RG.10- "Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing" *

Even eventual masterpieces are built upon a series of rough drafts.

"What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like beautiful music." - Søren Kierkegaard

There have certainly been times when Francesca Schiavone has had every reason to be unhappy with herself this spring. Citing her physical limitiations, she took a step back from her long-time and beloved Fed Cup duties, only to see defending champion Team Italia be unceremoniously bounced from the semifinals without her assistance. Then her own clay court singles results took their good sweet time coming around, too. Eventually, though, they did. As the springtime weeks went by, her results grew from 2nd Round and 3rd Round exits, to quarterfinal and semifinal finishes. The other day in Paris, the '10 champion said that she wasn't playing great tennis, but that she thought her heart and experience were pulling her through.

The same can be said about the 30-year old's quarterfinal match with Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Day 10. Luckily for Schiavone, though, a true artist isn't judged by their creative process. The Italian's early stabs at creativity were massive failures on Tuesday. Pavlyuchenkova raced to a 4-0 1st set lead, won the stanza at 6-1, then built a 4-1 advantage in the 2nd set against the error-strewn veteran. Sometimes inspiration comes at odd times, and sometimes it comes just in the nick of time. That's what happened today.

Just as was the case with Schiavone's Round of 16 match with Jelena Jankovic two days ago, the REAL moment when the match would be decided would eventually come, and it would be THEN that the defending champion's fate would be sealed. That moment beckoned in game #7 of the 2nd set, when Schiavone finally carved out a break of Pavlyuchenkova's serve to get back on serve at 4-3. In the next game, the "old" Francesca that won so many fans a year ago began to reappear. With an expert drop shot, she held serve for 4-4. Two games later, she began to go for her shots with the abandon that she'd lacked earlier. The results: a reflex winner, a backhand-with-a-hop winner and the notion that her latest work of art was only now coming into focus within her artistic being. 5-5. Pavlyuchenkova then double-faulted on break point to give Schiavone her first lead in the match at 6-5. She held for 7-5 and, in an instant, the earlier plotline about the heartwarming champion of a year ago having to wave goodbye with her head held high had to be furiously rewritten.

Schiavone got a break to go up 1-0 in the 3rd, then she remembered all the brilliant shotmaking she'd used during her title run. After fighting off a break point and getting back to deuce, the Italian raced crosscourt to reach a Pavlyuchenkova drop shot, then scooped a forehand over the net post and safely into the corner to reach game point. Perhaps still stunned by Schiavone's passion, Pavlyuchenkova then knocked a shot wide to fall behind 2-0. Looking like her game was about to totally go off the rails, the streaky 19-year old quickly had her serve broken to give Schiavone a 3-0 lead.

The champ skipped off the court to her chair for the changeover.

But as we learned yesterday, and throughout this Roland Garros, no lead is safe in Paris this year... even you've won nine of the last ten games and, albeit belatedly, managed to right your game and diversify your shot selection to keep your opponent off balance just as you did while winning the final over Samantha Stosur one year earlier. Just when Schiavone's masterpierce seemed to be ready to write itself, the script was flipped. Briefly. And then flipped again. And then again.

Pavlyuchenkova got a break to forestall her slide, getting to within 3-1, but Schiavone broke back and held for 5-1. But what did I just say about no lead being totally safe? Serving into the wind at 5-2, the Italian quickly fell down love/40 and was broken by a Pavlyuchenkova winner. At 5-4, Pavlyuchenkova took at 40/15 lead on Schiavone's serve, only to see her smash an ace. But just when the Italian seemed about to rip off her latest chapter of greatness at Roland Garros, the Russian took a return and lobbed it over the serve-and-volleying Schiavone. It landed just inside the court and the set was tied at 5-5.

But lest we forget who was the real artist in this contest.

Pavlyuchenkova opened game #11 with a double-fault, and quickly fell behind 15/40. A Schiavone forehand pulled the Russian wide, and her only response was to slap a shot into the net. Schiavone grabbed the break to lead 6-5. On her third try to serve out the match, the Italian led 30/love... and THEN things got REALLY strange. It was as if the Tennis Gods were being purposely coy, almost minx-like, not letting anyone know their true intentions, but leading us all on with every move in the book. How much did they want to make Francesca sweat? How much did they want to show their love? Did they really have any love, or was it all an act?

At 30/15, Schiavone broke a string on her racket in the middle of the point, losing it and then having to retrieve another stick. With a new weapon in hand, she pounded an ace to get to match point, only to see Pavlychenkova respond with a winner of her own one point later and then reach break point. But "The Artist" was not through. Hitting out on all her shots, Schiavone's strokes ran Pavlyuchenkova along the baseline, and then she blasted a forehand so far out of reach of the right-handed Russian that she couldn't reach it even while lunging with her racket in her left hand. Match point #2 came after Pavlyuchenkova sprayed a backhand on a point during which the sun suddenly came out from behind a cloud to bathe the court in light. Were the Tennis Gods setting up for a better view of Schiavone's triumph? Maybe, but then Pavlyuchenkova hit a second serve return winner to keep the match going still longer. Finally, suffering artist Francesca had been made to anguish long enough. The Tennis Gods showed a little mercy. The Italian successfully placed a nervy drop shot out of the teenager's reach to get a third match point, and then was allowed to have the final lines of her latest work flow from her pen... err, I mean racket.

Schiavone hit a wide serve, then popped up Pavlyuchenkova's return down the center of the court on the Russian's side of the net. Pavlyuchenkova hit a forehand, then followed behind it to the net. Schiavone slapped a forehand back at the teenager, who half-volleyed to produce a slow-bouncing mid-court setter than the Italian raced to with anticpation in her heart. One backhand passing shot down the line later and she'd finally won, 1-6/7-5/7-5. Just how she'd planned it... well, sort of.

While this particular rough draft wasn't exactly pretty, it was beautiful. It's not the creative process that matters... it's the end result. And Schiavone might not yet be finished constructing this particular masterpiece.

At least we can hope.


* - Thanks again, Søren.



=DAY 10 NOTES=
...in the day's second QF, Marion Bartoli became the first Pastry to reach the Roland Garros SF since Mary Pierce was runner-up in 2005, as Svetlana Kuznetsova wasn't able to keep her roll going. Down 7-6/5-2, Kuznetsova prevented Bartoli from serving out the match in her first atttempt, but not in her second as the Frenchwoman won the 2nd set 6-4.

Before this tournament, after she'd been forced to retire from the Strasbourg final days before her first scheduled match in Paris, Bartoli said it'd take a "miracle" for her play at Roland Garros. Now, she IS French, so dramatics are in her blood, but it's still pretty impressive that she's battled her way through and now finds herself one win away from living her life-long "dream" of playing in the RG final. Of course, she'll face Schiavone, against whom she's 1-4. They've never played on clay, and surely not also in front of a partisan French crowd, either. Either way, we'll get a finalist not too many people would have picked. I DID have Schiavone in the semis, at least. Naturally, "Carl" had her in the final... so if Francesca wins I'm sure I'll hear about it from him before Wimbledon, even though he actually picked Clijsters to beat her.

What with all their celebrations, physical ticks, skipping, heart-on-the-sleeve facial expressions and the like, a Bartoli-Schiavone match-up almost begs for two of those full-time camera shots on both players between points. Franki-cam! Pastry-cam! Surely it'd be worth the effort, since what those two will be doing when the match isn't taking place will certainly be almost as interesting to watch as what will transpire during play... and THAT could be something to see, as well.

...I know Gael Monfils is supposed to be "fun" to watch and all. At least that's what all the television commentators tell me I'm supposed to think. But I'd rather not, I think. Truthfully, it seems sort of a pointless endeavor. The Frenchman has had a pretty good career (somehow he stays in the Top 10, though it's hard to remember too many great moments he's had since he stopped dominating the juniors), but he never lives up to the high praise that he's always given every time one of his matches airs. Too enthralled with making the "brilliant" and "exciting" shot, he always wastes his energy and is never either brilliant nor exciting when it really matters. Monfils will occasionally have a good day in a slam, like he did against David Ferrer in the Round of 16, but I always sort of view it with a sigh, since it means he'll trot out again in a match that will be get loads of attenton, then he'll either end up hurting himself, have another of his no-show performances because he left all his verve on the court in the previous match, or he'll blow a two sets to none lead. Many French players have been like this for decades, but at least the "most French" (you know, flair-conscious and dramatic, ala golfer Jean van de Velde, who doomed his British Open chances years ago by going for a spectacular shot rather than a smart one) of that lot, Henri Lecconte, did manage to reach a slam final during his career. There doesn't seem much chance that Monfils will even be able to put six matches together over two weeks and do that, though. So part of thinks time would be better utilized by watching something else when he's playing. The usual happened today against Roger Federer. Monfils was never really in the match, then even when he pushed things to a tie-break in the 3rd he was grabbing at his legs, seemingly hinting that he probably wouldn't make it through the match anyway, even he did somehow keep it going into a 4th or 5th set.

Lost in all this, though, of course, is that Federer has reached the semis without dropping a set in the tournament. Maybe the Babolat balls and weather are helping? Now he'll face Novak Djokovic with a shot to get back to the final for the first time since he completed his career Grand Slam in '09, with the chance to end the Serb's winning streak (keeping John McEnroe and Guillermo Vilas' names safely in the ATP record books), but also to possibly inadvertently preserve Rafael Nadal's #1 ranking for a little while longer, depending on what happens in the Nadal QF match with Robin Soderling (and the SF, if Rafa wins there... and then in what would have to be a final against Federer himself). The "trivalry" is getting a bit weird. In a good way.

...I found something interesting while tooling around in the WTA records section last time. I figure it might come into play soon, so I'll go ahead and mention it.

Caroline Wozniacki has 16 career WTA singles titles, and very well could push her number to 20 by the end of the season. If she does, and hasn't yet won her first slam, she'd be one of only two women in tour history with 20 or more singles titles, but no slam singles championships. The other woman? Why, none other than Pam Shriver, who won 21 but could never break the Navratilova/Evert stranglehold on the slams. She DID win many slam doubles titles, though, which C-Woz has not done.

Had Elena Dementieva not retired, she would be in contention for the list, as well. She also won 16 singles titles. The closest slam-less active players to Wozniacki are quite a way back -- Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina, both with 12 titles, and Vera Zvonareva, who's won 11 times. But with Wozniacki so consistent on a weekly basis, and so much younger than those players, how high might her career titles number go before she wins a slam? She can get to 20 in 2011... 30 in 2012-13... yikes, 40 not long after that? Whew! That sort of combination of results would be quite something.

