Nadal dominates Djokovic for 13th French Open crown

Rafael Nadal equaled Roger Federer's men's record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
2017 photo by Mal Taam

   It was hardly surprising that Rafael Nadal tied Roger Federer's men's record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles today.

   The way he did it was another matter, especially in the first two sets.

   Nadal, ranked second, dismantled Novak Djokovic, ranked first, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in 2 hours, 41 minutes to win his fourth consecutive French Open title and mind-boggling13th overall. 

   Djokovic, who ranks third with 17 Grand Slam singles crowns, double-faulted to give Nadal a 6-5 lead in the third set. Nadal then held serve at love, finishing with an ace.

   "In terms of these records, of course I care," Nadal told reporters. "I am a big fan of the history of sport in general. I respect that a lot. For me, it means a lot to share this number with Roger, no? But let's see what's going on when we finish our careers. We keep playing."

Rafael Nadal improved to 100-2 in the French Open. 2017 photo
by Mal Taam

   It was Nadal's most lopsided Grand Slam victory in the storied rivalry, eclipsing his 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 triumph in the semifinals of the 2007 French Open. It was also the biggest rout in a Roland Garros final since Nadal overwhelmed Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 only three years ago.

   Today's outcome, however, was not entirely shocking. Nadal crushed Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the 2008 French Open final and blanked Djokovic in the first set for the second straight match on clay. Nadal downed Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in last year's Italian Open final. 

   Nadal became the first player in the Open Era, which began in 1968, to win one of the Grand Slam tournaments four times without losing a set. He also did so at Roland Garros in 2008, 2010 and 2017.

   Djokovic breezed in his first four matches of the tournament before defeating 17th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta in four sets in a 3-hour, 10-minute quarterfinal and fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets in a 3-hour, 54-minute semifinal. In the latter encounter, Djokovic held a match point serving at 6-3, 6-2, 5-4.

   Djokovic, 33, leads the 34-year-old Nadal 29-27 in the head-to-head series. Nadal, though, improved to 7-1 in the French Open and 3-0 in Roland Garros finals against Djokovic.

   Overall, Nadal is 100-2 in the French Open, falling to Djokovic in the 2015 quarterfinals and Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.

   Nadal salvaged his year with a vintage performance. He lost to Dominic Thiem in the Australian Open quarterfinals, skipped the U.S. Open because of coronavirus concerns and, in his only French Open tuneup tournament, lost to Diego Schwartzman for the first time in 10 meetings in the quarters.

   "I played at an amazing level of tennis, no?" Nadal said of today's final. "For two sets and a half, I played great. I can't say another thing. Is impossible to have this score against him without playing great."

Novak Djokovic fell to 37-2 this year, including his
default from the U.S. Open, and 1-4 in French Open
finals. File photo by Paul Bauman

   Djokovic fell to 37-2 this year, including his default from the U.S. Open, and 1-4 in French Open finals. He committed 52 unforced errors to only 14 for Nadal. Djokovic often resorted to drop shots, to no avail against the fleet Spaniard.

   "I was probably rushing a bit much, trying to play shorter points," lamented Djokovic, who seemed fine physically. "I probably wasn't constructing the points well. That reflected on the result. But that was also caused by him, by his amazing defense. He was getting a lot of balls back."

   Djokovic was bidding to become the first man in the Open Era to win every Grand Slam title at least twice. Federer has won one French Open crown, and Nadal has captured one Australian Open title.

   Federer, 39, missed the U.S. Open and French Open after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee twice this year. He plans to return in 2021.

   Women's doubles final — Second-seeded Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France won the title for the second consecutive year, beating 14th-seeded Alexa Guarachi, a native of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., who plays for Chile, and Desirae Krawczyk, who was born in Palm Desert, Calif., 6-4, 7-5.

   Krawczyk won the doubles title in the 2017 Sacramento (Calif.) Challenger with Giuliana Olmos, who was born in Austria, grew up in Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area and plays for Mexico. 

