ENGLISH
Previously on 2013 Roland Garros Weekend Trip: Zilko went to Paris over a weekend to watch the second grandslam tournament of the year, the French Open (or also well-known as Roland Garros). Having spent the first day there, now he was ready to go back to the tournament for the second day where another fun and exciting experiences awaited.
***
Day 2 (Sunday, 2 June 2013)
The lined up matches for me today was very nice as well, as I got:
(i) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs Angelique Kerber (GER) [8]
(ii) Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Roberta Vinci (ITA) [15]
(iii) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [6] vs Viktor Troicki (SRB)
(iv) Gilles Simon (FRA) [15] vs Roger Federer [2]
So, I did pretty much the same things in the morning as I did the day before, except that I got up 15 minutes later because the day before I was arriving at the tournament grounds a little bit too early. I bought a brunch menu at McDonald’s for breakfast this time, a much more substantial meal than just a piece of burger I had the previous day, hahaha 
.
Anyway, long story short, I arrived at the gate at around 09:00. At that time, there were more people (more than just one 
) that had already arrived there. But I was still one of the people in front of the line though so it was still okay. They opened the gate a little bit later than the day before this time, as they opened it at like 09:45, or like 10 minutes after they started the security check. Schedule-wise, it was still not a problem, except that I kinda had to pee, huahaha . So you know, the horrible feeling of having to hold it (because there was no, as far as I knew, toilet nearby and I couldn’t leave my spot in the queue) while there was nothing you could do but wait until they opened the gate, haha .
After they opened the gate, I entered the grounds (obviously) looking for a toilet. But along the way, I couldn’t resist the temptation of peeking which player was on Court No.2 (maybe a player was warming up there). And then I saw this:
Team (Serena) Williams preparing for a warming-up session
Yes, it was SERENA WILLIAMS and her team (coach, mother, hitting partner, trainer, and physiotherapist) were about to start her preparation for the day!! You know, I am a fan of the Williams sisters so I simply could not miss this opportunity. On top of that, I was the first person there so I could pick any seat I wanted in the Court. I know I had to pee but whatever, I could go to the toilet later at any time I wanted but this kind of opportunity did not occur too often, right? 
Huahaha .
So I stayed there in Court 2 for the whole time Serena was practising, which was approximately 30 minutes. Her practice session reminded me a little bit, quality-wise, of Rafael Nadal’s practice session I saw in Roland Garros last year though. Serena’s level on practice was already superb and amazing!! After that, I (finally) went to the toilet. On my way to Philippe Chatrier, I stopped by at Court no.4 and saw Cara Black, one of my favorite doubles players, and Marina Erakovic practising. It was so nice to see Cara Black back on the tour though after her maternity leave.
Anyway, so I got to my seat, the same seat as the previous day. At 11:00, the two players of the first match entered the court: the eight seed, Angelique Kerber, and the 2009 Roland Garros champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova. The match went to three sets, with Kuznetsova eventually won it 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. The following match was the highlight of the day for me. It was between the world number 1, Serena Williams, and a crafty Italian, Roberta Vinci. The world no.1 dominated the first set 6-1, before things went a little bit more complicated in the second set where Vinci, with her crafty play, could go toe to toe with Serena. But in the end, Serena was still able to handle Vinci’s game and took the second set, and thus the match, and won 6-1, 6-3.
The next match was between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a local favorite, and Viktor Troicki. Well, to be honest, I wasn’t as much eager for this match; so it was actually a good time to strecth my legs and have some lunch. I stayed there for the first a few games before leaving my seat to head to the restaurant. I decided to have a beef steak with mushroom sauce and potato (damn, maybe I should have tried the ratatouille instead of the potato) at the restaurant.
After lunch, I decided to go around again. I saw a few more players around the ground: Kimiko Date-Krumm, Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur, Arantxa Parra-Santonja, Tommy Haas, and Jean-Julien Rojer. Then, I found out a machine where we could scan our ticket to be entered in a ballot for a free French Open ticket next year! Well, obviously I scanned my ticket there; and tried to scan my previous day’s ticket as well. But apparently I could not scan my older ticket. Damn! Had I known this one day earlier! 
