Let’s wrap up the blog here. Andy Murray is through to the third round of the French Open and he will play Nick Kyrgios. See you tomorrow. Bye.
Andy Murray is being interviewed by Fabrice Santoro. Who’s wearing a kilt. “I like it,” Murray says. “It looks good. I don’t know what to say. I don’t really know what to say.”
Andy Murray is through after beating Joao Sousa 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, sealing his victory when Sousa whacks the ball beyond the baseline. An imperfect performance at times but a win’s a win’s a win and it has to be said that Joao Sousa pushed him hard at times. There was a point at the start of the third set when it looked like Murray might be in trouble but he weathered the storm.
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Murray holds to lead 5-1. He’s a game away from the third round and a meeting with Australia’s Nick Kyrgios.
By the way, Novak Djokovic’s win means he plays Thanasi Kokkinakis in the third round.
Murray scorches a backhand from left to right to earn two break points. Sousa saves the first with a smash. Not the second, though. There’s nothing he can do about a forehand pass from Murray, whipped to perfection. Murray breaks again in the fourth to lead 3-0 and he’s three games from victory. Sousa has played very well, but I think it’s safe to say that Murray finally has his number.
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A terrific start to the fourth set for Murray, who muscles his way to a break in the very first game. The ship may be sailing for Joao Sousa.
What was all the fuss about? Andy Murray holds to love and claims the third set to lead Joao Sousa 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Joao Sousa saves a set point, clings on and holds, but Murray leads 5-4 and will serve for the third set.
Those pesky kids! Borna Coric recovers from a break down and wins the third set of his match 6-2 against Tommy Robredo to lead 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.
While Andy Murray gets on with slugging it out against Joao Sousa, Novak Djokovic is hopping back to the locker room after beating Gilles Muller 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. A comfortable win for the world No1, but he can expect a couple of questions about the medical time-out he had in the second set. He’ll want to get that sorted out quickly.
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Murray breaks for a 4-3 lead in the third set! Joao Sousa has been making most of the running in the past 30 minutes, but Murray was ruthless when the opportunity presented itself in this game.
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On Court 1, John Isner has won the second set 6-4 against Jeremy Chardy. A set apiece over there.
The weird thing is that you have 20 seconds on the serve between serves in grand slams and 25 seconds on the tour. Why? Matches in grand slams are five sets and three sets on the tour. It doesn’t make much sense, does it?
Trailing 2-1, Murray flicks a forehand from right to left, but it clips the top of the net and lands wide. Sousa leads 30-40 on Murray’s serve. Break point. Murray misses a first serve. Sousa jumps on a second serve, only to shovel a return long. He’ll be gutted to miss that. Deuce. But he has another chance to break when Murray tries and fails to lob him. Sousa puts the smash away. Murray isn’t happy, but he cheers himself up by saving the break point with an ace down the middle. Amelie Mauresmo nods in encouragement and Murray responds with a pulsating point, just - just! - winning a beautiful, lobby rally with a wonderful overhead backhand. Then, just as he’s about to serve, Pascal Maria, the umpire, hits him with his second time violation and awards the point to Sousa. Murray is seething. He isn’t about to let it go. He walks over to the chair, snorting fire, and points out that he couldn’t serve because the highlight of the previous point was still being played on the big screen and, well, it was in his eyeline, making it quite hard to serve, YOU EFFIN’ EEDJIT. Maria relents, probably fearing for his safety, and Murray wins the point and holds. That was absurd. There’s no consistency. Murray doesn’t take much time between points. Anyway it’s 2-2 in the third set.
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Despite that thigh/groin injury that required some treatment at the end of the second set, Djokovic is firmly in control in the third set against Gilles Muller and leads 6-1, 6-4, 3-1.
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Murray is frowning. I appreciate that’s not necessarily news given that his default setting is FROWN, but this is particularly pertinent, for he’s being given more headaches by Joao Sousa than he might have anticipated when he swept through the first set. Sousa holds to love and leads 2-1 in the third set.
