French Open Day 13: It Paes to Have Cash

First topic message reminder :

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/

Kicking things off with the women's semis at 1pm (Paris time) we have Serena Williams vs Kiki Bertens and Garbine Muguruza vs Samantha Stosur.

Not before 3pm we have Stan vs Andy and Novak vs Thiem also simultaneous semis.

With the possible exception of the 1pm start time, I think a good scheduling, the right matches on the right courts in the right order there.

If 4 semis in a day isn't action packed enough, you can stay on for the mixed doubles final between Hingis/Paes and Mirza/Dodig. We also have the men's doubles semis -relegated to court 1 - Lopez/Lopez vs Dodig (again)/Melo and Bryan/Bryan vs Kubot/Peya. And the women's doubles semis!

If Serena Williams, Murray, Stan, Andy, Novak and Martinna Hingis aren't enough big names for you, some legends matches feature a star-studded line up including Cash, Mcenroe, Bruguera, Ivanisevic, Ferrero, Moya, Chang, Santoro, Kafelnikov, Novotna, Davenport, Navratilova and others that deserve to be on the list but I got tired or typing. Not that any of those matches ever seem to be shown on TV.

But how much of it will actually get played. Well on the down side looking at the BBC's weather forecast I see a lot of pictures of clouds. On the positive side I see no pictures of rain coming out of them. Anyway, why don't they just get a really big tarp and just stretch it across the whole event with a few poles in the middle. Job done.

Let Stan off the hook in that game. Hope he doesn't end up regretting it.

Wawrinka manages to hold on to his serve and the crowd goes wild.  1-2 third set in Wawrinka's favour but on serve.

this murray match is as good as over. Wawrinka tends to fall away when things don't go his way. This is where the big four fight even in adversity and claw their way back. Wawrinka seems to just lose interest. He has shown it time and again

If Thiem is the best of the youngsters then boy are we in for a bleak period. Pathetic. Stands further behind the baseline than Gasquet

Wawrinka has just been rubbish today.

Hand the trophy to Screech. Officially the biggest cakewalk of the email last 15 years.

Worst Roland garros ever

Murdock can relax. Noles in the final and will be favourite against either if these guys at this point

Guessing Djokovic will be happy to play Murray in the final?

Although Murray is the better player, I think Stan and last year might have been playing on his mind.

Djokovic wins.
From bits I saw of it, I thought more Djokovic good than Thiem bad.
Congrats to Thiem for a great clay court season for a developing player.
Djokovic through to the final with the loss of only one set - also, he has not been taken to a tiebreak yet.

I don't think enough credit is being given to Andy
He is doing what is needed
It isn't about Stan playing badly more to the point Andy is playing really well. He has put Stan under pressure from the start
I just hope he can bring it to Novak,

No need to be angry. That's theims first big slam run. It was always going to be that way. He's got the platform now. Federers first big Slan run wasn't so great either. Timothy beat him...

Stans been as flat as muzz has been good... SOO FAR. Novak reaping the rewards of years of consustency, like the Swiss maestro

Unlikely for a physical beast like Andy to lose from here. However, this set is still important. When it comes to recovery, there's a huge difference between a tame 3 sets or a tense 4/5 setter.

Wawrinka having to expend a lot of energy just to hold serve.

Yeah Federer had is first slam run at 19 and managed to beat sampras in the process and lost a tight 4 setter to Henman. Thiem did nothing against djokovic and he's 22 - an age which most multiple slam winners are up and running. A truly pathetic performance

Stan has not gone away yet. If he can nick this set, then it's game on.

Sorry but commentators have it spot on. Stan has been outplayed tactically so far. Murray's gameplan has negated Stan, got under his skin and we have the scoreline that we have. Murray has been excellent just sad that credit seems beyond some people.

People last longer nowadays. 22 is the new 19. If we were really holding out hope that he would push or beat djokovic. Then it must be desperate

I don't want to tempt fate but Murray hasn't had any wobbles or lapses. He is playing solidly and is reading Wawrinka's serve really well.

I cannot believe how bad the wawrinka return is, so poor. I mean Murray is hardly a big server, would be different if this was isner!! Wawrinka doing nothing with the return.

Murray playing very solid tennis but stan is having a shocker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_finalists_at_Grand_Slam_tennis_tournaments
So Fred Perry 1935 Brit in the final, again in 1936, Bunny Austin 1937. Looks like if Murray wins he would be the first Brit in a men’s singles French Open final for 79 years. Am I reading that right? We are really useless on the clay.

Tim Henman was close ish in 2004, a set and a break up in a semi anyway.

Also, Murray would be the first Brit since Fred Perry to reach the final of all 4 slams. Fred Perry achieved this in 1935 so 81 years ago and was the only other person in all history to achieve it.

Nore Staat wrote:I don't want to tempt fate but Murray hasn't had any wobbles or lapses.  He is playing solidly and is reading Wawrinka's serve really well.

