TENNIS Special Thread
TENNIS Special Thread
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Giro
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Injured Del Potro out of US Open
Argentine Juan Martin del Potro will not defend his US Open title as he does not want to rush his recovery following surgery on his right wrist.
"If all goes well, I'd return after the US Open," said the world number five.
Del Potro is one of only two man to have beaten Federer in a Grand Slam event
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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Wadau tupo kaka twaisubiri French open kwa hamu
Giro
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The 2010 French Open tennis tournament gets underway on the 23rd of May. The toughest grand slam of them all will once again test the limits of endurance of the world's finest players as they look to achieve victory on the red courts of Roland Garros.
Giro
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All eyes will be on Rafael Nadal at the 2010 French Open as the former world number one looks to recapture the title he lost in 2009. Nadal has finally shown signs of returning to form following a dreadful season in 2009, and wins on the clay of Monte Carlo and Rome suggest that he'll once again be a force to be reckoned with in 2010.
Giro
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French Open Schedule
The 2010 French Open will run from the 23rd of May 2010 to the 6th of June 2010.
Day 1 (May 23rd)
Men's & Women's Singles First Round
Day 2 (May 24th)
Men's & Women's Singles First Round
Day 3 (May 25th)
Men's & Women's Singles First Round
Day 4 (May 26th)
Men's & Women's Singles Second Round
Day 5 (May 27th)
Men's & Women's Singles Second Round
Day 6 (May 28th)
Men's & Women's Singles Third Round
Day 7 (May 29th)
Men's & Women's Singles Third Round
Day 8 (May 30th)
Men's & Women's Singles Fourth Round
2010 French Open Schedule Week 2
Day 9 (May 31st)
Men's & Women's Singles Fourth Round
Day 10 (June 1st)
Men's & Women's Singles Quarterfinals
Day 11 (June 2nd)
Men's & Women's Singles Quarterfinals
Day 12 (June 3rd)
Women's Singles Semifinals
Day 13 (June 4th)
Men's Singles Semifinals
Day 14 (June 5th)
Women's Singles Final
Day 15 (June 6th)
Men's Singles Final
BelindaJacob
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Mkuu Giro
Binafsi nawajua tu wanatennis maarufu ila kuangalia huu mchezo muda mwingine hadi nasinzia mana inaweza chukua masaa 3 bado game inaendelea..Huwa napenda tu kusikia nani kashinda basi!..
Nitakuwa nasoma hii thread utuhabarishe ukianzia na hiyo french open.
Giro
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2010 French Open Women's Draw Preview
2010 French Open Favourites
1. Justine Henin
Justine Henin heads the 2010 French Open betting markets for the women's draw at odds of close to evens. The Belgian is best known for her feats at Roland Garros, having won the title four times between 2003 and 2007.
2. Serena Williams
The French Open has never been Serena Williams' favourite grand slam, with the American's playing style better suited to hard and grass courts. However, her sheer determination and physical presence mean she's a real threat in any tournament.
3. Jelena Jankovic
Jelena Jankovic may not have won a grand slam to date, but she's nevertheless making waves in 2010 having put in a series of impressive performances on the WTA Tour, including a win at Indian Wells and a place in the final in Rome
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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Second seed Elena Dementieva suffered her third loss in five matches of the European clay season, falling to Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova at the Polsat Warsaw Open. Maria Sharapova's warm-up for the French Open is doing good, as the Russian lost only three games to advance at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, another tournament played this week.
Dementieva lost her second-round match at the Premier-level event to the world No.100 Pironkova 7-5 4-6 6-4 after almost three hours of play. The Russian was twice a break up in the deciding set, but didn't manage to use that advantage to the full and handed Pironkova her fourth Top 10 win.
Sharapova was made to work in her first match at the International-level event in Strasbourg, but the top seed had a straightforward victory in the second round, defeating qualifier Dia Evtimova 6-3 6-0. Sharapova's opponent in the quarterfinals will be world No.81 Julia Goerges, who upset No.6 seed Sybille Bammer 6-1 7-6(6). (photo: Stephane Martinache)
Dementieva lost her second-round match at the Premier-level event to the world No.100 Pironkova 7-5 4-6 6-4 after almost three hours of play. The Russian was twice a break up in the deciding set, but didn't manage to use that advantage to the full and handed Pironkova her fourth Top 10 win.
