Roland Garros 2006

[reese]

AAHH GREAT PICS ;D ;D ;D THANK YOU
Womens Final : Henin - Kuznetsova
Kimmy what happend??

[alsl]

exactly what i thought!!! :oI thought their match would last forever but the shots that Kim made which, to an ordinary player would have been winners or forced errors, didn't crack Justine at all.No matter,clay isn't for Kim so she shouldn't get into a tizzy about it.

I was hoping for this lineup for the final..eventhough Justine is the obvious strong favourite, :-/I know Kuzy wants it a lot and will fight hard for it. ;D

[alsl]

Kuznetsova stages miracle recovery
By Araz Gulekjian
Thursday, June 8, 2006

Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova produced a heroic display against teenage standout Nicole Vaidisova to squeeze into her first ever Roland Garros final by the skin of her teeth.

Down a set, and two points away from defeat, the 20-year-old Russian (and No8 seed) found the resources to post a remarkable 5-7 7-6(5) 6-2 triumph over her 17-year-old Czech opponent (No16) in two hours and 31 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

On her way to her second Grand Slam final, Kuznetsova thumped eight aces, pounded 26 winners and made only 19 unforced errors to an overwhelming 47 for Vaidisova.

"At the start, I was solid but suddenly I wanted to win points too fast,' Kuznetsova said.

"I let her go a little bit. In the second set, she played unbelievable. She was hitting the lines. I was just putting the ball back and taking no risks. She started rushing her shots. I think she got a little nervous.

"I had a little bit more experience than she had. I was better physically at the end," added the Russian who is now slated to meet reigning champion Justine Henin-Hardenne who swept past fellow-Belgian Kim Clijsters 6-3 6-2.

"She's going to be a tough opponent. Justine is amazing. She's probably the best clay court player on the tour. But I'll have nothing to lose."

Both players performed well below their best during today's contest, but it was Kuznetsova who showed glimpses of the form that had seen her clinch the 2004 US Open crown.

www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2006-06-08/200606081149779989299.html..the rest here

[marats]

Thanks for the info !

[arwen21]

marat said:

Thanks for the info !

Heyyy marats!! long time!!! how are you??? ;D

[alsl]

The big final this Saturday:kuzy vs. Juju

H2H aren't too good tho:

Justine leads 10-1 in H2H and has won all their clay matches...playing last at Berlin this year in the QF, NVM!!go against all odds,sveta!! ;D

[Annie]

Nalbandian just retired from his match against Roger. David won first set 6:3, was up 3:0 in second but lost it 4:6, Roger went to serve for set at 5:2 in third and Nalby retired

For the first time in his career Roger Federer is in the RG final ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[LaFFy TaFFy]

great 1st set by david then just lost it, really wanted him to win

[sabz]

Roger Federer reached his first French Open final on Friday after Argentine David Nalbandian quit while trailing 3-6 6-4 5-2 in their semi-final. Federer, who is looking for his first Roland Garros triumph, awaits the winner of the Ivan Ljubicic and Rafael Nadal match.

Nalbandian called a medical timeout during the third set and, apparently feeling unwell, informed the umpire that he could not continue after losing serve to trail 5-2 in the third set.

More to follow...

poor david - hope he is ok

VAMOS RAFA!!! ;D

[alsl]

Albeit it being a long article,its a good read.

Can Svetlana stop Queen Justine?
By Christian Lacaze
Friday, June 9, 2006

The 76th French Open women's final will see Justine Hénin-Hardenne - the best player in the world on clay - face Svetlana Kuznetsova, one of this season's rising stars.

(8) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) v (5) Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL)

With two French Open titles already in her trophy cabinet, Justine Hénin-Hardenne is the red hot favorite for Saturday's final. The 24-year-old has defended her title in spectacular style so far, having yet to drop a set and losing an average of only five games in the six matches she has played. In fact, 'Ju', as she is known to her friends, has spent less than eight hours on court thus far. This seemingly inexorable progress to the final belies her pre-Paris preparations - the former world No1 failed to win a tournament on clay this season and came here with her confidence at an all-time low. This was also the case in 2004, when she was unsuccessful in defending her title. Last year however, when she won her second French Open title, she came to Roland Garros unbeaten on clay with three tournament wins in her pocket.

