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    #26
    Quick quiz question. Who was the only player in either of the RG main draws born on the British mainland?
    Interesting question! I'm guessing none of the Brits: Konta (Aus), Watson (Guernsey?), Edmund (SA?), Norrie (NZ?) But I can't think who it might be.

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      #27
      Both Edmund and Norrie were born in Johannesburg, and Watson was born on Guernsey, yes.

      The player is representing Australia though they were eliminated in the first round. Not a household name, this was their first slam.

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        #28
        Millman?

        No, he must have played in a Slam previously.

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          #29
          Nope.

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            #30
            Sorry, I edited that too late.

            I know there was a newbie, but no idea of his name (which means it's probably a female.)

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              #31
              Djokovic through in straight sets, there were signs of promise there but his body language was not of one who was happy.
              Zverev through in 5 sets, as the second seed he's predicted to be able to challenge Nadal by some experts but based on this match I'm struggling to see it.

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                #32
                Zverev has a terrible record in Slams to date, having got past R3 just once. Simply getting through the first week is a big issue for him. However if he can get to the QFs/SFs the monkey will be off his back. If he ends up against Nadal, it will be a completely different beast.

                As for the Great Britain born player, my guess was that it had to be an Aussie (it clearly wasn't a Brit, all four being born outside the mainland) but I couldn't have named them without looking it up. Though having found out, her playing under a UK flag for a bit does ring a vague bell almost beyond the edge of perception.

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                  #33
                  Thiem on court now, eurosport had a nice coaching piece on his serving and how he gets his height and spin on it.

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                    #34
                    Thiem's match is against Tsitsipas, which is a repeat of their meeting in Barcelona. That Tsitsipas won en route to making (and heavily losing) a final against Nadal.

                    Norrie just getting started on Chatrier (court choice mostly down to the identity of his opponent, Pouille) a nudge before 8pm. Bare minimum aim for Norrie - take it to tomorrow.
                    Last edited by Janik; 30-05-2018, 18:03.

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                      #35
                      The Aussie born on the British mainland is the lassie from Inverness, Isabel Wallace.

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                        #36
                        Thiem and Tsitsipas will eat their dinner with at least a set left to do, Thiem leading by two sets to one. It was an excellent game, though Tsitsipas was looking pretty tired by the end and can consider himself fortunate they only hit the court as late in the day as they did.

                        Also 2-1 overnight is Pouille-Norrie, though whether Cameron will be eating much dinner is open to debate. He complained of light-headedness, took a pill and was clutching his stomach through much of the third set, which my highly trained medical senses say looked more like either a bug or food poisoning than a muscle pull. That Norrie somehow recovered from a break down at 3-2 in the third to win it 7-5 says something about the college-toughened match-player he is, and also the in-and-out nature of Lucas Pouille. The TD now needs to find a way to squeeze them into tomorrow's schedule and not in the graveyard shift this time.


                        Also finishing late were Cornet and Parmentier, who played for well more than 3 hours before Parmentier won. Which is another Women's seed to fall, so I should go an update the rolling R3 draws.

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                          #37
                          Wallace still calls Inverness "home", despite spending six years in Australia as a teenager (apparently to get financial backing that was lacking in the UK):

                          https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp...t-french-open/

                          But checking on Youtube, her accent was more Aussie than Scottish back in 2011-12

                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrQommJR6E8

                          My guess is that, like many players, she has become transnational, with bases in Scotland, Australia and Spain depending on her playing commitments. She's also proof of how you can have a career despite hovering in the mid-200's in terms of ranking. Clay is her best surface so i doubt she'll be at Wimbledon.
                          Last edited by Satchmo Distel; 30-05-2018, 20:26.

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                            #38
                            Well, sort of. You couldn't make much of a career outside the top 200 unless you have some other source of funding. She's young enough to aspire to get in the top 200 in time. She's got to Roland Garros because Australia and France (and the US) grant reciprocal wild cards for their slams. Wimbledon doesn't bother.

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                              #39
                              She's ranked 11 in Australia but the reciprocal wild card made sense given that clay is her best surface. Whether she'd justify one on grass or a hard court, I dunno; depends on the quality of her Australian rivals. She went out in the 1st qualifying round of the Aus Open but did take her opponent to 3 sets.