...the Women's Doubles semis are set, and the highest-seeded team remaining is still #3 Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova. They'll face the all-Czech Hlavackova/Hradecka (by the way, I saw on Tennis Channel's ticker that Hradecka has so far recorded the fastest women's serve at this year's RG) team in an attempt to earn a berth in the final and get the chance to claim their third major title in the last four slams. I don't know about the numbers, but I'm really hoping for King/Shvedova to do this... if for nothing else than it would keep alive my pre-season prediction that King would at some point in 2011 be the #1-ranked player on the doubles computer. Dulko & Pennetta's Oz title sort of set things back, but Paris could keep hope alive. In the other other SF, Mirza/Vesnina will face the the all-American veteran pair of Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond. Huber is still looking for her first post-Cara Black Women's Doubles slam crown.

In Mixed Doubles, top-seeded Katarina Srebotnik (w/ Nenad Zimonjic) advanced to the semis. Nadia Petrova is still alive with Jamie Murray (they're still to play their QF), but she and Anastasia Rodionova lost to King/Shvedova in the Women's, so no woman advanced to the Final 4 in both Doubles competitions this year. One Aussie will be in the Mixed final, though, as Jarmila Gajdosova (w/ Thomaz Bellucci) and Casey Dellacqua (w/ Scott Lipsky) will meet in the SF.

Dellacqua, by the way, thus picks up this slam's "Comeback" player award (with Kuznetsova out, and Sharapova the "Zombie Queen") as her return from last year's injury-decimated season continues to get better and better.

...in junior action, the first quarterfinalists have emerged. Top-seeded Daria Gavrilova and #9 Ons Jabeur ('10 runner-up) will face off in the only Final 8 contest that's been set up so far. In the Boys draw, qualifier Miki Jankovic (Serbia) advanced to the quarters after knocking off Yaraslau Shyla, who'd previously upset #1-seed Jiri Vesely in the 1st Round.

Of note, Sharapova's near-conqueror Caroline Garcia barely escaped her 2nd Round match today with qualifier Catalina Pella, rebounding to win 4-6/6-2/9-7.

...and, finally, congrats to the NCAA tennis champions. Top-seeded Jana Juricova (California) defeated Stacey Tan (Stanford) 6-0/7-6 in the women's final, while Steve Johnson (USC) prevailed over Rhyne Williams (Tennessee) 4-6/6-2/6-1 in the men's championship. Jeff Dadamo & Austin Krajicek (Texas A&M) won the men's doubles, while Stanford's Hilary Barte teamed with a second Burdette sister (Mallory) to claim her second consecutive doubles crown (she won it with Lindsey in 2010). Here's a link to Colette Lewis' recap of the finals over at Zoo Tennis.



*WOMEN'S SINGLES QF*
#11 Marion Bartoli/FRA def. #13 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
#5 Francesca Schiavone/ITA def. #14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
#6 Li Na/CHN vs. #4 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS vs. #15 Andrea Petkovic/GER

*MEN'S SINGLES QF*
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #5 Robin Soderling/SWE
#4 Andy Murray/GBR vs. Juan Ignacio Chela/ARG
#3 Roger Federer/SUI def. #9 Gael Monfils/FRA
#2 Novak Djokovic/SRB walkover Fabio Fognini/ITA

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF*
#7 Mirza/Vesnina (IND/RUS) vs. #4 Huber/Raymond (USA/USA)
#3 King/Shvedova (USA/KAZ) vs. Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE)

*MEN'S DOUBLES SF*
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) or #5 Bopanna/Qureshi (IND/PAK) vs.Cabal/Schwank (COL/ARG)
#4 Llodra/Zimonjic (FRA/SRB) vs. #2 Mirnyi/Nestor (BLR/CAN)

*MIXED DOUBLES SF*
#1 Srebotnik/Zimonjic (SLO/SRB) vs. Petrova/J.Murray (RUS/GBR) or Makarova/Soares (RUS/BRA)
Gajdosova/Bellucci (AUS/BRA) vs. Dellacqua/Lipsky (AUS/USA)

*GIRLS SINGLES QF*
#1 Daria Gavrilova/RUS vs. #9 Ons Jabeur/TUN
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx

*BOYS SINGLES QF*
(Q) Miki Jankovic/SRB vs. Mate Delic/CRO
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx




*RG "COMEBACK PLAYER" WINNERS*
2007 Patty Schnyder, SUI
2008 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2009 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2010 Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN
2011 Casey Dellacqua, AUS

*MOST WTA TITLES w/o SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP*
21...Pam Shriver
19...Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere
19...Nancy Richey
16...Elena Dementieva
16...Caroline Wozniacki (active)
15...Dianne Balestrat




TOP QUALIFIER: #21 Sloane Stephens/USA
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #8 Samantha Stosur/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Ekaterina Bychkova/RUS d. Lindsay Lee-Waters/USA 3-6/7-6/10-8
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS d. (Q) Sabine Lisicki/GER 4-6/7-5/7-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Simona Halep/ROU (def. Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #19 Shahar Peer/ISR (lost to Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP)
UPSET QUEENS: The Romanians
REVELATION LADIES: The North Americans
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Chan Yung-Jan/TPE & Nuria Llagostera-Vives/ESP (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING: Iryna Bremond/FRA, Caroline Garcia/FRA & Pauline Parmentier/FRA (2nd Rd.)
IT GIRL: xx
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Casey Dellacqua/AUS
CRASH & BURN: #2 Kim Clijsters/BEL (lost in 2nd Rd. to #114 Arantxa Rus/NED after leading 6-3/5-2 and holding 2 MP; worst slam result since 2002
ZOMBIE QUEEN: #7 Maria Sharapova, RUS (down 6-3/4-1, 2 breaks, in 2nd Rd. vs. Garcia)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: #11 Marion Bartoli/FRA (in SF)
JOIE DE VIVRE: Virginie Razzano/FRA
DOUBLES STAR xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 10. More tomorrow.

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RG.9- "Four Upbuilding Discourses, Pt.2" *

While most of yesterday's Round of 16 match-ups were characterized as being about various forms of justification, redemption and retrieval of promise, Day 9's centered on a group of players attempting to seize a moment that could lead to something that will change the scope and/or legacy of their careers.

"Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts." - Søren Kierkegaard

Some of the women in action on Monday handled their moments with intelligence, skill and/or toughness. (At least) one will go to sleep tonight with some regret, though. It's the dominant thoughts -- both good and bad -- that resound inside a player's head under grand slam pressure that often carve out the path of a career. Thus, today could be the impetus for a great many things for the players involved.

First up on Day 9 was Petra Kvitova against Li Na, the same match-up that had resulted in a lopsided win for the Czech in Madrid, as Kvitova went on to win the title. At this tournament, though, Kvitova's game has shown some sloppiness in recent outings. She was able to get away with it against the likes of Greta Arn, Zheng Jie and Vania King. But it killed her chances in this match. Kvitova came into her face-off with Li, after having looked positively smashing at times this year while compiling a 5-1 record against Top 5 players (with wins over #2 Kim Clijsters, #3 Vera Zvonareva and #4 Victoria Azarenka), with a real shot at pulling off a slam result even better than her Wimbledon SF run of last season. She blew a huge opportunity today, as her lapses in concentration re-emerged at precisely the wrong time, allowing Li to grab hold of the match in the 3rd set after having fallen behind 3-0.

With Kvitova's game a bit off, the Chinese vet smartly employed a gameplan that essentially fed Kvitova balls that would eventually produce "instant errors" after the Czech had been moved side to side during a rally. By placing her shots deep in the court, Li managed to keep Kvitova off balance by not allowing her to step into her shots and gain quick control of the point with the sort of thunderous and flat groundstrokes that had blown Li off the court in Madrid and, at times, earlier in this Round of 16 match.

In the match's early moments, Kvitova's serve had allowed her to climb out of a few sticky situations. She faced break points in each of her first three service games, but never dropped serve and won the 1st at 6-2. Li got an early break in the 2nd, though, as the Czech's sloppy play overwhelmed her and she lost her mental edge as the usually stone-faced (except for brief moments of exultation) Kvitova was visibly frustrated with her poor mechanics and shot selection. Li took the set 6-1. In the 3rd, Li double-faulted to open and close the second game, then Kvitova held to take a 3-0 lead. It looked like the Kvitova landslide that took place in Spain was going to happen on the Parisian plain, as well.

But it didn't. While Li steadied herself, Kvitova's game went on another silde. She was broken in her next two serve games as Li turned a match that had mostly consisted of short rallies that favored the Czech into one that revolved around longer rallies that almost always went the Chinese woman's way. Holding on by a thread while down 5-3, Kvitova went up 40/love on serve, but then again fell victim to the error bug that had turned a "sure" QF berth into a needless dogfight. She was broken yet again, and Li claimed her sixth straight game to win 2-6/6-2/6-3 and back up her Australian Open final run (in which she saved MP in the semifinals) with her first quarterfinal result at Roland Garros.

Kvitova picked the wrong time to have her game go "wobbly," and most assuredly had it happen against the wrong player. Her lapses gave Li an opening, and she took it and opened a Great Wall-sized path to the quarterfinals. The Czech lost out on a big chance to continue to build her tennis career's worth today (though she'll likely have more chances on the more-favorable-to-her grass and hard court slams later this season), and will have to quickly move past any "What If?" funk and prepare herself to defend big points at SW19 in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, I finally lost my RG champion pick. As I said before the tournament, though, I still think the attempt was worthwhile (wait... did I just sound like Kim when she exited the tournament last week? Hmmm.). See, I knew that Kvitova/Azarenka match-up wouldn't happen since I talked the other day about wanting to see it. But at least Azarenka held up her end. As the tournament's highest-remaining women's seed, the (oddly) favored-to-win-the-title Belarusan really did nothing to dissuade anyone from thinking that her time to stake a claim to the top spot in women's tennis JUST MIGHT come on Saturday.

After coming into today with a 75% 1st serve percentage, and just two breaks of her serve, for the tournament, Azarenka was broken in her first serve game by Ekaterina Makarova. The Russian is an underrated player, having knocked off three seeded players in this year's two slams (and played eventual AO champ Clijsters very well in Melbourne), but Azarenka, who also bounced back from being a break down in the 2nd, didn't fall into a Kvitovian-trap and let her grab control of things. Instead, she held her concentration and won 6-2/6-3.

Azarenka has a chance now to emerge from Paris as THE new star on the WTA tour, and maybe send a friendly shot across her friend Caroline's proverbial bow about what it takes to successfully complete "the next step" in a tennis career after having previously watched the Dane usually be the one of the two to take the first steps onto any unchartered career ground. Naturally, I had wanted to pick Azarenka to win this tournament a few weeks ago, but her string of retirements made her "too hot to handle." [NOTE TO SELF: Don't second guess.]