American Kenin voted WTA Most Improved Player

Sofia Kenin, shown en route to the 2018 Berkeley (Calif.) title,
  ended this year at No. 14 in the world. Photo by Paul Bauman

  Sofia Kenin, who starred in Northern California Challengers, was voted the Most Improved Player of the Year, the WTA announced on Wednesday.
   The 21-year-old American jumped from No. 52 to No. 14 in the year-end rankings. She peaked at No. 12 on Oct. 21.
   The Moscow native won her first three WTA singles titles (Hobart, Mallorca and Guangzhao) and reached the round of 16 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, stunning Serena Williams in the third round of the French Open.
   Kenin also beat reigning No. 1 players in back-to-back weeks, ousting Ashleigh Barty in Toronto and Naomi Osaka in Cincinnati.
   Kenin won NorCal Challenger singles titles in three consecutive years – Sacramento in 2016 at age 17, Stockton and Berkeley.
   Other award winners, as voted on by international journalists, were Barty (Player of the Year), Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic (Doubles Team of the Year), Bianca Andreescu (Newcomer of the Year) and Belinda Bencic (Comeback Player of the Year).
   Barty, a 23-year-old Australian, claimed her first Grand Slam singles title in the French Open, also won the WTA Finals and ended the year at No. 1 for the first time.
   Babos and Mladenovic – 26-year-olds from Hungary and France, respectively – took the French Open crown and won the WTA Finals for the second straight year.
   Andreescu, 19, soared from No. 178 to No. 5 in the year-end rankings. She became the first Canadian, male or female, to win a major singles title, shocking Williams in the U.S. Open final.
   Bencic, a right-hander who underwent left wrist surgery in the spring of 2017 and plunged as low as No. 318, ended the year in the top 10 for the first time at No. 8. The 22-year-old Swiss matched her career high of No. 7 after winning the Moscow title in October.

Djokovic completes career Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic serves to Andy Murray during the 2015 BNP Paribas
Open in Indian Wells. Djokovic beat Murray in four sets today for his
first French Open title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Novak Djokovic has been racking up Grand Slam titles like frequent flier miles.
   But this one was special.
   After losing three French Open finals, all in the last four years, Djokovic became the eighth man to complete a career Grand Slam with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Andy Murray today at Roland Garros.
   Djokovic, 29, joined rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as well as Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Don Budge and Fred Perry with singles titles in all four majors.
   Djokovic has won five of the last six Slams. Only a four-set loss to Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open final prevented Djokovic from becoming the first man in 47 years and third overall to achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam. Laver accomplished the feat in 1962 and 1969, and Budge in 1938.
   For now, Djokovic will have to be content with becoming the only other man and first since 1969 to hold all four major titles at once.
   "It's a thrilling moment, one of the most beautiful I have had in my career," Djokovic told reporters. "It's incredibly flattering to know that Rod Laver is the last one that managed to do that. There are not many words that can describe it. It's one of the ultimate challenges that you have as a tennis player. I'm very proud and very thrilled.
   "It's hard for me to reflect on what has happened before and what's going to happen after. I'm just so overwhelmed with having this trophy next to me that I'm just trying to enjoy this moment."
   With his 12th Grand Slam singles title, Djokovic passed Laver and Bjorn Borg and tied Emerson for fourth place. Should Djokovic achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2016, a distinct possibility, he will tie Nadal and Pete Sampras for second place with 14 and pull within three of Federer.
  Laver was barred from Grand Slam tournaments for five years in his prime until professionals were allowed beginning in 1968. Emerson, who remained an amateur, won 10 of his 12 Slams during Laver's absence.
   And should Djokovic also win the singles gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August, he will become the first man to earn a so-called Golden Slam. Tennis was dropped from the Olympics after the 1924 Games and returned as a full medal sport in 1988, when Steffi Graf swept all five titles.

