Rafa at Roland Garros: Quest For Crazy Eights - Semifinals

(Hells, YES! Rafa is LIVING IT!)

OMG, you guys. O-M-F-G. Our guy came through. There were so many times I thought it wasn't going to happen. Oh, the despair I felt! There were also plenty of times when I thought he was ready to win the match before it actually happened. This match really did feel like the companion match to the epic 5-set Australian Open final Rafa lost to Djokovic last year. True, this was just a semifinal, but in terms of drama and battle it felt very similar. In Australia, it seemed like Rafa played at the top level of his game, but still (improbably) with a break lead in the 5th set, he lost. Novak found a way to fight his way out of it. Similarly here, with Novak playing extremely well at the end of the 4th and up a break in the 5th, Rafa found the fight necessary to turn back the tide and win 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 9-7. I couldn't be happier. Thank goodness.

Much like when Rafa was up a break in the 5th in Australia, I allowed myself to celebrate too early on Friday. When Rafa was up a break in the 4th and serving for the match, I believed victory was undeniably his. But I should've known Novak would fight back. He always does. When he got downa break in the fifth I thought that was the end of the story. I couldn't believe Novak would take his foot off Nadal's throat. But then Rafa did something amazing. He threw absolutely everything he had at Novak on Novak's serving games. He went on the offensive and attacked and at 3-4 down he was able to level the match. From then on, Rafa got to play from the lead again, and one unfocused service game from Novak at 7-8 gave Rafa the win. I was so proud of his effort to fight back, exorcising his Nole demons by taking it right to him at the end. It was fantastic. The days that Rafa beats Novak I always feel great all day long. Nothing can go wrong! My apartment building could've burned down that day and still I would've been like "Well, yeah, but Rafa beat Novak so the scales are still tipping to toward the positive!"

Now Rafa heads to the Final to meet fellow countryman David Ferrer. Ferru has played a truly fantastic tournament so far - he's shut down all of his opponents without losing a set. He completely dismantle Tsonga in the other semifinal to reach the first Grand Slam final of his career. He's made more Grand Slam appearances (42!!!) than any other player in the Open Era before making it to his first major final. He'd previously been 0-5 in major semi-finals and is the third oldest first-time Grand Slam finalist. Talk about not giving up on your dreams! His downfall has always been getting passed the Big Four, but because Murray got injured and Federer lost earlier, he didn't have to face any of them before the Final.

Ferrer is playing great tennis, but he's 4-19 against Nadal. On clay he is 1-16 and that one win he has against Rafa was all the way back in 2004.So if history is an indicator Rafa should take this one easily. But you never know. I want Rafa to pick up his 12th Major trophy, but a part of me also can't help but wonder what the scene would be like if Ferrer pulled off this victory. Seeing him in that moment would be glorious and surreal. Would he retire on the spot? I don't think any moment in his tennis career could be better than that.

But most likely it won't happen! Nadal knows what to do to beat Ferrer. He's hungry for it and wants the title. He's in great physical and mental shape. He's 58-1 lifetime at Roland Garros. He's just made his 9th final in as many tournaments. We're looking for it to be his 7th title of the year and his 8th at the French Open overall. VAMOS RAFA!!!!!

Rafa at Roland Garros: Quest For Crazy Eights - Quarterfinals

(Rafa stays perfect against Stan. Novak up next!!)

In his strongest performance this year in Paris, Our Hero, Rafael Nadal took down 9th seed Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 yesterday in the quarterfinals. Nadal's record at Rolad Garros is now 57-1 and he improved to 10-0 against Wawrinka who has never won a set off of Rafa. If only they could've met in the final!

Now, in order to become the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament, Nadal has to get through his stupidface rival Novak Djokovic. UGH! The only match up I didn't want this whole tournament. It's not because Rafa can't win - he definitely can. He hasn't lost to Novak in Paris yet. It's just that the possibility he could lose is higher against Novak than anybody else right now. It's going to be a very tense match. It's weird though, because for the first time in a long while it's not a title match they're playing. Obviously whoever comes through on their side of the draw is the favorite to win. But it's still a match that has to be played and won after these two face off. So the pressure of a semifinal is different and I wonder how that will affect both their attitudes and performances. Rafa seems to be peaking at just the right time and maybe MAYbe Novak peaked a little early. Hot and dry conditions forecast for tomorrow should favor Rafa. I'm going to be a nervous wreck until it's over. VAMOS RAFA!!!

