Day by day 2008 French Open

1 day day

1.1 day 1
1.2 day 2
1.3 day 3
1.4 day 4
1.5 day 5
1.6 day 6
1.7 day 7
1.8 day 8
1.9 day 9
1.10 day 10
1.11 day 11
1.12 day 12
1.13 day 13
1.14 day 14
1.15 day 15

day day
day 1

the sunday start saw several seeds in women s field go out, nicole vaidišová losing compatriot iveta benešová, , virginie razzano klára zakopalová. ana ivanovic, serena williams, alizé cornet, dominika cibulková , caroline wozniacki advanced second round.

in men s field, eyes turned clash between paul-henri mathieu , former no. 1, 1997, 2000 , 2001 french open champion gustavo kuerten, saw frenchman winning 6–3, 6–4, 6–2, marking closure of kuerten s career. third-seeded novak djoković came 1 set deficit denis gremelmayr make second round. james blake, david nalbandian , nicolás almagro proceeded next round in straight sets, while andy murray needed 3 hours beat french wild card jonathan eysseric 6–2, 1–6, 4–6, 6–0, 6–2. 1998 french open winner carlos moyá fell qualifier eduardo schwank , janko tipsarević lost nicolás lapentti.

seeded players out: nicole vaidišová, virginie razzano; carlos moyá, janko tipsarević.

(pictures, quotes, day 1)

day 2

in women s event, jelena janković, karin knapp, Ágnes szávay , patty schnyder advanced, along venus williams, lost set against tzipora obziler before winning match 6–3, 4–6, 6–2. twenty-third seed alona bondarenko upset petra cetkovská in straight sets.

on men s side, favorites roger federer, fernando gonzález , fernando verdasco won, tomáš berdych, crushed opponent robert smeets 6–1, 6–0, 6–0, , tommy robredo, defeated 2004 french open runner-up guillermo coria in 4 sets. marcos baghdatis, had been injured since indian wells lost simone bolelli, , 2007 french open quarterfinalist guillermo cañas upset in straight sets , 3 tie-breaks wayne odesnik. shock of day came french no. 1 richard gasquet announced withdrawal few hours before match, due knee injury. rain interrupted play during afternoon, causing matches stopped , rescheduled third day.

seeded players out: alona bondarenko; marcos baghdatis, guillermo cañas, richard gasquet (withdrawal).

(pictures, quotes, day 2)

day 3

rain disturbed play during whole day, causing late start, following svetlana kuznetsova , dinara safina qualified second round. after long interruption in afternoon, agnieszka radwańska, ai sugiyama , amélie mauresmo had enough time advance next round.

in men s singles, nikolay davydenko , stanislas wawrinka won in straight sets, whereas juan mónaco upset robin söderling, , mario ančić defeated andreas seppi. rain delay forced ongoing matches stopped , rescheduled fourth day.

seeded players out: juan mónaco, andreas seppi.

(pictures, quotes, day 3)

day 4

seventy-four matches programmed compensate rain delays, allowing francesca schiavone, elena dementieva, flavia pennetta, katarina srebotnik, vera zvonareva, anna chakvetadze, nadia petrova, maria kirilenko, victoria azarenka , anabel medina garrigues advance, along world no. 1 maria sharapova, pushed two-and-a-half hours, came being led 3–4, 15–40, in final set compatriot evgeniya rodina, no. 103 in rankings, win match 6–1, 3–6, 8–6. ninth seed marion bartoli, led casey dellacqua when match stopped on day three, lost, while sybille bammer fell aleksandra wozniak, , shahar pe er samantha stosur. agnieszka radwańska, caroline wozniacki, ana ivanovic, patty schnyder , serena williams proceeded third round.

