French Open R1 previews and picks: Nadal vs. Halys, Isner vs. Seppi

May 25, 2015 Ricky Match previews 133

Isner 1Rafael Nadal will begin his bid for a 10th French Open title when he takes the court on Tuesday against Quentin Halys. John Isner and Andreas Seppi are also in first-round action.

(WC) Quentin Halys vs. (6) Rafael Nadal

Something will have to give when it comes to Nadal’s 2015 French Open campaign. Will his 66-1 lifetime record and nine titles end up making the difference on his way to a 10th triumph at Roland Garros? Or will current form (Nadal is 25-9 this season with five setbacks on clay) continue and send the Spaniard to a rare loss in Paris? He fell prior to the finals in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome and got crushed by Andy Murray in the Madrid title match, but Nadal has won the French Open on five straight occasions since getting upset by Robin Soderling in 2009.

Up first for the world No. 7 on Tuesday is Halys, who played his first match at the ATP level last week (he replaced Gilles Simon as a lucky loser) and lost to James Duckworth in Nice. This is, of course, the 18-year-old Frenchman’s debut appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam; he was previously unsuccessful in two Roland Garros qualifying attempts before getting a wild card this time around. Halys won the junior doubles title at this event in 2014 and he finished runner-up in singles a few months later at the U.S. Open. A first-ever meeting with Nadal will be a good experience for the youngster, but it is an experience that will not last long.

Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games

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Andreas Seppi vs. (16) John Isner

Isner and Seppi will be squaring off for the third time in their careers on Tuesday. Both of their previous encounters have gone the distance; Isner prevailed 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-4 in the 2010 Australian Open first round before Seppi got the job done at home in Italy with a 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 victory on the clay courts of Rome in 2012.

It is hard to see this one being similarly competitive. Seppi has been dealing with a back injury and has not won a single match since Indian Wells. Isner, on the other hand, has been in outstanding form since reaching the fourth round in the desert and the semis in Miami. The 16th-ranked American has won at least two matches in all four of his European clay-court events. Although it is a tough draw on paper for Isner, his fortnight should get off to a routine start.

Pick: Isner in 3

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133 Comments on French Open R1 previews and picks: Nadal vs. Halys, Isner vs. Seppi

  5. I will take Rafa in straight sets. I am not sure how many games he will lose. His opponent should not present too much of a challenge. I don’t know him, but in the preview it says he’s French. I assume the crowd will be behind him all the way.

    I think Isner will beat Seppi in straight sets, based on the fact that Seppi is dealing with an injury and how good Isner is playing at this time.

    Reply

  6. it is that time of the year again…the time when I place all my hopes with one man…when my dreams become my hunter and my insomnia…when the sun shines again…and when I worry, get frustrated and become the happiest person on earth in short two-week time…that time of the year it is, except that this time around I expect nothing joyful or happy to come out of it…my fears, uncertainty and doubts overwhelm my humble self…

    when I saw the draw I was initially frustrated…then I became sad…If I trusted Rafa’s game I would have had the base for some hopes…but I have very little left in that corner right now…

    tough draw, bad game, no confidence, no mental stability, lack of form, lack of match play, slow and dump conditions…that gives me very little hope if any…I was optimistic all clay season…but now I am nothing but afraid…I am afraid of Rafa’s first match…and even if he shows some brilliance I will not treat myself with luxury of feeling confident about Rafa’s level as you never know if his inconsistency will show it’s face in the very next match…

    but there is one thing I know for sure…it is my unconditional love and support for the Spanish Hero no matter what…in the name of all 9 brilliant champion victories I will ignore the French crowd, I will ignore almost animal urge and killer instinct of every player Rafa runs into (since they all seem to live for the chance to be able to beat the legend of RG)… I would cheer for Rafa almost as I was waiting for 2008 Rafa to suddenly show up and beat them all…I will be here to believe…hope seems too pretentious … I will only chose to believe that my Rafa can be a miracle worker…

    Vamos Rafa!