Sharapova was made to work in her first match at the International-level event in Strasbourg, but the top seed had a straightforward victory in the second round, defeating qualifier Dia Evtimova 6-3 6-0. Sharapova's opponent in the quarterfinals will be world No.81 Julia Goerges, who upset No.6 seed Sybille Bammer 6-1 7-6(6). (photo: Stephane Martinache)
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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MADRID CHAMPIONS
Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai celebrates with her trophy after defeating American Venus Williams during their final match of the Madrid Masters on May 16, 2010 at the Caja Magic sports complex in Madrid. Aravane Rezai won 6-2, 7-5.
::
Clay has always brings out the relentless shotmaking this power merchant is able to execute. Doesn't matter where the ball is -- at her shoelaces or just above her head -- she can rifle an angled winner with the precision of Monica Seles.
Venus simply can't close in a big match right now. She had 6 set points and many of them were wasted on her own racquet. Aggressive on most of Rezai's game points to get it back to deuce, she played her set points against Rezai's serve like a weak seedling. Who knows what might happened in the third set -- Williams would complete the rally or Rezai would serve up a bagel as she did to Justine Henin in the first round -- but the match certainly ought to have gone there.
As I said earlier, I'd give half the farm to see a French player take Roland Garros. The entire nation might slide into the Atlantic Ocean, taking the Iberian Peninsula with it. Rezai is the only player on either tour who has the chance to do it in 2010.
After all, the only set she surrendered this week was the first set she played. Against Henin.
Yup. That's you, buddy. Your second big title on home soil. First on clay. And as a bonus, you stand alone, holding the most Masters titles of man in history. Oh, yeah. And you're the first to win the trinity of clay Masters events back-to-back-to-back. Not to mention returning to No. 2 in the world.
Savor it.
With this straight-set victory over Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, the current world No. 1's, the Americans Bob and Mike Bryan will return to the top spot tomorrow.
These historic siblings ended the 17-match winning streak of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta. Also in straight sets.
Not a bad showing for those Americans with supposed allergies to the red stuff.
Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai celebrates with her trophy after defeating American Venus Williams during their final match of the Madrid Masters on May 16, 2010 at the Caja Magic sports complex in Madrid. Aravane Rezai won 6-2, 7-5.
::
Clay has always brings out the relentless shotmaking this power merchant is able to execute. Doesn't matter where the ball is -- at her shoelaces or just above her head -- she can rifle an angled winner with the precision of Monica Seles.
Venus simply can't close in a big match right now. She had 6 set points and many of them were wasted on her own racquet. Aggressive on most of Rezai's game points to get it back to deuce, she played her set points against Rezai's serve like a weak seedling. Who knows what might happened in the third set -- Williams would complete the rally or Rezai would serve up a bagel as she did to Justine Henin in the first round -- but the match certainly ought to have gone there.
As I said earlier, I'd give half the farm to see a French player take Roland Garros. The entire nation might slide into the Atlantic Ocean, taking the Iberian Peninsula with it. Rezai is the only player on either tour who has the chance to do it in 2010.
After all, the only set she surrendered this week was the first set she played. Against Henin.
Yup. That's you, buddy. Your second big title on home soil. First on clay. And as a bonus, you stand alone, holding the most Masters titles of man in history. Oh, yeah. And you're the first to win the trinity of clay Masters events back-to-back-to-back. Not to mention returning to No. 2 in the world.
Savor it.
With this straight-set victory over Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, the current world No. 1's, the Americans Bob and Mike Bryan will return to the top spot tomorrow.
These historic siblings ended the 17-match winning streak of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta. Also in straight sets.
Not a bad showing for those Americans with supposed allergies to the red stuff.
