RG Day 5

For starters: The lovely miss Rus beats Clijsters!

enough on the women's game: let's see how Murray will fare, Bolleli is a decent player

gallery play wrote:For starters: The lovely miss Rus beats Clijsters!

enough on the women's game: ....

LOL!

Bolleli is not a bad player but will never have the stamina to win here today.

Aha, just found this thread, soz.

Bolelli then plays one of those service games, four UEs and gifts the break right back, 2-2.

I'm worried, Murray keeps feeling his elbow, this is not looking good.

Well those hard balls are not going to help it. A ball well hit carries pace and is harder to control.

Bolelli's errors keeping Murray in the match so far, but he's still down a break at 3-4.

it's a pretty awful match this so far, Murray not managing to get the ball away from the Bolelli forehand, while Bolelli is making plenty of errors and the odd decent shot. He'll serve for the first set at 5-4.

Murray comes, well not so much roaring as stuttering back, and somewhat apologetically saves another couple of breakpoints to hold for a 6-5 lead, first time he's been ahead since the first game.

I think, to be fair to both players, that it's incredibly windy out there, which makes it very difficult. Murray takes the tie-break with minimum fuss 7-3 with a backhand winner down the line, and he leads by a set.

Murray thinking it was too easy, tosses in a couple of DFs en route to being broken back to love, 2-2 in the second set.

comfortable enough hold for Murray, he needed that, 3-3.

I missed the first set! Damn it!!

Just seen the 7th game of the match and Murray breaking the Bollelli serve.

Hmmmm a mini clay storm

Dang it Baltacha has been beaten 4-6 6-1 6-4!! Grrrr

you haven't missed a classic really LK, due to the wind it's been a pretty ordinary spectacle, Murray has been that little bit more solid than Bolelli, which is making the difference, his backhand down the line working nicely.

As I write, he serves out the second set with no fuss at all, producing a beautiful sliced backhand lob along the way.

It is looking good MFC. 2 sets to the good. Let's hope he can see this 3rd out.

Murray with a lacklustre service game. I guess the positive is that he has got another gear he can click into.

there's that sliced lob again, such good feel for the ball. Incidently, the wind is blowing at 34km/h apparently, which is quite high...

The wind is playing havoc. I hope the weather forecast isn't right about forecasted rain tomorrow

Both players holding serve pretty comfortably in set 3 so far, it's 3-3

This Andujar dude is the perfect sparring partner for Nadal. Rafa can work on his rhythm this match, no?

not watching it GP, how's it going? Chance gone for Murray there.

and then Murray plays a poor service game to get broken, Bolelli to serve for the set...

Didn't realise Rus, the girl beating CLijsters, was Dutch! This was a flemish affair! Well done!

And Murray, again, come back to 5-5, as Bolelli makes a few errors.

and there it is, Murray slips to 0-30 down but his first serve returns with a vengeance and he closes it out 7-5. Pretty ordinary performance from Murray, but he played the back ends of each set very well, and is safely through to R3.

Not a vintage Murray performance, but what is encouraging was the body language was positive and he has able mentally to hold together and get himself through in 3. Well done Andy.

The important match for Nadal is actually happening on court 6. Davydenko should have won teh 3rd set by now but is making plenty of UEs due in my view to the windy conditions.

I think if Davydenko wins, Nadal is done!

How did Hev do today?

Lost the first set 6-1

and it is on serve in the 2nd

Davydenko was so unlucky in that 3rd set. Was leading 5/3, had a couple of set points. Then has a few points for 6 all and then loses the set 5/7 on on horrible net call.

legendkillar wrote:Not a vintage Murray performance, but what is encouraging was the body language was positive and he has able mentally to hold together and get himself through in 3. Well done Andy.

Don't think the windy conditions allowed for any of the players playing today to "show off"

Wind was around 34kph.

Some strange going's on out there today.

Davydenko looks on course for a 5-setter

Melzer is down a break in 2nd set

Nadal struggling today

Sharapova going all the way against Garcia

Clijsters going out

Strange

Rafa is proving why he's the king of clay.

He gives away nothing, even when down 5-1 in a set.

Nadal the king of bringing down opponents to subterranean levels.

Tenez wrote:Nadal the king of bringing down opponents to subterranean levels.

Well, it just proves that Rafa is so mentally tough. Andujar is going to have to learn to close out service games better when he has set points. Andujar just proves what separates the top players from the bottom players.

Its been very windy and cold today which always makes it diffcult for the higher ranked players and their generally more fined tuned timing.

Rafa is usually mentally tough but should be eating guys like Andujar for breakfast! 7hrs on court so far and counting! Unless he seriously picks up his form he isnt going to progress much further

Well, it just proves that Rafa is so mentally tough.
------------------

well you really have to be a fan to see Nadal look strong mentally today. And Andujar looked even weaker.

Tenez wrote:Well, it just proves that Rafa is so mentally tough.
------------------

well you really have to be a fan to see Nadal look strong mentally today. And Andujar looked even weaker.

I'm actually a Federer fan. While I am not a fan of Nadal's utilitarian style, I have to admire his never-say-die attitude. He has proven today why he is the number one player in the world.

As Brad G would say its about winning ugly at times when you're not playing your best. At least Rafa is doing that and not losing. But he's going to have to find his form soon!

Melzer is out another big upset in the second round for a guy that many people thought could at least get to the quarters or 4th round.

socal1976 wrote:Melzer is out another big upset in the second round for a guy that many people thought could at least get to the quarters or 4th round.

Both Melzer & Berdych have been disappointing this year however Verdasco seems to have found his mojo, at least for the time being.

Yes, sportslover I couldn't have predicted either of those two guys going out in the first two rounds. But I guess that is what makes the french open so distinctive, you have a lot of upsets usually historically speaking. Although in recent times Rafa has pretty much always lifted the title. Novak looks good so far and Rafa has survived a couple of scratchy performances and the draw looks like it has opened up beautifully for andy. i think he is almost a lock now to make it to the semis.