Of course, nothing says Azarenka still isn't going to meet some unfortunate end at this Roland Garros. If it's not at the hands of Li (who handily defeated Azarenka 6-3/6-3 in Melbourne in January), it might be by her own. After all, it's always SOMETHING with Azarenka at the slams. Hopefully, her inner circle will slap a "Handle with Card" sticker on her, wrap her in bubble wrap, put a cold compress on her forehead, then tuck her away for safe keeping into a bed of feathers tonight, being sure in install rollover bars on either side of her sleeping platform, then take care to wheel her to the breakfast table and flank her with velvet-gloved guards en route to the entrance to the practice court tomorrow. And for as long as she's still in this tournament... repeat as necessary.

Of course, once she hits the court it'll be all up to her to "stay safe." Uh-oh.

Meanwhile, few players offer a better comparision to 19-year quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, when it comes to how different a make-up the tour has when it comes to the ages of its top players, than Andrea Petkovic. Petkovic, at 23, is what used to be called a "late bloomer," but should probably now be looked at as the way things are in the WTA these days. The German, who defeated Maria Kirilenko 6-2/2-6/6-4 today, is actually just five months younger than Maria Sharapova. Still, while the 24-year old Russian seems to have been around forever, having won a slam at 17 in '04, Petkovic has only recently risen nearer the top of the sport. Even better things seems on the horizon for her, though.

Seemingly poised to soon enter the Top 10 for the first time, Petkovic would be the first woman from her country to first experience such a tour breakthrough since Anke Huber in 1992. Further solidying herself as the lead member of the current crop of rising Germans, Petkovic is now just the second German woman to reach the Roland Garros QF since Steffi Graf won the title in 1999. The other woman to so do was Anna-Lena Groenefeld in 2006. ALG has never reached another slam QF, while this is now Petkovic's second straight such result at a slam, making her one of just three women currently sporting consecutive slam Final 8 streaks. If the lack of success in German women's tennis produced a "lost generation" of national stars in the post-Graf years, it's safe to say that Petkovic is now basking in the spotlight as her tennis nation's "dancing fool" (in a good way, don't you know).

Oh, and did someone mention Sharapova a moment ago?

Of course, while the rest of the bottom half of the draw was concerned with taking big "first" and/or "next" steps in their careers, Sharapova was faced with the ongoing task of trying to add a legendary layer of accomplishment to her career resume. Against Agnieszka Radwanska, against whom she sported a 6-1 career record, the feeling was that a surging Sharapova might blast through her opponent on this day. It didn't happen, though. For some of this contest, it more closely resembled the one match the Pole had previously won against the Russian -- at the U.S. Open in 2007, when A-Rad polished off the '06 champ by keeping her off-balance, allowing her to beat herself (sort of like what Li did to Kvitova).

With Sharapova not at her best, Radwanska got an early break to go up 2-0, led 4-1 and held break point for a 5-1 lead. But Sharapova served well under pressure once again, holding for 4-2. It set the pattern for the match. Back into the set, the Russian got a break for 4-3, then won a tie-break to claim the set by once more relying on her serve to clean up the messes she found herself in due to the error totals her game was producing. The 2nd set was a rerun of the 1st, except that A-Rad had even MORE opportunities handed to her that she didn't capitalize on. She had a break point at 2-2, but Sharapova held serve. Leading 5-3, Radwanska had the first of what would be five set points that she could not convert in the 2nd, including three in a single game at 5-4. Sharapova broke her serve to knot things at 5-5, and then raced to the finish line on the strength of a very risky go-for-winners gameplan that produced higher error and double-fault totals than she's had in recent outings, but which paid dividends because her serve worked when it needed to do so. Sharapova won 7-6/7-5, riding a wave of mometum to break A-Rad to close out the match.

The Russian's play was spotty today, and for the second time in three matches she looked like she might be heading down the same sort of dark alley that she's hopelessly wandered down many times over the past two years. Thing is, can anyone capitalize on their opportunities against her the way that Caroline Garcia and Radwanska ultimately did not? Petkovic is cabable, but slightly flighty in big moments... though she has beaten Sharapova in a slam before. Azarenka definitely could, but she's about to enter a place in a slam where she's never been and her inexperience could show... though she HAS defeated Sharapova twice in their last three meetings, and was leading her in Rome when she retired. Li, or one of the vets in the top half of the draw, might be better able to depend on their experience to weave their way through a match in which Sharapova's game is showing signs of fraying, I suppose. Sharapova is 23-10 against the players left in the draw (interestingly, four of those losses have come against one -- countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova, a potential opponent in the final). Either way, Sharapova once again managed to survive a match in Paris, so once more I'll mention how she's never put together a slam-winning run that consisted of outings in which she ever had to go through the ringer like she has in recent days.

But, again, maybe THIS is the pattern that has been set for "Supernova II," and the career Grand Slam WILL be her's come Saturday night. I'm still not yet convinced she's ready to win another slam. As long as her health remains good, I won't be saying the same by the end of this summer, though. But Sharapova might not end up needing that additional time. After all, HER dominant thought is always focused on the biggest possible prize and how to attain it as quickly as possible.

We'll find out soon enough how this all plays out.


* - Thanks again, Søren.



=DAY 9 NOTES=
...Li is at it again. Apparently, she "fired" (though she said she doesn't like to use that word for it) her husband as her coach after her long on-court dry spell a while back, demoting him to hitting partner. Today, he was in the stands when Kvitova took a 3-0 lead in the 3rd set. He got up and walked out... then Li won six straight games.

"Even myself, I didn’t believe I can come back, you know, because she has a huge big serve," Li said. But, she added: "I don’t know what happened. Maybe just my husband left and I can win six games in a row."

Really, if she and Schiavone faced each other in the final, I think I'd wish for the post-match interview session to go on for about an hour or two.

...in Doubles, both the women's top two seeded teams were dumped out of the QF. A day after Gisela Dulko retired in her singles QF, she and the other half of the world's #1-ranked doubles team, Flavia Pennetta, lost to #7-seeds Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina 6-0/7-5. #2-seeded Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik lost to unseeded Czechs Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka. With Srebotnik's loss, only Nadia Petrova is now still alive in both the Doubles and Mixed draws.

...in junior action, #14 Maryna Zavenska defeated Cristina Dinu, and will next face top-seeded Daria Gavrilova. Meanwhile, 2nd Round action has begun and a great 3rd Round match-up has been set, as #7 Yulia Putintseva will meet #11 Alison van Uytvanck.

At the NCAA Championships, California's Jana Juricova will face Stanford's Stacey Tan in the Singles final. Stanford's Hilary Barte will team with Mallory Burdette against Clemson's Josipa Bek & Keri Wong for the Doubles crown. In 2010, Barte teamed with Mallory's sister Lindsey to win the Doubles championship. Barte lost in the singles QF the other day. On the men's side, Steve Johnson (USC) will meet Rhyne Williams (Tennessee) for the Singles title, while Bradley Klahn/Ryan Thacher (Stanford) will go against Austin Krajicek/Jeff Dadamo (Texas A&M) for the Doubles title.

...Sharapova gets the "Zombie Queen" award for this slam, barring some out-of-the-world situation in the next few rounds. Meanwhile, here are a few updates on the nominees for the remaining RG Awards:

*MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY*
Marion Bartoli, FRA
Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
Li Na, CHN
Andrea Petkovic, GER
Francesca Schiavone, ITA (again)
Maria Sharapova, RUS

*IT GIRL*
Victoria Azarenka, BLR (in singles QF and Doubles QF)
Caroline Garcia, FRA
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS

*COMEBACK PLAYER*
Casey Dellacqua, AUS (in Mixed QF)
Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
Anastasia Rodionova, AUS (a Doubles title would sooth FC deciding doubles match wounds)
Maria Sharapova, RUS
Rennae Stubbs, AUS (in Mixed QF)

*DOUBLES STAR*
Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond, USA/USA
Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ (trying for 3rd slam title in last year)
Sania Mirza/Elena Vesnina, IND/RUS
Nadia Petrova, RUS (in Doubles QF and Mixed QF)

*JUNIOR BREAKOUT*
Caroline Garcia, FRA
TBD

...and, finally, after twenty-seven years, John McEnroe might have received some good news in Paris about his 1984 ATP record forty-two match season-opening winning streak. Or not.

Back then, McEnroe blew a two sets to none lead to Ivan Lendl in the final, becoming preoccupied with all the little stupid things that often made him explode like an over-sugared kindergartner on the court back in the day, and squandered his best chance to ever win the Roland Garros title on his long-time worst surface. The defeat ended his 42-match streak, and not until Novak Djokovic's current run has anyone really challanged the record. At least after today's news, it'll take a little longer before Mac's record can be offiicially snuffed out of existence. Djokovic's QF opponent, Fabio Fognini, withdrew from the tournament one day after his controversial win from five match points down in an 11-9 5th set against Albert Montanes. Fognini received mid-game treatment when he was one game from losing the match during the set, and the question of whether it was for a muscle tear/pull or cramping was an issue. Treatment for muscle injuries are fine at any time, but cramping cannot be treated other than during changeovers (unless the player forfeits all the games from that point until the next changeover, which Fognini couldn't do yesterday since doing so would have given Montanes the game he needed to end the match). Observers believed he was cramping, but the trainer ruled otherwise and Fognini was allowed to continue. Today, his pull-out is either a way to cover himself against more criticism, or he really DOES have a muscle tear that will prevent him from playing.

Either way, Mac's "gift" comes in Djokovic's QF walkover past Fognini, which will not count as an official "victory" for his streak. After playing three straight days, the Serb will now get four days off and won't play until his SF against either Roger Federer or Gael Monfils. If he wins the match, he'll be assured of becoming the 25th man to be ranked #1 on the ATP tour. That win would tie McEnroe's 42-0 mark, but now Djokovic will have to win the final in order to break it.

Of course, the player he COULD meet in a final might be Rafael Nadal, who is 42-1 at Roland Garros in his career. Of note, that one loss came at the hands of Robin Soderling, the Spaniard's next oponent. Also, Rafa has expressed dissatisfaction with his game at this tournament. Weeks after possibly correctly saying that he was going to lose the #1 ranking to Djokovic, Nadal said that he (Rafa) "can't win" this tournament the way he's currently playing.

Is Rafa an "ultimate truth teller," or simply playing oppossum? Or, to be most cynical, is he just shielding himself in case he DOES lose to Djokovic in the final?



