Translated material
Natural regulations
Only on the third day of the tournament did the tennis players concentrate on the game
The torrential rains, which were a real test for fans and tennis players, were replaced by cool but sunny weather for those gathered in the French capital. By current Moscow standards, where the thermometer is off the charts at 35 Celsius, in Paris it is now quite cool - only 18 degrees. However, according to Russian Nikolai Davydenko, who beat Italian Stefano Galvani the day before, it is precisely this cool weather, albeit without rain, that is best suited for the “gentleman’s game.”The “rainy saga” made the organizers of the French Grand Slam tournament quite worried. On the sidelines, the topic of building indoor courts at the legendary stadium began to be discussed most seriously. “Paris, of course, is not London, but you shouldn’t rely on the mercy of nature either” - this was the leitmotif of the conversations.
Indeed, most of the matches of the first two days were postponed due to rain. Tennis players who managed to meet the weather regulations were called lucky behind their backs. Dinara Safina, who reached the third round thanks to her victory over Ukrainian Yuliana Fedak, and Davydenko, and American Venus Williams, who had been waiting for a fight with Frenchwoman Alize Cornet for almost two days, could count themselves among these.
The scenario of the third day was not the most intense. Russian Mikhail Youzhny advanced to the second round of Roland Garros without a fight. His opponent, Czech Jan Chernykh, refused to play and withdrew from the tournament, citing ill health. In the opening match, Muscovite Elena Dementieva easily defeated German Angelique Kerber, who, by the way, is having her best season - 6:3, 6:2. In the next round, the Russian will be opposed by the Frenchwoman Mathilde Johansson, who sensationally defeated the German Anna-Lena Grunefeld in the first round - 7:5, 6:4. Maria Kirilenko continued the victorious Russian streak. The match with Italian Maria Elena Camerin, postponed the day before due to bad weather, with the score 6:3, 5:0, Maria brought to its logical conclusion, quickly winning the necessary game.
Our other “prime” Nadezhda Petrova had to suffer a lot with Kveta Peshke, and without success - 7:5, 5:7, 6:0 in favor of the Czech tennis player. The reasons for Petrova’s unsuccessful performance in France, in her own words, were injuries, as a result of which it was difficult for her to adapt to playing on clay. Unsure of her own abilities, Petrova built the entire match on anticipation of her opponent’s mistakes, which ultimately led to the Czech woman completely seizing the initiative. The turning point was the third set, which the Russian lost without a fight. Thus, Petrova became the second Russian athlete to sheath her racket at Roland Garros. Let us remind you that on the first day of the tournament Elena Vesnina left Paris, losing to Justine Henin from Belgium.
The match between Roger Federer and American Michael Russell, postponed from Monday to Tuesday, predictably ended in victory for the Swiss - 6:4, 6:2, 6:4. By the way, according to surveys of 10 thousand users of the official ATP website, it is Federer who has the greatest chance of winning the French Open this year. 37% voted for him, while 28% voted for the two-time winner of this title, Spaniard Rafael Nadal. The captain of the Russian tennis team, Shamil Tarpishchev, also agrees with the majority opinion. “Federer purposefully prepared for Roland Garros, since this season he has real prerequisites to win all the Grand Slam tournaments. So it would be a sin not to take advantage of such a chance, and Federer, I think, will do everything to win in Paris,” Tarpishchev said.