in men s event, radek Štěpánek, lleyton hewitt, david ferrer, jarkko nieminen, dmitry tursunov, ivan ljubičić, mikhail youzhny , igor andreev advanced, defending champion rafael nadal, survived first set scare overpower qualifier thomaz bellucci 7–5, 6–3, 6–1. meanwhile, 2003 french open champion juan carlos ferrero retired against marcos daniel due leg injury, , alejandro falla defeated ivo karlović 3–6, 7–6(4), 7–6(6), 5–7, 6–4, after 4 hours. novak djoković, nicolás almagro , andy murray among first qualify third round, alongside paul-henri mathieu, rallied two-sets-to-love overcome Óscar hernández in 4 hours , eleven minutes on score of 2–6, 1–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2, , unseeded michaël llodra, upset tomáš berdych in 3 hours , 5 sets 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4.

seeded players out: marion bartoli, sybille bammer, shahar pe er; juan carlos ferrero (retirement), ivo karlović, tomáš berdych.

(pictures, quotes, day 4)

day 5

rain again caused delays , interruptions during day, did not prevent venus williams, alizé cornet, jelena janković, elena dementieva, karin knapp, flavia pennetta, dominika cibulková, katarina srebotnik, dinara safina, francesca schiavone, victoria azarenka, Ágnes szávay, anabel medina garrigues , svetlana kuznetsova qualifying next round. in meantime, amélie mauresmo lost carla suárez navarro, ai sugiyama defeated olga govortsova, maria kirilenko beaten zheng jie, , anna chakvetadze became highest seed fall on day five, when upset kaia kanepi in straight sets.

the men s field suffered several upsets well, james blake lost ernests gulbis, david nalbandian defeated french wild card jérémy chardy, climbed being 2 sets down beat argentinian 3–6, 4–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–2, in on 3 hours , igor andreev upset american robby ginepri. world no. 1 roger federer came losing first set dispatch opponent albert montañés 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–0, 6–4, , advance third round along rafael nadal, mikhail youzhny, fernando gonzález, jarkko nieminen, dmitry tursunov, ivan ljubičić, stanislas wawrinka, fernando verdasco, nikolay davydenko, david ferrer, lleyton hewitt , tommy robredo.

seeded players out: amélie mauresmo, ai sugiyama, anna chakvetadze, maria kirilenko; james blake, david nalbandian, igor andreev.

the first matches of doubles competition played, world no. 1 team liezel huber & cara black, mariya koryttseva & vladimíra uhlířová, , peng shuai & sun tiantian among first advance second round of women s doubles.

on men s side, lukáš dlouhý & leander paes, jonas björkman & kevin ullyett, daniel nestor & nenad zimonjić, mariusz fyrstenberg & marcin matkowski, marcelo melo & andré sá, jonathan erlich & andy ram, , no. 1 duo bob & mike bryan proceeded next round, while defending champion mark knowles, partnered mahesh bhupathi year, defeated in straight sets stephen huss & ross hutchins, , 2005 , 2006 champion max mirnyi, teamed jamie murray, lost in 3 sets rik de voest & robin haase.

seeded players out: mahesh bhupathi / mark knowles, max mirnyi / jamie murray.

(pictures, quotes, day 5)

day 6

on women s side, nadia petrova, maria sharapova , vera zvonareva won second round matches. ana ivanovic, victor of caroline wozniacki, agnieszka radwańska, beat alizé cornet, , patty schnyder advanced fourth round. joined twenty-seventh seed katarina srebotnik, produced first big upset of day eliminating 2002 french open champion, fifth seed , favorite serena williams 6–4, 6–4, , twenty-sixth seed flavia pennetta, defeated 2002 french open runner-up, eighth seed , other favorite venus williams 7–5, 6–3, marking first time since roland-garros 2004 both williams sisters lost on same day. serena williams remaining former champion left in women s draw.

in men s draw, novak djoković , paul-henri mathieu advanced fourth round, along rafael nadal, breezed jarkko nieminen, nicolás almagro, overcame andy murray in 3 hours, on score of 6–3, 6–7(3), 6–3, 7–5, fernando verdasco, defeated mikhail youzhny 7–6(5), 5–7, 7–5, 6–1, , french wild card jérémy chardy, continued run in tournament upsetting dmitry tursunov.

seeded players out: caroline wozniacki, serena williams, alizé cornet, venus williams; jarkko nieminen, andy murray, mikhail youzhny, dmitry tursunov.

