Righto, that’s us done for today – join me again tomorrow at 1pm BST for the women’s semis, but until then peace and love.
Zverev congratulates Etcheverry on a good match and wishes him the best for the future. He’s played night matches to get to this stage and says he prefers the day as the ball bounces higher but ultimately he’s “in the semis of Roland Garros and there’s nothing else to talk about”. Asked about serving for the match, he says “I just have to remember i have a pair of balls and I can use them,” before praising the quality of the 5-4 game in which both he and his opponent were hitting the ball with serious velocity. This has been the most difficult year of his life, he concludes – he loves tennis and competing so having it taken away has been miserable – and he’s looking forward to the semis.
Alexander Zverev [22] beats Tomás Martín Etcheverry 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-3!
A service-winner to finish off, and Zverev meets either Rune or Ruud next.
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Down 15-0, Etcheverry gives a forehand down the line everything, noising up the crowd when it fizzes inside the line for a winner. But the one-two of a serve out wide then clean-up into the opposite corner takes Zverev two points away … but a backhand pass down the line makes 30-all. Problem being a wide forehand hands over match point….
A love-hold in double-quick time, meaning Zverev must serve for the match.
Etcheverry makes 15-all when a passing shot as Zverev comes in is too good, just – he gets racket on ball but can’t get it it over the net. And then, coming in again, he sticks a backhand volley into the net with loads at which to aim before dumping a backhand for 15-40! This has got to be a loss of focus because Etcheverry hasn’t earnt this, two first serves and backhand winners, now he’s paying attention again, underlining the point; deuce. And shonuff, though he spurns one game point when he comes in and can’t dig out a pass, he quickly consolidates thereafter, letting out a celebratory bellow. He leads 5-3 in the fourth.
Up 15-30, Zverev schleps up and down the baseline until Etcheverry splatters a forehand into the tape and must now face two break points … except only one is required, a forehand into the baseline meaning Zverev is just two holds from victory! Zverev 6-4 3-6 6-3 4-3 Etcheverry
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Etcheverry holds to love, then Zverev shanks a backhand wide to give him 0-15 … before holding for 3-3.
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Some absolutely concussive hitting at 40-15 and it’s Etcheverry who lasts longer, Zverev netting a forehand then serving wide of the T. In the context, this is a half-chance, and when he completes the double for deuce, he takes a moment to compose … then zetzes an ace wide onto the sideline. That angle was so oblique, but have a look! They hammer away again, then Etcheverry unloads the suitcase on a succession of forehands, eventually punishing one inside-out onto the line for deuce, and is rewarded by another double, swiftly redeemed by forehand and overhead. Next, Zverev takes a volley too late or a bouncing ball too early, netting, but saves another break point with another drop, quickly closing out from there. Zverev 6-4 3-6 6-3 2-2 Etcheverry
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A fine backhand return gives Zverev 0-15 but Etcheverry holds easily enough for 2-1 and we cut to footage of Gauff saying she tried to change things for her most recent defeat to Swiatek – she’s now 0-7 in the matchup – but she lost again so it didn’t work.
Meantime, Zverev holds for 1-1, and the more I think about it the less I feel he’s a chance if he makes the final.
“A bit like Man City vs Real Madrid recently,” begins Max Williams, “Friday’s Djokovic - Alcarez semi feels like a final in all but name. Which player on the other side of the draw do you reckon has the best chance of the upset? And does the answer change depending on Sunday’s opponent?”
I guess the women’s competition is similar, it’s just Sabalenka, the only player who might beat Swiatek now Rybakina has pulled out, is on the opposite side of the draw. I can’t see Ruud or Etcheverry giving either Djokovic or Alcaraz a problem, so I guess I’m going for Rune on a good day as he has power like Zverev but no scarring. Really, though, I agree that the semi is basically the final.
Etcheverry returns from his break and when Zverev makes 30-15 with an adroit pick-up, he’ll have been wondering. But he gets lucky with a missed forehand, then clouts one of his own to lead 1-0 in the fourth.
Alexander Zverev takes the third set to lead Tomás Martí Etcheverry 6-4 3-6 6-3!
A dominating hold including a fine volley, an ace and an overhead seals the set. Etcheverry nips off to the bogs and he has a lot of thinking to do.
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Etcheverry hangs on, forcing Zverev to serve for set three at 5-3.
…two saved, then Zverev steps out of court to try a backhand down the line … that scuds just long.
We were talking JP McEnroe earlier, which reminded me of a question he was once asked by Bill Simmonds: “Its 1979, Saturday night, 2am in Studio 54, downtown Manhattan. Bjorn and Vitas are both eyeing the same girl. Who is taking her home?”