Murray fell to 2-8 in Grand Slam finals. Five of the losses have come
against Djokovic and three against Roger Federer. This was Murray's
first French Open final. 2015 photo by Paul Bauman

   Murray, playing in his first French Open final, fell to 2-8 in Grand Slam title matches. Five of the losses have come against Djokovic and three against Federer. However, Murray beat Djokovic to win the 2012 U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2013, ending a 77-year drought for British men at the All England Club.
   Murray went undefeated in two appearances in the now-defunct SAP Open in San Jose, Calif., winning his first career ATP World Tour title there 10 years ago at 18 and repeating in 2007. Djokovic never played in the SAP Open.
   Djokovic, admittedly nervous in the first set of today's final, played brilliantly from the beginning of the second set until 5-2 in the fourth. He pounded serves down the middle, ripped groundstrokes to the corners and exhibited his peerless defense and return-of-serve.
   Then, understandably, nerves set in again. Djokovic was broken for 5-3 but held his next service game for the title.
   "This is his day today," a gracious Murray -- who turned 29 on May 15, one week before Djokovic -- said during the award ceremony. "What he's achieved in the last 12 months is phenomenal. Winning all four of the Grand Slams in one year is an amazing achievement. It's something that is so rare in tennis. It's not happened for an extremely long time, and it's going to take a long time for it to happen again. Everyone here who came to watch is extremely lucky to see it. Losing in the final (stinks), but I'm proud to have been a part of it today."
   Before the men's singles final, Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic became the first French team to win the women's doubles title at Roland Garros since Gail Chanfreau and Francoise Durr in 1971.
   Garcia and Mladenovic, seeded fifth, topped Russia's Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, the seventh seeds and 2013 champions, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

Gibbs loses in second round of Aussie Open again

Ex-Stanford star Nicole Gibbs, playing in the 2014
Sacramento Challenger, fell to 28th-seeded Kristina
Mladenovic of France 6-1, 7-6 (4) today in the second
round of the Australian Open. Photo by Rob Vomund

   Give Nicole Gibbs credit for consistency.

   For the second straight year, the 22-year-old former Stanford All-American lost to a low seed in the second round of the Australian Open.

   Gibbs, a 106th-ranked qualifier living in Marina del Rey in the Los Angeles area, fell to No. 28 Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-1, 7-6 (4) today in Melbourne.
   The 6-foot (1.84-meter) Mladenovic, also 22, won the last five points of the tiebreaker against the 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) Gibbs.
   Gibbs, a direct entrant in last year's Australian Open with a ranking of No. 96, lost to No. 26 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6) in the second round.
   The 30th-ranked Mladenovic, who beat 2014 Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova in the first round, will face Australia's Daria Gavrilova, who surprised sixth seed and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4.
   Mladenovic reached the U.S. Open singles quarterfinals last September and the 2014 Wimbledon doubles final with Timea Babos of Hungary. Mladenovic also won mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the Australian Open in 2014, both with ageless Daniel Nestor of Canada.
   Gibbs, the NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013, advanced to the third round of singles in the 2014 U.S. Open.
   In another Australian Open second-round match, top-seeded Serena Williams dominated Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan 6-1, 6-2. Williams has won the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford three times (2011, 2012 and 2014). Hsieh captured the 2013 Wimbledon women's doubles title with Peng Shuai of China.
   On the men's side, Americans Austin Krajicek and Denis Kudla -- the runners-up in the Aptos and Tiburon Challengers, respectively, last year -- lost to seeds in the second round.
   Krajicek, 25, fell to No. 7 Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3. The roomed together as juniors at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
   Kudla, 23, bowed out to No. 28 Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-5, 6-4, 6-4. Kudla was the only U.S. man to reach the second week of Wimbledon last year, falling to 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia in the fourth round. Seppi stunned Roger Federer in the third round of last year's Australian Open before losing to rising star Nick Kyrgios of Australia in the next round.
   Americans Steve Johnson, the 2012 Aptos singles champion, and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native, defeated Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic and Igor Zelenay of Slovakia 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the opening round of men's doubles.
   Johnson and Querrey advanced to the U.S. Open semifinals last September, ousting top seeds and defending champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the first round.

Qualifier Gibbs advances in Australian Open

Nicole Gibbs, playing in the U.S. Open
last September, beat Klara Koukalova
in the first round of the Australian Open.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   This year's Australian Open is looking a lot like last year's for Nicole Gibbs.

