Kvitova has pulled out after being injured in the press conference - I have been warning how difficult the conferences are for players, but I hadn't realised players were actually being injured in them.
Joking aside, that makes an unlikely last 32 spot for Elena Vesnina.
It's great to see Carla Suarez Navarro return to professional tennis after a seven month battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Wishing her all the best on her return! She's currently playing Sloane Stephens and served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but Sloane broke back and took the second set in a tiebreak. They're in the third set and whatever happens , it's good news that she can still compete and not retiring just yet.
It's great to see Carla Suarez Navarro return to professional tennis after a seven month battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Wishing her all the best on her return! She's currently playing Sloane Stephens and served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but Sloane broke back and took the second set in a tiebreak. They're in the third set and whatever happens , it's good news that she can still compete and not retiring just yet.
I believe that Carla was going to retire last year but covid and cancer stopped that. Certainly, most tweets are seemingly to refer to her last match in Paris and are critical about the night matches and curfew, so no audience (they did the same to Tsonga, one of their finest singles players, who is managing a chronic back issue).
Interestingly the head of the FFT (Gilles Morretton) didn't take questions at his press conference: press questioning players, good for the sport, press questioning the authorities, not so much.
Interestingly the head of the FFT (Gilles Morretton) didn't take questions at his press conference: press questioning players, good for the sport, press questioning the authorities, not so much.
There was a 'follow your player' sort of chart in L'Equipe at the start of RG. And it was being updated each day. Took two days and the whole thing was withdrawn! Seems to have disappeared
Seemingly the powers that be (media or official) don't like such blatant picture representation of the dire performance of the home-grown talent.
If one player goes on an unexpected run (like Gaston last year), it might suddenly reappear....
People will no doubts have their preferred players and be looking forward to their respective matches tomorrow, but looking at the OOP, intriguing match up wise, I don't think there's too much that stands out. Maybe Bencic (after her impressive score line the other day) vs Kasatkina the pick of the bunch? Azarenka vs Tauson could be quite interesting. The all Belarusian affair at a push, but an obvious heavy favourite involved, especially with Sabalenka dropping just 3 games in their only previous meeting. I guess losing 2 of the 16 matches to walkovers doesn't help the cause too much.
Any other matches that people are looking forward to tomorrow (outside of Heathers doubles)?
People will no doubts have their preferred players and be looking forward to their respective matches tomorrow, but looking at the OOP, intriguing match up wise, I don't think there's too much that stands out. Maybe Bencic (after her impressive score line the other day) vs Kasatkina the pick of the bunch? Azarenka vs Tauson could be quite interesting. The all Belarusian affair at a push, but an obvious heavy favourite involved, especially with Sabalenka dropping just 3 games in their only previous meeting. I guess losing 2 of the 16 matches to walkovers doesn't help the cause too much.
Any other matches that people are looking forward to tomorrow (outside of Heathers doubles)?
Hev's doubles for sure and wouldn't mind watching the 'VeCoco' doubles if it's on. Might be tough for them playing the 13th seeds but should be fun .
Yeah, it was probably the match I was most looking forward to today (outside of specific faves), and thankfully Eurosport 2 covered it in full. Kasatkina just levels above really, as comfortable as the score line suggested. She had gone 9 slams without a R3 slam appearance, a few of the more recent ones as a non seed, but it does seem that slump is a fair bit behind her.
Plays Cirstea or Trevisan next, and that looks like it could go three at them moment (SPs Trevisan in set 2).
Siniakova vs Kudermetova was a bit of a cracker. The Czech winning 7-6 5-7 7-5, saving a MP, and coming back from 1-5 in the decider. I kept it on ES2 after the Bencic match, so caught it from early on in the 2nd and it was drama filled - Siniakova getting an unsporting like conduct warning, many disputes with the umpire, had the supervisor down, but got it together in the end, causing the minor upset.
Kudermetova reaching the SF of a slam would still have been a surprise this time last week, but she was the 2nd favourite to coming into today, but another seed out - it'll be very interesting to see who comes through that bottom quarter.
In that bottom quarter Kudermetova has just surrendered a 5-1 lead to lose the final set 5-7 to Siniakova.
So in that quarter out are : (2) Osaka (6) Andreescu (10) Bencic (16) Bertens (19) Konta (29) Kudermetova
The one seed through is : (20) Vondrousova
That leaves the earlier touted (33) Badosa, still to play her R2 match and only a seed after the withdrawal of the original (27) Riske.
If they both get through to the L16/R4, Vondrousova would meet Badosa there, with their QF opponent being one of Zidansek, Siniakova, Cirstea and Kasatkina.
Decent non seeds, especially at their best, but certainly it has really opened up.
Of the four French women who went through R1 (beating the men's showing of 3), Tan lost easily today and Garcia is currently a break down in the first set.
ADD: And Garcia loses....
-- Edited by Coup Droit on Wednesday 2nd of June 2021 01:54:48 PM
That was the landscape a couple of nights ago at Boylesport after they had all won their R1 match (and Naomi withdrew). The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th faves are now through to the 3rd round as Indy commented, but one of the more fancied is out, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise if Paula lost in her next round or two, well Kovinic is between 4 and 5/1 (to beat her) today, but then again, it is the WTA, but hopefully she can keep it together, starting in about 15 mins. She is 14-2 on clay this year, the most wins of any at WTA level.
-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Wednesday 2nd of June 2021 12:50:28 PM