*WOMEN'S SINGLES QF*
#13 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS vs. #11 Marion Bartoli/FRA
#14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS vs. #5 Francesca Schiavone/ITA
#6 Li Na/CHN vs. #4 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS vs. #15 Andrea Petkovic/GER

*MEN'S SINGLES QF*
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #5 Robin Soderling/SWE
#4 Andy Murray/GBR or #15 Viktor Troicki/SRB vs. Juan Ignacio Chela/ARG
#9 Gael Monfils/FRA vs. #3 Roger Federer/SUI
#2 Novak Djokovic/SRB walkover Fabio Fognini/ITA

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#7 Mirza/Vesnina (IND/RUS) def. #1 Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA)
#4 Huber/Raymond (USA/USA) vs. #5 Azarenka/Kirilenko (BLR/RUS)
#9 Petrova/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) vs. #3 King/Shvedova (USA/KAZ)
Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) def. #2 Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO)

*MEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) vs. #5 Bopanna/Qureshi (IND/PAK)
Cabal/Schwank (COL/ARG) def. Bracciali/Starace (ITA/ITA)
Lipsky/R.Ram (USA/USA) vs. #4 Llodra/Zimonjic (FRA/SRB)
#9 Lindstedt/Tecau (SWE/ROU) vs. #2 Mirnyi/Nestor (BLR/CAN)

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
#1 Srebotnik/Zimonjic (SLO/SRB) vs. #7 Benesova/Paes (CZE/IND)
Petrova/J.Murray (RUS/GBR) vs. Makarova/Soares (RUS/BRA)
Stubbs/M.Melo (AUS/BRA) vs. Gajdosova/Bellucci (AUS/BRA)
Uhlirova/Mertinak (CZE/SVK) vs. Dellacqua/Lipsky (AUS/USA)




*CONSECUTIVE SLAM QF - ACTIVE STREAKS*
3...Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2...Li Na, CHN
2...Andrea Petkovic, GER

*CAREER SLAM QF - ACTIVE*
33...Venus Williams
31...Serena Williams
18...Kim Clijsters
14...MARIA SHARAPOVA
12...SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA
9...Nadia Petrova
7...Jelena Jankovic
7...Dinara Safina
7...FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE
6...Kimiko Date-Krumm
5...Ana Ivanovic
6...LI NA
5...Vera Zvonareva
4...VICTORIA AZARENKA
4...Jelena Dokic
4...Daniela Hantuchova
4...Agnieszka Radwanska
4...Caroline Wozniacki
3...MARION BARTOLI
3...Anna Chakvetadze
3...Kaia Kanepi
3...Samantha Stosur
--
Other '11 RG Quarterfinalists: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1), Andrea Petkovic (2)

*CAREER RG QF - 2011 FINAL 8*
5...Svetlana Kuznetsova
5...Maria Sharapova
3...Francesca Schiavone
2...Victoria Azarenka
1...Marion Bartoli
1...Li Na
1...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
1...Andrea Petkovic

*RG "ZOMBIE QUEENS"*
2008 Dinara Safina, RUS (2 MP down in 4th, 2 MP down in QF; reached final)
2009 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (down 7-5/4-1 in 3rd Round, match suspended/darkness; reached QF)
2010 Samantha Stosur, AUS (down MP in QF; reached final)
2011 Maria Sharapova, RUS (down 6-3/4-1 in 2nd Rd.)

*WOMEN'S OVERALL WON/LOST - BY NATION*
[nations w/ wins, through 4th Round]
23-11...Russia (Kuznetsova,Pavlyuchenkova,Sharapova)
8-5...Germany (Petkovic)
8-10...France (Bartoli)
7-3...China (Li)
7-6...Italy (Schiavone)
6-5...Australia
6-7...Romania
6-9...United States
5-2...Belarus (Azarenka)
5-7...Spain
5-9...Czech Republic
3-1...Argentina
3-1...Poland
3-2...Canada
3-3...Belgium
3-3...Serbia
3-3...Slovak Republic
2-1...Denmark, Estonia, Netherlands, Taiwan
2-3...Great Britain
1-1...Bulgaria, India, Slovenia, South Africa
1-2...Sweden
1-3...Japan




TOP QUALIFIER: #21 Sloane Stephens/USA
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #8 Samantha Stosur/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Ekaterina Bychkova/RUS d. Lindsay Lee-Waters/USA 3-6/7-6/10-8
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS d. (Q) Sabine Lisicki/GER 4-6/7-5/7-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Simona Halep/ROU (def. Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #19 Shahar Peer/ISR (lost to Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP)
UPSET QUEENS: The Romanians
REVELATION LADIES: The North Americans
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Chan Yung-Jan/TPE & Nuria Llagostera-Vives/ESP (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING: Iryna Bremond/FRA, Caroline Garcia/FRA & Pauline Parmentier/FRA (2nd Rd.)
IT GIRL: xx
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
CRASH & BURN: #2 Kim Clijsters/BEL (lost in 2nd Rd. to #114 Arantxa Rus/NED after leading 6-3/5-2 and holding 2 MP; worst slam result since 2002
ZOMBIE QUEEN: #7 Maria Sharapova, RUS (down 6-3/4-1, 2 breaks, in 2nd Rd. vs. Garcia)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: #11 Marion Bartoli/FRA (in QF)
JOIE DE VIVRE: Virginie Razzano/FRA
DOUBLES STAR xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 9. More tomorrow.

Read more...

RG.8- "Four Upbuilding Discourses, Pt.1" *

Day 8 was about first chances, second chances... and maybe "last best chances?"... and the chance to live up to old expectations for the women in the top half of the draw.

"Once you label me you negate me." - Søren Kierkegaard

Of course, in the current and near-future world of the WTA, one never knows when the ol' slam roulette wheel will spin in any player's favor, but going into Sunday's play it WAS somewhat easy to categorize and label what many of the ultimate winners and losers were playing for.

19-year old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova doesn't appear to be near ready to win a slam. But, apparently, neither is 26-year old Vera Zvonareva. A few weeks ago in Stuttgart, two-time slam finalist Zvonareva defeated Fed Cup teammate Pavlyuchenkova in a three-set match, and she would be called upon to attempt to do the same today in Paris in a streak-filled match. The younger Russian quickly grabbed a 2-0 lead, only to see her elder countrywoman race to a 5-2 advantage and seem well on her way to taking advantage of a draw that had left her as the top-seeded player remaining before the end of the first full weekend of play.

Serving for the set at 5-3, though, Zvonareva fell down love/40 and had her serve broken. She held a set point in game #12, but saw Pavlychenkova hold to force a tie-break. After the OTHER youngest player in the Top 20 had failed to attempt to seize the initiative in HER match the other day, Pavlyuchenkova did not fall into the same pattern. She won the tie-break 7-4, and put the pressure on an obviously tight Zvonareva. Vera responded, too. For a while. She claimed the 2nd set to knot the match, and even got an early break and led 2-1 in the 3rd. Zvonareva missed a volley on game point, though, then got broken as the score was leveled at 2-2. Immediately afterward, Pavlyuchenkova held for 3-2, then earned a break to take a 4-2 lead before coasting to a 7-6/2-6/6-2 win to reach her first career slam quarterfinal. Meanwhile, with #3-seeded Zvonareva gone, after it'd become the first Open era slam without the women's #1 or #2 seeds in the Round of 16, this slam has now become the first to ever be without any of the top three seeds in the QF.

Tour players used to be ready for BIG things as teenagers. As recently as 1997-98, teenagers won five consecutive slam titles. But it's been almost five years since a teenager lifted a slam trophy (19-year old Maria Sharapova in NYC in '06), and even the fact that the last three teen champs were Russian just like Pavlyuchenkova doesn't change the fact THIS one -- even though she's the BEST teenaged player in the world -- would seem to be far outmatched by her elders when it comes to winning THIS title RIGHT NOW.

Pavlyuchenkova is still a work in progress. You can visibly see that she needs to get into better shape in order to sure up one of her obvious liabilities -- her movement. But she HAS improved a great deal in that area since last year, and even while undergoing the usual growing pains as a junior champ tries to gain her footing in the WTA, she's already netted three tour singles titles and has a Top 15 (and rising) ranking. While Paris has been the site of many young players' (non-flukey) first-time slam championship runs -- for the likes of players named Evert, Graf, Seles and Sanchez -- it's hard to believe that the Russian is going to be lifting the Coupe de Suzanne Lenglen next weekend, or even playing in the final (though she HAS already been a slam finalist in one Backspin reality), but her continued gradual climb has still moved her up a very important ladder rung.

In the Francesca Schiavone/Jelena Jankovic match, a contest that would last more than two and a half hours, it was a case of players looking for second chances. For the Italian vet, it was about seeing the opportunity to edge one match closer to living a dream. Again. For the Serb, the motivation came in suddenly having the chance to contend for her first elusive slam title sort of fall into her lap, after her own lackluster spring, due to the foibles and pratfalls of the players ranked above her. In a match littered with break point chances, both capitalized upon and not, the final result was in question late into the deciding 3rd set. But just as it looked as if Schiavone was out of magical Parisian rabbits to pull out of her hat, and that 26-year old JJ and her "Pinky Tuscadero" outfit were going to live to fight another day on the clay, the Italian rediscovered the joie de vivre that turned her into one of the most unlikely slam champions ever one year ago.

At 4-4, the feeling was thick in the air that the winner of the ninth game of the set was going to take the match. When Jankovic had game point, it appeared that it'd be her. But she sailed a backhand long. Then, on another game point, she double-faulted. After a wide forehand error had given Schiavone a break point, Jankovic paused before her serve to look to the sky, as if straining to be worthy of some sort of divine intervention. For a brief instant, she seemed to be deemed as such, as the defending champ netted a forehand.

But Francesca doesn't wait and ask for proof of a higher tennis power. She takes things into her OWN hands. At least she does in THIS tournament, and this was the moment when she did it here. Moments later, working her way forward as the next point's war was waged, she expertly put away a high backhand stab volley for a winner, then performed the same vivacious "hop, skip and a jump" celebration across the court that came to symbolize her title run in 2010.

The corner was turned.

Jankovic hit a crosscourt backhand long and Schiavone got the break to go up 5-4. In the next game, Schiavone threw in a serve-and-volley point to prove that she "was feeling it." JJ knocked a shot long, and the Italian had match point. After Schiavone had moved in to make another volley, Jankovic's wide backhand reply brought the proceedings to a close. Final score: Schiavone 6-3/2-6/6-4... and that much closer to a shot at ANOTHER Roland Garrros title.

Women age 30 or over been crowned slam singles champions twelve times in the Open era. At 30 years of age, Schiavone entered 2011 as an even more unlikely slam champion than she'd been at 29 a year ago. While Jankovic, who'll now drop out of the Top 10 for the first time in quite a while, might have just lost her "last best chance" to become a slam champion, Schiavone has to be wondering to herself just what she might be in the process of doing for an encore. After slowly -- verrrry slowly -- getting her game into something resembling a groove this spring, might Schiavone have actually found a way to peak at her most important event? If her 2010 title run was an outright "shocking" turn of events, what would another one be?

