5 things we learned at Roland Garros Day 7 - With friends like Rafa ...
Nadal was unsentimental, Sharapova was back on centre court, Stephens let us in on a gustative secret and Serena approaches superbeast status on day 7 of the French Tennis Open at Roland Garros.
Issued on:
- Don’t have Rafael Nadal as a mate
Before their third round clash on day seven Rafael Nadal spoke about how Richard Gasquet was a good friend. The Spaniard recounted how they’d known each other since their very early teens. Gasquet had even been down to Mallorca to hang with Rafa. There seemed to be no signs of amity on offer at the start of their match as Nadal won the first 12 points of the encounter to go into a 3-0 lead. Gasquet got cheers as he won his first point to go 15-0 up after nine minutes of play. He got another but Nadal was 4-0 up – 14 of the first 16 points. Four of them clean forehand winners. Nadal’s first ace brought up 5-0 after 14 minutes. Gasquet got two aces to notch up his first game. But Nadal had the first set 6-3. The second 6-2 and the third 6-2. It was all over within two hours. Time enough to go and have a beer with your mate Richard.
- Not very sweet 16
Richard Gasquet had lost his 15 previous matches against Rafael Nadal and the brutal destruction in the third round was the Frenchman’s 16th straight loss against the Spaniard. Marion Bartoli had the honour of speaking to Nadal on-court after the victory. Nadal in his increasingly better French thanked the crowd for their support and said that Gasquet was a good friend and important for the ATP tour. With a 100 percent win rate over Gasquet, did he mean important for Nadal on the ATP tour?
- Sharapova swings big
She fair carved up Karolina Pliskova. It finished 6-2 6-1 and was all over in 59 minutes. Pliskova was the sixth seed, while Maria Sharapova is down at 28. But you wouldn’t have believed that from the performances. Well, Sharapova loves a big stage and she’s been denied a centre court berth for a couple of years. In 2016 she had just started her ban for taking a banned substance and in 2017, though she had just finished the suspension, the powers that be at the French Tennis Federation didn’t want to invite her to play. She doesn’t need any invitations now and she is looking good for title number three.
- Ice cream queen
Sloane Stephens, the 10th seed, moved into the last 16 with a hard fought victory over the unseeded Italian Camila Giorgi. It was 8-6 in the decider to the American who is into the last 16 at the French Open for the fifth time in seven visits. Stephens, 25, revealed that she looks forward to the European swing of the tour because she can get hold of one of her favourite flavours - Haagen-Dazs macadamia nut brittle. “They only make that in Europe,” she lamented. “They don't have that in the United States.” There’s a reason to do well, then.
- The suit will get a fourth showing
Serena Williams was in action on day seven in her black catsuit. The former world number one tells us that the piece was conceived before the release of the Marvel film Black Panther in which T'Challa, the ruler of the mythical kingdom Wakanda, sports a similar outfit when he transforms himself into hero superbeast. Well, Serena appears to be edging towards such stature. In this her first Grand Slam event since bearing her child in Septmeber, she beat the 11th seed Julia Goerges 6-3 6-4 to move into the last 16. The 29-year-old German from Bad Oldesloe was swept aside in 75 minutes. Bad luck.
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