Li Na's shock exit, who doesn't Nadal like?

Five things we learned from day nine at Roland Garros.

Reuters/Benoit Tessier

• There will be a new name on the cup. With the elimination of the defending champion Li Na in the last 16, none of the eight women remaining have won the French Open.

• We do get huge shocks. The Chinese seventh seed Li Na really should have slapped down Yaroslava Shvedova from Kazakhstan. Li, the defending champion, is 135 places above Shvedova in the world rankings. But from two-two in the second set, it was one way traffic and Li is on her way home.

• Thank goodness we have the women’s draw. There’s clearly no respect for rankings in that tournament whereas in the men’s they all just seem to be clearing a path for Rafael Nadal. The Spanish defending champion destroyed Juan Monaco six-two, six-nil, six-nil in 106 minutes to advance to the quarter finals. Nadal says Monaco is one of his best mates on the tour. Who doesn’t Nadal like?
• There’s only so much the crowd can do. The centre court faithful were almost ritualistic in their chauvinism as Richard Gasquet cut Andy Murray up to take the first set six-one. The British fourth seed stood sturdy in the face of this rather tiresome antagonism. That, of course, was typically phlegmatic and further fuelled the chagrin. But after edging a close second set six-four, Murray went mediaeval on the French 17th seed, sweeping through the next two sets six-one, six-two to complete the rout. Agh in court?
• Historical context is everything. Do three Spaniards in the last eight of the men’s draw constitute an armada bearing down on the French Open crown? In any case one of them, Rafael Nadal, has effectively annexed the title with six victories in the last seven tournaments. It’s impossible not to holler the Iberian ascendance. Viva Roland Vamos!