It was an eventful fourth day at Roland Garros. Our contributor James Cunningham rounds up the day’s action
1. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga versus Renzo Olivo
It was a day to forget for the man they call ‘Marathon Jo’, as he succumbed to his earliest defeat at Roland Garros since 2005. This match continued on from yesterday, having been interrupted by bad light, and the final score was 7-5 6-4 6-7 6-4 to Olivo. Tsonga did not play that badly. He served faster than Olivo, with an average serve speed of 169 km/h compared to Olivo’s 160 km/h, and seemed physically fine. But his game plan lacked variety. Olivo, on the other hand, played fearlessly. He took the game to Tsonga, making him run and work for every point, and was more composed in key moments than the Frenchman. Although Tsonga did not appear to be too downbeat about his performance, his year appears to be going from bad to worse. As for Olivo, playing in his first ever Roland Garros, this week could be the moment that he announces himself on the ultimate stage in tennis.
2. Ons Jabeur versus Dominika Cibulková
History was made today when Ons Jabeur of Tunisia became the first Arabic woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. Jabeur’s story is remarkable. She won the Roland Garros junior’s event as a 16 year-old, and she was a lucky loser in qualifying for the tournament. The match itself was straightforward, a 6-4 6-3 victory over an out-of-sorts Cibulková, but the elation that Jabeur felt at the end of the match really brought home how important this was, both to her and to the world of women’s tennis. Jabeur said, following the match, that her next aim is to be the first Arab woman to break into the Top 100, with her own ranking currently sitting at 114. We can only assume that with performances like this, she will achieve it in no time.
3. Garbiñe Muguruza versus Anett Kontaveit
What a scare for the defending champion Muruguza! The #4 seed was far from her best today, often bullied and outplayed on the court by her younger adversary. Muguruza used her experience well, having lost the first set 6-7. She then won a tight second set 6-4 and then used the momentum well to comfortably win the third set 6-2. It was clear that losing the second set had a profound impact on Kontaveit’s mental strength. The young Estonian struggled with too many unforced errors in the final set, pretty much gifting the set to a reinvigorated Muguruza. During the match, both players tried to dominate the baseline with hard groundstrokes. It was a fabulous demonstration of a young tennis player, really taking the game to her more experienced opponent.
4. Petra Kvitova versus Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Petra Kvitova’s comeback at Roland Garros came to an end with a straight-sets defeat to #117 ranked Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Kvitova started the match really well, going a break up in the first set to lead 4-2. But Mattek-Sands broke back, using drop shots cleverly and forcing Kvitova into unforced errors. Mattek-Sands then claimed the first set in a close tiebreak, winning 7-5. The good standard of tennis shown by both players continued into the second set, with Kvitova both serving better and hitting more winners than Mattek-Sands. But the American, who currently occupies the #1 women’s doubles ranking with Lucie Safarova, did enough in the end to grind out a memorable 7-6 7-6 win.
5. Steve Johnson versus Borna Čorić
Tears, tantrums, and arguments, this match had it all! The highly rated Čorić came into the match as the favourite, having had a good clay court season so far. Johnson, on the other hand, had just lost his father at the start of May, and has been finding it difficult to find consistency so far this year. Against all odds, Johnson steamed ahead, winning the first set 6-2 and the second in a tiebreak. Čorić then came back to win the third set 3-6. In the fourth set, things really started to heat up. At deuce, with the score at 5-4 to Johnson, the American #25 seed was charged with ball abuse. Johnson was furious and berated the umpire’s decision, which landed him a one point deduction. Johnson was unfazed. He won the fourth set 7-6, and collapsed in a teary heap. Čorić, on the other hand, destroyed his racquet and threw his water bottle onto the court in frustration. Rarely has tennis been showcased in such contrasting emotions in a single moment.
Enjoy what you read? Make sure to take a look at our complete 2017 French Open coverage for other great content similar to this.
Main Photo:
