So onto the grass, the last un....
WTA 2011 Tour Top 3 Grass Court Season Matches
Number 4: 2011 AEGON International, Eastbourne 2nd Round, Vera Zvonareva d. Serena Williams, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.
While its always the shortest season there was plenty to choose from in the grass courts, but I definitely thought Serena Williams comeback in this tournament was worth watching alone, and this match against Vera Zvonareva was one of the best of the year. Prior to this Vera had never beaten Williams, but this gave her an opporunity to get even for her loss last year in the Wimbledon final. Clearly though Williams who had just gotten back into the game at this point, wasn't at her fittest, but despite that she still managed to put on a terrific match as she battled it out against Vera for 3 hours. But in the end it was Vera who managed to pull through and get the win, and 3 hours it was sure worth it.
Number 3: Wimbledon Championships, Quarter Finals, Sabine Lisicki d. Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1.
This match was an interesting one, firstly because it took place underneath the roof on centre court during a heavy thunderstorm (which cause Sabine to jump out of her skin at one point!) but also for being easily one of the most thrilling contests this year. Lisicki clearly though was the better athlete in this one, as Bartoli as always, fought about as valiantly as she could, and for the most part they created an amazing match, particularly in the 2nd set which featured a superb tiebreak, with Bartoli winning it to push the match into a 3rd set. However by the 3rd, exhaustion and fatigue started to set in for Marion, and Lisicki raced to 6-1, but overall it was a great match and a fine display with the crowd behind em all the way an that.
Number 2: AEGON International, Eastbourne, Final, Marion Bartoli d. Petra Kvitova, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
Well this is a very late entry (as I have updated this in March of 2012!) but definitely a very worthy one as it saw to the best players of the women's tour go at it on a very very windy day at the Eastbourne final. And despite the wild and windy conditions, the level and quality of play from both players in this match was quite extraordinary. In the first set it was Marion who came out of the blocks and played brilliantly through the windy conditions, breaking Petra twice in the first set with ease. However in the second set despite being a break down, Petra broke back and then went on to take the 2nd set, and in the third it was Marion's turn to go down a break, but she stuck in there and fought back to take the crucial break at 6-5, to win the title. This really was a very enjoyable and highly entertaining final, and both Marion and Petra deserve great credit for delivering some great tennis in such adverse weather conditions. Marion is one of my favourite players on the womans tour, especially with her unorthodox style of play, and her amusing jumping up and down on the spot in between points. It was also great to see Petra fight back from the literal whirlwind that is Marion Bartoli and turn it into a match after a one sided first set, and even though she lost this one, she would go on to win the big one in a few weeks time.
Number 1: Wimbledon Championships, 2nd Round, Venus Williams d. Kimiko Date Krumm, 6-7(6), 6-3, 8-6.
It really has to be said about this match, that its arguably the finest one of the year, and despite how it might have read on paper as being a scoosh for Venus Williams, it was anything but, as the Japanese Kimiko Date Krumm proved to be more than a handful for Venus. Matches really don't get much better than this, and the first set was one of the most riveting displays you will probably ever see on a tennis court (whether it be grass or whatever!). Prior to the match it ws cheekily referred to as the zimmer match, as both players combined age was 71 (Venus being 31, and Kimiko 40), but the level of stamina and energy put on display would easily have put most of the younger players on tour to shame, as it was all laid oot here. In the last set, in the tradition of the slams except the US Open, there is no tiebreak, which saw the ladies fight out till the winner was two games clear, but in the end it was Venus that prevailed. It would have been great if Kimiko won, but in the end it didn't matter, what mattered was she took part in probably the best match of 2011.
Anddddd that's eeeeettt!
Monday 31 October 2011
WTA 2011 fav matches of the year Part 2.
Now onto the clay season...