in women s doubles field, favorites yung-jan chan & chia-jung chuang, nathalie dechy & elena likhovtseva, tatiana poutchek & anastasia rodionova, zi yan & zheng jie, dinara safina & Ágnes szávay, victoria azarenka & shahar pe er, lisa raymond & samantha stosur, květa peschke & rennae stubbs , katarina srebotnik & ai sugiyama proceeded second round, whereas defending champions alicia molik & mara santangelo upset in first match unseeded sara errani & bethanie mattek.

christopher kas & rogier wassen, jeff coetzee & wesley moodie, , simon aspelin & julian knowle among teams advancing second round on men s side, lukáš dlouhý & leander paes won second round match. martin damm & pavel vízner defeated in straight sets lukas arnold ker & juan ignacio chela, arnaud clément & michaël llodra, lost pablo cuevas & luis horna, while mariusz fyrstenberg & marcin matkowski lost second round encounter michal mertiňák & jean-claude scherrer.

seeded players out: alicia molik / mara santangelo; julien benneteau / nicolas mahut (withdrawal), mariusz fyrstenberg / marcin matkowski, martin damm / pavel vízner, arnaud clément / michaël llodra.

(pictures, quotes, day 6)

day 7

victoria azarenka, svetlana kuznetsova , jelena janković qualified fourth round alongside dinara safina, elena dementieva , vera zvonareva, @ expense of francesca schiavone, nadia petrova , dominika cibulková. wta no. 1 maria sharapova again pushed in first set karin knapp, before crushing opponent in second, win 7–6(4), 6–0. world no. 49 kaia kanepi, victor of chakvetadze on day five, pursued run in tournament upsetting anabel medina garrigues in 3 sets 6–1, 6–7(5), 7–5, , Ágnes szávay defeated unseeded petra kvitová in 3 sets in last match of day.

in men s field, twenty-first seed radek Štěpánek dispatched tommy robredo in straight sets 6–3, 6–2, 6–1, , roger federer advanced past mario ančić in little more hour-and-a-half, whereas compatriot , ninth seed stanislas wawrinka, led two-sets-to-love , 3–0 in third, saw adversary, chilean fernando gonzález make comeback win match 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, in on 3 hours. meanwhile, lleyton hewitt , david ferrer battled through 5 sets, breaking each other repeatedly, until spaniard gained final advantage, breaking australian @ 4–4 in fifth set, allowed him win 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. former top ten member ivan ljubičić produced biggest upset of men s field far, coming 2 sets deficit defeat world no. 4, 2007 french open semifinalist nikolay davydenko 4–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4, , obtain first fourth round spot in grand slam event since 2006 french open.

seeded players out: francesca schiavone, nadia petrova, dominika cibulková, karin knapp, anabel medina garrigues, Ágnes szávay; tommy robredo, lleyton hewitt, stanislas wawrinka, nikolay davydenko.

in doubles, alona & kateryna bondarenko, , anabel medina garrigues & virginia ruano pascual won first round matches, while lisa raymond & samantha stosur, mariya koryttseva & vladimíra uhlířová, yung-jan chan & chia-jung chuang, cara black & liezel huber, peng shuai & sun tiantian, victoria azarenka & shahar pe er, zi yan & zheng jie advanced third round. nathalie dechy & elena likhovtseva defeated unseeded team sorana cîrstea & aravane rezaï, second-seeded katarina srebotnik & ai sugiyama lost ashley harkleroad & galina voskoboeva, , iveta benešová & janette husárová beaten natalie grandin & raquel kops-jones.

world no. 1 doubles duo , 2003 french open champions bob & mike bryan cruised third round of men s draw, along daniel nestor & nenad zimonjić, jonathan erlich & andy ram, , simon aspelin & julian knowle. františek Čermák & jordan kerr won 1 of last first round encounters. favorites jeff coetzee & wesley moodie upset in straight sets serbian pair janko tipsarević & victor troicki, brazilian team marcelo melo & andré sá lost rajeev ram & bryan reynolds, , fifteen-seeded christopher kas & rogier wassen retired against tall opponents john isner & sam querrey.