    Reply

  8. You don’t need to be a Rafan to TOUCH the dripping contempt and disrespect of Rafa in the article below, almost salivating at a possible upset of Rafa by……………Halys (ATP rank: #296). Djokovic only merits a dismissive paragraph, dismissive to his opponent of course.

    http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/25/rafael-nadal-french-open-2015-fans-first-round

    “While it is inconceivable that the Spaniard, who has won nine French Open titles and 66 of 67 matches at Roland Garros over 10 years, will lose in his opening-round match against the 18-year-old French wild card Quentin Halys on Tuesday, such a calamity would inspire not only wild celebration among Parisians who have often been ambivalent about their imported king of clay but an orgy of speculation elsewhere about Nadal’s future.”

    Expect Roman amphitheater stuff on Chatrier today, with the crowd cheering for each
    and every one of Rafa’s mistakes and errors.

    Me? Couldn’t care less! Just happy to be seeing Rafa on court again. Vamos Champ!!

    Reply

    • dripping contempt indeed….

      did this professional truly not think / feel that his heavy bias would come through clearly?

      Reply

      • let me rephrase that…

        it is one thing to let a too-strong-for-a-professional-commentary bias stand in the written word and be clear to see…

        it is another to let your contempt stand in the written word and be clear to see

        imagine if a professional writer let his or her contempt of Roger be published in a manner where it is clear to see… would that not provoke some reactions?

        #SunKing

        Reply

      • They couldn’t care less now @chloro. Remember, they only granted Rafa grudging respect because he was winning so much.

        Reply

      • which in a way has made the growing combined achievements of rafa that much sweeter over the years… 🙂

        especially each time he has been written off… e.g. the 2013 come-back for the ages

        Reply

  11. But Sock has been playing some good ball on clay, while Grisha has appeared surprisingly fragile………..

    However, Grisha’s experience should see him through methinks as well……

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  16. Pfft….someone out there loves the all blue:

    RT @BackSwings: “LOVE the all blue. Won’t hear anything against it. #Rafa.”

    Reply

  27. Am sure the 1st serve % will not be too good when the set graphics come up. FH also not yet clicking, missing some routine shots…………

    Reply

  36. The Commentator is praising Nadal’s volleying skills he says ” this is why Nadal is one of the greats with volleys, he is very selective when he comes to the net”

    Reply

    • Hahaha who is the commie? Selectively (read rarely) coming to the net is not tantamount to great volleying. Perpetuating such ignorance among fans. Show me a re-run of Edberg any day.

      Reply

  45. EXCELLENT return game! 2 great second serve returns, one aggressively played rally with the forehand and then finally an amazing ROS winner off a big first serve.

    Certainly playing better now

    Reply

  46. Rafa has NOT made a single unforced error in set 2. He has struck 7 winners so far , which is already than the 6 winners he hit in set 1 (against 8 UE).

    1st serve percentage has also improved to 76%

    Reply

  48. Perfect combination to create set point. Heavy backhand ROS to Halys’s backhand , followed by a booming forehand DTL winner.

    ARGH, rafa hits a home run! huge backhand shank and the first UE of the set. 5-3

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  57. I was able to see Rafa’s match since it started later. So far so good. This French guy really doesn’t seem to have the game or be ready to test Rafa. But Rafa played some good tennis and hopefully got the feel of the court. Stats look good.

    I am not getting carried away. This was a nice start for Rafa. The next match will be more interesting.

    Reply

  58. ESPN switched to the Isner/Seppi match at one point and I tried to get on ESPN3. By the time I did, they switched back to Rafa!

    I am looking forward to Almagro/Dolgo.

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  61. I think that French kid did well. It was a respectable scoreline. But there’s not too much to read into this one. Rafa looked good, forehand was good, serving good. The next match will be more challenging.

    Rafa is moving on!