After that, I decided to buy a box of macarons (I was in Paris so obviously I had to have some macarons! 
).
I went back to my seat inside Philippe Chatrier afterwards, just in time before the end of Tsonga – Troicki match where the Frenchman won 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. The following (and last) match on Chatrier should be an exciting one: between a local favorite, Gilles Simon, and a tennis legend, Roger Federer. And this match made me realize that apparently I was sitting between many Federer fans, hahaha . Well, as for me, I am not really a fan of Roger Federer, even though I do (and must) admit he is such a great player 
.
Watching the first set, I (and I believe it was not only me) thought Federer would cruise through the match as he was in complete control and took the set 6-1. Things got a little more complicated starting in the second set. The two players went pretty much toe to toe. But at one point, Federer slipped (or stumbled, I can’t really recall) and somehow, from thereone he made a little bit of more mistakes. Simon capitalized on this and took the second set 6-4. He even took it much further by taking the third set 6-2 as well by, again, taking advantage of errors from Federer’s racket. Federer took a bathroom break after the third set and he came back strong. He played a much cleaner tennis match and won the fourth set 6-2. Now, it was Simon’s time to take the bathroom break. Here, in my opinion, Federer played a little bit of a mind game though by going to his side just when Simon was back from the toilet break; thus, maybe, rushing Simon a little bit, who would serve first in the final set. Federer, indeed, broke the first game and was in control for the rest of the match, winning the decisive set 6-3. Hence, the 2009 champion won 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3; thus making his straight 36 quarterfinal appearance of the last 36 grandslam tournaments (that is some record 
)!
It was such a very nice match. After Simon took the third set, those Federer fans were so silent. But then they started going crazy when Federer started to gain the momentum in the fourth and fifth set, hahaha .
After that, I went back to my hostel. It had been such a tiring, but very fun, day at Roland Garros instead. The weather was nice in the sense that there had been so many sun the past two days. As the result, my face turned red because of it! Hahaha .
Day 3 (Monday, 3 June 2013)
My Thalys train to go back to the Netherlands was scheduled to depart at 07:25 from Gare du Nord in Paris. So, I got up at 6:00 to shower and pack. I left my hostel at around 06:50 and went directly to the train station. I stopped by at a cafe and had a very French breakfast: a pair of croissants and a cup of coffee, huahaha . After finishing my croissants, I went to the platform to get on board the train. It was such a long train (because apparently they combined two Thalys trains together, one of which would be detached and stop in Brussels) and my seat was on Couch number 15. So it was quite a long walk to get there, hahaha .
Anyway, at 07:25 the train departed on time. About two and a half hours later, as I said here, it arrived at Rotterdam Centraal Station. I took a bus to get back home, and here my weekend trip to Roland Garros this year officially ended.
THE END.
Open the gate please! I needed to go to the toilet! Lol
Sascha Bajin, Serena Williams’ hitting partner, preparing the court.
Mama Oracene, the mother of the Williams sisters
Sascha Bajin, Serena Williams’ hitting partner
Serena warming up
Warming up the serve
I was sitting at the wrong side of the court.
Cara Black!! It is so nice to see her back on the tour!!
Back in Le Court Philippe Chatrier in Roland Garros.
Busy Roland Garros
Self-camming session at Philippe Chatrier, lol.
The eight-seeded, Angelique Kerber
The 2009 champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova
The unseeded Kuznetsova won this fourth round encounter
My personal most-anticipated match of the day!
The coin toss between Serena Williams [1] and Roberta Vinci [15].
Roberta Vinci serving
Serena Williams in returning position
Serena Williams hitting a return winner
The best serve of all time
Team Williams
Serena Williams hitting a forehand
Serena Williams hitting a drive volley winner, one of the most difficult shots!
The famous “Come On!!!”
Serena changing side after the first game.
The world number 1 victorious with a score of 6-1, 6-3.
