2019 WTA French Open - General Discussion

[Aussie Darcy]

These SF's aren't bad:

Miami champ and #8 Barty v 17 year old next gen Anisimova.
Rome finalist and #26 Konta v one of the most consistent players of 2019 and 19 year old Vondrousova

Barty has won Premier Mandatory Miami this year and made her top 10 debut
Anisimova has won a clay title in Bogota.
Konta with 2 finals on clay in both Rome and Morocco
Vondrousova made the Istanbul final on clay and the QF's in Rome, Miami and Indian Wells.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Women’s semis relegated to SL and SM courts tomorrow. Men’s semis both on PC court. This will kick up a fuss won’t it? But if weather is poor tomorrow as it is forecast to be then they want to get through all the semis by end of Friday, especially if they want to finish on Sunday.

Weird as Ws match start at 1100 and Fedal at 1250.
Maybe they anticipate a delay due to rain but still they should move 2nd semis to Lenglen. I think this is due to they sold Mens SF ticket separately.

 

[Deleted member 765152]

Yeah there's no way Anisimova is "destroying" Barty.

Ash has a far smarter game play than Halep who as others have mentioned, has no plan B. Ash has a tennis brain and is able to work her way out of trouble, not saying she's a sure thing but she's not going to lose 6-2 6-2 or worse.

Not much anyone can do when a shotmaker is zoning and blasting winners from both sides.
Just ask Serena at last year's USO.
Beating defending champ Halep easily in straight sets is a lot more impressive than defeating fragile, inconsistent Keys.

 

[tennis_pro]

I think in a couple of years time, perhaps, looking back on this semi line-up we won't be so "wtf" about it haha

Yeah, it could actually look solid.

2025 FO SF line-up:
World no 37
World no 236

World no 73
World no 1231

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Not much anyone can do when a shotmaker is zoning and blasting winners from both sides.
Just ask Serena at last year's USO.
Beating defending champ Halep easily in straight sets is a lot more impressive than defeating fragile Keys.

Halep wasn't anywhere near good in that match, so many errors. Anisimova played well but if Halep had a back up plan to handle Anisimova's game, she wouldn't have been easily defeated.

 

[Nostradamus]

They will equally have same conditions for both players to contend with!

True, wind is there for both players. but it is about how does the wind affect your weapons ? Which player's weapons are neutralized or messed up more by the wind ? That is how you figure out which player the wind will affect more

 

[Deleted member 765152]

Halep wasn't anywhere near good in that match, so many errors. Anisimova played well but if Halep had a back up plan to handle Anisimova's game, she wouldn't have been easily defeated.

With her skills, Halep had 2 plans:
1. Plan A: Lose fast
2. Plan B: Lose faster

 

[D-Lite]

Yeah, it could actually look solid.

2025 FO SF line-up:
World no 37
World no 236

World no 73
World no 1231

I meant we'd see Anisimova and Vondrousova's achievements since this RG, I'm not speculating around future line-ups.

 

[Deleted member 765152]

True, wind is there for both players. but it is about how does the wind affect your weapons ? Which player's weapons are neutralized or messed up more by the wind ? That is how you figure out which player the wind will affect more

In extremely windy conditions, AA will win for sure.

Spoiler

Andre Agassi

 

[Aussie Darcy]

I meant we'd see Anisimova and Vondrousova's achievements since this RG, I'm not speculating around future line-ups.

Couldn't see who you were quoting cause i've blocked them, don't bother responding to that troll. They have no clue about women's tennis.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Considering Barty and Konta has serve as a weapon, wind will be disadvantage for them tomorrow.

 

[mike danny]

does suck that perhaps my three favorites (halep, barty, AA) had to go through each other to reach the final. On the bright side, one of them is guaranteed to reach the final, and if you told me before the tournament that Barty or Anisimova would be in the RG final, I'd happily take it.

Bummed out for Halep, as this was a disappointment for her. Hoping she can rebound and eventually score a second slam title.

Hey, I'm happy that she even won a slam title. I am perfectly content now. I'm glad she disn't mess up last year at RG.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Couldn't see who you were quoting cause i've blocked them, don't bother responding to that troll. They have no clue about women's tennis.

He/She quote about rank in Semis. Comparing rank is so useless because you bench marking the ATP which heavily skewed to the top 10.
Here's our SF: Barty, Konta, Vondrousova, Anisimova.
Here's our compatriot in ATP ranking: Anderson, Pouille, Paire, Kushkushin.

It's clear that you can't bench marking ranking.

 

[abmk]

saw the Anisimova-Halep match from 2-3 in the 1st set. that was some ridiculous shotmaking from Anisimova.
some nice clutch serving as well ...managed to hold her nerves towards the later half of the 2nd set ot take it.

