2017 French Open

[javero]

Posted: 6/6/17 at 12:14pm

Will Rafa claim his 10th title aka la decima?

One thing is for sure, a first-time major title holder will emerge on the women's side.  It will mark a watershed moment in women's tennis.

My pick on the men's side is Wawrinka in 5 grueling sets over Nadal.  On the women's side, Caroline Wozniacki will eek out a win over Karolina Pliskova in a nervous topsy-turvy 3 setter.

ETA: So much for my predictions; Ostapenko def Wozniacki 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.  19-yr old Ostapenko strikes the ball off the ground like a young Serena and she's fearless which is a refreshing change for women's tennis.

 

Updated On: 6/6/17 at 12:14 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/6/17 at 4:05pm

I have to admit, I lost some interest in the French Open 2017 when the decision was made to not give Maria Sharapova a wildcard for the event. Very disappointing. I was rooting for Venus Williams, but now that she's out, I guess the one "deserving" winner would be Timea Bascinszky since she beat Venus (7 time grand slam champion) on route to the semifinals. The "experts" seem to think that Halep or Svitolina will win the tournament (they play each other tomorrow).

...and I am rooting for Nadal to win his tenth...it would be such an incredible accomplishment in sports, and he seems primed to do so in a few days.  Vamos!

Also looking forward to see Maria play the Wimbledon qualifying rounds in a few weeks!!

[javero]

Posted: 6/6/17 at 9:02pm

Most boring FO ever.  Though neither were ever shoo-ins to win the title, Federer and Serena bring a great deal of excitement and the occasional drama to the majors.  We're getting a glimpse now of what the sport will be like without them.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/6/17 at 9:46pm

Nadal has been amazing, won a match while losing only one game the entire match. Another match he only lost four games. I will be surprised if he loses.

As for the women, Halep has to be the favorite at this time but it is wide open

 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/6/17 at 9:48pm

"...and I am rooting for Nadal to win his tenth...it would be such an incredible accomplishment in sports, and he seems primed to do so in a few days.  Vamos!"

He has won more French Opens than most players have won majors which is amazing !!

[javero]

Posted: 6/7/17 at 6:57pm

I predict that Dominic Thiem will upset Rafa in their semi in 5 grueling sets.  Despite having a one-handed backhand like Federer, Thiem is not bothered by high-bouncing shots to his backhand and will hit Rafa off the court like he did to Djokovic earlier today.  He's ready for a breakthrough at a major.  That said, Thiem's game plays right into Wawrinka's hands.  Wawrinka will take out Murray in their semi and go on to claim the title with a hard-fought 4-set win over a weary Thiem in the finals.  The Big 3 plus Stan & Murray count on someone wearing down their biggest nemeses in the other half of the draw at the semifinal round of the majors.

Updated On: 6/7/17 at 06:57 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/8/17 at 2:15pm

I'm kind of rooting for Ostapenko. Not a fan of Halep, although she will definitely be the favorite going into Saturday. Still upset that Sharapova wasn't allowed in the draw...

[javero]

Posted: 6/8/17 at 7:32pm

I'm rooting for Ostapenko as well.  She has that youthful fearlessness and drive that the women's tour hasn't seen since the arrival of Serena & Sharapova.  Like those great champions, Ostapenko goes for her shots and plays to win instead of to avoid losing.  Once she develops a more reliable & potent serve, the sky's the limit.  I love the way she moves forward to pounce on any short ball without hesitation.  She understands positional tennis and has good instincts out there.

Thanks to some tournament organizers, Sharapova is still doing penance it seems.  She made a mistake and has paid for it.  There will be hell to pay as soon as Maria is back into main draws.  If there's been no dip in her game since the absence she will decimate the field thanks to force of will alone with no Serena to contend with.  It remains to be seen what sort of shape Vika Azarenka's in.

On the men's side, watch out for Wawrinka!!!  On clay, he can hit thru Murray, Thiem and Nadal for 5 sets if necessary.  He needs to serve really well here on out.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 10:40am

"Still upset that Sharapova wasn't allowed in the draw..."

I am a big Sharapova fan but she still could have played French Open if she was willing to go through qualifying matches. Once she gets over injury and plays a bit more, her ranking will be good enough and she will not need any wild cards to get into the main draw.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 10:43am

"I predict that Dominic Thiem will upset Rafa in their semi in 5 grueling sets.  Despite having a one-handed backhand like Federer, Thiem is not bothered by high-bouncing shots to his backhand and will hit Rafa off the court like he did to Djokovic earlier today"

I will believe that when I see it. I think Rafa will be prepared especially since he lost to Thiem in Rome. I also like that Rafa is refreshed going into the semi, he has breezed through all his matches so far.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 11:42am

yankeefan7, Maria Sharapova was denied a wildcard to both the main draw and the qualifying rounds at the French this year. The official decision was made a couple weeks before the tournament began. Unfortunately, her current ranking was not high enough for her to enter into the qualifying rounds without a wildcard.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/sports/tennis/maria-sharapova-french-open-wild-card.html?_r=0

Her ranking is now currently high enough to enter the Wimbledon qualifying rounds, which she is doing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/sports/maria-sharapova-wimbledon-wild-card.html

 

[javero]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 11:52am

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Wawrinka def Murray 6-7, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1

The Stanimal was in beast mode!!!

 

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 2:29pm

That second men's semifinal was such a bore...I hope the Rafa/Stan final is at least exciting. I love Stan, but to see Rafa win his 10th French Open title would be historic and I'm rooting for it to happen.

Looking forward to finals weekend!

