
French Open 2015: Draw Results, Scores, Winners and Sunday Twitter Reaction
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset Tomas Berdych to book his place in the quarter-final of the 2015 French Open. The home player will meet Japan's star Kei Nishikori.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer will have to wait a day longer to book his place in the last eight to face Stan Wawrinka. Rain delays meant the world No. 2 wasn't able to finish his match against Gael Monfils. The pair split the opening two sets amid some inspired tennis.
Temperamental weather affected play on more than one court during Sunday's session at Roland Garros. Two matches in the women's singles event were cancelled, including Maria Sharapova's clash with Lucie Safarova.
Here are the results from the Round 4 matches that survived the rain:
| Event | Match | Score | Winner |
| Men's Singles | (14) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. (4) Tomas Berdych | 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 | Tsonga |
| Men's Singles | (13) Gael Monfils vs. (2) Roger Federer | 6-3, 6-4 | |
| Men's Singles | (5) Kei Nishikori vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili | 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 | Nishikori |
| Men's Singles | (8) Stan Wawrinka vs. (12) Gilles Simon | 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 | Wawrinka |
| Women's Singles | (7) Ana Ivanovic vs. (9) Ekaterina Makarova | 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 | Ivanovic |
| Women's Singles | (19) Elina Svitolina vs. (29) Alize Cornet | 6-2, 7-6(9) | Svitolina |
Draw and Reaction
Elina Svitolina's reward for reaching a first quarter-final at a Grand Slam tournament is a particularly tough Round 5 draw. New York Times reporter Ben Rothenberg has details:
Ana Ivanovic expressed her delight at making it through to the last eight. The world No. 7 had a message for her fans following the win:
Not only will Ivanovic be suitably buoyant after overcoming an opponent the quality of Ekaterina Makarova, but the omens of a quarter-final berth also bode well for the Serb, per Sports Illustrated:
Svitolina's fraught win featured more than a few contentious moments. Some disputed calls at the expense of home player Alize Cornet angered the rain-soaked Paris crowd.
For her part, Cornet wasn't shy or unequivocal in expressing her views about certain decisions, per freelance Tennis writer Tumaini Carayol:
Angry reactions and erratic dramatics are common from Cornet. But despite her antics, Svitolina was a worthy winner.
One of the big surprises of the day was Tsonga dismantling fourth-ranked Berdych. The Czech, who can often flatter to deceive, played some particularly drab tennis. But it was Tsonga's revival and accomplished performance that really caught the eye. ESPN analyst and coach Brad Gilbert was especially surprised by how the Frenchman dominated:
Speaking of dominance, that's just what Tsonga produced on his serve and at the net. He belted 13 aces and was near flawless at the net, winning 10 points from 12, per RolandGarros.com.
Tsonga's forehand shots were the central part of how he destabilised a clearly rattled Berdych. The Frenchman also produced a few spectacular moments to wow the crowds:
The tournament's official Twitter feed carried highlights of this phenomenal shot:
But just as he appeared in complete and serene control, Tsonga inexplicably buckled. Serving to win the match, his previous strength became a calamitous weakness.
It was one that allowed Berdych, who appeared to struggle with back pain all day, to steal the third set. At this point, it seemed as though the pressure of representing the host nation was getting to Tsonga, despite his frequent efforts to give himself a good talking to on court.
Mary Pierce, a domestic-based French Open winner in 2000, described what that pressure is like, per USA Today Sports' Nick McCarvel: "There's more pressure and stress and you want to do better and you feel the whole weight of the country on your shoulders. I think for me it was really, really hard for many years."
But Tsonga rallied in fine style during the fourth set to score a rare win over high-ranked opposition:
Afterward, the Frenchman identified one thing as key to both the surprise win and his chances for the rest of the tournament:
While Tsonga had worked the forehands, Kei Nishikori relied on a powerful service game to blast Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili off court. He smashed five aces, per RolandGarros.com. Nishikori continued to lead from his serve, eventually winning 82 percent of his points off the first serve.
For an idea of Nishikori's power on clay, Portuguese journalist Jose Morgado detailed this impressive statistic:
It was a typically aggressive approach from the Japanese player, who was determined to make quick work of the fourth round. In the process, he made a piece of history for his country, per the ATP official Twitter account:
Nishikori expressed his sense of national pride at realising this particular accomplishment, per McCarvel:
The draw has done Nishikori a few favours so far, including third-round opponent Benjamin Becker withdrawing due to injury. Now the world No. 5 will lock horns with a suddenly inspired Tsonga.
But the highlight of the round will be Wawrinka's potential meeting with Federer, barring more magical stuff from Monfils, who may rue the stop in play.
As for Wawrinka, he made very quick work of Gilles Simon.
He overcame 42 unforced errors largely thanks to how he consistently won points on both his first and second serve. The world No. 8 collected 79 percent of the points available on the first serve, while his second serve yielded an impressive 59 percent, per RolandGarros.com.
On this form, Wawrinka is going to provide a very stern test for whoever he meets in the quarter-final.

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