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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Tennis Qoute of the Day
"You would not be asking that if Federer-Nadal were one and two. You wouldn't be saying oh, does that mean that the men's field are not so strong because they are number one and number two again. Uh... no. I think those guys are two great champions and Serena and Venus are two great champions. They will be two of the greatest champions that the game has had. It just so happens that they are from the same family. ..but ... I think you would not be asking that if they weren't sisters as much. And, maybe be asking that question if it were guys rather than women. But, no, of course, they are fantastic athletes. They play the game on another level. They have so much power and so much speed. You think the point is over and somehow the ball comes back again. Not only do they get there, but what they do with it when they get there because again, they are so strong. Venus with her wingspan and Serena with her raw power. Yeah, they are two phenomenal athletes. But ... you should just be fortunate that they are still playing the game." --- MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
"You would not be asking that if Federer-Nadal were one and two. You wouldn't be saying oh, does that mean that the men's field are not so strong because they are number one and number two again. Uh... no. I think those guys are two great champions and Serena and Venus are two great champions. They will be two of the greatest champions that the game has had. It just so happens that they are from the same family. ..but ... I think you would not be asking that if they weren't sisters as much. And, maybe be asking that question if it were guys rather than women. But, no, of course, they are fantastic athletes. They play the game on another level. They have so much power and so much speed. You think the point is over and somehow the ball comes back again. Not only do they get there, but what they do with it when they get there because again, they are so strong. Venus with her wingspan and Serena with her raw power. Yeah, they are two phenomenal athletes. But ... you should just be fortunate that they are still playing the game." --- MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/photos/2010-05-19/201005191274278263423.html
Hail to the chief
Roger Federer is back in Paris! The reigning French Open champion and world No.1 had a full day's practice on Wednesday, having a hit-out on Philippe Chatrier court followed by another one away from prying eyes on No.2 court. The Swiss maestro enjoyed a few rallies with Croat Ivan Ljubicic, who is back to full fitness. 2008 women's winner Ana Ivanovic was also practising in the stadium on Wednesday, as was fellow Serb Novak Djokovic. The Williams sisters were also out on the courts, but Venus had to cut short her early-morning session to have the base of her back massaged. Father Richard was in attendance and had that trademark wry smile of his, which would seem to suggest that there was nothing to concern the elder of his two tennis-playing daughters in terms of fitness.
Frenchies make progress in the qualifiers
The women's qualifiers got under way on Wednesday, in ideal playing conditions. There were plenty of local heroines in action, with Stéphanie Vongsouthi, Nathalie Picquion and Anaïs Laurendon recording wins, to the delight of the crowd.
Their male counterparts also had a successful day, with Adrian Mannarino, Olivier Patience and Alexandre Sidorenko now only one match away from the main draw.
Adieu Gaudio
2004 French Open winner Gaston Gaudio will not have a chance to repeat his feat this year, having fallen in the second round of qualifiers to Brazil's Thiago Alves, 6-2, 6-3. The Argentinean cut a sorry figure out on court No.16, smashing a racquet in frustration as his dream of lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires once again evaporated in a cloud of clay dust…
Maria solves a problem or two
With the French Open mere days away, plenty of pundits were wondering what kind of form Maria Sharapova would be in. The former world No.1 gave them a fairly categorical answer at the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament, brushing aside Bulgaria's Dia Evtimova (admittedly only No.267 in the WTA ranking) 6-3, 6-0. The Russian's quarter-final opponent – Germany's Julia Goerges – should provide her with a tougher test.
Verdasco fighting fit
Having suffered with a foot problem at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid earlier in the month, Fernando Verdasco looked back to his best on Wednesday as he brushed aside Florent Serra 6-2, 6-2 in his opening match at the Open de Nice. Richard Gasquet and Gaël Monfils are enjoying their time on the French Riviera as well, having also made it through to the quarter-finals. Swedish 2009 French Open finalist Robin Söderling suffered a shock upset however at the hands of Belgian Olivier Rochus.
Draw on Friday
The draw ceremony for the 2010 French Open men's and women's singles will take place on Friday 21 May at 11.30 am at the French Tennis Federation museum. It will be ladies first, with the unseeded players allotted slots in the draw electronically before reigning men's champion Roger Federer draws the 32 women's seeds by hand. The men's singles draw will follow immediately afterwards, with 2009 women's champion Svetlana Kuznetsova doing the honours with the 32 men's seeds.
Hail to the chief
Roger Federer is back in Paris! The reigning French Open champion and world No.1 had a full day's practice on Wednesday, having a hit-out on Philippe Chatrier court followed by another one away from prying eyes on No.2 court. The Swiss maestro enjoyed a few rallies with Croat Ivan Ljubicic, who is back to full fitness. 2008 women's winner Ana Ivanovic was also practising in the stadium on Wednesday, as was fellow Serb Novak Djokovic. The Williams sisters were also out on the courts, but Venus had to cut short her early-morning session to have the base of her back massaged. Father Richard was in attendance and had that trademark wry smile of his, which would seem to suggest that there was nothing to concern the elder of his two tennis-playing daughters in terms of fitness.
Frenchies make progress in the qualifiers
The women's qualifiers got under way on Wednesday, in ideal playing conditions. There were plenty of local heroines in action, with Stéphanie Vongsouthi, Nathalie Picquion and Anaïs Laurendon recording wins, to the delight of the crowd.
Their male counterparts also had a successful day, with Adrian Mannarino, Olivier Patience and Alexandre Sidorenko now only one match away from the main draw.
