Tag Archives: victoria azarenka

If you watched Maria Sharapova play tennis anytime since recovering from the shoulder surgery she had a couple years ago, you would have thought her glory days were over.  The serve, which had always been a real strength, a weapon,  and the key to her game, was a mess.  The toss was off, she was attempting to learn a whole new motion, good luck with that.  She double faulted over and over and over, no exaggeration.  It was painful to watch.

Not painful to watch these days.  You no longer wonder and worry what will happen when she goes to the line to serve.  You have confidence, as does she, that she will toss it straight up, in the right place, and connect with it for a ball that nearly everyone will find difficult to return.  After that, she will hammer you with furious ground shots from the forehand and backhand wing and if your name is Andrea Petkovic and you find yourself on Suzanne Lenglen on June 1, 2011, your tournament will be over.

And not just over.  But over with a beatdown.  Maria recovered from her encounter with Caroline Garcia in the nick of time by reeling off eleven games in a row, thank you very much.  Today it was the reverse.  She reeled off seven in a row, 6-0 for a bagel first set, and then one more before Andrea got on the board.  Good golly Miss Molly.  You think Maria wants this title?

It will complete her career Grand Slam, an achievement for the exalted few.  Roger completed his in Paris, Andre did the same in the City of Light and it’s a pretty good bet Maria will do it on Saturday.  She dispensed with Petkovic, who had beaten her earlier this year at the Australian Open but whom she got the better of in Miami, 6-0, 6-3.

Her next opponent will be Li Na, the Chinese player making history for her own country by advancing to the semifinals in Paris.  Li Na won her quaterfinal match on Chatrier against Victoria Azarenka and most, including me, would have picked Vika to win that one.  Pretty convincing, playing some of the best tennis of her life, she won in straights, 7-5, 6-2.

Of the four women’s semifinalists, the only one I picked correctly was Francesca Schiavone.  She’ll take on Bartoli tomorrow.  I’ll predict the final between Schiavone and Sharapova and Maria the winner on Saturday.  But even now with only four women remaining, it could turn out differently.  Li Na could upset Maria.  Marion could upset Francesca.  And that’s what makes this women’s competition interesting to the last.

On the men’s side, I am pleased to report that the top four players in the world will compete for the two final spots.  And I had all four of them in my racquet bracket.  So, as I’ve said before and you all know, on the men’s side, these were the guys you expected to be right where they are.  Friday we’ll see two thrilling matches, or so we hope.  Djokovic vs. Federer, Nadal vs. Murray.

Anything can happen there.  But Rafa finally played a match he has to feel good about today against Robin Soderling, a victory in straights, but for the first time these two weeks, he looked like he had it going.  Hitting the ball cleanly, placing it impossibly, making the wow shots.  Robin fought back in the third set and took it to a tiebreak after looking flat footed for the first two sets, but Rafa won the tiebreak convincingly and that was that. 6-4, 6-1, 7-6.

The crowd, packed to the gills, really got into the exciting third set, after being quiet for the first two sets.  They didn’t come to see a lopsided match, just to see Rafa spank Soderling.  What they really wanted was a five set edge of your seat thriller.  Most are probably on Rafa’s side, but plenty were cheering for Soderling.

And, of course, the particular match-up of Rafa and Robin Soderling carries a weight at the French Open no other does.  Two years ago the two took the court, Chatrier, for a round of sixteen match.  I was in the stands, had a very nice seat low down on the umpire side, where I could see all the action from the door where the players come on and off the court.  I had watched Soderling in the previous round on the Bull Ring and he beat David Ferrer that day, not a happy camper, because at that point who thought Soderling would get past him?

In May 2009, Soderling was 25 in the world, he’d been on the tour for eight years, was twenty five years old.  No one payed that much attention to him.  I watched him play that day (and although he wasn’t a well known player, he was one I liked and wanted to see play) and I can’t tell you how fast and hard  he was hitting the ball, and finding the lines and the corners for winners.  Ferrer was thoroughly frustrated and ten feet from where I was sitting would pass by his chair on the changeovers, his towel in his teeth like a dog, muttering angrily.  I remember thinking if Soderling played like that against Nadal, he would beat him.

And he did.  And that’s when Soderling got famous and it’s also when he did a bunch of things to take himself and his game more seriously.  He still didn’t quite have the belief on court today, but this is a guy who isn’t the most popular in the locker room, but who has gotten the respect of his fellow players.  Robin Soderling is the only player who has beaten Rafael Nadal at the French Open. The only player.  So when these two come on court that’s what everyone knows and remembers and that’s what everyone wants to see again.  So far he hasn’t beaten him again, not in last year’s final and not today.  But there’s always next year and until someone else beats Rafa on Chatrier, Robeeeen’s the Man!

Much has been said about the fact that Rafa plays slowly and often eats up the clock and then some between points.  He gets called on this occasionally but not nearly as much as it happens.  Today even Soderling was getting annoyed and calling out to the umpire to do something about it.  Rafa even slowed things down on Soderling’s serve and you’re always supposed to play at the speed of the server.  Whatever speed you prefer, the rule at a Grand Slam is you’ve got twenty seconds from the time the umpire announces the score to the time your ball should be up in the air.  Rafa averaged 27 seconds for the match.  Does it matter?  Not  here and there, but when it’s like that for a whole important match, yes, you bet it counts.  What if Rafa had to get ready every single time in no more than twenty seconds, would he be as prepared each time or would it throw him off?  I think if he had to be rigorous about the time, he’d make the adjustment eventually but to begin with I think it would be difficult; he would feel rushed and he would flub some shots.  And at this level in these matches, it’s always the slimmest of margins that determines the winner.

Murray started slowly on Lenglen against number 35 in the world, Juan Ignacio Chela.  Chela went up 5-2 in the first set, had numerous set points, chances to win it, didn’t do it.  The second set looked like it was going to be easy for Andy but Chela fought back to make him work harder for it.  Finally, Chela, the skinny thirty two year old, lost his legs and went away quietly.  7-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Murray has shown a lot of fight.  He’s got a bum ankle, try playing on that, and popped who knows how many pills just to get through the matches he’s had to play.  You better believe he’ll come out to play against Rafa, and congrats to Andy on reaching his first semifinal at Roland Garros.

Wind was a factor on court again today.  Let’s pray to the weather gods for perfect sunshine and calm for the last four days.

Thanks for reading Cupcakes and Tennis, the tennis blog with a sweet spot.  See you tomorrow.