While the women's draw at Roland Garros has been decimated by injuries and upsets, all of the men considered favorites heading into the tournament are still alive. That sets up what should be a thrilling final week in Paris, as many of the top seeds haven't really been tested yet.
In Darwinian fashion, the high seeds with little hope to win anything on clay (you know who you are, Mr. Safin, Mr. Sampras, Mr. Henman ...) have been whittled out of the field, leaving a savvy bunch that ensures there won't be a bad matchup the rest of the tournament.
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Top-heavy |
If Venus Williams and Amelie Mauresmo were still steaming along as expected in Paris, this wouldn't be an issue, but still...compare the names remaining in the top and bottom halves of the women's draw. On top, only one of a fierce trio -- Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams -- will have a chance to play in the final. On the bottom, the top remaining seed is No. 12 Kim Clijsters. That ensures a new face in the final, but could also mean the most entertaining match on the women's side will be a semifinal, or even Tuesday's quarterfinal between Capriati and Williams.
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New Stars and Stripes |
Both were out by the round of 16, but two young Americans made a huge splash on the world stage in the first week at Roland Garros. Yes, Andy Roddick had two tournament wins under his belt entering Paris, but one gets the feeling that Europeans weren't buying it until they saw for themselves. Roddick's astonishing win over Michael Chang in the second round took care of that, making the 18-year-old the most talked-about player on the grounds for at least a couple of days. Sunday, 23-year-old qualifier Michael Russell nearly upstaged Roddick, rolling to a quick two-set lead on Kuerten and holding a match point on his serve in the third. It would have been one of the biggest upsets ever in a Grand Slam, but Kuerten's comeback ended those hopes. Still, Russell got a rousing ovation as he left Centre Court.
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Average age of the seven women's quarterfinalists at Roland Garros, with the exception of 25-year-old Capriati. |
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ACE
Belgium The little country is still riding high with Clijsters and Justine Henin in the women's field, and also saw Olivier Rochus and Xavier Malisse make deeper-than-expected runs. In addition, retired star Dominique van Roost gave birth to a daughter, Ines, last Tuesday. |
DOUBLE FAULT
Marat Safin Days after Kafelnikov suggested his countryman needed an attitude adjustment, the No. 2 seed was fined $10,000 for skipping the post-match press conference after his upset loss to Fabrice Santoro. |
ACE
Meghann Shaughnessy The wiry American, playing in her first Grand Slam as a seeded player, looked strong in reaching the fourth round before falling to Capriati. |
DOUBLE FAULT
Williams & Williams Venus and Serena, who won the French Open doubles two years ago, pulled out of the tournament this year -- supposedly so Serena could concentrate on singles. We're sure it had nothing to do with Venus' ugly first-round singles loss. |
ACE
Matias Boeker The sophomore from the University of Georgia completed the college tennis triple crown last week, winning the NCAA singles and doubles titles (with Travis Parrott ) to go along with the team title the Bulldogs won earlier. |
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The top doubles teams in the men's and women's draws are into the quarterfinals. Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs haven't dropped a set, while Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge face a potential semifinal meeting with reunited '99 champs Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes. |
Florida women's coach Andy Brandi resigned after 17 seasons to take over as director of coaching for IMG Academies. Brandi, the uncle of WTA pro Kristina Brandi, compiled a 460-43 record in Gainesville for an NCAA-record .915 career winning percentage.
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Federer is the first Swiss man into the French Open quarterfinals since Marc Rosset in 1996, and only the fifth to reach the quarters in any Grand Slam event. |
Petra Mandula is the only qualifier still alive in either draw. The 23-year-old, who plays Clijsters in the quarterfinals, is the first Hungarian woman to advance this far in a Grand Slam in the Open era.
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Wayne Arthurs made some history with his 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 win over Nicolas Coutelot over the weekend. The Australian veteran is the first man to play in a match featuring four tiebreaker sets in two Grand Slams. The other was a win over Vincenzo Santopadre at Wimbledon in 1999. |
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"We saw a guy run on to the court naked at Wimbledon. I don't know which is worse."
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Sandrine Testud, after an egg was thrown onto the court from the stands during a match against Martina Hingis.
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"I'm afraid I'm already a shopaholic. Fortunately, I'm no longer in denial and the first step to recovering is getting out of denial."
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Serena Williams on her burgeoning shopping habit. |
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This week - ATP Tour |
The French Open winds down to its conclusion, with the men's final Sunday. |
This week - WTA Tour |
Women's singles play at Roland Garros is complete with Saturday's final. |
Next week - ATP Tour |
The brief run-up to Wimbledon begins with the Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club in London and the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. |
| Next week - WTA Tour |
The main Wimbledon tune-up is in Birmingham, England at the DFS Classic, while there is also a hardcourt tournament in Tashkent.
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