Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, ATP Masters 1000, 2019

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

teefs v rafa/wafa. what will happen ?..its got to be tennis.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Is Gael in full clown mode or is Roger just spanking the guy silly?

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

roger is spanking the guy silly.

6-0 in 19mins..lol.

 

[don_fabio]

he served him a bagel, on clay. amazing.

 

[Fiero425]

roger is spanking the guy silly.

6-0 in 19mins..lol.

15 UFE's helped the cause to saving Roger's strength for Thiem tomorrow! :whistle:

 

[atttomole]

And Monfils wins his first game of the match!!

 

[Fiero425]

And Monfils wins his first game of the match!!

...and has 2 breaks chances on Roger's serve! BREAK! :whistle:

 

[atttomole]

Is Gael in full clown mode or is Roger just spanking the guy silly?

It’s a bit of both. He is making unforced errors and Roger is torturing him with slices.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Looks like Gael woke up...It will be a grind from here on and Roger did not want that.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

gurufils has woken, time for a the next lesson..payback.

 

[atttomole]

As tournament director, Feliciano looks concerned because he wants Roger to go deep in the tournament. Roger is a crowd-puller.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

welcome to doublefaultworld starring gael clownfils.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

3rd set tb...fun.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Well, the attacking style won the day. Roger was at the net a lot more in the third.
So, he won an easy one against Gasquet, a tough one against Monf, probably will lose against Thiem. Mission accomplished for the first clay tournament back? Probably.

 

[don_fabio]

that was a solid win by Roger. came back in 3rd set being break down, saved some match points and went on to win with ease in tb. will be interesting to see if he can cause some damage to Thiem. probably not, but you never know. Fed can swing freely with nothing to loose.

glad to see Wawrinka and Cilic finally having a good stretch here, both with 3 wins in a row. it's a decent result considering the recent form.

 

[tenisplayrla08]

I agree with you.
The ladies matches are QF that is why are on the 2 main courts, but Thiem - Fognini is much more attractive than Cilic vs. Djere

Yeah the women's QF come before the men's R16.

But Thiem - Fognini should be above Cilic vs Djere. But I actually would put Wawrinka v Nishikori above both. Because I think Cilic might get the nod over Thiem - Fognini because he has a slam. But Wawrinka has 3 and Nishikori has a final. Thiem, Fognini, Wawrinka, and Nishikori are all better on clay than Cilic and Djere.

I thought it might have something to do with Thiem playing doubles. But he started after Cilic-Djere and then had doubles after that. Definitely should have been given more time between matches. Confusing.

I would agree overall that I am ALWAYS flummoxed by tournament scheduling.

 

[El Dude]

The final 8 is actually quite predictable, with few if any real upsets or surprises. The only top 8 seeds that are out are Nishikori and del Potro, and they are replaced by Stan and 9th seed Cilic.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

that was a solid win by Roger. came back in 3rd set being break down, saved some match points and went on to win with ease in tb.

I did not see the match. But, glad Fed won and glad it was tough match as well. These days Fed has match points and then lose matches and so it is a refreshing change that Fed saved match points and then won.

Anyway, I think it is the end of the road for Fed (and I also think he will play in Rome assuming this is the end of the road in Madrid; moreover, he will get a much kinder draw in Rome, hopefully).

 

[El Dude]

Facing Thiem will give Roger a real sense of what it might take to go deep at Roland Garros, assuming that he's serious about that. In fact, it might even be that the match against Thiem is going to clarify in his mind whether or not he's up to the challenge of trying to win RG. Obviously Rafa remains the bigger favorite (than Thiem) for RG, but facing Thiem will give him a good sense of what it will take to win a big clay title in 2019.

 

[MartyB]

Facing Thiem will give Roger a real sense of what it might take to go deep at Roland Garros, assuming that he's serious about that. In fact, it might even be that the match against Thiem is going to clarify in his mind whether or not he's up to the challenge of trying to win RG. Obviously Rafa remains the bigger favorite (than Thiem) for RG, but facing Thiem will give him a good sense of what it will take to win a big clay title in 2019.

I think Fed has a very clear sense of his capabilities at the French regardless of tomorrow. I still think he's in the top 4 entering the French. Unless Wawrinka catches fire. 2 out of 3 tomorrow he can surprise . Let's see what happens