10SBALLS LOOKS AT THE 2017 FRENCH OPEN TENNIS BY RICKY THE DIMONATOR DIMON

Written by: Staff on 8th June 2017

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

10SBALLS LOOKS AT THE 2017 FRENCH OPEN TENNIS BY RICKY THE DIMONATOR DIMON

epa06016861 A general view of court Philippe Chatrier as Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (C-back) plays against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland during their women?s singles semi final match during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 08 June 2017. EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH |

Where’s the drama? Women providing it, men not so much at Roland Garros

By Ricky Dimon

The French Open saw its first major upset on the men’s side when Dominic Thiem took down Novak Djokovic during quarterfinal action on Friday. Even with that result, though, the drama was lacking.

After all, Djokovic did not win a single game in the final set and took a mere four points in the last five games of the match. A competitive opening set deteriorated into a stunningly one-sided affair, with Thiem ultimately cruising 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-0.

Thus continued a relatively drama-free men’s event. In fact, for the first time in Open Era history, three men’s semifinalists at a Grand Slam have coasted through the draw without dropping a single set. Thiem is perfect through five matches and so, too, are Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka. Andy Murray has been pushed to four on three occasions, but even he has not been extended to five.

Murray has mostly eased in the final four despite heading into Roland Garros without much confidence. And he has required only one truly impressive performance, against Juan Martin Del Potro in a third-round battle that resulted in a 7-6(8), 7-5, 6-0 victory.

“I came in playing garbage,” the top-ranked Scot said with a smile. “I’m the odd one out in the semis, but hopefully hopefully I can keep it up…. [The other three] are all obviously playing extremely well. Rafa’s had a great clay court season, as has Thiem. Stan this tournament has played great.”

Nadal has lost just 22 games through five rounds and got a retirement from fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta on Wednesday. There were two recent retirements in Wawrinka’s section of the draw; Richard Gasquet against Gael Monfils in the third round and Kevin Anderson against Marin Cilic in the fourth round. Thiem has been pushed to only two tiebreakers in his 15 victories sets.

In other words, these four have turned the French Open into tennis’ version of the NBA playoffs–utterly dominated from start to finish by Golden State and Cleveland.

Unsurprisingly, the women’s side has been nothing of the sort.

With Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka due to recent births, Maria Sharapova denied a wild card, and Petra Kvitova just now returning from her scary hand injury, that event was always expected to be wide open. And that’s exactly what it was, is, and will be.

With 12 women still remaining in the draw, not single one had ever lifted a Grand Slam trophy. Now it’s down to four: Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Timea Bacsinszky.

Halep mounted a miracle charge from a 6-3, 5-1 deficit to stun Elena Svitolina 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-0 in the quarterfinals. Pliskova has survived a pair of three-set matches. Ostapenko has recovered from set deficits in each of her last two outings, against Sam Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki. Bacsinszky ended French hope Kiki Mladenovic’s emotional, headline-stealing run through the bracket that featured three final-set triumphs and two that went past 6-6 in the third.

“It’s just one point that changed everything or maybe couple of points,” Svitolina lamented after being unable to get across the finish line against Halep. “It’s tennis.”

If that’s tennis, we’re still waiting for it to begin in the men’s draw 13 days into the tournament. With blockbuster semifinals of Nadal-Thiem and Murray-Wawrinka, it should finally deliver on Friday.