“Vitas was an astonishingly good looking man and one of the most charismatic guys I’ve known. But let me tell you with absolute certainty, if all four Beatles in their prime, Elvis Presley, Brad Pitt, Casanova himself and Jesus Christ were all interested in a girl at the same time as Bjorn, that girl is leaving with Bjorn Borg.”
Meantime, Zverev races to 0-40 and three set points…
Make that five, Zverev holding to 30 when Etcheverry nets, and at 5-2 in set three, he needs one more game for a 2-1 lead.
Excellent from Zverev, a combination of power – a huge forehand – and touch – a delicate drop – giving him 15-40. Etcheverry does then save the first break point with a backhand cross-court which breaks the sideline, but when the next return drops onto the baseline, he can’t adjust quickly enough to keep the ball in play. Four in a row for Zverev, who looks very strong now. Zverev 6-4 3-6 4-2 Etcheverry
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Zverev hollers as he secures the hold that gives him 3-2 and it looks like momentum might’ve shifted. He’s still not playing that well, but provided he serves properly he should have enough to sort this.
At 30-all, Zverev chases down a drop and is there for the passing, but Etcheverry opts for a top-spin lob over a tall man, down wind, and the ball sails wide; can he hold onto his break? Er, no, Zverev sends him to the corner then steps in and crunches a forehand cross-court that levels the set at 2-2.
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Normal service is resumed, but at what cost? Zverev holds easily and he’s on the board in set three but a break down at 6-4 3-6 1-2.
Zverev smites a backhand down the line for 15-30, but Etcheverry his hitting it true now, almost waiting for the ball to bounce then, as it sits up, unleashing, and a succession of murderous forehands earn him a point for his consolidation. But after another long point, his efforts repelled, he loses patience, puff or both, trying a dreadful drop that pitches a yard before the next and means deuce. No matter: on advantage, he tries another drop – but only after a punishing forehand down the line – and this time, from further inside the baseline, it’s perfect. Etcheverry leads 2-0 in the third!
Oh yeah? Etcheverry is starting to win some of the longer rallies now, one such giving him 0-30, and when Zverev needlessly swipes a rushed backhand into the next he’s three points for a third game on the spin … and he only needs one, a backhand slapped down the line but wide the fourth unforced error in a row! What is going on?! Zverev 6-4 3-6 0-1 Etcheverry
Tomás Martín Etcheverry wins the second set 6-3 to level his match with Alexander Zverev at 1-1
He steps into court to discharge a booming forehand, Zverev’s backhand sails out, and do we got ourselves a ball-game?
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Gosh, 40-0 in front, Ethcheverry burns a set point then sends down a double. Here comes the third of three…
Now then. Down 0-15, Zverev doubles, then finds a big first serve down the middle. But he can’t land his first delivery at 15-30 so Etcheverry sends a get zoning just over the net, too low to facilitate a telling drop meaning he’s stood there in no man’s land waiting to be passed, and the Argentinian does not disappoint, lashing the ball past him to raise two more break points. And he only needs one, Zverev totally botching an overhead he could’ve let bounce before patting into the open space of his choice, and after struggling to make any impression on the serve throughout the first set, Etcheverry has now done so twice in a row and will shortly serve for the second. Zverev 6-4 3-5 Etcheverry
At 30-all, a service-winner out wide carries Etchebverry to within a point of consolidation, but a double means he’s to pass through deuce for it. In comms, they reckon he’s spraying his toss a little and the crucial one here was too far in front of him; can Zverev punish? Perhaps! He dominates the next rally from the weak serve that starts it, a crushing backhand down the line earning break-back point, then does likewise on advantage, forcing the error after hammering away from the back. He leads 6-4 3-4.
…and he takes it, skidding in to flip a poor, high-bouncing drop into the corner! That did not look like it was coming and yet here it is! Zverev 6-4 2-4 Etcheverry
Etcheverry watches then wallops Zverev’s defensive lob for 0-15, making 30-all courtesy of a double; can he attack the second serve? Yes he can, and when he runs around his backhand to clout a fore down the line, he has break point…
He cannot, Zverev holding then missing a backhand by a touch when up 0-15 next game. You can feel him probing for weakness but Etcheverry stays solid, a lovely one-two punch of wide serve and forehand clean-up making 40-15, a long return giving him 4-6 3-2.
At 30-all, Etcheverry slices a necessary ace out wide, rushes through another quick point, and he leads 2-1 in set two. Can he, though, find a way to break?
