The French Open 2021

First topic message reminder :

RG starts tomorrow (Sun May 30) and such is the long list of women's champs that two GS winners - Azarenka and Kuznetsova - will meet on the first day.

Thiem, Zverev, Tsitsipas and Osaka are all in action on the opening day. We won't be hearing about the Osaka match, at least not from her as she's shunning the Press. It's a decision that has NOT had the backing of the other players.

To me, Rafa is favourite as he is every year at RG. He managed to win last year having hardly played on clay. The draw means there cannot be a repeat of a Djoko-Rafa final. Federer returns to GS action but he's not expecting, or expected, to get far.

So who will Rafa meet in the final assuming he can get past Djoko? Normally you'd fancy Thiem but he's been a bit out of sorts of late. Of course, this could work in his favour as he'll be fresher than some of the others.

As for the women, who will be minus Halep, it's anyone's guess. You could probably make a case out for any of around a dozen of them having a good chance and then even then the title could go to someone outside that list.

After the two women's matches today we are going to get a semi between Zidansek and Pav.

8-6 win in the first match
and 9-7 in the second. Saw some of the Pav match and she won mainly by making fewer UEs.

Some big tennis from Tsitsi to go a set and a break up against Medvedev.

Medvedev played better in the second and third sets but still went down in three.
This sets up an intriguing semi between Zverev and Tsitsipas. Who would you fancy for that one? The Greek is slight favourite but it really could go either way.
Can't see Rafa having much trouble with Schwartzman today while Djoko should see off Berretini
You'd expect Gauff and Swiatek to win today but the women's has been even more spectacularly unpredictable than in recent slams. I still think Swiatek will win the whole thing but maybe she's due for a bad match.

Medvedev was very disappointing last night. His lack of application during the clay court season came back to bite him in the rear. Tsitsipas was there for the taking. The Greek was suffering from some sort of fever and looked out of his feet.
Zverev is my favourite to make the final.
Nadal in these hot daytime conditions will be a nightmare for little Diego.
I give Matteo a chance especially in the night conditions

The upsets continue in the women. Gauff beaten and now Swiatek a set down.
Didn't realise Tsitsipas was not feeling too good last night. Makes his win even more impressive.

sirfredperry wrote: Gauff beaten and now Swiatek a set down.

Swiatek is also break down in the second set.

sirfredperry wrote: Didn't realise Tsitsipas was not feeling too good last night. Makes his win even more impressive.

Very surprised at Medvedev's under-hand serve. It would be good to see Tsitsipas in the final.

Have to question why Swiatek was to eager to play the doubles. She came in after winning Roma so her form was fine.
Great win for Sakkari proper little power dynamo.

Oh and Medvedev blamed the lack of crowd for his performance...

The last few Slams have thrown up some new GS women's champs and now RG 2021 will be added to the list.
Reckon two women's semis could be nervous affairs with so much at stake.
So how many games is Diego S going to win against Rafa? I reckon no more than six.

Nadal takes the first set 6-3. The Spaniard wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders. Must be so demoralising for Schwartzman.

Schwartzman takes the second set 6-4. First set Nadal’s dropped in Paris since the 2019 final.

Well I was miles out with my Diego assessment. Rafa being given a really good match.

Schwartzman is one the better clay court players on tour but irregardless I was expecting something like 4, 2, 2 Nadal.

Nadal comes alive at the tail end of the third set and takes it 6-4

Nadal wins 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-0 winning the final 9 games in a row. Schwartzman played really well for a sustained period but Nadal did what he does.

Rafa seemed a bit flat until finally getting going in the third set and blowing Diego away.

Djokovic cruised to a two set lead over Berrettini 6-3 6-2. But the hulking Italian won the third set on the tie break.

Remarkable sequence of five successive points against the serve in that third set tiebreak led to the Italian getting back into the match.
Crowd now leaving due to curfew and inane scheduling where organisers more concerned about TV than fans.

Djokovic wins 6-3 6-2 6-7 7-5. Nadal is the favourite for the semi.

Djokovic the usual embarrassment, I see.

Good thing Nadal will smash the man-child in the next round.

