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Brian Swartz · 12-12-2015, 05:25 PM

2042 French Open

The FO always holds a few surprises. This year, there were more than a few. We start off in the junior tournament, where Prakash Mooljee was seeded 13th. As in the other big events this year, he proceeded smoothly to the third round. 7th-seeded Blagota Cojanovic was there greeted very rudely. Normally Mooljee loses against a top-ranking player at this stage, or gets upset like at the Italian, but he abused Cojanovic 6-3, 6-0, winning nearly 70% of his points on return to move to the quarters in dominating fashion. There he lost against Jurco, who would go on to lose a tight final, almost as decisively. It was a second straight magical run to the finals in doubles, and the combination of these two successes move Mooljee well into the Top 20 again at 15th. Overall, Roland Garros was his best tournament of the year to date.

The next week, the professional event commenced with Girish Girsh as the 18th seed. Dropping out of the Top 16 was not good for him, but he was unchallenged en route to a third-round match with Spain's veteran Andres Blanco. This was a pretty favorable matchup, and was almost as good as it would have been to keep his higher seeding. It's nice to have things break your way. The match figured to be a toss-up, Blanco a slight favorite if anything but definitely a match either man could win. That's how it played out, with the pair splitting tiebreaks in the first two sets. Girsh took a tight third but really laid an egg in the fourth. The final set eventually went his way, and he claimed his first-ever 4th-round berth here(the USO last year he reached this stage as well), 7-6(5), 6-7(1), 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. He was the best player overall despite the bad fourth set, but only narrowly: he won 40% on return to 38%, out-aced Blanco 20-14, but was actually out-pointed by one, 176-175. Either player could indeed have won, and it was great to see him come through one of these when he could have folded. Girsh may nearly be back from his months-long slump.

He lost in the next match to Iglar in straight sets, but it was competitive esp. in the second set. All in all a good run here for Girsh and there's nothing to complain about in his game from it. Follow-up performances like this will have him well on his way, if he can produce them.

Anil Mehul had a tournament he will not soon forget. In it's own way, it might be on the shortlist of his greatest moments when his time in the sport is done. He gave up only 10 games in his first three matches combined, actually getting better as the rounds progressed. And there was a familiar and completely unexpected foe in his path at that point:

Julian Hammerstein.

No, do not adjust your receivers. It was the first big singles event Hammerstein has played all year, and yet he still has enough skill to make Mehul a small underdog. They had played only twice a few years ago on clay; Mehul had not one a set in those meetings. He took the first here, but the Austrian rallied to take the second and third and it appeared that our hero might fall in the 4th round for the second straight year. I don't know if it was resurgence at that point or if Hammerstein just ran out of gas or what, but Anil turned the tables on him for a 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Ironically, the way it was forged was by being better than the normally mentally stout Hammerstein in the key moments. He converted 8 of 15 break chances, compared to 6 of 16 for Julian: not a huge difference but in a tight match it was enough to make the difference. Very possibly he should have lost this, but he's lost plenty in his career he should have won, and either way Mehul moves on. Hammerstein still leads the H2H 6-5, and it has been three years since either player won two in a row. This almost certainly would have ended differently if JH would not have diverted so much effort to doubles; but he did, and so here we are. A big win for Mehul without a doubt.

Gaskell was next in the quarters. This figured to be a tight match with the American not quite as skilled but still improving and considerably better on the clay. Confidence on his part was a big question mark, with Mehul owning a 7-1 edge in their meetings including the last four(all on hard court), along with a decisive win in their only clay matchup back in the '38 Olympics. There were no signs of such struggle though in the first set as Pierce grasped a razor-thin tiebreak. Mehul rallied to take the next two sets, only to struggle at key moments and hand over the fourth without much of a fight. Just when it looked like this might be a reverse of the Hammerstein comeback, he refocused and controlled the fifth set from the start. It still wasn't easy, but for the second straight time he comes through in five to reach his first-ever French Open semifinal, 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Again it was so very tight, 165-162 in points, 41%-40% in return points, break points nearly even, overall Gaskell put the most pressure on but just a bit better in the most critical moments was Mehul to get through.

So on to the semis it was, two 5-setters that could easily have been defeats in the rearview mirror. And who was here waiting? Bjorn Benda. The Emperor of Clay. Mehul held an 8-6 lifetime edge against him including wins in the last three and six of the last seven, but not a one of those prior to this, their 15th encounter, was on clay. As I've mentioned before, this was because he'd never gotten far enough in a clay tournament to face the world's best on this surface. Those who thought the German would be more vulnerable this year had been proved wrong: he had yet to drop a set in 15 matches this year, extending his clay winning streak to an absurd 61 in a row. The last time he lost on the dirt was against Alastra in the final of the '38 Rome Masters, over four years ago.