John Isner, the 16th seed, is mounting a comeback in the second set after losing the first 6-4 to Jeremy Chardy. The American has broken for a 3-2 lead. Meanwhile Tommy Robredo has levelled his match against the pesky Borna Coric, winning the second set 6-3. Robredo has broken early in the third set. He’s one stubborn guy.
Joao Sousa is vroom-vrooming right now and he’s threatening to accelerate away from Murray, who needs to get his head back in the game. He also needs to put some pep back into that second serve. It broke down in the second set. Sousa holds to lead 1-0 in the third set.
Joao Sousa wins the second set 6-4! Leading 15-40 on Murray’s serve, he zinged a forehand from right to left and forced Murray into a defensive lob, which was met with a blasted overhead that just landed in the land. On the run, Murray’s flail drifts well wide and against all the odds, Sousa levels the match! That’s the first set he’s taken off Murray in six attempts.
And he does serve it out. Muller sticks a return wide and Djokovic leads 6-1, 6-4. Meanwhile Joao Sousa has two set points on Murray’s serve...
Djokovic is back on his feet. He’ll now serve for the second set.
“Let’s go!” roars Murray as he drives through his shots on both wings and forces Sousa to hit long on break point. Sousa served for the set there, but it’s 5-4 and they’re back on serve. How often does Murray do that? “I know what you’re saying, Jacob - Djokovic is a phenomenon,” says Simon McMahon. “But the mood Murray seems to be in this year I wouldn’t put anything past him right now. To the extent that I’ve backed him to win not just Wimbledon, but The Open and the British Grand Prix too.”
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Murray has a break point at 30-40...
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Novak Djokovic is having some treatment on what looks like a thigh problem. He leads 5-4 with a break in the second set but he’s having a medical time-out.
There had been a hint of this coming. Joao Sousa steps it up and crunches into a 0-40 lead on Murray’s serve, and a huge, rasping forehand seals his first break. Sousa leads 5-3 and will serve for the second set. Well!
On Court 7, Heather Watson v Sloane Stephens is about to begin. You can follow it here with Bryan Armen Graham.
It’s more even between Murray and Sousa in the second set now. Sousa has more belief and he holds to lead 4-3. Murray’s level has dropped a tad. Djokovic, meanwhile, is serving at 4-3 in the second set against Gilles Muller.
Victoria Azarenka has a sense of humour.
If I ever play again after Schiavo and Sveta I will warm up next day 😂😂😂 but seriously what a freaking match 💪🙈👏👏👏 #RG2015
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) May 28, 2015
It was not to be for Belinda Bencic, beaten 6-0, 6-3 by the excellent Madison Keys. With all the carnage in the women’s draw, I wonder if Keys could go far this year. She has a fantastic game.
Something of a reality check for young Coric in the second set, as Tommy Robredo takes a 4-1 lead.
“Do you seriously think Murray can win in Paris?” says Simon McMahon. “He certainly seems to have turned a corner on the red clay, but it’s asking a lot to beat the likes of Ferrer, Nadal or Djokovic and Federer over the best of five sets. But I think it’s fair to say that, given what he has achieved already this year and the standards he sets himself, Andy will be disappointed if he doesn’t make the final. Which is saying something in itself.”
He’d be the favourite against David Ferrer these days, I think, but as for your overall question, let me answer it this way: the draw has him pitted against Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.
Andy Murray does like to make life difficult for himself. Serving for the set, he races into a 40-0 lead. Too easy. Way too easy. Not interesting. So he double-faults to make it 40-15 and then he does it again to make it 40-30. How wonderfully, peculiarly Murray. But it was only a minor wobble and he doesn’t waste the third set point, forcing Sousa to whack a forehand wide. Murray wins it 6-2.
Andy Murray breaks again for a 5-2 lead in the first set. He’ll serve for it. Like Novak Djokovic, he’s looking in pretty good nick.
