for now, are Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer, but don't be fooled into thinking the Swiss is not behind the idea - he is.
Whether or not the league, that will take place in six as yet unspecified cities across Asia and will feature players drafted into teams to compete in one-set shootout tennis, soars into orbit or falls flat remains to be seen.
Bhupathi, however, is adamant about one thing - it will be a serious competition and not a glorified exhibition.
"That word is *****," he said.
The format is fairly straightforward. The six franchises will bid for players at an auction that will take place in Melbourne around the time of next year's Australian Open.
Teams will then compete in men's and women's singles, men's and mixed doubles and a men's legends singles - one set per match, with no advantage scoring.
Djokovic calls the tournament a "revolutionary idea", Nadal says "it will be a big success for sure", while Williams described it as "like a ***** come true".
The players talk about innovation but unsurprisingly there are also hefty financial incentives on offer to persuade them to extend their already-lengthy seasons through to the end of the calendar year.
All talk about burnout on the tour seems to have been silenced and replaced with hints that players could choose to miss other tournaments to rest their weary limbs.
"We cannot ***** anybody to play or not to play," Bhupathi rightly points out.
"Tennis has always been an open market. Even playing at Roland Garros is the option of a player. So we are creating something that we think is exciting."
Will it affect how players approach the tour schedule?
"It could," the 38-year-old added.
"Each player is different and they know their bodies themselves. They will take the breaks as and when they need to make sure they peak at the times they want to during the year."
Cities under consideration to run franchises include Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Bangalore, Calcutta, Doha and Dubai.
At the moment it is restricted solely to Asia but that could change if the concept takes off. Similarly the size and scale of the event could grow if everything goes to plan.
"We would like to spread it, ideally in the first year I don't want to have two teams in India, even if there is demand. We plan to start with six and grow over time," Bhupathi added.
Why tennis needs this league is an intriguing question. Team tennis already exists through the Davis Cup for men, Fed Cup for women and the Hopman Cup for mixed teams. Bhupathi is adamant that those competitions will not be overshadowed.
"I think that tennis has been in a place for many years without any change. Davis Cup and Fed Cup has always been a very exciting platform for players because it is such an individual sport and we get to play a team competition," he said.
"We love being part of a team. We all have our football favourites. We all have our basketball favourites. Here we are creating the opportunity for players to be part of a team and part of a community."
If the first step to success was getting the players on board then Bhupathi's league is well-placed.
Federer will not be involved due to other commitments but he likes the concept of broadening the game through Asia.
"It's nice to have another opportunity, and Asia is very strong," he told reporters after booking his spot in the second round at Roland Garros on Sunday.
"I went to play there quite often. That's why I think it's a very good idea."
The appeal of the growing Asian market seems to have caught the imagination. Lleyton Hewitt, who lost in five sets to Gilles Simon under cloudy Parisian skies, is another keen to give it a go.
"The Asia-Middle East market is massive for tennis," Hewitt told reporters.
"I would definitely look at it, absolutely. I enjoy playing in Asia anyway. I have a pretty big following there. My biggest sponsor is Japanese and I have had a lot of success in China and Japan in the past."
Whether or not the IPTL is set to turn the sport on its axis as Djokovic suggests is up for debate. Bhupathi is circumspect.
"We feel it is a great idea, and a lot of people feel it too," he said. "To see how it is accepted by TV and fans, though, is the most unpredictable element of it."

 

[Smallville22]

Serena and Federer look to make early mark in cool Paris

The familiar sound of sliding feet on red Parisian brick dust ushered in the 112th French Open on a cool and blustery Sunday with several former champions keen to make an early mark on the year's second grand slam tournament.
World number one Serena Williams, looking for her first singles title at Roland Garros since 2002, was opening her campaign with a first career meeting against Georgia's Anna Tatishvili, mindful of her first-round debacle last year.
Since her defeat by Virginie Razzano 12 months ago the American has been virtually unstoppable and arrived in the French capital on a 24-match winning streak.
Swiss Roger Federer, who like Williams only has one French title to his name despite reigning over men's tennis, was also scheduled to get some dust on the soles of his sneakers with a first round match against Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno-Busta.
Federer, appearing at his 54th consecutive major, took advantage of Rafa Nadal's early exit to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2009 and is seeded to meet the Spaniard in the final, although there are many pitfalls to avoid before that for the 17-times grand slam champion.
Carreno-Busta, 21, has form on the dust this year and Federer will be wary of a player schooled in the claycourt arts.
Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, whose career has struggled to live up to the heights of 2008 when she won the French Open and became world number one, served up a lunchtime aperitif for a half-full Chatrier show court, avoiding an early exit despite a mid-match wobble against Petra Martic.
Ivanovic, the 14th seed, spent the first part of the match wrapped up in a long-sleeve top as temperatures struggled to rise under grey skies but eventually raised the temperature of the fans with a 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory.
Last year's beaten women's finalist Sara Errani made short work of Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus, the Italian winning 6-1 6-2 with time to spare for a spot of lunch.
Several old stagers were also in action on Sunday with former men's world number one Lleyton Hewitt, level with Federer on 56 grand slam appearances, ready for a battle royal with French hope Gilles Simon, the 15th seed.
Venus Williams, with only one title in the last three years and now a fading *****, faces Poland's Urszula Radwanska, while fellow American James Blake, 33, opened the challenge of the American men against Serbian Viktor Troicki.
After last year's weather interruptions that ****** the tournament to extend to a third Monday, organisers, who on Friday confirmed plans for a modernisation of Roland Garros including roof coverings, were hoping for better luck.
The first two days are forecast to stay dry before rain showers start sweeping in.

 

[Smallville22]

Ivanovic struggles past Martic to reach Paris round two

Former champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia survived a second-set collapse to beat Croatian Petra Martic 6-1 3-6 6-3 and reach the second round of the French Open on Sunday.
Serbian 14th seed Ivanovic, who lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 2008, breezed through the opening set but dropped serve in the fourth game of the second on a chilly Parisian morning.
Martic levelled the tie with a smash, only for the world number 107 to collapse early in the decider on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Ivanovic showed signs of nerves too as she closed in on victory, losing three games in a row and wasting four match points.
She prevailed on the fifth occasion, though, when Martic sent a backhand long after one hour 50 minutes.
Next up for Ivanovic is either France's Mathilde Johansson or South African Chanelle Scheepers.

