French Open 2010: Day 9 Results

After a first week that saw nearly all the seeds moving ahead in the French Open 2010, the second week had a different story to tell, with many of the top 10 seeds falling out of the Open. In fact, from the weekend itself, there were regular upsets, and these continued into the second week, with nearly one major seed losing every day. Hopefully, the Open will be over before it is Federer or Nadal's chance, because let's face it, everyone wants to see a Federer Nadal final. And to that end, things are going smoothly for both the players, with both of them advancing to the quarter finals with relative ease. Though Rafael Nadal is the favorite to win the French Open, Roger Federer will not make his task easy, and with a 2009 French Open title under his belt, he is brimming with confidence, which can be easily seen in his matches so far. Nadal, on the other had, has won 4 titles here, and as of now, has lost just one match in the last five years at the Roland Garros courts. Will this record be enough to ensure that he can win the French Open 2010? It's a tough call to make, and both have difficult matches ahead, before they can meet in the finals. Till that happens, let's take a look at how the seeds fared on day 9 of the French Open 2010.

Men's Results (Seeded Players)

The last stages of the men's 4th round matches were played on day 9, and players taking to the court included the number 2 seed Rafael Nadal, the number 3 seed Novak Djokovic, and the 7th seed Fernando Verdasco, from the top ten. Nadal, as usual, demolished his opponent in straight sets, and moved to the quarterfinals of the event. In a very straightforward victory, the number 2 seed was never threatened, and with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Thomaz Bellucci, now looks all set to regain the trophy that he lost here last year. The 24th seed Bellucci was never in the game, and though both players had a shaky start, it was Nadal who upped the pace and sealed a place in the last 8. Nadal also has his eye on the Number 1 ranking, but for that Roger Federer will have to lose before the semi-final, and Nadal will have to win the French Open 2010. Of course, theoretically it is possible, but with the way Federer is playing, it just does not seem likely. But anything is possible in the world of tennis, and with many seeds already losing in the first 4 rounds of the 2010 French Open, it should not come as a surprise if the defending champion crashes out as well. After all, clay is his weakest surface. But that's a story for another day, and in other action from day 9, Serbian Novak Djokovic needed four sets to get past unseeded Robby Ginepri, but seemed to be in no big trouble at any stage of the match. Djokovic is also eying the title, and the Serbian has been without a grand slam title for far too long for a player of his class. Can he defeat Nadal on his way to the final? It's possible, but again unlikely.

Teimuraz Gabashvili, the Russian who got rid of Andy Roddick on his way to the 4th round, could not keep up his awesome quality of tennis that saw him defeat Roddick in straight sets, and lost in the 4th round to 22nd seed Jurgen Melzer. The first set itself went to a tie break, which Melzer won 7-6(8). The second set saw a comeback for the unseeded Gabashvili, and he took it 6-4. However, he could not maintain his momentum, and lost the 3rd and 4th set pretty easily. In the end, it was Melzer who kept his cool, and booked a place in the last 8 of the 2010 French Open.

In the only upset of the day, 7th seed Fernando Verdasco lost to 19th seed Nicolas Almagro in four sets. Verdasco never looked like he was going to threaten Almagro, and though he took the second set for a comeback of sorts, Almagro was in control of the match throughout and won 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Women's Results (Seeded Players)

The women's draw also featured the last stages of the 4th round, and there were no upsets in the women's draw on day 9 of the French Open 2010. All those expected to win, won their matches and advanced to last 8 of the Open. Top seed Serena Williams defeated 18th seed Shahar Peer in straight sets, and made the match look easier than the 18th seed would have wanted it to be. With a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2, Serena is now the favorite to win the title. In fact with Dinara Safina and Venus Williams out of the way, and last year's winner Svetlana Kuznetsova too knocked out of the French Open 2010, Serena not only has a chance, but also looks like she will be the eventual winner. In her path are the 4th seed Jankovic, the 7th seed Stosur, and unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova.

Other action from day 9 saw the Serbian Jelena Jankovic get past 23rd seed Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets, and 7th seed Samantha Stosur get past 22nd seed Justine Henin in 3 hard fought sets. In the last of the 4th round matches, 2 unseeded players were taking on each other in Jarmila Groth and Yaroslava Shvedova. Both had good runs to the 4th round, defeating big players, but in the 4th round it was Yaroslava Shvedona who kept her cool to defeat Jarmila Groth 6-4, 6-3.

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

• 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

Seeds Playing on Day 10

With day 10 featuring the quarter final rounds, expect to see some of the best tennis action coming your way. Indeed, the quarter final line up is impressive indeed, with big matches scheduled to take place. Let's take a look at the day 9 schedule of the French Open 2010.

Men's Quarterfinals

Top Seed Roger Federer vs 5th seed Robin Soderling
11th seed Mikhail Youzhny vs 15th seed Tomas Berdych

Both the matches will be a delight to watch, and in the first, Roger Federer will face Robin Soderling with the knowledge that he defeated Soderling last year in the final on the same surface. This will no doubt make things easier for the number one seed, who will look to book his place in his 23rd consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. Soderling, on the other hand, will be looking to avenge his last year's defeat to Federer and take a step closer to winning his first grand slam title.

The second match is also a match to look out for, as both Youzhny and Berdych have played some awesome tennis to reach this far. Berdych got rid of the 4th seed Murry in the third round, while Youzhny got a walkover over Tsonga in the third round. This will be a tough match for both, but the favorite in this tie seems to be the 15th seed Berdych.

Women's Quarterfinals

3rd seed Caroline Wozniacki vs 17th seed Francesca Schiavone
5th seed Elena Dementieva vs 19th seed Nadia Petrova

Again, both matches are tough, and anyone can emerge victorious here. Wozniacki has the upper hand in the first match against the 17th seed Schiavone and might indeed be the winner in that tie. In the second tie, the 19th seed Petrova seems to be in a better position to win, given her form on clay recently. However, it is not possible to write of Dementieva, and this is a match that should go down to the wire.

So there you are. Day 10 promises to be a scorcher with the best tennis yet to come. Can Federer get past Soderling again and get one step closer to win another French Open title? Can the women's 3rd and 5th seeds make it to the semis. The French Open 2010 just gets better and better. Stay Tuned.