OT: French Open...

[wire chief]

Seeding at #14 turned out to be bad luck for Americans of both genders. Our highest ranked countryman Jack Sock is gone. So too is Coco, both losing in straight sets.
Taylor Townsend goes on to Round 2 already today, winning 2-0.

You'll get Madison Keys soon, as Nick Kyrgios is up 2-0 in sets on the same court.

Today's schedule, still Round 1.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/index.html

 

[Pete]

The U.S men went 2-9 and the women went 8-8 in the first round

 

[rugbymate]

On the Tennis Channel starting soon Novak vs. del Potro in the Rome quarters.
Meanwhile Rafa has finally lost a clay contest, to Dominick Thiem of Austria, a young player who is thought to have a good shot in Paris.
Surprisingly, John Isner has made the Rome semis. Clay is not his specialty.
Angelique Kerber is #1 , but she has not a significant win this year. She'll be far from a true favorite at Paris.

Good call!!!

 

[wire chief]

The French are stunned that their Jo Willy is already gone. Ordinarily one expects him to make the quarters at least at a Major.

Meanwhile, Petra overcame her hand injury to win 1st round, but she fell this morning in straight sets to our Bethane Mattek-Sands.

Venus is through to 3rd round, winning 2-0 vs. a Japanese foe who looked to be a foot shorter than our beloved 36 year old. Venus served with an average 107 mph, and her strokes looked solid.

Today's schedule

Day 4: Wednesday, 31 May Schedule of Play at Roland Garros 2017

 

[wire chief]

Venus' draw was to put her with #6 seed Dominica Cibulkova, but the Slovak did not have it today. She lost in straight sets to a, of all people, Tunisian Muslim. I said it that way because this is the first time an Arab woman has ever reached the 3ed round in a Major.
To me she bears a striking resemblance to Conchita Martinez, Spanish Fed Cup Captain, who beat Navratilova for the 1994 Wimbledon.

The Thursday schedule

Day 5: Thursday, 1 June Schedule of Play at Roland Garros 2017

 

[wire chief]

Madison Keys played a solid first set, then the wheels came off. Was it nervousness? How do you explain being seeded 12th and losing to someone ranked 290?

Anyway the diminishing American females still have 3 in tomorrow's 3rd round. Bethane plays Sam Stosur, a one-time Major champ.
Local favorite Kristina Mladenovic, seeded 13th, plays lower ranked Shelby Rogers.

Venus must parry with Belgium's Elise Mertens, the lass who knocked out #6 Cibulkova. Will Serena still be in the stands?

Here's everything about Friday.

Day 6: Friday, 2 June Schedule of Play at Roland Garros 2017

 

[easttexastrash]

Never count out Serena. That being said..... after Serena and Venus retire..... then I will most likely retire from watching Women's tennis as well.

Yeah, it sure will be boring without them in the sport unless some new, great American champion emerges. I still have hopes for Coco.

 

[easttexastrash]

Or an oldie...Go Venus!

GO VENUS!!!

 

[easttexastrash]

The U.S men went 2-9 and the women went 8-8 in the first round

8-8 used to be the norm for the Dallas Cowboys until last season

 

[wire chief]

I am, naturally, pleased that Venus has made it to the Round of 16, but she will have here hands full henceforth.
The Swiss Timea Bascinszky has been a bulldozer, winning 36 games vs. 11 from her opponents in the first 3 rounds. And Timea is the one who knocked our beloved out last year.
And Americans keep slipping into the ether. Goodbye Shelby; goodbye Bethane. Near as I can tell, only Venus and John Isner remain.

What's a sport without controversy? The article below is about an attempt to rename Margaret Court Arena.

Navratilova brands Court a racist and homophobe in arena row

And here is your Saturday schedule of play.

Day 7: Saturday, 3 June Schedule of Play at Roland Garros 2017

 

[easttexastrash]

I am, naturally, pleased that Venus has made it to the Round of 16, but she will have here hands full henceforth.
The Swiss Timea Bascinszky has been a bulldozer, winning 36 games vs. 11 from her opponents in the first 3 rounds. And Timea is the one who knocked our beloved out last year.
And Americans keep slipping into the ether. Goodbye Shelby; goodbye Bethane. Near as I can tell, only Venus and John Isner remain.

What's a sport without controversy? The article below is about an attempt to rename Margaret Court Arena.

Navratilova brands Court a racist and homophobe in arena row

And here is your Saturday schedule of play.

Day 7: Saturday, 3 June Schedule of Play at Roland Garros 2017

I've long known that Court is a homophobe. She has stated her hate for gays in the past and it appears that she has evolved, but not in a good way. I agree that the court should be renamed as this disgusting human being does not deserve to be celebrated in any way.

Navratilova is my favorite player of all time. Not only did she have the best all-around game that the women's game has ever seen, she was also very brave to defect and came out at a time when she could have made much more money in endorsement deals had she not revealed publicly that she is gay.

 

[wire chief]

John Isner played just one tie-breaker set (and lost) before postponement. He'll resume at 5am.