 

[abmk]

LOL WTF

the only thing perhaps WTF about it is Konta who hadn't won a match at RG before.
Barty is a 23 yo youngster in the top 10
Anisimiova is future superstar who has a great game - destroyed Sabalenka at the AO -- that was her breakout.
again destroyed Sabalenka here & now Halep.
haven't seen much of vondrousova, but she's a talented teenager as well I think

 

[tacou]

Poor Simona, but yeah, feeling real good about hopping on the Anisimova train last year

The fact that her or Barty will be in the final is delightful

 

[tacou]

beating Halep at a slam isn't exactly the biggest upset.

Barty will pose more of a challenge than Halep ever would.

haha...sooo, you're from Australia, yeah?

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Beating defending champ Halep easily in straight sets is a lot more impressive than defeating fragile, inconsistent Keys.

She did her job, but "impressive" might be stretching things when Halep has no plan B, so if her opponents break that down, its just a matter of time before they take the match from her.

 

[Deleted member 765152]

Not much anyone can do when a shotmaker is zoning and blasting winners from both sides.
Just ask Serena at last year's USO.
Beating defending champ Halep easily in straight sets is a lot more impressive than defeating fragile, inconsistent Keys.

She did her job, but "impressive" might be stretching things when Halep has no plan B, so if her opponents break that down, its just a matter of time before they take the match from her.

I said it was more impressive beating Halep than beating Keys at French Open.
In any case beating defending champ Halep at FO easily in straight sets is impressive, considering AA is the only one who has done it in the last 2 FO tournaments.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

She won’t win 1 major. Girl is awful just had a lucky match. She got destroyed on clay all season

Dude, she's only 17. She beat Sabalenka, Halep and 3 others to reach the SF at RG. Hardly sounds like just one lucky match.

Top 200 at the start of 2018. Showed some real promise last year with a win over Kvitova (IW) and, at AO '19, vs rising star, Sabalenka. Started off this year just inside the top 100. 4R finish at AO. First WTA title in April (on clay). Live ranking has her now in the top 30 (#26, presently). Lotta potential, this girl.

 

[Soianka]

I'm in for Vondrousova vs Anisimova final.

I don't see her getting past Barty. I think it will be Konta Barty

 

[Deleted member 765152]

Can you imagine AA's stock if she wins RG 2019?

 

[tacou]

I said it was more impressive beating Halep than beating Keys at French Open.
In any case beating defending champ Halep at FO easily in straight sets is impressive, considering AA is the only one who has done it in the last 2 FO tournaments.

Dude, she's only 17. She beat Sabalenka, Halep and 3 others to reach the SF at RG. Hardly sounds like just one lucky match.

Top 200 at the start of 2018. Showed some real promise last year with wins over Kvitova (IW) and rising star, Sabalenka. Started off this year just inside the top 100. 4R finish at AO. First WTA title in April (on clay). Live ranking has her now in the top 30 (#26, presently). Lotta potential, this girl.

Anyone who can't just say "Wow, great victory for Amanda," hard stop, is not worth conversing with this morning

As a Halep fan though, I'm bummed, she was looking good. But Amanda, Konta, and Ash would all bring me great joy at FO champs

 

[Deleted member 765152]

Anyone who can't just say "Wow, great victory for Amanda," hard stop, is not worth conversing with this morning

As a Halep fan though, I'm bummed, she was looking good. But Amanda, Konta, and Ash would all bring me great joy at FO champs

Same here. I'm a Halep fan too but not much you can do when AA is blasting everything to the corners.
I'd be happy with AA, Konta or Ash winning it all.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Anyone who can't just say "Wow, great victory for Amanda," hard stop, is not worth conversing with this morning

As a Halep fan though, I'm bummed, she was looking good. But Amanda, Konta, and Ash would all bring me great joy at FO champs

But not Vondrousova?

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

1. Barty - Keys
2. Djokovic - Zverev
3. Anisimova - Halep
4. Thiem - Kachanov

Match quality today.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I say this before but I think Anisimova is this generation Maria Sharapova with same playing style too. Sharapova won her 1st GS title at 17 years old! Both tall, blonde, power hitters, powerful 1st serves. Lots of similars here.

 

[tacou]

But not Vondrousova?

I have only seen her play 1-2 times, nothing against her though.

 

[Deleted member 765152]

All 4 matches today were straight sets.
Otherwise tomorrow would have been brutal for today's winners.

 

[SonicNirvana]

AshBahty

 

[Mainad]

Interesting that Barty, the only one with a question mark after her name, is the only one of the individually named poll options still in with a chance!

All 4 semi-finalists are making their first appearance in the semi-finals of the French Open. 2 of them are teenagers and 3 of them are making their maiden appearance in a Slam semi-final. The 4th, Konta, has already played the semi-finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

For the 4th year in a row, the French Open will have a first time woman champion come Saturday and both finalists, whoever they are, will be making a first time appearance in a Slam final.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Interesting that Barty is the only 1 of the poll options still left!

For the 4th year in a row, the French Open will have a first time woman champion come Saturday and both finalists, whoever they are, will be making a first time appearance at this stage of Roland Garros.

How about “Others”?

