Tennis News

One of the most intriguing matches to take place in the third round in Paris will be between former No. 1 Maria Sharapova and top Australian Samantha Stosur. This marks the 17th time these two competitors will clash on the professional tour, with Sharapova leading the series with a dominant 14-2 record against the former French Open finalist. They met last season in the fourth round of Roland Garros, where Sharapova won the match in three sets.

In her second match as the defending champion in Paris, Maria Sharapova needed straight sets to work her way past fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko. She struck four aces, 24 winners and converted five break points to secure the 6-3, 6-1 win on Wednesday morning on Philippe-Chatrier.

“She has a very heavy ball, and I think on clay specifically it just really penetrates through the court,” Sharapova said of Stosur. “The spin she’s able to create from her forehand and her serve, she has one of the best kick serves in the game. She’s really able to put that power into it and kick. She also slices a lot. There are a lot of untraditional things she does, but I guess I enjoy the challenge of playing her.

Later on in the day, the 26th seed Sam Stosur thrashed her French wildcard opponent Amandine Hesse on court to secure entry into the third round of the tournament. She won elevn consecutive games from the start of the match to lead 6-0, 5-0 before Hesse clawed her way onto the scoreboard. She eventually won the match 6-0, 6-1 to set up the French Open rematch against Sharapova.

“Last year was very close, and all of a sudden it was very far away,” the Australian added. “That’s certainly a position I’d like to try to get in again, and hopefully this time if I do get in a position, it won’t fall away so quickly. But I feel like I’m playing well. I’ve had a good lead-up, and now I’ve played another really good match here, and hopefully it’s all going to help me going into this next one.”

This marks the 17th time that Sharapova and Stosur will clash on the tour, and while Sharapova once held an undefeated 9-0 record against Stosur, it has become a more competitive series over the past couple of years, as the record is now 14-2. Sharapova is 4-0 against the Australian on clay and will be looking to maintain that undefeated record en route to the fourth round in Paris.

Roger Federer has now won two consecutive matches during his 2015 campaign at the French Open and does not appear to be struggling as he did earlier in the year at the season-opening major tournament in Melbourne. He will now come up against Damir Dzumhur, whom he has never faced previously on the professional tour.

In one of the more entertaining matches of Day 4 at Roland Garros was Federer’s second round contest against Marcel Granollers. While the contest ended in straight sets, it was a fun match to tune in for and saw Federer battle back from breaks down in both the second and third sets. He eventually closed out the match 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-3 to secure entry into the third round of the tournament.

“I think I was actually playing very well,” said Federer. “I wasn’t nervous really. I think things went well for me for the first couple of sets. I think I was in control. Even though I was down a break in the second set, I still felt the match was in my racquet. And when you feel that way, obviously you’re always going to feel more confident, more comfortable, not nervous.”

Federer will next encounter Damir Dzumhur, who defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to earn his spot in the third round of the tournament. His victory over the former Australian Open runner-up was an impressive sight to behold. It will be interesting to see if the Bosnia and Herzegovina native can challenge Federer.

“I don’t know him very well,” said Federer. “I might even go so far to say I have actually almost never seen him play maybe before. [It will be an] interesting match-up clearly, and [a] different approach to the match I played today.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional circuit and should be a match that Federer wins in straight sets. Given that he has barely ever watched Dzumhur play tennis, this could be competitive affair until Federer finds his rhythm and analyzes his opponent’s game.

Following two solid matches on court at Roland Garros to secure his spot in the third round in Paris, Swiss No. 2 Stan Wawrinka will look to further his campaign at the second Grand Slam of the season when he comes up against Steve Johnson. The two players have never encountered each other previously on the professional tour and will look to find their way deeper into the draw.

Seeded eighth at this year’s tournament, Stan Wawrinka needed four sets to defeat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic. He won the match 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in two hours and 37 minutes. Wawrinka struck 11 aces, 53 winners and converted eight break points to close out the match in successful fashion.

“I feel good, [it was a] good win for me,” said Wawrinka. “In general, I started well, played well. I had some trouble with my serve, but that’s it. I’m happy to get through one more match. It was a good level in general. That’s the most important for me.

Wawrinka will come up against Steve Johnson, who reached the second round of the French Open with a four-set win against Sergiy Stakhovsky. He won the match 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 7-6(5). He withstood nine aces and struck 50 winners and converted three break points.

“I have never played him,” said Wawrinka. “He’s a dangerous player. He’s playing well. He’s good from the baseline, [has a] good forehand and tries to put pressure [on]. I need to watch some of his matches on clay a little bit more.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour. Wawrinka and Johnson will likely compete in a tough, competitive affair that could go four or five sets depending on the form that either of these players are in at the time.
 

Top seed Novak Djokovic has had little trouble since the start of the 2015 Roland Garros, as he is yet to drop a single set en route to the second round. The Serb will next come up against Gilles Muller, whom he has only faced once previously on the tour in a match that took place at the most recent Grand Slam event this season.

Latest update: Djokovic won in straight sets 6-1 6-4 6-4. Follow the latest scores Here

Top seed Novak Djokovic once again began his quest to complete the career Grand Slam when he took on Jarkko Nieminen in the opening round of the 2015 French Open. Djokovic extended his match win streak to 23 consecutive victories on the tour when he defeated his opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in two hours and four minutes.

“Of course, I was aware of the quality and experience of my opponent today, who has shown, and especially in the second set, why he’s been around the tour and a successful, consistent player for so many years. He can play. He can swing through the ball and be very aggressive. And he was the better player for most of the second set. And then, I managed to come back and play some good shots, stayed patient, stayed calm. And overall it was a very solid performance.”

In a match that needed two days to complete, Gilles Muller defeated Paolo Lorenzi in five sets to earn his place against Djokovic in the second round. Muller fought back valiantly from two sets down to secure the 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 win on Wednesday morning.

This marks the second time that Djokovic and Muller will cross paths on the professional tour and could make for a surprisingly competitive match-up if Muller produces some of the tennis he is capable of playing. If he remains aggressive and confident on serve, then we may have a fun match to watch on Thursday.