French Open Recap-ish: Day 1 and 2

by Teraesa Vinson 

Bonjour! We’re mushing together Day 1 and 2 because, I don’t know why.  Why not?  But let’s get to it:

Day 1

Primal Scream:  Remember Melanie Oudin?  Believe?  Had that great run at the US Open and then kinda flamed out for a bit?  Yeah, well, she won her first main draw match in a slam since that 2010 US Open yesterday.   She must have been as frustrated as we were, because when she won her match Sunday, she screamed like she had either 1) won a major, 2) found her man in bed with someone else, or 3) gave birth (quickly, to a small baby).  Judge for yourself from the video above, won’t you? (around 5:06)

Venus Is Back! (and Black!):  Venus Williams continued her comeback Sunday with a 3-set victory over Argentinian Paula Ormaechea, getting her closer to qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.  I can imagine it must have been hard to play Venus, as the No. 120 in the world related that she looked up to the Williams sisters.  I mean, she REALLY looked up to them.  Like - their athleticism, their fashion sense, and their….race?  

Ormaechea: "And I told her that when I was a kid I wanted to be black like them. Venus burst out laughing."

— FueBuena (@FueBuena) May 27, 2012

Hey man, works for me.

Oh Andy:  Oh those American men.  One day they’ll like to play on clay.  Today was not Andy Roddick’s day, as he was knocked out in the first round by Nicolas “I can play forever” Mahut.  Mahut was happy to get a win over Roddick, expressing his happiness at not being Andy’s “pigeon” anymore. Pigeon?  Discuss.

Day 2

American Woman….:  The US ladies have been doing fab so far.  Their record so far is 10-0 on the tournament, with more wins today from McHale, King, Lepchenko, and Mattek-Sands (over No. 12 Lisicki!).  On a pure fashionista level, they vary of course. There are the highs…..and the typically confusing. 

Comeback Alley:  Two guys won today with huge comeback stories.  Paul Henri Mathieu was down by 2 sets but rallied to beat Phau in 5 sets.  He cried and thanked the crowd for supporting him.  Also our big American story, Brian Baker, dismissed Xavier Malisse in 3 sets today.  Who saw that coming!  He’ll face Gilles Simon next, because Ryan Harrison had a meltdown serving to go up 2 sets to none.  

The Bachelor, Olympic Version:  Folks are still buzzing about who will get Serena Williams’ rose as her Olympic mixed doubles partner.  Will it be John Isner?  Andy Roddick?  One of the Bryan Brothers?  All of them are lobbying her for the chance, however she's playing with Bob Byran in mixed dubs at the French Open. Hmmmm......stay tuned.  I think tears will be involved fo sho. 

Out…..Almost:  This morning was a biiiiit tense, as No. 1 Victoria Azarenka was almost ousted in the first round by the Italian Alberta Brianti.  Down a set and 0-4, she came roaring back.  Of course, we knew it would happen, but you gotta love the drama.

You’re Leaving Already?   For some folks, the French Open was over before it began. Vera Zvonareva (shoulder) withdrew early Monday morning, and Feliciano Lopez (abdomen) retired down 0-5 in his first set of the tournament.  Which is surprising, since his legs seem to be….fiiiine.

French Word of the Day:  Finally, I’m learning French, so I think we need a French word (or phrase) of the day on my watch.  So the word of the day is…..

Sidérer :  To stupefy, to shock.  For example:

“J'ai été siderée quand Vika perdu le premier set.” (I was shocked when Vika lost the first set.)

See you tomorrow!

Teraesa Vinson (my lovely sister) is a contributing writer to OnTheGoTennis.  To follow her on Twitter, click here.