 

[Smallville22]

Federer enjoys Sunday stroll

Roger Federer cruised to the simplest of wins while Gilles Simon won an epic on the opening day at Roland Garros.
It was business as usual for grand slam veteran Federer as he made light work of Spanish debutant Pablo Carreno-Busta in the first round, starting his bid for a second Roland Garros title with a 6-2 6-2 6-3 victory.
The second-seeded Swiss, who is two shy of Wayne Ferreira's record of 56 consecutive grand slam appearances, never looked in danger on Court Philippe Chatrier, wrapping it up with an exquisite backhand winner which arrowed down the line.
Once again, the 17-times grand slam winner is not the top favourite on the Paris clay, but it has no impact on him.
"Like the other years, they said Djokovic was going to win the four grand slams in a row, that Rafa (Nadal) was a favourite to win the tournament. Then he says it's not true. It's always the same thing every year," Federer, who won his only Roland Garros title in 2009, told a news conference.
He will face another qualifier, Indian Somdev Devvarman, for a place in the third round.
Federer, who made his grand slam debut at Roland Garros in a four-set defeat against third seed Pat Rafter in 1999, served 10 aces and fired 11 forehand winners in an 80-minute masterclass against a fresh-faced opponent who won seven consecutive tournaments this year on the Futures circuit.
The Swiss was aware that Carreno-Busta's 166th ranking in the world did not reflect the Spaniard's talent, especially on clay, so he applied the pressure early on against a player who reached the semi-finals at this year's Portugal Open.
"He had played a lot of matches on clay, in comparison with me," said Federer.
"I knew it could be tricky if I didn't sustain a certain level of play and certain aggressiveness, get caught up maybe in long rallies, maybe what he's looking for.
"I think I started all three sets well, was able to get in the lead. And then playing from the lead against a player like him it's always easier, and so I put a lot of emphasis on that."
The 21-year-old Carreno-Busta broke once in the opening set but struggled to make a contest of the match which was his first in a grand slam main draw compared to the 291 Federer has now contested at the majors.
Carreno-Busta is now set to compete more at Tour level, having played only nine ATP matches in his career to Federer's 1,101.
"I think I played eight Futures this year and I played really well," Carreno Busta told a news conference.
"I won seven, and it was very, very good for my confidence and for my level in tennis. But I think now is time for me to play these matches with these opponents."
Fourth seed David Ferrer got off to a similarly impressive start, the Spanish star easing past Marinko Matosevic of Australia 6-4 6-3 6-4.
15th seed Gilles Simon gave the home crowds something to cheer about on the opening day after he came through an epic clash against Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, winning 3-6 1-6 6-4 6-1 7-5.
Home favourite Simon battled back from two sets behind to win, although he looked like capitulating late on when old warrior Hewitt won five games in a row from 5-0 behind in the decider.
Simon, one of six Frenchmen seeded at this year's championships, screamed at himself to "relax" as Hewitt silenced the crowd on a chilly Suzanne Lenglen court by breezing through the opening two sets.
He finally loosened his shoulders and with 32-year-old Hewitt beginning to look leg-weary, Simon was strolling to victory when he opened up a large lead in the fifth set.
No French player has won the men's singles at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983 and with each passing year that statistic weighs a little more heavily on the current crop led by sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and the 28-year-old Simon.
When he squandered two match points, one when his string snapped and the other when Hewitt got lucky with a net cord, the tension was mounting again, especially with Hewitt's reputation for revelling in five-set dogfights.
For a while the straight-jacket that appeared to be fastened round Simon for the first two sets returned but he recovered some composure from 5-5 and completed his first career victory from a two-set deficit when Hewitt netted a forehand to finish an amazing match that at one point included a 43-shot rally.
"It was very, very complicated in the beginning," Simon said courtside. "Everybody was cheering me on but I could not do anything. At two sets down I started to play better.
"I think I have never recovered from two sets down. Well, now it's done. At 5-0 I had the feeling I was going to win but he started to play better and there were a few close points and then, I got tense."
Former world number one and twice grand slam champion Hewitt has never excelled on claycourts but pushed Simon from side to side for the first half of the three hour 19 minute contest.
Once Simon began to increase the power of his groundstrokes and shake off his inhibitions the match swung quickly.
At one stage early in the fifth set Hewitt needed running repairs on his foot - the various strappings and supports binding his ankle evidence of the punishment his body has taken in 56 grand slam appearances.
The durability that once marked Hewitt out as one of the game's toughest competitors may have waned but the old fire still burns inside and when he surged back in the fifth an incredible victory looked possible.
It was not to be, however, as the weary world number 86 finally succumbed, much to Simon's relief.

Men's first round results:

Michael Llodra (France) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 6-4 4-6 6-1 6-4

4-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 6-4 6-3 6-4

20-Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3 6-7(2) 6-4

Somdev Devvarman (India) beat Daniel Munoz (Spain) 6-3 6-3 7-5

25-Jeremy Chardy (France) beat Benjamin Becker (Germany) 6-4 6-2 7-5

Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) beat Denis Kudla (U.S.) 6-2 5-7 6-0 6-4

18-Sam Querrey (U.S.) beat Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) 6-3 6-4 6-4

2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Pablo Carreno (Spain) 6-2 6-2 6-3

15-Gilles Simon (France) beat Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 3-6 1-6 6-4 6-1 7-5

Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 6-3 6-4 6-2

23-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) beat Illya Marchenko (Ukraine) 6-3 7-5 6-4

14-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 6-2 6-1 4-6 6-4

Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) beat James Duckworth (Australia) 6-2 6-2 6-2

Joao Sousa (Portugal) beat Go Soeda (Japan) 6-1 6-3 6-2

 

[Smallville22]

Simon survives dogfight with old warrior Hewitt

Gilles Simon became the first Frenchman into the second round at Roland Garros but the 15th seed scraped through the hard way after surrendering the opening two sets to Australian former world number one Lleyton Hewitt on Sunday.
Home favourite Simon battled back to win 3-6 1-6 6-4 6-1 7-5 although he looked like capitulating late on when old warrior Hewitt won five games in a row from 5-0 behind in the decider.
Simon, one of six Frenchmen seeded at this year's championships, screamed at himself to "relax" as Hewitt silenced the crowd on a chilly Suzanne Lenglen court by breezing through the opening two sets.
He finally loosened his shoulders and with 32-year-old Hewitt beginning to look leg-weary, Simon was strolling to victory when he opened up a large lead in the fifth set.
No French player has won the men's singles at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983 and with each passing year that statistic weighs a little more heavily on the current crop led by sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and the 28-year-old Simon.
When he squandered two match points, one when his string snapped and the other when Hewitt got lucky with a net cord, the tension was mounting again, especially with Hewitt's reputation for revelling in five-set dogfights.
For a while the straight-jacket that appeared to be fastened round Simon for the first two sets returned but he recovered some composure from 5-5 and completed his first career victory from a two-set deficit when Hewitt netted a forehand.
"It was very, very complicated in the beginning," Simon said courtside. "Everybody was cheering me on but I could not do anything. At two sets down I started to play better.
"I think I have never recovered from two sets down. Well, now it's done. At 5-0 I had the feeling I was going to win but he started to play better and there were a few close points and then, I got tense."
Former world number one and twice grand slam champion Hewitt has never excelled on claycourts but pushed Simon from side to side for the first half of the three hour 19 minute contest.
Once Simon began to increase the power of his groundstrokes and shake off his inhibitions the match swung quickly.
At one stage early in the fifth set Hewitt needed running repairs on his foot - the various strappings and supports binding his ankle evidence of the punishment his body has taken in 56 grand slam appearances.
The durability that once marked Hewitt out as one of the game's toughest competitors may have waned but the old fire still burns inside and when he surged back in the fifth an incredible victory looked possible.
It was not to be, however, as the weary world number 86 finally succumbed, much to Simon's relief.