Rafa at Roland Garros: Quest For Crazy Eights - Round 4

 (The Birthday Boy has his cake and eats it too!)

Happy 27th Birthday to Our Hero, Rafael Nadal. His present to us was a routine 3-set win over Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. The tournament's present to him was a giant-ass birthday cake presented in the middle of the court. Good thing he won. Otherwise that giant cake waiting in the hallway to the locker room would've been AWKWARD.

Kei was sharp to start out but then Rafa took control. Rafa played his best match of the tournament which was very encouraging as a potential semifinal match up against Djokovic looms. First he'll have to beat Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals which shouldn't be too difficult a task. Stan is a solid player who came back today to beat Richard Gasquet, who lived up to his reputation as a total head case as he let a two set lead evaporate into a 5 set loss. For most of the match, it looked like Stan was going to be the one who imploded as he got very angry over a line judge he thought should've been replaced. But by the end of the 4th set Stan was pulling it together and Gasquet was buckling.

So it's Stan vs. Rafa and Tommy Haas Vs. Djokovic in their quarters. I do love me some Tommy Haas, so obviously I'm rooting for an upset. But it really does seem we're getting that semi-final face off I've been hoping to avoid. I hope my Rafa is ready to bring it! VAMOS!

Rafa at Roland Garros: Quest For Crazy Eights - Round 3

(Rafa's been stretched this year, but so far not to his limits!)

Our Hero, Rafael Nadal came from behind once again this French Open beating the always entertaining Fabio Fognini 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round. Whereas Nadal dropped the opening set in his first two matches this year, Nadal similarly trailed 4-2 in the first and was then down a break at 6-5 before finally pulling ahead and taking the set in a tie break. After that, Nadal looked pretty much in control, but Fognini refused to completely fold. Down 5-1 at one point in the third, it seemed like things would quickly be done, but he held serve, broke, and then held again, to push it to 5-4, before Rafa finally served it out.

Nadal next plays No. 13-seeded Kei Nishikori, the first Japanese man in 75 years to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros! Kei wasn't even aware of the history when reporters brought it up with him. I like Kei as a player, but hopefully Rafa won't have too much trouble with him. I feel like Rafa could use a quick and easy match today.

The 4th round has some really fun match-ups that could go either way. Dare I even pray for an upset in the match between Kohlschreiber and Djokovic? Kohls did beat Novak at the French Open once before, but that was back in 2009 - a LONG time ago in tennis seasons. I'm also looking forward to the US Women's matches: Stephens v. Sharapova, Mattek-Sands v. Kirilenko and Hampton v. Jankovic. Some really nice opportunities there for the US Women to advance if they bring their top games. VAMOS!

Rafa at Roland Garros: Quest For Crazy Eights - Round 2

 (pumped up for Round 3!)

Once again, Our Hero, Rafael Nadal has prevailed in 4 sets at this year's French Open. He won his 2nd Round Match against Martin Klizan  4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. It was a match long delayed by rain. Klizan was playing sharp for that first set, and Rafa was not quite dialed in, throwing in more errors than is his customary style. Still, by the start of the second set Rafa was back in control and it seemed obvious Kilzan was not going to be able to pose much more of a threat, though he continued to play pretty well.

This is another good example of why it's so hard to beat Nadal on clay in 5 sets. Best 2 out of 3? Eh, a bigger window of opportunity. But Nadal's level of play is consistently too high to lose many 3 out of 5 set matches. Opponents can play at their absolute best for an hour and maybe dig out one set, but they can't sustain it. and then by the end of the second set which Rafa wins, the score might be technically even, but the amount of energy expended by both players is totally lopsided. Then Rafa just pressed forward toward victory.

Next up in the 3rd round is Fabio Fognini, a player I much enjoy. He shouldn't provide too much of a challenge to Rafa. Somewhat surprisingly, these two have only met on tour once before just a few weeks ago at the 2013 Rome Masters where Rafa beat him in the second round 6-1, 6-3. 

Other third round action I'm looking forward to includes a rematch between Djokovic and Dimitrov and a face off between Isner and Haas. Dimitrov has a win against Novak on clay this season, and stands the best chance of knocking him out of the tournament early, but I'm probably just kidding myself for the same 3 sets vs/ 5 sets rationale I gave for Rafa up above. Isner v. Haas is a tough one because I like to see both guys have success, but I think there's more versatility in Haas' game, so I'll give the edge to him.