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Hello again and thanks Tom – this match is proceeding as expected, Zverev just that bit too strong. Etcheverry does have a route to victory – he needs to attack the weaknesses of forehand and second serve – but saying it and doing it are not similar. Anyhow, Zverev holds for 6-4 1-1.
Zverev* 6-4, 0-1 Etcheverry (*denotes next server). A forensic forehand down the line gives Zverev an ominously good start to Etcheverry’s service game. But the German is still prone to the odd error, overhitting badly as Etcheverry rallies to lead 40-15 and then hold with some dominant serving.
And with that, a well nourished Daniel is back to guide you through the rest of the afternoon. Bye.
Zverev wins first set against Etcheverry 6-4
Zverev 6-4 Etcheverry* (*denotes next server). A string of net-cord lets on his second serve betray a hint of nerves from Zverev, as does a limp backhand into the net for 15-15. An advancing whipped forehand winner quells the nerves but Etcheverry settles a long rally with a beautiful drop shot for 30-30. Forceful serve-volleying, however, takes Zverev to set point. He doesn’t squander these, and controls another fine rally until Etcheverry’s desperate attempted lob drops too long. The German leads by a set and has the upper hand.
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Zverev* 5-4 Etcheverry (*denotes next server). Etcheverry’s second best at the moment but not unfazed or out of his depth and he holds to love with haste to keep this first set going.
Zverev will now serve for the set.
Zverev 5-3 Etcheverry* (*denotes next server). Etcheverry responds to the break impressively, returning confidently to go 0-30 but – agh! – he nets sloppily following a long rally that he’d done well to stay in. He then grabs his first break points of the game after another gruelling rally is settled by a fine drop shot that Zverev nets. Zverev saves both though, the first in a rally reminiscent of the Fast Show’s Long Big Punch-up sketch and the second by dominantly pointing Etcheverry round the court. Then Etcheverry is so close to a brilliant backhand back-of-court winner only for the ball to just drop long. And Zverev goes on to hold, but that was a high-class game. There have been 20 rallies of more than nine shots, we’re told, and Zverev has won 15 of them. His kind of match, and surface.
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Zverev* 4-3 Etcheverry (*denotes next server). Our first break of serve: a forceful whipped crosscourt forehand from Zverev followed by masterful control of a long rally take him to 0-30, and he has two break points when Etcheverry’s backhand goes long. This time it’s taken, after Etcheverry pushes a forehand slightly wide. Zverev has the break, and it had been coming.
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Zverev 3-3 Etcheverry* (*denotes next server). The challenge for Etcheverry here is to get some sort of inroads into Zverev’s serve – he’s competing but not finding the killer instinct and the No 22 seed holds to love courtesy of dominant first-serving laced with a deft backhand volley at the net.
Zverev* 2-3 Etcheverry (*denotes next server). Etcheverry is almost matching Zverev’s power-hitting and certainly doesn’t look like a player in his first slam quarter-final but a couple of slightly misjudged shots – a drop and a backhand pass respectively – peg him back to 30-30 and another mistake gives Zverev a break point, which is saved when the German’s wayward backhand slice drifts out. Confident serve-volleying followed by a delicious backhand dropshot then secure a fine hold.
Zverev 2-2 Etcheverry* (*denotes next server). Zverev romps to 40-0 through a string of rallies that Etcheverry stays in, and is rewarded with a fine forehand winner for 40-15 but the German is not detained for long. Another quick hold, and we’re still on serve.
Zverev* 1-2 Etcheverry (*denotes next server). Etcheverry opens his body and lashes an excellent forehand winner to the corner to get his service game under way but Zverev’s aggression lands the following point. Etcheverry introduces some variety with a nerveless drop shot to go 40-15 up but is pushed around the court adeptly by Zverev for 40-30, but the Argentinian holds. His service game appears in decent nick.
Zverev 1-1 Etcheverry* (*denotes next server). Zverev double-faults first off but responds strongly with that booming first serve to go 40-15, and an ace looks to have completed a swift and comfortable hold before it is called a fault, which Zverev is most peeved about, losing the subsequent point before more emphatic serving levels it at 1-1.
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Zverev* 0-1 Etcheverry (*denotes next server). The Argentinian gets us going and fractionally overhits a double-handed forehand after a meaty confident rally to give Zverev the first point of the match. A strong smash at the net settles Etchverry’s nerves a touch. But he’s just a touch too wayward in this game and coughs up a first break point at 30-40, which he saves. Two more deuces ensue before a fine low forehand passing shot breaches Zverev’s defences and seals a good, demanding hold. Some fierce baseline rallies in this game, which may signpost the sort of match we’ve got ahead of us.
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Thanks Daniel. They’re knocking up now and we’ll be under way very shortly.
