Daily Tennis Update – Roland Garros (05/27/12)

Written by: Staff on 27th May 2012

Daily Tennis Update - Roland Garros (05/27/12)

epa03237761 Samantha Stosur of Australia returns to Elena Baltacha of Britain during their first round match at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 27 May 2012. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

Roland Garros

Singles – First Round: (6) Samantha Stosur def. Elena Baltacha 6-4 6-0

It didn’t take very long for Elena Baltacha to take a dive — this was the very first match of the event. And Baltacha was defending big points (a second round at Roland Garros plus a title at the Nottingham Challenger — there are players who are actually defending three events this week, Roland Garros, a Challenger, and Birmingham/Copenhagen). Baltacha will fall to around #95.

Singles – First Round: (10) Angelique Kerber def. (Q) Zhang Shuai 6-3 6-4

Angelique Kerber is already adding points, so she could well hit another career high this week; she is at #9 in safe points.

Singles – First Round: (13) Ana Ivanovic def. (Q) Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino 6-1 6-1

Ana Ivanovic lost her opener last year, so she is getting fairly close to the Top Ten.

Singles – First Round: (20) Lucie Safarova def. Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2 6-0

Lucie Safarova is one of those players with multiple events coming off, so she needs more than this, but she is surprisingly close to the Top Twenty.

Singles – First Round: (21) Sara Errani def. Casey Dellacqua 4-6 6-2 6-2

Much harder than you would have expected, given Sara Errani’s strong recent clay results, but she defends her points from last year.

Singles – First Round: (26) Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Mirjana Lucic 6-1 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova is defending quarterfinalist points, so she is still in grave danger of falling out of the Top Thirty. But it is Mirjana Lucic who will really be falling hard. She is one of those with three events coming off (Roland Garros, Nottingham, Birmingham), and she made the quarterfinal at Birmingham. So she will remain far below the Top Hundred.

Singles – First Round: Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. (Q) Eva Birnerova 4-6 6-4 8-6

It’s probably lucky for Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez that she got this over with so early! She defends her points — which seemed unlikely at the start. That may suffice to keep her Top Fifty.

Singles – First Round: Venus Williams def. Paula Ormaechea 4-6 6-1 6-3

Venus got a real scare here — but her reward is a return to the Top Fifty.

Singles – First Round: Shahar Peer def. Stephanie Dubois 6-2 6-2

Shahar Peer is getting close to a return to the Top Fifty. This may not do it, but she’ll be close.

Singles – First Round: Aleksandra Wozniak def. (Q) Heidi El Tabakh 7-5 6-2

On the whole, a lucky draw for Aleksandra Wozniak, who needed this to stay Top Sixty.

Singles – First Round: Mathilde Johansson def. Anastasia Rodionova 5-7 7-6(8-6) 6-4

Anastasia Rodionova was defending 160 points, so she will be falling to probably around #125.

Singles – First Round: Irina Falconi def. Edina Gallovits-Hall 3-6 6-3 6-1

Rather a surprise, given the surface — but nice for Irina Falconi, who lost her opener last year. This should put her back in the Top Hundred.

Singles – First Round: (WC) Melanie Oudin def. Johanna Larsson 6-3 6-3

Melanie Oudin has fallen so far that she is having to play Challenger qualifying. She had lost her last six straight Slam matches. So we aren’t going to say that she is back. But this is equivalent to half her points. At minimum, it should be a real confidence boost.

Singles – First Round: (WC) Irena Pavlovic def. Chang Kai-Chen 6-4 7-5

Irena Pavlovic blocks Chang Kai-Chen’s Top Hundred hopes.

Singles – First Round: (Q) Dinah Pfizenmaier def. (WC) Caroline Garcia 3-6 6-4 6-3

Dinah Pfizenmaier came here with a ranking of #198. Usually, by the time a player gets that high, she has done something significant in Challengers. Not Pfizenmaier. The only thing that springs out of our database is a semifinal at the Ismaning $50K+H last November. A pretty good introduction to the big leagues for her — she increases her points by about half, and will rise to around #145.