WTA 2011 Top 3 clay court season matches
Number 3: Brussels Open, Final, Caroline Wozniacki d.Peng Shuai, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
At number 3, this was another one of the Premier events on the tour season and it was the final at the Brussels Open, which saw the World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki take on the Chinese No.2 Peng Shuai in a very gripping and entertaining final. After dropping the first set, Caz fought back in the second set and after an exhaustive game in the second which saw Peng ultimately fail to take another break opportunity (lasting 12 deuces no less!), Caz then went on to brake to lead into levelling the match, and in the 3rd set Caroline broke again and soon closed out the match. Both players put on a fine display for the cheering Brussels crowd in the match, and Peng Shuai also deserved a great deal of credit for putting up a real brave fight against the World No.1 as she battled it out for 2 hours and 30 minutes before succumbing to the wily Dane who went on to lift her 5th title of the year. Its also a fine match because its good to hear a couple of players grunt quietly when playing rather than screeching Sharapova or Azarenka like. Great stuff.
Number 2: French Open Final, Li Na d. Francesca Schiavone, 6-4, 7-6(0).
Well a grand slam final had to be in here somewhere and here it is, which was arguably the best of the ladies season, as Schiavone, who was the defending champion took on Li Na. On paper Schiavone sounded like the favourite, but it was Li who came out stronger, especially in the first set as she hit some stunning forehands at wide angels to throw off the Italian. In the 2nd set, which was roughly three quarters of the match, things really heated up as after Li Na took an early break, Schiavone broke back at 4-4 all, and pushed the Chinese player to her limits, as they both produced some incredible tennis for the cheering French crowed (and booing too!). One of the funniest things about this match was actually when Schiavone gathered momentum, her Italian fans started to chant the White Stripes "Seven nation army". It was priceless. At 6-6 all in the tiebreak, which made a thrilling conclusion to a terrific match, Li Na secured her first grand slam title, as Schiavone failed to get on the scoreboard, but regardless it was great to watch.
Number 1: 2011 Stuttgart Porsche Tennis Grand Prix semi finals, Caroline Wozniacki d. Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-5, 6-3.
Yeah OK, while it might seem the French Open should ideally be at the top here, this match actually topped it for quality, as the Caroline Wozniacki took on one of her best friends on the tour, Agnieszka Radwanska, in a highly entertaining match. From the start the quality of play was pretty much of the highest I've seen on the tour, as Wozniacki and Radwanska traded some amazing points, one of which Radwanska won after a 37 shot rally, and Radwanska showed her incredible skill to create sneaky points. The first set was very tight, as Radwanska came out strong and raced to a 3-0 lead, but soon Wozniacki broke back and levelled the match, as the two of them battled on, with Wozniacki taking the first. The 2nd set, was in a way even more remarkable, as Radwanska managed to save 7 match points before falling to her best friend on the tour. On Radwanska saving the 5th match point the crowd hit the roof, and by the end of the match the two players definitely earned their applause, as for me it definitely ranks as the best clay court match of the year.
So onto the grassy stuff....
WTA 2011 Top 3 clay court season matches
Number 3: Brussels Open, Final, Caroline Wozniacki d.Peng Shuai, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
At number 3, this was another one of the Premier events on the tour season and it was the final at the Brussels Open, which saw the World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki take on the Chinese No.2 Peng Shuai in a very gripping and entertaining final. After dropping the first set, Caz fought back in the second set and after an exhaustive game in the second which saw Peng ultimately fail to take another break opportunity (lasting 12 deuces no less!), Caz then went on to brake to lead into levelling the match, and in the 3rd set Caroline broke again and soon closed out the match. Both players put on a fine display for the cheering Brussels crowd in the match, and Peng Shuai also deserved a great deal of credit for putting up a real brave fight against the World No.1 as she battled it out for 2 hours and 30 minutes before succumbing to the wily Dane who went on to lift her 5th title of the year. Its also a fine match because its good to hear a couple of players grunt quietly when playing rather than screeching Sharapova or Azarenka like. Great stuff.
Number 2: French Open Final, Li Na d. Francesca Schiavone, 6-4, 7-6(0).
Well a grand slam final had to be in here somewhere and here it is, which was arguably the best of the ladies season, as Schiavone, who was the defending champion took on Li Na. On paper Schiavone sounded like the favourite, but it was Li who came out stronger, especially in the first set as she hit some stunning forehands at wide angels to throw off the Italian. In the 2nd set, which was roughly three quarters of the match, things really heated up as after Li Na took an early break, Schiavone broke back at 4-4 all, and pushed the Chinese player to her limits, as they both produced some incredible tennis for the cheering French crowed (and booing too!). One of the funniest things about this match was actually when Schiavone gathered momentum, her Italian fans started to chant the White Stripes "Seven nation army". It was priceless. At 6-6 all in the tiebreak, which made a thrilling conclusion to a terrific match, Li Na secured her first grand slam title, as Schiavone failed to get on the scoreboard, but regardless it was great to watch.
