The King of Clay Reigns Again: Looking at Rafael Nadal's 6th French Open Title

In the best match these two all time greats have played at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-1. Roger Federer played the best he has ever played against Nadal at Paris, but Nadal proved again why he is the King Of Clay. This is Nadal's 10 major title and increases his head to head against Federer to 17-8. After the jump, we'll look at the match, set by set

Previewing Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal: The Men's Final

It's finally here. When Roland Garros started, there were two finals that everyone was looking forward to. It was either Nadal-Djokovic or Nadal-Federer. Well, the latter is here, after Roger Federer's dramatic 4 set win over Djokovic that many consider to be the best match since the 2008 Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer. This is the fifth match at Roland Garros between the two of them, with Nadal winning all four. This is their first meeting at a major since the 2009 Australian Open final, with Nadal winning an epic 5 set match. Federer is coming into this match at a much different point than all of his previous French Open finals, beating Djokovic in the aforementioned instant classic. After the jump, we'll look at each area of this match.

Previewing the Women's Final: Li Na vs. Francesca Schiavone

126 women have been eliminated, and only two remain. Li Na and Francesca Schiavone have each won six matches, but they both are looking to make that seven and claim the title. Schiavone has been here before, winning last year, while Li Na is playing in her second straight Major final, having lost to Kim Clijsters in the 2011 Australian Open Final. After the jump, we'll break down each aspect of each player's game.

Men's Semifinals Recap: Nadal wins, Federer beats Djokovic in instant classic

The men's semifinals are finished, and wow, what a day of tennis. Fortunately, after much doubt, it was completed today, and the final is set. Rafael Nadal will meet Roger Federer for the fifth time here in Paris, the fourth in the final. We'll have the women's preview up later, but after the jump we'll take an in depth look at each match.

Men's Semifinals Preview

It's finally time. The four men remaining in the tournament will be whittled down to two. These are two dream semis, with the top 4 seeds being in the final four. This is only the 12th time in history this has happened at a major. First up on Phillip Chatrier, Rafael Nadal plays Andy Murray, and the second match up is Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer. After the jump we'll take a look at each match-up and give predictions.

Women's Semifinal Recap

The semifinals are completed on the women's side and the two finalists are set. Na Li will play Francesca Schiavone for the Women's Championship.

Semifinal Number One

What Happened: Na Li def. Maria Sharapova 6-4. 7-5 to reach her second Major final, both in 2011.

Why it Happened: Sharapova's serve completely failed her today, getting broken at 4-3 in the second set with a double fault and later at match point down. She had 10 double faults for the match. Li also played very well, using her defense to blunt Sharapova's attacks. Her return game was also on, and that put more pressure on Sharapova's already struggling service game. The gusty conditions also helped Li, as she had much more margin on her shots.

What's Next: After already becoming the first Chinese woman to make it into the finals of a major at the 2011 Australian Open, Li is looking to become the first to win one.

Semifinal Number Two

What Happened: Francesca Schiavone def. Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-3

Why it Happened: Schiavone beat Bartoli in every aspect of this game. Her serve, forehand, and backhand were simply better. It also appeared that Schiavone handled the wind much better, putting much more margin on her shots. Bartoli did have a 2-0 lead in the second, but she was quickly broken.

What's Next: Schiavone will attempt to defend her title on Saturday.

Women's Semifinal Preview

The women's semifinals are here. In the absence of the top three seeds, one might fear that the semifinals would be lacking in drama, but the four women who remain all have compelling stories and any one of them can win it. After the jump, we'll preview each match.

Previewing Nadal vs. Soderling

When the semifinals are set we'll have a preview of each individually, but this quarterfinal between Robin Soderling, two time finalist here, and Rafael Nadal, five time champion, is too good not to take an in-depth look. After the jump, we'll look at who has the advantage in each facet of the game and who should come out on top.

