Tennis: Heading into the clay swing - Monte Carlo, Rome, Paris, don’t forget the altitude in Madrid

[Fizzywinegum]

New thread!

Is this the first match of the tournament to be decided on a tiebreak?

Yes, his girlfriend looks on the verge of tears.
Oh dear! She will be now. Double mini break!

Robbie he's probably not thinking about them at all mate

Wow

Those people are going to have the court shut down so fast

This could go on a while...

And just as I typed that, he won!

Sascha not happy with Danill there

Well done Daniil. Could be fireworks in his next match!

No, very cursory handshake. What's that about?

Cold! Yep, Daniil!

Robbie doesn't want to go home

Well done Daniil. I feel a bit sorry for him,
after that marathon he now plays Rune who is 19 years old and had a walkover in the previous round…

Exactly. I assume it's not the first match up tomorrow but knowing how crap the schedulers often are, I wouldn't necessarily be surprised

Thanks for the new thread Fizzy. I’m hoping to see some tennis today for the first time this week!

I have seen the schedule- Daniil is 3rd on ( not before 3pm) so not the last match scheduled on the court.
Musetti/Sinner are after.

It's not like they finished at 3am, so there will have been suitable 'rest'. And Tiafoe played 4 matches in 2 days last weekend, so at least no one is doing that!

But it was a hard match for Daniil, he's still out to prove he can play on clay, and Rune will be fresh as a daisy. And seems a lot more comfortable.

The Sinner/Musetti match will be loud.

Rublev will want to avoid a Struffing, and I think Stef might just have the edge over Fritz.

I’m not sure if I’ll get to see any tennis today - it’s DH’s birthday and for some reason he doesn’t want to spend the whole day watching tennis!

There are some good matches - I do think Danill should be on last - it was a late finish and a long, tough match - he will look even more knackered than usual

Fizzy But spending the whole day watching tennis is the best way to spend a birthday! (I don't actually know- my birthday is Christmas week, and there isn't usually anything much on that day. Doha sometimes, or random events in Australia. ). At the wrong time...

Daniil does always look deceptively knackered, and I suppose being on last runs the risk of it being another late one, (not sure what the weather is like today) and then he would be on early ish tomorrow any way tomorrow. I doubt the semis will be scheduled too late/evening.
So, swings and roundabouts.

Of course, he has to win today.

And I think Rune has everything to gain so he will just go out all guns blazing. I do love Rune's confidence- and the face he isn't phased by the fact he's meant to be the underdog.

Rublev took the first set easily but Struff just broke to make it 4-4 in the second- Andrey not happy and got an obscenity warning. Oops.

3-0 to Fritz.

Which is probably not the start anyone expected.

Just score watching at the mo. But of a surprise start for Fritzsipas, I was also expecting Stef to edge it.

Ice it is a surprise. I know Stef is rusty, but clay isn't really Fritz's surface, so i thought Stef would be able to capitalise on that.
But it's 5-1 and Taylor seems quite happy.

I'm expecting a comeback in the second set though!

Yes and Stef usually plays well here, he’s won it a couple of times hasn’t he?

Ice he does- wouldn't this be 3 in a row, if he wins this year? (the only one to do it apart from Nastase and Rafa-obviously. Rafa won it 8 times and then 3 on the trot!

Looking forward to this!

I see Rafa has pulled out of Barcelona