Serena Williams won her fourth round match
Post-match interview, in FRENCH!!!
Viktor Troicki from Serbia
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hitting a serve
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Viktor Troicki to reach the quarterfinals.
Tsonga’s celebration dance.
Kimiko Date-Krumm!!!
Steak for lunch
The finalists of the 2010 women’s singles teaming up for doubles: Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur
Tommy Haas
The ballot machine
Macarons
Coin toss between Gilles Simon and Roger Federer
Roger Federer hitting a serve
Roger Federer warming up before his fourth round match.
Roger Federer’s backhand
Gilles Simon
The full Le Court Philippe Chatrier during the Simon – Federer match
Gilles Simon took the third set!!
But in the end Federer was too strong and won the match in five sets
BAHASA INDONESIA
Sebelumnya dalam 2013 Roland Garros Weekend Trip: Zilko pergi ke Paris di satu akhir pekan untuk pergi menonton turnamen grandslam kedua tahun ini, the French Open (atau dikenal juga sebagai Roland Garros). Setelah menghabiskan waktu satu hari sebelumnya, sekarang ia siap untuk menyongsong hari keduanya di turnamen ini dimana pengalaman yang mengasyikkan dan seru telah menunggunya.
***
Hari 2 (Minggu, 2 Juni 2013)
Pertandingan untukku hari juga menarik loh, karena aku mendapatkan pertandingan-pertandingan berikut:
(i) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs Angelique Kerber (GER) [8]
(ii) Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Roberta Vinci (ITA) [15]
(iii) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [6] vs Viktor Troicki (SRB)
(iv) Gilles Simon (FRA) [15] vs Roger Federer [2]
Aku memulai pagi ini kurang lebih sama seperti sehari sebelumnya, kecuali bahwa aku bangun 15 menit agak lebih siang karena toh sehari sebelumnya aku tiba di kompleks turnamennya agak terlalu awal. Aku membeli menu brunch di McDonald sebagai menu makan pagi kali ini, sebuah sarapan yang lebih berbobot daripada satu biji burger yang aku beli sebelumnya, hahaha .
Anyway, singkat cerita, aku tiba di gerbang sekitar jam 9 pagi. Waktu itu, sudah ada lebih banyak orang (lebih daripada satu ) yang telah tiba disana. Tapi aku masih termasuk salah satu yang berada di paling depan antrian sih jadi masig nggak masalah lah. Mereka membuka gerbang agak lebih siang hari ini daripada kemarin karena kali ini gerbang baru dibuka jam 09:45, sekitar 10 menit setelah pemeriksaan sekuriti dimulai. Secara jadwal sih ini nggak terlalu bermasalah memang ya, kecuali bahwa waktu itu aku sedang kebelet pipis, huahaha . Tahu dong perasaan menyebalkan itu ketika harus menahannya (apalagi, sejauh yang kutahu, tidak ada toilet di dekat sana dan aku nggak bisa meninggalkan posisiku di antrian) sementara tidak ada yang bisa dilakukan selain menunggu gerbangnya dibuka, haha .
Setelah gerbangnya dibuka, aku memasuki kompleks turnamennya dan (tentu saja) langsung mencari toilet. Tapi di jalan, aku nggak bisa menahan godaan untuk sekalian mengintip dulu siapa pemain yang lagi berada di Lapangan No.2 (kan siapa tahu ada yang sedang pemanasan disana). Dan yang aku lihat adalah ini:
Tim (Serena) Williams sedang bersiap-siap untuk sesi pemanasan
Ya, disana ada SERENA WILLIAMS dan timnya dong (pelatih, ibu, hitting partner, pelatih fisik, dan fisioterapis) sedang bersiap-siap untuk sesi pemanasannya hari itu!! Tahu lah, aku adalah seorang fans-nya Williams bersaudari sehingga aku jelas tidak bisa melewatkan kesempatan ini dong ya. Ditambah lagi, waktu itu aku adalah orang pertama yang memasuki lapangan itu sehingga aku bisa duduk di kursi manapun di lapangan itu. Memang sih aku kebelet ke toilet, tapi pipis mah bisa kapan aja tetapi kesempatan seperti ini nggak sering muncul kan? Huahaha .
