Friday, May 30, 2025

RG.6- Rendezvous in Paris

Are we witnessing the foundational stage of a beautiful relationship?




Whether Zheng Qinwen will develop a truly *special* ongoing relationship with Roland Garros is yet to be determined, but the #8 seed has so far done nothing to dispel such a notion at this tournament.

In 2022, when still a teenager, Zheng made her Paris debut in just her second career slam MD appearance, upsetting former champ Simona Halep and reaching the Round of 16, where she became the only player during the tournament's two weeks to take a set off eventual champion Iga Swiatek. The last two years haven't been as successul, as 2r/3r exits gave little indication -- considering Zheng had reached an AO final and two U.S. Open QF by the end of '24 -- that the young woman from China and Paris were in any way simpatico. But then came the Olympic Games.

The event came to Paris last year, and Zheng climbed all the way into the Gold position on the medal platform, outlasting the likes of Angie Kerber (ending the former #1's career) and Swiatek (on the same terre batte where she'd won four RG crowns in five years) before dominating Donna Vekic in the final.

Zheng's Olympic run in Paris had been a continuation of a rebound summer following a 1st Round exit at Wimbledon, as she defended a title on the dirt in Palermo before her medal-winning performance. Her run further carried her to a U.S. QF and sterling 4Q Asian swing during which she completed a season-closing 31-6 sprint that included a title in Tokyo, finals in Wuhan and at the WTAF and a Beijing SF. Zheng finished the year at a career-best #5.

Perhaps unsurprisingly after such an all-encompassing close, Zheng was a bit slow out of the gate in '25, opening at 1-3 before finding her hard court footing with a pair of QF during the Sunshine swing in Indian Wells and Miami. Similarly, Zheng was slow to adapt in her return to the clay, starting 2-2 and being one-and-out in Madrid. But Rome saw her rebound again, upsetting #1 Aryna Sabalenka and reaching the SF as she arrived in Paris playing her best tennis of the season.

Returning to the scene of her Golden turn, Zheng has picked up where she left off, dispatching Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Emiliana Arango in straight sets before facing off today against surging qualifier Victoria Mboko.



While the Canadian teen was game for the big stage opportunity, Zheng proved to be too much for her. Outpacing her 17-5 in winners, Zheng was simply too good for the slam newcomer. Mboko managed to break Zheng's serve twice in the match, and had five BP chances in Zheng's last two service games as she attempted to get the 2nd set back on serve and force a decider, but the #8 seed held firm and won 6-3/6-4 to reach her first RG Round of 16 since her '22 debut.



Some big dates are possible down the line for Zheng, matches that would be true "stress test" moments in her relationship with RG. First up, though, is a 4th Round match-up with #19 Liudmila Samsonova, who reached her first Round of 16 in Paris with a win over Dayana Yastremska today.

If she gets a win there, what would possibly be Zheng's reward? How about a *second* chance to upend top-seeded Sabalenka this clay season in the QF and, after that, a potential third chance -- in a Paris rubber match -- against Iga Swiatek on the same court in the semis.

Clearly, by the end of next week, we might know quite a bit more about Qinwen's "relationship status."









=DAY 6 NOTES=
...Amanda Anisimova has endured quite a bit of pressure on and off the court in her short pro tennis career, but the #16 seed has managed to hang in, and now is back for more in Paris.



Facing off with #22 Clara Tauson, who reached the Round of 16 at RG a year ago, Anisimova prevailed by a 7-6(4)/6-4 score as the Dane's serve was simply not good enough on this day. To her credit, Tauson -- still *just* on the edge of her Top 20 debut, having so far topped out at #21 -- closed a 3-1 2nd set gap to 3-3, and threatened to push the stanza toward another breaker as she held a GP in game 9. But Anisimova completed a well-timed break and then served out the win to reach the second week.

A lot has happened to Anisimova since reached the RG semis at age 17 in 2019, not the least of which was the sudden death of her father (also her coach) not long after that big result in Paris. Anisimova played on, finding some success along the way, but finally had to take a break from the sport in the middle of the 2023 season.

Though she's hardly been perfect on the court, Anisimova seems to have found some balance in '25. She won her biggest career title in Doha, and made her Top 20 debut earlier this year. She even upset Mirra Andreeva in Miami soon after the Russian teen's Indian Wells title run.

