French Open Semis

The men

1) Djokovic beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets.  Thiem did not get enough free and easy points on his serve, and he tried too hard to hit Djokovic off the court rather than to maneuver him with varied play.  The real factor in this match, though, was Novak’s play.  He played by far his best since the tournament started, and he was all but unbeatable today.  Thiem will be back, take my word for it.

2) Murray beat Wawrinka in 4 sets.  Andy Murray again showed tremendous endurance and powerful shot-making.  In my opinion he has played the best tennis of his career over the past several weeks.  As strong as Wawrinka is, Murray was even stronger today.  This match was never in doubt.

Finals prediction:  Djokovic over Murray in 4 sets.  Murray has played a lot of tough matches since the start of the Madrid Open.  As strong as he has been, I think Novak has more in the tank, and Novak’s play is also peaking at the right time.  If Murray is to have a chance, he MUST get easy points off his serve, particularly when he falls behind in service games.  He was successful at this in Italy, but this is a 5-set match. 

The women.

1) Serena Williams beat a hobbled Kiki Bertens, 7-6, 6-4.  Williams recognized that Bertens could not move forward well because of an injured calf muscle, and tortured Bertens with drop shots.  Bertens held a set point on her own serve in the first set tiebreak but could not convert.  A tremendous tournament for Bertens.  Let’s see what she does from here on out. 

2) Muguruza dominated Stosur in a straight set win.  Garbine hit phenomenal shots from all over the court.   She did not serve well, but it hardly mattered, as she seemed able to break Stosur’s serve whenever she wanted to.  Muguruza’s stellar play has been one of the highlights of the 2016 French Open.  It’s been a real pleasure watching her.  

Finals prediction:  Pick ‘em.  Williams is the best player in the world and has a lot of experience on the big stage.  However, Muguruza has shown that she can beat Serena at the French Open, and has played the better tennis over the past 2 weeks.  This should be interesting.  If things dry out and the surface gets faster, I think Muguruza will have a better chance.  Right now she is moving better than Serena.