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ROLAND GARROS 2014 - TUESDAY 27 MAY IP: 46.255.183.159 Posted on May 27, 2014 at 11:18:15 PM by David Barnes
ROLAND GARROS 2014
TUESDAY 27 MAY - DAY 3
Barely 1,000 spectators can be accommodated alongside Court 6, but those lucky enough to be in their seats for its first match today saw Britain’s Heather Watson fashion a hugely satisfying win, 6-3, 6-4, over the Czech Republic’s Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, ranked almost thirty points above her. Watson, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning gloom, went about her business with intent right from the start, breaking her opponent’s serve in the second game of the match, and again at 3-2 up, to take the first set in 44 minutes. She lost her own serve once in the process, in the longest game of the match, which ran to five deuces and involved her forfeiting a winning shot at 40-15 when her foot brushed the bottom of the net, but Watson was resolute. The second set was a sterner test, but the Guernsey girl came through for a straight sets victory on her third match point when her opponent netted a backhand.
Strycova has lost in the first round here at Roland Garros in each of her five previous appearances, and now has a repeat performance to add to that unfortunate record. She never established a rhythm, was frequently wrong-footed by Watson, incurred a time violation, and fell over several times. John Inverdale might, in an unkind moment, say that the Czech girl was carrying rather too much weight, in the way that Clare Balding would talk about a runner at Newmarket. A more polite description might be ‘stocky’. Watson had her flaky moments too – she completely missed one smash, but managed to flick the ball back anyway over her head before the second bounce and win the point.
Watson said afterwards that she likes the almost Davis Cup-like atmosphere of Paris, where she has an enthusiastic following; “I couldn’t believe it when I walked on the court, the cheering just all the way throughout the match. I felt like I was definitely the more aggressive player today”. Union Jacks abounded in the stands; we should hope they will be back on Wednesday, when she’ll need all the help she can get playing the fourth seed, Simona Halep, possibly on either Philippe Chatrier or Suzanne Lenglen.
Watson wrapped the match up 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour and a half of radiant, energy-infused, tennis, in complete contrast to the 2011 champion and no. 2 seed, Li Na, who lost in three sets, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to the 21-year old French player Kristina Mladenovic, ranked over 100 points below her. Li Na said afterwards; “I think today I just gave it away for the match. It’s so many thing are wrong. I don’t think today I try a lot. The problem is myself. I don’t think I’m doing well on the court. Today my opponent will win the match because I threw myself away”. Some coaching – and English language - tips from Heather Watson might be in order before the Chinese superstar’s next tournament.
Richard Gasquet warmed up the crowds on Suzanne Lenglen Court in advance of Andy Murray’s joust with Andrey Golubev, beating Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-1, 7-5. How much longer the young Australian will persistently fail to realise his true potential is anybody’s guess. He has mostly recovered from surgery on both hips, and has his errant father back with him at matches after the latter’s courtside ban, but there is still work to do. He remained characteristically combative in his post-match press conference when asked by one journalist; “Your dad had a court case to go through in his year off; he still has a civil case going. How confident are you that he can have the focus you need? The Aussie wunderkind shot back; “That’s a stupid question. Do I sit there thinking about those sorts of questions? No, I don’t. That’s a stupid question. How can you answer that? That’s berserk”. Good copy, and a non-answer if ever I saw one.
For really good journalism, look no further than The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs, discussing James Ward’s defeat yesterday at the hands of Tommy Robredo. “Robredo's style owes something to the Venus flytrap: he hangs way back in the court and leaves what look like tempting open spaces for his opponent to aim into. But the jaws of the trap have a way of closing on you as Robredo hurtles across the baseline and thumps a winning pass. Weirdly, he is almost better at striking the ball at a dead run than when standing still. The match took place in a dispiriting drizzle that forced stoppages after each of the first two sets, but Ward still had decent support from a few British travelling fans, as well as his new coach, Australian Darren Tandy”. Wonderful stuff.
Murray won his first two sets against Andrey Golubev from Kazakhstan with ease, 6-1, 6-4, in little more than an hour, counterpunching from the back of the court and retrieving awkward potential winners from his opponent as only Murray can. There were, helpfully, a disproportionate number of errors from the Golubev racket, but the Scot’s performance in the first two sets was workmanlike and on occasions, close to sublime, which was impressive given the cold, heavy, and windy conditions. The third set went to the Kazakh 6-3, but order was restored in the fourth as the Scot raced to a 4-1 lead and finished it 6-3. The sun came out as he won, Fabrice Santoro joked about coaches and gave him his card in the on-court interview, and Andy Murray smiled – extensively and repeatedly. Goodness me.
How gratifying to report on such a good day for British tennis. They tend to be few and far between. The icing on the cake was Jamie Murray and John Peers' evening victory in the doubles over Pospisil and Ram, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6. More wonderful stuff.
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David Barnes/Topspin, 2014
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