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The second blog for The Yorker from the University of York Riding Club
In the men’s draw, the first round saw the elimination of five seeds, the highest being Berdych (6).
Andy Murray secured his place in the second round with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 victory over France’s Prodon and this sees him flying the flag alone for Great Britain.
Nine Frenchmen progressed to the next round, ensuring the home crowd will have plenty to cheer for over the next few days. This includes seeds Gasquet, Monfils and Simon, who are expected to do well in their home competition.
Match of the round
This has to be Nadal against Isner. The unseeded American, playing for only his third time at Roland Garros, had a close game with the world number one, narrowly losing 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 6-4 over four hours. Isner made Nadal think and move quickly, proving the Spaniard isn’t unbeatable on clay, and even though Nadal won through, Isner gave a wonderful performance.
Shock of the round
After taking a two set lead over his opponent, Berdych went on to lose his match and this has to be one of the biggest shocks of the first round. The Czech, seeded 6th, succumbed 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-9 to unseeded Frenchman Robert, who, aged 31 and never having progressed past the first round of the French Open before, was not expected to be a threat.
Early final prediction
Despite an early warning for Nadal, I can see him progressing to the final as he will want to fight to the last to keep his number one world ranking. Djokovic looks the most likely to meet him there as he is playing spectacularly this year and eased to a 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 victory in his first round match. I don’t see anyone beating him, not even Federer.
In the women’s draw, six seeds fell and the highest ranked casualty was seed 18, Pennetta. Five Frenchwomen were victorious and will play again in front of the passionate French crowds over the next few days.
For Great Britain, Keothavong’s unsuccessful Grand Slam performances continued as she crashed out of Roland Garros in the first round for the third year running.
There was success, however, for Britains Baltacha and Watson, who both won in straight sets and will fight for GBR in the second round.
Match of the round
Bartoli, seeded 11th, lost her first set 1-6 to unseeded Tatishvili before storming back and winning the next sets 6-2 and 6-1 to seal victory. This sort of determination and fight-back makes seeds stand out and go far in the competition and is just what the supporters want.
Shock of the round
Ivanovic lost 7-6, 0-6, 6-2 to unseeded Larsson and this will be a big blow for the 20th seed as she struggles to keep her ranking and regain the good form that saw her win the title in 2008. She has struggled with injuries this year, most recently tendonitis, and her frustration showed as she left the court in tears.
Early final prediction
Top seeds Wozniacki and Clijsters have both been playing well recently and both won their opening matches convincingly. The women’s draw is generally more open than the men’s but I don’t see these two players slipping up.
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