Late in the day, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Daniela Hantuchova met to see which would move forward and have another chance to make due on the promise they showed when they first burst onto the WTA scene. In the opening set, the 28-year old Hantuchova looked ready to follow up her upset of world #1 Caroline Wozniacki. After going up 4-2 in the 1st set tie-break, only to soon be down two set points to Kuznetsova at 6-4, the belief that the young Slovak showed in the early 2000's was as evident as it had been versus the Dane. She won the tie-break 8-6, and her dreams of winning a slam seemed alive and well.

Well, not really. Kuznetsova ended up getting her bearings and winning 6-7/6-3/6-2.

Hantuchova gets credit for persevering in her career. But she knows she's at the point of not having many of these chances left. For all the obvious talent she's always had, she's never possessed the fighter's spirit and verve of a Schiavone. And when the 25-year old Kuznetsova is motivated and really puts her mind to being a great tennis player, these sorts of things always tend to happen. Fortunately for the rest of the WTA, the Contessova doesn't feel that way all the time. The Russian's performance in this slam -- as well as others -- shows how good she can, and should, be. This is her fifth QF-or-better result at Roland Garros in the past six years, and she was the champion in '09. Since she won two years ago, though, and for a while before that, too, she's always seemed to be a flip-the-coin sort of player who'll show up one week and be great, or pretty much not show up at all. She makes you want to pull your hair out and harm small animals (well, maybe I went too far with that one... but you get the idea).

Backspin's "link" to Kuznetsova is through the prediction of "the most talented Hordette" to finish the year at #1 in '05 after her U.S. Open title run as a 19-year old the previous season. She finished #18, and the "Kuznetsova Curse" was born. It wasn't really a "curse," though. It was just Sveta being Sveta. Litttle has changed over the years, either. At the moment, she's feeling good and has fellow Hordette and '04 RG champ Anastasia Myskina acting as a consultant, voicing "Mind of Myskina" nuggets of motivation in her direction after matches. So far, it's working out well. For now. Thankfully, when it comes to possibly winning a third career slam title, Kuznetsova only needs to keep her heart and mind in the game for another six days.

She just might do it, too. If she did, she'd become only the fourth women's player (with Hana Mandlikova, who had Navratilova and Evert as ranking glass ceilings, and Virginia Wade & Ann Haydon Jones, who played part of their careers without easier-to-climb-to #1 weekly rankings) in Open era history to win three majors but never earn the #1 ranking. Seriously, few honors would better illustrate the "wonderful, horrible" nature of Kuznetsova's career talent-to-accomplishment quotient. She's sometimes great, but not as great as she should be. She'd be an assured Hall of Famer with title #3, but one who'd still seemingly left so much more glory unclaimed.

All of these women lived up -- or down -- to their missions on Day 8. They may never have the oportunity to win a slam that quite equals the one that they have at this particular wild-and-wooly one. Well, at least that's the way it looks now. We might have something like this happen in Paris in '12, too. After all, craziness has sort of become the "norm" at Roland Garros in recent seasons, hasn't it?

So, in other words, keep those "labels" handy next spring.


* - Thanks again, Søren.



=DAY 8 NOTES=
...in the day's other women's Round of 16 match, Marion Bartoli advanced past Gisela Dulko when the Argentine retired in the 2nd set. La Trufflette is the first Pastry to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals since 2005. The French women to advance this far since 2000:

2000 Mary Pierce (W)
2002 Mary Pierce (QF)
2003 Amelie Mauresmo (QF)
2004 Amelie Mauresmo (QF)
2005 Mary Pierce (RU)

...quick! Name the woman who currrently has appeared in the most consecutive slam quarterfinals!

Buzzzzzzzzzzz. Wrong! Well, unless you said "Francesca Schiavone," that is. The answer probably didn't spring to mind in TOO many places, though. Yep, this marks the Italian's third straight slam QF. There are still four women to play on Day 9 who could extend person slam QF streaks, but only to two-in-a-row. Looking to add to their Australian Open Final 8 berths from January are Andrea Petkovic, Agnieszka Radwanska, Li Na and Petra Kvitova. At least one WILL do so, as Li and Kvitova face each other.

Zvonareva had been going for a tour-leading fourth straight QF result today, and had she won she'd been playing to reach a fourth consecutive slam semi, as well. As it is, now only Li could extend a streak of slam SF berths, having advanced that far and been runner-up at the Australian Open.

Actually, Schiavone has now reached the quarters at four of the last five slams, with her only miss coming at Wimbledon last year. Of course, her 1st Round loss at SW19 came after her two-week post-RG celebration, so she gets a pass on that one. Maybe even more impressively, Schiavone has had Round of 16-or-better results in seven of her last eight slams. In her previous thirty-five slam appearances, she pulled off the feat just eight times. Like wine, Francesca gets better with age, I guess.

Additionally, Schiavone is the only woman who reached the Final 8 in Paris in 2010 who has returned there one season later. It's easy to remember that the likes of Sam Stosur, Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Dementieva joined her in the QF last year, but maybe less so to recall that Nadia Petrova and Yaroslava Shvedova did, as well. Here are the QF-or-better results at RG since 2001 for players still remaining in the draw:

2010: Francesca Schiavone
2009: Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova
2008: Svetlana Kuznetsova
2007: Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova
2006: Svetlana Kuznetsova
2005: Maria Sharapova
2004: Maria Sharapova
2003: -
2002: -
2001: Francesca Schiavone

It's no eyebrow-raiser that '09 champ Kuznetsova has such a nice history at this event, but I'm a bit surprised at Sharapova's (underrated) consistency on the terre battue in spite of her previously not-exactly-title-strewn results during the EuroClay season throughout her career.

...VARIOUS MATCH NOTES: the Doubles and Mixed quarterfinals are set, and two women -- Katarina Srebotnik and Nadia Petrova -- are still alive in both competitions (Petrova and Anastasia Rodinova defeated Andrea Petrkovic/Julia Goerges on Day 8) ...Roger Federer advanced to an Open era record 28th consecutive slam QF today ...Novak Djokovic moved his 2011 record to 41-0, winning his 43rd straight match ...Fabio Fognini saved five match points against Albert Montanes, winning an 11-9 5th set amid controversy about his late mid-game treatment for an injury that was to be judged by the trainer as either a muscle pull or cramping (the distinction being the difference between the Italian being allowed to be tended to and return to action, and defaulting the match because treatment for cramping is not allowed during a match at any time other than during a scheduled time-out)... Boys #1 Jiri Vesely, the AO junior champ, was ousted in the 1st Round by Belarus' Yaraslau Shyla.

...ELSEWHERE: Chanel Simmonds (RSA) wins the "ITF Player of the Week" for Week 21 due to her championship at the #25K challenger in Changwon, South Korea. She defeated Japan's Yurika Sema in the final, claiming her second straight circuit singles title. Caroline Garcia gets the Week 21 "Junior Star" for her main draw win and near-upset of Sharapova in the 2nd Round.

In the Women's NCAA singles quarterfinals, top-seeded Jana Juricova (California) defeated 2010 champ Chelsey Gullickson (Georgia). Gullickson, unseeded this year, had defeated Juricova in the NCAA Championships' 3rd Round en route to her title a year ago. Joining Juricova in the semifinals are Nicole Gibbs (Stanford), Lauren Embree (from Team champion Florida) and Stacey Tan (Stanford).

...and, finally, it's "comforting" to see that little has changed at NBC when it comes to tennis, since the network again proved where its priorities are by not only airing the it-won't-decide-anything 3rd set of the about-to-be-suspended-for-darkness Ferrer/Monfils match rather than the deciding set of Kuznetsova/Hantuchova, but also for ditching coverage of the tournament entirely for scheduled early-hole coverage of the SENIOR golf tour.

I'm making this spot an NBC-free zone, too... but I thought I'd get in one shot just for the exercise. After all, "I'm tryin' reeeeal hard to be the shepherd."

Sorry... I watched "Pulp Fiction" on IFC last night. (Still a GREAT movie!)



*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#13 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS def. #28 Daniela Hantuchova/SVK
#11 Marion Bartoli/FRA def. Gisela Dulko/ARG
#14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS def. #3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS
##5 Francesca Schiavone/ITA def. #10 Jelena Jankovic/SRB
#6 Li Na/CHN vs. #9 Petra Kvitova/CZE
Ekaterina Makarova/RUS vs. #4 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS vs. #12 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
#15 Andrea Petkovic/GER vs. #25 Maria Kirilenko/RUS

*MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. Ivan Ljubicic/CRO
#18 Gilles Simon/FRA vs. #5 Robin Soderling/SWE
#4 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #15 Viktor Troicki/SRB
(Q) Alejandro Falla/COL vs. Juan Ignacio Chela/ARG
#7 David Ferrer/ESP vs. #9 Gael Monfils/FRA
#3 Roger Federer/SUI def. #14 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI
Fabio Fognini/ITA def. Albert Montanes/ESP
#2 Novak Djokovic/SRB def. #13 Richard Gasquet/FRA

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#1 Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) vs. #7 Mirza/Vesnina (IND/RUS)
#4 Huber/Raymond (USA/USA) vs. #5 Azarenka/Kirilenko (BLR/RUS)
#9 Petrova/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) vs. #3 King/Shvedova (USA/KAZ)
Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) vs. #2 Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO)

*MEN'S DOUBLES QF*
xx vs. xx
Bracciali/Starace (ITA/ITA) vs. Cabal/Schwank (COL/ARG)
Lipsky/R.Ram (USA/USA) vs. #4 Llodra/Zimonjic (FRA/SRB)
#9 Lindstedt/Tecau (SWE/ROU) vs. #2 Mirnyi/Nestor (BLR/CAN)

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
#1 Srebotnik/Zimonjic (SLO/SRB) vs. #7 Benesova/Paes (CZE/IND)
Petrova/J.Murray (RUS/GBR) vs. Makarova/Soares (RUS/BRA)
Stubbs/M.Melo (AUS/BRA) vs. Gajdosova/Bellucci (AUS/BRA)
Uhlirova/Mertinak (CZE/SVK) vs. Dellacqua/Lipsky (AUS/USA)



*RECENT TEEN WOMEN'S SLAM CHAMPS"*
1997 Australian Open - Martina Hingis, 16
1997 Roland Garros - Iva Majoli, 19
1997 Wimbledon - Martina Hingis, 16
1997 US Open - Martina Hingis, 16
1998 Australian Open - Martina Hingis, 17
1999 Australian Open - Martina Hingis, 18
1999 US Open - Serena Williams, 17
2004 Wimbledon - Maria Sharapova, 17
2004 US Open - Svetlana Kuznetsova, 19
2006 US Open - Maria Sharapova, 19

