27 min
Roland Garros week one round up - Simona, Serena, and a sonic boom; Nadal, Djokovic, or Thiem; upsets and rise of the lower ranked players Points To Defend | Tennis Podcast
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- Tennis
We're back with a round up of the first week and some pre-QF observations and predictions at Roland Garros. If you've missed anything from the first, second, third, or even half of the fourth rounds we've prioritised the biggest and best stories of week one (and a bit) at the French Open. These are your absolute need-to-know, TLDR (or didn't watch) essentials. Didn't have time to watch every match? These are the only ones we remembered from week one, ie the ones who were worth us watching. Don't really follow tennis? Learn the basics and best bits of RG20 to impress people with your niche knowledge.
Simona Halep is one of many top players and former Grand Slam champions knocked out, and it may be the biggest upset yet because has there been a clearer favourite for a Major on the women's side in recent years than Simo here? With other big names like Bertens, Muguruza and Pliskova gone, is Elina Svitolina taking the pressure in her stride and making the most of the draw to win her first Slam? Murray / Wawrinka and Thiem /CIlic were the most anticipated first rounds and they flopped. We were then robbed of a Thiem / Wawrinka fourth round after French wildcard Gaston beat Stan but he went on to produce an equally entertaining match against Domi and almost beat him. Who are the lower ranked qualifiers and wild cards making a name for themselves here and causing big upsets? Sebastian Korda is a fanboy (and stole our cat name idea) but is this a theme in how the young ATP players approach the big three compared to young WTA stars approaching Serena? Jamie gushes about Jannik Sinner for a few mins and we wonder if he'll be the guy to finally test Rafa. And how much have the conditions, the cold, and the new balls really impacted play so far? Also re-evaluating our picks for the men's and women's winners and throwing in new names.
We're back with a round up of the first week and some pre-QF observations and predictions at Roland Garros. If you've missed anything from the first, second, third, or even half of the fourth rounds we've prioritised the biggest and best stories of week one (and a bit) at the French Open. These are your absolute need-to-know, TLDR (or didn't watch) essentials. Didn't have time to watch every match? These are the only ones we remembered from week one, ie the ones who were worth us watching. Don't really follow tennis? Learn the basics and best bits of RG20 to impress people with your niche knowledge.
Simona Halep is one of many top players and former Grand Slam champions knocked out, and it may be the biggest upset yet because has there been a clearer favourite for a Major on the women's side in recent years than Simo here? With other big names like Bertens, Muguruza and Pliskova gone, is Elina Svitolina taking the pressure in her stride and making the most of the draw to win her first Slam? Murray / Wawrinka and Thiem /CIlic were the most anticipated first rounds and they flopped. We were then robbed of a Thiem / Wawrinka fourth round after French wildcard Gaston beat Stan but he went on to produce an equally entertaining match against Domi and almost beat him. Who are the lower ranked qualifiers and wild cards making a name for themselves here and causing big upsets? Sebastian Korda is a fanboy (and stole our cat name idea) but is this a theme in how the young ATP players approach the big three compared to young WTA stars approaching Serena? Jamie gushes about Jannik Sinner for a few mins and we wonder if he'll be the guy to finally test Rafa. And how much have the conditions, the cold, and the new balls really impacted play so far? Also re-evaluating our picks for the men's and women's winners and throwing in new names.
27 min