Defending champion beats fighting Azarenka; Czech pair win mixed doubles
Maria Sharapova moved within one win of retaining her French Open title with a battling performance against Victoria Azarenka in the semi-finals. The Russian second seed coped with a rash of double faults to win 6-1 2-6 6-4, and set up a final against Serena Williams or Sara Errani. Sharapova beat Errani in last year's final to complete her set of Grand Slam titles, and she will play in her eighth major final on Saturday.
The opening set of the semi-final saw Sharapova begin with a dreadful service game, handed over to love with a double fault, but ended 28 minutes later with an ace after a remarkable transformation.
Azarenka had almost rescued her serve from 0-40 in game two but the ferocity and depth of Sharapova's hitting was simply too much, and 14 winners flew past the Belarusian as the first set raced by.
Azarenka managed to get a foothold at the start of the second, and a brilliant forehand winner off a high-bouncing Sharapova moonball set her up to break for 4-2.
With rain starting to fall, Azarenka broke once again to level the match before play was suspended, and when the action resumed a little over half an hour later it was Sharapova who pressed first.
A cross-court winner gave her the break at 2-1 but the double faults that have plagued Sharapova in recent years began to tell.
Her ninth, to none from Azarenka, gifted the advantage straight back in game four, and after blasting her way to a 5-2 lead as her returns continued to pepper the baseline, Sharapova faltered dramatically when serving for the match.
Four match points came and went before she lost the game, inevitably, with her 11th double fault of the day.
Azarenka might have thought she had put the pressure on with a quick hold to trail 5-4, but the unpredictable Sharapova serve then clicked and she sealed victory at the second attempt with ace number 12.
Czech duo win mixed doubles crown
Five years after they first teamed up, Frantisek Cermak and lucie Hradecka won their first title together on Thursday.
The French Open mixed doubles. The Czechs beat Daniel Nestor of Canada and Kristina Mladenovic of France 1-6, 6-4, 10-6 in the final.
"I'm happy that we did it," Hradecka said. "It's really nice to be here in Roland Garros and stay on court on Chatrier and have a title."
Their very first match, at 2008 Wimbledon, was a loss, and they endured a bumpy road, though they reached the final at the Australian Open in January.
"We didn't start well," Cermak said with a laugh. "We're improving."
It was the first Grand Slam title for Cermak and the second for Hradecka, who also won the women's doubles at Roland Garros with Andrea Hlavackova in 2011. Hradecka still has a shot in the women's doubles as she and Hlavackova will play their semifinal on Friday.
Nestor and Mladenovic, together for the first time, raced through the first set, the ninth straight set they won. But the Czechs broke Nestor in the opening game of the second, and rallied from 0-40 while serving for the set to even the match on a backhand volley from Hradecka.
In the super tiebreaker, the Czechs won four straight points to lead 9-5, and clinched victory when Mladenovic netted a backhand volley, becoming the first Czechs to win the mixed doubles since 1991, when Helena Sukova and Cyril Suk triumphed.
Mladenovic, who at 20 was half Nestor's age, won the junior girls title here in 2009. Nestor, who has 80 doubles titles including eight Grand Slams, pledged afterwards to play with Mladenovic at Wimbledon.
Bryans in doubles final
Bob and Mike Bryan of United States will bid for a record 14th major doubles title together after beating Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals of French Open on Thursday.
On Saturday, the American twins will face Michael llodra and Nicolas Mahut of France, who defeated Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 7-6 (4), 6-2.
The Bryans broke for a 4-3 lead in the second set and clinched victory when Soares hit a service return wide. The Bryans won their only French title together in 2003. By clinching a 13th major title at the Australian Open this year, they broke a tie with Australian greats John Newcombe and Tony Roche.