 

[Smallville22]

Serena smashes Tatishvili, Petrova stunned by Puig

Top seed Serena Williams beat Anna Tatishvili 6-0 6-1 on Sunday to emphatically book her place in the second round of the French Open and avoid last year's embarrassment of an opening-round exit.
The American, whose only singles title at Roland Garros came in 2002, entered the tournament on a 24-match winning streak and showed no signs of taking her foot off the gas as she steamrollered the 83rd-ranked Georgian in 51 minutes.
Williams, chasing a 16th grand slam title, looked ominously athletic as she wrapped up victory in an unseasonably chilly Paris, putting to bed the memory of her only first round loss at a grand slam, last year's exit to France's Virgine Razzano.
After her opponent sent a forehand wide on match point, she waved to all four sides of the stadium before embarking on the greater test of conducting the courtside interview in French.
"I am very happy, this year I am playing very well, but you never know," the 31-year-old said.
"I was definitely nervous. I have to say I'm always a little nervous going into first-round matches at slams, but this time I wasn't as nervous as I was previously.
"For the most part, I felt pretty safe and felt good about my game and that if I can just do what I do in practice, I'll be okay."
She was then being quizzed about her French skills.
"I have been speaking French for years and years, but I don't really have a lot of confidence," she added.
"I just had to kind of jump in. Like once I get there and I get warmed up, I know how to say things and what I can speak.
"It's just getting that confidence to speak in French. It's way, way, more nerve-wracking than playing tennis."
Former champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia survived a second-set collapse to beat Croatian Petra Martic 6-1 3-6 6-3.
Serbian 14th seed Ivanovic, who lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 2008, breezed through the opening set but dropped serve in the fourth game of the second on a chilly Parisian morning.
Martic levelled the tie with a smash, only for the world number 107 to collapse early in the decider on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Ivanovic showed signs of nerves too as she closed in on victory, losing three games in a row and wasting four match points.
She prevailed on the fifth occasion, though, when Martic sent a backhand long after one hour 50 minutes.
Next up for Ivanovic is either France's Mathilde Johansson or South African Chanelle Scheepers.
Little-known Puerto Rican player Monica Puig sprang the biggest shock of the opening day, the world number 85 beating 11th seed Nadia Petrova of Russia 3-6 7-5 6-4.
And Urszula Radwanska sent another name packing in the form of Venus Williams after a long three-set contest.

First-round results on Sunday (women):

Urszula Radwanska (Poland) beat 30-Venus Williams (U.S.) 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-4

26-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) beat Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 5-7 7-5 6-2

Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) beat Grace Min (U.S.) 4-6 6-4 7-5

Virginie Razzano (France) beat Claire Feuerstein (France) 7-6(6) 6-4

32-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) beat Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-3 6-4

Dinah Pfizenmaier (Germany) beat Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) 7-5 6-1

Shelby Rogers (U.S.) beat Irena Pavlovic (France) 6-3 6-4

Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) beat 11-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 3-6 7-5 6-4

Caroline Garcia (France) beat Yuliya Beygelzimer (Ukraine) 6-3 6-4

Mallory Burdette (U.S.) beat Donna Vekic (Croatia) 6-3 6-4

Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) beat Ayumi Morita (Japan) 6-2 6-3

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) 6-0 6-1

19-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4

14-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-1 3-6 6-3

Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) beat Olga Puchkova (Russia) 6-0 6-2

5-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) 6-1 6-2

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal, Sharapova and French men top Monday's Paris bill

A day after former champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams eased into the second round with the minimum of fuss, it will be the turn of title holders Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova to grace the French Open with their presence on Monday.
Spanish third seed Nadal, who looks to win the claycourt grand slam for a record-extending eighth time, is second in action on Court Philippe Chatrier against German Daniel Brands while Russian second seed Sharapova closes proceedings against Taipei's Hsieh Su-wei.
Nadal and Sharapova, however, will not be the top draw in Paris on Monday when rays of sunshine might be in short supply.
Five Frenchmen are likely to draw in the crowds on the showcourts as they bid to follow in the footsteps of Yannick Noah's 1983 French Open triumph.
Sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and seventh seed Richard Gasquet will play on Court Suzanne Lenglen against Slovenian Aljaz Bedene and Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine respectively.
The unseeded Gael Monfils, who reached the French Open semi-finals in 2008, will be on Court Philippe Chatrier against Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych.

 

[Smallville22]

Venus: 'It's painful to serve'

Venus Williams blamed injury problems for her poor service as she crashed out of the French Open in round one.
The 32-year-old lost a tight contest to Urszula Radwanska 6-7 7-6 4-6 on the opening day of the tournament in just over three hours.
Speaking after the match, in which her first-serve average speed was well down at around 95mph, Venus said she was looking to recover from a back problem in time for Wimbledon.
“I can’t really serve very hard. It’s painful when I do that,” Venus reflected.
“But I’m getting better. I just ran out of time to get better for this tournament. My strategy was more or less to put the ball in, and that’s very difficult for me, too, because that’s not who I am. But that’s all I had…I want my serve back. I’m going to try to get it back for Wimbledon.”
Venus is still penned in to play doubles with her ****** Serena at Roland Garros.
“As long as I serve soft, I don’t think I’ll get worse,” she said. “I think my opponents like the soft serve.
"I don’t think I’m just playing for me now. I think I’m playing for a lot of people who haven’t felt well. I think for me today it’s a positive to be able to play three hours. I’m constantly finding ways to get better and to feel better.”

