Roland Media Day 8: Rain and Other Results

Roland Media is TTI’s daily French Open wrap up with the most bizarre, fun and interesting moments from Paris.

It rained but it didn’t pour

It what can be described as the most testing day of the tournament for organizers and players alike, Sunday’s play at Roland Garros was interrupted for a sustained period of time early in the day. Luckily enough, subsequent hours saw more of a drizzle than a downpour and there were no further extended delays — but conditions were heavy and difficult.

And that turned out to be very much the case.

Both women’s matches were moved to tomorrow morning, while Roger Federer and Gael Monfils are going to have to step out on court again after splitting the first two sets. After beating Gilles Simon through the rain drops, Stan Wawrinka is already awaiting the winner.

The good news? It’s going to warm up day-by-day over the course of the second week and rain isn’t in sight any more.

#listentotheweatherman

Alizé Cornet bows out — in style

The enigmatic Frenchwoman faced Elina Svitolina in her fourth round match and after she looked out of sorts in the first set, she made the second set a very close affair.

True to form, it had Cornet’s dramatic handwriting all over it. She had a set point in the tiebreak to force a decider but Svitolina was able to convert her sixth match point after failing to serve out the set twice previously.

The Ukrainian will meet Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals.

Even MORE emotions? Mon dieu…

Of bathroom-mates and toilet-gates

With the French team of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hughes Herbert leading 5-4* on serve against No. 2 seeds Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil, both Sock and Mahut requested to go to the bathroom during a rain delay.

So what do you do as an umpire?

Save time and send the boys off together:

Late in the second set, Sock had to go to the bathroom again — and urgently at that…at least until he was told no.

No one wants to see that, young man…

Tsonga makes it through the rain…

…And at RG, he’ll stand up once again.

After a somewhat injury-ridden past nine months, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga scored his first big result of the year, defeating Tomas Berdych in four sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3. With it, several streaks snapped as a result.

The Czech, ostensibly struggling with back issues today, made the quarterfinals in every tournament he had entered in the first five months of 2015 and didn’t lose to a player outside the Top 10 all year.

The Frenchman, on the opposite side, had yet to reach a quarterfinal and to score a win over a Top 10 player this season — but it has to be mentioned that Tsonga didn’t return to competition until Miami in March.

Forget all about those, as the No. 15 seed hit through the No. 4 seed to earn his place in the quarterfinals against Kei Nishikori, despite a hiccup while serving for the match in the third set.

Tsonga celebrated in style:

Tomorrow’s going to be packed and pretty exciting with most of the big names being scheduled to play.

With that, we’re bouncing off for today.