Roland Garros Wrap-up

Double Take at Roland Garros 

Mark Knowles was probably the CAPS best hope to do well in Paris, but he and Mahesh Bhupati had a tough go, losing in the first round.  The No. 4 seeds just didn't have the typical energy and spark they had played with most of the season.  

However, the 2008 CAPS Male Marquee Player Dmitry Tursunov had a surprising run, reaching the semifinal with fellow Russian Igor Kunitsyn.  Known mostly for his singles play throughout his career, Tursunov's aggressive game proved strong enough to catapult he and Kunitsyn through their early rounds, before losing to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, seedes No. 2, in the semifinal.  At least Knowlsey still has a shot to beat Nestor as the first to win a grand slam with a different partner.  Since their split last season, neither man has won a major.  But guess who  has?  The 2008 French Open Doubles Champs are.... no, not the Bryan Brothers, but Pablo Cuevas and Luis Horna!  Go figure...

CAPS Coach Wayne Bryan has even more to be proud of.  Although his twin sons, the top doubles team in the world, did not win the French this year, Bob did take home the mixed doubles title with Victoria Azarenka.  To play the mixed event was a last second decision for Bob.  "We weren’t even signed up," Bryan said. “I was at the practice court. I rushed over (to the referee’s office). Made it with two minutes to go.”  Good thing, as the first time pair played like they had been partners before, winning the final in straight sets. 

Singled Out 

Dmitry Tursunov had a great draw to get back on track in singles and perhaps get back into the top 25 for the first time in months.  He started off strong, winning his first two rounds without dropping a set.  But in the third, he failed to win one against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.  Two more wins and Dmitry, now ranked No. 30, would've had a showdown with Rafael Nadal.  Ya never know... 

After qualifying for her first grand slam, former CAP Anastassia Pavlyuchenkova got her first main draw win.  She took out Argentine Maria Emilia-Salerni 6-1, 6-1, and looked to continue a surprise run when she won the first set of her second round match with No. 26 seed Flavia Penneta.  However, the Italian came back to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.  

"Booty" in Paris

Eric Butorac was also in the main draw doubles with longtime partner Ashley Fisher.  The duo had a chance to knock off the No. 8 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Kevin Ullyett in the first round, but came up just short 7-6(8), 1-6, 7-6(2).  That's about as close as it can get.  

"Booty" was nice enough to give us a little insight into life as a "journeyman" on tour during the European clay court season. 

"This week the French Open starts up, marking the end of the clay court season.  For me, like most Americans, this can be a bit of a struggle.  Each year, I start up with high aspirations and am motivated to improve and get some big wins on the dirt and this year, like the last 2, I just barely survived a few matches here and there, losing a couple heartbreaking super tie-breakers and getting beat around by some South American teams who hammer the ball from the baseline.  So, with one tournament left, I'm looking to my former home (I was based in France for almost 2 yrs) to bring me some luck and put a cap on my clay season.  

A couple highlights/lowlights from the clay season....
* Kicking off the season in Houston with a 11-9 loss to Sergio Roitman and Marcos Daniel.  FYI....when you look at your draw in a clay court event, Sergio and Marcos are two names you don't really want to see....I'd add them to the list of names like Garcia, Gonzalez or Lopez.  All spell trouble.  

* A trip to Bermuda with plenty of time to see the sights due to a first round loss
* The players party in Munich at the BMW Open.  These Germans not only know how to run a tournament, but they throw a great party as well.  
* Did I mention parties?  Well, the following week a good friend of mine, doubles player Christopher Kas, took me out in Dresden, Germany.  The party we attended was some sort of local horse jumping tournament party.  Standing in a freezing cold barn with the smell of horses all around, I was suddenly wishing I was back in Munich!  
* A 7 hour car journey on the German Autobahn from a challenger in Dresden, Germany to Aarhus, Denmark.  Yeah, that's right, those are actually locations hosting pro tennis tournaments.  I also think that is the fastest I've ever gone in a car.  
* Paying $7 for a coke in Denmark.  I knew the dollar was plummeting, but I had no idea the Danish Kroner was so strong!  
* Panicking cause I was so out of breath in our first practice in Austria, thinking I was out of shape, then realizing, the city is located at over 3,000 feet.  

There it is, the ups and downs of another clay court season.  I survived those six tournaments and am ready to take on Paris!  

Allez!
- Booty

Now that is good stuff!  If you ever wondered what life was like on tour for those not named Federer, Nadal, or Roddick, there you have it!  Thanks Booty for the great, very entertaining, info!

Final Word 

On the women's side, we had two women who believed in themselves.  What a run it was for Dinara Safina!  Twice down a set and 5-2, she came back to win (and for Maria Sharapova, there's just no excuse).  Maria lost the No. 1 ranking due to her meltdown against Safina, as Ana Ivanovic took over the top spot, and then took the French Open Championship. 

Rafael Nadal proved once again that he is the king of clay.  I know Bjorn Borg won four straight titles at Roland Garros, but I'm not sure anyone has been as dominant as Nadal.  Rafa's 2008 performance left little doubt that he could win this title every year for as long as he wants without even being challenged.  He simply made it look easy.  

As for Roger, I was pulling for him to get the job done, to complete the career grand slam, to finally overcome his rival on clay.  But I have to wonder if even he was awed by Nadal's play on the dirt.  In the final, he seemingly had little belief that he could win.  It was the worst Fed has looked in a long time, and as much as fans may want to give Nadal the credit for taking it to him, the truth is it was mental.  Perhaps the best player we have ever seen doubted his abilities, and it proved disastrous.   

Roland Garros is probably the best tournament to watch as a fan of the game, as the rallies are long, strategies are more apparent and necessary, and fitness is key.  It's a true test, both mentally and physically, and rarely disappoints. 

My Picks:

Most Heart:  Dinara Safina -- her comebacks were amazing!  She deserved to be in the final.

Biggest Surprise:  Tie:  Gael Monfils -- semifinal run was fun to watch (hopefully he can stay healthy now).                 Roger Federer -- Failure to show up in the final was shocking!

Best Storyline:  Ana Ivanovic -- Becomes No. 1 and wins her first grand slam.  What a week!

Player of the Tournament:  Rafael Nadal -- Wow!  Need I say more?