Serena's Parisian Nightmare

Coming into Roland Garros, Serena Williams was the tournament's biggest favorite. Although ranked 5th in the world, the American is considered to be the best player on the tour, especially due to her outstanding performance at the Slams, where she collected 13 titles, a record amongst active players. Moreover, Serena has played unbeliavable on clay this season comprising a 17 match winning streak which includes convincing wins in Charleston and Madrid. So how could anyone expect her to lose her first round encounter, especially as she was playing someone outside the top 100?

But tennis is not a predictable sport and just a few reckless moments can turn a match around. Serena learned this the hard way, as she let a 5-1 advantage in the second set's tiebreak slip by to allow her opponent to level the match. Frustration took over and an erratic display saw her quickly fall 0-5 behind in the decider. Williams, who describes herself as the ultimate fighter in the sport, refused to give in though, clawing her way back to 3-5 and even holding several points for 4-5. It was her unforced errors that eventually got the best and, on her 8th match point, Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano sealed "the most beautiful victory" of her career as yet another of Williams' shots went begging.

Having gone 46-0 prior to this clash, the loss marks Serena's maiden first round defeat at a Slam. Although "not happy, by any means", Williams said she always believes things could be worse, so we shouldn't expect her to hide away covered in shame. She remains optimistic about her chances in the mixed doubles competition, where she teams up with double specialist Bob Bryan, and will surely be looking forward to setting things straight at Wimbledon.

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Razzano's "Most Beautiful" Victory

What a day this has been for Virginie Razzano, the French player producing a sensational display to stun Roland Garros' biggest favorite, American Serena Williams, in the first round to obtain the "most beautiful" victory of her career. 

A day ago, Alberta Brianti came very close to causing the upset of the tournament in beating the number 1 ranked Azarenka, so when Virginie let a 5-0 third set advantage diminish to 5-3, many were expecting the same outcome. However, the French woman fought hard for most of the encounter, recovering from 1-5 in the second set's tiebreak, so she was determined not to let a once in a lifetime opportunity go by. Although hampered by cramps, she hang on with Williams and, at the end of a marathon game when Serena's shot was called out, she got her reward. "I didn't think too much. I know I have unlimited resources. I dug very deep and I knew nothing was lost, even when I had cramps (in the last game), even when I was not feeling well. It was happiness, pure happiness. It's the most beautiful victory of my whole career, especially on Court Philippe Chatrier in front of the whole crowd", said a visibly emotional Virginie. "In my mind I just never lost," she continued. "Yes, it was 5-1 in the tie-break, but in my mind I knew I could win this set. I knew I could come back, and I knew I had to do that. You don't need to think about other things, you just try to come back and try your best every time, on every point. After, if she played too well, I could say I did my maximum, and she wins. But I believed I could win. Even at 5-1 in the tie-break, I knew I hadn't lost yet."

This success is even more special as it comes after a rather dark period in her life. Struggling with injuries and poor form, she saw her ranking go down from her highest position at number 16 to outside the top 100. Moreover, just over a year ago she lost her fiancé and coach, Stéphane Vidal, who succumbed to a brain tumor. "Maybe it's a new Virginie," she concluded. "I've made a lot of good work on myself from last year to this year."

Razzano goes on to face Arantxa Rus from The Netherlands next. At the same stage last year, Rus produced a magnificent comeback, defeating tournament favorite Kim Clijsters in an epic second round encounter.

Virginie Razzano produced the match of her life to beat Serena Williams, the American's first first round defeat at a major.

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Victoria Down But NOT OUT

After her sensational 26 matches winning streak at the start of the season, Azarenka looked very much poised to complete a Grand Slam year. She lost some momentum though during the clay court swing when she only managed two runner-up finishes, at Stuttgart (where she lost to Sharapova), respectively at Madrid (where she succumbed to Serena Williams).

Nevertheless, coming into the French Open, the world number 1 was still one of the hottest favourites to clinch the Suzanne Lenglen crown. Azarenka's campaign got off to the worst of starts though, as she struggled to find any rhythm on her groundstrokes wipping the court with an astonishingly high number of unforced errors. Her opponent, the talented Italian veteran, Alberta Brianti, took full advantage of Victoria's poor display, being extremely close to causing the shock of the tournament. After winning a tight first set, Brianti had a point to go 5-0 up in the second. However, the nerves settled in and Azarenka managed to win some easy points which allowed her back into the match. What followed was the complete capitulation of the Italian. She lost six games in a row and although she did challenge Victoria at the start of the decider, there was little doubt as to who the winner of the encounter is going to be. 

Although she played terrible tennis for most of the match, Azarenka still found a way to win stressing once more her increased mental strength. At 0-4 down in the decider, it seemed like her Parisian adventure will end prematurely, but the fierce Belorussian refused to accept her faith. She clawed her way back into the tournament and, as she benefits from a favourable draw, there are big chances of seeing her contest the final act in two weeks time. Of course, provided she recaptures the form that took her to the Australian Open title in January, her maiden Grand Slam trophy.

