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'Game Changers'

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Michael Duranceau

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rolandgarros.com: June 1 2015 Paris France - Top seed Novak Djokovic advanced into the quarter-finals for a sixth straight year after dominating Frenchman Richard Gasquet late Monday 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. The victory sets up a blockbuster showdown in the final eight with Rafael Nadal, the defending champion who has won all six of their at the French Open.  

Defending Nadal, the No. 6 seed, was extended to four sets by young American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. The 9-time Roland-Garros champion led by 2-sets-to-love and 5-3 and even served for the match before Sock came storming back, using his heavy groundstrokes to get back into the match. Nadal stemmed the tide in the fourth set to close out the match and set up a dream quarter-final battle against Djokovic.

Second seed Roger Federer returned for his match against Frenchman Gael Monfils after their match was suspended on Sunday night after splitting the first two sets. Federer came back strong breaking Monfils early on both the third and fourth sets winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win. The Swiss Maestro next faces Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka in what will be his 11th quarter-final appearance at Roland-Garros.

Third seed Andy Murray also quietly advanced to the quarterfinals after a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over local favorite Jeremy Chardy on Suzanne-Lenglen Court. Next up is No. 7 seed Spain’s David Ferrer.  The 2013 French Open finalist Ferrer reached earned 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 9 seed Marin Cilic, the reigning US Open champion. Joining them in the quarterfinals is Kei Nishikori who will battle France’s last hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Nishikori made history by becoming the first Japanese male to advance this far in Paris since the early 1933. 

rolandgarros.com: May 30 2015 Paris, France - Serena Williams advanced to the fourth round of Roland-Garros 2015 after a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Victoria Azarenka, a glorious two-hour-plus battle ending at nearly 9pm in Paris on Saturday night. Williams, the top seed and tournament favorite, staged another of her patented comebacks against an opponent who for the first set-and-a-half looked poised to pull off the tournament’s biggest upset.

You have to feel for Azarenka. She’s shown she can beat Williams – having won big finals over the American great in Miami, Doha and Cincinnati over the years – but in Grand Slam matches, she now trails the head-to-head 0-9. She led Serena by a set at Australian Open 2009 before succumbing to illness. At the same tournament the following year in the quarter-finals, she built a 6-4, 4-0 lead only for Williams to come storming back. She served for their epic 2012 US Open final when leading 5-3 in the third, then watched as Serena reeled off four straight games for victory.

And then, of course, there was the pair's dramatic match in Madrid earlier this month; Azarenka held three match points before Williams won in a third-set tiebreak. Today on Philippe-Chatrier Court, she lead by a set and 4-2, and by 2-0 in the third, yet could not get over the line.

However, the tennis world can thank Azarenka for being a player who is frequently able to push Williams to the limit; in an era in which Serena has few true rivals, their matches are genuine blockbusters. Williams played her part in the classic, summoning her best tennis when down – as she often does – and wresting control of the match thanks to a succession of winners.

She had looked sluggish early on. Azarenka arrived on court dialed in and ready to play, landing a high percentage of first serves and varying her delivery nicely to keep Williams off balance. She also returned with laser precision and impressive pace; Serena was frequently caught by surprise by the quality of Azarenka’s shots, and often responded with errors. That’s exactly how the first set ended – two big first served from the Belarusian forced identical return errors from Williams’ racquet.

Although Williams’ intensity improved in the second set, Azarenka managed to sustain a high level for much of it, building her aforementioned 4-2 lead. There was no one moment where the switch flipped – the No.1 seed simply tightened up her game and stopped missing. She began to gain control of the rallies and Azarenka pressed; misfiring more regularly, she watched Serena draw level, and then slam and ace for a 5-4 lead.

Not that the quality of tennis was suffering. The crowd was enjoying the intensity of the shot-making, especially when Azarenka recovered from 0-40 down to save three set points. She soon faced another when she narrowly missed a drop shot, and then come drama was added to the mix – on the ensuing point, the 27th seed played a forehand that clipped the line yet yet was called out, late. Although Azarenka argued that the late call did not hamper Williams’ swing, the umpire determined the point be replayed, much to Azarenka’s displeasure.

She lost the next point - and the second set. Anger fuelled Vika at the beginning of the third set; the ferocity in her game seemed to shock Williams, who quickly fell behind 2-0. When the American double-faulted to open the third game, Azarenka appeared in a commanding position.

That was until the winners suddenly began flowing from Williams’ racquet; she leveled at 2-2, produced a 202km/h ace on her way to holding for 3-2, and started to wear Azarenka down with her consistency and power. After a wild forehand error and a scream of frustration, Azarenka surrendered serve to fall behind 4-2.