 

[Smallville22]

Robson dumped out by Wozniacki in Paris

Tenth seed Caroline Wozniacki ended Laura Robson's French Open challenge with a swift 6-3 6-2 victory in round one.
Former world number one Wozniacki, who came into the tournament on the back of a poor run on clay this season, looked like a possible scalp for the improving 19-year-old, but the Dane took full advantage of an error-strewn performance from the Brit.
Wozniacki was the more consistent in the first set, and raced into an unassailable 4-1 lead in the second, allowing herself the luxury of giving away one of her breaks of serve before seeing out the match in just 71 minutes.
"I think Caroline played really well and I thought she played smart," Robson said. "She definitely knew what she wanted to do on the court, and generally I just wasn't able to get into the match.
"My shots just weren't firing as well as they usually are, so it's disappointing."
World number 35 Robson made 39 unforced errors against a player who had lost her previous five matches, compounded by conceding two early breaks of serve with double faults.
Meanwhile, Robson - who was playing her typically hard-hitting but risky game - failed to take two of her own three break points, and she ultimately paid for her inconsistency against the less powerful but more solid Dane by losing the first set 6-3.
The second set was a more straightforward affair, as Wozniacki played some fine tennis, breaking early on with a superb lob followed by a backhand volley.
Robson was broken again after a poor backhand wide and, while she did break one game back, Wozniacki saw it out with a third break and a comfortable hold to send the Briton back to London.
The Dane, who burst on to the scene a few years ago but was unable to get past the real big hitters in the major events, had some words of encouragement for her younger rival.
"She's only 19," said Wozniacki. "She's so young. I know I'm only 22, but still it's still three years older. I think it means a lot.
"Playing on the big courts before and playing a lot of tough matches here has definitely helped today.
"I think you see older and older players now doing very well. Back in the day, like 15 years ago you would see 15-year-old girls basically, or women - I don't know what to call them - winning Grand slams.
"Now it's just not happening anymore. It's mid 20s, it's late 20s, early 30s now. You see a broad variety of players.
"I think when you're older you get to know your game, you get to know yourself as a person."
Wozniacki moves on to face Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia after she beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of Czech Republic 6-3 6-2.

 

[Smallville22]

Wozniacki issues timely reminder to young guns

Apart from winning a grand slam title Caroline Wozniacki has been there, done it and bought the T-shirt - and she's still only 22.
The Dane, who not long ago was world number one and the face of the WTA Tour, has not exactly disappeared off the map since but her name is rarely mentioned these days when the likely grand slam title contenders are being discussed.
In fact, in the past year her relationship with Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has become of more interest than her tennis.
On Monday, however, Wozniacki showed against British teenager Laura Robson that she is far from a busted flush.
Robson, like Wozniacki as a teenager, is being talked up as a player capable of winning the sport's biggest prizes but was put firmly in her place during a 6-3 6-2 defeat in the first round of the French Open.
Wozniacki had lost in the first round of her four most recent tournaments coming into Roland Garros, but had far too much experience for the 19-year-old.
The Dane, seeded 10th in Paris, played down talk of a "confidence crisis" and even offered a little sympathy for Robson who despite rising to 37 in the world is still prone to error-strewn displays like she produced on Suzanne Lenglen.
"To be honest, no, my confidence has always been good," Wozniacki who finished 2010 and 2011 at the top of the rankings despite never winning a major, told reporters.
"You know, she's only 19. She's so young. I know I'm only 22, but you know, it's still three years older. It means a lot."
While her critics suggest Wozniacki's grand slam ***** is fading fast, she is far from downhearted and believes instead that her best years are in front of her.
Gone are the days, she believes, when precocious teenagers like Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova were getting their hands on the game's treasures.
"I think you see older and older players now doing very well. Back in the day, like 15 years ago you would see 15-year-old girls basically, or women - I don't know what to call them - winning grand slams," she said.
"Now it's just not happening anymore. It's mid 20s, it's late 20s, early 30s now. You see a broad variety of players.
"I think when you're older you get to know your game, you get to know yourself as a person," Wozniacki added.
Wozniacki, who is still coached by her former professional soccer player ****** Piotr assisted by Sven Groenfeld, faces another 'youngster' in the second round in the shape of Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski who she lost to in Rome.
"I definitely know how she plays, trying to hit every ball and play fast," she said. "I've definitely learned something from the last match, so hopefully this time will be better."
Despite winning 20 career titles, fourth on the list of active players, the learning process, it seems, is still ongoing and those who have written her off should take note.

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal survives bad day at office

All seemed as it should be when Rafa Nadal walked on to Chatrier Court to begin his bid for an eighth French Open title but Daniel Brands ensured it was no regular Monday at the office as the holder survived a big scare.
Nadal, as expected, took his place in the second round but his 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-3 win over the inspired German, who had never won a main-draw match at Roland Garros, was fraught with danger as he flirted with the unthinkable.
After a relatively thrill-free opening day on Sunday, fans flocked to the brick dust courts beside the Bois de Boulogne to feast their eyes on a line-up loaded with big names and topped by the swashbuckling Spaniard.
Former women's champion Li Na began with a grafting 6-3 6-4 first-round win against Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues while home fans dreaming of a first French men's champion here since 1983 cheered loudly as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga turned on the style.
However, it was claycourt king Nadal's dice with danger that created the buzz around the fan-clogged walkways.
The 26-year-old, looking to become the first man in history to win the same grand slam eight times, was unstoppable in the build-up to the tournament he has dominated since winning the title as a teenager in 2005.
Five titles on clay since returning to the tour after a seven-month injury layoff, and the incredible statistic of a solitary defeat in his previous 53 French Open matches, should have made his first-round clash with Brands a formality.
When he banged the dirt off his shoes, performed the obligatory tug of his orange shorts and won the opening point with a dipping topspin forehand all looked well in 'Rafa World'.
But then things got complicated for the former world number one in his first grand slam match since last year's shock second-round Wimbledon defeat by Czech Lukas Rosol.
In the end he was just happy to survive and admitted he had been made "to suffer".
Looking tentative and struggling to cope with the punishing, flat-hitting of 59th-ranked Brands, Nadal double-faulted on a break point at 4-4 in the first set and the German seized his chance, claiming the first set with a forehand missile.
It was the first time Nadal had dropped the first set of a first-round match at Roland Garros and only the 15th he had surrendered at the home of French tennis.
Since losing to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, Nadal had never lost the opening set of a match at the French Open and as Brands continued to show scant regard for his opponent's reputation, a repeat of that shock looked possible.
Especially when Brands held off break points at the start of the second set and dragged Nadal into a tense tiebreak.
With the capacity crowd trying to take in what they were witnessing, Brands fired down two huge winners to take a 3-0 lead and the alarm bells were ringing loudly in the Nadal camp.
Brands sliced a backhand into the net at 3-2 and Nadal sensed his chance, racing through the rest of the tiebreak, roaring as much in relief as joy after dispatching a fizzing backhand passing shot on set point.
"Sometimes you feel you are not hitting a bad shot and every time a bomb and a winner comes back, that's frustrating," Nadal told reporters. "But I found the solution at the right time.
"He played his game right up to the hilt, all the balls, he was just firing on all cylinders.
"He can't be 58th. The way he played, I just don't believe it."
Nadal said winning the tiebreak was "like oxygen" and after breaking the mighty Brands serve for the first time in the opening game of the third set, he always looked the likely winner although his display will offer hope to those wishing to knock him off his perch.