Anyhow, I’m off now for a spot of scran; here’s Tom Davies to coax you through the next hour.
Don’t forget that Zverev properly knackered himself playing in last year’s semis against Nadal – it’s taken him a year to get back to here, and he’s still not quite where he was. But he’s got the power to trouble anyone, and will fancy himself against whichever of Rune and Ruud wins the last quarter.
And here come our players…
So what of our next match? Well both men have colossal power, so I’d expect a lot of baseline thrashing – and make no mistake, Etcheverry has a chance. Prior to this year, he’d never won a match in a major, but at 23 he’s young, as he told Eurosport he was “born on clay”, and really believes he can do this. To get here, he’s beaten good players without dropping a set – problem being none of them are as good as Zverev.
Chrissy reckons Gauff isn’t yet capable of focusing for a whole match, and that sounds fair to me – Swiatek showed almost zero fallibility, and in a tight game, dropping here and there, as Gauff did is a problem.
Coming up next: Alexander Zverev [22] v Tomás Martín Etcheverry.
Swiatek says it wasn’t easy and the first set was tight – sometimes quarters are the hardest matches – and Gauff, though she’s still young at 19, is also experienced. Asked about the wind, she says they’re not exact and you never hit them perfectly, you just have to him them on instinct. Gauff, she notes, is tall so has a wingspan that means she can get back plenty, but she knew she could be in position to play the next shot. She’s quite happy today was a tighter match as she’s not spent long on court so far, doesn’t have a problem with coming back to play again tomorrow, and of course is then incited to praise the crowd – though there remains many empty seats.
Iga Swiatek [1] beats Coco Gauff [6] 6-4 6-2!
Iga Swiatek is just a total beast. She served well today – I’m sure it’s got quicker this last year – won the big points, and turned it up when she needed to. Gauff will be disappointed because she had chances and has improved a lot, but until she resolves her forehand issue won’t be able to win a major while the champ, who’s still to drop a set in the coumpetition, faces Haddad Maia in the last four.
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Gauff knows, I think, and Swiatek gets 0-15 with a forehand then 0-30 with a back, cross-court. Ultimately, she’s got just a bit too much, better in almost every department including mentality – she’s been very solid on the biggest points – and a double at 15-30 gives the champ and world no1 a chance to seal her semi-spot here and now….
Gauff plants her feet and leaps into a fantastic inside-out forehand which clips the sideline. Switek, though, hammers away off both flanks until she finds scope for a finishing forehand – she seems to anticipate her opponent’s shots better than anyone else – and when her opponent goes long, she rubs it in with an ace, then Gauff nets and suddenly this match is almost over. Swiatek 6-4 5-2 Gauff
Down 15-40, Gauff can’t decide whether to leap for a lob or run in behind it, the indecision enough to mean she can’t do either. So Swiatek breaks, and is now two games from victory; she’s ceded chances today, though, so this isn’t over yet – just five to.
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A straightforward hold apiece, so Swiatek leads Gauff 6-4 3-2 and it looks like I thought our first match did, the better player doing just enough to get in front and stay there. Gauff, though, is playing well; her problem is that Swiatek is better than Jabeur, especially on the dirt.
I should’ve noted earlier by the way, today is Pride Day at Roland-Garros. Visibility and representation matter, people.
Welcome to the very first Pride Day at Roland-Garros 🏳️🌈
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2023
…but nope, Gauff can’t take either, messing the second with a poor return to a gimme second serve; deuce. Next point, the players convene at the net again and this time, perhaps remembering that lob, Gauff slams the ball directly at her opponent; lovely stuff. Again, though, she can’t convert – Swiatek is winning almost all the big points – and shonuff she hangs on for 6-4 2-1.
Gauff holds then gets to 0-30 on the Swiatek serve ,whereupon a fine forehand return takes control of the next point and a drop looks to have won it … except with both players at the net and the whole court available, she somehow overhits her lob. No matter, she then digs out a forehand from the corner and Swiatek nets, so here come two break points…
Gauff looks serious during change of ends, either furious, stealing herself for what’s to come, or both. And at 0-15 she comes in to level the game – perhaps a change of tactics – problem being her tendency to hit forehands off her back foot then costs her as Swiatek punishes one of her own for 40-15 before closing out to 30. Three games in a row now for the champ who leads 6-4 1-0.
Iga Swiatek wins the first set against Coco Gauff 6-4!
Gauff will be devod at that, one careless volley and two poor forehands allowing a brutal forehand from Swiatek that cements her lead.