On the women's side, I'm happy to see Sloane Stephens already advance to the 4th round where it seems likely she'll run into Maria Sharapova. I'm also rooting for American Bethanie Mattek-Sands against a player from Argentina named Paula Ormaechea. This seems like a strong opportunity for her to get into Week 2! VAMOS!!

Rafa at Roland Garros: Quest For Crazy Eights - Round 1

(Rafa's all smiles as he moves on in the competition!)

Tennis action is underway at Roland Garros and Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, has continued his winning ways in the first round of competition. After dropping the first set to an extremely competitive 59th-ranked Daniel Brands, Rafa rebounded to win 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3. It's the first time Rafa lost the opening set in a first round match at Roland Garros. It's not the first time he faced an early challenge though. In 2011, John Isner took Rafa to 5 sets in the 1st round before Nadal won it 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. That's the only time Rafa played a 5-set match at the French Open! But just like in 2011, Nadal found a way to take control and get the job done. With this win, Nadal improved his career record at Roland Garros to 53-1,which is totally crazy.

Even though Nadal already owns a record 7 French Open titles, this year he bids to become the only man with 8 championships at ANY Grand Slam event. Wouldn't that be a fun distinction? Up next he'll play Martin Klizan from Slovakia in the second round. He's a lefty as well, so that should prove interesting, but Rafa should get passed him without much problem.

Elsewhere around the tournament 25 Americans were entered into the draw (15 men, 10 women) and 14 (4m, 10w) survived the first round - the most in 10 years. I hope the US players can continue to have a good showing. And of course we are all hoping Serena Williams extends the longest winning streak of her career by steamrolling over the rest of the field and claiming her first French Open title since 2002. It's long passed due for her to raise the trophy again. VAMOS!!

Spring Reality Round Up: Drag Race enters Monsoon Season!!

Congrats to Jinkx Monsoon, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5. Jinkx is that great combination of Creativity, Uniqueness Nerve and Talent that Ru is always touting. I was rooting for her ever since she played Little Edie in the Snatch Game episode and half of the other queens didn't even know who the hell that was. They all should've been eliminated on the spot. I mean, there is not having an in depth knowledge of gay history, and then there's not ever having heard of Grey Gardens, despite documentaries, books, movies and a Broadway musical. I mean, seriously. I thought there might be a point where she'd crack under the pressure of all the pageant queens who wanted her gone, but she only got stronger throughout the competition. As my girl Latrice Royale would say, "Get up. Look sickening and make them EAT IT!"

 Jinkx's win keeps Drag Race on a nice run of  satisfying winners following Sharon Needles last year and Raja before her in seasons 4 and 3. (I still think Tyra Sanchez in Season 2 was a cray cray win over Raven or JuJuBee.) Now it's Monsoon Season, and who isn't happy when it's raining men?

It's a satisfying conclusion to what turned out to be a fairly solid season. The cast favored a very pretty (fishy, if they must, but it's my least favorite term) cast, and I wish there were larger personalities (and some larger bodies too) in the mix. Too much of the season was dominated by the "feud" between Coco Montrese and Alyssa Edwards and it just wasn't that interesting, especially when it became clear neither was going to win the crown. Once they were  eliminated, there was room for the other queens to get a word in edge-wise. And Ru, as always, seemed really engaged in the process. I always believe Ru cares!

There was also this weird underlying battle over drag philosophy this season. The "pageant queens" really seemed to look down on the "comedy queens." Roxxxy Andrews, in particular seemed to think that if Queens were trying to be funny characters instead of gorgeous women, they were doing it wrong and that comedy was a less legitimate form of drag. Now, some of this complaining be attributed to Roxxxy's own insecurities which she herself admitted. But other queens seemed to agree and looked down on Jinkx and even Alaska on what they were doing. I think that attitude is completely crazy! Firstly it's crazy, because Ru is ultimately looking for an entertainer and a tour headliner - not just a pretty girl. She needs to be a drag SUPERSTAR, bitches! And that attitude also dismisses and ignores a very rich history of drag performance. Drag is not just one thing, or one school of thought. Luckily, Drag Race Veteran and Fan Favorite Pandora Boxx, wrote a piece for the Huffington Post that addresses just this issue, much better than I ever could. You should give it a read.

I think Jinkx is a really talented performer and an interesting creative guy outside of his grad persona. Anyone who walks around with an arsenal of Death Becomes Her quotes at the ready is aces in my book. Jinkx has already started creating new projects including The Vaudevillians that will be in NYC this summer. I'm excited to see what other projects come in the future. JINKX, YOU BETTA WERK!!!!