TENNIS: French Open up to the semis.
Oct. 10th, 2020 01:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllFriday night before last, I watched Nadal winning with ease, so much so that they switched to follow a young Frenchman, Hugo Gaston, on fire, thrashing Wawrinka in the fifth set. I then watched quite a lot of Zverev’s match, where he was playing so much better than he had in the second round (where he’d still won against Herbert).
My tennis-watching last Saturday started with Carrena-Busta vs Batista-Agut, but the tennis was mainly in the background for me until Kvitova faced the junior French Open champion, Canadian Fernandez, who was very good, leading in the first set, rousing Kvitova to play smart and well. Fernandez showed lots of promise and good things, even though Kvitova won in two. I can’t say Djokovic winning with ease engendered much interest, so the tennis faded into the background again until I switched it off.
I started watching the French Open on Sunday just before the final game of the Halep match, so I hadn’t taken in her surprising young victor’s name at this point, despite it being the tennis story of the day. Obviously, I hadn’t seen Halep play this championship, but it had sounded as if she were moving through the draw well, but no. Very much no. With Trevisan - who I hadn’t realised was through to the fourth round – beating Mertens (the one with the cramps), that was the number 1 and 5 seeds gone. (Svitolina was the highest seed left, although she hasn’t done much in slams, I recalled. I was later reminded she’d got to the semis in Wimbledon.)
I watched Nadal vs. Korda with more attention. After facing two break points in a nine-minute opening game, Nadal worked him out and beat him, adapting to windy conditions, although that was another promising young player. Speaking of PYP, Sinner beat an unwell Zverev, so that was my first glimpse of him, although I didn’t watch much of the match. I thought Thiem would outgun Gaston, stopped watching when he was on his way to a two-set lead, returned to find the young Frenchman (no one does a drop shot like Gaston!) about to win the fourth. The fifth was a close-run affair, with Thiem clearly not enjoying having to run up to the net to deal with yet another drop shot, until the last two games, where Thiem imposed his will, Gaston faltered and it ended quickly. I was sure Schwartzmann, Thiem’s next opponent, was very happy to see it go to five and think on how tired Thiem would be after this and the US Open. I wonderd what his drop shot is like. So, there was much talk about the changing of the guard/the next next generation.
I worked out that Marion Bartoli, Jim Courier and Fabrice Santoro aside, Inverdale and the British commentators were working from the ITV studios in the UK. The other thing that became apparent was that, for the WTA, this tournament is pretty much it now for 2020, because most of the tournaments slated would be held in Asia, China particularly, and have been cancelled.
On Monday, my lunchtime coincided with the second set tiebreak between Tsitsipas and Dimitrov, which went on if one were half-watching the clock. Then at night, I saw Kenin work things out to unpick the last Frenchwoman standing, Ferrero. Kenin’s competitive spirit and nous are impressive. I then watched a little of Altmayer (another young qualifier making a breakthrough) and Carreno-Busta, but decided I didn’t care enough to stay with it.
Quarter finals: I watched some of the Podrova(?) vs Svitolina match over my lunch break, during the second set, after the Argentinian qualifier(! Although that may just be 2020) had won the first set and nobody was able to hold their serve easily. So, again, the highest ranked female seed left standing was out.
I caught the end of the epic Thiem vs Schwartzmann five-setter QF. Brilliant tennis, but when Thiem wasn’t able to take the fourth, it wasn’t just momentum that switched to his opponent, there was just the sense that the US Open would take its toll on Thiem and fatigue would hit. I think it did on a few points.
But there was more: having seen more of Trevisan play, I was supporting her, but Swiatek had to be the favourite if she’d come up with such huge speeds as were being mentioned. Once she settled down, she also showed touch and promise, so it will be an up-and-coming teenager facing a qualifier in the semi.
And then there was Nadal versus Sinner. I watched the first three games, but went to bed (and we’re an hour behind France!) I found out the next morning that they went pretty late, but Nadal won in three, although Sinner could have won the first set.
