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Brian Swartz · 03-31-2017, 08:39 PM

Roland Garros

'Twas a sad event for Sri Lanka tennis to start things off. Girsh is MIA, Ujjaval had been fired by his manager a couple weeks previous and he didn't show up either; both at least figured to have a shot at making the round of 16 minimum, so they're not irrelevant yet. Shyam Senepathy won just seven games in losing badly to an Argentine player who isn't even in the Top 50. Mehul won a tough match in four sets in his first round, but it definitely was a poor start as there were just the two players representing us. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

A couple of has-beens were knocked out in the first round; Andronikov was one, the second was probably the round's best match. Spanish qualifier Lucio Astaburuagua ended 31-seed Theodore Bourdet, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 7-5. It's the first Slam appearance for Astaburuagua, so he really made a splash, and backed it up by winning his next match as well. The second round saw a shocked with world no. 4 Tomas Niklas going out in straight sets to Frenchman Hubert Lavicq, and a minor footnote as well with Moicevic departing early. Niklas has literally never lost this early in a Slam before, and was a finalist last year so for him to lose this easily to an unseeded player is a monstrous upset.

The third round saw a couple of upsets also; Browne was knocked out by fellow US player Ariel Borja(17), and the #2 American, Tiosav Srbulovic, lost in four to Guus Dirckx(18). A couple of rising stars making a path for themselves there. Mooljee kept right on trucking in the fourth round, crushing Cirakovic dropping just two games in the process, a rare domination this late in a tournament. No. 3 Gillo Fangio exited to Zarco in straight sets; Fangio's a credible clay-courter and this was definitely not the showing he was hoping for.

The quarterfinals had three players outside the Top 8, so there was more of a mix than usual. Mooljee had his first real fight, and nearly was dropped by Juan de los Santos. Santos was looked to show his supremacy on the dirt, and almost made it a straight-set affair before Prakash rallied for a 3-6, 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win. It was one of those he should have won easier, with a big BP edge of 18-8, but had to just keep fighting and grind it out. Martin Zarco gave Spain a representative in the final four by defeating Borja in four sets, while Kaspar and Janin were challenged with each losing a set, but both moved on as well on the bottom of the bracket.

Prakash Mooljee found Zarco to be almost as tough as Santos, but once again was relentless on return in a four-set win to reach the final. Kaspar-Janin was a fine second match, and Luc Janin walked away frustrated with a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 loss. He was just 4 of 16 in break chances, while Kaspar converted 6 of 9. The difference in serve was significant, but the world no. 2 still got pretty fortunate here. By taking this match, he guarantees that he will ascend to the top spot, regardless of the result of the last match.

Mateo Kaspar may have reached the top of the mountain, but Mooljee showed him he hasn't learned everything yet in a dominant 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 display. It's his first Slam title in almost a year and 8th overall, tying him with Mehul for the national record and 6th all-time. Any win over Kaspar is a good one, and he'll stay close behind him for the time being.

Elsewhere ...

Ritwik Dudwadkar entered the tier-3 challenger in Dublin, and lost another one of those matches I figured he'd have a shot in. Seems he loses all of them. This one was against 2-seed Hsuang-tsung Teng of New Zealand, who hangs out in the lower 40s in the rankings. 6-4, 6-4 was the final and a pretty fair representation of the match. Definitely needs to keep working, he's not ready to take the next step yet.

03-31-2017, 08:39 PM	#594
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Roland Garros 'Twas a sad event for Sri Lanka tennis to start things off. Girsh is MIA, Ujjaval had been fired by his manager a couple weeks previous and he didn't show up either; both at least figured to have a shot at making the round of 16 minimum, so they're not irrelevant yet. Shyam Senepathy won just seven games in losing badly to an Argentine player who isn't even in the Top 50. Mehul won a tough match in four sets in his first round, but it definitely was a poor start as there were just the two players representing us. Oh how the mighty have fallen. A couple of has-beens were knocked out in the first round; Andronikov was one, the second was probably the round's best match. Spanish qualifier Lucio Astaburuagua ended 31-seed Theodore Bourdet, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 7-5. It's the first Slam appearance for Astaburuagua, so he really made a splash, and backed it up by winning his next match as well. The second round saw a shocked with world no. 4 Tomas Niklas going out in straight sets to Frenchman Hubert Lavicq, and a minor footnote as well with Moicevic departing early. Niklas has literally never lost this early in a Slam before, and was a finalist last year so for him to lose this easily to an unseeded player is a monstrous upset. The third round saw a couple of upsets also; Browne was knocked out by fellow US player Ariel Borja(17), and the #2 American, Tiosav Srbulovic, lost in four to Guus Dirckx(18). A couple of rising stars making a path for themselves there. Mooljee kept right on trucking in the fourth round, crushing Cirakovic dropping just two games in the process, a rare domination this late in a tournament. No. 3 Gillo Fangio exited to Zarco in straight sets; Fangio's a credible clay-courter and this was definitely not the showing he was hoping for. The quarterfinals had three players outside the Top 8, so there was more of a mix than usual. Mooljee had his first real fight, and nearly was dropped by Juan de los Santos. Santos was looked to show his supremacy on the dirt, and almost made it a straight-set affair before Prakash rallied for a 3-6, 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win. It was one of those he should have won easier, with a big BP edge of 18-8, but had to just keep fighting and grind it out. Martin Zarco gave Spain a representative in the final four by defeating Borja in four sets, while Kaspar and Janin were challenged with each losing a set, but both moved on as well on the bottom of the bracket. Prakash Mooljee found Zarco to be almost as tough as Santos, but once again was relentless on return in a four-set win to reach the final. Kaspar-Janin was a fine second match, and Luc Janin walked away frustrated with a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 loss. He was just 4 of 16 in break chances, while Kaspar converted 6 of 9. The difference in serve was significant, but the world no. 2 still got pretty fortunate here. By taking this match, he guarantees that he will ascend to the top spot, regardless of the result of the last match. Mateo Kaspar may have reached the top of the mountain, but Mooljee showed him he hasn't learned everything yet in a dominant 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 display. It's his first Slam title in almost a year and 8th overall, tying him with Mehul for the national record and 6th all-time. Any win over Kaspar is a good one, and he'll stay close behind him for the time being. Elsewhere ... Ritwik Dudwadkar entered the tier-3 challenger in Dublin, and lost another one of those matches I figured he'd have a shot in. Seems he loses all of them. This one was against 2-seed Hsuang-tsung Teng of New Zealand, who hangs out in the lower 40s in the rankings. 6-4, 6-4 was the final and a pretty fair representation of the match. Definitely needs to keep working, he's not ready to take the next step yet.