Nah, jadilah aku duduk di Lapangan nomor 2 itu di sepanjang waktu Serena berlatih, yang mana sekitar 30 menit. Sesi latihannya agak mengingatkanku, dalam hal kualitas, akan sesi latihannya Rafael Nadal yang aku tonton di Roland Garros tahun lalu. Level permainannya Serena di sesi latihan itu sudah amat tinggi dan menakjubkan lho!! Setelah itu, aku (akhirnya) bisa ke toilet deh. Di jalan menuju ke Philippe Chatrier, aku mampir dulu di Lapangan nomor 4 dan melihat ada Cara Black, salah satu pemain ganda putri favoritku, dan Marina Erakovic sedang berlatih. Senang juga rasanya melihat Cara Black kembali bermain setelah “cuti hamil dan melahirkan”.
Anyway, tibalah aku di kursiku, yang mana sama seperti sehari sebelumnya. Jam 11 siang, kedua pemain dari pertandingan pertama memasuki lapangan: si unggulan kedelapan, Angelique Kerber, dan juara Roland Garros tahun 2009, Svetlana Kuznetsova. Pertandingannya berlangsung tiga set, dengan akhirnya Kuznetsova memenanginya 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Pertandingan selanjutnya adalah pertandingan yang paling kutunggu hari ini. Pertandingan antara pemain peringkat 1 dunia, Serena Williams, dan pemain yang kreatif asal Italia, Roberta Vinci. Sang peringkat 1 dunia mendominasi set pertama 6-1 sebelum pertandingan menjadi sedikit lebih rumit di set kedua dimana Vinci, dengan permainan kreatifnya, bisa mengimbangi permainannya Serena. Tetapi pada akhirnya, Serena masih bisa mengatasi permainannya Vinci dan berhasil mengantongi set kedua, dan juga pertandingannya, dan menang dengan skor 6-1, 6-3.
Pertandingan berikutnya adalah antara Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, pemain tuan rumah, melawan Viktor Troicki. Ya, jujur sih, aku nggak terlalu tertarik dengan pertandingan ini; jadi ini adalah waktu yang tepat untuk meregangkan kaki dan makan siang kan. Aku tetap tinggal disana selama beberapa games pertama sebelum akhirnya meninggalkan kursiku dan pergi ke restoran. Aku memutuskan untuk makan steak sapi dengan saus jamur dan kentang (kalau dipikir-pikir lagi, seharusnya aku mencoba ratatouille ya daripada kentang biasa) di restoran itu.
Setelah makan siang, aku memutuskan untuk berkeliling lagi. Aku melihat lebih banyak pemain lagi di sekitaran turnamen: Kimiko Date-Krumm, Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur, Arantxa Parra-Santonja, Tommy Haas, dan Jean-Julien Rojer. Lalu, aku baru tahu kalau ternyata ada mesin dimana kita bisa meng-scan tiket kita untuk ikut serta di undian untuk mendapatkan tiket French Open gratis tahun depan! Tentu saja aku ikutan dong ya dengan meng-scan tiketku; dan aku sekalian mencoba tiketku sehari sebelumnya. Namun ternyata aku nggak bisa meng-scan tiketku yang sebelumnya. Sial! Coba aku menyadari keberadaan mesin ini sehari lebih cepat ya! Setelah itu, aku memutuskan untuk membeli satu kotak macarons (aku lagi berada di Paris jadi pastinya aku harus makan macarons lah ya! ).
Aku kembali ke kursiku di dalam Philippe Chatrier setelahnya, tepat waktu sebelum akhir dari pertandingannya Tsonga dan Troicki dimana si pemain Prancis menang 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Pertandingan selanjutnya (dan terakhir) di Chatrier seharusnya akan menjadi pertandingan yang seru: antara seorang pemain tuan rumah, Gilles Simon, melawan sang legenda tenis, Roger Federer. Dan pertandingan membuatku menyadari bahwa aku ternyata duduk di tengah para pendukungnya Federer loh, hahaha . Ya, untuk aku sendiri ya, aku bukanlah seorang fansnya Roger Federer deh. Walaupun aku mengakui (dan memang harus mengakui) bahwa ia adalah seorang pemain yang hebat .