Right as Gauff looks to have taken control of the first point, lashing a backhand to the corner, she doesn’t do enough on the clean-up volley and Switek rushes to the net to flip over a winner; 0-15, and more pressure, then a netted forehand and 46 minutes of hard yakka is at risk. Ach, then another netted forehand and Swiatek has three set points!
Ach, at 0-15 Gauff lines up another backhand down the line … but this time she strays wide. It feels odd to call that a chance but it was, and so is this, Swiatek dropping a backhand just over the baseline. From 15-30, though, she closes out to lead 5-4 in set one; can Gauff handle the pressure of having to hold to stay in it?
….and Swiatek waits for a second serve, moving around her backhand to smite down the line .. . and into the tape. That was a chance, now gone, because on deuce Gauff power-strokes her money, the backhand down the line, and quickly closes out from there for four-four.
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Swiatek holds easily, then at 15-all finds a fine forehand – try saying that after a Babycham or 17 – for 15-30. Gauff does then make 30-all, but a rare backhand error means she’s facing break point at 3-4 30-40…
That was a crucial break because Swiatek has looked impregnable, not just so far today but across this tournament so far. Gauff, though, looks in trouble at 0-30, only to win the game from there courtesy of another botched forehand – this time into the net. Swiatek 3-3 Gauff
But now Gauff gets 0-30 and though Swiatek closes the gap with a winner, she nets a backhand to cede two break-back points. Gauff, it seems, has decided her route to victory is all-out attack, so she takes on a forehand down the line and misses, but then staying in the next point she refuses to commit – instead, she waits as Switaek comes in to stick away an easy ball … only to overhit it! Gauff breaks back immediately, and will now serve at 2-3 in the first.
Trouble for Gauff, who nets a backhand on the run at 0-30 and now faces three break points … and Swiatek only needs one, another netted backhand giving her a 3-1 advantage.
“Ohhhh!” exclaims Chrissy, Gary Nev-style, when Gauff races to the forehand corner, makes a terrific get, then pegs it the other way and sends a fantastic backhand cross-court for 15-30. But Swiatek holds nevertheless, and this is already a better standard than the first match – despite the drama and amity.
So how do you beat Swiatek? “Rybakina beats her regularly by just blowing her off the court,” says Calv, our resident coach, but that option isn’t available to Gauff “because her forehand is toilet”. She holds comfortably, though, while Chrissy, who earlier noted the same issue as Calv, says she had an all-court game at 15 which neither she not Graf did. Swiatek 1-1 Gauff
In co-comms, Chrissy says Swiatek doesn’t really have a weakness, but Gauff has the second-serve edge and will have to attack her opponent in that aspect. Not for now though, the challenger winning a point with a lovely stop-volley and the champion holding to 15.
What it's all about 🤗#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/770SsJeejm
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2023
And play, Swiatek to serve.
If Switaek loses today, she also loses her no1 ranking to Sabalenka – on which point, if you’re a regular reader and you've not wondered how Calv Betton analyses the match-up, you should be doing so here it is: “Swiatek will tonk Gauff cos she always does”. Sometimes, the simplest explanation is the best explanation, and Swiatek is 6-0 in the head-to-head, has mainly won easily, and knows to target the forehand.
Tangentially, if there was a better album than this in 2022, I didn’t hear it. Seriously, wade in and you disagree, come at me.
Here come out players, both of them with headphones. Can someone please ask what tunes they’ve got going on.
I can’t lie, I thought we’d seen the last of that Ons – she seemed to lose the faith after losing the second set, and couldn’t adjust when Haddad Maia started reading her drops. I’m sure she’ll be stronger on the grass at Wimbledon, but will be bothered by her collapse in the decider – and I hate to say it but make no mistake, that’s what it was.
Coming up next: Iga Swiatek [1] v Coco Gauff [6]. Don’t mind if we do!
“She’s a very nice person,” Haddad Maia says of Jabeur, adding that they know each other and she represents the women’s game so well. She believed in her body, didn’t mind playing a long game, and off she goes to prepare for her semi! What an achievement! This is the beauty of sport right here, two huge competitors battling then sharing love, and one of them living the greatest day of her life. Magic.
Haddad Maia claps when told she’s the first Brazilian woman to reach a semi in the open era, then takes a deep breath when asked how she managed to recover after such a long match in the last 16. She thanks the crowd, especially the Brazilians, then says in majors you get a day off and her amazing team worked on her body, but this is tennis, they work all year to be ready for this, and Jabeur is one of the best players in the world even on clay, so she’s very proud of herself and her team.
Beatriz Haddad Maia [14] beats Ons Jabeur [7] 3-6 7-6(5) 6-1!
