Tennis News

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.
 

Just weeks following their first meeting on the tour, which took place in Madrid during the warm-up to the second Grand Slam event of the season, Petra Kvitova and Irina-Camelia Begu are set to cross paths once again on the professional circuit, this time with higher stakes to play for as they attempt to secure a spot in the final 16 in Paris. Since this is just their second meeting on the professional tour, with Kvitova leading the Head to Head 1-0.

Following yet another tough match during this year’s draw, Kvitova managed to stumble along into the third round of the French Open. In her latest encounter in Paris, Kvitova rallied from a set down to defeat Silvia Soler-Espinosa in three sets -7(4), 6-4, 6-2. Although it was a sloppy match in many ways, Kvitova hit 46 winners and matched it with 56 unforced errors. I the end, she was able to find her way into the following stage of the tournament.

In a far simpler match later in the day, Irina-Camelia Begu lost a mere two games in her second round match against Ana Konjuh. She struck three aces, broke serve 5 times and hit 21 winners to cruise into the third round of the tournament, where she will now challenge Kvitova for the second time in as many weeks.

This is just the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Kvitova leading the head-to-head series 1-0. Kvitova defeated Begu several weeks ago in Madrid en route to her title win several matches later. From there, she went on to beat Serena Williams, so it is clear that Kvitova is capable of playing far better than she had been over the last while. It will be interesting to see how she performs on Saturday en route to the fourth round of the tournament.
 

The second round of the French Open brought with it quite the scare on Thursday when it appeared that world No. 1 Novak Djokovic had injured himself during his match on court. However, the Serb shook off the injury and resumed his match en route to the following stage of the tournament. He will next encounter Thanasi Kokkinakis, whom he has never encountered previously on the ATP World Tour.

Apart from a groin injury sustained during the match, Novak Djokovic was able to breeze past Gilles Muller in straight sets to advance to the following round in Paris. He struck 35 winners and converted five break points to secure the 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 win.

“Well, thankfully it’s nothing major,” said the Serb. “So it’s not a concern for the next match, which is the most important thing, obviously. It wasn’t pleasant with the conditions that were changing today, and I think a little bit of heavier conditions made the court a little bit more wet and it was pretty slippery.

“So I think that’s when it happened, I made a couple of slides that were quite, I’d say, unusual with change of directions. And it happened in those dynamic movements, jammed the hip a little bit. Thankfully it’s nothing serious, really. It’s going to be fine.”

In a battle between two of the top Australians on the tour, Thanasi Kokkinakis toppled the player seven years his senior in Bernard Tomic en route to the third round of the French Open. It was a contest that lasted five sets and saw Kokkinakis rally from two sets down to beat Tomic 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 8-6.

This marks just the first time that Djokovic and Kokkinakis will cross paths on the professional tour. It is also a contest that has all the makings of a fun affair that could set up a thrilling, competitive match. This is Kokkinakis’ opportunity to shine on a bright stage and prove that he is one of the players to watch out for over the coming decade. In the end, however, Djokovic should have little trouble advancing to the final 16 in Paris.

In a surprising turn of events, it appears as though many players in both the men and women’s draw at the French Open have struggled during their opening rounds at the tournament, while Rafael Nadal, who was considered out of form ahead of the tournament, has had little trouble en route to the third round in Paris. He will next come up against Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov, whom he has never faced previously on the professional tour.

Faced with a match-up against his fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro, Rafael Nadal needed straight sets to defeat his opponent. He moved to 68-1 in Paris with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win against Almagro. Overall, the contest lasted two hours and 22 minutes of court time.

“I’m very happy,” said Nadal. “I think I played a good match. The score is easier than what the match was like. I think I did a few things very well. “My footwork was better. I felt better than during the first round. I’m very happy with my performance and result.”

Nadal will come up against Andrey Kuznetsov, who defeated Jurgen Melzer in straight sets to earn his spot in the third round. He won the match 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(0), 7-5.

“He’s (Kuznetsov) aggressive [and] has huge potential,” said Nadal. “He’s a hitter, and his shots can be winners. He’s very dangerous. My objective is to keep on doing what I did today. My match was a good match. I will try and continue with the same tracks.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour and should be another straightforward affair for Nadal. The Spaniard continues to improve at a gradual pace and it clearly getting more confident with each passing minute on court. With that in mind, he should have little trouble on Saturday.

Fresh off a pair of respectively impressive showings that produced upsets, two of the ATP World Tour’s young guns will cross paths on the professional circuit to determine who will advance to the second week of the Roland Garros event. Jack Sock and Borna Coric have never crossed paths previously on the tour and will likely make for an enthralling affair on Saturday afternoon in Paris.

Following his upset win against Grigor Dimitrov, Sock followed up with another impressive showing when he defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in four sets to secure his spot in the third round of the tournament. This is his second consecutive year to reach this stage of the tournament, and he did so with a 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-1, 7-6(4) score line. He struck 67 winners and converted five break points to cement the win.

“I thought he was on top of his game today,” said Sock. “It was a match I had to win; It wasn’t going to be given to me, by any means. I finally found my serve three hours in, which was nice. It was letting me down there for a while, but I was able to find a little bit and the rhythm there at the end, and it helped me get through.”

The American will come up against Borna Coric, who toppled Tommy Robredo in five sets to earn his place in the third round. Riding high off his semi-final showing in Nice last week, Coric continued to display his talents during the match and eventually downed the Spaniard 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the tour and is undoubtedly one of the more anticipated match-ups of the day. Given that these two athletes represent the next generation of tennis players, it will be interesting to see which of the two shines brighter in Paris on Saturday.

For the first time since their earlier encounter at the Australian Open, British No. 1 Andy Murray and surging Aussie sensation Nick Kyrgios will meet for a spot in the fourth round of the French Open. This is just the third time that these two competitors will meet on the tour, with the Murray vs Kyrgios head to head standing at 2-0.

Seeded third at this year’s French Open, Andy Murray required four sets to secure his spot in the third round of the tournament. In the end, however, he managed to extend his unbeaten clay court win streak to 12 when he defeated Joao Sousa 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Following a slump during the second set. Murray took command of the match once again and was able to cruise for the remainder of the proceeding to hand himself his 33rd match win this season.

“I’m not disputing that today, good chance I played too slow on a number of occasions, and obviously I got punished for it. I’m just saying from a player’s perspective, it’s difficult to know because we have no clue. It’s just your…. I don’t know. Yeah, you’re guessing in a way. You’re just trying to play a good speed. And, yeah, obviously today I wasn’t.”

Murray will next encounter a player who will have rested for four consecutive days before stepping out on court against the Scot. Nick Kyrgios was scheduled to face another Brit in Kyle Edmund, who qualified for the tournament but was forced to withdraw from the contest ahead of his opportunity to reach the third round of the tournament.

This is just the third time that Murray and Kyrgios will clash on the tour, yet the stakes are far greater this time around. Murray cruised through their first encounter at the Rogers Cup in Toronto 6-2, 6-2, but faced far more resistance during his second encounter with the Aussie, where he was pushed to the limit before reaching the semi-final stage in Melbourne. This encounter is set to be another thrilling affair between two players with fun chemistry. However, Murray should find a way to remain undefeated in his rivalry against the young Aussie.
 

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.