finally, in mixed doubles competition, no. 1 seeds katarina srebotnik & nenad zimonjić breezed opponents advance second round along květa peschke & pavel vízner , cara black & paul hanley. eighth seeds alicia molik & jonas björkman eliminated janette husárová & andré sá, fourth-seeded pair chia-jung chuang & jonathan erlich lost olga govortsova & daniel martin, , seventh seeds lisa raymond & simon aspelin kateryna bondarenko & jordan kerr. unseeded defending champions nathalie dechy & andy ram upset, in last mixed doubles match of day, dominika cibulková & gaël monfils.

seeded players out: nathalie dechy / elena likhovtseva, katarina srebotnik / ai sugiyama, iveta benešová / janette husárová; jeff coetzee / wesley moodie, marcelo melo / andré sá, christopher kas / rogier wassen; alicia molik / jonas björkman, chia-jung chuang / jonathan erlich, lisa raymond / simon aspelin.

(pictures, quotes, day 7)

day 8

wta no. 2 , 2007 roland-garros runner-up ana ivanovic left no hopes opponent petra cetkovská serb double-bageled way quarterfinals in less hour. jelena janković faced more difficulties had battle during more 2 hours against fourteenth-seeded agnieszka radwańska win 6–3, 7–6(3), , secure quarterfinal spot, along patty schnyder, defeated katarina srebotnik. meanwhile, twenty-sixth seed flavia pennetta lost in straight sets nineteen-year-old spanish qualifier carla suárez navarro, in first ever grand slam appearance.

in men s draw, nineteen-year-old latvian, unseeded ernests gulbis first player qualify round of eight, defeating michaël llodra in straight sets. followed novak djoković, defeated paul-henri mathieu 6–4, 6–3, 6–4, reach third consecutive quarterfinal in roland-garros, nicolás almagro, opponent, french wild card jérémy chardy held set points in 3 sets, lost on score of 7–6(0), 7–6(7), 7–5, , atp no. 2 , defending champion rafael nadal, crushed compatriot , twenty-second seed fernando verdasco 6–1, 6–0, 6–2, in little less 2 hours.

seeded players out: flavia pennetta, agnieszka radwańska, katarina srebotnik; paul-henri mathieu, fernando verdasco.

in women s doubles, tatiana poutchek & anastasia rodionova upset in 3 sets casey dellacqua & francesca schiavone in second round match, while anabel medina garrigues & virginia ruano pascual, alona & kateryna bondarenko, květa peschke & rennae stubbs, , dinara safina & Ágnes szávay won theirs. in third round encounters, sixth seeds victoria azarenka & shahar pe er defeated chinese team peng shuai & sun tiantian after 3 sets, cara black & liezel huber beat mariya koryttseva & vladimíra uhlířová, , unseeded pair nuria llagostera vives & maría josé martínez sánchez upset lisa raymond & samantha stosur. unseeded ashley harkleroad & galina voskoboeva fourth team of day advance quarterfinals.

on men s side, bob & mike bryan, , daniel nestor & nenad zimonjić qualified without problems quarterfinals, alongside jonas björkman & kevin ullyett, whereas ninth seeds lukáš dlouhý & leander paes eliminated south american duo pablo cuevas & luis horna, , australian open champions jonathan erlich & andy ram lost bruno soares & dušan vemić. unseeded belgians steve darcis & olivier rochus secured quarterfinal spot. meanwhile, thirteenth-seeded františek Čermák & jordan kerr knocked out of second round igor kunitsyn & dmitry tursunov.

in mixed doubles, zi yan & mark knowles, , victoria azarenka & bob bryan advanced past first round. second-seeded květa peschke & pavel vízner proceeded quarterfinals, alongside unseeded teams janette husárová & andré sá, kateryna bondarenko & jordan kerr, , wild cards virginie razzano & rogier wassen. despite second round win in morning, zi yan & mark knowles decided withdraw mixed competition, allowing liezel huber & jamie murray secure quarterfinal spot.

seeded players out: tatiana poutchek / anastasia rodionova, peng shuai / sun tiantian, mariya koryttseva / vladimíra uhlířová, lisa raymond / samantha stosur; lukáš dlouhý / leander paes, františek Čermák / jordan kerr, jonathan erlich / andy ram, zi yan / mark knowles (withdrawal).

