=============
ROLAND GARROS (Paris, France; red clay; Major)
============= http://www.rolandgarros.com/
Contents
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1. First-round scoreboard-report: Chakvetadze v Duque Marino
2. Women's Doubles: First-round result

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1. First-round scoreboard-report: Chakvetadze v Duque Marino
(Monday 25th May 2009)
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- ANNA CHAKVETADZE [26,EF] lt. Mariana Duque Marino [LL], 6-3 4-6 4-6

I stand by what I said in my preview: this loss means that Anna's slump has
plumbed a new depth that I didn't even think she was capable of, and I'm very
angry about it.

I can't think of a worse loss in Anna's career - not in terms of the scoreline,
but in terms of losing in the first round of a Major to a player who has never
been a player, and - I guess - probably never will be (sorry - couldn't resist
recycling an old quote from a 16-year-old Jelena Dokic).

Anna looked to be cruising to victory when she led 6-3 2-0*, but the match
turned when she dropped serve from 40/0 up to make it 2-2*.
It was hard to believe at the time that she would go on to actually lose to a
player of Duque Marino's calibre after this hiccup, and the fact that she did
suggests extreme emotional fragility.

Anna also wasted a break-point at 2-2*, and at *4-5, Duque Marino broke to take
the second set.

The third set was what is known in the trade as a "Noah's Ark" set: each player
(starting with Duque Marino) won two games in a row, jerking my emotions up and
down like a yo-yo between anger, relief, delight, and finally back to anger when
Anna again at *4-5 failed to hold serve.

In the photos from this match, Anna looked very worked up and very red -
particularly in the face.

I can only suggest that Anna now expands her plans for the grass-court season -
which, to the best of my knowledge, currently stand at Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
Clay was always her worst surface, while she used to list grass as her favourite
until she had all those great results on hard courts in 2007.

I think she should definitely enter Birmingham, and, if she's all out of the
French Open before the second week, perhaps even ITF Nottingham.

There's also an embarrassing reason why I didn't want Safina to win the final:
it would have made Anna the wooden-spoonist of this French Open! :o Instead,
that dubious distinction goes to French wild card Irena Pavlovic, who lost to
Akgul Amanmuradova, who lost to Olga Govortsova, who lost to Li,Na, who lost to
Maria Sharapova, who lost to Dominika Cibulková, who lost to Safina, who lost to
Kuznetsova.


First set
---------
CHAKVETADZE *__@* *@* 6
DUQUE MARIN _*@__*___ 3

The match was fourth on Court 16, and started at 17:57 CEST.

Anna serving 0-0: 0/15. 15/30. 40/30. Held.
Duque Marino serving 0-1: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. Held.
Anna serving 1-1: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Deuce #1. Ad Anna. Deuce #2.
Ad Duque Marino (BP). Broken.

Duque Marino serving 2-1: Broken to love.

An immediate, emphatic break back! :)

On paper, this should be an easy win for Anna, but somehow, when I'm following
live scores, it never seems so simple. Lucie Šafárová and Maria Sharapova both
won in three sets today, so I hope - and even dare to expect - that Anna will
make it 3:0 for my Eternal Fanship by winning in straight sets!

Anna serving 2-2: 30/0. 40/15. 40/30. Deuce. Ad Anna. Held.
Duque Marino serving 2-3: 0/15. 15/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.
Anna serving 3-3: 40/0. 40/15. Held.
Duque Marino serving 3-4: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40 (BP #1). 30/40 (BP #2). Broken.
Anna serving 5-3: 40/0 (SP #1). 40/15 (SP #2). Anna won the first set 6-3 at
18:31 (34m).

The abnormal, embarrassing situation (1-2*) is now firmly back to normal.


Second set
----------
CHAKVETADZE @*___* *__ 4
DUQUE MARIN __*@* * *@ 6

Duque Marino serving 0-0: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40 (BP #1). 30/40 (BP #2). Broken.
Anna serving 1-0: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.
Duque Marino serving 0-2: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.

Anna serving 2-1: 40/0. Deuce #1. Ad Anna. Deuce #2. Ad Duque Marino (BP).
Broken.

A nasty psychological blow against Anna to drop serve from 40/0 - indeed, after
having four game-points. I just hope it was a lapse of concentration rather than
something more sinister.