    Reply

    • Well put! Rafa put up a solid performance but there is not much to read into this. Rafa is making progress and I hope he plays like he always does. He has a tougher match coming up and he will be ready.

      Rafa has played some good tennis this clay season but he has found maintaining that level very tough. If he can stay consistent and gradually improve his level in his first four matches (assuming he keeps winning), he will put himself in a good position to have a good chance to beat novak.

      Okay, three more matches to go . It’s going to get tougher and tougher. Prove the doubters wrong, rafa!

      Reply

  65. could not see the match except for the last few games…from what I have seen Rafa could have finished a bit earlier if he capitalized on that break point…Rafa seemed a little nervous in the first set judging by your comments…I hope Rafa feels the court well…Rafa should feel at home no matter what… 🙂

    Vamos for the 10th!

    Reply

  66. Rafa has enjoyed incredible amount of success playing at Court PC so there must be something about the court that really suits him. I know the level of clay court tennis he plays at is the main reason behind his success there but perhaps the court’s unique elements suit his game most!

    The court is the largest court in tennis and rafa feels more at ease! He once commented that smaller courts make the conditions a little quicker for him. On PC, he feels more comfortable and his ROS is also a little better. He has more space to defend as well. On average there is always more wind on PC than on any other clay court in e world and rafa has manages the margins of playing there perfectly.

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  67. I thought that Rafa got better as the match went on. This kid didn’t give him much rhythm and also tried to serve and volley, but that was never going to work against Rafa. Rafa wasn’t tested, but this was a chance for him to test his groundstrokes and get the feel of the court and just get himself going.

    There was never any doubt that Rafa would win this one. I am not going to read too much into, but a win is a win and Rafa is moving on.

    I thought that Cahill had some good thoughts about Rafa’s game. I really like the respect he gives him. His sense was that Rafa would prefer to play Almagro, because he will give him more rhythm than the funky game of Dolgo. But he thought Rafa’s forehand was really good.

    Reply

  69. Almagro next for Rafa after defeating Dolgopolov in a 4th set TB. Dolgo had set point on his serve before Almagro ran off the last three points to win. I was hoping they were headed to a 5th.

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  71. As I predicted a few days ago, I fully expect that the French will put Rafa on Lenglen against Almagro to take away the back of the court from Rafa. Probably later in the day also.

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  73. Fed is on SL tomorrow. The schedule is not out yet for the show courts on Thursday which is wehn Rafa plays Almagro. I’m sure it will be on SL as usual.

    Reply

  74. Nieminen had BP to go 5-1 up! Novak recovers and reduces the deficit to 4-2. Nieminen has outplayed him throughout the set but it might not be easy to maintain his lead to snag the set.

    Reply

    • It’s funny watching this because the tennis channel commentators have been running out of superlatives about Novak right from the beginning. One might he can walk on water listening to them! 🙂

      Reply

  75. Rafael Nadal was calm and relaxed when he reached his first post-match press conference in Paris after having beaten French qualifier Quentin Halys. On the other side of the room there are kids climbing the bushes, showing a poster: “There is only one king of clay and it is not Djoko, but Rafa Nadal!”. Rafael smiles to the kids and shows his thumb in appreciation.

    http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Rafael-Nadal-I-Asked-the-ATP-For-Bernardes-Not-to-Umpire-my-Matches-articolo24126.html

    Reply

    • Nice to see that Rafa is getting support from the kids!

      I also thought it was interesting that Rafa did confirm that he asked the tournament not to have Bernardes umpiring his matches. Rafa would not do anything like that lightly, so you know that this was serious for him. I remember that match with Fognini in Rio. That was a nightmare. You could hear Rafa saying to Bernardes that he didn’t want him umpiring his matches anymore. But Rafa was gracious and said it’s not personal and it’s not forever. I kind of like Rafa standing up for himself.