Jabeur swipes long, Haddad Maia can barely believe what’s happened, and her vanquished opponent comes around the net to give her a long, deep hug that says so much. It’s Haddad Maia’s day, she reaches her first major semi by coming from a set down for the third time in the tournament, and will face Gauff or Swiatek next.
Oh Ons. She nets a backhand that gives Haddad Maia 0-30 and who saw this coming after the first set? And oh dear oh dear, stood mid-court, Jabeur nets a forehand which means she faces three match points! Can Haddad Maia embrace the tension? This the moment of her life!
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It’s so great to see a player come of age, and Haddad Maia, now 27, has left it late but looks at one with her game and though this is her first Slam quarter, I doubt it’s her last. Meantime, Jabeur fights her way to 30-all then smites a forehand return that yields break point … only to play a poor backhand which hands her opponent deuce. So the Tunisian goes again, taking command of the next point and Haddad Maia defends well only to botch her forehand as soon as she gets the chance to hit a winner … then Jabeur does exactly the same and is furious! Rightly so, a couple of those gets were very serious, the forehand she missed from mid-court, er, not. This is such a fun match now, both players hitting their highest level at its crucial juncture: Jabeur misses another couple of chances to break, then after Haddad Maia hits a lovely backhand for advantage, saves herself via forehand. No matter: Haddad Maia hangs tough, properly having a word with herself before serving at game point, and when Jabeur nets a backhand return, she’s a game away! Haddad Maia 3-6 7-6(5) 5-1 Jabeur
Another poor drop allows Haddad Maia to make 0-15 – maybe Jabeur should just forget that shot because it’s costing more than it’s gaining – and shonuff the big shots get her 30-15, then another drop is easily picked up for 30-all. So Jabeur clatters down what looks like an ace, but the umpire comes down to rule otherwise, then a forehand drops long and Haddad Maia has a point for 4-1 and a third consecutive break! She finds a lovely length on the forehand too, then of course as I type that sends one long at here comes another deuce, Haddad Maia landing a return on the line that’s good enough for advantage … saved by Jabeur, who saves another, then on deuce kicks away a return because she thinks the serve was out … which it wasn’t! What on earth?! Oh Ons! Oh mate! So Haddad Maia sticks a backhand onto the baseline …. when it comes back cuts a tremendous forehand cross-court onto the sideline … and Jabeur nets! She’s got her double-break back and leads 4-1 in the decider!
A return onto the line, Haddad Maia goes long, and has Jabeur relocated her moxie just in time? 3-1 in the decider…
Jabeur, though, may be playing off memory but also knows how to compete, and she makes 30-all then pastes a glorious forehand onto the sideline for a break point she knows she needs to take. Here it comes…
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I said this earlier, but against Sorribes Tormo, Haddad Maia hit a purple patch, she might just’ve done likewise here … and has Jabeur gone? On 30-all, a weak serve is annihilated down the line for a winner then another tame delivery is handed similar treatment, and that’s the double break! Beatriz Haddad Maia is flying! Ons Jabeur is floundering!
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Haddad Maia is feeling herself now, a terrific love consolidation giving her 2-0. she served really well in that game, finding an ace and the means through which to take command of the other points. Haddad Maia 3-6 7-6(5) 3-0 Jabeur
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Haddad Maia has a real chance at this now, mainly, because Jabeur isn’t playing that well – if she does, she wins. But the number 14 seed is doing a pretty good job of either hiding her backhand or hitting it less often, while running down the majority of drops sent in her direction. And shonuff she races to 15-40, and though Jabeur finds an ace onto the sideline in the process of making deuce, when she gets advantage another poor drop is followed by a netted forehand handing Haddad Maia another break point … and this time she takes it, attacking a weak second serve with a backhand, Jabeur sending her response wide! The Brazilian is controlling this match now, 1-0 up in the decider!
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Haddad Maia wins the second set to level the match against Jabeur at 3-6 7-6(5)!
A serve out wide, a colossal forehand into the opposite corner, and we’ve got ourselves a shoot-out for the semis!
Jabeur saves the first after a net-cord means all Haddad Maia can do bunt a ball back into play for the inevitable clear-up … then the second with another big forehand that she gives more than it needed; it clips the sideline. One more set point, this one on the Brazilian’s serve…
Haddad Maia restores her double mini-break, reading a forehand cross-court to guide a fine backhand winner down the line … but at 5-2, a double fault makes it tight again, then Jabeur opens the court only to plant a forehand long though she makes like it’s in! Three set points to the Brazilian!