(pictures, quotes, day 8)

day 9

in women s draw, elena dementieva came loss of second set defeat compatriot vera zvonareva 6–4, 1–6, 6–2, , reach first quarterfinal spot in grand slam since 2006. berlin tier titlist, , thirteenth seed dinara safina saved 1 match point @ 3–5 in second set , overcame 2–5 deficit in second set tie-break, before climbing upset world no. 1 maria sharapova on score of 6–7(6), 7–6(5), 6–2, , set rematch of berlin final against dementieva.

after difficult first set, fernando gonzález cruised quarterfinals beating robby ginepri 7–5, 6–3, 6–1, in less 2 hours. world no. 1 roger federer struggled during 3 hours, defeated unseeded frenchman julien benneteau, breaking in last game of every set win match 6–4, 7–5, 7–5. twenty-one-year-old, atp no. 59 gaël monfils french player out of 5 present in round of sixteen advance, upset opponent ivan ljubičić on score of 7–6(1), 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, reach first quarterfinal in grand slam event. david ferrer s 4–6, 6–2, 1–6, 6–3, 6–3 win on radek Štěpánek allowed him become last man qualified singles quarterfinals.

seeded players out: vera zvonareva, maria sharapova; ivan ljubičić, radek Štěpánek.

unseeded russian pair igor kunitsyn & dmitry tursunov advanced, , shortly followed unseeded team, janko tipsarević & victor troicki, upset fifth seeds simon aspelin & julian knowle in 3 close sets, complete men s doubles quarterfinals line-up. unseeded south american team pablo cuevas & luis horna produced biggest upset of men s draw in first quarterfinal match, knocking out of tournament world no. 1 duo bob & mike bryan 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(1). in second quarterfinal of day, bruno soares & dušan vemić upset 8 seeds jonas björkman & kevin ullyett, advance semis.

on women s side, yung-jan chan & chia-jung chuang proceeded quarterfinals, alongside anabel medina garrigues & virginia ruano pascual beat zi yan & zheng jie, unseeded casey dellacqua & francesca schiavone, upset third seeds květa peschke & rennae stubbs, , alona & kateryna bondarenko, defeated ninth-seeded dinara safina & Ágnes szávay.

mixed doubles sixth seeds cara black & paul hanley defeated zheng jie & mahesh bhupathi in second round encounter.

seeded players out: zi yan / zheng jie, květa peschke / rennae stubbs, dinara safina / Ágnes szávay; simon aspelin / julian knowle, bob bryan / mike bryan, jonas björkman / kevin ullyett; cara black / paul hanley.

(pictures, quotes, day 9)

day 10

in women s singles, wta no. 49, twenty-two-year-old estonian kaia kanepi defeated unseeded petra kvitová 6–3, 3–6, 6–1, advance quarterfinals, best result far in grand slam tournament. world no. 4 svetlana kuznetsova matched 2007 roland-garros performance advancing quarterfinals, defeating sixteenth-seeded victoria azarenka (who had showed form in winning first 3 matches loss of 6 games) 6–2, 6–3. first quarterfinal saw highest seed remaining, ana ivanovic, beat tenth seed patty schnyder 6–3, 6–2, reach second consecutive semifinal @ french open. joined in afternoon 2007 french open semifinalist, world no. 3 , serbian no. 2 jelena janković, dispatched nineteen-year-old spanish qualifier carla suárez navarro 6–3, 6–2, in little more hour.