The last day of quarter finals, and over lunch, I discovered Kvitova won (and was dubbed favourite based on the way she’d played, and she was certainly the most experienced player left). I saw the start of Kenin vs. Collins – it would be a semi featuring the champions with a surname starting with K.
Tsitipas beat Roubelev (handily, the scoreboard suggested) and I drifted in and out of following Djokovic versus Carreno-Busta, when the former was starting to catch up after losing the first set, and getting over his injury/pain. I know the standard was high, but they’re not a match-up that draw me in.
I learned that Swiatek won, being able to dictate the semi and will be in her first grand slam final (perhaps the first of man given how good it sounds like she can be, although with women’s tennis, WHO KNOWS?) and that Kenin was ahead in most of her match with Kvitova. I started watching during the last point but one, so saw her win and heard the analysis that it was her tennis IQ that had got her there. Experience favours her, and possibly the fact that Sviatek beat her to win the junior French Open could be extra motivation. But arguably, if they play at their best, the nineteen-year-old could win… Still. it would be quite a statement if Kenin won two slams in a year when there are only three. I think if I’d watched the Kenin-Kvitova match, I’d have been a little sad, because as a Kvitova fan, I would love for her to win another slam after everything she’s been through, but she’s got to win it herself.
For the men’s semis, I started watching Nadal vs. Schwartzmann just before the third set went into a tiebreak, where Nadal dictated, and therefore got through in three, showing that however good Schwartzmann is, when it comes to five-set Grand Slam tournaments, and particularly this one on clay, Nadal is a class apart.
But Djokovic vs. Tristipas was all to come, and it was intriguing. Djokovic’s seemed fully fit. I was surprised to be reminded Tsitispas is only 22, as he seems to have been around for a while, but it puts where he is as a player in context. He just could not convert any break points, or rather, was not allowed to do so in the first two sets. I imagine he’ll be working on his backhand and passing shots after this. I did think his second break in the second set was poor on his part. But then, Djokovic lost a match point in the third, and Tsitsipas started playing his best tennis, in terms of shot making and where he directed the ball. The fourth set was also engaging, but when Djokovic imposed and broke again in the fifth, I started getting drowsy and wasn’t surprised that the dream final of the two top seeds and Great Ones will be on, although as a Nadal fan, I’m not devastated that Djokovic had to play five sets in the semis.
My tennis-watching last Saturday started with Carrena-Busta vs Batista-Agut, but the tennis was mainly in the background for me until Kvitova faced the junior French Open champion, Canadian Fernandez, who was very good, leading in the first set, rousing Kvitova to play smart and well. Fernandez showed lots of promise and good things, even though Kvitova won in two. I can’t say Djokovic winning with ease engendered much interest, so the tennis faded into the background again until I switched it off.
I started watching the French Open on Sunday just before the final game of the Halep match, so I hadn’t taken in her surprising young victor’s name at this point, despite it being the tennis story of the day. Obviously, I hadn’t seen Halep play this championship, but it had sounded as if she were moving through the draw well, but no. Very much no. With Trevisan - who I hadn’t realised was through to the fourth round – beating Mertens (the one with the cramps), that was the number 1 and 5 seeds gone. (Svitolina was the highest seed left, although she hasn’t done much in slams, I recalled. I was later reminded she’d got to the semis in Wimbledon.)
I watched Nadal vs. Korda with more attention. After facing two break points in a nine-minute opening game, Nadal worked him out and beat him, adapting to windy conditions, although that was another promising young player. Speaking of PYP, Sinner beat an unwell Zverev, so that was my first glimpse of him, although I didn’t watch much of the match. I thought Thiem would outgun Gaston, stopped watching when he was on his way to a two-set lead, returned to find the young Frenchman (no one does a drop shot like Gaston!) about to win the fourth. The fifth was a close-run affair, with Thiem clearly not enjoying having to run up to the net to deal with yet another drop shot, until the last two games, where Thiem imposed his will, Gaston faltered and it ended quickly. I was sure Schwartzmann, Thiem’s next opponent, was very happy to see it go to five and think on how tired Thiem would be after this and the US Open. I wonderd what his drop shot is like. So, there was much talk about the changing of the guard/the next next generation.