A very rough approximation has Venus moving in maybe 9am. I am wary, for NBC picks up coverage at noon, and if history is a guide, may very well forbid the Tennis Channel to show Venus, deciding to give it to us as tape delay.

Your Sunday schedule.

Day 8: Sunday, 4 June Schedule of Play at Roland Garros 2017

 

[huskyrob1]

I've long known that Court is a homophobe. She has stated her hate for gays in the past and it appears that she has evolved, but not in a good way. I agree that the court should be renamed as this disgusting human being does not deserve to be celebrated in any way.

Navratilova is my favorite player of all time. Not only did she have the best all-around game that the women's game has ever seen, she was also very brave to defect and came out at a time when she could have made much more money in endorsement deals had she not revealed publicly that she is gay.

Best women's player I ever saw, and I've seen them all, is one young lady who was on the scene for only 5 or 6 years, but for the short time she was at the top of her game, there was no one better, that includes Graf, the Williams sisters, Navratilova, Evert, etc. She reminded me of a ballet dancer out on the court. She is mostly forgotten now, which is a shame. Hana Mandlikova.

 

[VAMike23]

Venus was down 5-1 in the first set and just fought back to 5-5, surviving two set points !

Go Venus !

 

[VAMike23]

Venus takes the set 7-5 !!

 

[wire chief]

Best women's player I ever saw, and I've seen them all, is one young lady who was on the scene for only 5 or 6 years, but for the short time she was at the top of her game, there was no one better, that includes Graf, the Williams sisters, Navratilova, Evert, etc. She reminded me of a ballet dancer out on the court. She is mostly forgotten now, which is a shame. Hana Mandlikova.

I well remember Hana. She was a fine player, but she was in the Martina era and could not really compete with her.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Venus takes the set 7-5 !!

Wow... that's a helluva comeback

 

[huskyrob1]

I well remember Hana. She was a fine player, but she was in the Martina era and could not really compete with her.

With all due respect you should check things out first before making that kind of generalization. In 1980 and 1981, Mandlikova and Navratilova played 6 times with Hana winning 4 of those matches. Two of those matches were GS tournaments, one was on grass at Wimbledon and another was on hard court at the US Open. In 82 through 84 Mandlikova was dogged by injuries, however she did make a comeback in late 84 through 85. She won the US Open in 85 beating Evert and Martina in consecutive matches. After 85 the book on Mandlikova was her concentration, that being said I think the two are pretty even in Grand Slam meetings. Also keep in mind that Navratilova was 6 years older, but when Mandlikova first came up she had Martina's number.

 

[wire chief]

With all due respect you should check things out first before making that kind of generalization. In 1980 and 1981, Mandlikova and Navratilova played 6 times with Hana winning 4 of those matches. Two of those matches were GS tournaments, one was on grass at Wimbledon and another was on hard court at the US Open. In 82 through 84 Mandlikova was dogged by injuries, however she did make a comeback in late 84 through 85. She won the US Open in 85 beating Evert and Martina in consecutive matches. After 85 the book on Mandlikova was her concentration, that being said I think the two are pretty even in Grand Slam meetings. Also keep in mind that Navratilova was 6 years older, but when Mandlikova first came up she had Martina's number.

You are right; my wording was too dismissive. Still, the reason Hana is more forgotten than is Martina simply resides in her winning 4 Majors to Martina's 18. Like I wrote she was one fine player, and 99% of tennis players would love to trade their record for hers.

 

[triaddukefan]

No more Venus.... no more Isner.... no more Del Potro.... no more Gasquet..... no more me watching the french open til 2018

 

[wire chief]

No more Venus.... no more Isner.... no more Del Potro.... no more Gasquet..... no more me watching the french open til 2018

I am curious what Timea's game will look like as she moves along. She's a versatile stroker. I was impressed...while, of course, pleading for her defeat.

 

[huskyrob1]

You are right; my wording was too dismissive. Still, the reason Hana is more forgotten than is Martina simply resides in her winning 4 Majors to Martina's 18. Like I wrote she was one fine player, and 99% of tennis players would love to trade their record for hers.

Hana had the most beautiful strokes of any women's player I ever saw, and no one hit the ball as hard as her until the Williams sisters and Sharapova came along. Hana just didn't have the staying power or ambition and will to win at the top that Martina had, and she was always getting hurt.

 

[easttexastrash]

Best women's player I ever saw, and I've seen them all, is one young lady who was on the scene for only 5 or 6 years, but for the short time she was at the top of her game, there was no one better, that includes Graf, the Williams sisters, Navratilova, Evert, etc. She reminded me of a ballet dancer out on the court. She is mostly forgotten now, which is a shame. Hana Mandlikova.

I remember her well and she had an extraordinarily beautiful game. I had almost forgotten about her until you mentioned her name. You are right that she was like a ballet dancer on the court.

 

[easttexastrash]

No more Venus.... no more Isner.... no more Del Potro.... no more Gasquet..... no more me watching the french open til 2018

You only had four eggs and put them all in the same basquet?

 

[wire chief]

So, 8 women left and not one has ever won a slam. Really, really unusual.