French Open 2012 Schedule: Day 5 TV Coverage, Matches and Bracket Guide
Day 4 of the French Open featured only one major upset of note.
No. 8 seeded Marion Bartoli fell to Petra Martic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a match that shocked the French crowd. After all, how could the Le Puy en Velay, France native fall to an unranked opponent in her native country?
They weren’t the only country feeling blue.
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For America, another crushing blow occurred when Venus Williams lost in straight-sets 6-2, 6-3 to No. 3 seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. After Serena’s shocking loss in the first round yesterday, the Williams’ sisters leave Roland Garros with an incredibly disappointing 1-2 record.
The only woman to advance from the US was Sloane Stephens, who cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win over fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer cruised as every player ranked 31st or higher advanced.
What can we expect from Day 5 as the second round rolls on?
TV Schedule
| May 31 | 5 a.m. - 10 a.m. (Live) | Early Rounds | ESPN2 |
| May 31 | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (Live) | Early Rounds | Tennis Channel |
Notable Matches
Men’s
No. 4 Andy Murray vs. Jarkko Nieminen
Which Murray will we see? The one that won two of his three first round sets 6-1, 6-0, or the one that had to fight off multiple tiebreakers to win the other 7-5?
He wasn’t completely focused, and had to exert more effort than necessary for a first round opponent. He is nursing a sore back and needs to make quick work of Nieminen, who he defeated in a rather memorable match the last time they played each other.
No. 10 John Isner vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu
Isner is the last hope for America to realistically win either the men’s or women’s side, and beating Mathieu in an efficient manner would go a long way in accomplishing that goal.
In the past two months he has defeated Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, yet went a disappointing 2-3 in his last two events.
After his smooth straight-set victory in Round 1, he is off to a good start. Expect him to breeze as he becomes more and more comfortable on the clay court.
Remember, he took Rafael Nadal to five sets at Roland Garros last year.
Women’s
No. 2 Maria Sharapova vs. Ayumi Morita
Nobody looked more impressive in the first round than Shaeapova, who didn’t drop a single set in her first round win over Alexandra Cadantu.
If she completes another match or two like this to preserve her energy, there is no question who the favorite is heading into the second week.
Christina McHale vs. Lauren Davis
The Americans are getting knocked out at an incredibly fast rate and another one will be finished after this match.
The two Americans represent some of the last remaining US women at the event, and the winner will be expected to strap the hopes of a country on her back.
McHale is an up-and-coming 20-year-old that is quickly becoming one of the better players on tour as she gains more experience.
If you think McHale is young, then you’ll be shocked to learn that Davis is only 18, and already has three career singles titles under her belt.
This battle of up-and-comers gives Americans hope that the future of women’s tennis has a bright future in the states.
Here are two juicy matches that are still in play:
Men’s
Quarterfinals: No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 10 John Isner
Two of the best servers in the game would be a treat for fans that love power.
If Isner is able to consistently register aces, he might be able to pull-off something he did back in March.
Behind 20 aces, Isner beat Djokovic at the BNP Paribas Open as it seemed he really frustrated the No. 1 ranked player in the world with his heat. One of his serves clocked in at 135 MPH.
This would be the upset of the tournament if Isner could find a way to prevail.
Women’s
Quarterfinals: No. 4 Petra Kvitova vs. No. 7 Li Na
Na has been awfully quiet since winning the French Open title last year, and needs a strong showing to ensure she doesn’t lose her top 10 ranking. Her mental game seems to be the biggest issue right now.
Kvitova was one of her victims at Roland Garros last year, and if she were to find herself in the quarterfinals, it would mark the farthest she has ever come at this event.
This is a match that would be a complete tossup.
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