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This is one to watch. Borna Coric, the young Croatian, has one the first set of his match against the grizzled, doughty Spaniard, Tommy Robredo, 7-5. Coric is 18 and recently beat Andy Murray in straight sets.
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It’s a clinic from Novak Djokovic. He speeds through the first set against poor Gilles Muller and wins it 6-1.
The comeback might be on actually on Court 7. Having been bageled by Madison Keys in the first set, Belinda Bencic has recovered well and has broken for a 2-1 lead early in the second set.
Novak Djokovic is playing like, well, he’s playing like Novak Djokovic. Everyone do a little bit of cowering. Go on. Cower. A serve springs out of Muller’s reach and Djokovic glides into a 4-1 lead.
Victoria Azarenka has had a comfortable afternoon, battering Lucie Hradecka 6-2, 6-3. Azarenka has had a tough time with injuries. It would be good if she is getting back to her best. She plays Serena Williams in the next round.
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Bencic wins a game! The comeback starts here.
Oof! Madison Keys wins the first set against Belinda Bencic 6-0. That’s mightily impressive from the American.
I exaggerate a tad. The first game between Murray and Sousa lasted 12 minutes. But still.
It took Andy Murray and Joao Sousa almost as long to finish their first game as it took Svetlana Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone to finish their entire match. That went on for ever! My fingernails are now at least six feet long. Sousa was serving but Murray was on his back from the off. Sousa hung on for dear life and somehow managed to stay in there, saving several break points, but Murray was like a Sepp Blatter with a Fifa presidency, he wouldn’t let go, and eventually he converts a break point with a stunning backhand winner. He then consolidates the break easily to lead 2-0.
Novak Djokovic, who is widely expected to win the one tournament that has so far remained tantalisingly out of reach, is on court now against Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller. It’s unlikely to be straight-forward against the big-serving Muller but Djokovic beat him in straight sets in the Australian Open and he’ll probably be pretty pleased to that his first two matches have pitched him against lefties, with that quarter-final against Rafael Nadal looming large.
Over on Court 7, an intriguing contest between Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys, who has an early 2-0 lead against the Swiss teenager. Big things are expected from Bencic in the future. But the same can be said for Keys.
Andy Murray and Joao Sousa are knocking up. Sousa has never beaten Murray. In fact, they’ve played each other five times and he’s never taken a set off the British No1.
It’s very windy at Roland Garros. The forecast for the next few days isn’t good.
Crisis averted for Serena Williams. She’s been put through her paces by Anna-Lena Friedsam, but in the end she comes through 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Nadal’s win-loss record at Roland Garros? 68-1.
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Nadal’s swift victory means that it’s almost time for Andy Murray, who’s 11-0 on clay this year. He faces Portugal’s Joao Sousa in his second-round match.
Less drama on Phillipe Chatrier, where Rafael Nadal cruises into the third round after thumping Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. He looked ominously good today. His forehand clicked and when that happens on this court, his opponents might as well hoist the white flag from the first game. Of course, bigger tests await Nadal, namely a potential quarter-final against Novak Djokovic, but after his recent struggles on his favourite surface, he’ll be delighted with a victory as commanding as this one.
But now the challenge facing Thanasi Kokkanikis is one of the hardest tasks in tennis: closing it out. A million thoughts must be going through his head all at once. He has to focus, take each point as it comes, and you can almost see the butterflies clambering out of his mouth as he goes down 0-30. But this is one tenacious teenager and he kicks and screams his way back to 30-all - and then bangs down an ace to earn a match point! Blimey. Tennis, eh? Teenagers, eh? You never know what’s coming next with them. And Kokkinakis seems to take Tomic by surprise by rushing to the net, asking him the question, and Tomic has no response, weakly fumbling a forehand into the net, a shot that suggested he had pretty much had enough of this match and all he wanted to do was get off court as soon as possible. Kokkinakis tumbles to the floor as the ball hits the net and somehow manages to keep his cap firmly in place. He can’t believe it. He was two sets down and now look - the 19-year-old has beaten Bernard Tomic, three years his senior and the 27th seed, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 8-6 to reach the third round of the French Open. That was nerveless. He played those last few games like a seasoned pro. He’s only 19!
