Shaparova's patience pays off, Nadal takes no prisoners

Five things we learned from day seven at Roland Garros.

Reuters/Regis Duvignau

• That patience is a virtue. Maria Sharapova never used to look the part on clay but this year she is playing her all-action game and spent only 66 minutes on court in her dismissal of the Chinese 28th seed Shuai Peng.
  

• Defending champion Rafael Nadal is a relentless competitor. Even when two sets up and cruising against the world 192, Eduardo Schwank, the Spaniard was tearing around the court.
• Top sports players should step out when they've retired from annihilating their opponents. Caroline Wozniacki was world number one when she started dating top golfer Rory McIlroy. He hasn't added to his US open triumph and after her third round defeat to Kaia Kanepi, his belle is slipping down the rankings.
• That some players have not understood the adage: never look a gift horse in the mouth. Kaia Kanepi had the Danish ninth seed Wozniacki at her mercy and served for the match at five-two in the second set. She squandered two match points as she dropped her serve. The Dane held her serve to make it five-four whereupon Kanepi got a second chance to serve out the match. She bottled that one and it was five-five. Wozniacki was clearly playing mind games because she lost her serve to give the Estonian a third chance to serve out the match.
  At this point you know what happens ... tie break. Wozniacki wins it and it's one set apiece. Rather than feasting on the shredded morale Wozniacki collapses in the deciding set allowing Kanepi to serve for the match for a fourth time at five-one up. Sure enough Kanepi squanders the chance and it gets to five-three. Fortunately for Kanepi it was fifth time lucky.
• That some players like the difficult path.