Adieu Gaudio
2004 French Open winner Gaston Gaudio will not have a chance to repeat his feat this year, having fallen in the second round of qualifiers to Brazil's Thiago Alves, 6-2, 6-3. The Argentinean cut a sorry figure out on court No.16, smashing a racquet in frustration as his dream of lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires once again evaporated in a cloud of clay dust…
Maria solves a problem or two
With the French Open mere days away, plenty of pundits were wondering what kind of form Maria Sharapova would be in. The former world No.1 gave them a fairly categorical answer at the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament, brushing aside Bulgaria's Dia Evtimova (admittedly only No.267 in the WTA ranking) 6-3, 6-0. The Russian's quarter-final opponent – Germany's Julia Goerges – should provide her with a tougher test.
Verdasco fighting fit
Having suffered with a foot problem at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid earlier in the month, Fernando Verdasco looked back to his best on Wednesday as he brushed aside Florent Serra 6-2, 6-2 in his opening match at the Open de Nice. Richard Gasquet and Gaël Monfils are enjoying their time on the French Riviera as well, having also made it through to the quarter-finals. Swedish 2009 French Open finalist Robin Söderling suffered a shock upset however at the hands of Belgian Olivier Rochus.
Draw on Friday
The draw ceremony for the 2010 French Open men's and women's singles will take place on Friday 21 May at 11.30 am at the French Tennis Federation museum. It will be ladies first, with the unseeded players allotted slots in the draw electronically before reigning men's champion Roger Federer draws the 32 women's seeds by hand. The men's singles draw will follow immediately afterwards, with 2009 women's champion Svetlana Kuznetsova doing the honours with the 32 men's seeds.
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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SERENA - - Favoutite by default
While she has not yet hit the big 3-0 in terms of age, and while it doesn't do to talk about a lady's age, Serena is not getting any younger. Chris Evert and Steffi Graf both managed to win French Open singles titles 12 years apart, but that feat might be a bridge too far for the younger of the two Williams sisters. It could even be argued that 2010 is now or never – the perfect opportunity for her to take a second title in Paris to add to the one she won in 2002.
Since that victory, secured at the expense of her sister Venus, Serena has not been able to add to her tally on the Paris clay, making the French Open the only Slam she has not won on more than one occasion. In fact she has not even reached the semis here since 2003, so why should things be about to change this year, on her least favourite surface? Coming into the WTA Premier tournament in Madrid, she had played the grand total of three matches on clay this year, falling in the quarter-finals in Rome to Jelena Jankovic, having held a match point. "It was like I hadn't played since January 1942," said the world No.1 with a broad smile, underlining the fact that she had not played since winning the Australian Open.
No.1 mentally
And this is what Serena does best – coming into Grand Slam tournaments under-prepared and playing her way into form. She is also spurred on by the possibility of yet another incredible achievement – winning a calendar Grand Slam (her "Serena Slam" where she held all four Majors at the same time ran between 2002 and 2003). Her win in Melbourne in January proved that she is still very much the No.1 on the women's circuit in terms of mental strength, and so even though she may not be at her very best coming into Roland Garros, she has every chance of winning the tournament. Particularly since the competition is in disarray at the moment…
Who would the other favourites be? Title-holder Svetlana Kuznetsova is in free-fall, having won four matches in total at her past five tournaments. World No.2 Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark is young and inexperienced, particularly on clay, while 2008 and 2009 finalist Dinara Safina will barely have played half-a-dozen games by the time the French Open comes around after returning from a serious back injury.
There is of course four-time champion Justine Henin to contend with, but she is not yet back to her best after taking a two-year sabbatical, as her first round defeat in Madrid illustrated. 2008 winner Ana Ivanovic finally seems to be emerging from the spiral of defeat which has dogged her ever since winning here two years ago, but one tournament (a semi-final appearance in Rome) does not a revival make. Fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic is on good form at the moment but she has yet to prove her credentials at Grand Slams. Maria Sharapova is also struggling in terms of fitness and in any case has even less affinity with clay. Sister Venus is also not a fan of the red brick, and has fallen in the third round at Roland Garros every year since 2007.
Who will win the women's singles therefore is anyone's guess, but Serena – the world No.1 – has an aura and a stature which none of the others have. A win on the Paris clay would give her a 13th Grand Slam title, putting her ahead of the legendary Billie Jean King. As if she needed any extra motivation…
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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Simon says: not this year
There will be one fewer Frenchman for the home crowds to cheer this year after Gilles Simon was forced to pull out of the 2010 French Open. The former world No.6, who would still nevertheless have been seeded this year even though he has slipped as low as No.32 in the latest ATP rankings, has withdrawn due to the persistent problems with his right knee which have plagued him for over six months now. He has played only four tour matches this year, losing them all, and recently entered a Challenger in Florida in an attempt to get some game time under his belt, such was his lack of form.Replacing "Gilou" in the main draw will be Igor Kunitsyn, ranked No.105 in the world and who was recently involved in one of the longest tour-level men's games in the Open Era. The Russian served in a 24-minute 30-second game against Andy Murray, which involved 14 deuces before Murray eventually broke at the ninth time of asking...