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Bernard Tomic, who at times plays as if he has the heart of a particularly cowardly lion, makes an inauspicious start to this game, dropping the first point with a double fault, but he steadies himself and chips and probes and harries his way into a 40-15 lead. Then comes an attack of the jitters, two points squandered, deuce. Kokkinakis is pumping his fist now, but he’s staying calm - and he keeps his cool and earns a break point with a beautiful forehand down the line. Can he do it? He can! He swings at Tomic’s glass jaw and his dizzying foe is swaying all over the shop at the back of the court. Tomic stretches and slides but it’s an ugly shot from him that wonks past the baseline and Kokkinakis breaks to lead 7-6! He’ll serve for the match.
Kokkinakis, baseball cap back to front, for he is a teenager, holds to 15 to force the fifth set to 6-6. He has nerves of steel, ice running through his veins. He’s only 19!
Tomic surprise everyone on Court 7, even himself, by stopping the rot and holding. He leads 6-5. Kokkinakis has to hold to stay in the match. Can he do it?
Kokkinakis holds. It’s 5-5.
Rafael Nadal has bought a house on Easy Street. He leads by two sets and a break. It’s 3-0 in the third set.
Bernard Tomic, though. Serving for the match, obviously he finds himself 0-40 down in no time and Thanasi Kokkinakis, amazing, wonderful, courageous, Thanasi Kokkinakis, breaks back! It’s 5-4 to Tomic but they’re back on serve and Kokkinakis may well be starting to think that this is going to be his day.
Serena Williams has momentum. She has the second set. She wins it 6-3 and Anna-Lena Friedsam might be feeling a fair amount of trepidation now.
Thanaski Kokkinakis has one gigantic heart. He saves three match points in the fifth set and holds to trail 5-3. But now Tomic has a chance to serve it out.
Like that dodgy kebab you ate last night, Serena Williams can’t keep Anna-Lena Friedsam down. She broke for a 4-2 lead in the second set, only for Friedsam to give her a bloody nose in the next game and break back. All is not well with the great Serena.
Nicolas Almagro put up an admirable fight to break Rafael Nadal when he was serving for the second set, but his rueful grin five minutes later tells you all you need to know. Nadal was not to be denied and he wasn’t about to let anything knock him off his stride. He simply dusts himself down and earns two set points, and although he can’t convert the first, the second set is in his iron grip when Almagro fires a forehand wide. Nadal leads 6-4, 6-3.
A spectacular forehand from Schiavone lands on the line and she leads 0-30. Gee whizz! Soon it’s 15-40 and ... get this! Two match points for Schiavone! Even she can’t have seen this coming. Or this. Kuznetsova rips a forehand into the corner and then romps forehand to put a volley away, only to make a horrible mess of it, her timing and technique all wrong, and she dabs an atrocious effort tamely into the net! That’s it! Schiavone wins 6-7, 7-5, 10-8 in a match that has been going on since the dawn of time itself. I now have a long grey beard, believe it or not.
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Schiavone puts too much weight on a forehand volley and it’s right into Kuznetsova’s strike zone. She doesn’t miss these. A backhand whizzes past Schiavone and it’s 15-40. Two break points. But Schiavone saves the first with a whistling forehand - and then, incredibly, a backhand just nicks over the net and Kuznetsova, caught by surprise, is too far back to react in time! Deuce. Schiavone then ekes out the advantage with a punchy volley, before Kuznetsova misses with a backhand. Schiavone leads 9-8 on serve. Amazing.
But of course not. No one is going anywhere. Not yet. Stay seated. Francesca Schiavone isn’t finished with you yet. She breaks back to love and it’s 8-8!