At least Mehul was here to be part of this year's coronation. The storyline wrote itself ... except that he refused to co-operate, not just winning the first set but taking it to Benda from the opening toss. In the second, a tiebreak ensued and a very tight one, eventually one by the German. Mehul struck back in the third, shockingly putting Benda one set from ending his streak ... and then either he simply didn't have anything left or the champion upped his level. Probably some of both, as such things usually are. It was time for Anil to be on the receiving end of a comeback, 2-6, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. So close, so very close, to ending one of the great runs in recent tennis history. That second-set tiebreak will be something he long remembers. One more big serve, one less error at a key point there, and he would have shocked the world by making it through in straight sets against the seemingly invincible Benda. As it was, on the whole he was outplayed though it was close. On the other side, Iglar and Alvarez staged a classic as well, with the no. 1 escaping only 8-6 in the 5th.

Three straight epic five-setters. And just like Wimbledon last year, he was literally a point or two away from a winnable Slam final, only to fall short. However, this was not even the biggest surprise of the French Open this season. In the final, this semi was proved not to be a fluke. Benda took the first set against Antonin Iglar, but didn't win another; he was dethroned by the Czech legend, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Here, perhaps, despite his dominance coming in, is the moment to recognize that Benda's time at the top is either over or nearly so.

More than that though, it was a historic step for Iglar, who not only completes the career Slam but presently holds all five major titles(Four Slams + World Tour Finals). The list of men who have done that, ever, is short. Previously Eric Gorritepe was the only man on it: now, that number is doubled to two, with Iglar joining him.

For Mehul, these events place Benda within his sights, and his ascendance to the no. 2 spot by year's-end seems almost assured. The gap between them in the rankings is now just 430 points.

Coming Up ...

Mehul will have the next couple of weeks off, while Girsh takes only one and then plays a warmup before Wimbledon. Mooljee will be in action there as well of course. It is possible Anil Mehul could take the #2 spot in the world rankings at the oldest championship in tennis; he is also a serious contender for his first title there. It is a particularly big moment for him, full of confidence as he is after an impressive run at Roland Garros. But for now, rest and preparation are in order.