I reckon that chest thumping in-your-face "alpha male" celebration is a big part of why so many just can't warm to Djokovic. The way he expresses himself is very off-putting, and if he doesn't keep his emotions in check he could have another USO-style default at some point. Hope Rafa takes him down a peg in the semi like in last year's final, but I feel it will be much closer than that. I'll tentatively go with Rafa in 4.

Yes I think we could have done without Djokovic's OTT outpouring at the end.
Agree that the semi with Rafa will be closer than last year's final but Rafa will win.
OK there are four new Slam semi finalists in the women's but they have all beaten a GS champ to reach this stage.
I would make Pav the favourite as she's the most experienced, but after what has occurred so far anything could happen.

Will be interesting how the scheduling plays out for the men’s semifinals. Nadal and Djokovic would probably prefer a daytime match. As at night the courts seem to become very slippery.

The only thing I dislike is loud or weird grunting / shrieking during play and garish tennis outfits.

Good luck to all four Mens and Womens semifinalists.

Pav a set and a break up but then plays a horrible service game and it's back on serve at 3-4.

Very scrappy at times but Pav comes through. Zid had the greater strike power but made too many UEs

Sakkari - Krejcikova is quite a match, so far.

One MP for Sakkari not taken and finally the Czech girl gets it on her 5th MP.
Short on quality but high on drama.

First set to Tsitsipas before Zverev, temporarily, struck back by taking a 3-0 lead in the second.
But the German played increasingly horribly and lost six straight games to give the Greek a two sets to love lead.

Strange match. Zverev, already two sets down looked dead and buried with Tsitsi having a point for 2-0 in the third.
 But the German held, broke and held again to go 3-1 up as it was the Greek's turn to go thru a bad patch. Not a classic by any means.

LATER: Zverev takes it to a fourth set by winning the third but not before more umpiring controversy over an overrule which got the German riled up.

Zeverv will serve for the fourth set.

....And Zverev does serve it out to take it into a fifth.

Quite poor quality at times with both players guilty of numerous UEs. The odd good rally gets chucked in but by no means a great match.

Court, to me, seems slow today, or is it that both players are playing cagily?

Tsitsipas wins 6-3 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3. Wasn’t exactly a top quality match. Zverev always starts slow. Tsitsipas with a lot of moon balling in sets 3, 4 and 5.

GSM to Tsitsipas who played a very good last set. Zverev saved four MPs at 2-5 but the Greek served it out in the next game.

A bit of drama at the end but a fairly scrappy match with far too many UEs. Tsitsipas will have to play a lot better if he's to do anything in the final.

Next up? A little matter of Rafa-Djoko. "Only" the 58th meeting between them.
I would never bet against Rafa at RG but Djoko is one player who could upset the Spaniard.

Brad Gilbert has an interesting analysis.

Rafa jumps out to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Last RG meeting between these two saw Rafa bagel Djoko.

Rafa fails to serve out the set at 5-1 and Djoko now serving at 2-5. More crazy scheduling by the French means the curfew-restricted crowd might have to leave before the end if this one goes on and on.

Nadal takes first set 6-3. Scoreline flatters Djokovic some what as Nadal bar one sloppy service game was dominant.

Rafa finally takes the first set 6-3 after Djoko, now coming much more into the match, saved numerous set points.

Djokovic 2-1 second set. Both players broke each other.

Amazing the number of times Rafa breaks straight back in matches, although Djoko played a poor service game.

Djokovic 5-2 after breaking then consolidating the break with a marathon 10 minute game.

At this rate there's going to be 5,000 furious fans who will have to miss the ending of the match.

I reckon that although Djoko lost that first set his fightback from 0-5 to 3-5 stood him in good stead for the second set.

Getting to that twilight period where the courts seem slower.

Djokovic takes second set 6-3.

It was very patchy for both of them for a while but the quality of play started to increase from the middle of the 2nd. Nadal has been rather impatient in the rallies at times I reckon, going for an outright winner when he would normally continue working the rally until the right ball appears.

Third set 2-1 Nadal. The Spaniard saves two BP in game 3. Another long one 9 minutes.

Rafa wards off two BPs early in the third.

3-2 Djokovic finally gets the break.