 

[Smallville22]

Brands match had me in a spin, says Nadal

It is rare that Rafa Nadal steps off court at the French Open and talks about being made to "suffer" at the hands of an opponent.
Yet such was the impact of Daniel Brands's free-swinging display in their first-round match on Monday that the seven-times champion was left scratching his head at how the German could be ranked 59th in the world.
"I don't know where Brands is in the rankings but I can tell you that he can't be around 60th. The way he played, I just don't believe it," Nadal told reporters after moving nervously into the second round with a 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-3 win.
"He made me suffer, I can tell you, and I'd like to pay tribute to what he did."
For a brief period on Court Philippe Chatrier, it looked like the German was on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest shocks in the history of grand slam tennis, leading Nadal by a set and 3-0 ahead in a second set tiebreak.
That was when the game turned on its head. Brands netted a high-risk backhand slice at 3-2 and Nadal restored parity by winning five of the next six points.
"It was just like some oxygen," Nadal said about winning the tiebreak. "I could finally breathe and it enabled me to think about the rest of the match with less pressure weighing down on me because we were neck and neck.
"Then the match went down a different track and I started taking over a bit and that's how I could send back, return his second service."
It was Nadal's first grand slam outing since losing to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon last year.
There then followed a seven-month absence from the tour as Nadal recovered from a troublesome knee problem that has dogged him throughout his career.
Since his return he has won six of the eight tournaments he has played but he retains a boyish delight in simply being on court after such a lengthy period out.
"I'm delighted with the situation as it currently stands," he added. "I find myself in a state of affairs that, only a few months back, none of my team could ever have dreamed of.
"That's why I'm tasting every moment. What's happened is behind me. Each passing day is a little less tension and I think I have done more than I could possibly have dreamt about doing only a few months back."

 

[Smallville22]

Australian Kyrgios tames nerves to claim Stepanek scalp

Too young to share a locker room with the established pros, Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios served a series of bullets from his sizeable frame to beat tour stalwart Radek Stepanek at the French Open on Monday.
Kyrgios, only 18 years old but already a statuesque figure at 193 centimetres, describes his background as half Greek and half Malaysian but he hails from Canberra and counts former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash as a friend and mentor.
A late wildcard entry at Roland Garros, he is still intending to play in the junior event and changes with the other tyros at a different end of the sprawling grounds.
Firing down a string of aces in their first-round encounter, he won 7-6 7-6 7-6 against Czech Stepanek, 34, who is one of the tour's most experienced campaigners and ranked 210 places above him.
"I had a lot of nervous energy in the third set," Kyrgios told reporters. "My fingers started mini-cramping I guess you could say - I think I'll feel better, more comfortable in my next round.
"When I woke up I was pretty nervous (but) when I got out there I started playing some really good tennis."
The youngster now faces a even sterner test in the shape of Croatia's 10th seed Marin Cilic who hit 35 winners as he ousted German Philipp Petzschner 6-1 6-2 6-3.
"I hit with him a couple of days ago before the main draw," Kyrgios added. "He's an unbelievable player.
"He's got to where he is playing world-class tennis. I'll focus on what I have to do the next couple of days."
Asked whether he planned to alter his routine and change with the senior players, he replied: "I'm still using the locker room at Suzanne (Lenglen Court) so I don't think that will change any time soon."

 

[Smallville22]

Sharapova starts defence with easy win

Maria Sharapova was not distracted by a late court switch as she started her French Open title defence with a ruthless 6-2 6-1 dismissal of Taipei's Hsieh Su-Wei in the first round on Monday.
With the men's encounter between Frenchman Gael Monfils and Czech Tomas Berdych dragging on over on Chatrier Court, the Russian second seed's match was moved to the Suzanne Lenglen arena where Sharapova enjoyed a 54-minute stroll.
She ended her opponent's ordeal with a crosscourt backhand winner, with some spectators having barely had time to sit down.
Sharapova next faces Canada's Eugenie Bouchard.
Chinese sixth seed Li Na was kept on her toes as she reached the second round with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Li, the 2011 Roland Garros champion who had never beaten Medina Garrigues in three previous claycourt meetings, was never allowed to let her guard down by the world number 68 on a sunsoaked Court Philippe Chatrier, but she prevailed on her first match point after one hour 44 minutes.
Li opened a 4-0 lead in the first set before a resilient Medina Garrigues threatened a comeback by breaking back twice.
The Spaniard opened a 2-0 lead in the second set but could not capitalise on her advantage as Li roared back to win four games in a row, relying on a series of booming forehand winners.
Medina Garrigues levelled for 4-4 before dropping serve in the ninth game. Li sealed the win when Medina Garrigues fired a forehand long..
Li will next face American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Tenth seed Caroline Wozniacki ended Laura Robson's French Open challenge with a swift 6-3 6-2 victory in round one.
Former world number one Wozniacki, who came into the tournament on the back of a poor run on clay this season, looked like a possible scalp for the improving 19-year-old, but the Dane took full advantage of an error-strewn performance from the Brit.
Wozniacki was the more consistent in the first set, and raced into an unassailable 4-1 lead in the second, allowing herself the luxury of giving away one of her breaks of serve before seeing out the match in just 71 minutes.
Wozniacki moves on to face Bojana Jovanovski next at Roland-Garros.
Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, playing despite a painful shoulder, thrashed Israel's Shahar Peer 6-1 6-1. The Pole next faces Mallory Burdette of the USA.