Who can negate Nadal?
Yet another record for Rafa. His straight sets win over Roger Federer in the final in Madrid on Sunday saw the Majorcan break Andre Agassi's record for the number of ATP Masters 1000 tournament victories with 18, putting him two clear of Federer (16) at the same time. He is also the first player in history to win all three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments played on clay in the same year, namely Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid. Should he win at Roland Garros, he would therefore be the winner of the first ever "Clay Slam" in history.
2004 winner in the qualifiers
Tuesday sees the start of qualifying for the men's singles draw, with Argentina's Gaston Gaudio, a winner here in 2004, taking part. Alongside the current world No.198 will be plenty of other big names, including Robby Ginepri from the US and Italy's Filippo Volandri. There will no doubt also be plenty of support for the French players involved, including Thierry Ascione, Sébastien De Chaunac, Guillaume Rufin, Alexandre Sidorenko and Benoît Paire.
Aravane flying the flag for home hopesDespite the withdrawal of Gilles Simon, it was not all doom and gloom for France over the weekend, with plenty of local heroes warming up for Roland Garros in style, none more so than Aravane Rezai. The young righty from St Etienne won the WTA Premier tournament in Madrid, which is her greatest accomplishment to date and the best performance by a French woman since Amélie Mauresmo won Wimbledon in 2006. Gaël Monfils also had a good run in the Spanish capital, making the last eight of the ATP tournament after missing six weeks due through injury. Richard Gasquet is also continuing to get his career back on track – after being put through the mill this time last year due to a drug suspension, the former world No.7 won his first title in two years over the weekend when he defeated Parisian lefty Michaël Llodra at the Bordeaux Challenger tournament.
Classic match-ups a possibility for the finals
There were plenty of changes in this Monday's world rankings which will make interesting reading as far as the seedings at the French are concerned. Rafael Nadal is back up to No.2, meaning that we might well have a fourth Federer-Nadal final at Roland Garros. Venus Williams meanwhile made the final in Madrid which gave her enough points to depose Caroline Wozniacki as No.2 in the WTA rankings- We could therefore have another 100% Williams final between Serena and Venus – commonplace at Wimbledon but more of a rarity here in Paris, 2002 being the only time the sisters battled it out for the crown (with Serena winning as part of her run of four consecutive Slam titles). Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is also a happy man – with Juan Martin del Potro and Nikolay Davydenko pulling out, the Frenchman will be seeded No.8 and will not have to play a fellow top 10 player before the quarter-finals at the earliest.
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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O poet! My poet! Our fearful trip is done;
we now have a bard to record Wimbledon.
The brass at the grass court tourney did say,
"let's hire a poet to reflect on each day.
"Matt Harvey's the gent, though the name's out of sorts;
he sounds like a welder, not troub'dour of the courts.
He'll write every night about things at the tourney,
like rainouts and berries and Murray's failed journey.
Other topics could be: Is this Roger's year?
And why does Rafa so often scratch rear?
It's the first time it's happened, a poet on the grounds,
perhaps Harvey's words can dull Masha's grunt sounds.
The poems run daily on wimbledon.org
which gives him a good chance to rhyme "Bjorn Borg."
Good luck to the poet, and all he will write.
Happy tennis to all, and to all "good fortnight."
.
we now have a bard to record Wimbledon.
The brass at the grass court tourney did say,
"let's hire a poet to reflect on each day.
"Matt Harvey's the gent, though the name's out of sorts;
he sounds like a welder, not troub'dour of the courts.
He'll write every night about things at the tourney,
like rainouts and berries and Murray's failed journey.
Other topics could be: Is this Roger's year?
And why does Rafa so often scratch rear?
It's the first time it's happened, a poet on the grounds,
perhaps Harvey's words can dull Masha's grunt sounds.
The poems run daily on wimbledon.org
which gives him a good chance to rhyme "Bjorn Borg."
Good luck to the poet, and all he will write.
Happy tennis to all, and to all "good fortnight."
.
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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Mimi my money goes to Serena and Nadal to clinches the French open titles