I worked out that Marion Bartoli, Jim Courier and Fabrice Santoro aside, Inverdale and the British commentators were working from the ITV studios in the UK. The other thing that became apparent was that, for the WTA, this tournament is pretty much it now for 2020, because most of the tournaments slated would be held in Asia, China particularly, and have been cancelled.
On Monday, my lunchtime coincided with the second set tiebreak between Tsitsipas and Dimitrov, which went on if one were half-watching the clock. Then at night, I saw Kenin work things out to unpick the last Frenchwoman standing, Ferrero. Kenin’s competitive spirit and nous are impressive. I then watched a little of Altmayer (another young qualifier making a breakthrough) and Carreno-Busta, but decided I didn’t care enough to stay with it.
Quarter finals: I watched some of the Podrova(?) vs Svitolina match over my lunch break, during the second set, after the Argentinian qualifier(! Although that may just be 2020) had won the first set and nobody was able to hold their serve easily. So, again, the highest ranked female seed left standing was out.
I caught the end of the epic Thiem vs Schwartzmann five-setter QF. Brilliant tennis, but when Thiem wasn’t able to take the fourth, it wasn’t just momentum that switched to his opponent, there was just the sense that the US Open would take its toll on Thiem and fatigue would hit. I think it did on a few points.
But there was more: having seen more of Trevisan play, I was supporting her, but Swiatek had to be the favourite if she’d come up with such huge speeds as were being mentioned. Once she settled down, she also showed touch and promise, so it will be an up-and-coming teenager facing a qualifier in the semi.
And then there was Nadal versus Sinner. I watched the first three games, but went to bed (and we’re an hour behind France!) I found out the next morning that they went pretty late, but Nadal won in three, although Sinner could have won the first set.
The last day of quarter finals, and over lunch, I discovered Kvitova won (and was dubbed favourite based on the way she’d played, and she was certainly the most experienced player left). I saw the start of Kenin vs. Collins – it would be a semi featuring the champions with a surname starting with K.
Tsitipas beat Roubelev (handily, the scoreboard suggested) and I drifted in and out of following Djokovic versus Carreno-Busta, when the former was starting to catch up after losing the first set, and getting over his injury/pain. I know the standard was high, but they’re not a match-up that draw me in.
I learned that Swiatek won, being able to dictate the semi and will be in her first grand slam final (perhaps the first of man given how good it sounds like she can be, although with women’s tennis, WHO KNOWS?) and that Kenin was ahead in most of her match with Kvitova. I started watching during the last point but one, so saw her win and heard the analysis that it was her tennis IQ that had got her there. Experience favours her, and possibly the fact that Sviatek beat her to win the junior French Open could be extra motivation. But arguably, if they play at their best, the nineteen-year-old could win… Still. it would be quite a statement if Kenin won two slams in a year when there are only three. I think if I’d watched the Kenin-Kvitova match, I’d have been a little sad, because as a Kvitova fan, I would love for her to win another slam after everything she’s been through, but she’s got to win it herself.
For the men’s semis, I started watching Nadal vs. Schwartzmann just before the third set went into a tiebreak, where Nadal dictated, and therefore got through in three, showing that however good Schwartzmann is, when it comes to five-set Grand Slam tournaments, and particularly this one on clay, Nadal is a class apart.
But Djokovic vs. Tristipas was all to come, and it was intriguing. Djokovic’s seemed fully fit. I was surprised to be reminded Tsitispas is only 22, as he seems to have been around for a while, but it puts where he is as a player in context. He just could not convert any break points, or rather, was not allowed to do so in the first two sets. I imagine he’ll be working on his backhand and passing shots after this. I did think his second break in the second set was poor on his part. But then, Djokovic lost a match point in the third, and Tsitsipas started playing his best tennis, in terms of shot making and where he directed the ball. The fourth set was also engaging, but when Djokovic imposed and broke again in the fifth, I started getting drowsy and wasn’t surprised that the dream final of the two top seeds and Great Ones will be on, although as a Nadal fan, I’m not devastated that Djokovic had to play five sets in the semis.