Duque Marino serving 2-2: 0/15. 15/15. 15/30. 30/30. 30/40 (BP). Deuce. Ad Duque
Marino. Held.

And more baggage for Anna as a break-point goes begging. From what I saw of her
at Wimbledon 2008, I can imagine her getting very emotional round about now.

Anna serving 2-3: 15/0. 15/15. 30/15. 30/40 (BP #1). Deuce #1.
Ad Anna. Deuce #2. Ad Duque Marino (BP #2). Deuce #3.
Ad Duque Marino (BP #3). Deuce #4. Ad Anna. Held.

Phew! After following live scores for my Eternal Fanship virtually non-stop for
over five hours already, I don't relish the prospect of being taken to yet
another third set - and I certainly wouldn't relish the prospect of losing Anna,
who, at the start of the day, looked to have a better chance of winning her
match than Lucie Šafárová and Maria Sharapova, who both won in three.

Duque Marino serving 3-3: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Held.
Anna serving 3-4: Held to love.

Now it comes to the crunch, I really hope Anna's class will tell. While her form
this year has been very poor by her standards, it has certainly been much better
than Duque Marino's.

Duque Marino serving 4-4: 0/30. 40/30. Held.

What a waste of a 0/30 opening. Anna should be coming out to serve for the match
right now - not to save the second set!

Anna serving serving 4-5: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40 (SP #1). Duque Marino won the
second set 6-4 at 19:20 (second set 49m, match 1h23m).

Pathetic... just pathetic. I already missed my lunch; now my evening-meal's
going to go cold - especially if Anna puts me through another 8-6 ordeal like
her first round at Wimbledon 2008. The things I do for love!


Third set
---------
CHAKVETADZE __@*__@*__ 4
DUQUE MARIN *@__*@__*@ 6

Duque Marino serving 0-0: 30/0. 30/30. 40/30. Deuce. Ad Duque Marino. Held.
Anna serving 0-1: Broken to love.

I'm so angry I can't print what I'm thinking. :fiery: Sometimes it's better to
hold it in, otherwise you just end up hurting the ones you love.

Duque Marino serving 2-0: 0/30. 15/30. 15/40 (BP). Broken.
Anna serving 1-2: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40 (BPx2). Deuce. Ad Anna. Held.

Phew!!

Duque Marino serving 2-2: Held to love.
Anna serving 2-3: 0/40 (BP #1). 15/40 (BP #2). Broken.

Anna made some great fightbacks at Rome and Madrid. She could sure use another
one right now.

Duque Marino serving 4-2: 0/40 (BP #1). 30/40 (BP #3). Broken.
Anna serving 3-4: 15/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.

Back on level terms - yay! :)

Duque Marino serving 4-4: 40/0. 40/30. Held.

And now we're back where we were at the end of the second set: Anna serving at
4-5, but this time to stay in the match.

Anna serving 4-5: 0/40 (MP #1). 15/40 (MP #2). Duque Marino won 3-6 6-4 6-4 at
20:03 (third set 43m, match 2h06m).

Statistics:
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/stats/day7/2036ms.html


Article
-------

Duque through to second round at Roland Garros (Colombia Reports)
>>>
Colombian tennis-player Mariana Duque has advanced to the second round of Roland
Garros, beating Russian Anna Chakvetadze against all odds.

The 19-year-old, born in Bogotá, faced a tough challenge against the seeded
Chakvetadze: 26th on the women's world ranking. Initially, things went as
expected as the Russian won the opening set 6-3.

But Duque then began to improve her performance, and went on to win the second
set 6-4. In the third set, Chakvetadze could no longer compete with her
opponent, who finished it off with another 6-4 result - 2:1 in sets.

In the second round, Duque faces Slovakian Jarmila Groth: ranked 73rd. The
Colombian herself currently occupies the 124th position.

The second-round appearance will be Duque's second after having managed to
survive the first round at last year's US Open as well.
<<<

--------------------------------------
2. Women's Doubles: First-round result (Tuesday 26th May 2009)
--------------------------------------

- Anna Chakvetadze [EF]/Maria Elena Camerin
lt. Gisela Dulko [DF]/Ágnes Szávay, 3-6 4-6

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-chakv