Over on Court 1, in the match that started at some point in 1983, Svetlana Kuznetsova is serving for it at 8-7 in the third set against gutsy Francesca Schiavone. Is it finally about to end?
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And how about this? An hour or so ago, I was busy writing Thanasi Kokkinakis’s obituary. Prematurely, it turns out. He’s come roaring back from two sets down to force a fifth set against Bernard Tomic! What a comeback from the Aussie youngster. Is Tomic about to treat us to one of his customary crumbles?
I had a sandwich and I am back and ready to go and OH MY GOD! What’s this! What happened while I was away! What did you do! Serena, Serena, Serena. Oh my. I forget who built down Anna-Lena Friedsam as Unfortunate Sap. Some idiot.
Jacob’s back from lunch, so back over to him. Cheers!
Meanwhile Schiavone has broken Kusnetsova again, because of course she has. 7-7 in the third and final set, and it looks like people can start getting comfy over there.
On Court Deux, 12th seed Karolina Pliskova had a chance to win her second round match against Andreea Mitu, but the Romanian won the tie-break 7-5. They go to a decider.
Serena loses the first set! Friedsam races into a 40-0 lead with some ruthless shots, and despite rather limply putting the next one into the net, she polishes off the set by forcing a Serena error on the backhand. Oi vey, gadzooks and crikey.
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Yep, that’s a fourth break on the spin in Kuznetsova v Schiavone, and the Russian will serve for the match for the third time.
No! Wait! Forget all that about Friedsam wondering what she’s got herself in for! She breaks back to 30 with not a huge amount of fuss, and she will serve for the set once more.
Schiavone and Kuznetsova are clearly enjoying each other’s company, because the latter served for the match again, and lost again. That’s the third break in a row, and with of course no tie-breaks in the final set, we could be here for a while. 6-6 in the third.
And Serena breaks back, digging herself out of a hole with some yelling, some determination and some relatively basic errors from Friedsam, who must be vaguely wondering what on earth she’s got herself in for. 5-5 in the first.
That didn’t last too long for Schiavone. Kuznetsova breaks straight back and she’s serving for the match once more.
Over on Court Un, Kuznetsova serves for the match...but the wily Schiavone breaks and it’s now 5-5 in the third. Meanwhile Friedsam is serving for the first set against Serena. A shock in the offing, or a mere delay of the eventual 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 shoeing?
Hello, Nick here for a bit. The vision in blue that is Rafa must be keen to get to that Richard Keys blog, because he breaks Almagro in the first game of the second set, setting it up with one of those extraordinary whipped, inside-out topspin drives that just about clears the net then disappears into the clay.
I’m just going to grab some lunch. Nick Miller will be your guide for the next 20 minutes or so.
Dressed from headband to trainer in blue, Rafael Nadal prepares to serve for the first set on his beloved red clay. There’s some fleeting resistance from Nicolas Almagro, a lovely, wrong-footing backhand at 15-0, but not enough, the Nadal forehand is purring and a huge winner brings up two set points. He can’t take the first, he can take the second. A watchable first set ends 6-4 to Nadal.
Meanwhile ... Anna-Lena Friedsam is making a mockery of my prediction that she’d be no match for Serena Williams. She’s up a break in the first set and leads 3-2!
Sorry for that brief delay, I was reading a blog by Richard Keys about Fifa. As you can probably guess, it was very illuminating. Anyway Jerzy Janowicz is leaving us after losing 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 to the 18th seed, Leonardo Mayer. Another deeply underwhelming grand slam performance from Janowicz, who showed such promise at Wimbledon two years ago.
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Once again, Phillip Kohlschreiber leaves us after a match that spanned two days. The German, seeded 22nd, returned today after his match against Pablo Andujar was held over from last night, but he’s soon heading back to the locker room, head bowed and eyes to the ground, after losing 6-1, 7-6, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4. You may recall Kohlschreiber giving Andy Murray one hell of a workout in the third round last year and going out in similar circumstances. Maybe it’s not his thing.