 

[Mainad]

How about “Others”?

Only one identified by name then.

 

[Dolgopolov85]

Anisimova's ball striking continues to be ****ing awesome. This is not low percentage ball bashing like Mug when she used to play well or Ostapenko in her RG run couple of years back. Anisimova is totally in control. I was not sure if she could still pull it off on the larger and slower PCC but she did! That said, yes, I do think both Barty and Konta - if she gets past Vondrousova and at least going by form she should - will pose a bigger challenge to Anisimova. And mainly because they have been serving the best on the women's side in this tournament and she won't be able to tee off on the returns the way she could against Halep. They may not be quite as good at engaging her in long rallies but they will also take their chances earlier in the rally, especially Konta.

I would certainly love to see her go all the way though. And I think she will, but let's see.

 

[bluetrain4]

Wow, guaranteed a first-time Slam winner at the SF stage. 8th seed the remaining high seed and two unseeded players. That qualifies as blown up draw.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Interesting that Barty, the only one with a question mark after her name, is the only one of the individually named poll options still in with a chance!

All 4 semi-finalists are making their first appearance in the semi-finals of the French Open. 2 of them are teenagers and 3 of them are making their maiden appearance in a Slam semi-final. The 4th, Konta, has already played the semi-finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

For the 4th year in a row, the French Open will have a first time woman champion come Saturday and both finalists, whoever they are, will be making a first time appearance at this stage of Roland Garros.

That was a typo by me when doing the poll with Ash, not intentional.

 

[bluetrain4]

Post-Serena, I just don't see the women's game having dominant stars for a while. It was always a given that a generation of dominant tennis greats would give way to the next generation of dominant tennis greats - From Navratilova-Evert, to Graf-Seles, to Venus-Serena-Henin. And there's always been a defined second tier of greats too, players like Mandlikova, Sanchez-Vicario, Davenport, Capriati.

But, all I see for the near future is what we've been seeing for the past couple of years. Sure, there will be a few players who stand out and win multiple Slams, but nothing like the dominant greats of generation's past. And, those players' performances will be more all over the place than most previous champions - (Think Sloane Stephens after winning the USO, or Osaka after winning two consecutive Slams, or Kvitova who appears and then disappears.) We'll continue to see a lot of first-time winners, unseeded semifinalists, etc - and the titles will be spread across a much larger number of players than in previous generations.

This could also be the case on the men's side if the Big Three ever retire or actually digress consistently.

 

[bluetrain4]

I say this before but I think Anisimova is this generation Maria Sharapova with same playing style too. Sharapova won her 1st GS title at 17 years old! Both tall, blonde, power hitters, powerful 1st serves. Lots of similars here.

Is Anisimova a better mover?

 

[Dolgopolov85]

Is Anisimova a better mover?

Yes. Very much so. Don't remember at what juncture the point came but Halep pulled her off court a few times and yet she kept coming back in and eventually put a forehand slice into the open court after getting Halep out of position. And not just that she got there but she looked poised and balanced for every shot.

 

[bluetrain4]

Yes. Very much so. Don't remember at what juncture the point came but Halep pulled her off court a few times and yet she kept coming back in and eventually put a forehand slice into the open court after getting Halep out of position. And not just that she got there but she looked poised and balanced for every shot.

Cool. I've really only watched the scores during this French Open; haven't been watching matches, and I've never actually seen her play.

 

[Mark-Touch]

Anisimova is only 17 too!

Yes, that means you are not allowed to ogle her!

 

[Mark-Touch]

Halep 3 games away from a demoliton. extinction.

 

[Mark-Touch]

Wasn't Sloane up a set and 3-0 in the final last year? I don't think this is over by any means. This is the part where Halep starts to claw back and Anisimova realises what she's on the verge of, and the choking may commence.

Really?

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Is Anisimova a better mover?

Way better mover. Sharapova hit harder tho. She's Venus like imo.

 

[Mark-Touch]

I can cause I am GOD at predicting and spotting talent. She will be and will be the best woman in WTA for next 15 years.

At the very least the best-looking woman.

 

[Mark-Touch]

Still picking Johanna Konta to win FO!

Wouldn't mind seeing that but my first choice would be Amanda.
I'd be happy with ABB.
Anyone But Barty.

 

[Mark-Touch]

Nostradamus, you will have to make a decision whether you want to coach Bouchard or Anisimova next year.

 

[Deleted member 765152]

Nike and Babolat are praying Amanda will win. Sales will skyrocket.

 

[Mark-Touch]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1136595290226614272

the ..ova twins?

 

[Mark-Touch]

Same here. I'm a Halep fan too but not much you can do when AA is blasting everything to the corners.
I'd be happy with AA, Konta or Ash winning it all.

Never was a Halep fan so it was very easy for me to take this victory.
I admire Halep's tennis skills and grit but that's about it (certainly not her grunts).

Oh yeah that's another thing.
Imagine another Sharapova-like queen (or better) who doesn't shriek or grunt? YES!!!