Stan Gets Time to Shine

Even since that sensational match against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, a spark ignited in Wawrinka's game. A much improved mental strength has helped the talented Swiss achieved some great milestones so far this year. He won his fourth ATP crown in Estoril, played his second Masters final in Madrid where he lost to Radal, cracked the top 10 again in May, and now, broke the duck at Roland Garros, coming from the brink of defeat to edge home hope, Richard Gasquet, to reach his first quarterfinal.

Stan was beaten in the fourth round in Paris for the last three consecutive years, and after going two sets down against Gasquet, it looked like his faith would remained unchanged. However, an utterly determined Wawrinka refused to give up. He fought back and quickly regained control of the match. He managed to level, before pulling the trigger in the decider. Having lost so many close matches in the past, the Swiss just knew this was his time to shine. He hanged in tough and at 7-6, he broke serve to close out an epic victory over the Frenchman.

The match was another testimonial of the much improved Wawrinka. Although he lost easily to Nadal in the quarterfinals, the Swiss is just starting to show some of his potential. Having recovered last minute from an injury that almost made him miss Roland Garros, Stan has plenty to cheer for at the end of his Parisian adventure.

Stan Wawrinka came back from the brink, edging home hope Richard Gasquet to reach his first quarterfinal at Roland Garros. The Swiss beat the Frenchman 6-7,4-6,6-4,7-5,8-6 to record an epic victory.

Although he lost 1-6,3-6,2-6 to clay-court legend, Rafael Nadal, Stan has plenty to cheer for at the end of his Parisian adventure.

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Flawless Tsonga Pulls the Trigger on Federer

I always believed in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and his exuberant game. Ever since reaching that Australian Open final in 2008 I have been expecting him to win a Grand Slam crown, but unfortunately, it wasn't to be until now. He's been a constant presence in the last stages of the majors, but so far he always fell short in his quest for glory.

Although clay is his least favourite surface, Jo has had some pretty solid results at Roland Garros lately. He had a big chance last year when he squandered four match points against world number 1, Novak Djokovic, in the semis, but he blew it. He's here to make a menace this year and, after an impeccable run to the quarterfinals, the Frenchman pulled the trigger taking out second seeded Roger Federer. It was a high quality performance from Jo who completely outplayed the Swiss champion, winning in straight sets to the delight of the partisan crowd. 

"For me, it's maybe one of my best victories," said Tsonga. "[But] the tournament is not finished, and I hope I will have some more. Sport is beautiful because you can always do something. Even if you play the best player in the world, you have a chance. Because the guy in front of you only has two legs, two arms, one head."

Talking about the huge expectations that rest on his shoulder, Jo declared: "Everybody's been expecting a lot from me since the beginning of this tournament. Not only this tournament, but every day. So I'm used to it. Now what is important, is to stay focused, to think about my next match. Because it will be extremely tough against a player who didn't lose a single set and won with a very striking score in the quarter-finals."
Next up for Tsonga is a clash with ferocious David Ferrer, who beat Robredo, putting a stop to his compatriot's incredible run. The Frenchman is confident in his chance, so hopefully he can make it past the Spaniard to reach his second Grand Slam final: "I feel I'm able to beat [Ferrer] because I believe I have the weapons for that. I have more endurance now. I'm more consistent. I hit harder than he does, and normally I serve a lot better than him."
Although he beat Roger, my old time fave, I am glad for the Frenchman and I now root for him to go all the way. If I would have someone beat Roger, that someone is Jo. He did a great job today, played a flawless match and most important, he manage to close it out. I wholeheartedly hope he makes it at least to the final. It's a huge opportunity he shouldn't waste. You go Tsonga!

After squandering four match points in last year's quarterfinal with Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has finally booked his place in the semifinals at Roland Garros with a sensational 7-5,6-3,6-3 victory over Roger Federer.

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Experienced Kirilenko Gets Job Done

It took a while for Maria Kirilenko to reach the maturity level needed not to let a huge chance slip by, but starting mid last season, the Russian has made a habit of taking every opportunity thrown at her. This year's Roland Garros was no exception.