                              As of 2015, her parents apparently were spending 25 grand a year keeping her afloat but the LTA lost patience:

                              https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/34861255

                              To be fair to her, she's probably done better since switching back to Australia in 2015 (her family having returned to the UK in 2012 after six years living in Australia) than she would have done had she stayed with the LTA.
                              Last edited by Satchmo Distel; 30-05-2018, 21:55.

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                                #40
                                Today's Brit news - Watson and Norrie out, Edmund through

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                                  #41
                                  Serena yesterday? Blimey. She won by sheer force of will. The titanic clash in R4 is looming, but either or both may yet fail to make it. Both R3 matches look toss-ups.

                                  The complete, actual, R3 draws are as follows:-

                                  Men's Singles

                                  Rafael Nadal Esp [1] vs Richard Gasquet Fra [27]
                                  Maximilian Marterer Ger vs Jurgen Zopp Est [LL]
                                  Diego Schwartzman Arg [11] vs Borna Coric Cro
                                  Mikhail Zverev Ger vs Kevin Anderson RSA [6]

                                  Marin Cilic Cro [3] vs Steve Johnson USA
                                  Fabio Fognini Ita [18] vs Kyle Edmund GBr [16]
                                  John Isner USA [9] vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert Fra
                                  Albert Ramos Vinolas Esp [31] vs Juan Martin del Potro Arg [5]


                                  David Goffin Bel [8] vs Gael Monfils Fra [32]
                                  Marco Cecchinato Ita vs Pablo Carreno Busta Esp [10]
                                  Roberto Bautista Agut Esp [13] vs Novak Djokovic Srb [20]
                                  Fernando Verdasco Esp [30] vs Grigor Dimitrov Bul [4]

                                  Dominic Thiem Aut [7] vs Matteo Berrettini Ita
                                  Kei Nishikori Jpn [19] vs Gilles Simon Fra
                                  Lucas Pouille Fra [15] vs Karen Khachanov Rus
                                  Damir Dzumhur BiH [26] vs Alexander Zverev Ger [2]



                                  Women's Singles

                                  Simona Halep Rou [1] vs Andrea Petkovic Ger
                                  Daria Gavrilova Aus [24] vs Elise Mertens Bel [16]
                                  Angelique Kerber Ger [12] vs Kiki Bertens Ned [18]
                                  Irina-Camelia Begu Rou vs Caroline Garcia Fra [7]

                                  Garbine Muguruza Esp [3] vs Samantha Stosur Aus
                                  Magdalena Rybarikova Svk [19] vs Lesia Tsurenko Ukr
                                  Julia Goerges Ger [11] vs Serena Williams USA [PR]
                                  Maria Sharapova Rus [28] vs Karolina Pliskova Cze [6]


                                  Katerina Siniakova Cze vs Barbora Strycova Cze [26]
                                  Yulia Putinseva Kaz vs Wang Qiang Chn
                                  Madison Keys USA [13] vs Naomi Osaka Jpn [21]
                                  Mihaela Buzarnescu Rou [31] vs Elena Svitolina Ukr [4]

                                  Petra Kvitova Cze [8] vs Anett Kontaveit Est [20]
                                  Camila Giorgi Ita vs Sloane Stephens USA [10]
                                  Daria Kastakina Rus [14] vs Maria Sakkari Gre
                                  Pauline Parmentier Fra [WC] vs Caroline Wozniacki Den [2]

                                  Comment


                                    #42
                                    Notable matches today:

                                    Goffin [8] vs Monfils [32] - 3rd on Lenglen
                                    Kvitova [8] vs Kontaveit [25] - 4th on Lenglen
                                    Verdasco [30] vs Dimitrov [4] - 1st on Court 1
                                    Nishikori [19] vs Simon - 2nd on Court 18

                                    Goffin vs Monfils looks the standout there. Could be one of those 4+ hour 5 set epics that RG's second court regularly throws up.

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                                      #43
                                      Looking at that draw layout, does that mean that the Mertens - Bertens Benelux classic could be on in a future round?

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                                        #44
                                        ha ha, I wondered that too. Seems unlikely though, as it would need Mertens to progress further than Halep.

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                                          #45
                                          Incidentally, on the topic of Mertens, those of us in the Venn diagram intersection of "tennis followers" and "number theory enthusiasts" were pleased to note that Mertens' breakthrough year, 2017 (in which she made her top 40 debut and first WTA singles title) was the only year in her lifetime (or ours) which will be a zero of the Mertens function, the nearest such years before and after being 1938 and 2093.

