I'm happy with the way I fought. The world No1 took four hours and nine minutes for his 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier. After winning the first set in slams, his win-loss score is an astonishing 139-2. We hope to have this fixed soon. Nevertheless, there was plenty of excellent tennis to admire in between the stuttering of the principals. "The court, it is the same as it was one hour ago, no?" He was the better player for most of the match. "Unfortunately there had to be one winner and one loser. Kvitova had to wait around in the cold as Zhang took a medical timeout at the end of the first set, but she turned up the heat to get an early break in the second set. I'm still struggling to find my rhythm. I'm a print subscriber, link to my account, Avoid the use of toxic and offensive language. Kvitova regained her focus though to seal victory with a love service hold. She broke again to lead 5-2 but some wild errors allowed the Chinese to win two straight games and create some tension. Czech left-hander Petra Kvitova reached the French Open quarter-finals for the first time in eight years as she overpowered China’s Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-4 on Monday. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. The response was as unyielding as it had been to suggestions that play should have started earlier, given the weather forecast. Photograph: Stephane Reix/EPA. Full Disclaimer. I played really well at the start. Click here to subscribe. After a quarter of an hour he led 3-0. As Roland Garros emptied on Sunday night, the skies had cleared to a light blue. But it hardly mattered. If he won today it would have been well deserved. After three hours of fitful tennis on both sides of the net, the defending champion Rafael Nadal, 2-1 up and a break down in the fourth set – and in tumult against Novak Djokovic – departed the sodden dirt of Court Philippe Chatrier raging against the dying of the light. If you are looking to give feedback on our new site, please send it along to, To view this site properly, enable cookies in your browser. With so many big names already out, two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova will sense a golden title opportunity as she heads into a quarter-final against unseeded German Laura Siegemund. It was her first Grand Slam since winning the 2008 Australian Open and her first since major shoulder surgery which threatened to end her career four years prior. This was the player who had not dropped a set all summer on red clay, who had been broken just once here. At 6.51pm local time, the drizzle that had steadily drenched patrons and spectators for nearly two hours strengthened. Audio for this article is not available at this time. This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. And then the drama ground to a soggy halt. My programme between now and then? The crowd were incredible for Jo. No tennis probably. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. “It was a great one today for sure,” said Kvitova, who returned to action at the 2017 French Open following a knife attack six months earlier that left her with career-threatening hand injuries. If comparisons have to be made, Djokovic was the more impressive winner as Federer beat a wounded foe in the end. “To be back on the same court that I made my comeback and to make the quarter-final is something I didn’t expect. ", • 'I hope you all enjoyed it,' says Djokovic after five-setter, Novak Djokovic celebrates after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1 in the French Open quarter-finals. Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. Nadal was powerless to stop the flow – from the heavens or Djokovic's rejuvenated racket. There were five breaks of service in the first set, three inflicted by Nadal. As if served to order, Novak Djokovic survived his seventh five-setter in a row and saved four match points to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and book a second Roland Garros semi-final against Roger Federer, who, simultaneously, was coming from two sets down to beat the Argentinian Juan Martín del Potro. A TV programme. On yet another chilly day in the French capital, seventh seed Kvitova’s superior firepower proved decisive as she posted her fourth successive straight-sets victory. Read our. If, however, Nadal does not rediscover the composure that gave him a two-set lead before he imploded on Sunday night, his reach for a seventh title at Roland Garros in eight years will be eclipsed by Djokovic's ambitions of winning his fourth grand slam title in a row – all against Nadal – and equalling the feat of Rod Laver 43 years ago. he railed at the tournament's chief referee, Stefan Fransson, whose decision it was belatedly to suspend play. David Ferrer has booked a semi-final spot in the French Open after he beat Andy Murray 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 at Roland Garros. French Open 2012: Rafael Nadal takes dim view after rain stops final • Defending champion leads Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 1-2 • Final will resume on Monday at 1200 BST World No. Djokovic was unrecognisable at the end from the player who nearly four hours earlier had looked like being swept aside like a nervous wild card. The two best players in the world return on Monday afternoon to a venue expected to be watered even more comprehensively than it was yesterday, in the optimistic expectation of completing a French Open final that had promised – and might yet deliver – so much. After the tedious rituals of the warm-up when urgency was clearly required, Djokovic threw the first punch at 3.17pm, and Nadal drew first blood. Please log in to listen to this story. At that stage, Nadal had the title by the throat and led 6-4, 6-3. Rain forced them off for 33 minutes before Nadal closed out the second set. A little earlier on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the world No3 had gone through in three hours and 14 minutes, winning 3-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-0, 6-3. Rarely can Federer and Djokovic have played at exactly the same time in a slam, and almost certainly not against such quality opposition. Nobody starts a final with the threat Nadal brings. The 30-year-old, whose best finish here was reaching the 2012 semi-finals, made her intentions clear from the start as she seized on anything short to dominate from the baseline, moving 4-0 ahead in 15 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. Photograph: Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images. Who could have asked for more – four players of varying brilliance and different skills and philosophies, hurtling at various speeds towards the exit or the door to the semi-final. Established in 1891 and played since 1928 on outdoor red clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, the French Open is (since 1925) one of the four Grand Slam tournaments played each year, the other three being the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. © Copyright 2020 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved. As Djokovic said, they will appreciate the rest. In his worst moments, Napoleon was not debilitated by such indecision. They might look at starting earlier in future – given the long finals in slams lately – or they might not. Then, as in his quarter-final, when he saved four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Djokovic found the spirit that has lifted him many times over the past 18 months. Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. All of a sudden he was irresistible. Czech left-hander Petra Kvitova reached the French Open quarter-finals for the first time in eight years as she overpowered China’s Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-4 on Monday. Hitting hard and deep, he was up 2-0 within 10 minutes.

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