Menonton set pertama, aku (dan aku yakin nggak hanya aku saja) mengira Federer akan menang mudah karena ia memegang kendali penuh di set itu dan memenanginya 6-1. Pertandingan menjadi lebih rumit di set kedua. Kedua pemain bermain lebih seimbang. Tetapi di satu waktu, Federer terpeleset (atau jatuh, aku nggak terlalu ingat) dan entah kenapa, semenjak kejadian itu ia membuat sedikit lebih banyak kesalahan sendiri. Simon memanfaatkan kesempatan ini dan memenangi set kedua 6-4. Ia bahkan membawa momentum ini lebih jauh dan mengantongi set ketiga juga dengan skor 6-2. Federer kemudian mengambil waktu istirahat untuk ke toilet di akhir set ketiga dan ia kembali dengan kuat. Ia bermain jauh lebih bersih dan mengambil set keempat 6-2. Sekarang adalah gilirannya Simon yang mengambil waktu istirahat untuk ke toilet. Nah, disini, menurutku ya, Federer memainkan sebuah taktik mental/pikiran dimana ia langsung berjalan ke sisi lapangannya dan bersiap-siap bermain ketika Simon baru saja berjalan memasuki lapangan kembali dari toilet; sehingga, mungkin, membuat Simon sedikit terburu-buru padahal ia harus melakukan servis duluan di set penentuan ini. Dan memang, Federer langsung mematahkan servis Simon di game pertama dan mengambil kontrol sisa pertandingan, dan memenangi set kelima 6-3. Sehingga, juara tahun 2009 ini menang 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3; dan artinya ia masuk ke perempat-final ke-36 berturutan dari 36 turnamen grandslam terakhir (rekor yang gila deh )!
Pertandingannya memang seru lho. Setelah Simon memenangi set ketiga, para fansnya Federer jadi diam aja gitu deh, muhahaha 
. Tapi kemudian mereka menjadi gila setelah Federer mulai merebut momentum di set keempat dan kelima, hahaha .
Setelah itu, aku pulang ke hostel deh. Benar-benar telah menjadi sebuah hari yang melelahkan, tetapi seru, di Roland Garros. Cuacanya juga oke banget karena matahari terus bersinar sepanjang dua hari itu. Sebagai akibatnya, mukaku jadi merah-merah deh karenanya! Hahaha .
Hari 3 (Senin, 3 Juni 2013)
Kereta Thalys-ku untuk kembali Belanda dijadwalkan berangkat jam 07:25 dari Gare du Nord di Paris. Jadilah aku bangun jam 06:00 untuk mandi dan mengepak barang. Aku meninggalkan hostelku sekitar jam 06:50 dan langsung berjalan menuju stasiun kereta. Aku mampir sebentar di sebuah kafe untuk makan pagi yang Prancis banget: satu pasang croissant dan satu cangkir kopi, huahaha . Setelah menghabiskan crossiant-ku, aku berjalan ke peron kereta dan menaiki keretaku. Keretanya panjang banget loh (karena ternyata dua kereta Thalys dirangkai jadi satu, yang mana salah satunya akan dilepas di Brussels) dan kursiku ada di gerbong nomor 15 gitu deh. Jadi aku harus berjalan lumayan jauh untuk mencapai gerbongku itu, hahaha .
Anyway, jam 07:25, keretanya berangkat tepat waktu. Sekitar dua setengah jam kemudian, seperti yang kuceritakan disini, keretanya tiba di Stasiun Rotterdam Centraal. Aku naik bus untuk pulang, dan disinilah perjalanan akhir pekanku ke Roland Garros tahun ini resmi berakhir.
SELESAI.
.