Singles – First Round: (Q) Alexa Glatch def. Anna Tatishvili 6-3 5-7 6-4

A very nice result for Alexa Glatch, considering the surface. Anna Tatishvili won’t lose many points, but this probably means she will stay stuck below #70. Glatch will rise to around #150.

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Roland Garros

Singles – First Round: (5) J Tsonga def. And. Kuznetsov 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-4

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has a big lead in the contest for #5, but it feels as if he’ll need to play better than this to stay there.

Singles – First Round: (9) J del Potro def. A Montanes 6-2 6-7(5-7) 6-2 6-1

Juan Martin del Potro had to have the trainer out at the end of the second set to help with his knee. It was amazing how quickly the painkillers kicked in — placebo effect, maybe. Albert Montanes is doubtless wishing it had taken longer, because Montanes was defending fourth round points and is going to fall to around #100 — and that with the clay season just about over.

Singles – First Round: (14) F Verdasco def. S Darcis 6-3 6-2 7-6(7-4)

Fernando Verdasco continues to make his Olympic case. Steve Darcis, who last year made the third round as a qualifier, will probably fall below #70.

Singles – First Round: (18) S Wawrinka def. F Cipolla 6-3 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-2

A very tough start, considering that Stanislas Wawrinka made the quarterfinal last year; he will almost certainly need at least one more win to stay Top 25.

Singles – First Round: (21) M Cilic def. D Munoz-de la Nava 6-4 6-4 7-5

This won’t put Marin Cilic back in the Top Twenty, but he doesn’t have anything to defend; it won’t take much more.

Singles – First Round: N Mahut def. (26) A Roddick 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-2

How much of this is attributable to clay, how much to rust, and how much to Nicolas Mahut we don’t know. But this means that Andy Roddick will stay stuck below #30. Possibly significantly below. His Wimbledon seed is in real danger. And while he can’t have expected to do much here, he surely is hoping for luck on the grass….

Singles – First Round: M Berrer def. (30) J Melzer 6-7(5-7) 4-6 6-2 6-2 6-3

Jurgen Melzer wasn’t defending much, but this almost certainly means no return to the Top Thirty.

Singles – First Round: J Ferrero def. J Dasnieres De Veigy 6-1 6-4 6-3

Juan Carlos Ferrero wasn’t even able to play last year, so this might be enough to put him in the Top Forty. One more win would just about guarantee it.

Singles – First Round: F Fognini def. A Mannarino 6-0 7-5 6-1

Fabio Fognini made the quarterfinal last year, so he needs more than this to stay Top Fifty.

Singles – First Round: E Roger-Vasselin def. V Pospisil 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-2

This is, in a way, a milestone for Edouard Roger-Vasselin: He needed wildcards here in 2007, 2010, and 2011, and didn’t play the main draw in 2008 or 2009. So it was big for him to get direct entry. And, by winning, he makes it more likely that he’ll get direct entry next time!

Singles – First Round: G Muller def. I Sijsling 2-6 7-5 3-6 6-4 8-6

If Gilles Muller makes the Top Fifty this week, which he might, he’ll have earned it — this was the third five-setter of the tournament, but the first to make it past 6-6 in the third. Although Kevin Anderson is currently at 7-7 in the fifth with Rui Machado, so there will be at least one more….

Singles – First Round: C Stebe def. J Souza 6-3 2-0, retired

Not the most memorable way for Cedrik-Marcel Stebe to earn his first Sam win, but it’s a win….

Singles – First Round: N Devilder def. F Krajinovic 6-2 6-2 6-0

It looks as if this will be this year’s match with the lowest combined ranking of the two players. Good news for Nicolas Devilder, who earns his first ATP win since Wimbledon 2009.

Singles – First Round: P Andujar def. V Hanescu 6-1 2-6 1-6 6-3 6-1

Victor Hanescu remains well below #100. This will probably be the last slam for a while at which he has direct entry.

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