Although she battled some minor injuries throughout the clay-court season, Maria looked untroubled at the start of her Parisian campaign, cruising through the opening rounds without dropping a set. Benefitting from a favourable draw, Kirilenko got to face red-hot American, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, for a place in the last eight. Although Mattek-Sands played great tennis to defeat Australian Open finalist, Chinese Na Li, this was the Russian's chance for making another Grand Slam quarterfinal. Bethanie started stronger, building a 4-1 lead, but Maria fought back. It wasn't an easy match, but an experienced Kirilenko won 7-5,6-4.

The victory puts her in her third major quarterfinal. In a battle of the babes, she will square off with her former doubles partner and good friend, Victoria Azarenka. No matter the result, Kirilenko has plenty of reasons to be proud of her fortnight. This performance will bring her closer to achieving her goal for the season, that of breaking into the top 10 for the first time in her career. Well done, Maria!

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Haas Continues to Break New Ground

Who would have guessed that Tommy Haas would still be battling for his maiden Grand Slam crown at 35? Probably no one, but the extremely talented German continues to break new grounds every day, reaching his first quarterfinal at Roland Garros after a stunning 6-1,6-1,6-3 victory over Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

The rejuvenated Tommy is having a great season so far this year, winning his 14th career title in München and reaching the semis in Miami following a victory over world No.1, Novak Djokovic. Although he withdrew from Düsseldorf due to illness, Haas looked fresher than ever at the start of the French Open. He cruised through the opening two rounds, before winning an epic clash with marathon man, American John Isner, 10-8 in the decider. The German squandered 12 match points and had to rally from 1-4 down in the fifth set before he finally closed out a dramatic victory over the giant Isner.

While some may think that at 35 his body would fail to recover after such an intense effort, Haas proved them wrong yet again. He was sharp and utterly focus in dismissing Youzhny, who only managed to bag six games against his inspired opponent. The win makes him the oldest major quarter-finalist since Andre Agassi, at 35 years and 135 days, at the 2005 US Open. “What I'm really proud about is that I reached the quarter-finals here for the first time, not knowing if that was ever going to be possible,” said Haas “It's a great success for me."

Next up for Haas is an intriguing encounter with Australian Open champion and world No.1, Novak Djokovic. The Serb will probably be looking for vengeance, but I believe the German might be in with a good chance of repeating his sensation performance from Miami. You go Haas!

An inspired Haas left Youzhny miserable, beating the Russian 6-1,6-1,6-3 in the fourth round of the French Open. The German veteran will take on world No.1 Novak Djokovic in his first quarterfinal in Paris.

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Beat Me If You Can

A few weeks ago, Tommy Robredo made an emotional return to the tour by winning his 10th clay court title in Casablanca. The result announced the Spaniard as a possible outsider at the upcoming Roland Garros, though few actually fancied his chances of making a big impression. A week into the tournament and, to the surprise of many, Robredo is still standing. It took some battling, but after four dramatic encounters, the old fox managed to equal his best showing in Paris, reaching the quarterfinals for the fifth time. 

The Spaniard can be crowned the hero of this year's Open, coming back from two sets down in three successive matches to reach this stage. However, the toughest test came in the third round, when his opponent, rejuvenated Gael Monfils, surrendered four match points. It looked like a pretty straightforward victory for Gael, but in true Monfils style, the Frenchman let slip a huge opportunity while serving for the match at 5-3 in the fourth set.

Facing Nicolas Almagro in the fourth round, Tommy had already two five-set battles under his belt, against Dutch Igor Sjisling, respectively Monfils. At 6-7,3-6,1-4 down, Almagro looked poised to record his sixth win over his compatriot. Nonetheless, as he had done all week, Robredo refused to give up. He fought his way back into the match, pressing Almagro to lose control of the dispute. The 31-year-old Spaniard became the first man since Henri Cochet to come back from two sets down for three successive matches in a Grand Slam. Cochet achieved the feat at Wimbledon in 1927.

"I played a player who is incredible on clay," said Robredo. "I'm not thinking about history. History is this match I played today. It's not the score that counts. Nothing more than that. He was 4-1 up [in the third set]. Maybe he had a little bit of doubt, though, in that moment. Then I just pushed hard and I won the third. And then I was just dreaming and dreaming to try to do it again, and I did it."