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Serena Williams is out on Suzanne-Lenglen. Today’s unfortunate sap is Anna-Lena Friedsam.
Jerzy Janowicz has really made the most of winning that third-set tie-break and is now ... 4-0 down in the fourth set to Leonardo Mayer and staring defeat in the face. What a perplexing character.
Andrea Petkovic squeezes through, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victor against Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
Did you know that when you arrive at Roland Garros, medical staff warn you that you write off Rafael Nadal at your peril? Honest! They’ve got posters everywhere.
Nadal breaks Almagro for an early 2-1 lead.
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Petra Kvitova, the No4 seed, puts an end to the madness by beating Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. She was rocking for a bit.
Francesca Schiavone has not allowed the loss of that extraordinary tie-break in the first set to get her down. She’s won the second 7-5 against Svetlana Kuznetsova and they’re into a third on Court 1.
They’re into a fourth set on Court 17. Jerzy Janowicz has pulled his finger out and won the fourth on a tie-break. But he’s still facing an uphill battle. Leonardo Mayer leads 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, although he might be feeling that he’s on slightly shakier ground now.
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Nicolas Almagro and Rafael Nadal are up and running. Almagro holds in the first game. Plenty of grunting and wheezing.
There’s not much excitement in the all-Aussie affair. Bernard Tomic is simply not in the mood to be embarrassed by Thanasi Kokkinakis and is busy putting the youngster firmly in his place. He leads 6-3, 6-3 and it’s hard to see how Kokkinakis can win from this position.
Kei Nishikori has a walkover tomorrow. His opponent, Benjamin Becker, has pulled out with injury.
2005. 2006. 2007. 2008. 2010. 2011. 2012. 2013. 2014.
2015?
Can Rafael Nadal win his 10th French Open crown?
At least one seed is safe, although it was a close-run thing on Court 3. Sara Errani, the No17 seed, beats Carina Whitthoeft 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
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Next on Philippe-Chatrier: Rafael Nadal and Nicolas Almagro. Surely there’s not going to be another shock?
Another big name tumbles. Caroline Wozniacki is out, the fifth seed beaten 6-4, 7-6 by Germany’s Julia Goerges. That’s a desperate disappointment for Wozniacki, but what a win for Goerges, who had to show tremendous grit to get over the disappointment of twice failing to make the most of breaks in the second set and allowing Wozniacki to drag it into a tie-break. She was even trailing 4-3 at one point in the tie-break - but she fought back brilliantly to win four consecutive points and even had the added bonus of sealing the match with a forehand winner. It’s a result that leaves the women’s draw even more open than it was at the start of the day. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams will be pleased.
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It’s a breeze for the dangerous Marin Cilic in the end. Andrea Arnaboldi was a pesky opponent in the first set and had chances to win it, but it was one-way traffic after that, Cilic charging into the third round after a 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over the Italian. He could cause some damage.
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Petra Kvitova has taken it to a deciding third set against Silvia Soler-Espinosa after winning the second set 6-4. Soler-Espinosa won the first set 6-4.
But Julia Goerges can’t see it through! Serving for the match and a place in the third round, she tightens up and prangs a forehand wide on break point. It’s 6-6 and we’ll have a tie-break. You have to admire Wozniacki’s spirit.
Julia Goerges breaks for a 6-5 lead in the second set and will serve for the match against Caroline Wozniacki! A shock is on the cards.
Bernard Tomic is a man on a mission. He’s arrived full of focus today and he takes the first set 6-3 against his fellow Aussie, Thanasi Kokkinakis. Young Kokkinakis is being schooled by the more experienced man.
Leonardo Mayer is making Jerzy Janowicz’s life miserable. He leads 6-4, 6-4. The gloom deepens for Janowicz, but it must be said that the understated Mayer is playing very well.
Meanwhile Caroline Wozniacki hits back immediately, knuckling down to cancel out the break from Goerges. It’s 4-4 in the second set. Who’s going to blink first?