Day 7 Preview

Day 7 is the last day of the first part of the tournament. After tomorrow, the third round will be completed, leaving 16 men and 16 women still alive in their quest to win this tournament. This is where the fun pretenders give way to the real contenders. We're still in that first stage, however, and there's still some weeding out to do. On the men's side, Mardy Fish looks to be the only American to make it to the Round of 16, Nadal and Murray look to make it there again, and of course, there will be a conclusion to the del Potro-Djokovic match. That is the biggest match of the day, and, with the score being tied at one set apiece, it looks to be a race to the finish.  On the women's side, the major players look to avoid the upset bug, as Sharapova, Azarenka, Li, and Petkovic are all in action. With the unpredictability of the women's game in general and of these players' respective forms, anything is possible.

Main Event of the Day: Djokovic vs. del Potro
Undercard Match Worth Watching: Mardy Fish vs. Gilles Simon. The Frenchman has made some unsavory comments about the French Tennis Federation and American tennis, and this will be an interesting match as both are trying to make to their first Round of 16 at the French Open. Fish carries the hope of American tennis, and with Tsonga going out today, there's only Gasquet, Monfils, and Simon left as threats.
Upset Possibilities: del Potro over Djokovic, Cirstea over Li.

Day 6 Preview: What to Look For

Day 6 looks to be a great day of tennis. There are a lot of great matchups as the third round gets underway. The biggest match of the day by far is Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin del Potro. When the draw was made, this match was immediately pointed out. Del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, is on his way back from a wrist injury that took him out for all of 2010. He's on the comeback trail now, and this will be very interesting to see how far he has come. In other matches, Roger Federer plays Janko Tipsarevic, which is a really good test of Federer's form. Before Djokovic and del Potro take the court, Stanislas Wawrinka takes on Jo Wilfried Tsonga, which should be a hard hitting affair. Another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, plays Thomaz Bellucci, who is on an absolute tear right now. On the women's side, Samantha Stosur plays Gisela Dulko, a tough Argentinian. Francesca Schiavone takes on Shuai Peng, in what should be a competitive match. And finally on the women's side, Caroline Wozniacki plays Daniela Hantuchova, and Wozniacki looked shaky against Wozniak, so this should be very interesting.

Main Event of the Day: Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin del Potro

Undercard Matches Worth Watching: Wozniacki vs. Hantuchova, Wawrinka vs Tsonga

Upset Possibility of the Day: Bellucci over Gasquet. Gasquet has the pressure of a nation on him, and Bellucci is playing out of his mind. It seems Bellucci has a great opportunity to win this one.

Day 5 Preview: What to Look For

We're not quite at the meaty part of the tournament yet, but don't worry, it's coming. The big names will be playing the big names soon enough (Friday is Djokovic vs. del Potro) but this is the part of the tournament where you can enjoy some quality tennis between two people you probably never heard of. To this effect, Xavier Malisse plays Fernando Verdasco in the Bullring (Court 1) and Jeremy Chardy vs. Gilles Simon on Chatrier. For those fans who follow the Americans, Mardy Fish, the highest ranked male, plays Robin Hasse, a tough Dutchman, but Fish should be able to win and advance to his first third round appearance here in Paris. Vania King plays Elena Baltacha in a match that pits two countries who desperately want more success, the U.S. and Great Britain. Elsewhere on the American side, Sam Querrey plays Ivan Lubicic in a very tough match for the American. While Lubicic is ranked lower that Querrey, he is always a tough match-up, but Querrey had a great win against Phillip Kohlschreiber in the first round, so perhaps Querrey's fortunes here will turn. If you're one of those people who only follow the big names, that's fine too. Rafael Nadal, Kim Clijsters, Andy Murray, and Robin Soderling are all in action as well

Day 4 Preview: What to Look For

After the dramatic five setter today on court Phillipe Chatrier, we now move to the second round. Tomorrow looks to be a bit more calm, but there are a few matches worth watching. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are both in action, but they are playing relative unknowns who shouldn't pose much of a threat, so tomorrow is a perfect day to check out some other matches. Espn3.com and Tennischannel.com are two great sites that stream many courts (legally too!). After the break, some matches to watch.