   Which isn't such a bad thing.

    The 22-year-old former Stanford All-American reached the second round in Melbourne for the second straight year on Sunday (PST), beating 33-year-old Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. 

   And for the second straight year, Gibbs will face a low seed in the second round. After losing to No. 26 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6) in 2015, Gibbs will play No. 28 Kristina Mladenovic of France for the first time on Tuesday. 

   The big difference is that Gibbs qualified this year with a ranking of No. 105 after gaining direct entry last year at No. 96. 

   Mladenovic, also 22, dispatched Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, the 2014 Australian Open runner-up to since-retired Li Na, 6-3, 6-4.

   Gibbs, only 5-foot-6 (1.68 meters), didn't have to worry about being overpowered by the 5-5 (1.66-meter) Koukalova. Not so against rising star Mladenovic, who stands 6 feet (1.84 meters).

   Mladenovic, ranked 30th in singles, already has built an impressive resume in all three events. She reached the U.S. Open singles quarterfinals last September and the 2014 Wimbledon doubles final with Timea Babos of Hungary. Mladenovic also won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2013 and the Australian Open in 2014, both with ageless Daniel Nestor of Canada.

   Gibbs' best Grand Slam result is the third round of singles in the 2014 U.S. Open.

   Meanwhile, Sam Querrey continued to struggle. The 28-year-old San Francisco native, ranked No. 58 after climbing to a career-high No. 17 in 2011, retired while tied with Dusan Lajovic of Serbia at two sets apiece.

   Querrey won the first two sets 7-6 (5), 6-4 and dropped the next two 6-4, 6-2. The reason for his retirement was not immediately available.
    Americans Austin Krajicek and Denis Kudla -- the runners-up in last year's  Aptos and Tiburon Challengers, respectively -- won their openers.
   Japan's Nao Hibino, last summer's Stockton Challenger champion making her Grand Slam debut at 21, lost to Maria Sharapova, the fifth seed and 2008 Australian Open titlist, 6-1, 6-3.

French Open Day 3 highlights: No. 6 Bouchard exits

No. 6 seed Eugenie Bouchard lost to Kristina Mladen-
ovic in the first round. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Upset of the day -- You could see this one coming.
   Kristina Mladenovic, playing in her home country, dispatched sixth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
  Mladenovic, a two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, eliminated No. 2 seed and 2011 champion Li Na in the first round of last year's French Open.
   Bouchard, a semifinalist at Roland Garros last year, has won just one match in her last six events.
   Notable -- Jack Sock of Tampa, Fla., beat 10th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-3. It's the second year in a row that Dimitrov, a Wimbledon semifinalist last year, has lost in the opening round at Roland Garros. He fell to 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Ivo Karlovic in 2014.
   Men's seeded winners -- No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 6 Rafael Nadal (nine-time champion, including last five years), No. 7 David Ferrer, No. 9 Marin Cilic, No. 15 Kevin Anderson, No. 16 John Isner, No. 20 Richard Gasquet, No. 23 Leonardo Mayer.
   Men's seeded losers -- No. 10 Dimitrov.
   Women's seeded winners -- No. 1 Serena Williams (2002 and 2013 champion), No. 4 Petra Kvitova, No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 10 Andrea Petkovic, No. 16 Madison Keys, No. 18 Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009 champion), No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky, No. 32 Zarina Diyas.
   Women's seeded losers -- No. 6 Bouchard, No. 25 Jelena Jankovic. 
   Stars and stripes -- After the first round,  three of seven U.S. men remain (No. 16 Isner, Sock and Steve Johnson), and four of 17 American women are left (No. 1 Williams, No. 16 Keys, Sloane Stephens and Irina Falconi -- all in the top half of the draw).
   Fast fact -- Nadal's No. 6 seeding is his lowest in a Grand Slam tournament since 2005.
   Northern California connection -- Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native and former Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis, and Johnson defeated Martin Klizan of Slovakia and Philipp Oswald of Austria 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the first round. ... Ex-Stanford standout Scott Lipsky of Irvine and Treat Huey of the Philippines lost to 13th-seeded Marin Draganja of Croatia and Henri Kontinen of Finland 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
   Quote -- French wild card Maxime Hamou on winner Jerzy Janowicz's exaggerated handshake and finger-pointing after the match: "I found it was a little edgy on his part. There is nothing else I have to say at this point. I think a lot of players know him; I did not know him. I know him now."

