Rafael Nadal is through to the French Open third round following two routine victories, and he will try to engineer more of the same against Nikoloz Basilashvili on Friday. Grigor Dimitrov and Pablo Carreno Busta are also in action.
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs. (4) Rafael Nadal
Nadal’s 2016 French Open campaign ended abruptly prior to the third round, but that exit was beyond his control. Rather than losing, the nine-time champion was felled by a wrist injury that also kept him out of Wimbledon. Now, Nadal has once again produced straight-set beatdowns in each of his first two matches and will look to progress farther–much farther–in the draw than he did last year. The fourth-ranked Spaniard improved to 74-2 lifetime at Roland Garros and 19-1 on clay this season with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Benoit Paire and 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 rout of Robin Haase.
Up next for Nadal on Friday is a first-ever showdown against Basilashvili. The Georgian has already equaled his previous Grand Slam match win total in his entire career (two, both at Wimbledon in 2013) by beating Gilles Simon in four sets and Viktor Troicki in three straight tiebreakers. In his only other comparable major matchup, and only other one against anyone in the top 15, Basilashvili got blown out by Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 at the 2016 Australian Open. An improved world No. 63 should be slightly more competitive in this one, but he is also unlikely to close to stealing a set.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games
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(20) Pablo Carreno Busta vs. (11) Grigor Dimitrov
Dimitrov and Carreno Busta will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers at the ATP level on Friday. Carreno Busta leads the head-to-head series 2-1, avenging a 2014 Madrid loss by prevailing once in both 2015 (Paris Masters) and 2016 (Madrid). Although they have split their two previous clay-court encounters, the surface is obviously more advantageous to Carreno Busta. Five of his six career ATP finals and two of his three titles have come on the red stuff, a surface on which he has earned 19 of his 25 match victories in 2017. Carreno Busta booked his spot in the last 32 this fortnight with a straight-set blowout of Florian Mayer and a four-set win at the expense of Taro Daniel.
Although Dimitrov is not exactly a pushover on clay, he has to be satisfied already with a third-round performance at Roland Garros. After all, the 13th-ranked Bulgarian had previously been 3-6 lifetime at this tournament with three consecutive first-round exits. He brought a four-match French Open losing streak into this year’s event, a stretch that saw him go 2-12 in total sets. So far this week, however, Dimitrov has not dropped a single set or even been pushed to a tiebreaker while taking out Stephane Robert and Tommy Robredo. This time, though, he not facing opponent well past his prime. On the contrary, Carreno Busta playing the best tennis of his life and feels right at home on this particular surface.
Pick: Carreno Busta in 4
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Rafa in 3 losing 8-10 games
PCB in 5
Nny!…http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Rafael_Nadal/43961/kuerten-nadal-s-dominance-in-paris-pushed-the-crowd-to-cheer-for-federer-/
MA,
It’s interesting to read Guga’s thoughts.
Thanks!
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Hehe…You’re welcome Nny!!…Oh!I have another one for u on FO Full tournament Picks thread that i gave it to u early morning…Enjoy!
WWW?
Rafa in 3 for sure, and PCB over Dtrov in an entertaining 3….possibly 4….wish I were there to see it!
Rafa in three losing 8-10 games and Dimitrov in 5
” I was way better at the beginning…then the warm up ended”, post interview by Haase after losing to Nadal. Best quote!
???
Be calm, be focused, be confident, be courageous, be strong, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBTIK3gWAAAFOx5.jpg
There are seven Spaniards into R3 – Rafa, PCB, ARV, RBA, Verdasco, Feli, GGL, i.e. almost 25% of 32 R3 players, very impressive so far.
Since Rafa’s threat last year to take legal action against anyone publishing unsubstantiated accusations about him let’s hope the French press will desist from stoking up rumours implying Spanish players use PEDs. I trust, too, Tenngrand will not allow any such speculation.
ed251137(AT 11:20 AM),
Karma hit Yannik Noah! LOL
Tennis World: ¤¤ Yannick Noah’s son banned due to doping in the NBA competition!
Yannick Noah’s sayings went worldwide in 2011 when he said that all the Spanish players, including Rafael Nadal, were involved in doping. Now six years after, Noah’s son Joakim, New York Knicks basketball star who signed a four-year contract with the team last year for $72 million, has been banned for 20 NBA games (ten this year, the other ten in the next Championship) as he was tested positive for a substance found in some over-the-counter supplements that is prohibited under the outgoing Collective Bargaining Agreement. The National Basketball Players Association’s investigation concluded that Noah hadn’t “knowingly or willingly” violated the policy and cooperated fully with the league’s probe. ¤¤
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Tennis_Stories/41822/yannick-noah-s-son-banned-due-to-doping-in-the-nba-competition/
I wonder whether any player in history has ever admitted “knowingly or willingly” violating the policy! Same old same old…taking it in a supplement “unknowingly” or taking something “unknowing” it moved to the banned list or best of all, the mother of all fairy tales of the unknowing needle phobic…
Lucky. It does seem like the Spanish Amada is under full sail !!