after 3 hours of play, atp no. 3 novak djoković came out winner of close three-setter against nineteen-year-old unseeded latvian ernests gulbis, on score of 7–5, 7–6(3), 7–5, reach fifth consecutive grand slam semifinal. on philippe chatrier central court, defending champion rafael nadal crushed compatriot nicolás almagro 6–1, 6–1, 6–1, in less 2 hours, set rematch of hamburg masters semifinal, , of last year s french open semifinal, both against djoković.

seeded players out: victoria azarenka, patty schnyder; nicolás almagro.

no. 1 seeds cara black & liezel huber defeated all-spanish team nuria llagostera vives & maría josé martínez sánchez in straight sets, in first quarterfinal encounter of women s doubles. on other side of draw, australian open champions alona & kateryna bondarenko advanced, beating unseeded pair ashley harkleroad & galina voskoboeva. unseeded casey dellacqua & francesca schiavone third duo qualify semifinals, upsetting sixth seeds victoria azarenka & shahar pe er, , followed anabel medina garrigues & virginia ruano pascual, defeated fourth seeds yung-jan chan & chia-jung chuang after 3 close sets , more 3 hours of play.

daniel nestor & nenad zimonjić, seeded players remaining in men s doubles draw, advanced semifinals past belgians steve darcis & olivier rochus in straight sets, while igor kunitsyn & dmitry tursunov continued run in tournament , completed semifinal line-up, defeating janko tipsarević & victor troicki.

in first quarterfinal matches of mixed doubles, unseeded team zheng jie & mahesh bhupathi defeated wild cards virginie razzano & rogier wassen, , second seeds květa peschke & pavel vízner overcame janette husárová & andré sá. meanwhile, first-seeded katarina srebotnik & nenad zimonjić won second round match.

seeded players out: victoria azarenka / shahar pe er; yung-jan chan / chia-jung chuang.

(pictures, quotes, day 10)

day 11

the third quarter of women s draw rematch of 2001 french open girls singles final, unseeded twenty-two-year-old estonian kaia kanepi, victor in 2001, defeated time opponent svetlana kuznetsova, wta no. 4, in little less an-hour-and-a-half, on score of 7–5, 6–2, allowing russian reach fourth grand slam semifinal, , second @ french open, after appearance in 2006. dinara safina repeated drama-filled performance of fourth round saved 1 match point against elena dementieva @ 3–5 in second set, before climbing , crushing adversary in final set claim 4–6, 7–6(5), 6–0 victory, secure first grand slam semifinal spot, , set all-russian clash against kuznetsova.

fernando gonzález made powerful start @ beginning of quarterfinal against roger federer, winning first set 6–2 in twenty-four minutes, before world no. 1 took control of match , won following sets, end encounter on score of 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4, , advance sixteenth consecutive grand slam semifinal, fourth in roland-garros. in last quarterfinal of men s singles, atp no. 59, twenty-one-year-old gaël monfils, winner of juniors competition @ 2004 french open, became first french player go past round of 8 in roland-garros since 2001, upset fifth seed david ferrer 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1, set semifinal against federer, third encounter between 2 players in 2008.

women s doubles semifinalist alona bondarenko



seeded players out: elena dementieva; fernando gonzález, david ferrer.

unseeded team casey dellacqua & francesca schiavone proceeded first grand slam final defeating australian open champions alona & kateryna bondarenko 6–2, 6–1. in second semifinal of women s doubles, world no. 1 cara black & liezel huber upset in straight sets 6–4, 7–6(2), anabel medina garrigues, advanced first grand slam final, & virginia ruano pascual, reached fifteenth grand slam final, , seventh @ french open.

in mixed competition, third seeds victoria azarenka & bob bryan last players qualify quarterfinals, beating vladimíra uhlířová & mariusz fyrstenberg, while first seeds katarina srebotnik & nenad zimonjić defeated unseeded kateryna bondarenko & jordan kerr third team advance semifinals. victoria azarenka & bob bryan played second match @ end of day, , proceeded past unseeded liezel huber & jamie murray complete semifinals line-up.

seeded players out: alona bondarenko / kateryna bondarenko, cara black / liezel huber.

