It's been fun in the first round of the French Open!
To kick off: a MAJOR, MAJOR upset! French woman Razzano beat Serena Williams, yes you read it right!
The first set went 6-4 to Williams, like expected. It wasn't until Razzano took the second set tiebreak 7-6(5) and led in the third set with 5-0 that I started watching the match. Seriously, it couldn't get much more drama! Razzano was cracking under the pressure, in obvious agony because of leg cramps. The chair umpire even called twice a nuisance when she couldn't hold back a shriek, which gave Serena two breakpoints! The French crowd was going mad, yelling at the umpire and impossible to get them quiet unless Razzano had a matchpoint. It was 5-3 at this point, and that epic game took almost 15 minutes! It wasn't just close... it was nerve wrecking, breaking out in tears, nail-biting, hair pulling, 14 times 2 points away from victory and finally the eight matchball did the trick after three hours of play!
I'm guessing she'll be the national hero from today on. Razzano did have her share of sadness, losing her fiance and former coach a little over three years ago (she even played 8 days later in the French open in memory of her coach!). Wish they could see her now!
Oh my, and how Azarenka flirted with a not-so-good history statistic at day 2! Never before at the French Open did the number one gone out of the first round but her fairly unknown first round opponent Brianti got the Belarusian in quite some trouble for a while!
Azarenka's game was littered with unforced errors by sending the ball anywhere but inside the lines. She even got 2-4 behind when she double faulted on a break point. Eventually the first set led to a tiebreak where the brilliant Brianti held her cool and won it 7-6(6).
The second set wasn't any better on the side of Azarenka while Brianti even got a point for a 5-0 lead. The number one switched up a few gears and pulled the two following sets in her favor: 6-4, 6-2. This 2h 15 minutes match has surely been a psychically and especially mentally tiring test for Azarenka. I'm curious how she will have recovered in the second round, it definitely needs to improve a lot!
Many other top players didn't have such troubles. Stosur downed Baltacha with 6-4, 6-0. Na Li got rid of Cirstea quite easily 6-2, 6-1. Radwanska crushed her opponent Jovanovski 6-1, 6-0. Also Bartoli advances with 6-3, 6-3 against Pliskova. Sharapova even produced a double bagel in less than one hour! Also Kvitova and Schiavone relatively easy through.
I'm gonna let the pictures tell the rest:
Venus and Jankovic did have to break a sweat when facing a set down, but they overcame and won it in the end.
The second set wasn't any better on the side of Azarenka while Brianti even got a point for a 5-0 lead. The number one switched up a few gears and pulled the two following sets in her favor: 6-4, 6-2. This 2h 15 minutes match has surely been a psychically and especially mentally tiring test for Azarenka. I'm curious how she will have recovered in the second round, it definitely needs to improve a lot!
Many other top players didn't have such troubles. Stosur downed Baltacha with 6-4, 6-0. Na Li got rid of Cirstea quite easily 6-2, 6-1. Radwanska crushed her opponent Jovanovski 6-1, 6-0. Also Bartoli advances with 6-3, 6-3 against Pliskova. Sharapova even produced a double bagel in less than one hour! Also Kvitova and Schiavone relatively easy through.
I'm gonna let the pictures tell the rest:
Venus and Jankovic did have to break a sweat when facing a set down, but they overcame and won it in the end.
Unfortunately Wickmayer couldn't force a victory against Pironkova and lost: 6-3, 0-6, 6-3.
Some seeded players didn't have their luck and got send home already. Barthel lost to American Davis: 1-6, 1-6. Niculescu is also out and Lisicki couldn't cope with Bethanie Mattek-Sands: 4-6, 3-6.
With Serena out and Azarenka struggling, this could be a free for all French Open title! Be sure, not to miss the Venus - Radwanska match and the rest of the second round in the next post!
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