Still, even with such high points, a tennis season also has accompanying low moments. For Anisimova, it's especially been injuries and illness, including a trio of retirements/walkover endings in Hobart (ill), Charleston (back) and the Paris 125 (she walked away after two sets in her final match). Anisimova came into Roland Garros with no real momentum. She was just 5-4 on clay in '25, 2-3 since the tour shifted to Europe.

But she's been here before, and will likely need to tap into that lingering experience for what comes next, namely a match-up with #1 Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian mowed through another opponent (Olga Danilovic, no slouch in majors) on Friday, and has dropped just ten total games through three rounds. 14-2 on the dirt this spring, Sabalenka has lost to only Alona Ostapenko and Zheng Qinwen since she lifted the title in Miami (completing her two-final, 11-1 Sunshine run).



...on Day 6, Iga Swiatek progressed one round deeper into her latest RG title defense attempt, but only after Jaqueline Cristian followed up a quick 1st set loss with a raised level of her own game that tested the #5 seed deep into the 2nd set.



After a 6-2 win in the opener by Swiatek, things were much tighter in the 2nd set as both held their serve through the first eleven games though they were tested by their opponent's return game. Swiatek saved six BP, and Cristian three as the two were on serve at 5-5. Swiatek did her part, holding to force the Romanian to do the same to reach a tie-break.

In game 12, Cristian led 30/15, but soon faced a MP (Iga pulled a backhand wide) before holding her own SP. She couldn't convert, and two points later Swiatek put away MP #2 with an error from Cristian, winning 6-2/7-5.



The win in Swiatek's 24th straight in RG competiton, and while it's not the longest in the tournament's Open era it *is* the longest by a woman in consecutive editions (2020-25) of the event. The women either tied (Justine Henin) or ahead of her on the list (Chris Evert w/ 29, Monica Seles w/ 25) all had years during their streaks where they missed RG due to temporary retirement, recovery from an injury (in this case, a stab wound) or simply choosing not the play (due to World Team Tennis commitments).

When Swiatek found out the identity of her 4th Round opponent she may have had a sigh of relief (or maybe not). Rather than #21 Alona Ostapenko, whom Iga has *never* beaten, it'll be #12 Elena Rybakina, who the Pole had a tough time with a few seasons ago but has managed to go 2-0 against in '25.

Due to the kinetics of both Rybakina and Ostapenko's games, one figured this one would either be a barnburner or not particularly close. It turned out to be the latter as Rybakina won 6-2/6-2. With the big hitting win, the Strasbourg champ reminded everyone with her seventh straight win this spring that she, too, can take the racket out of an opponent's hand when she's in top form. We'll see if she can be that in two days and, if so, whether or not Swiatek has an answer for it.



I rather like the visuals of the competing outfits of both Rybakina and Ostapenko, with their varying versions of green. Green (whether paired w/ white, ala Ostapenko -- and Halep -- when she won the RG final in 2017) just looks good on the orange terre battue.



...the remaining 3rd Round matches of the day set up the final women's Round of 16 opponents in the top half of the draw, as #13 Elina Svitolina improved to 17-2 on clay with a 7-6/7-6 win over Bernarda Pera. Their contest was the closest of today's eight matches to actually reaching a 3rd set. Ultimately, none of them did.

Svitolina will face '24 finalist Jasmine Paolini, the reigning Rome champion, as the #4 seed ended the run of lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva.







*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. #16 Amanda Anisimova/USA
#19 Liudmila Samsonova/RUS vs. #8 Zheng Qinwen/CHN
#4 Jasmine Paolini/ITA vs. #13 Elina Svitolina/UKR
#12 Elena Rybakina/KAZ vs. #5 Iga Swiatek/POL
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x







...THE RARE STAT THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE SERENA... ON DAY 6:




...AND -- poof! -- it was gone again?... ON DAY 6:


It's funny how the #WTARallyTheWorld monstosity pretty much completely disappeared for two-plus months, then suddenly rose from its grave at the start of RG with a few videos (Kessler, Shnaider, Haddad Maia, Baptiste and Ostapenko, I think) and then just crawled back down into its dark, musty hole in the ground again.




...MEANWHILE, ONS CUTS RIGHT TO THE HEART WITH A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT OF TRUTH... ON DAY 6:



...and the WTA talking about "stages" does nothing to address it, nor lean into, tout and embrace the entertainment value of the women's tour as it is, rather than let outside forces/trolls compare it to whatever *they* thinks it is *not* and, thus, deem it to not "measure up" to their personal (and often fluid) "standard."


