FRENCH OPEN TENNIS RESULTS FROM 10SBALLS GLOBAL CHICK

And then there were four, or actually eight – Global Chick on THAT quarter-final

 

The scene is set for the business end of Roland Garros, as if having eight Grand Slam finalists in the men’s quarter-finals had not been grand enough.

 

There is no point in trying to deny it, the match of the day was all about Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It was the match that everyone wanted to see since the fancy schmancy draw thingummy had done its thing.

 

Even Andy Murray could not resist a little tweet calling attention to the fact that his semi-final with David Ferrer was actually second fiddle.

 

It had to happen, it had to end but perhaps not many were convinced this would be quite as one-sided as it ended up, as Djokovic picked up his first victory over the Spaniard in a Grand slam since the 2012 Australian Open.

 

With a competitive first set, fans appetites were whet as we settled in on our cushions for another potential epic five-setter. Djokovic started on a tear, breaking Nadal twice, before the Spaniard repaid the favour. OK then, all square and the pair decided to try holding serve for a bit to see how that was going to work out for them. Djokovic will have been kicking himself for squandering three set points, before finally breaking for the first set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second set was separated by just a single break, but in the decisive set was all in Djokovic’s pocket, breaking Nadal twice in a row, and one more time, taking one last break, and needing just the one match point to be just two matches away from his dream, triumphing 7-5 6-3 6-1.

 

Ah but here are others with the same dream. Andy Murray has had a clay court season of firsts – first two titles, a pair of lederhosen, and was looking to beat David Ferrer for the first time on clay, despite leading him in their head to head.

 

Their first set was more like a battle of who wanted to be broken first! Three successive breaks of serve, and more trading places before finally Murray broke back to level 5-5 and force a tie-break after saving two set points.

 

It was a far more dominant display by the Brit, as he swept through the second set, but come on now, no Murray match is complete without a bit of a lull, a roller-coaster and many frayed nerves. He gave us hope, the little minx, by breaking Ferrer, and even flirted with a match point, before losing his serve and allowing Ferrer back in.

 

While we might jest, Ferrer has proved to be at his most dangerous as he is fighting back, and Murray has talked about not losing his nerve at moments like this. He did not disappoint, running roughshod over Ferrer to close out a 7-6(4) 6-3 5-7 6-1.

 

Lets not forget through we have the women’s semi-final line-up now too, with Timea Bacsinszky ending WTA Rising Star Alison Van Uytvanck, on the way to her first semi-final.

 

“I know people like to write about who is the favourite and who has pressure, who has no pressure, but we are equal when we step on the tennis court,” Bacsinszky said after the match. “She deserved that spot in the quarterfinal. It means she’s playing really well. I wasn’t feeling like the favorite today. That’s why I just played my game and tried to find the solution like before. It was a great experience for me.”

 

Would there be any doubt that Serena Williams would join her? Williams has had to play herself into form, and dominated 2012 finalist Sara Errani in straight sets, and it was with some relief that Williams booked her semi-final berth.

 

“I wasn’t able to serve well in my first couple of matches here because I hurt my arm in Madrid, and in Rome I had to pull out,” Williams said. “In my first few matches I thought maybe I shouldn’t serve too big, but now I’m feeling a little better. It’s obviously a big part of my game – I really missed it a lot.

 

“I haven’t had a great clay court season, so I’m pretty excited to have gotten this far. Hopefully I can keep going. Nothing’s guaranteed – at this point I’m just fighting to stay in the tournament.”

 

Thursday will be all about the women as Williams and Bacsinszky go head to head, with 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic taking on Lucie Safarova. Play starts on Chatrier at 12pm, starting with the men’s doubles semi-finals.

Topics: Andy Murray, French Open Tennis, global chick, Novak Djokovic, Paris, Rafa Nadal, Roland Garros, Serena Williams, Tennis

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