                                          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mertens_function

                                          https://oeis.org/A028442

                                          https://oeis.org/A028442/b028442.txt

                                          [Actually, I suppose she might live to 2093. A few decades younger than my usual frame of reference.... She probably won't be playing much tennis then though, if she is still alive.]
                                          Last edited by Evariste Euler Gauss; 01-06-2018, 11:46.

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                                            #46
                                            Djokovic is 2-1 up on Bautista and looking relatively good, Bautista will not lie down for him in the way he would have done in the past. There's some rain now causing the players to be held on court.

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                                              #47
                                              6-2 in the fourth sees Djokovic through. He might not be at his best but there was some of his old fire and passion there. Let's see what happens next.

                                              Comment


                                                #48
                                                Originally posted by Evariste Euler Gauss View Post
                                                ha ha, I wondered that too. Seems unlikely though, as it would need Mertens to progress further than Halep.
                                                I wouldn't rate that as that unlikely. Mertens has been playing well enough this year to be a dark horse to win the whole shebang. She could well beat Halep.

                                                Sascha Zverev escape in five again, and was extremely lucky to do so this time. Dzumhur served for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 in the fourth set, but sadly for him he rather choked those opportunities. I didn't see the MP Dzumhur had in set five, but it's less of a chance on Zverev's serve. So Sascha could easily have gone out in R2 or R3 again. But he hasn't. Maybe he is now over the lip, and can being to play to his potential in a Slam?

                                                Another Slam underperformed, Elena Svitolina, was ousted though. Her best remains the QFs, twice at Roland Garros and once in Melbourne. That is not quite Zverev levels of underwhelming, but is still seriously below her general level.

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                                                  #49
                                                  A busy old day today as yesterday afternoon’s rain held a number of the matches over, including Goffin-Monfils (currently a set all) and Kvitova-Kontaveit. Except some complaints about maltreatment of the Women’s stars in terms of court assignment, as Serena is on Suzanne Lenglen and Simona Halep, the world no.1 and top seed, plays former top 10 player Andrea Petkovic and they find themselves ferreted away in the sticks on Court 18 (I think this may well help Halep, myself, but there you go).

                                                  Muguruza [3] vs Stosur - 1st on Chatrier
                                                  Sharapova [28] vs Pliskova [6] - 3rd on Chatrier
                                                  Goerges [11] vs S.Williams [PR] - 4th on Lenglen
                                                  Kvitova [8] vs Kontaveit [25] – 1st on Cout 1
                                                  Kerber [12] vs Bertens [18] - 4th on Court 1
                                                  Halep [1] vs Petkovic - 3rd on Court 18

                                                  Nadal [1] vs Gasquet [27] - 4th on Chatrier
                                                  Fognini [18] vs Edmund [16] - 1st on Lenglen
                                                  Goffin [8] vs Monfils [32] to finish - 2nd on Lrnglen
                                                  Cilic [3] vs Johnson - 3rd on Court 1


