Key events
Potapova is nearly into round two, 6-4 4-1 up on Rakhimova, Samsonova leads Linette 6-1 2-1 and Paolini leads Saville 6-3 2-1.
Mea time, Sinner plays a wondrous forehand to secure a break and a 6-3 2-0 lead – this looks like a quick morning’s work – and Vondrousova does indeed serve out for 6-1 3-1. What we’re seeing with her, I think, is a player now totally comfortable with and confident in her game, the pressure of having to win a biggun now removed forever; compare that with how Ons Jabeur, whom she beat in the final, will be feeling – on which point, she’ll be in Chatrier any second.
I hoped Masarova would give Vondrousova more to think about second set, but thus far, no so: the Wimbledon champ leads 6-1 2-1 with a break … but trails 0-30. If she fights back to take the game, the match will surely soon follow.
I’m not sure if this is deliberate, but Sinner’s hair is the same colour as Sinner’s t-shirt, is the same colour as the clay, If he could just do likewise with his shorts, hat, sweatbands and footwear, he’d be almost unreadable because he’d be almost invisible. But does he even need it though? At deuce, he flicks a ludicrous forehand winner cross-court that breaks the sideline – what an angle! – which takes him to set point, a Eubanks double follows, and the Aussie Open champ leads 6-3.
Elsewhere, Auger-Aliassime leads Nishioka 6-2, Gaston leads Shelton 6-3, Samsonova leads Linette 5-1 and Potapova leads Rakhimova 6-2 0-1.
Eubanks is getting comfier, a booming return on to the tootsies earning him 40-30; a big second serve down the T and it’s for nothing, Sinner leading 5-3.
She has to save break point to do it, but Vondrousova eventually holds for a 6-1 set. The second might be tighter, though, because Masarova looks to have settled now.
A double from Sinner hands back a break at 2-4, but a backhand winner down the line gives him 15-30 and we wind up at deuce, Eubanks thrashing a forehand wide when up advantage. Then, at the net, Sinner dumps a putaway, and at 3-4 this set has suddenly got closer.
Elsewhere, Gaston leads Shelton 4-2; Auger-Aliassime leads Nishioka 3-1; Samsonova leads Linette 3-0; and Paolini leads Saville 3-2.
Vondrousova is in terrific shape, 4-0 up now, and looking at the bracket, her run to the last eight is extremely reasonable … whereupon she’s seeded to meet Swiatek. I doubt she’ll mind – whoever wins here will probably have to go through the defending champ and what difference when? – with Gauff seeded to reach the semi from the top half and Sabalenka the likeliest to emerge from the top. And in the time it takes me type that, the Wimbledon champ consolidates again for 5-0, while Sinner breaks Eubanks again for 4-1.
Talking of last year’s Wimbledon, Chris Eubanks was a hero of the men’s competition, beating Norrie and Tistsipas en route fo a five-set, last-eight defeat to Medvedev. He looked a potential star then, his ability to play exciting tennis matched by the thoughtful and entertaining way in which he talks about the game, but it’s been tough since then – and a first-round match against the most recent major winner is not really what he needed on his least-favourite surface. And he’s been broken already, Sinner 2-1 in front and playing with all the confidence you’d expect.
It’s taken her a while, but at 24, Marketa Vondrousova is now firmly established among the elite of women’s tennis. She made the final at Roland-Garros in 2019, but over the last decade or so, a panoply of others have done similarly; Laylah Fernandez in New York, say, or Eugenie Bouchard at Wimbledon. But by winning in SW19 last term, Vondrousova illustrated an ability to perform on the biggest stage, and her unusual combination of angles and spins makes her a one-off – especially on clay, her favourite surface. She’s a serious threat here, and leads Masarova 2-0.
I’m also watching Masarova v Vondrousova (5) and Nishioka v Auger-Aliassime (21).
On Lenglen, Sinner and Ebanks are knocking up, the freshly-minted Aussie Open champ with his hip injury all healed.
Ever lost your front-door key on your morning trundle around the park? Yeah, that
Preamble
Bonjour tout le monde! And welcome to Roland-Garros 2024 – day two!
Et zut alors, quelle journée c’est! De tout façon that’s about as much Tricolore as I’ve got left these days, so let’s segue into English to ponder what is an absolutely ridiculous menu of French Open TennisTM.
The most obvious highlight of our day is Alexander Zverev’s match with Rafael Nadal, but as well as that we’ve got … deep breath …: Ons Jabeur, Iga Swiatek, Chris Eubanks v Jannik Sinner, Marton Fucsovics v Stefanos Tsitsipas, Elina Svitolina v Karolina Pliskova, Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev, Cameron Norrie, Marketa Vondrousova, Maria Sakkari, Ben Shelton, Karen Khachanov – and so much more.
Chauette et on y va!