(pictures, quotes, day 11)

day 12

on ladies days , berlin champion, wta no. 14 dinara safina advanced first ever grand slam final, dominating world no. 4 , 2006 french open runner-up svetlana kuznetsova during an-hour-and-a-half, claim victory on score of 6–3, 6–2. kuznetsova s loss, following sharapova s fourth round exit, meant second semifinal between australian open finalist , indian wells tier titlist ana ivanovic , rome winner jelena janković bound decide next world no. 1. janković took first advantage in match, leading 4–2 when ivanovic made comeback , snatched first set, extending dominance midst of second, when saw adversary win 7 games in row, score one-set-all, , take advantage in final set. ivanovic broke once 3–3 lost serve, before breaking again score @ 4–4, win serve, , take janković s win, after on 2 hours of play, on score of 6–4, 3–6, 6–4, advance third grand slam final, second consecutive in roland-garros, , assured become new world no. 1 on june 9, 2008.

seeded players out: svetlana kuznetsova, jelena janković.

the first semifinal of men s doubles, opposed unseeded uruguyan pablo cuevas & peruvian luis horna alternates brazilian bruno soares & serbian dušan vemić, lasted 3 hours , extended third set tie-break, until cuevas & horna took final advantage, score 6–4, 6–7(6), 7–6(6) victory, , advance first grand slam final. after losing first set unseeded russian pair igor kunitsyn & dmitry tursunov, second seeded daniel nestor, defending champion, & new partner nenad zimonjić battled take advantage, winning match, , reach first grand slam final on score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–4.

in mixed category, zheng jie & mahesh bhupathi withdrew, consequently offering final spot opponents katarina srebotnik & nenad zimonjić, reached third consecutive french open final together, having won in 2006, , lost in 2007. second semifinal played in afternoon, , saw victoria azarenka & bob bryan defeat czech team květa peschke & pavel vízner 4–6, 6–3, 10–8, advance first grand slam mixed doubles final together.

seeded players out: květa peschke / pavel vízner.

(pictures, quotes, day 12)

day 13

the first men s singles semifinal, opposed world no. 2 , defending champion rafael nadal world no. 3 , australian open champion novak djoković, saw spaniard dominating opponent throughout two-and-a-half sets, until djoković made comeback, breaking nadal several times extend match third set tie-break. nadal won 6 consecutive points in tie-break, win encounter @ fourth match point on score of 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(3), advance fourth consecutive french open final. world no. 1 roger federer made strong start in second semifinal opposed him atp no. 59 gaël monfils, winning first set in thirty minutes , breaking in second, before monfils fought back, , broke swiss snatch second set. federer cruised again in third, before match evened in fourth, each player saving break points, until federer took frenchman s serve @ 6–5, win on final score of 6–2, 5–7, 6–3, 7–5, after 3 hours of play, , advance sixteenth grand slam final, third consecutive 1 in roland-garros, third time against nadal.

seeded player out: novak djoković.

tenth-seeded, spanish-team anabel medina garrigues & virginia ruano pascual competed unseeded australian casey dellacqua & italian francesca schiavone women s doubles title. dellacqua & schiavone commanded game in first set, winning 6–2 in forty minutes, before adversaries broke 6–5 in second, , won serve come one-set-all. garrigues & ruano pascual broke in first game of third set, kept advantage 4–3, when dellacqua & schiavone broke 4–all. garrigues & ruano pascual managed take opponents serve again , keep theirs win match 2–6, 7–5, 6–4, after two-hours-and-a-half. in becoming 2008 french open women s doubles champions, anabel medina garrigues won first ever grand slam doubles title, & virginia ruano pascual, fifteen-time grand slam doubles finalist, holder of 8 titles, won fifth victory @ french open.

the final of mixed doubles took place between first seeds slovene katarina srebotnik & serbian nenad zimonjić, , third seeds victoria azarenka, belarus & bob bryan, usa. after winning first set 6–2 in twenty-two minutes, azarenka & bryan saw adversaries competition, srebotnik & zimonjic held serve second set tie-break, in took advantage, leading 4–3. azarenka & bryan able break back, , win 4 points in row claim victory on score of 6–2, 7–6(5), in little more hour. victoria azarenka, 2007 open mixed doubles champion, , 2007 australian open mixed doubles runner-up, & bob bryan, finalist of mixed doubles competition in wimbledon 2006, , winner @ open in 2003, 2004, , 2006, won first grand slam title together, becoming new roland-garros mixed doubles champions.

seeded players out: katarina srebotnik / nenad zimonjić.

