French Open 2010: Day 13 Results

There was never a day of more action on the Roland Garros courts as there was on Day 13 of the French Open 2010. The day featured the men's semifinals, and for the first time since the last 23 Grand Slam semifinals, Roger Federer was missing from the lineup. Indeed, so great a player is Federer, that it has been almost 6 years since he has missed a Grand Slam semifinal. His dominance in the sport has seen talented players struggle to defeat him, and his record of 16 Grand Slam titles is a testament to his greatness. The French Open is his weakest surface, but he has still managed to qualify at least for the semifinals every year. This year, however, he was rudely stopped by none other than Robin Soderling, the same man who rudely stopped Nadal last year. Though Federer's record of consecutive grand slam semifinal appearances has been broken, it is good for tennis to see new faces in the semifinals and the finals of a Grand Slam. And the French Open 2010 features probably the most unlikely lineup ever. With the big names out of the way early in the open, other talented players finally got a chance to prove their game and show that they were as good as the top 5, if not better. Of course, the common factor in all this remains the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, who has consistently proved that he is the best on this surface. His progress in the 2010 French Open seems to be flawless, and indeed the king hasn't even dropped a single set so far in the Open. Rafa dominates the French Open in pretty much the same way FedEx dominates the others, and 4 of his 6 grand slams titles come at the Roland Garros courts. Day 13 of the French Open 2010 would see Nadal take on Melzer and Soderling take on Berdych. Let's see how it all turned out.

Men's Semifinal Results

Robin Soderling versus Tomas Berdych
After his heroics at the 2009 French Open, there was no need For Robin Soderling to be introduced anymore. Defeating the King of Clay at his 'home' court gave him some of the best credentials in the tennis world. However, that was not enough for the Swede, and to stamp his authority on the tennis world, he chose the 2010 French Open. In a dramatic fashion, he defeated world number 1 Roger Federer, and thus made his name known to even the most obscure tennis followers. Tomas Berdych, on the other hand, was relatively quieter, and though he defeated big names like John Isner, Mikhail Youzhny, and Andy Murray, is not as well know as the Swede. His game, however, speaks for itself, and this was one match that was going to go down to the wire. And to the wire it did go, with both players giving the match everything they had. However, in the end it was the more experienced Soderling who won the encounter in 5 hard fought sets, in a match that took just under 4 hours. With this victory, Soderling moves into the final, just a step away from realizing his dream of winning his first Grand Slam. One feels sorry for Berdych, who played some of the most incredible tennis seen at the French Open 2010. But in a way, given Soderling's performance at the French Open in 2009, I dare say he deserved the win. Add to that his defeat of Federer in the 2010 French Open, and I dare say that he even deserves to win the final. So from the first semifinal, it was Sweden's Robin Soderling, the 5th seed who moved into his first Grand Slam final.

Rafael Nadal versus Jurgen Melzer
The next semifinal was between the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, and the 22nd seed Jurgen Melzer. Rafa has been his usual on clay, and has advanced to the semis with relative ease. Indeed, the world number 2 has reached the semis without dropping a single set, and looks all set to carry that forward into the final. As for the level of play, Rafa is looking very comfortable to win the French Open 2010, and with it the number 1 ranking from Federer. In his way to reach the finals is Jurgen Melzer, the 22nd seed from Austria. Melzer has had an amazing tournament so far, and from the way he has knocked out big seeds, this was supposed to be an interesting match to say the least. On his way to the semis, Melzer defeated the 9th seed David Ferrer, unseeded Teimuraz Gabashvili, the man who knocked out Andy Roddick, and in his latest effort in the quarters, the 3rd seed Novak Djokovic. However, he was a little too late in getting his act together against the 2nd seed, and lost in straight sets against Nadal. After Nadal was leading 2 sets to love, and 5-3 in the 3rd, Melzer found his rhythm, and took the 3rd set to a tie break, but it was all in vain. A little too late for a comeback, Rafa took the set and a place in yet another French Open final. Amidst mid match controversies and spectators booing Nadal and cheering Melzer, Rafa showed that he could handle it all and will now look forward to a chance of his 5th French Open title. Expect a fully charged Rafa in the final.

Women's Doubles Results

In the women's doubles event, it was the Williams Sisters, the number 1 seeds, who were taking on Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. In a display of great coordination and near perfect tennis the Williams sisters made short work of their opponents and lifted yet another doubles trophy. The victory makes them the third pair to have all the 4 Grand Slam titles at the same time, the other 2 being Navratilova/Shriver and Fernandez/Zvereva. An incredible feat indeed.

Here are results of the previous days of the French Open 2010:

• French Open 2010: Day 12 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 11 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 10 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 9 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 8 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 7 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 6 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 5 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 4 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 3 Results
• French Open 2010: Day 2 Results
• French Open 2010 Gets Underway

Day 14 Action

Day 14 action of the French Open 2010 features the women's singles finals and men's doubles finals, both being played on the Philippe Chatrier court. The schedule on day 14 for the 2010 French Open features the ladies singles followed by the men's doubles.

Ladies Singles - Final
7th seed Samantha Stosur versus 17th seed Francesca Schiavone

Men's Doubles - Final
2nd seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic versus 3rd seeds Lukas Dloughy and Leander Paes

There you are. Lots of action coming to you on the penultimate day of the French Open 2010. To put me on the spot, it's going to be 7th Seed Samantha Stosur to lift the 2010 French Open title, in 3 sets, while in the men's doubles, it's going to be Dloughy/Paes taking the title, also in 3 sets. And that's the script for Day 14 from me, let's see if the players prove me right or wrong. Stay Tuned.