Tennis News

2009 Roland Garros champion Roger Federer cruised into the fourth round of the tournament, the major championship that he has only lifted once in his illustrious career so far. There, he will encounter Gael Monfils, whom he has faced on 12 previous occasions and leads 8-4 in the series. Monfils won their most recent encounter last month in Monte Carlo and will look to extend that streak further this week in Paris.

The tournament’s second seed advanced to the fourth round of the French Open with a straight sets win against Damir Dzumhur. He struck 38 winners an 22 unforced errors to close out the win 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 28 minutes of court time.

Seeded 13th at this year’s event, Gael Monfils completed the Friday of action in Paris with a five set win against Pablo Cuevas. He defeated the 21st seed 4-6, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to secure entry into the final 16 at Roland Garros. Given his success against Federer in the past, this is certainly one of the matches to

“Paris is different; [it] is magic,” said Monfils. “I don’t know how, but I’m here… I think I can show some new emotion, I can show some tennis and I can show some side of me I don’t even know. I think the crowd just brings me something, something else, and I think it just showed a bit more today.”

This marks the 13th meeting between Federer and Monfils and the second encounter of the season. They most recently met on the clay courts in Monte Carlo, which was a meeting that Monfils won in dominant fashipon. While he has been competitive against Federer in their recent meetings, it will be interesting to see if Federer can avenge the losses where it matters most.
 

On Friday afternoon, several of the tour’s top players advanced to the final 16 in Paris following impressive wins. Two of those players were Stan Wawrinka and Gilles Simon, who secured their spots in the fourth round and will now cross paths for the fifth time on the professional circuit. The Head to Head series is tied at 2-2, including Wawrinka’s win against the Frenchman at Roland Garros in 2012.

In one of his more complete matches this week in Paris, Stan Wawrinka managed to cruise past Steve Johnson in straight sets to secure his place in the fourth round. He defeated the American without facing any break points on serve and struck 32 winners to close out the 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win in 89 minutes.

“After the first set, things went quite smoothly; I was a little nervous in the first set,” said Wawrinka. “I hesitated on a few points. I think I was sort of watching, because I didn’t really know what to expect.”

In a typical Roland Garros contest, Frenchmen Gilles Simon and Nicolas Mahut played a four-hour match on Friday that eventually saw Simon advance in five sets. Simon compiled an incredible 69 winners and nine breaks of serve to set up his match-up against Stan Wawrinka. He eventually won the match 6-2, 6-7(6), 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-1.

“We know how good a player he can be on a court. He’s a player I have known for quite a long time now, so I know exactly what to expect. I know what he can do well on a court, what he can do less well. So I’ll try to play that match using my strength and my strong shots.”

This marks the fifth time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with the series split 2-2. Wawrinka holds a win in their only clay court encounter at the French Open three years ago and will likely find a way to get through to the quarter-final stage of the tournament in four sets.
 

At the start of the 2015 season, rising star Timea Bacsinszky toppled Petra Kvitova in the semi-final round of the Shenzhen Open. It was a lopsided affair that surprised the vast majority of those watching. Now, months later, the two will step across the net from each other once again, this time to determine who will advance to the quarter-final round of the French Open. Overall, Bacsinszky leads the head-to-head series 1-0.

Seeded fourth at this year’s Roland Garros event, Petra Kvitova differed from her standard pattern this week in Paris when she defeated Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets to secure her spot in the fourth round. She struck 18 winners and didn’t face a single break point on serve to close out the match 6-3, 6-2.

“I think it was for sure the best match that I’ve played here so far,” Kvitova said afterwards. “It’s the third round, which I didn’t pass here last year, so I was really motivated by it. I’m really glad I’m through.

“And I will try to start playing even better, because the opponents are only going to get tougher.”

Instead of a rematch against Madison Keys, Kvitova will come up against Bacsinszky, who toppled Keys in straight sets to earn her place in the fourth round. Key’s own error count was partly responsible for her 6-4, 6-2 loss.

“I’ve played both of them this year, actually,” Kvitova said. “I played Bacsinszky in Shenzhen and I lost. She’s playing really well here – I think these courts suit her game, and she’s really improved as well, so I really have to think about that match we played in Shenzhen and try to play better than I did there.”

This is just the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Tomea leading the head-to-head series 1-0. Her win came at the start of the season in Shenzhen, yet she will now encounter an entirely different Kvitova on clay.