12-12-2015, 05:25 PM	#206
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	2042 French Open The FO always holds a few surprises. This year, there were more than a few. We start off in the junior tournament, where Prakash Mooljee was seeded 13th. As in the other big events this year, he proceeded smoothly to the third round. 7th-seeded Blagota Cojanovic was there greeted very rudely. Normally Mooljee loses against a top-ranking player at this stage, or gets upset like at the Italian, but he abused Cojanovic 6-3, 6-0, winning nearly 70% of his points on return to move to the quarters in dominating fashion. There he lost against Jurco, who would go on to lose a tight final, almost as decisively. It was a second straight magical run to the finals in doubles, and the combination of these two successes move Mooljee well into the Top 20 again at 15th. Overall, Roland Garros was his best tournament of the year to date. The next week, the professional event commenced with Girish Girsh as the 18th seed. Dropping out of the Top 16 was not good for him, but he was unchallenged en route to a third-round match with Spain's veteran Andres Blanco. This was a pretty favorable matchup, and was almost as good as it would have been to keep his higher seeding. It's nice to have things break your way. The match figured to be a toss-up, Blanco a slight favorite if anything but definitely a match either man could win. That's how it played out, with the pair splitting tiebreaks in the first two sets. Girsh took a tight third but really laid an egg in the fourth. The final set eventually went his way, and he claimed his first-ever 4th-round berth here(the USO last year he reached this stage as well), 7-6(5), 6-7(1), 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. He was the best player overall despite the bad fourth set, but only narrowly: he won 40% on return to 38%, out-aced Blanco 20-14, but was actually out-pointed by one, 176-175. Either player could indeed have won, and it was great to see him come through one of these when he could have folded. Girsh may nearly be back from his months-long slump. He lost in the next match to Iglar in straight sets, but it was competitive esp. in the second set. All in all a good run here for Girsh and there's nothing to complain about in his game from it. Follow-up performances like this will have him well on his way, if he can produce them. Anil Mehul had a tournament he will not soon forget. In it's own way, it might be on the shortlist of his greatest moments when his time in the sport is done. He gave up only 10 games in his first three matches combined, actually getting better as the rounds progressed. And there was a familiar and completely unexpected foe in his path at that point: Julian Hammerstein. No, do not adjust your receivers. It was the first big singles event Hammerstein has played all year, and yet he still has enough skill to make Mehul a small underdog. They had played only twice a few years ago on clay; Mehul had not one a set in those meetings. He took the first here, but the Austrian rallied to take the second and third and it appeared that our hero might fall in the 4th round for the second straight year. I don't know if it was resurgence at that point or if Hammerstein just ran out of gas or what, but Anil turned the tables on him for a 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Ironically, the way it was forged was by being better than the normally mentally stout Hammerstein in the key moments. He converted 8 of 15 break chances, compared to 6 of 16 for Julian: not a huge difference but in a tight match it was enough to make the difference. Very possibly he should have lost this, but he's lost plenty in his career he should have won, and either way Mehul moves on. Hammerstein still leads the H2H 6-5, and it has been three years since either player won two in a row. This almost certainly would have ended differently if JH would not have diverted so much effort to doubles; but he did, and so here we are. A big win for Mehul without a doubt. Gaskell was next in the quarters. This figured to be a tight match with the American not quite as skilled but still improving and considerably better on the clay. Confidence on his part was a big question mark, with Mehul owning a 7-1 edge in their meetings including the last four(all on hard court), along with a decisive win in their only clay matchup back in the '38 Olympics. There were no signs of such struggle though in the first set as Pierce grasped a razor-thin tiebreak. Mehul rallied to take the next two sets, only to struggle at key moments and hand over the fourth without much of a fight. Just when it looked like this might be a reverse of the Hammerstein comeback, he refocused and controlled the fifth set from the start. It still wasn't easy, but for the second straight time he comes through in five to reach his first-ever French Open semifinal, 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Again it was so very tight, 165-162 in points, 41%-40% in return points, break points nearly even, overall Gaskell put the most pressure on but just a bit better in the most critical moments was Mehul to get through. So on to the semis it was, two 5-setters that could easily have been defeats in the rearview mirror. And who was here waiting? Bjorn Benda. The Emperor of Clay. Mehul held an 8-6 lifetime edge against him including wins in the last three and six of the last seven, but not a one of those prior to this, their 15th encounter, was on clay. As I've mentioned before, this was because he'd never gotten far enough in a clay tournament to face the world's best on this surface. Those who thought the German would be more vulnerable this year had been proved wrong: he had yet to drop a set in 15 matches this year, extending his clay winning streak to an absurd 61 in a row. The last time he lost on the dirt was against Alastra in the final of the '38 Rome Masters, over four years ago. At least Mehul was here to be part of this year's coronation. The storyline wrote itself ... except that he refused to co-operate, not just winning the first set but taking it to Benda from the opening toss. In the second, a tiebreak ensued and a very tight one, eventually one by the German. Mehul struck back in the third, shockingly putting Benda one set from ending his streak ... and then either he simply didn't have anything left or the champion upped his level. Probably some of both, as such things usually are. It was time for Anil to be on the receiving end of a comeback, 2-6, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. So close, so very close, to ending one of the great runs in recent tennis history. That second-set tiebreak will be something he long remembers. One more big serve, one less error at a key point there, and he would have shocked the world by making it through in straight sets against the seemingly invincible Benda. As it was, on the whole he was outplayed though it was close. On the other side, Iglar and Alvarez staged a classic as well, with the no. 1 escaping only 8-6 in the 5th. Three straight epic five-setters. And just like Wimbledon last year, he was literally a point or two away from a winnable Slam final, only to fall short. However, this was not even the biggest surprise of the French Open this season. In the final, this semi was proved not to be a fluke. Benda took the first set against Antonin Iglar, but didn't win another; he was dethroned by the Czech legend, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Here, perhaps, despite his dominance coming in, is the moment to recognize that Benda's time at the top is either over or nearly so. More than that though, it was a historic step for Iglar, who not only completes the career Slam but presently holds all five major titles(Four Slams + World Tour Finals). The list of men who have done that, ever, is short. Previously Eric Gorritepe was the only man on it: now, that number is doubled to two, with Iglar joining him. For Mehul, these events place Benda within his sights, and his ascendance to the no. 2 spot by year's-end seems almost assured. The gap between them in the rankings is now just 430 points. Coming Up ... Mehul will have the next couple of weeks off, while Girsh takes only one and then plays a warmup before Wimbledon. Mooljee will be in action there as well of course. It is possible Anil Mehul could take the #2 spot in the world rankings at the oldest championship in tennis; he is also a serious contender for his first title there. It is a particularly big moment for him, full of confidence as he is after an impressive run at Roland Garros. But for now, rest and preparation are in order. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 12-12-2015 at 05:26 PM.