...BLOODY GOOD... ON DAY 6:

























kosova-font















kosova-font

*LONGEST RG WIN STREAKS*
29 - Chris Evert, 1974-75/79-81
25 - Monica Seles, 1990-92/96
24 - Justine Henin, 2005-07/10
24 - IGA SWIATEK, 2022-current
20 - Steffi Graf, 1987-89
19 - Chris Evert, 1985-87
18 - Steffi Graf, 1995-97
---
NOTES: Evert missed RG 1976-78 w/ WTT; Seles missed 1993-95 recovering from on-court stabbing; and Henin missed 2008-09 while retired



kosova-font


kosova-font


kosova-font


kosova-font

Swit portrayed the quick-witted Maj. Margaret Houlihan on one of TV's most honored series, and collected a number of awards for her "M*A*S*H" role, including two Emmys. She was nominated for 10 Emmys and four Golden Globes. www.nbcnews.com/news/obituar...

[image or embed]

— Raymond Norman (@raymondnorman.bsky.social) May 30, 2025 at 3:32 PM


Every time one of the core group of "M*A*S*H" stars passes away, it twists the knife just a little bit more as the last vestiges of my all-time favorite show disappear. At this point, Alan Alda (Hawkeye), Mike Farrell (BJ), Gary Burghoff (Radar) and Jamie Farr (Klinger) are pretty much the only major stars still with us, along with a few who played secondary characters like Igor (Jeff Maxwell) and Sgt.Rizzo (G.W. Bailey), not to mention a whole slew of guest stars who were fairly young at the time and usually played U.S. Army members passing through (like Ron Howard).

Ted Danson is probably my longest-standing favorite TV star as far as years and shows go, but Alan Alda's work on "M*A*S*H" (he was great near the end of "The West Wing," too, which one almost forgets now) is my personal favorite characterization on any show ever. I dread the inevitable day.







TOP QUALIFIER: Nao Hibino/JPN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (5 games lost 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - Nao Nibino/JPN def. #17 Bianca Andreescu/CAN 2-6/7-6(5)/6-4 - Andreescu led 6-2/5-3, holding a MP in game #8 of the 2nd and then serving for the win a game later, and led 5-2 in the 2nd set TB; Hibino also saved 2 MP vs. Ella Seidel/GER in Q3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #10 Paula Badosa/ESP def. Naomi Osaka/JPN 6-7(1)/6-1/6-4 - Badosa SP in 1st, up break at 4-3 3rd and saved BP; Osaka out 1r year after had MP vs. Swiatek 2r and won first pro title on clay in '25)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #13 Elina Svitolina/UKR (def. Sonmez/TUR)
FIRST SEED OUT: #28 Peyton Stearns/USA (1r: Lys/GER)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Emiliana Arango/COL, Sara Bejlek/CZE, Lois Boisson/FRA, Joanna Garland/TPE, Victoria Mboko/CAN, Leyre Romero Gormaz/ESP, Tereza Valentova/CZE
UPSET QUEENS: Czech Republic
REVELATION LADIES: United States
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Australia (2-5 1st Rd.; only wins AUS/AUS 1r and new-AUS Kasatkina)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Victoria Mboko/CAN (3rd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER WINS: Yuliia Starodubtseva/UKR (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: In 3r: Boisson/FRA, Jacquemot/FRA
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: none
LAST PASTRY STANDING: In 3r: Boisson, Jacquemot
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: x
IT "TBD": x
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Vondrousova/CZE, Gauff's missing rackets
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: #9 Navarro (1r- 1 game vs. Bouzas Maneiro)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Nominees: Valentova/CZE (1r- trailed 5-2 in 3rd vs. Paquet, who served up 5-3 30/love; '24 RG Jr. champ wins last 5 games for first slam MD win); Bouzas Maneiro/ESP (2r- trailed Montgomery 1-4, 15/30 in 3rd)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominee: Svitolina
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: -
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
Légion de Lenglen: 100th anniversary of Suzanne Lenglen's first grand slam French Championship titles (WS/WD/MX sweep) in 1925 (first time event open to non-FRA competitors)
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: x







All for Day 6. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:27 PM 

2 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

Anisimova's next match against Sabalenka will be interesting as Anisimova leads their h2h at 5-2.

As expected, Ostapenko failed to reach the 4th round.

Fri May 30, 10:29:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Alona being Alona. Although, that one was a bit of Elena being Elena, too. ;)

Sat May 31, 08:11:00 PM EDT  

Post a Comment

<< Home