Monday Net Post

Last Week's Tournaments

ARAG ATP World Team Championship (ATP - Düsseldorf, Germany)

- Final: Argentina def. Czech Republic (2-1)
- First Rubber: Tomas Berdych (CZE) def. Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
- Second Rubber: Agustin Calleri (ARG) def. Jan Hajek (CZE) 6-3, 6-1.
- Third Rubber: Jose Acasuso/Agustin Calleri (ARG) def. Tomas Berdych/Martin Damm (CZE) 2-6, 6-4, 10-4.
- Bracket

The Hypo Group Tennis International (ATP - Pörtschach, Austria)

• Singles Final: Juan Monaco def. Gael Monfils 7-6 (3), 6-0.
• Singles Semifinal: Juan Monaco def. Luis Horna 6-4, 6-4.
• Singles Semifinal: Gael Monfils def. Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 7-5.
• Singles Bracket

• Doubles Final: Simon Aspelin/Julian Knowle def. Leos Friedl/David Skoch 7-6 (6), 5-7, 10-5.
• Doubles Semifinal: Simon Aspelin/Julian Knowle def. Martin Garcia/Jordan Kerr 6-4, 3-6, 10-6.
• Doubles Semifinal: Leos Friedl/David Skoch def. Amer Delic/Andy Roddick (walkover)
• Doubles Bracket

Internationaux de Strasbourg (WTA - Strasbourg, France)

• Singles Final: Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
• Singles Semifinal: Amelie Mauresmo def. Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-3.
• Singles Semifinal: Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Jelena Jankovic (walkover)
• Singles Bracket (Page 1)

• Doubles Final: Zi Yan/Jie Zheng def. Alicia Molik/Tiantian Sun 6-3, 6-4.
• Doubles Semifinal: Zi Yan/Jie Zheng def. Vasilisa Bardina/Vera Dushevina 6-3, 6-1.
• Doubles Semifinal: Alicia Molik/Tiantian Sun def. Chunmei Ji/Shengnan Sun 6-0, 7-6 (2).
• Doubles Bracket (Page 2)

Istanbul Cup (WTA - Istanbul, Turkey)

• Singles Final: Elena Dementieva def. Aravane Rezai 7-6 (5), 3-0 (retired)
• Singles Semifinal: Aravane Rezai def. Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-4.
• Singles Semifinal: Elena Dementieva def. Alona Bondarenko 7-6 (5), 6-2.
• Singles Bracket (Page 1)

• Doubles Final: Agnieszka Radwanska/Urszula Radwanska def. Yung-Jan Chan/Sania Mirza 6-1, 6-3.
• Doubles Semifinal: Yung-Jan Chan/Sania Mirza def. Mervana Jugic-Salkic/Romina Oprandi 6-7 (3), 6-0, 10-5.
• Doubles Semifinal: Agnieszka Radwanska/Urszula Radwanska def. Tatiana Poutchek/Anastasiya Yakimova 6-0, 6-2.
• Doubles Bracket (Page 2)

By the Letter

T...elevison coverage of the French Open will be plentiful in the United States thanks to The Tennis Channel, which will be showing the lion's share of the early morning live broadcasts from Paris.  ESPN2 will follow TTC's coverage with tape-delayed broadcasts throughout the fortnight.
E...ntering the 2007 season without a title, Argentine Juan Monaco has now won twice this year - in Buenos Aires in February, and this past week in Pörtschach.
N...ikolay Davydenko has grown so fond of Austria, citing the impressive training facilities and the convenience of travel, that he is applying for Austrian citizenship.  Coincidently (or not?), Davydenko has reached the finals of the St. Pölten/Pörtschach event three times, winning twice.
N...umber two seed Elena Dementieva outdid her Russian compatriot Maria Sharapova (the number one seed in the same event) by winning at Istanbul over Avarane Rezai in the final.  Rezai, who defeated Sharapova in the semifinals, also upset fourth-seeded Venus Williams in the second round.
I...njuries have prevented a number of high-profile players from trying to end Rafael Nadal's title reign at Roland Garros: Tommy Haas (shoulder), Andy Murray (wrist), Xavier Malisse (wrist), Alberto Martin (elbow), Mario Ancic (mono), Nicolas Kiefer (wrist), and Paradorn Srichaphan (wrist) will all be absent from the men's draw.
S...ix years later, a rematch of the 2001 Wimbledon fourth round classic between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras will occur - although under slightly different circumstances.  In November, the two grass-court kings will play three exhibition matches in different Asian locales (Kuala Lumpur and Macau have been confirmed so far).
W...omen were not immune to injury casualties leading up to the French Open either, as Martina Hingis (hip), Tatiana Golovin (foot), Peng Shuai (ankle), and Vera Zvonareva (wrist) will be watching Roland Garros from home.
O...utdoor clay surface in Düsseldorf was certainly a factor in Argentina's victory over the Czech Republic in the World Team Cup.  In the more prominent Davis Cup final last December, the Argentines fell in Russia on a surface that favored the home side - indoor carpet.
R...ain played havoc with the first day of the French Open, as only seven matches were completed due to the weather.  The most notable result was Serena Williams' victory over Bulgarian Tszvetana Pironkova, in which the eighth-seeded American fought back from a set down to advance to the second round.
L...osing in either the first or second round for the last five years, #3 seed Andy Roddick has tempered expectations at this year's French Open, saying that he'd like to simply get to the second week of play: "Here, I want to make the second week. Then, if you get there, you kind of re-evaluate."
D...inara Safina, along with her brother Marat Safin, both advanced to the second round of the French Open on Sunday.  Safina won 7-5, 6-4 over Yuliana Fedak, while Safin only lost five games en route to thrashing Fernando Vicente 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