                                                  Muguruza vs Stosur is a meeting of two former champions, but with rather different current status. Stosur may no longer be a seed, but she does remain a real danger in this event, which suits her game best by accentuating the kick serve and heavily top-spun forehand and gives her by far her best winning percentage in Slams (74%, 39-14). This is Sam’s 10th consecutive effort of R3 or better in Paris, which dwarfs her achievements in the others. She has enough game and enough experience to win this if Muguruza is off her game. If Garbine is on, though, she is too powerful.
                                                  Rally length will likely determine the winner of Sharapova-Pliskova. If lots are 4 shots or less, that heavily favours the Czech as her serve is a weapon, Sharapova’s is a liability. The longer the rally goes, the more it favours the Russian due to her superior footwork. That said, clay gives Pliskova more of a chance and she is a top 10 player and playing like it. She has a real opportunity to win, so fingers crossed...
                                                  The winner of that plays the winner of Julia Goerges vs Serena Williams, which could be explosive if it’s Pliskova vs Goerges... kidding, kidding. Goerges was in very good form in the early part of the season, and made the final of Charleston (American green clay) as well as her top 10 debut. She has fallen away a little since (R3 in Madrid, didn’t play Rome) but still remains the first full-on test Serena will face as Ash Barty is a very good player but on in her element on clay. Serena was scratchy, as is to be expected and will need to up her game to win this one. She did that against Barty be sheer willpower, and if she tries that again can Julia handle the psychological pressure? Probably not.
                                                  Kvitova and Kontaveit should get to play this morning in what remains an intriguing match between two players in fine form. Petra last lost a clay court match in Stuttgart (to Kerber) which is over two months ago. She has since won back-to-back titles in Prague (a fairly minor event, but clearly important for Czech players) and Madrid (not a minor event) to register 14 straight victories. After an struggle in R1, Petra looked excellent against a solid clay courter in Arruabarrena in R2. Kontaveit also registered significant warm-up results in making the SFs of both Stuttgart and Rome, with Rome in particular having notable scalps in Venus Williams and an utter dismantling of Caroline Wozniacki. Kontaveit has good results on all surfaces, but clay looks the best one for her with her kick serve, backhand slice and patient style. The weather may play a part. It’s meant to be a warm, still day which will help Petra; a heavy day with the ball moving slowly in the air and I would make Kontaveit a very strong favourite as if Kvitova can’t hit through an opponent she can’t play.
                                                  The French Open is not Angie Kerber’s favourite effort. Back in her miracle year, when she was the rightful World No.1 with two Slams and another final, she lost in R1 at Roland Garros. Her conqueror that day? Kiki Bertens, who went on to reach the Semi-Finals. Kerber also lost in R1 last year and has only made the QFs once at this event, making it statistically her worst Slam. Her winning percentage in the French capital (excluding the two wins this year) was 57% compared to 70-72% for the other three events. Bertens had a disappointing one herself in 2017, going out in R2 but she also had injuries last year. She is fit this, has clay court form, and for me is a strong favourite for victory here.
                                                  Andrea Petkovic is undoubtedly a major hurdle for Simona Halep, even if injuries have taken Petko down the pecking order several rungs from the top 10 player she was after her SF appearance here in 2014. However Petkovic is also a confidence player capable of going on streaks of play well above her current level, and that sort of belief may be bubbling up after taking down home favourite Mladenovic (a good player, in form) in R1. If Petkovic brings it, then Halep will need to be at her best to get herself through. Andrea is a vast step up in class from the two previous opponents, but by R3 Halep ought to be beginning to feel comfortable herself. I think she will be challenged her, but will come through it. Helped, as I say above, by not being on a big show court and so feeling as under the microscope in her performance. The outside court nature should also allow all the Romanian fans to get on and create a raucous atmosphere like a Fed Cup home tie.

                                                  OK, well, Richard Gasquet is the home favourite and has played some really watchable matches at Roland Garros down the years. But the match-up here is horrible. Even more so than is the case for most opponents of Nadal. Gasquet needs to be able to hit through his lovely flat backhand, and he won’t be able to with the Nadal forehand topspin putting it up around his ears. The crowd will try and lift their guy, but surely three sets and comfortably so.
                                                  Fabio Fognini and Kyle Edmund represent the two different approaches to clay court Tennis. Fognini is skills, variety, up and down emotional burst. Edmund is patience and shuddering power, capable of hitting through the court. Edmund’s level is more consistent, which makes me feel this one really depends upon the Italian. If he plays to his mercurial best, he is capable of more than the Brit and wins. However if Edmund can serve big and mess with Fabio’s mind, he can become dominant in the rallies and come through. Either Fognini in four or five or Edmund straightforwardly in three, and of the two I think the former.
                                                  Goffin-Monfils was looking like living up to the build up yesterday when the rain came. The rest of the third set is crucial, as Gael might fade if he gets 2-1 down. He has to start fast and ride the crowd and the emotion. Even interrupted (which is a pity) the remainder of this will be well worth a watch.
                                                  The main word used to describe Steve Johnson is ‘tough’. Usually followed by some sort of reference to his strong record in college Tennis. He has done well to down a seed (Mannarino in R1) and get himself to R3 but whether he will have the weaponry to face down Cilic is arguably. It will be a battle, but Marin seems up for the fight consistently these days, and he just has that little bit extra in power, both serve and off the ground, and just a stronger general game than the American. Four or five sets would be no surprise, but I see the Croatian ending victorious however long it takes.

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                                                    #50
                                                    Stosur a former champion?!? Erm, no, former runner-up when she ought to have been the champion. Anyway, first set was 6-0 to Muguruza so that one is not living up to the billing.
                                                    Edmund a break up early on Fognini (the break was literally the first game of the match).

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