"I think that being in the quarter-finals again, it's amazing, and also with three comebacks the way I did," he concluded. "I just need to enjoy it because I think that in tennis, we need to enjoy it when we do great things and keep focused. Because if it's possible, why not? [I could be] one time in the semi-finals here."
Next up for the ferocious Robredo is another compatriot, the always dangerous David Ferrer. The challenge is huge once more, Ferrer holding a 6-2 head-to-head record against him. Will Tommy defy the odds once more?

Emotional Robredo pulled off another miraculous recovery, coming back from two sets down to stun compatriot Nicolas Almagro to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the fifth time.

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The New 'Genie' in the Bottle

Young star Eugenie Bouchard has turned heads recently, proving just why she can become the leading lady of her generation. Eugenie has had a pretty successful clay-court campaign, reaching her first WTA semifinal in Strasbourg, before making a successful Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros. In Strasbourg, she lost a nail-biter to eventual champion, Alize Cornet, while at the French Open she succumbed to defending champion, Maria Sharapova, in the second round.

Contrary to other teen sensations who have failed to deliver, i.e. Caroline Garcia, Michelle Larcher de Brito, or Melanie Oudin, I believe the Canadian is strong enough mentally to complete a successful transition from a great junior to an A-level tour star. It probably takes time and she probably needs to win some more matches, but Eugenie clearly possesses a power game destined for greatness. 

Actually, all the up and coming young guns have the game to challenge the world's elite, though what differentiates the likes of Laura Robsons, Sloane Stephens, or Kristina Mladenovic, from their not-so-successful peers is their ability to deliver on the big occasions and to take out the big names on a regular basis. Bouchard does not have a big victory under her name yet, but her recent form makes me believe it won't take long before she'll record it. She's the defending junior Wimbledon champion in both singles and doubles, so she is one to be watched out for during the grass court season. If she can control her emotions and work on her consistency, young Bouchard can be in for a great run at Wimbledon, her favourite tournament.

Although she lost second round to defending French Open champion, Maria Sharapova, young Eugenie announced herself as one of the leading ladies of her generation.

Teen sensation, Eugenie Bouchard, won the girl's crown at Wimbledon in 2012 in both singles and doubles.

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"I Ain't No Loser!" Shouts Monfils

Just a few days ago I accused Gael Monfils of still battling his old demons. After losing the Nice final to an accessible player like Albert Montanes, I felt the Frenchman missed yet another good opportunity to add to his not-so-impressive tally of ATP titles. 

Consequently, when he faced Tomas Berdych in the first round at this year's Roland Garros, I was really curious to see if he can pull off the big upset. I called it a 'make it' or 'break it' moment, a match that could potential turn his poor season around. I believed in Monfils though. He may lack the consistency to win two, three such matches in a row, but as I said before, he does have the weapons to beat the big guys on a given occasion. 

Therefore, I was not surprised to see the Frenchman take what looked like an decisive two sets to love lead against the 5th seeded Czech. Nevertheless, as soon as he lost the fourth set on a tie-break, I started to question his ability to close out the match. At that stage I thought Berdych would came back and win the match. As with Stan Wawrinka, I just never trust Gael when the going gets tough. However, copying the Swiss' example as of late, the Frenchman did not give up. He maintained his cool head, did not panic and eventually sealed a sensational 7-6,6-4,6-7,6-7,7-5 victory to mark his return to the big league after a nightmare injured that threatened to end his career.

Things won't get any easier for him in the next round though. Drawn against talented Ernests Gulbis, it will require another magnificent performance to see off the red-hot Latvian. Let's do it Monfils!

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Monfils Still Fighting Old Demons

After a 2012 season marred with career threatening injuries, Gael Monfils seems to have rediscovered some of his vintage form just in time for the upcoming French Open. These past two weeks the Frenchman achieved two very promising results, winning the Challenger in Bordeaux and then reaching the ATP final in Nice, both on home soil. However, he is still fighting the same old demons that have prevented him from unleashing his full potential. 

Monfils is a great tennis player. He is the ultimate athlete, he has big shots, he is confident and gutsy, so he can beat literary anyone on a given day. Unfortunately though he is lacking the mental strength to capitalize on the big opportunities. His record in career finals speaks a great deal about this weakness: out of the 18th finals he played, the Frenchman won only four, losing frequently to lower ranked, accessible opponents. It was the same exact scenario in Nice where he faced Albert Montanes in the grand finale. It's true that the Spaniard holds a positive record in their head-to-head, nevertheless Monfils is a former top 10 player who still fancies his chances at a Grand Slam crown. To lose a bagel set, in a final, in front of your home crowd, against a player who only won back-to-back tour-level matches just once in nine events this seasons denotes either lack of focus, or terrible nerves. In Gael's case, I think it's a fatal combination of both. Although he showed some guts in the second act, fighting back from a break down, the Frenchman was unable to level the dispute, losing a poorly played tie-break to gift Montanes an unexpected sixth career title. This final marked another missed opportunity for the recovering Frenchman.