But it’s Kuznetsova who forges ahead, winning the tie-break 13-11. What a marathon!
An epic tie-break on Court 1. It’s 11-all between Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova. 11-all!
The older man is given the young pretender a bit of a runaround on Court 7 at the moment - Bernard Tomic, in no mood to have his face smothered in egg by Thanasi Kokkinakis, has the early break and leads 3-2.
Caroline Wozniacki is staring down the precipice now. Julia Goerges breaks in the second set and leads 6-4, 4-3.
After a nip and tuck first set, Marin Cilic runs away with the second against Andrea Arnaboldi. He’s dominant now and leads 7-6, 6-1. Cilic is surely heading for the third round and I bet a few of the big guns are hoping he gets taken out before the tournament starts to get really serious.
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Ten years ago this week, a Polish man called Jerzy made himself a hero in Istanbul. But in 2015, a Polish man called Jerzy is not having any fun at all in Paris. Jerzy Janowicz trails by a set and a break against Leonardo Mayer. Janowicz’s form has been rather disappointing ever since he lost his Wimbledon semi-final to Andy Murray two years ago.
Today it means nothing to have a seed in the women’s draw. It means diddly squat. The square root of eff all. Look here: tenth seed Andrea Petkovic is now down a set and a break - 6-4, 2-1 - against Lourdes Domínguez Lino.
On Court 7, the Australians emerge. Can young wild-card entry Thanasi Kokkinakis dump out his compatriot and walking wild card Bernard Tomic? You wouldn’t put it past him, you know, Kokkinakis looks like he has the lot. But you never know what you are going to get from Bernard Tomic.
Here’s one that escaped my attention, a minor classic brewing on Suzanne-Lenglen, where the fourth seed and Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, is being put through the mill by Sílvia Soler Espinosa, who’s just nabbed the first set on a tie-break. The seeds really are struggling today. Must be something in the Paris air.
The US Open champion and ninth seed, Marin Cilic, looked like he was grasping for answers for much of the first set against Andrea Arnaboldi. He had to save a few set points in the 12th game of the set, but he held on and has just taken it on a tie-break, his big serve coming to the rescue on more than one occasion.
Another seed is in peril! Lourdes Dominguez Lino, still sprightly at 34, nabs the first set 6-4 from Andrea Petkovic, the No10 seed.
Julia Goerges is no respecter of big reputations. She yelps and jumps and takes the first set 6-4 against Caroline Wozniacki, who did have a healthy 3-1 lead at one point. The fifth seed is in trouble out there. She’s going to need to dip into all her resolve reserves to escape unscathed from this one. Goerges, by the way, has beaten Wozniacki in both of their prevoous matches on clay. That’s probably significant, isn’t it?
Sara Errani is cruising. She leads Carina Witthoeft 6-3, 2-0 over on Court 3. Errani was a finalist at Roland Garros in 2012.
Julia Goerges will serve for the opening set against Caroline Wozniacki. What a recovery from 3-1 down from the German!
Jerzy Janowicz slams his racquet into the ground as he sends a backhand return long and drops the first set 6-4 to Leonardo Mayer. Oh dear.
Is a shock in the offing on Court 6? The No10 seed, Andrea Petkovic, is in a spot of bother against Lourdes Dominguez Lino, the unseeded 34-year-old Spaniard in possession of a 4-2 lead in the opening set.
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Jerzy Janowicz. Whatever happened to Jerzy Janowicz? He’s not even seeded here and he’s down a break in the first set of his match against the No23 seed, Leonardo Mayer, who leads 4-3.
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Hold that thought. Goerges rattles a backhand down the line and breaks back straight away. The former champs are also back on serve on Court 1, Kuznetsova reeling in Shiavone. She leads 4-3.
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Julia Goerges held off Caroline Wozniacki in her first service game, but not in her second. Wozniacki breaks for a 3-1 lead. What do we think? Could this be the tournament where she finally breaks her grand slam duck?
