SB Nation DC - 2012 French Open: Rafael Nadal Defeats Novak Djokovic In Four Sets

French Open 2012: Rafael Nadal Defeats Novak Djokovic In Four Sets

2012-06-11T13:30:11Z

Rafael Nadal once again proved he can not be stopped on clay after he defeated top-seeded Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 this morning in the final of the French Open.

After yesterday's stoppage of play left him down 1-2 in the fourth set, Nadal started off the day strong, taking the first two games of the day to take a 3-2 lead over the Serbian. Both players held serve until 6-5, where a couple of errors by Djokovic gave Nadal break and match point. All Nadal had to do was stand there as Djokovic double faulted to give Nadal the title.

With his seventh championship today at Roland Garros, Nadal passed Bjorn Borg for the most French Open titles in the open era. With Nadal still going strong and no one else beside Borg within four titles of the Spaniard, Nadal should hold that recognition for the near future.

For more on the 2012 French Open, stay tuned to this StoryStream on SB Nation Tampa Bay. For all the latest tennis news, make sure to stop by the SB Nation Tennis Hub Page for complete coverage from Roland Garros.

French Open 2012: Men's Final Suspended Due To Weather

2012-06-10T19:50:32Z

A back-and-forth Men's Final in the 2012 French Open between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal was brought to an abrupt halt in the fourth set, when rain forced the match to be suspended in the fourth set. It will resume at 1 p.m. local time at Roland Garros, or 7 a.m. ET.

it appeared early that Rafael Nadal was going to run away with the match, winning the first two sets handedly, 6-4, 6-3. That changed in the third set, as Djokovic was able to sieze control of momentum and win the set, 6-2. Djokovic held a 2-1 advantage in the fourth set before the rains became too much for the court to handle.

For a complete list of results from Roland Garros, check out this scoreboard.

For more on the 2012 French Open, stay tuned to this StoryStream on SB Nation DC. For all the latest tennis news, make sure to stop by the SB Nation Tennis Hub Page for complete coverage from Roland Garros.

French Open 2012: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal Battle For Men's Title On Sunday

2012-06-10T12:19:25Z

Saturday at Roland Garros saw a women's singles champion crowned at the 2012 French Open, with the new No. 1 player in the world Maria Sharapova defeating Sara Errani, 6-3, 6-2. Sharapova completed a career grand slam with the win. On Sunday, the clay courts will see two heavyweights of the men's game battle for the title, as Novak Djokovic will take on Rafael Nadal, with Djokovic also looking to earn a career grand slam with a victory.

The Djokovic versus Nadal matchup is a repeat of the 2011 French Open men's final, won by Nadal. The Nadal victory last season prevented Djokovic from winning all four grand slam events in a calendar year. A Nadal victory in Sunday's final would be his seventh French title, tying him with Bjorn Borg for most all-time.

Coverage of the final day of the French Open begins at 9:00 a.m. EST on NBC and will run until 2:00 p.m. PT.

For a complete list of results from Roland Garros, check out this scoreboard.

2012 French Open Results: Maria Kirilenko, Nadia Petrova Lose In Women's Doubles Final

2012-06-09T17:08:42Z

The No. 7 pairing of Russians Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova fell to the No. 4 seed pairing of Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci on Friday in the 2012 French Open women's doubles final. Errani and Vinci, the runners up at this year's Australian Open, won 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at Stade Roland Garros.

Kirilenko and Petrova had advanced to the final by defeating the defending French Open champion team of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic in a Thursday semifinal. The 25-year-old Kirilenko, who happens to currently be Alex Ovechkin's girlfriend, was also a doubles runner at last year's Australian Open.

Errani was unable to follow up her doubles championship with a singles title, as she fell to Maria Sharapova on Saturday morning 6-3, 6-2 in the women's singles championship.

For a complete list of results from Roland Garros, check out this scoreboard.

2012 French Open: Maria Sharapova Wins First French Open Title With 6-3, 6-2 Defeat Of Sara Errani

2012-06-09T15:06:15Z

The 2012 French Open has crowned a champion on Saturday, and it is a first time winner. The No. 2 seed in the women's draw, Maria Sharapova, defeated No. 21 seed Sara Errani handily on Saturday 6-3, 6-2 to capture her first French Open title.

This was the third appearance for Sharapova in a final in her last four grand slam events. The victory at the French Open completes the career grand slam for her. It was also Sharapova's first grand slam championship since the 2008 Australian Open.

Sharapova made quick work of Errani, winning in just under 90 minutes. Sharapova dominated Errani on the the Italian's second serve, winning 70 percent of the points, and the Russian also won more than half of all return points. Errani was playing in her first ever grand slam singles final.

For a complete list of results from Roland Garros, check out this scoreboard.

French Open 2012: Maria Sharapova, Sara Errani Square Off Saturday In Women's Final

2012-06-09T12:51:11Z

The women's side of the draw at the 2012 French Open will crown a champion on Saturday, when No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova of Russia takes on No. 21 seed Sara Errani of Italy in the finals.

Sharapova reached the final by defeating No. 4 Petra Kvitova in the semifinals in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. This is Sharapova's third appearance in a grand slam final in his last four appearances, though this is the first time the Russian has reached a final at the French Open. She is seeking her first grand slam title since the 2008 Australian Open.

Errani is looking to culminate her best grand slam performance to date with an upset of Sharapova on Saturday. Errani took down Samantha Stosur 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to reach her first grand slam final ever. Errani had never even advanced past the second round at the French Open before this run.

The Women's Final will be broadcast live on NBC at 9:00 a.m. EST on Saturday.

For a complete list of results from Roland Garros, check out this scoreboard.

French Open Results: Novak Djokovic And Rafael Nadal To Meet In Men's Final

2012-06-08T18:03:10Z

The Men's French Open semi finals were rather devoid of drama on Friday at Roland Garros, but the two best men's tennis players in the world will match up for the French Open title. No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain won his semi final match over fellow countryman No. 6 David Ferrer, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

In the other semi final, No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated No. 3 Roger Federer of Switzerland, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the finals. Djokovic will be going for the grand slam.

This is the fourth straight grand slam final that will feature Djokovic and Nadal and the fifth overall. The last three grand slam finals have been won by Djokovic. However, Nadal has never lost when reaching the finals of the French Open in his career.

The men's final will take place on Sunday. The match will be televised live on NBC starting at 9 a.m. Eastern time.

You can see a complete scoreboard from the 2012 French Open here.

For more on the 2012 French Open, stay tuned to this StoryStream on SB Nation DC. For all the latest tennis news, make sure to stop by the SB Nation Tennis Hub Page for complete coverage from Roland Garros.

Alex Ovechkin Chills With Girlfriend Maria Kirilenko And Martina Hingis In Paris

2012-06-07T18:50:59Z

Alex Ovechkin's girlfriend, Russian women's tennis player Maria Kirilenko, didn't have the best luck in the singles tournament at Roland Garros, falling in a second-round upset. (We'll pause while you get the jokes out of the way.)

However, Kirilenko fared a lot better on the doubles side, as she and her partner Nadia Petrova defeated the Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to advance to the women's doubles final, which will be contested later this week.

Ovechkin promptly took to Twitter to give his contribution to the record of this glorious event.

Maria going to doubles Final!!We get to see our friend Martina!! twitter.com/ovi8/status/21…
— Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) June 7, 2012

A few thoughts:

1. We initially thought this would be a picture of Ovechkin and Kirilenko with Martina Navratilova, which would have been just as cool.

2. Martina Hingis looks damn good. We sure we've put that comeback to bed?