In Thursday's semifinal, Hénin-Hardenne was simply a cut above her fellow Belgian and No2 seed Kim Clijsters. Her service was particularly impressive, against an opponent who is noted for her returns. Hénin was never broken, saving three break points, and she also managed to send down four aces. Smaller (5'6"/1.67m) than a lot of her rivals on the circuit, the No5 seed is highly mobile and able to cover an enormous amount of ground along the baseline, before pouncing to move in on the counter-attack and smacking forehand and backhand winners with equal poise.

"Nalbandianova"

Svetlana Kuznetsova's route to her second Grand Slam final could hardly have been more chaotic. The 20-year-old Russian has spent over 10 hours on court already, and has had to come from behind in her last three matches. Whilst this will no doubt have had an effect on her in physical terms, the wins will also have given her a real sense of confidence. Kusnetsova is similar to men's semifinalist David Nalbandian, in that she plays the kind of varied tennis that can be adapted to any surface. She was world junior champion in 2001, and has learnt all about playing on clay at the Casal-Sanchez academy in Barcelona.

Like Hénin, she is a solid baseliner and while her forehand is stronger than her backhand, she is capable of sending down some exquisite drop shots using the latter. She is an accomplished volleyer, and perhaps the most interesting aspect to her tennis is that she is capable of changing her game plan mid-match in an attempt to throw her opponents off their rhythm.

She will need a plan A, a plan B and maybe even a plan C if she is going to beat Hénin, however. In 11 matches between the two, the Belgian has emerged victorious on all but one occasion. While their three matches on clay were all very tight, Justine will definitely go into Saturday's final with a psychological advantage. When they met here in last year's round of 16, Madame Hardenne saved two match points before finally coming through 7-5 in the third set, so the girl from St Petersburg will be out for revenge.

As is her wont, Justine is refusing to get carried away before the match. "I'm going to have to be at the top of my game if I am going to win. We always have close games, particularly on clay. She has a very good forehand, and in the semis, she showed once again that she really is a fighter. I'm sure that she will be looking to get her own back after losing to me here last year."

Following in Steffi's footsteps…

If she wins, Justine will become the first woman to defend her French Open title successfully since her idol and source of inspiration - Steffi Graf - managed the feat in 1996. She would also equal Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario's three Roland Garros wins (though she would still have a long way to go to catch up with Chris Evert.

"I love playing in Paris. I seem to play my best tennis here and I've also won quite often here. I feel good here, and I hope this feeling lasts," she said on Thursday, after her semifinal win.

As well as her fans, who will be out in force on the center court on Saturday, she will also have the Belgian royal family there to cheer her on. With a third title in four years, Justine could legitimately claim to be the Queen of the Paris clay…

<AM SO EXCITED!!!Nalby burst my bubble tho..was hoping for a masters repeat of last year but nevermind..>

[yse]

I found this pics by Glagla on Marat le tsar forum - others on the same site ;D ;D ;D ;D

[sonya]

yse said:

I found this pics by Glagla on Marat le tsar forum - others on the same site ;D ;D ;D ;D

are you sure you didn't mix this thread up with the drooling thread?

[reese]

Another Rafa - Roger final.. thats going to be interesting ;D
Did you guys notice that Leonardo DiCaprio was watching the semis - didn´t know that he likes Tennis

[reese]

Here is another vid from "un jour a Roland" ! Totally crazy - I never expected sveta to act like this ;D ;D ;D ;D
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sWulDvbyxM

And thanks Yse for the gorgeous Marat pic

[sabz]

You gotta love those tongue pics Thanks yse!!
and reese thank you sooo much for these vids - they are soo funny
I found another one, dont know if it has been posted
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWqTf-ZmJ8Q&search=Un%20jour%20%C3%A0%20Roland
rafa's in an arm wrestle (i think nush might appreciate this )