Women's results:

21-Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 2-6 6-4 6-0

2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) 6-2 6-1

Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-0 7-6(1)

Paula Ormaechea (Argentina) beat Tatjana Maria (Germany) 6-3 4-6 6-0

Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 4-6 7-5 6-3

Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) beat Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 6-1 7-6(2)

17-Sloane Stephens (U.S.) beat Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-2 7-5

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat 22-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4 6-2

Jana Cepelova (Slovakia) beat Christina Mchale (U.S.) 7-6(3) 2-6 6-4

Zheng Jie (China) beat Vesna Dolonc (Serbia) 6-4 6-1

8-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Mona Barthel (Germany) 7-6(6) 6-2

Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Pauline Parmentier (France) 6-0 6-1

Melanie Oudin (U.S.) beat 28-Tamira Paszek (Austria) 6-4 6-3

10-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat Laura Robson (Britain) 6-3 6-2

Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-2

Mathilde Johansson (France) beat Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 7-5 6-1

Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) 6-3 4-6 6-1

Vania King (U.S.) beat Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) 7-6(3) 6-1

29-Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia) 6-1 6-2

Maria Teresa Torro (Spain) beat Julia Glushko (Israel) 6-2 7-5

20-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Simona Halep (Romania) 3-6 6-2 6-2

Zuzana Kucova (Slovakia) beat 24-Julia Goerges (Germany) 7-6(8) 6-0

6-Li Na (China) beat Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-3 6-4

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) 6-4 6-1

Johanna Larsson (Sweden) beat Monica Niculescu (Romania) 6-2 6-3

4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-1 6-1

15-Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat Stephanie Foretz Gacon (France) 6-3 6-0

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal pushed hard in Roland Garros opener

Rafa Nadal was ****** to dig deep into his near bottomless resolve to salvage a 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-3 first-round win over Germany's Daniel Brands on Monday that had threatened to turn nasty for the seven-times French Open champion.
The Spaniard who has lost only once in eight years at Roland Garros, was a set and 3-0 down in the second-set tie-break before finally subduing the 59th-ranked Brands.
Playing his first grand slam match since crashing out of last year's Wimbledon to lowly-ranked Czech Lukas Rosol, history threatened to repeat itself as Brands, who had never won a match at Roland Garros in four attempts, dictated the early stages.
Nadal, down to fourth in the rankings after seven months out injured, broke in the first game of both the third and fourth sets to wrestle back control of the match.
"I know he was playing unbelievable tennis," Nadal said in his courtside interview. "I tried to find my game and to resist his fantastic shots. I am very happy to be through in this fantastic game."
"I think he didn't know me until the match, and I think he was surprised," Brands said of his illustrious opponent. "Maybe I was too sure to win the point and lost a little bit concentration on this ball, and normally that shouldn't happen against him.
"Maybe that was the turning point."
Nadal surged on to the court with his usual bouncing gait, but that was where all familiarity with the king of the Parisian clay ended.
Since returning in February, Nadal has won six of his eight tournaments and is on a 15-match winning streak, but he looked heavy-footed as Brands's steeplejack serve and pounding flat forehands blew holes in the Spaniard's defences.
Murmurs of disbelief echoed around a sun-bathed Philippe Chatrier court as Brands pulled off the unthinkable feat of breaking Nadal in the ninth game when the 11-times Grand Slam champion dumped a second serve into the net.
The German wrapped up the set in 36 minutes with one of many huge forehand winners and had Nadal looking listlessly to the skies for inspiration when he failed to convert a breakpoint in the second game of the second set.
The turning-point came in the tie-break, when after conceding the first three points, Nadal won seven of the next eight to level the match.
An immediate break at the start of the third brought back something resembling the natural order and with the German's resolve weakened, Nadal strode clear with two further breaks in the fourth.
Next up for Nadal is a second-round clash with Slovakia's Martin Klizan or American Michael Russel.
Gael Monfils, whose career has recently been hampered by injuries, returned to the French Open with a bang on Monday to beat Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych in a first-round marathon.
Monfils, the world number 81, prevailed 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-7 7-5 in front of an ecstatic Court Philippe Chatrier crowd after four hours three minutes.
The Frenchman, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2008 and missed last year's event because of a knee injury, wrapped up the match with his fourth match point when Berdych sent a backhand long.
He will next face Latvia's Ernests Gulbis.
Another local favourite, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, barely broke sweat as he brushed aside Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-2 6-2 6-3 to book his place in the second round.
The sixth-seeded Tsonga, the last French man to reach a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in 2008, will next take on either compatriot Paul-Henri Mathieu or Finn Jarkko Nieminen.
Tsonga, who could run into second seed Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, simply had too much power and pace for Bedene, who was playing his only second grand slam match.
The 28-year-old Frenchman ended the contest on Court Suzanne Lenglen on his first match point with a service winner.

Men's results

Michal Przysiezny (Poland) beat Rhyne Williams (U.S.) 6-3 6-7(5) 7-5 7-5

21-Jerzy Janowicz (Poland) beat Albert Ramos (Spain) 7-6(3) 7-5 6-3

Gael Monfils (France) beat 5-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 7-6(8) 6-4 6-7(3) 6-7(4) 7-5

Albert Montanes (Spain) beat Steve Johnson (U.S.) 6-4 3-6 6-3 3-6 6-1

Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-4 4-6 7-6(9) 4-6 6-2

19-John Isner (U.S.) beat Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 6-3 6-4 6-4

Robin Haase (Netherlands) beat Kenny De Schepper (France) 6-4 7-6(3) 2-6 6-3

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) beat 17-Juan Monaco (Argentina) 4-6 4-6 7-6(4) 6-4 6-4

Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) beat Rogerio Dutra Silva (Brazil) 6-1 7-6(4) 6-3

7-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 6-1 6-4 6-3

27-Fabio Fognini (Italy) beat Andreas Beck (Germany) 6-3 7-5 6-3

Martin Klizan (Slovakia) beat Michael Russell (U.S.) 3-6 6-3 6-1 0-0 (Russell retired)

Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) beat Pere Riba (Spain) 6-3 6-4 6-4

3-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat Daniel Brands (Germany) 4-6 7-6(4) 6-4 6-3

11-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beat Andreas Haider-Maurer (Austria) 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-3

30-Julien Benneteau (France) beat Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) 7-6(5) 6-3 5-7 7-6(5)

10-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat Philipp Petzschner (Germany) 6-1 6-2 6-3

Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) beat Adrian Mannarino (France) 6-3 2-6 6-3 5-7 7-5

Tobias Kamke (Germany) beat Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) 6-3 6-3 3-6 0-6 6-3

Grega Zemlja (Slovenia) beat Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-1 6-4 6-1

6-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) 6-2 6-2 6-3

Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) beat Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) 7-6(7) 2-6 7-6(2) 6-2

Nick Kyrgios (Australia) beat Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 7-6(4) 7-6(8) 7-6(11)

Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat 31-Marcel Granollers (Spain) 7-5 2-6 6-4 4-6 6-4

Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) beat Martin Alund (Argentina) 6-2 4-6 6-1 6-0

32-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Juergen Zopp (Estonia) 6-3 6-2 6-1

Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) beat Jurgen Melzer (Austria) 6-4 6-3 6-2

13-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Jesse Levine (Canada) 6-3 6-2 6-0

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal narrowly survives bad day at the office

Daniel Brands ensured it was no regular Monday at the office for Rafa Nadal when the Spaniard came desperately close to being shown the door after walking on to Chatrier Court to begin his hunt for an eighth French Open title.
Nadal reached the second round but his 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-3 win over the inspired German, who had never won a main-draw match at Roland Garros before, was fraught with danger as the 11-times major winner flirted with the unthinkable.
Women's defending champion Maria Sharapova's only concern was a late court switch, though, as the Russian completed a business like 6-2 6-1 victory over Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei.
If overwhelming men's favourite Nadal's struggle created the early buzz in the fan-packed walkways it was home favourite Gael Monfils's gripping victory over fifth seed Tomas Berdych who raised the volume as the sun set over western Paris.
Showman Monfils, a semi-finalist in 2008 but way down the rankings after knee problems, thrilled an ecstatic crowd for four hours with a 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-7 7-5 victory as Berdych became the highest seed to perish so far.
Former women's champion Li Na began with a grafting 6-3 6-4 first-round win over Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues while home fans dreaming of a first French men's champion here since 1983 roared their approval as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga turned on the style, only to be overshadowed by Monfils' later exploits.
Nadal had suffered only one defeat in his 53 previous matches at the French Open and was in red hot form leading into the tournament where the 26-year-old can become the first man in history to win the same grand slam eight times.
Five titles on clay since returning to the tour after a seven-month injury layoff and Brand's terrible record in Roland Garros should have made the first meeting between the two players a formality.
Indeed, when he banged the dirt off his shoes, performed the obligatory tug of his orange shorts and won the opening point with a dipping topspin forehand all looked well in 'Rafa World'.
Then things got complicated for the former world number one as his first grand slam match since last year's shock second-round Wimbledon defeat by Czech Lukas Rosol threatened to turn into a nightmare for the Spaniard.
That he survived the onslaught that Brands sent down spoke volumes for Nadal's indomitable spirit, although he admitted he had been made to suffer.
"Sometimes you feel you are not hitting a bad shot and every time a bomb and a winner comes back, that's frustrating," Nadal told reporters. "But I found the solution at the right time.
"He played his game right up to the hilt, all the balls, he was just firing on all cylinders."

FOREHAND MISSILE

Looking tentative and struggling to cope with the punishing, flat-hitting of 59th-ranked Brands, Nadal double-faulted on a break point at 4-4 in the first set and the German seized his chance, claiming the first set with a forehand missile.
It was the first time Nadal had dropped the first set of a first-round match at Roland Garros and only the 15th he had surrendered at the home of French tennis.
Ominously, though, for the Spaniard it was the first time he had lost the first set in a match at Roland Garros since being blown off court by Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.
Brands continued to show scant regard for Nadal's reputation and a repeat of his Soderling loss looked possible especially when Brands held off break points at the start of the second set and dragged Nadal into a tense tiebreak.
With the capacity crowd trying to absorb what they were witnessing, Brands fired down two huge winners to take a 3-0 lead and the alarm bells were ringing loudly in the Nadal camp.
Brands then wastefully sliced a backhand into the net at 3-2 and Nadal sensed his chance, racing through the rest of the tiebreak and roared with relief as much as joy after dispatching a screaming backhand pass on set point.
Nadal said winning the tiebreak was "like oxygen" and after breaking the mighty Brands' serve for the first time in the opening game of the third set, he remained on top although his form will offer hope to those trying to knock him off his perch.
Monfils has never failed to entertain the Roland Garros crowd and his garish multi-coloured shirt raised eyebrows and a few laughs as he took to the stage to face the Berdych.
His tennis was no joke, though, as he resisted a Berdych fightback to claim an epic victory.
"Thank you...it was magical," the 27-year-old Frenchman, ranked 81st in the world told the crowd who had willed him on.
Monfils joined sixth seed Tsonga in the second round after outclassing Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene 6-2 6-2 6-3.
Sharapova, who was pushed out to Suzanne Lenglen court becauuse of the over-running Monfils drama, made short work of Hsieh, showing no after-effects from the illness that meant she had to pull out of the Rome Masters.
"I wanted to come to Paris and just try to get that energy and spark back, because when I started feeling not so well it was tough to be on the court," the world number two said.
Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska thrashed Israel's Shahar Peer 6-1 6-1 while former world number one Caroline Wozniacki ended a dreadful recent run of first-round defeats to beat up-and-coming British teenager Laura Robson with a minimum of fuss.

 

[Smallville22]

Superstitious Djokovic hopes to avoid Paris mishap

A day after Rafa Nadal suffered a first-round scare at the French Open, world number one Novak Djokovic will look to avoid any mishap as he starts his Roland Garros campaign against Belgium's David Goffin.
The Serbian top seed will be second on Court Philippe Chatrier after local favourite Marion Bartoli, the 13th seed, opens proceedings against Belarusian Olga Govortsova.
Perhaps because of superstition, Djokovic has requested his team and reporters to make no mention of future rounds.
There will be a veterans' day feeling as the 42-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm takes on Australian ninth seed Samantha Stosur on Court One and German 12th seed Tommy Haas, 35, is up against France's Guillaume Ruffin on Court Suzanne Lenglen, where all four matches feature French players.
Marathon man Nicolas Mahut, who played the longest professional tennis match at Wimbledon in 2010, is scheduled on Court Philippe Chatrier against Serbian eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic.
Last on centre court will be Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the third seed, who is looking to clinch a third Grand Slam title after winning the last two Australian Open titles.

 

[Smallville22]

