The top two Swiss seeds seem untroubled in their early rounds at Roland Garros 2015. Of course, neither Roger Federer not Stan Wawrinka has really faced a player with the talent to challenge them yet. Nevertheless, neither showed any signs of trouble in form today as they breezed through their third-round matches.
Who Looked Good:
Tomas Berdych (defeated Benoit Paire 61 67(5) 63 64): Honestly, I can’t decide whether to say Berdych looked good or bad. He was absolutely dominant for most of the match today, as he has been all tournament. He was hitting the ball freely and cleanly and controlling the rallies at will. However, like his second-round match against Radek Stepanek, he seemed to lose interest for a short while costing him the second set. His form from the other three sets can win him this tournament. But blips like that against top players are things he can’t afford.
Teymuraz Gabashvili (defeated Lukas Rosol 64 64 64): Gaba, as he is affectionately called by fans, doesn’t seem to have the game to reach Slam second weeks. He has three impressive wins this week, though, to get himself to his second career Round 4 of a Grand Slam. If you recall, he defeated Andy Roddick in the third round here in 2010. His wins this week are even more impressive and the World #74 deserves recognition for this achievement. He will get a stiff test next round against Kei Nishikori, who moved on today with a walkover over Benjamin Becker.
Nicolas Mahut (lost to Gilles Simon 26 76(6) 76(6) 36 16): It’s not often that I give losing players this space, but Mahut deserves it. The 33-year-old hard court specialist was a set away from moving into his first-ever Grand Slam fourth round. He couldn’t complete the victory but he looks to be in excellent form and will definitely be a name to watch out for at Wimbledon.
Who Looked Bad:
Richard Gasquet (defeated Carlos Berlocq 36 63 61 46 61): When Gasquet plays well he does great things, even on clay. He just wasn’t in form for much of this match and the usually-gorgeous backhand failed him at times. This match spilled overnight from yesterday and the Frenchman, often criticized for his lack of fitness, will play for a third consecutive day tomorrow against Kevin Anderson.
Lukas Rosol (lost to Gabashvili 46 46 46): Rosol is not a clay courter. He is probably the most underrated grass court player on tour but clay isn’t his surface. Still, he has the raw power to do well anywhere and he is just a better tennis player than Gabashvili. This is a match he probably should have won. It’s definitely not one he should lose in straights.
Gael Monfils (defeated Pablo Cuevas 46 76(1) 36 64 63): It’s never easy with Monfils, is it? The Frenchman’s raw talent is undeniable. His ability to not live up to that talent is equally undeniable. Monfils is a magician with a racket who can hit 100 mph forehands but inexplicably chooses to play defense most of the time. He let Cuevas dictate far too much of this match unnecessarily. It almost cost him the victory. It will definitely mean he is not as fresh as he could have been with a blockbuster match against Federer looming in the next round.
Match of the Day:
Late into the evening on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, fan favorite Frenchman Gael Monfils was in danger of falling out of the French Open in just the third round. Monfils was playing timid defense and allowed opponent Pablo Cuevas to dictate much of the match. Monfils’ defense did draw out many Cuevas error but it wasn’t enough. Cuevas looked like he would continue his good run of form into a fourth-round meeting with Roger Federer.
A Frenchman playing in Paris can never be counted out, though. Down two break in the fourth, Monfils rallied himself behind a desperate French crowd and took full advantage of his opponent’s nervousness. Monfils rattled off the final five games of the fourth set and all of a sudden we were going the distance. The crowd could not have been more excited and really made the match even more tense and amazing.
Cuevas seemed determined to deny the French crowd their victory, though, breaking Monfils to open the fifth set. The Frenchman refused to bow to the pressure, though, this time winning four games in a row. Cuevas could not earn back that decisive second break and Monfils powered his way to the finish line in the fading daylight. Monfils improved his fifth-set record at Roland Garros to an incredible 10-3, tying the record for the most fifth-set wins here in Paris. The crowd loved it and Monfils celebrated like he can only celebrate big wins in Paris. But if he wants to be celebrating when he faces Federer Sunday night he’ll need to bring his game to a whole new level.
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