French Open 2011: Handing out Awards to the 1st-Round Men's Singles Matches
The first round came to a close Tuesday, and it was another great day for the fans. Home favorites won, there were stunning upsets and another array of dazzling performances. With the 64 matches complete, I will hand out some awards.
I will also have a bit of a preview for the round of 64 at Roland Garros.
Best Match
1 of 7
Nominees
(1) Rafael Nadal def. John Isner 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
Stéphane Robert def. (6) Tomas Berdych 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 9-7
Lukasz Kubot def. (11) Nicolas Almagro 3-6, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
Winner: Nadal vs. Isner
Even though the other two matches had the sick "down 0-2 set" factor, as well as the upset factor, the Nadal match trumps them both. Nadal is the top seed and five-time champ at Roland Garros. In the first round, many people were surprised to see Nadal get drawn against a player of Isner's caliber; however, the "king of clay" was the prohibitive favorite.
Nadal seemed to be on his way to a routine win when he went up an early break in the second set, but Isner quickly got (and converted) his only break chance of the entire match. Isner, obviously a great server, was spectacular in both tiebreaks and almost handed Nadal only his second loss in 40 matches on Paris' red clay.
Nadal played extremely well, never doubting his ability, as he went on to steal the final two sets and escape from the jaws of defeat.
Only because a Nadal loss would have utterly rocked the tennis world does it get the nod over the other matches. I also feel that this match had the highest level of play and the best points of them all.
Most Dominant Performance
2 of 7
Nominees
(2) Novak Djokovic def. Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-1, 6-3
(17) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Jan Hajek 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Blaz Kavcic def. Ernests Gulbis 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Winner: Tsonga
Perhaps Djokovic could have won this, but the routine win was expected by almost everyone. Although Tsonga was also heavily favored, he played a near-flawless match. Kavcic was the underdog, yet still put in a dominating performance.
While there were many more possible winners, Tsonga has been criticized the whole season for not working hard enough off the court. He looked, quick, sharp, witty, powerful and great at the net during his demolition of Hajek. He continuously had Hajek playing defense, and showed no ill effects of recent injuries.
If he can turn in matches like that against top players, he can be a threat.
Biggest Upset
3 of 7
Nominees
Stéphane Robert def. (6) Tomas Berdych 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 9-7
Steve Darcis def. (22) Michael Llodra 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Lukasz Kubot def. (11) Nicolas Almagro 3-6, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
Winner: Kubot vs. Almagro
This match is the clear winner. Although Berdych is seeded higher than Almagro, the latter is a much better clay-court player. Kubot and Robert combined had only eight wins this year on tour (seven from Kubot).
Almagro's confidence was flying after a win in Nice the week prior, but he fell apart after stealing the first two sets. The third was surprising because Llodra had the crowd behind him but could muster relatively nothing against the veteran Darcis.
In a round full of great upsets, Kubot's stunning five-set win over Almagro trumps all.
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Worst Performance
4 of 7
Nominees
(19) Marin Cilic l. to Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-7, 4-6, 4-6
Ernests Gulbis l. to Blaz Kavcic 1-6, 4-6, 2-6
(6) Tomas Berdych l. to Stéphane Robert 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-9
Winner: Cilic
Although Berdych suffered an epic meltdown and Gulbis never was close to beating Kavcic, Cilic is the winner for this prestigious award. The Croat could muster nothing against an aging, veteran Spaniard with only three wins on the ATP tour this year.
Hidalgo's monster forehand dominated the tempo from the beginning to the end, and never gave the No. 19 seed any breathing space.
Cilic has wasted so much physical talent, made a pair of Grand Slam quarterfinals (but never further) and has really struggled as of late. Berdych might have been the favored player, but he at least took a pair of sets and really should have finished it off, so his performance was not as lackluster as that of Cilic.
Worst Performance in a Win
5 of 7
Nominees
(1) Rafael Nadal def. John Isner 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
(5) Robin Soderling def. Ryan Harrison 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5
(14) Stan Wawrinka def. Augustin Genesse 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Winner: Nadal
Although Nadal showed grit and played spectacular at times, he should have easily taken out the big American in straights. Isner and Nadal both played well, but for the top seed it should not get any easier from here on out. If he expects to win his sixth title in Paris, he will need to improve.
Soderling and Wawrinka both settled down after losing early sets, but both looked relatively shaky early on. Soderling actually looked like his usual overpowering self late in his match.
Once again, Nadal showed one of the many reasons why he is a champion, but his overall performance, especially in the return game, must improve.
Best Performance in a Loss
6 of 7
Nominees
Dmitry Turnsov l. to Xavier Malisse 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 1-6
Vincent Millot l. to Maxime Teixera 2-6, 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 1-6
John Isner l. to (1) Rafael Nadal 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 4-6
Winner: Isner
If either Turnsov or Millot had played a better foe, this win could have easily been there.
Those two matches were pretty much opposites: First was the battle of the veterans and then the battle of the youngsters. Malisse seemed to have just a bit more in the tank as he went up a couple breaks in the decider; and Teixera did the same, fighting back form a two-sets-to-one deficit to win it.
Millot has high hopes to look forward to after that heartbreaker. The same can be said for the veteran Turnsov, who might be able to have a successful comeback if he maintains that level of play and fight.
However, Isner's two-fisted battle against the defending champ trumps all. He played extremely well on serve and crushed the world No. 1 in a pair of critical breakers.
With Isner's favorite time of year—summer hard courts—just around the corner, his confidence should be very high for a positive end to what has so far been a relatively disappointing season.
Biggest Home Hope
7 of 7
Nominees
(9) Gael Monfils
(13) Richard Gasquet
(17) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Winner: Gasquet
I know, I know—I said Tsonga was the most dominant player of he first round. However, Gasquet has something very vital that neither of his as talented compatriots do: a clean bill of health this year.
Both Monfils and Tsonga are ridiculously gifted, however, they were both on a slide entering the tournament. Although they both had solid Round 1 wins, it will be tough for their bodies to hold up all the way.
Gasquet came in full of confidence, after making the semis the Rome. He played just as well as the other two in the first round, and should continue this recent surge.
It should not come as a surprise to any, however, if all three of these great players make it into the round of 16.
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