Alberta Brianti looked set to cause the upset of the tournament holding a 7-6,4-0 advantage over the number 1 ranked Victoria Azarenka.

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Federer Conquers 'Blue' Madrid

The tough opener against inspired young Canadian Milos Raonic provided Federer with the perfect training ahead of a busy week at the controversial Mutua Madrid Open. While his opponents failed to adjust to the unusual surface losing earlier than expected, Roger remained clear-headed and focus ensuring a smooth passage into Sunday's big finale. 

Nadal's rare loss on his beloved clay followed by Djokovic's defeat to Janko Tipsarevic left Federer as the clear favorite to win the title and the Swiss made sure not to waste the opportunity. He easily dismissed Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Spaniard David Ferrer and Serbian Tipsarevic to set up a clash with Czech Tomas Berdych. 
After a series of losses in their first encounters, Berdych managed to turn the tables on the Swiss maestro winning three of their last five matches, most notably the 2010 Wimbledon quarterfinal. Although there were few who doubted Federer, it was the Czech who started off stronger sealing a superb first set in which he played unbelievable tennis. Roger did what he does best though. He stuck in there and found a way to break his opponent's game. He broke early in the second act, but got pegged back when serving out the set. He eventually pushed the match into a decider by breaking Tomas' at 6-5 with some inspired shots. The third set followed the same scenario. After some tense moments, Federer rose to a 5-3 advantage. He failed to serve out the match though, allowing Tomas to start hoping again. Berdych's renaissance was short-lived though, Federer sealing the victory at his fourth attempt.
The triumph marks the Swiss' 20th Masters 1000 crown, equalling thus Rafael Nadal's record. Also, courtesy of this win, Roger is set to regain the number 2 spot passing arch-rival Nadal in Monday's rankings. He is now very well poised to challenge Djokovic's reign. His first shot at closing the gap will be the Rome Masters where both Nadal and Djokovic have some big points to defend having disputed last year's final.
We have thus come to the end of what has been a heated week of tennis. Although Djokovic and Nadal threaten not to return next year and the tournament consultant, Ion Tiriac, was booed during the awards ceremony, organizers are not giving in on the blue clay. They recently announced that the surface is gonna be kept for a least another year, although improvements will be made. As things stand at the moment, it looks like the story will not reach its conclusion anytime soon.

Steered by his recent success over Federer, Berdych managed to trouble the Swiss throughout the encounter, but he eventually came out short losing a nail-biter 6-3,5-7,5-7.

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Serena Serves Azarenka A Lesson

Although she is the world number 1, Azarenka needed an ultimate victory to confirm her status: one against Serena Williams. Her impressive recent accolades might have shifted the balance in her favour, cementing her position, but there are still voices that claim that the American, whose series of injuries and limited schedule saw her slip down the rankings, remains the best player of the world. Consequently, a clash between the two was required to set things straight. 

In the first part of the season the odds prevented the much anticipated encounter, but the two were finally given a chance to go head-to-head in the final act Madrid. Azarenka started as the slight favourite, but her losing record against Williams predicted a tough day at work for the tenacious Belorussian. And although she was inspired for most of 2012 managing to hold off some stiff opponents, she found no solution to the American's powerful display, being blown off the court since the very beginning. It was a one way passage for Serena, who claimed a compelling 6-1,6-3 victory. The match pretty much resembled their prior dispute, at last year's US Open, where Williams' serve and penetrating groundstrokes proved too much for a rather frail Belorussian.

The triumph marks Serena's second consecutive claycourt title, increasing thus her credentials as a top contestant for the French Open title. After a stunning campaign in Charleston and some convincing wins this weeks over the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova and now Azarenka, it looks like she has finally reached her top form. The American's recently established love affair with clay couldn't have come at a better moment as she has now set her sights on adding a second Roland Garros crown to her impressive resume.

Victoria on the other hand hopes to set things straight in Rome where the two are in the same half of the draw. She is surely not happy with the loss and is now desperate to collect a claycourt title before the French.

Victoria lost a second consecutive final in Madrid after succumbing last year to Czech Petra Kvitova. After a sensational start to the season, she is now titleless since Indian Wells. She will look to change this in Rome, her last chance before the French Open.

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Verdasco Breaks Nadal's Heart

After a shabby period, Fernando Verdasco signalled his return to top form with a shock defeat over the king of clay, Rafael Nadal, in a nail-biting third round encounter in Madrid. Although Nadal has won all their previous 13 meeting, the two shared some pretty heated battles in the past, the stand-out being the memorable 2010 Melbourne semifinal in which Nadal triumphed after five excruciating sets. However, as the world's number 2 is almost unreachable on his beloved clay, few were expecting Verdasco to stand a chance this time.