Italy’s Sara Errani, the No17 seed, is running away with the opening set of her match against Carina Witthoeft. She leads 4-1.
Marion Bartoli is a very enjoyable co-commentator over on ITV4. Julia Goerges just missed an easy shot, opting for the hammer rather than the feather, and that prompted Bartoli to let out a soft “Oh no ... no, no ... no, no, no, no”, as if she’d just put her hand in her pocket and realised that she’d left her phone on the tube.
Over on Court 1, we have something of a nostalgia-fest, a clash between two former champions, 2009’s Svetlana Kuznetsova taking on 2010’s Francesca Schiavone. Kuznetsova is the 18th seed but she’s down an early break to her unseeded Italian opponent. Schiavone is 34. Can she roll back the years?
And ... play! Balls are being flung into the air, racquets are swishing, clay is flying. Day five of the French Open is underway.
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Edmund’s withdrawal means that Kokkinakis and Tomic will be on Court 7 first. On Philippe Chatrier, meanwhile, we have Julia Goerges against Caroline Wozniacki.
It’s a huge shame Kyle Edmund had to pull out. His match against Nick Kyrgios could have been outstanding. Ah well. I’m sure they’ll meet again in the future. And it sounds like Edmund had no choice but to withdraw after injuring stomach muscles. “Kyle felt something after his qualifying matches,” said Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain, Leon Smith. “And since the match against Robert it has got worse. He has muscle damage in his stomach. The advice we had was that if he went on court for even a set, it could damage it further and put him out for six, seven, eight weeks. He played four fantastic matches here, he will quite possibly be in the top 100 when the next rankings come out. Why risk ruining your summer?”
Preamble
Hello. This could be a day to remember. This day could be even better than the time you managed to fit a whole packet of Hula Hoops in your mouth. Even better than the time you watched a whole Really. That good. Look up and down the order of play. Go on. Have a look. See? Good, isn’t it? It’s a multi-course tasting menu of tennis deliciousness. Grab the popcorn, settle in, take a seat, don’t go anywhere.
We were to begin with a battle of two 20-year-old whizzkids on Court 7, Britain’s Kyle Edmund, fresh from his first ever win at a grand slam, taking on Australian necklace model Nick Kyrgios, who you might remember from past classics such as that time he knocked Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon last year, for crying out loud. But Edmund sadly retired from the tournament late on Wednesday, meaning the Australian could be up against Andy Murray in the third round – assuming that he makes it past the talented Portuguese, Joao Sousa, who could pose a few problems for the British No1.
Murray and Sousa are third on Philippe-Chatrier Court. They’ll be in action once the all-Spanish affair between Nadal and Nicolas Almagro is over. That was a quarter-final not so long ago. Yet while Almagro hasn’t quite hit the heights of late, he could be an awkward opponent for Nadal, who has not exactly been in commanding form on clay this season. But this is Nadal and this is Roland Garros. Would you back against him with any confidence? No, me neither.
Court 7 could be where the main fascination lies. It’s home to plenty of young guns today. Once Edmund and Kyrgios are done, we have an all-Aussie contest to get stuck into, Thanasi Kokkinakis, earmarked as the future of Australian tennis along with Kyrgios, duking it out with Bernard Tomic, the 22-year-old who was once the future of Australian tennis, but who now seems emblematic of unfulfilled potential. Twenty-two, of course, is a bit young for someone to be cast as yesterday’s man, but Tomic could do with getting his act together if he is not to be left in the shade by Kyrgios and Kokkinakis.
Once that match is over, it’s time for a couple of cracking women’s matches on Court 7. First it’s the promising Swiss teenager, Belinda Bencic, against the rising USA star, Madison Keys. And then? It’s Britain’s Heather Watson against the USA’s Sloane Stephens.
And if that’s still not enough, Serena Williams plays Anna-Lena Friedsam and Novak Djokovic plays Gilles Muller.
Play begins at: 11am in Paris, 10am London time.
