 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Gabashvili stuns Roddick
Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili swatted sixth seed Andy Roddick aside 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the third round of the French Open on Saturday as the American let his temper get the better of him.
Roddick angrily threw his rackets towards his entourage after being broken in game seven of the opening set and never gained a foothold in the match as Gabashvili booked his place in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The signs were ominous for the former U.S. Open champion, never past the fourth round here, when he cracked a racket as he flung it to the ground at 0-40, 3-3 in the opening set.
Temperamental Roddick
Gabashvili broke with a delightful drop shot on the next point and when Roddick returned to his chair he furiously pulled out his selection of rackets, hurled them towards his coaching team and barked string tension instructions at them.
The puzzled ballgirl picked up the rackets and handed them to Roddick's party, and the American would then never settle throughout a match played in cool, overcast conditions on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Gabashvili always looked the most likely winner in the lengthier exchanges with single breaks enough for him to surge into a two set-lead over Roddick who engaged in irritable exchanges with the umpire throughout.
Impressive Gabashvili
Gabashvili, who is still to lose a set here this week, battered Roddick with 58 winners and comfortably returned the American's big serve despite his 72 per cent first service rate.
The world number 114 then broke Roddick twice for a 4-0 lead in the third and held on with ease, sealing victory in an hour and 54 minutes with another forehand winner.
Melzer sinks fancied Ferrer
Ninth seed David Ferrer fell to a surprise 6-4, 6-0, 7-6 defeat by Austria's Jurgen Melzer in the third round of the French Open.
The Spaniard, a finalist in Rome earlier in the claycourt season, never got to grips with the Austrian's pace from the back of the court and was two sets down in barely an hour.
Melzer, seeded 22, reached the fourth round for the first time in eight attempts when Ferrer crunched a forehand into the net to lose the third set tiebreak 7-1 after an hour and 56 minutes.
Melzer now faces Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili for a place in the quarter-finals.
Djokovic survives Hanescu scare
World number three Novak Djokovic survived a second-set lapse before beating Romania's Victor Hanescu 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and book his place in the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday.
In a seesaw performance, the Serbian pumped his fists and smashed his racket onto the ground as he struggled to break Hanescu's resilience on Centre Court.
He came back from a break down, however, in the fourth set to win six games in a row, wrapping up the win when the 31st-seeded Hanescu misfired a service return after two hours and 38 minutes.
Serena battles past Pavlyuchenkova
Serena Williams survived a second-set wobble in the third round of the French Open on Saturday, but recovered her senses in time to beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 1-6, 6-2.
The American world number one dropped serve immediately against her teenage opponent on a fresh morning at Roland Garros before reeling off the next six games.
Pavlyuchenkova, the 29th seed, broke serve again at the start of the second set but this time she rammed home her advantage and sped into a 5-0 lead at which point a sickly-looking Serena was checked over by the doctor.
Williams, the 2002 champion, saved two break points in the third game of the decider, one with an ace, before regaining control and she claimed victory after one hour 48 minutes when she drilled a return at the feet of Pavlyuchenkova.
Rezai's dream comes to an end
Local hope Aravane Rezai's dreams of a French Open crown were dashed in 15 minutes on Saturday as Russian Nadia Petrova emerged a 6-7, 6-4, 10-8 winner of a sudden death shoot-out in the third round.
The 15th-seeded Rezai, who beat Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams en route to the Madrid Open title earlier this month, cracked first on a chilly Parisian morning after play re-started at 7-7 in the decider.
Rezai had saved three match points against the 19th seeded Petrova late on Friday before play was interrupted by dusk.
After the first three games went against serve, Petrova finally held to prevail on the day's first match point to set up a fourth-round clash with world number two Venus Williams.
Nadal fends off dogged Hewitt
Rafael Nadal broke down some typically stiff resistance from Australian Lleyton Hewitt to record a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory in their third-round clash on a chilly afternoon at Roland Garros.
Hewitt, who must be sick of the sight of the Mallorcan here after now losing to him in four of the last five years, rocked the Spaniard by breaking in the opening game, but Nadal hit back immediately and gradually cranked up the pressure.
Hewitt stood toe-to-toe with Nadal in some spellbinding baseline rallies, at one point prompting a forehand winner from the Spaniard which saw him roll over on his back into the red Parisian clay after executing the shot.
The Australian battled as tenaciously as ever, breaking the Nadal serve three times to keep the interest levels up for a crowd huddling from a chill wind, but he generally lacked the firepower to extend Nadal.
The end came after two hours and 28 minutes when Hewitt pelted a backhand long.
"He's an unbelievable player, a great champion, a former number one. When I was young I always watched Lleyton on TV, he was one of my idols and to play him is a pleasure," Nadal said in a courtside interview.
Nadal, a four-time champion, next plays Brazilian 24th seed Thomasz Bellucci on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Jankovic fends off Bondarenko challenge
Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic secured her place in the fourth round of the French Open with a 6-4, 7-6 win over Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko on Saturday.
The Serbian, twice a semi-finalist in Paris, kept her cool in the key moments although she made 33 unforced errors in fading light on Suzanne Lenglen court.
Bondarenko, the 27th seed, fought back from a break down in the decider, but made a hash of the tiebreak, losing it 7-3 after one hour and 46 minutes when she netted a routine backhand.
Jankovic will next face Slovakian 23rd seed Daniela Hantuchova for a quarter-final spot.
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.