*WOMEN IN DOUBLES/MIXED QF - BY NATION*
5...Czech Republic
5...Russia
4...Australia
3...United States
2...Slovenia
1...Argentina
1...Belarus
1...India
1...Italy
1...Kazakhstan

*SLAM TITLES AFTER AT AGE 30+*
3...Martina Navratilova (2 at 30, 1 at 33)
3...Margaret Court (2 at 30, 1 at 31)
2...Billie Jean King (30 & 31)
2...Chris Evert (30 & 31)
1...Virginia Wade (31)
1...Ann Haydon Jones (30)

*LONG ATP SEASON-OPENING WIN STREAKS*
42...John McEnroe, 1984
41...NOVAK DJOKOVIC, 2011 (post-4th Rd.)
31...Bjorn Borg, 1980

*LONG ATP OPEN ERA WIN STREAKS*
46...Guillermo Vilas, 1977
44...Ivan Lendl, 1981-82
43...NOVAK DJOKOVIC, 2010-11 (post-4th Rd.) - 26 hard,17 clay
42...John McEnroe, 1984
41...Roger Federer, 2006-07
41...Bjorn Borg, 1979-80




TOP QUALIFIER: #21 Sloane Stephens/USA
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #8 Samantha Stosur/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Ekaterina Bychkova/RUS d. Lindsay Lee-Waters/USA 3-6/7-6/10-8
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS d. (Q) Sabine Lisicki/GER 4-6/7-5/7-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Simona Halep/ROU (def. Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #19 Shahar Peer/ISR (lost to Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP)
UPSET QUEENS: The Romanians
REVELATION LADIES: The North Americans
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Chan Yung-Jan/TPE & Nuria Llagostera-Vives/ESP (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING: Iryna Bremond/FRA, Caroline Garcia/FRA & Pauline Parmentier/FRA (2nd Rd.)
IT GIRL: xx
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
CRASH & BURN: #2 Kim Clijsters/BEL (lost in 2nd Rd. to #114 Arantxa Rus/NED after leading 6-3/5-2 and holding 2 MP; worst slam result since 2002
ZOMBIE QUEEN: xx
LAST PASTRY STANDING: #11 Marion Bartoli/FRA (in QF)
JOIE DE VIVRE: Virginie Razzano/FRA
DOUBLES STAR xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 8. More tomorrow.

Read more...

RG.7- "Prefaces" *

Even without the world's #1 or #2-ranked players, the name of the 2011 Roland Garros women's champion is coming into view.

"It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important." - Søren Kierkegaard

Which is, of course, lists for the sixteen who remain on the dirt!!

(Surely, the future champ's name is in there somewhere, right?)

*CONSECUTIVE SLAM ROUND OF 16's - ACTIVE STREAKS*
=4 - 2010 Wimbledon to 2011 Roland Garros=
Maria Sharapova, RUS
Vera Zvonareva, RUS
=3 - 2010 US Open to 2011 Roland Garros=
Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
Andrea Petkovic, GER
Francesca Schiavone, ITA
=2 - 2011 Wimbledon to 2011 Roland Garros=
Victoria Azarenka, BLR
Petra Kvitova, CZE
Li Na, CHN
Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
=1 - 2011 Roland Garros=
Marion Bartoli, FRA
Gisela Dulko, ARG
Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
Jelena Jankovic, SRB
Maria Kirilenko, RUS
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS

*WOMEN'S FINAL 16*
=By Nations=
6 - Russia (Kirilenko,Kuznetsova,Makarova,Pavlyuchenkova,Sharapova,Zvonareva)
1 - Argentina (Dulko)
1 - Belarus (Azarenka)
1 - China (Li)
1 - Czech Republic (Kvitova)
1 - France (Bartoli)
1 - Germany (Petkovic)
1 - Italy (Schiavone)
1 - Poland (A.Radwanska)
1 - Serbia (Jankovic)
1 - Slovak Republic (Hantuchova)
=By Ages=
30...Francesca Schiavone
29...Li Na
28...Daniela Hantuchova
26...Vera Zvonareva
26...Marion Bartoli
26...Gisela Dulko
26...Jelena Jankovic
25...Svetlana Kuznetsova
24...Maria Kirilenko
24...Maria Sharapova
23...Andrea Petkovic
22...Ekaterina Makarova
22...Agnieszka Radwanska
21...Victoria Azarenka
21...Petra Kvitova
19...Anastasia Palvyuchenkova
=By Ranks=
#3 Vera Zvonareva
#4 Victoria Azarenka
#5 Francesca Schiavone
#7 Li Na
#8 Maria Sharapova
#9 Petra Kvitova
#10 Jelena Jankovic
#11 Marion Bartoli
#12 Andrea Petkovic
#13 Agnieszka Radwanska
#14 Svetlana Kuznetsova
#15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
#27 Maria Kirilenko
#29 Daniela Hantuchova
#33 Ekaterina Makarova
#51 Gisela Dulko
=WTA Titles=
23...Maria Sharapova
13...Svetlana Kuznetsova ['09 RG]
12...Jelena Jankovic
11...Vera Zvonareva
7...Victoria Azarenka
5...Marion Bartoli
5...Maria Kirilenko
4...Gisela Dulko
4...Daniela Hantuchova
4...Petra Kvitova
4...Li Na
4...Agnieszka Radwanska
4...Francesca Schiavone ['10 RG]
3...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2...Andrea Petkovic
1...Ekaterina Makarova
=Slam Rounds of 16=
22...Svetlana Kuznetsova
21...Maria Sharapova
15...Jelena Jankovic
15...Francesca Schiavone
15...Vera Zvonareva
14...Daniela Hantuchova
11...Agnieszka Radwanska
10...Li Na
8...Victoria Azarenka
7...Marion Bartoli
5...Petra Kvitova
4...Maria Kirilenko
3...Gisela Dulko
3...Andrea Petkovic
2...Ekaterina Makarova
2...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

"No matter what anyone says, someone will win." - Kierkegaard

* - Thanks again, Søren.



=DAY 7 NOTES=
...there were really no big surprises or exits on Day 7, as all but one of the higher-seeded women advanced in the bottom half of the draw's 3rd Round match-ups. Only Ekaterina Makarova's upset of #16 Kaia Kanepi kept it from being an eight-for-eight sweep by the favorites, as the Russian advanced to her second slam 4th Round of 2011 (probably one of the more surprising and obscure stats going, I'd say).

As expected, Maria Sharapova handled qualifier Chan Yung-Jan 6-2/6-3. Things could get interesting for her next time out, as she faces old nemesis Agnieszka Radwanska, who defeated the then-defending champion then-Supernova in the 3rd Round of the 2007 U.S. Open to "award" the Russian with the Daily Backspin's very first "Crash & Burn" designation. Sharapova's never seemed to forget that match, though, so I'm expecting a beat down might be possible.

Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova moved on, as well, making a possible QF match-up between the two just a single victory from each away. Azarenka took out Roberta Vinci with ease, 6-3/6-2, once again holding her serve like clockwork. She's now the oddsmakers' favorite to win the title, even though she's never advanced to a slam semi, usually because of something going wrong either between her ears or with her ailing body. So far, things have been oh-so-good for her in Paris, though.

Kvitova defeated Vania King 6-4/6-2. She had a few late-set hiccups, though. Serving at 5-2 in the 1st, she was broken at love due to a string errors (which ultimatley led to seven consecutive points lost), then served at 5-2 in the 2nd set, as well, before rescuing a love/30 opening to the game to close out the match. The Czech might not be able to play around like that from here on out, though. Li Na is her next opponent, though it should be noted that the two faced off in Madrid a few weeks ago and, after they exchanged several breaks to begin the match, Kvitova pretty much blew the Chinese vet off the court the rest of the way. Their upcoming match should be an interesting look-in to see just how different -- or the same, considering the new balls and conditions in Paris have brought forward many comparisons between the two events over the last few days -- this tournament might be playing out like the one in Madrid in which Kvitova was the eventual champion (Djokovic won the men's final over Nadal, by the way). Of note, Azarenka was blowing people away in the early rounds in Spain, too. She allowed a total of just two games in her first two matches there. But, in the final, Kvitova dominated her, taking out the Belarusan in straight sets, overpowering her with a 40-10 edge in winners.

Nothing against Li or Ekaterina Makarova, but I really hope that match-up comes about. Azarenka and Kvitova were the final two players I was deciding between when it came to picking a champ for this tournament, and it's too bad things couldn't have set up so that a meeting in the final was possible. As things stand, Kvitova has won 11 consecutive WTA/Fed Cup matches, and is 15-1 in her last sixteen overall. Azarenka is on a 22-3 run, with two of the losses coming via her injury-related retirements when she was leading matches. The one outright loss, of course, was at the hands of the Czech.

I really want that match... so, I guess it won't happen.

...meanwhile, the junior draws are out:

*JUNIOR TOP 10 SEEDS*
[Boys]
1. Jiri Vesely, CZE
2. Hugo Dellien, BOL
3. Filip Horansky, SVK
4. Oliver Golding, GBR
5. Roberto Caballes Baena, ESP
6. Tiago Fernandes, BRA
7. Mate Pavic, CRO
8. Andrew Whittington, AUS
9. George Mason, GBR
10.Joao Pedro Sorgi, BRA
[Girls]
1. Daria Gavrilova, RUS
2. Irina Khromacheva, RUS
3. Caroline Garcia, FRA
4. Natalija Kostic, SRB
5. Monica Puig, PUR
6. Danka Kovinic, MNE
7. Yulia Putintseva, RUS
8. Montserrat Gonzalez, PAR
9. Ons Jabeur, TUN
10. Miho Kowase, JPN

Following in the footsteps of the Women's draw, the Girls have a packed-with-intrigue field for RG, as well. And with three Hordettes seeded in the Top 7, that's not the only thing the two competitions have in common, I guess.

#1 Daria Gavrilova is the '10 U.S. Open junior champ, while #5 Monica Puig ('11 AO), #7 Yulia Putintseva ('10 US) and #9 Ons Jabeur ('10 RG) are all Girls slam runners-up. #3 Caroline Garcia reached the AO junior semis in January, and pushed Sharapova to the brink in the women's 2nd Round in Paris. Also in the mix are #2 Irina Khromacheva ('10 RG jr. semfinalist) and Alison van Uytvanck, who've been snapping up nearly every weekly Backspin "Junior Star" award this spring. Currently, Khromacheva is on a 26-0 junior/ITF match winning streak, while van Uytvanck is 43-2 in WTA, ITF and junior (she's 15-0 there) competition this season. Her only losses have come in pro events to Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Yanina Wickmayer (the latter in Brussels, where she'd earlier defeated Patty Schnyder for her first WTA main draw win).