Not saying it is over yet by any stretch but thus far Murray's mentality has been rock solid.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Sorry but commentators have it spot on. Stan has been outplayed tactically so far. Murray's gameplan has negated Stan, got under his skin and we have the scoreline that we have. Murray has been excellent just sad that credit seems beyond some people.

Please note my previous post

A well rested Novak all but invincible now. Stan or Andy really needed Nadal in the mix to bash him up a bit. Could get nervous, I suppose. It is the Holy Grail of tennis after all.....

Rafa where for art thou

Haddie-nuff wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Sorry but commentators have it spot on. Stan has been outplayed tactically so far. Murray's gameplan has negated Stan, got under his skin and we have the scoreline that we have. Murray has been excellent just sad that credit seems beyond some people.

Please note my previous post

Yes I wasn't referring to you Hn.

Thiem's had a great tournament and having seen him play really looks a threat here for future years. However, there's still a couple of areas to tighten up in his game to push onto the next level - prone to a few dips in intensity here and there. After all the talk of the rain delays and scheduling difficulties, Djokovic arrives in the final in good physical shape with plenty left in the tank. Very impressed with Murray today - good solid serving and really punishing any short balls from Wawrinka. As I type this though Wawrinka has finally come alive and putting pressure on Murray...and takes the 3rd set!

Haddie-nuff wrote:Rafa where for art thou

Yes it was a shame

But Rafa does have nine of these things. His place in history is solid the of clay.

Uh-oh, here we go. Might as well start engraving the trophy.....

Biggest cheer I've heard at RG this year (although that's not saying a lot) as Stan gets right back into it. Support for the French speaking Swiss, or just a wish to see more tennis perhaps?

That was a long time coming. This will probably be a 5 setter now

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Sorry but commentators have it spot on. Stan has been outplayed tactically so far. Murray's gameplan has negated Stan, got under his skin and we have the scoreline that we have. Murray has been excellent just sad that credit seems beyond some people.

Please note my previous post

Yes I wasn't referring to you Hn.

It shows how different he plays when he stays focussed CC .. like the Davis Cup.. he is thirsty please let hm play like that in the final

I always felt this wasn't going to be straight-forward.

Murray with a mix of bad luck (two scruffy bounces of lines) and losing the set point he should have bagged and Wawrinka takes the third set.

Wawrinka wins the third set.  I wouldn't say Andy had a lapse.  Andy was playing well and was sort of taking a breather.  Maybe a minor lapse in intensity - but who can blame him.

Murray is still reading Wawrinka's serve too well, for Wawrinka to get out of this hole Murray has placed him in.

Henman Bill wrote:Biggest cheer I've heard at RG this year (although that's not saying a lot) as Stan gets right back into it. Support for the French speaking Swiss, or just a wish to see more tennis perhaps?

No. Simply punters wanting their money's worth.

If Murray wins in 4 it will make little or no difference to the final that he has been on court an hour longer.

A 5-setter would make some difference, but even then it would hardly be decisive. None of the first three sets has gone beyond 6-4, and both players will have their feet up Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. Both Murray and Stan also had some comfortable wins in the previous few rounds to save energy.

Andy will be kicking himself for not being more ruthless in that set. Had Stan wobbling, but failed to deliver the killing blow. Stan now looking fired up and so is the crowd.

Andy could be ok with five sets. Stan would probably be totally cooked though

Wow. Murray has regrouped quickly and broken Wawrinka in the first game of the fourth set.

that about sums up wawrinka, perfect chance to take control and bring the momentum through the 4th set and throws in a complete howler of a service game.

Henman Bill wrote:Biggest cheer I've heard at RG this year (although that's not saying a lot) as Stan gets right back into it. Support for the French speaking Swiss, or just a wish to see more tennis perhaps?

No question Stan is popular here, but the more tennis vote also having an impact I suspect.

Murray's main advantage in this match is his ability to read the Wawrinka serve. How does one teach that? You can't.

Double break wouldn't go amiss here. Could get complicated otherwise.

Andy not only wants this .. he needs it..and that will be the force that drives him Anyone knows that he is not lacking in talent his mindset is so important now, more than ever, it is that that will make the difference. He must stay focussed

Tiredness is definitely appearing in both players. It is just a question of not allowing the level to fall too quickly.

Horrible miss from Andy, but gets away with it.

Murray double break up and now serving for the match.

Now that's what I call a poor game. PATHETIC!!!!!

Wawrinka asking the doctor for some Meldonium as a preventive measure for the family diabetes. But doctor reminds him it is no longer available.

Absolute brilliant from Murray. A mightily impressive performance - knocks out the defending champion.

And murray has now reached the final of all 4 slams at least. Many would scoff at just making finals but it is s brilliant acheivement that sets him apart from safin and the others

Not the result I predicted, but then Im pretty pathetic at that any rate, but I could not be more delighted for Andy...
But please Andy do it again one more time.

Congratulations CC chuffed for you

temporary21 wrote:And murray has now reached the final of all 4 slams at least. Many would scoff at just making finals but it is s brilliant acheivement that sets him apart from satin and the others

That can of paint must be some tennis player...