Day 3 Preview: What to Look for

There is almost no way that any player could replicate the feat that Stephane Robert accomplished today by beating word number 7 Tomas Berdych. It should be a fun day tomorrow though. In the match everyone's looking forward to, Rafael Nadal begins his defense of his title against American John Isner, he of 70-68 fame. With the new lighter balls that no one likes, it seems as if Isner had a classic puncher's chance. If he can hold his serve and if his forehand is on, he can threaten Nadal. There is precedence for a big hitter defeating Nadal early at Roland Garros. In 2009, Robin Soderling blasted the ball straight through him, and beat him in 4. Could that happen here? We'll find out tomorrow, but this is Isner's best chance, early in a major and conditions favoring a heavy hitter. That being said, I think Nadal will win, but it should be a fun ride.

Main Event of the Day: Nadal vs. Isner, see above
Undercard Match Worth Watching: Ryan Harrison vs. Robin Soderling. Harrison got in as a lucky loser when Soderling's original opponent, Benjamin Becker, withdrew. Harrison, while not as talented, always brings the fight, and this should be a fun scrap.
Upset Possibility of the Day: Besides Isner vs. Nadal, Juan Monaco over Fernando Verdasco. The emotional Spaniard Verdasco, has seen his ranking plummet, and Monaco is the type of player that can capitalize on that and keep it going down. Look for this upset.

Day 2 Results: Berdych out; Rest of top seeds advance

Day 2 of the French Open belonged to Stephane Robert, the Frenchman who is ranked number 140 in the world. Yes, 140. He made it through qualifiers, and as the prize, he drew Tomas Berdych, the number 7 seed and defending semifinalist. Through the first two sets, it appeared to be going according to script. Berdych won the first two sets rather comfortably, 6-3, 6-3. Then everything went awry for the tall Czech player. Robert (the "t" is silent) began finding the magic he needed. Hitting winners, and especially backhand down the line winners, turned the tide in his favor, winning the next two sets 6-2, 6-2. The fifth set was an instant classic, and Berdych had a match point on Robert's serve at 6-7. Robert hit perhaps his biggest serve of the match, and at 7-7, he broke Berdych. He then coolly served out the match to win it 9-7, earning himself the biggest win of his career and sending Berdych hurdling out of the top 10. After the jump, the rest of the results.

The Streak, The King of Clay, and TMF: The Men's Draw

2011 Roland Garros on the men's side could not be more exciting. Novak Djokovic is 37-0 this season, winning the Australian Open, Dubai, Belgrade, and the four Masters 1000 events he played in, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Rome. This is longest winning streak to start a season since John McEnroe's 42 match win streak in 1984. This streak is all the more remarkable when you consider that Djokovic started the year ranked number 3 in the world, and has beaten Roger Federer (The Mighty Federer, TMF for short), the consensus greatest player of all time, four times, and Rafael Nadal, the current world number one, in four consecutive Masters 1000 series finals. What is even more remarkable is that two of those wins came on Nadal's favorite surface, clay. Nadal has rightly been caled the King of Clay for his five Roland Garros titles and his absurd records at the other clay court tournaments. In any other year, Nadal would be the clear favorite, having won Barcelona and reaching the finals of the two 1000 series clay court events, but with Djokovic's surge, some are putting Nadal as the slight underdog.

That would certaintly be the clear dream final, but there are a few other men who would love nothing more than to stop that final. The afforementioned TMF, as the third seed and all time Grand Slam leader, is always a threat to win, and having won in 2009, has a great shot as well. Robin Soderling, the Swede, had accomplished the historic feat of defeating Nadal in the 2009 French Open and then Federer in 2010, reaching the final both years. He is in Nadal's section of the draw, and that would make a blockbuster quarterfinal. Andy Murray, the 4 seed, reached the final in Australia but fell to Djokovic. He has been the closest this year to ending Djokovic's streak, taking him to a third set tiebreaker in Rome, so he's made himself into a threat. Finally, David Ferrer, who defeated Nadal in the 2011 Australian Open, is always a threat at the French. After the jump, we're going to look at the draw, quarter by quarter.