=QF=
#9 Jabeur d. #1 Gavrilova
#11 van Uytvanck d. #3 Garcia
Lizarazo d. #5 Puig
#2 Khromacheva d. #6 Kovinic
=SF=
#11 van Uytvanck d. #9 Jabeur
#2 Khromacheva d. Lizarazo
=FINAL=
#11 van Uytvanck d. #2 Khromacheva

...in a few Doubles results of note, #1-seeded Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta defeated Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, while Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond took out Casey Dellacqua & Rennae Stubbs

...in the big Men's match left over from Day 6, Novak Djokovic took all the drama out of the contest by, well, doing pretty much what he's been doing for the last six months -- play nearly perfect tennis. After the two split a pair of sets yesterday, Juan Martin del Potro had two break point opportunities today on Djokovic's serve at 2-2. But the Serb turned them back, and then never looked back, winning 6-3/3-6/6-3/6-2. After many figured today's best-of-three setup would give the Argentine a chance, we got remineded that Djokovic came into the match 29-0 in best-of-three matches this season. Now he's 30-0.

At the moment, with a 40-0 record in 2011, he's just two wins away from matching John McEnroe's 1984 ATP season-opening record run. With 42 straight wins dating back to last December's Davis Cup, those two wins would move Djokovic into the SF and tie him with Ivan Lendl (1981-82) for second place on the all-time ATP winning streak list. If he advances to the final, he'd play there with a shot to tie Guillermo Vilas' all-time mark of 46 straight wins in 1977.

Djokovic could face Roger Federer in the semis, then Rafael Nadal in the final. So far this year, he's 7-0 against those two.

...and, finally, Patty Schnyder officially announced her retirement today, ending her 17-year professional career. In her time on tour, she won 11 singles and 5 doubles titles, racked up over 500 match wins, and played in 59 slams (52 consecutively). Unless I'm mistaken, I believe her 59 slams stand behind only Amy Frazier, Martina Navratilova and Ai Sugiyama on the all-time WTA list. For fourteen straight seasons Schnyder finished in the Top 50, seven times in the Top 20 and twice (2005-06) in the Top 10. Her career-high singles rank came in 2005, at #7.

Diane Dees has as good of a tribute to Schnyder as you'll find over at Women Who Serve.

Stay "sneaky," Patty.



*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#28 Daniela Hantuchova/SVK vs. #13 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
#11 Marion Bartoli/FRA vs. Gisela Dulko/ARG
#3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS vs. #14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
#10 Jelena Jankovic/SRB vs. #5 Francesca Schiavone/ITA
#6 Li Na/CHN vs. #9 Petra Kvitova/CZE
Ekaterina Makarova/RUS vs. #4 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS vs. #12 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
#15 Andrea Petkovic/GER vs. #25 Maria Kirilenko/RUS

*MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. Ivan Ljubicic/CRO
#18 Gilles Simon/FRA vs. #5 Robin Soderling/SWE
#4 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #15 Viktor Troicki/SRB
(Q) Alejandro Falla/COL vs. Juan Ignacio Chela/ARG
#7 David Ferrer/ESP vs. #9 Gael Monfils/FRA
#14 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI vs. #3 Roger Federer/SUI
Fabio Fognini/ITA vs. Albert Montanes/ESP
#13 Richard Gasquet/FRA vs. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB



*RG "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING"*
2006 (3rd Rd.) Julia Vakulenko/UKR, Aravane Rezai/FRA
2007 (3rd Rd.) Dominika Cibulkova/SVK, Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS, Ioana-Raluca Olaru/ROU
2008 (QF) Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
2009 (3rd Rd.) Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR, Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
2010 (4th Rd.) Chanelle Scheepers/RSA
2011 (3rd Rd.) Chan Yung-Jan/TPE, Nuria Llagostera-Vives/ESP

*FINAL 16's - BY NATION*
[2011 AO, women + men]
6...Russia (6+0)
4...France (1+3)
3...Serbia (1+2)
3...Spain (0+3)
2...Argentina (1+1)
2...Italy (1+1)
2...Switzerland (0+2)
1...Belarus (1+0)
1...China (1+0)
1...Colombia (0+1)
1...Croatia (0+1)
1...Czech Republic (1+0)
1...Germany (1+0)
1...Great Britain (0+1)
1...Poland (1+0)
1...Slovak Republic (1+0)
1...Sweden (0+1)
[2011 slams, women only]
10...RUS
3...CHN, CZE, ITA
2...BLR, GER, POL
1...ARG, BEL, DEN, FRA, LAT, SRB, SVK

*SCHNYDER AT THE SLAMS*
0 - W
0 - RU
1 - SF (2004 AO)
6 - QF
14 - 4th
8 - 3rd
14 - 2nd
16 - 1st

*LONG ATP SEASON-OPENING WIN STREAKS*
42...John McEnroe, 1984
40...NOVAK DJOKOVIC, 2011 (post-3rd Rd.)
31...Bjorn Borg, 1980

*LONG ATP OPEN ERA WIN STREAKS*
46...Guillermo Vilas, 1977
44...Ivan Lendl, 1981-82
42...NOVAK DJOKOVIC, 2010-11 (post-3rd Rd.) - 26 hard,16 clay
42...John McEnroe, 1984
41...Roger Federer, 2006-07
41...Bjorn Borg, 1979-80




TOP QUALIFIER: #21 Sloane Stephens/USA
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #8 Samantha Stosur/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Ekaterina Bychkova/RUS d. Lindsay Lee-Waters/USA 3-6/7-6/10-8
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS d. (Q) Sabine Lisicki/GER 4-6/7-5/7-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Simona Halep/ROU (def. Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #19 Shahar Peer/ISR (lost to Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP)
UPSET QUEENS: The Romanians
REVELATION LADIES: The North Americans
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Chan Yung-Jan/TPE & Nuria Llagostera-Vives/ESP (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING: Iryna Bremond/FRA, Caroline Garcia/FRA & Pauline Parmentier/FRA (2nd Rd.)
IT GIRL: xx
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
CRASH & BURN: #2 Kim Clijsters/BEL (lost in 2nd Rd. to #114 Arantxa Rus/NED after leading 6-3/5-2 and holding 2 MP; worst slam result since 2002
ZOMBIE QUEEN: xx
LAST PASTRY STANDING: #11 Marion Bartoli/FRA (in 4th Rd.)
JOIE DE VIVRE: Virginie Razzano/FRA
DOUBLES STAR xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 7. More tomorrow.

Read more...

RG.6- "The Concept of Irony" *

Hopefully, Martina Navratilova will be available for consultation over the next few weeks and/or months.

"Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are." - Søren Kierkegaard

If Caroline Wozniacki is going to ever reach her grand slam potential, she's going to need to pay attention to the words of her long-dead Danish countryman. She needs to stop fooling herself and trying to convince others that being #1 means nothing is wrong in her tennis universe. If she doesn't, she'll never win a slam. And that'd be a pity, because she's too smart for that.

The latest in this spring's series of episodes in which the limits of Wozniacki's approach -- i.e. her on-court tactics and tendency to over-schedule herself into a slam corner -- were left out in the sun to dry and crack took place in Paris, as she was run off the court by an in-form Daniela Hantuchova whose aggressive gameplan looked mighty similar to those used by the likes of a Sharapova, Petkovic and Goerges to take down the top-ranked woman in the world over the last few months. The 28-year old Slovak, who could probably tell the Dane a thing or two about how nothing is ever really assured of going the way a young player desires for her career, handled Wozniacki in two quick sets, ushering her out by a 6-1/6-3 score and making her 3rd Round finish her worst grand slam result in two years.

The highs and lows of the two players couldn't have been any more starkly different in the opening set. While Hantuchova was comprehesively dominating the same player she'd never beaten, and lost to in the same round in Miami in March, Wozniacki finished the set with a grand total of zero winners. As the Slovak raced to a 6-1/4-0 lead against the tired and ineffective 20-year old, it was easy to remember how the power and depth of the now-veteran's shot had once made her a Top 5 player as a teen, with designs on winning a slam for herself.

In fact, it was only Hantuchova's history of emotional collapses that allowed this match to remain interesting. One of the reasons that she was never able to reach her full potential was because of the space between her ears, and everyone watching knew that she'd have to overcome her long-time issues in this match to advance, as well. Against Wozniacki in the Australian Open, Hantuchova had had an opportunity to push the match to a 3rd set against her fading opponent, but she was 0-for-7 on break point chances in the stanza, failed to put away three set points, then double-faulted on match point in a 6-1/7-6 loss. How she responded at a similarly crucial point in the 2nd set was going to determine this match, too.

Serving at 4-1, Wozniacki raced to a Hantuchova drop shot and put it away for an easy winner to take a 30/15 lead on the Slovak's serve. Moments later, she had double break point, and the match likely teetered in the balance. Would Hantuchova blow it again? Would she finally stand up and take control in crunchtime? Well, she DID proceed to hit back-to-back aces -- her first of the match -- to pull the game back to even. Wozniacki got the break on her third try, but Hantuchova didn't run and hide from the moment as she so often has in the past. She held for 5-3 two games later, then broke the Dane to close out the win.

The #5 player in the world eight years ago, the #28 seed was 0-6 versus #1-ranked players in her career before today, and was 0-3 in head-to-head meetings with Wozniacki, never winning a set and taking more than three games in a stanza just once (in that Miami match). If Hantuchova could maintain some consistency in these latter stages of her career, she could very well have a shot to make do on her early promise with a surprising, deep drive into a slam (Francesca Schiavone should really be officially declared the patrion saint of the seemingly-hopeless -- and slamless -- tennis veterans still seeking that one moment in the bright spotlight, you know?). Maybe even at this tournament. Too bad she couldn't have figured out more of her issues long ago. It's possible that a little change at the right time would have given her at least half a decade of legitimate slam contending seasons.

Ironically, in the end, this early loss might be the best thing for Wozniacki. One more splash of cold water in the face to shock her into reality. As was seen when she spoke with Navratilova on Tennis Channel a few days ago, she seems open to trying new approaches in her career (her father Piotr is said to want to reach some aggreement with Martina to have her help out his daughter's game a bit), but she's also somewhat wary of changing too much when what is supposedly "wrong" with her tennis has nonetheless gotten her to #1. As usual, she was continually pressed in her post-match press conference about such things, and she again talked about her confidence and being a "great player." But she DID have at least a tinge of testiness behind her answers. Good. The "harm" needs to come to the Princess of Charm's surface.

As Wozniaki was losing today, though they weren't calling the match, Mary Carillo DID only half-jokingly mention to Navratilova that she might be getting that call from Piotr a little earlier than she might have thought.