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Haddad Maia is reading the drops now, racing in to retrieve one and earning herself a mini-break at 2-0 in the process. And have a look! Out of nowhere, a forehand from centre onto the sideline makes it 3-0 … then she immediately sacrifices half her advantage by patting into the net from a yard away. Haddad Maia 3-6 6-6 (3-1) Jabeur
If Haddad Maia loses here, that’ll be the shot she rues, and Jabeur eventually holds – but both players are struggling with their second serves. Whoever has to hit fewer will have a good shot at the breaker we’re about to enjoy.
Oh Beatriz! Coming right in to attack a second serve, she’s got the half the court at which to aim by the time a weak delivery clambers over the net … but she swipes wide! What a chance that was!
Haddad Maia makes 15-30 then reads a drop … only to lift her backhand beyond the baseline … but then a backhand winner down the line raises set point!
You can see Ons upping it, and a big forehand is gettable, but Haddad Maia isn’t quite quick enough – of thought or of foot – to dig it out. Trouble, because next she overhits a forehand, closing to 15-30 when Jabeur does similarly … but when a backhand is swiped wide, it means two break points, the first of the set. So facing a second serve, Ons comes in, only to go long when given a chance to attack, then Haddad Maia finds the forehands she needs to make deuce. Well done her, it looked like that moment at which the better player does the necessary, but she rushes through deuce, guaranteeing herself a breaker. Haddad Maia 3-6 6-5 Jabeur
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Jabeur sprints through a third straight love hold, sealing the deal with her fifth ace, and Haddad Maia must now go again, sooner than she’d have hoped. Jabeur leads 6-3 5-5.
A forehand get from Jabeur incites the error from Haddad Maia and makes 15-all, then at 30-all a double – that second serve was extremely tentative – ratchets up the pressure. Haddad Maia badly needs to land her first delivery now … and she does, then Jabeur misses with a drop, her fourth such oversight in a row; 40-30. Then, sent to the corner, Jabeur digs out a superb forehand, cross-court, but at the net, Haddad Maia watches it really well to put away the volley that gives her 5-4 in set two.
Love hold for Jabeur, her second in a row, and I’d expect her to attack Haddad Maia’s serve now, seeking to get this match did in the next 10 minutes or so.
A terrific forehand, pulled cross at the last second with Haddad Maia expecting line, gives Jabeur 15-30, and you do wonder if at some point she’ll produce a couple of winners in close proximity that will let her seal the match. Well, maybe – but not now, Haddad Maia closing out thanks to three consecutive errors, and we’re yet to have a break point in this set. Haddad Maia 3-6 4-3 Jabeur
Jabeur defends then switches momentum with a forehand into the corner, setting up a backhand winner that is both cute and acute. She holds easily and is serving much better now – but so is Haddad Maia.
So far this is a more usual set, comfortable holds more common than breaks or breaking opportunities – though we’ve yet to reach the elusive state of both players playing well simultaneously. Jabeur holds then finds a very nice forehand for 30-15, a return into the body enough for 30-all; can Haddad Maia respond? Yes she can, sealing the game with a high-kicking ace, and she’s playing with reasonable authority now. Haddad Maia 3-6 3-2 Jabeur
Oh yes! Haddad Maia, sent to the forehand corner, squash-shots a gorgeous winner down the line when cross-court looked her only feasible option. She holds to 15 and leads 2-1 in set two, Jabeur by one set to love.
In other news, the eyes here – majestic.
A hold each to begin set two, both of them relatively routine. I do, though, have to say that if Jabeur goes on to win, I can’t see how she beats Gauff, never mind Swiatek, unless she plays a whole lot better than this. Haddad Maia 3-6 1-1 Jabeur
Jabeur takes the first set against Haddad Maia 6-3!
More of the same from Jabeur, good shots and poor ones, but at 30-all she clouts an ace down the middle, then steps in behind another excellent delivery to unleash a booming forehand into the corner, and set one is in the books. Both players have constructed some very good points, and some dross.
Lovely from Ons, who finds a fine forehand, whipped towards the corner, that gives her 15-40, then attacks a second serve, drilling a backhand return onto the baseline, which facilitates the clean-up into the opposite corner. She leads 5-3 and will now serve for the set, but still – she’s not playing that well, meaning Haddad Maia is far from out of things.
Also going on…
Down 30-40, Jabeur hooks a forehand cross-court that looks out, but Haddad Maia confirms it was in, then runs down a forehand down the line, returns it with interest, and cleans up for another break point … which she takes at the net, reading a drop to make it 3-4. Currently, both players are producing moments but struggling for consistency.
Talking of tennis docs, has anyone seen the Becker series? I’ve not got to it yet but I will – him winning Wimbledon at 17, then doing it again the next year, is up there with the greatest sporting achievements of my lifetime. Anyhow, Haddad Maia holds for 2-4.