      Reply

    • Full support to Rafa. After all Bernades is part paid by Rafa *(through the ATP) so Rafa is well within his rights to give a disrespectful employee his marches orders…………..

      Reply

    • yep…this will be over soon…and Jarko did his best but Novak was just superb in some of the rallies…

      Reply

    • This is what confidence does for a player. Novak didn’t panic and just kept it together and managed to come back from 5-1 down to take the set. Rafa also was very good at doing that so many times in his career.

      Confidence is everything. A players starts thinking he can’t lose. But I just felt some satisfaction that at least Novak had to work for it and for a bit there he didn’t look quite as unbeatable and amazing as the tennis channel commentators think!

      All of the hyperbole from the commentators aside, Novak is really playing extremely well.
      BUT – I do not think he can walk on water! 🙂

      Reply

  77. RT @linzsports: “I’m sensing that Djokovic is a little tight out there. It’s almost like there’s some pressure on his shoulders at this tournament.”

    Reply

  78. I’ve turned the sound off on Djoker’s match because the commies were getting on my nerves. In fact I took a break for a 45 mins walk because I didn’t particularly want to watch it I just wanted to know the result.

    Reply

  82. The tennis channel is showing Serena’s match after Novak’s match. They briefly switched to the Dimi/Sock match and showed the first tb with Sock winning. But they have only provided score updates on that one.

    Ricky predicted Sock beating Dimi when he made his overall tournament predictions. But I am surprised that it looks like this will be a three set win, It was a smart pick by Ricky, because Dimi has lost the plot this year and can’t seem to find his game. On the other hand, Sock has really been playing well.

    In the states it’s always all about the Americans. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them left in the tournament. Both men and women are dropping left and right.

    There were times during Novak’s match when I was sorely tempted to use the mute button! The thinking from the commentators is that Novak has an advantage playing Rafa in the quarterfinals because you have to get Rafa earlier in the tournament before he’s peaked and playing his best.

    That’s all they are talking about on both ESPN and the tennis channel – Rafa and Novak in the quarterfinals!

    For myself, it’s one match at a time!

    Reply

    • I heard the same stuff from the Serbian commentator on Eurosport…but don’t you think they are right in a way? I mean this Serbian commentator is the one I really like and he is one of the rare who respects Rafa and has always been less biased than others…but what he said is true: Novak would have more chance to beat Rafa if he met Rafa at earlier stage given Rafa’s current form…once Rafa gets into a grove nobody will be able to stop him…so it seems as fair assessment to me…I only pray for Rafa to get settled into a comfortable pace sooner than that… 🙂

      Reply

      • natashao,

        Unfortunately, they do have a point. I just can’t stand hearing it over and over again! They are replaying Rafa’s match on the tennis channel right now with Jim Courier and Mary Carillo doing commentary. Courier said that Novak is the one who benefits from meeting Rafa in the quarterfinals because he won’t be at his best.

        I just don’t need them telling me something I already know! Rafa might be able to gain confidence from a few good wins leading up to the quarterfinal. But can he be at a good enough level to beat Novak? I just don’t know that answer to that.

        Reply

  88. Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahahaha! I can’t breathe for laughing………….

    This is Bodo;

    http://espn.go.com/tennis/french15/story/_/id/12942448/rafael-nadal-just-playing-us

    “Does anyone else get the feeling that in two weeks’ time Rafael Nadal might be photographed biting that Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy again — and we’ll be left marveling at how he pulled off the greatest con in the history of tennis?”

    Methinks Mr. Bodo is definitely worried Rafa might win this thing……………

    Love seeing Fedarts squirm……….

    Reply

      • Bodo! The guy just kills me! There is a reason why I do not read him anymore!

        Right! If Rafa can just flip that little switch in his head, then all will be right with him again. As far as I am concerned, if all it took was that then Rafa would have flipped it a while ago and would now still be in the top four and would have won some clay titles!

        This guy is really something! 🙂

        Reply

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