(pictures day 13)

day 14

the women s singles final played wta no. 2 ana ivanovic, 2007 french open , 2008 australian open runner-up, assured become world no. 1 on june 9, 2008 regardless of result, , thirteenth seed dinara safina, berlin tier titlist, in first ever grand slam final appearance. ivanovic made strongest start in match, taking safina s serve in opening game, , once more @ 3–1, open 4–1 lead in first set. safina started take advantage, broke serbian twice , won own serve come @ 4–4. ivanovic recovered break, , kept serve @ 5–4, close first set on score of 6–4. ivanovic broke russian 2–1 lead in second set, , continued dominate safina seventh game, held double-break balls @ 4–2. af end of long game, in both players repeatedly took , lost advantage, safina kept serve, russian unable attack ivanovic in following game, , found herself serving stay in match @ 3–5. serbian pressured safina, , broke final time, win match on score of 6–4, 6–3, after ninety-eight minutes of play. both players received trophies hands of former world no. 1 , 2003, 2005, 2006, , 2007 french open champion justine henin in awards ceremony followed, crowned ivanovic, first-time grand slam winner, new roland-garros women s singles champion. ivanovic became first serbian winner of grand slam women s singles title, , second serbian overall after novak djokovic s win @ 2008 australian open. last time ana ivanovic feature past round of 16 @ grand slam tournament until 2012 open.

the men s doubles final featured second seeds canadian daniel nestor, nine-time grand slam doubles finalist, winner of 2007 french open mark knowles, & serbian nenad zimonjić, two-time doubles final runner-up in wimbledon, , unseeded south american duo, composed of uruguayan pablo cuevas, no. 50 in doubles rankings, & peruvian luis horna, no. 43 in doubles rankings, on first ever grand slam final appearance separately , together. unseeded south americans dominated seasoned champions during final, breaking them twice in each set, never losing serve themselves, crush nestor & zimonjic in fifty-six minutes, on score of 6–2, 6–3, , win first doubles title together. pablo cuevas & luis horna knocked out 4 seeded teams, arnaud clément & michaël llodra, lukáš dlouhý & leander paes, world no. 1 pair bob & mike bryan, , daniel nestor & nenad zimonjić on way becoming first south american team win men s doubles grand slam title, , 2008 french open men s doubles champions.

(pictures day 14)

day 15

the men s singles final took place @ 15:00 (utc+1) on philippe chatrier central court, , featured, third straight year after 2006 , 2007, world no. 1 , holder of twelve grand slam titles, roger federer, , atp no. 2 rafael nadal, winner in roland-garros since 2005. federer decided serve after being given choice, spaniard attacked swiss serve, , broke him, winning own service game open 2–0 lead. though federer won following serve, not able in rest of set convert few break points had on nadal s serve, or win own service games, allowing spaniard close first set in thirty-two minutes, on score of 6–1. despite being broken in beginning of second set, federer started fight back, took nadal s serve, came 2–2, , held 3–3. after long game on federer s serve, nadal broke once more, , rapidly finished set on score of 6–3, after forty-nine minutes. there no competition in become final set nadal left no chances federer, , swiss not able find second breath start comeback, not winning game in twenty-seven minutes set, , suffering bagel first time in grand slam since 1999 roland-garros first round loss pat rafter. particularly relevant outcome of meeting federer s thirty-five unforced errors nadal s 7 during brief match never allowed him gain foothold. rafael nadal claimed fourth consecutive french open crown, on final score of 6–1, 6–3, 6–0, , in becoming 2008 french open champion equalled björn borg s record of 4 straight roland-garros titles, , extended win-loss record @ tournament 28–0.

(pictures day 15)