Roland Garros Crisis Center, Day 5
Note: As of just after 10.30 a.m. EST, we have opened an Overflow post. Please use the link below to get there. RV.
' Morning everyone. Here's today's spot for gathering to discuss the tennis that's going on. We ask that you keep the subject on-topic until all tennis is over for the day; afterwards it's OK to go mildly off-topic. By that stage we'll probably have opened one or more Overflow posts to keep your conversations flowing while dealing with TypePad's current limitations. The first Overflow post will be accessed by a specific link to be inserted at the top of this post (it won't appear on the tennis.com front page); subsequent Overflows will be found via the usual automated links that appear at the top and bottom of each post.
Today's Order of Play can be accessed on this link. My personal "match of the day" involves Juan Monaco and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, up fourth on Court Suzanne Lenglen - a claycourt expert versus a man with a big game, but on his worst surface. On Court 17 later on the day Juan Carlos Ferrero will play Philipp Kohlschreiber - I'd like to see that too, but lack of TV coverage of outside courts will prevent it. I'm also intrigued by the match between Jelena Dokic and Elena Dementieva on Court 1 - the last time I saw Dokic in action was during her emotional run to the Australian Open quarterfinal earlier this year.
Yesterday's Player of the Day for me was the almost unknown Frenchman Josselin Ouanna, who has now survived two five-setters. In the first round he beat Marcel Granollers; yesterday he was involved in a huge match with Marat Safin on Court Philippe Chatrier that went on late into the evening. After taking the first two sets, he watched Safin come back with the next two, then went down a break early in the fifth. He levelled the match at 3-3, eventually winning 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 3-6, 10-8. Safin has lost several close matches recently from what looked like a winning position, but last night he was in it right to the end, saving match points with his serve and some precision groundstrokes. It required all of Ouanna's determination and cool under pressure in front of a raucous home crowd to put him away - aided by a nice aggressive midcourt forehand and a classic one-handed backhand.
As always, enjoy today's tennis.
-- Rosangel Valenti