"I feel as if I were a piece in a game of chess, when my opponent says of it: That piece cannot be moved." - Kierkegaard

I began this Roland Garros talking of having "faith" in players. This spring, I haven't lost mine when it comes to Wozniacki one day raising a slam championship trophy, but I am now in a "wait-and-see" mode when it comes to investing in the long-term success of her slam career. From this point on, she's either going to take the necessary steps to give herself a real shot to win a slam, or she's going to fall behind the oncoming swarm of her generation's big hitters and be another former #1 footnote.

Ask Martina Hingis what it feels like to go from #1 to being "obsolete" in a matter of a season or two. At least the Swiss Miss had a few years of "free reign" in which to achieve her career goals. Wozniacki won't be so lucky, so she has to do something about it now. As in any game of chess, it's her move. Is she going to continue to let other players dictate her ultimate destiny in the slams (and just hope that their play eventually falls off), or will she act as a true #1 (a ranking for which she should send big bouquets of flowers to Kim Clijsters and Arantxa Rus for making it possible for her to keep) in both form AND function and make the necessary adjustments that will allow her to play a bigger role in the outcome of her biggest matches? She doesn't need to scrap her entire mentality, but she HAS to be willing to be more aggressive in matches if she's ever going to ever be able to make it through a packed-to-the-gills draw in a seven-round tournament and hold up one of the sport's four biggest prizes when it's all over.

I said back before the season started that I didn't really think 2011 was going to be Wozniacki's slam-winning year, and that 2012 was a better bet. It won't be easy, but I still think that's true. As long as she does what she needs to do.

The last few seasons have shown, through the plights of various #1's, that nothing is ever a given when it comes to winning slams. The #1 ranking and four dollars will get you a gallon of gas at the corner Sheetz store in the U.S. (though it might cost a bit more elsewhere). Wozniacki talked last year of "having time" to achieve her goals. Well, the clock is ticking. A season ago, she seemed to have time to spare, but as '11 has seen the breakthroughs of more and more young, power-oriented players -- most of which C-Woz has not faired well against -- the schedule has changed. If this spring hasn't been enough to alert the Dane to that reality, then one has to wonder what will.

Tick tock, Caroline. Tick tock.

* - Thanks again, Søren.



=DAY 6 NOTES=
...with #1 Wozniacki's exit coming a day after that of #2 Kim Clijsters, this Roland Garros thus becomes the first slam in the Open era in which both the top two women's seeds failed to reach the Round of 16.

Wozniacki had had a tour-leading run of seven consecutive 4th-Round-or-better results in slams. Last year, only she and Venus Williams managed the feat at all four slams. Now, the current long Round of 16 streak belongs to Vera Zvonarea, who advanced to her fourth straight Final 16 today with a win over Anastasia Rodionova.

...even if Wozniacki's loss might be beneficial for her career, it's still hard to escape the missed opportunity her loss represents. Before she went out, two of the bigger potential obstacles on her side of the draw -- '10 runner-up Samantha Stosur and '11 C-Woz nemesis Julia Goerges -- were also dumped out of the tournament.

As for Stosur, she seems forever fated to chase her tail in slams. In a match-up of two former Doubles #1's, the Aussie was supposed to be in a comfortable place against Argentina's Gisela Dulko. Stosur had cruised through her 1st and 2nd Round opposition, and looked she might be peaking at the same event in which she's advanced to at least the semis two years in a row. But when Dulko proved to be a very "bad house guest" in Stosur's Paris getaway from a so-far-subpar season on Day 6, the Aussie most definitely did not react well.

Dulko attacked Stosur's serve early in the 1st set, and the unprepared Stosur took an entire set to right herself. After Stosur had pushed around the likes of Serena and Justine Henin on the terre battue a year ago, her "bully on the playground" role turned into a classic case of the bully backing down when challenged on this day. Dulko led 4-0, and broke the Aussie's serve three times in the set. Stosur came back to take the 2nd set at 6-1, but when she failed to serve out a game to take a 3-1 lead in a game in which she double-faulted twice, Stosur's stature once again became smaller and smaller in the face of competition. She was soon down 5-2, serving with just a 55% 1st serve win percentage for the match (48% in the deciding set) and with zero aces to her credit all day en route to a truly disappointing 6-4/1-6/6-3 3rd Round exit.

I never thought Stosur was going to win a slam in '11. At age 27, and still wilting in situations like this against a player who's never been a slam threat (this is just the 26-year old Dulko's third Round of 16 slam result), at the one slam where she has ever seemed to "fit" (she's only reached one QF at any other slam), I think it's over for Stosur. I just don't believe she'll ever have the mental make-up to win a major.

Elsewhere, Goerges' words about not being a contender turned out to be prophetic, and she was sent packing by Marion Bartoli. With the match still in the balance as the German was starting to surge in the closing moments, Bartoli held serve in a 20-minute game in the 3rd to take a 5-1 lead. Goerges held, then broke to get to within 5-3, but the Pastry was up to the task of closing things out in her second try. She held at love to win 3-6/6-2/6-4.

...defending champ Francesca Schiavone advanced past Peng Shuai 6-3/1-2 when the Chinese woman retired with an upper respitory illness. Schiavone will face Jelena Jankovic for a berth in the quarters, so one of the under-the-radar vets will be playing for a spot in the Final 4.

Actually, save for 19-year old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the entire top half is composed of veterans (likely duking it out for the "Opportunity" award, by the way). Of the eight players left, five (Schiavone, Jankovic, Zvonareva, Bartoli and Svetlana Kuznetsova) have appeared in slam finals. Of the sixteen remaining in the bottom half, only Maria Sharapova and Li Na can say the same (Petra Kvitova and Yanina Wickmayer have reached a SF). The average age of the top half is 25.75 (26.71 without Pavlyuchenkova), with six of the eight age 26 or older, and with Kuznetsova only a month away from making it seven. Of the sixteen alive in the bottom, only two players -- Li and Roberta Vinci -- are 26-or-older.

...Kuznetsova, an easy winner over Rebecca Marino today, is an interesting case. Her results have been miserable for most of the last two years since she won the RG title, and she spoke on Tennis Channel today about having a hard time with motivation in the past. The key is to find a way to stay focused, she said, because "sometimes I lose my mind." Wow... that sounds like an entry in my old "From the Mind of Myskina" segments in this space. Maybe Anastasia, the '04 RG champ and in from Russia to act as a consultant for Kuznetsova in Paris, is rubbing off on Sveta? At least one thing that has come from Kuznetsova's re-connection with Myskina, unlike with her other past "helpers," she says she "actually listens" to what Czarina Myskina says. Hmmm... yeah, that probably IS important in a coaching/consulting relationship.

...quick, somebody throw Aravane Rezai a life preserver! Today, the Opinionated Pastry and Mirjana Lucic
lost their Doubles match to Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci by a 6-0/6-0 score. Ouch.

...in Miami, Lindsay Davenport called the Wozniacki/Hantchova match for Tennis Channel, and she really grinded my nerves with how she nearly always referred to the Slovak by the more casual "Daniela," but went with "Wozniacki" for the Dane. She was at it again today... and this time I don't think she EVER deviated from her assigned designations during the match. I realize that Davenport played with and knows Hantuchova, but does no one at TC realize how unprofessional it sounds for a match commentator to do that? At least Ian Eagle tried to keep casual viewers from thinking that the Dane's opponent was akin to Madonna, Beyonce, Cher or any number of those Brazilian soccer stars who go by only one name.

...Federer vs. Tipsarevic. The Swiss Mister put on another of his classic clinics in this one. After all these years, it's still one of the most entertaining sights in sport to see Federer in "The Zone."

...Djokovic vs. del Potro: with Djokovic coming in on a 41-match (39-0 in '11) winning streak, del Potro took the 2nd set today before the match was called due to darkness. With the Serb's improved fitness seemingly giving him an added advantage against the still-on-the-comeback-road '09 U.S. Open champ in a prospective five-setter, the break means this one will essentially become a best-of-three match when it resumes on Saturday. Will it make a difference, and could the Argentine turn over the apple cart that is the men's draw like has somewhat occurred on the women's side?

...and, finally, there was yet another gem of a moment that emerged from the Carillo/Navratilova pairing on TC today. Calling the Bartoli/Goerges match, after shaking her head as she continually watched the Frenchwoman's unorthodox lead-up section of her service motion, Navratilova chimed in with, "That serve is so tortured-looking I'm surprised she hasn't cut off her ear."

Seriously, it may be time to call off the competition and go ahead and name that the "Line of the Year."



*WOMEN'S ROUND OF 16*
#28 Daniela Hantuchova/SVK vs. #13 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
#11 Marion Bartoli/FRA vs. Gisela Dulko/ARG
#3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS vs. #14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
#10 Jelena Jankovic/SRB vs. #5 Francesca Schiavone/ITA
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx

*MEN'S ROUND OF 16*
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx
xx vs. xx
#7 David Ferrer/ESP vs. #9 Gael Monfils/FRA
#14 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI vs. #3 Roger Federer/SUI
Fabio Fognini/ITA vs. Albert Montanes/ESP
#13 Richard Gasquet/FRA vs. xx




*RG #1 SEEDS - RESULTS SINCE 2000*
2000 Martina Hingis (SF)
2001 Martina Hingis (SF)
2002 Jennifer Capriati (SF)
2003 Serena Williams (SF)
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne (2nd Rd.)
2005 Lindsay Davenport (SF)
2006 Amelie Mauresmo (4th Rd.)
2007 Justine Henin (W)
2008 Maria Sharapova (4th Rd.)
2009 Dinara Safina (RU)
2010 Serena Williams (QF)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki (3rd Rd.)




TOP QUALIFIER: #21 Sloane Stephens/USA
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #8 Samantha Stosur/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Ekaterina Bychkova/RUS d. Lindsay Lee-Waters/USA 3-6/7-6/10-8
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #3 Vera Zvonareva/RUS d. (Q) Sabine Lisicki/GER 4-6/7-5/7-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Simona Halep/ROU (def. Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #19 Shahar Peer/ISR (lost to Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP)
UPSET QUEENS: The Romanians
REVELATION LADIES: The North Americans
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Llagostera-Vives lost in 3rd Round, Chan to play 3rd Round
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING: Iryna Bremond/FRA, Caroline Garcia/FRA & Pauline Parmentier/FRA (2nd Rd.)
IT GIRL: xx
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
CRASH & BURN: #2 Kim Clijsters/BEL (lost in 2nd Rd. to #114 Arantxa Rus/NED after leading 6-3/5-2 and holding 2 MP; worst slam result since 2002
ZOMBIE QUEEN: xx
LAST PASTRY STANDING: #11 Marion Bartoli/FRA (in 4th Rd.)
JOIE DE VIVRE: Virginie Razzano/FRA
DOUBLES STAR xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 6. More tomorrow.

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