McGrogan's Heroes

ATP - Despite falling in the Pörtschach final to Juan Monaco, Gael Monfils is unquestionably my hero this week on the men's tour.  Coming into last week, Monfils had lost an astounding seven consecutive ATP Tour matches, with his last victory coming against Marcos Baghdatis in January at the Australian Open.  I had the chance to watch Monfils up close at the 2006 U.S. Open, where he played Michael Russell in his first round match (that's me in the orange and blue).  The Frenchman's whipping forehands were potent on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows (see for yourself in this video I shot), but his best results as a pro have arguably come on clay, where last year, he reached the semifinals of Rome, and the fourth round at Roland Garros.  This year, Gael will start off the French Open against Olivier Rochus of Belgium, where he'll hope to use last week's momentum to best his result in Paris of a year ago.  As for Russell?  He also opens the French Open against a player from a small European country, but that's where the similarities end - it's Roger Federer.

WTA - The Bryan brothers are the undisputed titans of doubles on the ATP Tour, earning numerous Grand Slam titles and Davis Cup accolades throughout their career.  On the WTA Tour, while there isn't a dominant pair of siblings atop the doubles ranks, there are more partnerships of family members that dot the top 50 of the doubles rankings.  As of May 28, Ukranians Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko were ranked number 15, while Urszula and Agniesza Radwanska of Poland held the 45th position.  This past week in Turkey, the Radwankska sisters were victorious in doubles, defeating the top-seeded team of Yung-Jan Chan and Sania Mirza in the final.  Their draw wasn't looking very kind when in the opening round, they were drawn against the third seed in the doubles bracket - who just happened to be the Bondarenko sisters.  In this family feud, the Radwankas came out on top 6-4, 6-1, and went on to claim the Istanbul Cup.  It should also be noted that Agniesza reached the quarterfinals in the singles draw as well, before falling to Maria Sharapova in three sets.

This Week's Tournaments

Roland Garros (ATP & WTA - Paris, France)

• Website
• Men's Singles Bracket
• Women's Singles Bracket
• Men's Doubles Bracket (will be posted on Monday)
• Women's Doubles Bracket

Beyond the Bracket

In tennis literature, it's perfectly acceptable to interchange the terms "French Open" and "Roland Garros", without giving it much thought.  But there must be a reason for the two synonyms, n'est-cepas?  Of course there is.  Steve Tignor alluded to this fact in his blog earlier in the year, but for those of you who missed it, here's a quick history lesson on who (or what) Roland Garros is.

Born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, Roland Garros was a French aviator who was highly regarded in his craft, especially after becoming the first person to complete a nonstop flight across the Mediterranean Sea (from France to Tunisia).  When World War I started, he joined the French army, and became known as a marksman for his precise abilities in shooting down opposing German aircraft.  Sometimes dubbed as the world's first fighter pilot, Garros' contributions to the French cause in WWI were immense.

On April 15, 1915, Garros was shot down and brought to a prisoner-of-war camp, from which he escaped in 1918.  He rejoined the French army, but was killed on October 5, 1918, when his plane was shot down once again.

In 1927, the French Davis Cup team, affectionately known as the French Musketeers, won the Davis Cup by defeating the seven-time defending champion United States at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia.  Jacques Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste were heralded as heroes, and in 1928, they again faced the Americans in the final, this time in France.  For this event, the French Tennis Federation built a new tennis stadium, under the condition from the land donors Stade Français (a nearby tennis club) that the venue be named after a specific former member - Roland Garros.  The stadium was built, and subsequently, the French Championships, held in the same stadium, took on the name Roland Garros.

Other things French you may notice while watching Roland Garros are the advertisements on the classic green backstops that encase the red clay.  Many of the more prominently featured sponsors have developed long-term relationships with the event, and have been seen at the French Open for years.  BNP Paribas, an international banking network, has sponsored the French Open since 1973.  Peugeot, a French car manufacturer, has sponsored the tournament since 1984.  Lacoste, a clothing company inspired by French tennis player René Lacoste, outfits the majority of the employed line judges and officials of the French Open, which you can discern by the alligator logo.

In terms of how the event has evolved over the years, the French Open started as a national tournament in 1891.  In 1925, the event allowed international players to compete, and was contested on grass.  The switch to clay occurred in 1928, when Stade de Roland Garros was constructed.  Finally, in 1968, the French Open became truly "open", allowing amateurs and professionals into the tournament.  It was the first of the four Grand Slams to make this change, which holds true all the way to today.

--- Ed McGrogan