Roland Garros Update

[arturohernandez]

Alcaraz floats two returns. Zverev loses both points on shots that should have been aggressive. Third one, Zverev comes to net and wins point. Fourth, ditto. Zverev wins at net with a volley. Still no serve and volley though.

30-30 all. First second serve. Zverev again at the net.

40-30, Alcaraz wins at net.

40-40. Floating return, Zverev forehand leading to Alcaraz forced error.

Ad, Second serve again, Zverev double fault.

Deuce, Float return, lob and drop shot from Alcaraz to win point.

Ad out, Alcaraz loses a rally on the backhand side.

Deuce, Alcaraz misses inside in forehand.

Ad in, Ace Zverev.

That is how hard it is to win a set and to stay in one as well. Alcaraz made two pretty routine errors on ad out and deuce. Now he is in a huge whole.

Will it be Zverev who takes a third set or will Alcaraz battle back?

[arturohernandez]

Meanwhile, Zverev is showing the deep returners that you cannot just camp out deep and float returns back. And Alcaraz has started to serve and volley.

Not sure Alcaraz will be able to break Zverev who leads 6-4, 5-4.

Here comes the real test for both...

[glacierguy]

I go out for an hour and Marin Cilic plays like vintage 2014 Marin and dispatches Medvedev in straight sets.
He's only dropped 1 set all tournament

Didn't see that one, but very interesting. I saw Cilic beat Norrie 5-7,6-2,6-1 at the Italian, in which he played lights out tennis for the last two sets, spurred on by just a handful of rioutous supporters. The guys in the crowd really lifted Cilic and he was loving life and loving his tennis. Sounds like he's kept it going and has his mojo back. Nice.

[jimlosaltos]

I go out for an hour and Marin Cilic plays like vintage 2014 Marin and dispatches Medvedev in straight sets.
He's only dropped 1 set all tournament.

What's in the air in Paris?

https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-cilic-medvedev-fourth-round-things-we-learned

Next up Cilic meets --- Rublev in the quarterfinals? Winner to meet either Ruud or Rune?


When I left Sinner had won the first set. Apparently retired near the start of the third. Big opportunity gone there. Big door opens for others.

[stotty]

On the other hand. one never knows. A trouble-making side of my personality would love to see Alcaraz-Rune in the final with a combined age of 38 yo.

That would stir things up <g>.

It certainly would...stir things up that is.

An interesting thing about Rafa and Novak is they are not the biggest hitters out there anymore by a long stretch. Players have been getting more and more powerful the last five years yet it has done nothing to dent the supremacy of Rafa and Novak, who are just so savvy on court and so in tune with what's required. A lot of today's players are all crash-bang-wallop and don't seem to use much thought.

[jimlosaltos]

Well, the bottom half of the draw has collapsed somewhat....was always on the cards it might I guess. Looks like we could be heading for a weak final. Anyone could get there looking at the remaining players.

Meanwhile to top half looks terrific.

On the other hand. one never knows. A trouble-making side of my personality would love to see Alcaraz-Rune in the final with a combined age of 38 yo.

That would stir things up <g>.

[stotty]

Well, the bottom half of the draw has collapsed somewhat....was always on the cards it might I guess. Looks like we could be heading for a weak final. Anyone could get there looking at the remaining players.

Meanwhile to top half looks terrific.

[stotty]

Night match, which would seem to favor Novak. I am certain that was in the equation for the betting odds.

True, the ball won't jive as much off the court so it neutralises Rafa's forehand a bit. I fancy Novak can do it again if he starts well and plays at the top of his game. He's been quite something so far in the tournament.

[stotty]

Stef, I just don't know if his backhand is good enough to win the FO.

Tend to agree while Novak and Rafa are around. Maybe after they are gone those odds may go up a bit. He's a good clay court player otherwise.

[jimlosaltos]

19 year olds RULE !

Teen Qinwen Zheng has Iga in a tiebreak, with a mini-break as I type !

Danish teen Holger Rune takes out Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to quarter-final at Roland-Garros on Monday.

UPDATE: decided to do a round up on the teens.


Danish 19 yo Holger Rune upsets Stef Tsisipas. Simply solid play. My amatuer view, Stef was too passive, perhaps expecting the youngster to make errors. Next up is Caspar Ruud, in the first majors quarterfinal for both, I believe. Ruud is a dotering, old 23
Hmm, embedding links doesn't seem to work so let's go old school Good Highlights here.: https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/v...ipas-r4-rg2022

19 yo Chinese phenom Qinwen Zheng not only took Iga Swiatek to a tiebreak but went up a mini-break, went down then WON THE FIRST SET -- before Iga mended the tear in the space-time continuum 6-7(5), 6-0 6-2 returning to her habit of serving opponents a starchy diet, here a breadstick & a half-pretzel. Iga takes on billion-heire$$ Jessica Pegula of the US. Again, Pegula can make number two in the world if she wins the title, otherwise, I believe that falls to Anett Kontaveit.


19 yo Carlos Alcaraz (you might have heard of him lately?) got back to winning matches in straight sets, this over Karen Khachanov 1,4,4 so he next meets Sasha Zverev, whom he beat handily in the Madrid final. Zverev looked flat and tired there, so I'm guessing this is more spirited. Zverev beat Alcaraz twice on hard courts last year ... but that was waaaaay back when Carlos was 18 <g>.


Leylah Annie Fernandez, who I am hereby nicknaming "Clay-Lah" is, you guessed it, 19 years old ! Into her first quarterfinals, against Martina Trevisan, who must surely be over the hill at a hoary 28 yo.

[jimlosaltos]

Night match, which would seem to favor Novak. I am certain that was in the equation for the betting odds.

Thanks. Absolutely. Shame; less offense more grinder ball

[jimlosaltos]

He won vs Ramos V because of his unparalleled foot speed court coverage on a couple of gets late in the 5th set. Not hard to discern his oddsmakers betting line rank as a solid #3 favorite. Stef, I just don't know if his backhand is good enough to win the FO.

I did not get to see Alcaraz vs Ramos.

Curiously, Ramos was the first player Alcaraz beat on tour, and all three of their matches have been close with 5 tiebreaks.

I'm trying to remember Ramos. I believe he's better on hard courts, and hits flat, hard forehands.

Is there a pattern? Alcaraz lost to Seb Korda (avenged at RG) who went wide to Alcaraz's forehand, then flat to the backhand (as if he was playing Rafa).

de Minaur had match points vs Alcaraz (Who saved one with a point that exemplifies your comments on his movement. De Minaur hit behind him, must have thought for an instant he'd won, but Carlos just kept running to his backhand corner but turned sideways while running, reached behind with his forehand and hit a passing shot winner.") Although de Minaur is completely different than Korda, he played a bit the same - flat forehand to the backhand.

I need more evidence but there might be a pattern.

[stroke]

Do we know yet if it is a day or night match?
Both players seem to think it makes a big difference.
Last semifinal at RG between the two "seemed" to turn on nightfall.

Night match, which would seem to favor Novak. I am certain that was in the equation for the betting odds.

[jimlosaltos]

Novak a solid favorite vs Nadal with an implied probability of 68.5% of winning the match. That is really something considering Nadal's record at RG. Oddsmakers seem to be practically making it too tempting to bet on Nadal.

Do we know yet if it is a day or night match?
Both players seem to think it makes a big difference.
Last semifinal at RG between the two "seemed" to turn on nightfall.

[stroke]

Novak a solid favorite vs Nadal with an implied probability of 68.5% of winning the match. That is really something considering Nadal's record at RG. Oddsmakers seem to be practically making it too tempting to bet on Nadal.