2018 French Open Men's SF: Thiem vs Checcinato

[kskate2]

Marco isn't ready for the Domi droppers. He's been burned quite a few times in this match

 

[britbox]

Thiem makes it count. 2 sets to the good.

 

[Federberg]

This guy has a few RG titles in him. I'm convinced of it

 

[monfed]

Thiem is making a meal out of this by returning from the stands. This lack of clinical efficiency is worrying for the final.

 

[Moxie]

Wonder if Cecchinato will have much fight left in him after all that.

 

[monfed]

Wonder if Cecchinato will have much fight left in him after all that.

I think he's done. I'll be very surprised if he comes back from that. The 2nd set was more important to him than Thiem.

 

[britbox]

Definitely done. The fella can barely scrape a point at the moment.

 

[kskate2]

Marco opting for the breadstick

 

[britbox]

Didn't particularly enjoy that match much. But good to see Thiem taking that extra step and making his first major final.

 

[kskate2]

Well this was the undercard. Now the big boys will hopefully put on a more competitive show

 

[Chris Koziarz]

Cinderella disappointed me in this match. The previous win was an emotional apex for him, so he slid down here. Mentally he's not ready for the stage he suddenly found himself on, that's why he just gave up the match before the third set started.
I think it was just his one-time run, and other than being in the "Mover of the Week" spotlight on ATP website on Monday, we won't hear about Cinderella anymore.

 

[mrzz]

^I am not so sure. Checcinato had a decent clay season, including an ATP 250 title. More importantly, he seems to be really talented (even if the only full match I saw was Djokovic's). I think his game translates well to other surfaces, so I would not discount him that fast.

 

[Moxie]

He's got a lot of game and I agree that we should be seeing more of him. The elephant in the room seems to be the match-fixing allegations against him. Everyone here uncharacteristically demure from mentioning it? I'm happy to champion the guy, but when were we going to talk about that?

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Marco did not fold like a cheap tent, even though he lost. The first set was close. The second set was even closer. It is understandable that he got dejected once he was two sets down. All in all, I would say he had a decent run not only at RG, but in clay season this year. I think he will be a man to watch during clay seasons. Not so sure that he will succeed this easily on other surfaces.

 

[mrzz]

He's got a lot of game and I agree that we should be seeing more of him. The elephant in the room seems to be the match-fixing allegations against him. Everyone here uncharacteristically demure from mentioning it? I'm happy to champion the guy, but when were we going to talk about that?

First time I hear that. What does he says about it? Accused is one thing, guilty is another...

 

[Moxie]

First time I hear that. What does he says about it? Accused is one thing, guilty is another...

He won't talk about it, but this from The Guardian:
"There is, however, an elephant in the room at this otherwise uplifting party: Marco Cecchinato. His should be the fairytale of the tournament and, to a large extent, it is: the 25-year-old Italian, ranked 72 in the world, who came from two sets down to win 10-8 in the fifth of his opening match and went on to put the former champion Novak Djokovic out in a heart-stopping quarter-final.

Yet allegations of match-fixing have hung over him for nearly three years, even though he was allowed off on a technicality when the Italian federation failed to meet a deadline in the appeals process.

As detailed in the New York Times last year Italian investigators tapped into WhatsApp messages between Cecchinato and his friend Riccardo Accardi that suggested he might recoup betting losses on Italian football at the 2015 Mohammedia Challenger in Morocco. Accardi and his father used multiple accounts to bet on Cecchinato at 7-1 to lose in straight sets to the world No 338 Kamil Majchrzak, which he did.

Cecchinato denied the allegations and appealed – and the Italian federation’s processes broke down to the extent that he escaped without censure. The Tennis Integrity Unit did not respond to Guardian inquiries on Thursday as to whether they were taking the investigation any further."