5 things we learned at Roland Garros Day 6 - Wozniacki thrashes Parmentier, Damir almost does it
Wozniacki puts Parmentier through the mincer, Dzumhur puts up a good fight, Djokovic goes all Hendrix and the rain stopped the pain on day six of the French Tennis Open at Roland Garros.
Issued on:
- It’s tough at the top
Pauline Parmentier is, at 32, something of a veteran. But the Frenchwoman looked like an ingénue on centre court on day six as second seed Caroline Wozniacki went chop-socky on her. Wozniacki led 6-0 5-0, although Parmentier, supported by the partisans, at least got on the board in her third round match. “I thought: ‘OK, I have to fight until the end,” said the battered fille. “And at least leave in an honourable way. But it wasn't enough. She was really too solid and I would have needed to be much fresher to be able to upset her. But obviously the score was pretty hard.” Not as hard as 6-0 6-0.
- But there is friendship
Given that the third round match against Pauline Parmentier offered few clues as to her form, the post-match inquisition of Caroline Wozniacki turned around her friendship with Serena Williams. To sum up: I could wallop Serena 6-0 6-3 and we’d still go out for lattes together.
“I think it's great to have a friendship like that on tour because it gets lonely,” said the Dane. The pair have played 11 times since the Sydney tournament in 2009. Williams has won all of the encounters except for their quarter-final clash at the Miami Open in 2012. Williams has notched up 23 Grand Slam titles while Wozniacki claimed her first at the Australian Open in January supplanting her chum as champ. Williams said she was too nervous to watch the Melbourne showdown against Simona Halep. However once the victory was gained, she said, she was proud of her mate. It’s nice this, no?
- Close isn’t good enough but the lad has come far
Damir Dzumhur served for the match at 5-4 up in the fourth set of his third round match against second seed Alex Zverev. The 26th seed fluffed the chance and lost the tiebreak. He also had a match point on Zverev’s serve in the fifth set but the 21-year-old German sent down a piledriver to snuff it out, eventually taking the decider 7-5. That Dzumhur is even on centre court is a testament to his willpower. “I was born in 1992, one month after the war started in Sarajevo,” he said. “My family saw the whole war in Sarajevo - four years under the grenades and everything.
"But it's not just about that period, but the period after that. Everything was destroyed with no good tennis courts at all. I was working hard but not really with the facilities that I needed. But I'm pretty much sure if you really want something and if you work hard and you go for it, you can do it anywhere.” Damir almost did it on the centre court on day six.
- We love a meltdown
Especially when it is a big name. Marat Safin often used to mangle a racquet. He was a really big bloke and brave would have been the official to go up and say: “Oi, Mazza, you’s well out of order.” Novak Djokovic isn’t as chunky as Safin. But the Serb went mediaeval on his weapon during his third round match against Roberto Bautista Agut. “Well, it was a big point and I managed to come back from being down in the tiebreak to 6-all,” explained Smashovic. “And then he came to the net, I played a great defensive backhand down the line and I had, in the middle of the court, a forehand. He went on one side. If the ball goes over, it’s a winner … I hit the top of the net.” Unhappy bunny. “At times in my career, these kind of situations, when I would scream or throw a racquet, it would kind of wake me up and help me to just kind of free myself from that pressure that is just building throughout the match. But there are times when it doesn't help. I'm not proud of doing that, to be honest. I don't like doing that. But at times, it happens.” It’s what makes you so loved, Novak, you show you’re only human. Not like that title monopolising Spaniard.
- Rain stops slaughter
The heavens opened towards the end of day six and never have the crowds on centre court appeared so happy to leave.
The partisans’ favourite, Lucas Pouille, was struggling against the unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov. The Frenchman simply wasn’t good enough. He lost the first set but turned it around to serve for the second set but he blew it. Khachanov surged back to win the second set 7-5. They went off with the score at 1-1 in the third set and the 15th seed about to serve to try to take a 2-1 lead.
The masses didn’t kick up a fuss at all. They obviously didn’t fancy sticking around for the impending slaughter. It was probably the same story on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Showman extreme Gaël Monfils won the first set against the eighth seed David Goffin, lost the second and was a break down in the third set. Perhaps the hopes of all France will come back on day seven and turn the situation around. Because if Pouille and Monfils go out, it could be a burpy procession for the locals. The 27th seed Richard Gasquet is due to meet a certain title monopolising Spaniard on day seven. The stats for Rikky boy? Played 15. Lost 15. Cleary not a case of Hooray Gasquet.
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