Ladies take a bow: two gutsy performances

Roger’s Roland Garros Diary Day 4

And the winner is … Two gutsy performances today by Kiki Bertens and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

After Italy’s Sara Errani lost 7-9 in a frosty final set to Holland’s Kiki Bertens she stormed off the court leaving her opponent in agony on the ground apparently with cramp. Bertens had to be taken back to the locker room in a wheelchair.

Errani then carried her anger into the post match press conference claiming her opponent was “faking it”.

In a much friendlier encounter on Court Simonne Mathieu Anna Karolina Schmiedlova stumbled and fell early in the second set of her straight sets win over #11 seed Vika Azarenka, requiring on court treatment from the medics for a gashed and bruised left knee.

She literally picked herself up and brushed herself down to record her best ever victory in a Slam.

Umpiring that match was Portuguese umpire Carlos Ramos.

Following his dignified handllng of Serena Williams’ meltdown and personal verbal attack on him in the 2018 US Open Women’s singles final, Ramos told me at the following Australian Open that he neither expected nor got a Christmas card from her!

Neither did he get an apology, and Serena boasted that “You will never ever be on another court of mine”.

Well that’s certainly going to be the case in this Grand Slam, as while Ramos was umpiring the Azarenka v Schmiedlova match, Williams announced that she was pulling out of her second round match with Tsvetana Pironkova.

Talking of frosty encounters, the trees around Roland Garros in it’s temporary new slot on the calendar are showing distinct signs of fall being just around the corner.

Celebration of the day definitely belonged to Italy’s Stefano Travaglia after putting out Kei Nishikori.

As the umpire’s “mission control tablet” showed.

And finally, Fan of the day.

A solitary Rumanian fan complete with the national flag and facemask watched the “win-win” battle between two compatriots Simona Halep and Irina-Camelia Begu on Court Suzanne Lenglen. He got his reward, a thank you message from winner Simona Halep in her post-match interview.