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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Roland Garros Week 2

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This Week’s Tournament:
Roland Garros – Paris, France

Roland Garros 101
Where to Watch: Tennis Channel and NBC
Tournament Dates:  May 28 – June 11
Time:  Play starts daily at 5am EST
Social Media: #RG17 @RolandGarros

Rafa Celebrates 31st Birthday
Rafa has been celebrating his birthday at Roland Garros for many years now, as it usually falls about halfway through the tournament.  He celebrated his 31st birthday on June 3rd, with lots of support from fans as he goes for a record 10th title.

Quarterfinals Set
We’re down to the final 8!   Quarterfinal action starts today in Paris.  Rafael Nadal is taking on Pablo Carreño Busta while Dominic Thiem will face Novak Djokovic.   Wednesday will see Stan Wawrinka vs Marin Cilic and Andy Murray vs Kei Nishikori.

Sportsmanship Highlight of Week 1
One of the biggest stories of the first week of Roland Garros was the sportsmanship and compassion on display.   Juan Martin del Potro comforting Nicolas Almagro when he had to withdraw with a knee injury.  Horacio Zeballos carrying David Goffin’s bag off court when he suffered a nasty fall, tearing muscle in his ankle.  Dominic Thiem offering comforting words to Stevie Johnson at the net after the loss of his father.  It’s wonderful to see and one of the many reasons why we love this sport.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Roland Garros Week 1

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This Week’s Tournament:
Roland Garros – Paris, France

Last Week’s Winners:
Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open– Stan Wawrinka
Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon– Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

Roland Garros 101
Where to Watch: Tennis Channel and NBC
Tournament Dates:  May 28 – June 11
Time:  Play starts daily at 5am EST
Social Media: #RG17 @RolandGarros

Stefanos Tsitsipas Qualifies for 1st Slam Main Draw
The 18-year old Greek player turned pro at the start of 2017 after an outstanding junior career.  Stefanos played through the qualifying draw at Roland Garros to earn a spot in the main draw of a slam for the first time in his career.  He played a close match against Ivo Karlovic in the 1st round, losing 6-7, 5-7, 4-6.

Sascha Zverev Upset in 1st Round
Sascha’s outstanding clay court season, capped off by winning his first Masters 1000 Title in Rome, came to an end early in Paris. Sascha fell in the first round to Fernando Verdasco in 4 sets.  He did land the cover of an Italian magazine!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUtxZABA0l5/?tagged=zverev

Gael Monfils Wins 400th Career Match
Gael Monfils won the 400th match of his pro career at Roland Garros.  Gael faced the equally flashy Dustin Brown in the most entertaining first round match of the tournament, with one hot shot after another.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Roland Garros Week 2

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It’s been an eventful week at Roland Garros since we last checked in … even with play being pretty much canceled 2 days in a row.  We’re doing an anti-rain dance so we can watch some tennis tomorrow!  (Or at least so the 4th round matches can get finished?)

manofthehouseraindance

Rain Rain, Go Away
Monday, May 29th was a complete washout, with all match play canceled for the first time since 2000.  Tuesday wasn’t much better, with a stop and go day, players got in just over 2 hours of play.  And unfortunately things aren’t looking much better for the rest of this week.  Djokovic took the rain in stride, carrying an umbrella sourced from the crowd in 1 hand and his racquet in the other.

Nadal Withdraws With Wrist Injury
We can’t even talk about this still.  After looking strong in his first 2 matches, Nadal called a press conference where he announced his withdrawal from the tournament due to a left wrist injury.   Not the best way to celebrate his big 30th birthday, on June 3rd!  Get well soon Rafa!!

Bottom-Half Quaterfinals Set
Richard Gasquet was impressive in taking out Kei Nishikori in the 4th round, reaching his 1st Roland Garros quarterfinal as the last Frenchman standing in singles.  He’ll take on Andy Murray, while defending champ Stan Wawrinka will take on Albert Ramos-Vinolas.  The top half will catch up.  Some day.

Wawrinka Hits With Ballkid
One of the reasons we love Stan – he stayed warmed up during a medical time out to hit with a ballkid.  He totally made this kid’s day/year/life!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Roland Garros Preview

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The second slam of the year is already underway, with qualifying action starting yesterday in Paris.  Here’s our list of everything you need to know!

Roland Garros 101
Where to watch:  Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus
Draws will be revealed on Friday, May 20th
Main draw play starts Sunday, May 22nd daily through the finals on Sunday, June 5th.
Social Media: #RG16 @rolandgarros

Novak Djokovic Aiming for Career Slam 
While it seems like Djokovic has won pretty much everything over the last few years, there is 1 title that has eluded him – the French Open.  He beat Rafa in the Quarterfinals last year, then lost to an inspired Stan Wawrinka in the final.  Could this be the year he completes the career slam in Paris?

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#mornings #madrid ☀️😃🌳

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Rafa Going for #10
One man likely standing in Djokovic’s way is Rafael Nadal, the 9 time champion.  While Djokovic currently owns their head-to-head, Rafa has been re-gaining confidence and their last meeting in Madrid was close.

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9 finals. 9 titles. 9 days. #RG16

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 #NextGen Americans To Watch
Taylor Fritz is playing in the main draw of Roland Garros for the 1st time, with his ranking high enough for direct entry.   Several Americans advanced through the first round of qualifying, including Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, and Jared Donaldson.  Tommy Paul, who defeated Fritz in the 2015 Junior Roland Garros final, also advanced on day 1.   Bjorn Frantangelo, winner of the USTA’s French Open wild card challenge, also received direct entry to the main draw.

Doubles!
It’s been a fun couple of years for doubles, with different teams winning each slam.  We’re sure the hometown team of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut will get tons of support – they’ve already won 3 Masters titles this year.  The Bryan Brothers just won the title in Rome, defeating Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil in the final.
Vive Le France!
The last time a Frenchman won Roland Garros was Yannick Noah in 1983.  We’d love to see another French player win the title.  One thing is for sure – the French players are always entertaining to watch!  Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, Benoit Paire, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Gilles Simon & more.  ALLEZ!