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Following an exceptional start to his clay court season this year, which includes an undefeated streak with two title wins, Andy Murray has managed to maintain his momentum this week in Paris, as he worked his way into the fourth round of the prestigious grand slam event. His next contest is against Jeremy Chardy, whom he holds a 6-1 lead over in the head-to-head series.

While many anticipated a blockbuster contest between Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios on court this Saturday, it was not to be, as the Brit overwhelmed the Aussie en route to a straight sets win. The 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win was Murray’s 13th consecutive on clay this season and sets him up for an intriguing fourth round encounter with France’s Chardy.

“I have watched a lot of his matches, so obviously I know what his personality is like,” Murray said of Kyrgios. “He does have a game style and a personality on the court that lends itself to playing big matches on big courts. Sometimes you don’t feel like you’re able to control what’s happening out there because he’s hitting huge shots and sometimes playing shots that no one else tries. So you’re not expecting it, either.”

Murray will come up against Jeremy Chardy, who defeated David Goffin in straight sets to secure his place in the fourth round of the tournament. The Frenchman secured the upset win against the No. 17 seed with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 score line.

Not only has Murray always had a proven track record at the French Open, but he is of particular interest this season with his undefeated streak on the surface and Nadal’s injury. In this upcoming final 16 match-up, he leads Chardy 6-1 and should have little trouble advancing, yet he may need four sets to get the job done this time around.
 

Roland Garros defending champion Maria Sharapova will look to secure her place in the second week of the tournament when she meets Lucie Safarova in the fourth round on Sunday. This will likely be an intriguing and exciting contest, as the two have clashed on five previous occasions on the WTA tour, with Sharapova leading the head-to-head series 4-1. The Russian has won the last four consecutive matches against Safarova, including two clay court wins.

One of the more compelling third round matches took place on Friday when Sharapova crossed paths with Sam Stosur to rekindle their rivalry. While many anticipated an enthralling affair, Sharapova proved to be took much for her Aussie adversary and secured the win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

“Just getting the job done. The conditions in the first match and today have been quite tough. And in those moments it’s always tough to really assess the level, because as much as you want to improve and find some sort of perfection, you never quite know where the direction will be. Especially with the spin of my opponent today, I just had to be steady and consistent, and I did that quite well.”

Sharapova will come up against Lucie Safarova, who defeated No. 20 seed Sabine Lisicki in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(2) to find her way into the fourth round of the tournament.

“We haven’t played in a while,” Sharapova said. “The last time was a really tough match in Stuttgart last year where she was serving for the match. I know I have a tough one ahead of me, and lefties are always tricky. It will be my first one of the tournament. I will definitely need to be ready against her.

This is the sixth time that Sharapova and Safarova will meet on the WTA tour, with Sharapova leading the series 4-1. She has won their four most recent encounters, with Safarova only winning their first meeting back in 2010. Sharapova also leads the series 2-1 on clay. While this match has the potential of going three sets, an in-form Sharapova should be the favourite to win the match.

Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have successfully arrived at the end of the first week of the French Open, where they will cross paths for the ninth time on the professional circuit. Of their eighth previous meetings, Berdych has reigned victorious in six of them, including a recent win at the Madrid Masters event several weeks ago, to bring the head-to-head series to 6-2.

Seeded fourth at this year’s event, Berdych reached the final 16 in Paris with a four set win against Benoit Paire on Friday. He needed seven breaks of serve to secure the 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 win.

“I’m pleased with the way I played,” said Berdych. “He’s a very tough opponent to play, and so I’m happy with the way I handled it today. Of course there is a place and space to improve, and that’s definitely what I’ll be looking for.”

Later on in the day, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga earned another big win for himself this season and added to his road to full recovery when he defeated Pablo Andujar to secure his spot in the fourth round of the tournament. He struck 41 winners to close out the match in straight sets 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-3.

“I think my level was great,” said Tsonga. “I did the job I was supposed to do. Now it’s going to be harder and harder, of course. But I know to win a few more matches I will need to be really strong.”

This marks the ninth time the two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Berdych leading the head-to-head series with six victories to Tsonga’s two. Not only does the Czech hold a dominant lead in the head-to-head series, he also won their most recent encounter earlier this season in Madrid, which should help gauge the outcome of Sunday’s contest in Paris.