Weather forecasters have decided to delay the start of the rain. 🙂 According to the current forecast, it will start rainig after 2 PM.
http://paris.lachainemeteo.com/meteo-france/ville/previsions-meteo-paris-3903-0.php
The weather forecast has been updated: no rain before 3 PM. 🙂
Unbelievable from Dimitrov! He was up two breaks and lost the first set 7:5!
Dimitrov is so flawed mentally. How in the heck did he make the semis in Melbourne? He will probably lose this in straights now. Outside of Melbourne and his two 250 titles he has put together some disastrous losses and results. Freaking outrageously bad from Grigor to lose that lead somehow
Urgh!!Feel sorry for Goffin!!…Hope he will recover quickly!!
Yeah, so sad to see Goffin getting injured like that… Yesterday Almagro’s injury was really upsetting, I felt for him, and today it’s Goffin…poor souls…
Yeah nats…accident like this makes me always on the brink everytime rafa play..and always pray for his safety on court…
Yes, a real shame for Goffin. He’s had such a good clay court season.
I am sure the bad call at Monte Carlo is responsible for Goffin’s injury.
I can’t stand Fred Stolly, the commentator here. He has nothing better to say but to talk about Rafa’s time between points in every of Rafa’s matches here! He’s not sick of it but people like me get sick of it!
What’s the big deal when none of his opponents or any spectators, or us the viewers don’t/didn’t feel that his matches were slow moving? In fact I’ll bet his opponents were hoping that Rafa doesn’t finish them off so quickly, for their own pride sake!
Yeah, Lucky (maybe a ceasefire between you and me?), did you see my post? Is that the guy I was referring to? Was it just in the Haase match or was he doing it yet again today.
An obvious fedfawn and I would say a coward for being so disrespectful to Rafa behind his back and not seeing the forest for the trees for how much Rafa has added to the sport, which would have probably less than half the revenue it has today because of him.
Such a complete ass.
Okay,okay…normal routine..take an energy liquid,placing the bottles rightly,warm up…give the towels to the ballboys…ask for 2 balls on 1 side and 1 ball on the other…left arm rocking the ball with racquet while right arm do his routine..caressing his nose and imaginary hair at the temple..touch both shoulders and lastly pick his short….and then…LET’S SERVE AND RUMBLE WITH RAFA NOW!!!!WOOOHOOOO!!!VAMOS!!
Naturally Rafans find it all endearing apart from the anxiety he will get a Time Violation penalty. We all know who campaigned for enforcing the rule more stringently. But what a nonsense the ITF allow only 20secs at 5 set slams and the ATP give 25 secs for all the rest. Fortunately most umpires use their discretion.
Jeez ed. Was watching Rafa playing Haase. Our sports network picks up different coverage sometimes from US and sometimes Europe.
This match was covered by some British commentator (don’t know who he was, and he was alone commentating on the match) and he went on ad nauseam criticizing Rafa for all the time he took between points and mocked each of Rafa’s service rituals saying he was ruining the game of tennis. So he would then say that tennis would be better without him??? What a joke.
I don’t think commentators should say anything on air that they would not be willing to say face-to-face to the player they are talking about.
Just about the worst commentator I’ve listened to and that says a lot.
BTW, I don’t find it endearing at all. I know he says it calms him but he’d be a better player in the long run without the rituals. He had very few when he started playing but continued to add new ones as years passed. It’s a waste of mental energy and focus. Textbook case of high functioning OCD. And part of his slump exacerbated by the intentional Rafa Time Violation Rule (a collusion between Federer and stake owners out to protect his legacy).
Rafa has worked hard to reduce time on his rituals, and it is paying dividends.
23 minutes, first bagel served at FO 2016 by the King of Clay.
He is in demolition mode. Forehand getting better and better and better.
Such a joy to watch.
#Artist
Wow! The storm named Rafael Nadal continues to destroy his opponents!
Vamos!
it is getting ridiculous now. 2008-like
Hope he can maintain this!!
If anyone sees the RPMs stat for rafa’s forehand, PLEASE share. He is getting ridiculous spin.
woohohohohoho!!…10 winners,5 UE’s? in the 1st set…hehe..unbelieveable!
Rafa’s FH DTL just a minute ago was 3502 RPM…
thanks MA. if you come across the average RPM stat, pls do share 🙂
It’s a pleasure to oblige VR!
So, will Rafa serve a double-bagel? Depends on if his opponent can throw in some good first serves or not.
haha…it will be a breadstick