Tag Archives: Roland Garros

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
Mercedes Cup – Stuttgart, Germany
Ricoh Open – s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Last Week’s Winners:
Roland Garros – Rafael Nadal

Rafa Wins “La Decima”
Rafael Nadal made history by winning Roland Garros for a record 10th time.  Rafa made it through the entire tournament without dropping a set, defeating Stan Wawrinka in the final 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.  He is the first man in the open era to win 10 titles at a Grand Slam, and is now second on the all-time Grand Slam titles list with 15.

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#CHAMP10N

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Ryan Harrison & Michael Venus Win Roland Garros Doubles
2017 has been quite a turnaround for Ryan Harrison, who admitted he had been on the brink of quitting tennis altogether just a few months ago.  He won his first ATP World Tour singles title earlier this year in Memphis and made it back into the top 50. Harrison teamed up with his close friend and best man Michael Venus for doubles at Roland Garros, making it all the way to the finals.  They faced off against fellow American Donald Young & Santiago Gonzalez for the title, winning 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3.  Now Ryan can add grand slam champion to his list of accomplishments this year!

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GRAND. SLAM. TITLE.

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Grass Season Is Here!
The tennis world moves from clay to much quicker grass courts this week, with tournaments in Germany and the Netherlands.  Roger Federer is also back in action this week in Stuttgart, after skipping the entire clay court season.  The grass court season is by far the shortest on the tennis calendar – Wimbledon qualifying starts in just 2 weeks!

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: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Millennium Estoril Open – Estoril, Portugal
BMW Open – Munich, Germany
TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open – Istanbul, Turkey

Last Week’s Winners:
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell – Rafael Nadal
Gazprom Hungarian Open – Lucas Pouille

Rafael Nadal Wins “La Decima” in Barcelona
Welcome to Rafa’s house!   Literally.  Just days after the center court at the Barcelona Open was renamed “Court Rafa Nadal,” Rafa won his 10th title at the tournament.   He defeated Dominic Thiem, one of the best clay court players of the younger generation, in an entertaining final, 6-4, 6-1.   Rafa celebrated by jumping in the pool at the club after his victory.   10 in Monte Carlo…10 in Barcelona…can he make it 10 at Roland Garros?  Vamos!

Grigor Dimitrov Shows Off Dancing Skills
We’re glad Grigor takes his side hustle as a member of the One Handed Backhand Boys seriously.   He showed off his dancing skills at a charity event over the weekend, and he’s got some serious moves.  (Don’t forget about that time he sang a Backstreet Boys song, too!)

Juan Martin del Potro Kicks Off Clay Season in Estoril
Delpo is back in action in his first tournament since the Miami Open.  He is starting his clay season at the Estoril Open in Portugal, with just 3 weeks to go until Roland Garros!

Roger Federer Attends Met Gala
Federer is taking some time off from the tour, with his next tournament likely at Roland Garros at the end of the month.   He’s been keeping busy in the meantime!  He hosted a charity event in Seattle over the weekend with Bill Gates, John Isner, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, bringing in over 2 million for the Roger Federer Foundation.   Fed then flew to NYC for the Met Gala, rocking a Gucci suit with a crystal cobra on it.  (Don’t forget he is GQ’s reigning Best Dressed Man)

Lucas Pouille Wins 2nd Title in Budapest
Frenchman Lucas Pouille won the 2nd title of his career, and his first on clay at the Gazprom Hungarian Open.  This was the first ATP World Tour Event ever held in Budapest.  Lucas defeated Aljaz Bedene in the final 6-3, 6-1.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Let The Grass Season Begin

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After a rainy couple of weeks, we made it through the clay court season and a history making Roland Garros.  Fittingly, the sun started to shine down on center court just minutes after the final point was played.   The tour has already shifted to the grass court season, with Wimbledon just 3 weeks away.

This Week’s Tournaments
Mercedes Cup – Stuttgart, Germany
Ricoh Open – s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Novak Djokovic Wins 4th Consecutive Major
Djokovic finally won his first Roland Garros title, completing a career grand slam in the process.  He also won his 4th consecutive major, and is the first player to win 4 consecutive majors since Rod Laver in 1969.   No doubt he has his eyes on completing the calendar slam this year!

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The day after completing a career Grand Slam. #RG16

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Feliciano Lopez & Marc Lopez Win Men’s Doubles
Spain did not have a men’s singles champion this year, especially after the withdrawl of Rafa Nadal.  But Spanish players took home both the men’s doubles and women’s singles titles!  It was heartwarming to see veterans Lopez/Lopez (no relation) win a slam – the first for Feliciano and the second for Marc.  The Spainards are also the 6th different team to win a slam in the last 2 years.

Dominic Thiem Enters Top 10
Thiem continues to build on his impressive season.  He advanced to the Semi-Finals in Roland Garros, before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.  As a result, Thiem jumped to #7 in the world.  We’re sure we’ll be seeing him climb even higher.  We love his big game and his attitude and are #TeamThiem all the way.

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 Week 1

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After a rainy start, we made it through the 1st round of Roland Garros!  Here’s what you might have missed.

Roland Garros 101
Where to watch:  Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus, NBC
Main draw play runs daily through the finals on Sunday, June 5th.
Social Media: #RG16 @rolandgarros

Murray, Wawrinka Survive Scares
Both Andy Murray and defending champ Stan Wawrinka were pushed to 5 sets in their opening round matches.  Murray’s 37-year-old opponent Radek Stepanek, who made it through qualifying, was impressive but couldn’t cross the finish line.  If Wawrinka had lost, it would have been the 1st time the defending champion lost in the 1st round at Roland Garros.

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Matchy matchy #RG16

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Seeds Out In Round 1
Marin Cilic, Fabio Fognini, Kevin Anderson, Phillip Kohlschreiber, and Stevie Johnson all lost their opening round matches.   And while he’s not seeded at this tournament, another disappointing loss from Grigor Dimitrov to Victor Troicki in 5 sets.

Nadal Off To Winning Start
Rafa was impressive in his defeat of Australian Sam Groth 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, in just 80 minutes.  And he just casually hit this tweener winner.

2nd Round Matches To Watch
We’re looking forward to Jack Sock vs Dustin Brown and Borna Coric vs Bernard Tomic.

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Raw emotion. #RG16

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#Merica Status Update
Jack Sock, John Isner and Bjorn Frantangelo all advanced to the 2nd round.   Stevie Johnson, Sam Querrey, Taylor Fritz, Brian Baker are all out of singles action.

Roof Coming in 2020
With the US Open debuting its completed roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium this year, Roland Garros will be the only slam without a roof.  Not for much longer!  Tournament directors announced they will have a roof on Court Philippe Chatrier by 2020.  While this is great for rain delays, how about some stadium lights so players don’t have to stop when it gets dark? (while rain is frequent, it does get dark every single night…)

Doubles Action Starts Wednesday
There are lots of doubles matches on the schedule for Wednesday, including reigning US Open champs and hometeam Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.  Mahut has a chance of reaching the #1 ranking in doubles during Roland Garros.  #ALLEZ  Other pairs to watch include the Bryan Brothers, who just won the title in Rome, and Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey, who just won their 1st title as a team in Geneva.

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!