'Mussell' Russell still loving the old routine

For Michael Russell retiring early from a Grand Slam was a familiar routine.
The Houston-based 35-year-old had just been ****** to retire from his first-round match at Roland Garros with a hamstring injury and was heading back to his hotel to begin patching up his body again.
It has been like that for 15 years for a player whose nicknames include "Iron Mike" and "Mussell".
Russell is thankful he has played in an era graced by Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal yet, for the most part, his path has been far from the bright lights enjoyed by the sport's elite.
He has never got higher than 60th in the world and has reached only one ATP semi-final, but a graph of Russell's ranking is a flat line nearly always inside the top 100 - where the money is made.
At 1.73m, Russell is dwarfed by the giants who shred the felt off tennis balls these days, yet through hard graft and "hours each day icing and stretching" he continues to hold his own.
Talking in the bowels of Philippe Chatrier Court, Russell remained upbeat after retiring against Martin Klizan, despite missing out on the chance to face Nadal in the second round.
"Tennis is full of what-ifs, and whys," the third oldest player in the men's draw told Reuters.
Injuries have been part and parcel of Russell's life and he says he is lucky that his wife Lilly is a physiotherapist. It's also fortunate that Russell's first love is "working out".
"Hence the nickname. Even though my life is consumed in tennis when I get an injury I get frustrated because I can't work out.
"I'll start tonight, I've got special tools and machines that help me recover from injuries so I'll be doing that tonight," he said. "I'll be fine in three or four days."
Russell's greatest claim to fame is having match point against Gustavo Kuerten at Roland Garros in 2001. The Brazilian eventually won through and went on to take a third title.
"Playing Guga was amazing," he said. "To be that close to beating a player like that. I remember winning my opening service game and thinking at least I'm not losing 0-0-0.
"It was a high and a low moment, being so close.
"Playing (Lleyton) Hewitt on centre in Australia in 2007 and taking him to five when I had just come back into the top 100 was pretty neat too. Being on that big stage again.
"I've played in all the four big stadiums and not many players can say that. But facing Rafa at Wimbledon was probably my favourite moment. I lost 4, 2 and 2 but it was a fun match with lots of entertaining points and diving around."
While those moments are for the scrapbook, Russell's bread and butter is making enough money to pay his way.
"I love the competiton and as long as I can stay in the top 100 and get in the tourenaments I want, I can make money," he said. "If I wasn't in the top 100 then maybe it would be time to start doing something else.
"I thought about quitting in 2012. My ranking was 130 or so, I was unhappy with my equipment, but then I got to the semis in Houston and three weeks later I was back in the top 100.
"It's not just the physical side of the tour, it's the mental side with all the travelling - it's like groundhog day."
Should he decide to step off the tennis treadmill, Russell is already primed for a new career after gaining a BA in business administration while globe-trotting on the tour.
"I remember at the Australian Open I played (Juan Martin) Del Potro, a three-hour match that ended at 9.30 at night...then I had to come home and do a three-hour exam paper. Not many players have to deal with that."
"I got a 3.94 average too," he adds bashfully.
Clearly cut out for more than what he describes as the "me, me, me" world of tennis, Russell says he could have earned far more than the $1.9 million he has pocketed in prize money had he followed his *******'s path to Harvard.
But it might not have been so much fun.
"I think I'm smart enough to have worked my way up in the business world," he said. "But I love the sport. And I will walk away knowing I gave it my all."

 

[Smallville22]

Stosur powers into second round, Bartoli in three-hour victory

Ninth seed Sam Stosur took advantage of a brief break in the rain to reach the second round of the French Open with a 6-0 6-2 win over Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm at Roland Garros.
With rain delaying the start of play by two hours and more scheduled for throughout the day, the 2010 finalist in Paris was clearly in no mood to waste time as she rattled off the first nine games before allowing her 42-year-old opponent to get on the scoreboard.
Stosur, who converted five of eight break points while not facing one on her own serve, will face Kristina Mladenovic of France in the second round.
Date-Krumm, who made her French Open debut 24 years ago in 1989 when 57 women in this year's singles draw were not even born, lasted only 64 minutes on Court One.
"I guess, lucky for me I was able to finish the match before this last downpour came," Stosur, runner-up in 2010, told reporters. "It was spitting a little bit when we went out there. You think, oh, are we going to start, or are we not?"
Date-Krumm, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 1995, but also played in the last four of Wimbledon (1996), and the Australian Open (94), reached a career No.4 in the WTA rankings that year but it did not exactly fulfil her.
Now the 81st player in the world, Date-Krumm made her French Open debut in 1989, when 57 of the players in this year's main draw were not even born.
"Sometimes I was ****** on the airplane because I didn't want to stay out of Japan," Date-Krumm, the third oldest woman to play singles at Roland Garros, said.
Date-Krumm quit at the end of 1996 but, after a 12-year hiatus in which she met her husband, German racing car driver Michael Krumm, she returned to the sport.
"After I stopped tennis, I enjoyed a normal life. Then I married with a German guy and I changed a lot," she explained.
Date-Krumm admits her preparation for Roland Garros was not ideal, playing not one match on clay this year, and she was duly thrashed by former runner-up Stosur.
"I didn't play on red clay even once this year, because for many years, when I played in the red clay tournaments, I would lose in the first round, first round, first round, and then I would get injured," she said.
"I've got doubles here then I'm already focussed on the grasscourt season."
Marion Bartoli did her best to lift the gloom hanging over a rainy Roland Garros after putting herself and the shivering home fans through agonies in a three-hour victory over Olga Govortsova.
The 13th seed scraped into the second round, clinching a 7-6(8) 4-6 7-5 win on her fifth match point after producing groans from the Chatrier crowd when she double-faulted on her first.
On a day when heavy rain shortened the programme, the twitchy Bartoli, full of ticks and eccentric mannerisms, could have been accused of hogging the stage as she made men's world number one Novak Djokovic wait for his grand entrance.
In the end, however, the crowd did not care as the French number one battled back from 5-3 down in the decider to move through to round two, saving two match points in the process.
Bartoli's victory actually took most of the afternoon because after a rain-delayed start she moved a set and a break ahead before being ****** off by yet more showers.
Having started at lunchtime, it was around 1830 local time when Bartoli finally left the stage.
There was no doubting the entertainment value though.
Going through her full repertoire of baseline shadow boxing in between points, swishing her racket at an invisible ball, Bartoli cuts a comical figure at times.
Occasionally she glared towards her ****** and coach Walter, whom she banished from the crowd during one of her Wimbledon matches in 2011, at other times she punched the air.
All the expended energy looked to have been futile though when Belarussian Govortsova began pinning Bartoli into the corners with some heavy hitting, usually accompanied by loud moans and grunts.
At 5-3, 40-15 Govortsova was poised for victory but a nervy forehand into the net offered Bartoli a lifeline and she saved a second match point with a thumping winner.
Having broken her opponent to lead 6-5 she then took 10 minutes to hold serve, finally edging through when Govortsova framed a service return into the tramlines.

Women's results:

16-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-1 6-4

Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat Lauren Davis (U.S.) 6-0 7-5

Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) beat Irina Begu (Romania) 6-3 6-2

31-Alize Cornet (France) beat Maria Joao Koehler (Portugal) 7-5 6-2

13-Marion Bartoli (France) beat Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 7-6(8) 4-6 7-5

9-Samantha Stosur (Australia) beat Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) 6-0 6-2

Mariana Duque (Colombia) beat Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-0

18-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-4 7-6(7)

27-Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) beat Coco Vandeweghe (U.S.) 6-0 3-6 6-2