Rankings mover of the week: Carol Zhao (down)

Carol Zhao, a Stanford sophomore, addresses the media after
losing to Ana Ivanovic in the second round of the Bank of the
West Classic at Stanford in July. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Carol Zhao, a Stanford sophomore from Canada, tumbled 188 places to No. 549 in the doubles world rankings after losing in the first round at Quebec City on the elite WTA tour last week.

   Zhao, 19, paired with Francoise Abanda, 17, of Canada in a 6-1, 6-2 loss to top-seeded Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France. Zhao and Abanda reached the doubles quarterfinals at Quebec City last year, accounting for Zhao's drop in the rankings.

   Babos and Mladenovic advanced to this year's Wimbledon final, losing to second-seeded Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy.

   Mladenovic, 21, stunned two-time Grand Slam singles champion Li Na in the first round of the French Open this year and won the 2013 Wimbledon and 2014 Australian Open mixed doubles titles with Daniel Nestor of Canada.
   Zhao is ranked a career-high No. 296 in singles. As a qualifier, she won her first WTA main-draw match in July at Stanford when Yanina Wickmayer, a U.S. Open semifinalist in 2009, retired because of a viral illness with Zhao leading 6-2, 1-0 in the Bank of the West Classic. Zhao then lost to fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world, 6-1, 6-1.

WORLD RANKINGS

   Players with Northern California ties ranked in the top 1,000 in the world (change from last week in parentheses):

Men

   Collin Altamirano, 18 years old, 2013 USTA Boys 18 national champion from Sacramento -- No. 751 in singles (-2), No. 894 in doubles (-4).

   Bob Bryan, 36 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Mike Bryan, 36 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Connor Farren, 19 years old, USC sophomore from Foster City -- No. 992 in singles (+3).
   Bradley Klahn, 24 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 118 in singles (+2), No. 165 in doubles (-1).
   Scott Lipsky, 33 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 36 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Mackenzie McDonald, 19 years old, UCLA sophomore from Piedmont -- No. 643 in singles (+2), No. 569 in doubles (+2).
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Sacramento Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 52 in singles (-1), No. 64 in doubles (-2).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 31 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 69 in singles (-1), No. 117 in doubles (+1).

Women

   Kristie Ahn, 22 years old, member of Stanford's 2013 NCAA championship team, singles round of 16 in 2014 NCAA Tournament as a senior -- No. 889 in singles (no change), No. 758 in doubles (+8).

   CiCi Bellis, 15 years old, 2014 USTA Girls 18 national champion from Atherton -- No. 433 in singles (-2), No. 887 in doubles (-2).

   Hadley Berg, 18 years old, University of South Carolina freshman from Greenbrae -- No. 985 in doubles (+2).

   Mallory Burdette, 23 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- Injured, unranked in singles and doubles.
   Nicole Gibbs, 21 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- Career-high No. 101 in singles (no change), No. 545 in doubles (+1). 

   Michaela Gordon, 15 years old, 2014 USTA Girls 18 quarterfinalist from Saratoga -- No. 939 in singles (-2).

   Macall Harkins, 28 years old, Concord resident -- No. 409 in doubles (+6), No. 675 in singles (+1).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 31 years old, San Jose resident, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- Career-high No. 11 in doubles (no change), No. 762 in singles (+7).

   Maria Sanchez, 24 years old, born and raised in Modesto -- No. 93 in doubles (-3), No. 265 in singles (+10).

   Karina Vyrlan, 15 years old, Sacramento resident -- No. 847 in singles (+3).

   Allie Will, 23 years old, born in San Mateo -- No. 157 in doubles (-17), No. 468 in singles (+6).
   Carol Zhao, 19 years old, Stanford sophomore -- Career-high No. 296 in singles (+1), No. 549 (-188 in doubles).