[javero]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 4:35pm

"That second men's semifinal was such a bore"

Yep...it was quite the letdown.  Thiem's full of promise but lacks patience and is still quite erratic.

Team Stan here.  He's the oldest FO men's finalist in 44 yrs and has the game to spoil things for Rafa.  The weight of the occasion and Stan's constant pummeling will get the better of Rafa.  Dude is 3-0 in finals at the majors.  Stan in 5 mind-blowing sets.  The match will be an instant classic.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 4:50pm

"Maria Sharapova was denied a wildcard to both the main draw and the qualifying rounds at the French this year"

Thanks. I did not know she needed wildcard for the qualifying rounds also.

 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 4:53pm

"The weight of the occasion and Stan's constant pummeling will get the better of Rafa"

Just curious why you think the "weight" of the occasion will get to Rafa. He has won this event 9 times already and has beaten people like Federer and Djokovic in the final.  Stan can win if he serves well and his backhand down the line is working.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 4:55pm

"but to see Rafa win his 10th French Open title would be historic and I'm rooting for it to happen but to see Rafa win his 10th French Open title would be historic and I'm rooting for it to happen."

Rooting for Rafa also, hope it is a good final.
 

 

 

[javero]

Posted: 6/9/17 at 5:15pm

Not only will Rafa compete to break his own record of 9 FO singles titles, he'll finally break his tie with Pete Sampras in the # of major titles won, currently 14. If Rafa takes his first loss on his home court it could signal the start of his decline ala Djokovic.  Champions need to maintain a mental edge over the competition to remain competitive.  Rafa goes into the final without that edge over Stan.  The longer the match goes, the more it tilts in Stan's favor.  Stan in 5.

ETA: A loss to Stan in the FO final following the loss to Fed in the AO could trigger the undoing of Rafa.  He's not immune to a crisis of confidence.

Updated On: 6/9/17 at 05:15 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/10/17 at 1:34pm

"I'm rooting for Ostapenko as well.  She has that youthful fearlessness and drive that the women's tour hasn't seen since the arrival of Serena & Sharapova.  Like those great champions, Ostapenko goes for her shots and plays to win instead of to avoid losing"

 

I was impressed with her win, down a set and 0-3 in the 2nd.  She has just kept going for it, loved the winner she hit on championship point.

[javero]

Posted: 6/10/17 at 2:33pm

Happy for her.  I'll have to catch a recap later.  Rarely watch women's tennis these days unless Serena, Maria, Vika, or Kutzy are playing.  I have a soft spot for Kutzy even though she's a head case.  There was something about Ostapenko's play in a earlier match that really caught my eye.

ETA: Watching a recast right now.  Halep won the 1st set and is leading 1-0 in the 2nd.

ETA2: Dear Lord...Ostapenko is even more erratic than Serena at 17 when she won her first major.  But, Ostapenko went for her shots and won in spite of her serve.  Fortune favors the brave.  Halep hit 8 winners in a 3 set match.  There was no way the tennis gods & goddesses would have allowed her to win.  Well done Jelena...tough luck Simona!

Updated On: 6/10/17 at 02:33 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 4:05am

"ETA2: Dear Lord...Ostapenko is even more erratic than Serena at 17 when she won her first major.  But, Ostapenko went for her shots and won in spite of her serve.  Fortune favors the brave.  Halep hit 8 winners in a 3 set match.  There was no way the tennis gods & goddesses would have allowed her to win.  Well done Jelena...tough luck Simona!"

 

I agree, she really was too erratic with 2nd serve returns but still went for it and hit plenty of winners. Lots of tennis people thought Marguza was going to be the next big thing in women's tennis when she won last year and she has been a bit of a disappointment so I think it will be interesting to see how Ostapenko handles things after winning yesterday.

[javero]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 7:25am

"Lots of tennis people thought Marguza was going to be the next big thing in women's tennis when she won last year and she has been a bit of a disappointment so I think it will be interesting to see how Ostapenko handles things after winning yesterday."

True dat.  Muguruza hasn't handled the switch well from being the huntress to the hunted.  Ostapenko's team really needs to smooth out her service motion.  Until then, I'm not certain that her game will translate well to faster surfaces.  She's hit or miss off the ground and we've seen what has happened to Muguruza since she started missing a lot in key moments.  I'm anxious to see how Ostapenko matches up against Sharapova who is the queen of one-dimensional ball bashing aka first strike tennis, as well as Muguruza.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 12:33pm

"Rafa goes into the final without that edge over Stan.  The longer the match goes, the more it tilts in Stan's favor.  Stan in 5."

 

It was short and sweet for Rafa, only lost 35 games the entire tournament. 

[javero]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 4:05pm

OMG...I fell asleep during the men's final and just woke up not realizing that I was watching a recast.  Nadal clinically picked apart Stan's game.  If he's healthy next year this time, he could easily win la undecima.  That was a beat-down.  Bravo Rafa...tough luck Stan.  I wonder how the oddsmakers will set Rafa's chances at Wimbledon after today's performance.

That aside, it amazes that only Djokovic has figured out that 95% of Nadal's backhands go cross court and that he struggles to take that shot down the line under pressure.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 6:13pm

"That aside, it amazes that only Djokovic has figured out that 95% of Nadal's backhands go cross court and that he struggles to take that shot down the line under pressure."

Most people's backhands go cross court the majority of the time, it is very natural. The only time most people take their backhand down the line is when the are going for a winner. That being said, you would think coaches would notice this from scouting players and inform the player.  I remember watching Agassi for years always hit his second serve to opponent's backhand, never saw him go down the "T". I was amazed how guys would not pick up on that and run around it and smack the return with their forehand.