It was the home town player that started off strongly though, Fernando rising to a 5-2 advantage. He served out the first set 6-3, but quickly fell behind in the second, allowing Rafa to turn things around. It looked like a one way encounter from then onwards, with Nadal building a 5-2 lead in the decider. With two breaks of serve under his sleeve, he looked very much as the clear winner. 

Verdasco kept on fighting though. He broke once, then hold serve and then he broke again, leveling the match at 5 all. His opponent's stellar display stunned Nadal who was left with no reaction while Fernando sealed the victory after winning 5 consecutive games. The triumph meant the world for Verdasco who seemed delighted by his outstanding performance. After obtaining the sweetest triumph of his career, he goes on to face Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.

On the other hand Nadal, who won his two prior claycourt tournaments, was hoping to gather some momentum ahead of the defense of his French Open title. Instead, he now needs to start over from scratch. "I am going to Rome now with maybe a bit of a lack of confidence which I don't deserve after all the work I have put in here", he added.

The Spaniard also threatened not to return next year if the organizers don't ditch the slippery blue clay. "The only thing that I know is that if things continue like this I am very sad but next year will be one less tournament in my calendar. If you put the Cincinnati tournament on grass just before the U.S. Open do you think people are going to be happy? I don't think so. That's a similar situation. It's not drastic I am just being consistent. I am not prepared to risk something happening next year if nothing changes."
Nonetheless, he found no excuses for his defeat. "I lost because I deserved to lose today," he said. "Even when I was 5-2 ahead and I had a chance to close the match I didn't know how to do it. He played better than me and he beat me, that's it."

Fernando Verdasco joins the elite group of players who scored win over Nadal on clay. He also breaks his opponent 22 winning streak with a 6-3,3-6,7-5 triumph.

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Rusty Federer Shakes Off Raonic

After a five weeks hiatus, Roger Federer opened his clay court campaign with a second round clash against the hottest youngest on the tour, i.e. Canadian powerhorse Milos Raonic, at the controversial Madrid Masters 1000. The event stirred deep waters after being hit by critics from players, including the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic trio, who complained that their opinion regarding the newly introduced blue clay was not taken into consideration, as the organizers went ahead with their plan despite their stiff resistance.

Besides trying to adjust to the unusual conditions, Federer had to also deal with a dangerous opponent, the Canadian coming off his best claycourt performance following a career's best victory over Andy Murray en route to reaching the semifinals in Barcelona. And with their previous meeting going the distance, Roger was destined for a tough day at the office.

While the Swiss was pretty rusty in his first match back, Milos showed plenty of stamina as he looked poised for a straight sets win. He broke decisively in the opening act at 4-4 to then bag the set with a convincing service display. However, by failing to take his chances in the second set, he allowed Federer to turn things around. The Swiss broke at 6-5 and leveled the dispute. Nevertheless, Raonic had plenty of opportunities again in the decider, but once more Roger fought them off pushing the match into a tiebreaker. At this point, his experience proved vital as he eventually succumbed the brave resilience of the young Canadian.
It was indeed a great challenge for the Swiss who, after escaping from the brink of defeat, now gains extra confidence he needs to achieve his goal. As he stated a couple of days ago, he is set to unleash his quest for the top spot, as well as for the other big prizes of the season.

Milos Raonic looked set to record the biggest win of his short career leading 6-4,5-5 30/40 on Federer's serve, but he eventually lost the nail-biter 6-4,5-7,6-7.

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Haas Turns Back Time

Former world number 2, Tommy Haas, showed glimpses of his vintage form, by producing a stunning display to dispose of  Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in München. 

Haas, whose career has been rued by major injuries is making another attempt at a comeback this season, but he has yet to stir any waters. At 134 in the rankings, he entered his home event courtesy of a wildcard. The draw was not beneficial though, as he was scheduled to square off against top seeded Tsonga in the second round. The Frenchman, an established top 10 figure now, started the dispute as the clear favourite. However, a flawless performance from Tommy in the beginning of the clash saw his rose to a 5-0 advantage. Two games later, the German bagged the first set 6-1 and looked set to cause the biggest upset of the week. Jo failed to react, allowing his opponent to continue to dominate. A single break of serve made the difference in the second act, as Haas won 6-1,6-4 to celebrate his biggest triumphs in years. He moves on to tackle 8 seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinals.

Tsonga on the other hand, had no excuses for the shock defeat. "Simply said, it was that Tommy played better than me," he said. "He didn't allow me any time to express myself, or to control the ball. "It wasn't down to a lack of practice as I put in two-hour sessions and normally that is sufficient. "Obviously conditions are different when you are practising and playing a competitive match, the court as well. But I played well at Monte-Carlo and before that in the Davis Cup so I was match ready."

Haas, heavily cheered by the partisan crowd, qualify for his first quarterfinal of the year after a stunning disposal of top seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round in München.

Tsonga looked rusty in his first match in München, failing to find his rhythm against an inspired Tommy Haas.

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