The toughest test though for Monfils awaits him in an intriguing first round clash with Czech Tomas Berdych at this year's Roland Garros. This is a 'make it' or 'break it' moment that could potentially influence the remaining of the season, so he needs to win that match to turn his fate around. 

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Alize Completes Home Soil Duty

Alize Cornet might not have turned out to be the great star the French Federation was desperately looking for, but even so, she remains a pretty dangerous player, especially on clay, her favourite surface. She proved it last year when she came to life during the clay-court season, reaching her first WTA final in four years in Strasbourg. The result sparked some more good performances, the most important being the title she won on the Austrian clay, in Bad Gastein. 

Having failed to lift the Strasbourg crown at the first time of asking, Alize knew she had to bring her A game in order to finally complete the home soil duty. The draw worked in her favour and, following a string of early upsets, the Frenchwoman, seeded 3, remained the highest seed left through to the quarterfinals. With her main rivals out of the way, she took full advantage of the situation battling her way to a second successive final after an epic 7-5,6-7,6-3 semifinal victory over young Canadian, Eugenie Bouchard. If last year she lost to former French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, this time she was determined not to let the opportunity slip by. The first set of the final was extremely tight, but after she won it in a tie-break, she was unstoppable. Her opponent, Czech Lucie Hradecka, was unable to win another game. An inspired Cornet claimed a sensational 7-6,6-0 victory to the delight the home fans who were cheering for her. She is just the second Frenchwoman to claim the Strasbourg title, after Aravane Rezai, who was successful in 2009.
I always suspected the French of lacking a winner's attitude. Alize proved me wrong with her triumph today, and hopefully more of her talented compatriots will copy her example. As for Alize, she will probably look to continue her winning streak at Roland Garros, where she has a pretty accessible path to a third round showdown with Australian Open champion, Victoria Azarenka.

After falling to Francesca Schiavone in last year's final, French Alize Cornet completed the home duty this year, beating Czech Lucie Hradecka, 7-6,6-0 to win the title in Strasbourg.

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Serena, 50 and Counting

She is the best player in the world and she proved it again on Sunday when she held on to her No.1 ranking by beating Russian Maria Sharapova to successfully defend her title in Madrid. Maria needed the win to regain the much disputed position, but as she has done in their last eleven matches, the American was too strong, collecting her 50th WTA crown with an easy 6-1,6-4 victory.

It wasn't quite an easy week for Serena, but as she has done on so many occasions, she found a way to come out on top. The biggest challenge came in the quarterfinals where she was bageled for the first time in five years by Spaniard Anabel Medina Garriguez. The Spaniard was set for a stunning achievement, leading 4-2 in the decider. The American fought back though, winning the match 6-3,0-6,7-5. It was a walk in the park after that. She disposed of French Open finalist, Sara Errani, before stopping Sharapova's 21-match winning streak on clay.

I maintain my opinion that the only player who can challenge Serena at the moment is Victoria Azarenka. Following her loss to Azarenka in Doha, the American took full advantage of Vika's injury to hold on to her No.1 position. Sharapova on the other hand has been very consistent, reaching at least the semifinals of all the tournaments she entered this year. However, she just doesn't have the game to beat Williams. Her sole two wins came back in 2004, in key moments it's true, the young Russian stunning her rival for the Wimbledon, as well as the WTA Championships crowns. However, since then, Serena has won all battles, most of the sets ending with a rather drastic scoreline.

I am curious to see how things will evolve in Rome. Azarenka needs to find her game on clay, Sharapova needs to defend her title, while Williams will look to continue an amazing run since triumphing in Miami. I'll be on the look-out!

Serena continued her supremacy over Maria Sharapova, beating the Russian 6-1,6-4 to successfully defend her title in Madrid. The world No.1 claimed her 50th career title.

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