Haddad Maia makes 15-40 but stepping into a second serve – the correct play – she nets, then swipes a forehand down the line just wide with a lot of court at which to aim. Jabeur then unfurls forehands of her own, closing out for 4-1, and though this has been a tight set (of tennis), it looks to be heading to the favourite.
Big flex 💪#RolandGarros | @Ons_Jabeur pic.twitter.com/0gmk1Gs2oP
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2023
It’s ridiculous how empty Chatrier is; you don’t pay for the theatre and turn up at the interval, or buy a car then lob off its back wheels. And those with better things to do are missing a fun exchange of drops, Jabeiur hitting one on deuce that earns her another break point. Haddad Maia, though, bangs a serve out wide before sticking a forehand into the opposite corner – very nice. Not, though, anywhere near as very nice as Jabeur chasing one over the forehand side, stretching, and curling a majestic, oblique winner cross-court that dips over the net. She didn’t find that angle, she invented it, and this time she converts the advantage so thats three breaks in a row and a 3-1 lead.
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Yesterday I was talking about BBC’s God of Tennis series, which is not always slick but totally worth your time – the archive footage, in particular, is wondrous. Exhibit A:
A lovely chop floats over the next and dies; Jabeur has such eye and feel, just an absolutely beautiful tenniser. But again, Haddad Maia works her way to deuce, then a double hands her an opportunity to break back immediately … and she attacks the second serve, sending a forehand into the backhand corner before cleaning up into the forehand! Well played her, and she’s into the match. Haddad Maia 1-2 Jabeur
That is * chef's kiss * from Ons 🤌#RolandGarros | @Ons_Jabeur pic.twitter.com/SodCIhXuJX
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2023
Jabeur spanks a brace of forehands that earn her 0-30, and already it’s a test for Haddad Maia … and when a return loops onto the sideline, she’s facing three break points in her first-ever service-game in her first-ever major quarter. And though she saves one when a return drops out, when she tries a big forehand, it’s a little long and that’s 2-0 Jabeur.
On 15-0, Jabeur plays a luscious backhand slice drop cross-court – try putting the hyphens in that – which shows just how well she’s feeling things. But Haddad Maia is there too, slamming a forehand pass that earns her her first point of the match and we wind up at deuce as Jo Durie praises Jabeur’s candour in discussing how hard it is to play when she’s on her period, noting that your timing goes a little. Anyhow, after missing an easy ball on advantage she seals the hold for 1-0 and she’s in the match.
And play, Jabeur to serve.
Jabeur beat Haddad Maia in Stuttgart a couple of months ago, saying her plan is to move the Brazilian around. Haddad Maia, meanwhile, played the longest women’s match of the year in the previous round, an absolute belter against Sorribes Tormo. She’s got a really nice touch backed up with some serious power, but I wonder if she’s just a less good version of the same.
“I’m following your French Open updates, tweets Kate Warne, “and all the YouTube links yesterday made me want to share that RG used to have a karaoke booth for the players, circa 2007-2010, all on YT – for example:
Sensational.
And here come our players!
Preamble
Salut! And welcome to Roland-Garros 2023 – day 11! Who will join Karolína Muchová and Aryna Sabalenka; Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in the last four?
As yesterday, we begin with two women’s quarter-finals, and both look tasty in the extreme. This may be the first time Beatriz Haddad Maia has reached this stage of a major, but she’s playing like someone whose penny has dropped. Her patient, powerful, adroit, lefty game game looks in terrific order, and if she hits the level she produced in the second set of her last-16 match against Sara Sorribes Tormo, she has a chance of causing an upset. However Ons Jabeur has already passed the stage she’s currently at, now a fixture at the business end of things, and her combination of guile, hands and hitting looks a potent antidote to what the Brazilian brings.
Second on we’ve a potential classic. Iga Swiatek is the defending French Open champion, the US Open champion and the best player in the world … and Coco Gauff, who she beat in last year’s final, is surging, poised to finally fulfil her potential. If her backhand is working and her forehand is working well enough, she has the game to cause plenty of problems but most importantly of all, the way she’s carrying herself tells you she believes her time is now.
And finally this afternoon we’ve Alexander Zverev, still working his way back after injury, against Tomás Martín Etcheverry. If we’re being real, neither looks a potential winner, but both are hitting it nicely … and obscenely hard. The former has dropped just one set so far this competition and beaten both Francis Tiafoe and Griggzy Dimitrov, while the latter, a clay-court specialist, has yet to concede at all, having seen off Alex De Minaur, Borna Coric and Yoshihito Nishioka.
Or, put another way, we’ve got another terrific day in store. On y va!
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