Number 1: 2011 Stuttgart Porsche Tennis Grand Prix semi finals, Caroline Wozniacki d. Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-5, 6-3.
Yeah OK, while it might seem the French Open should ideally be at the top here, this match actually topped it for quality, as the Caroline Wozniacki took on one of her best friends on the tour, Agnieszka Radwanska, in a highly entertaining match. From the start the quality of play was pretty much of the highest I've seen on the tour, as Wozniacki and Radwanska traded some amazing points, one of which Radwanska won after a 37 shot rally, and Radwanska showed her incredible skill to create sneaky points. The first set was very tight, as Radwanska came out strong and raced to a 3-0 lead, but soon Wozniacki broke back and levelled the match, as the two of them battled on, with Wozniacki taking the first. The 2nd set, was in a way even more remarkable, as Radwanska managed to save 7 match points before falling to her best friend on the tour. On Radwanska saving the 5th match point the crowd hit the roof, and by the end of the match the two players definitely earned their applause, as for me it definitely ranks as the best clay court match of the year.
So onto the grassy stuff....
Sunday 30 October 2011
WTA 2011 fav matches of the year Part 1.
Well this is a real chance to be super nerdy and show some of my geeky knowledge of some of the matches I've seen on TV this year (and yep I've seen quite a few!) during the WTA tour season, and my vote on the best ones. Warning this is pretty nerdy sounding stuff! This has been updated many times since its original post date.......just so I know (you know!).
So here goes:
WTA 2011 Hard Court Season Top 3 matches.
Number 5: Australian Open 4th Round, Francesca Schiavone d. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4, 1-6, 16-14.
This is definitely the most memorable match of the woman's hard court season and in general, mainly because it was the single longest match in history of grand slam women's tennis, as it clocked in at 4 hour and 44 minutes. In an unbelievable display of amazing stamina and superb quality tennis, the natural fighter and Italian No.1 Francesca Schiavone battled against the Russian Kuznetsova for a place in the quarter finals, which pretty much even put some of the men's tennis to shame, not to mention the rest of the ladies players on the tour. In what seemed to be an unending yet thrilling match, it was even more amazing after Schiavone won the match, she was able to carry on and play another great match against Caroline Wozniacki two days later, although she lost in another tight 3 set battle of the wits. But it was definitely one to remember.
Number 4: Sony Ericsson Open quarter finals, Maria Sharapova d. Alexandra Dulgheru, 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5).
Numero four in the list took a bit of pruning out but it definitely proved to be one of the most intense and dramatic ladies matches on the WTA tour, and also one of the longest too, as it clocked in at 3 hours and 30 minutes (even longer than the dramatic men's final at Miami too between Rafa and Djoko). Maria Sharapova in this match really showed her amazing fighting qualities as she not only battled a very tough opponent but also a sprained ankle as well. Maria's opponent Alexandra Dulgheru without any doubt deserves massive credit for her performance here, as she went toe to toe with one of tennis's greatest fighters, and both players put on a superb play of shot making and terrific rallies that had the crooowd applauding like mad (as Alan Partridge might say). It was also a late finishing match as well, as it must have been well after midnight by the time the two women finally finished up and walked off court. For Maria the match and later reaching the final in Miami proved to be a real turning point in her career in 2011, as well as one of the loudest decibel shrieking grunting performances of her career. But grunting or not, it was a great match.
Number 3: Australian Open final, Kim Clijsters d. Li Na, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
This match definitely deserves its place in this list because for one thing it marked that welcome rarity in the ladies grand slam finals, a 3 setter. And what a 3 set match it proved to be as the two players battled it out on court, and Li Na proved to be more than a handful for Kim Clijsters who went in as the hot favourite to win the match and the title. But Clijsters started well by breaking Li Na early on in the 1st set, but then Li broke back herself, and ended up taking the first set. However in the second set, Clijsters pounced and started to drill her way into the match, breaking the gutsy Chinese No.1 in the 2nd and 3rd sets, and ultimately closing out the match to win her first Aussie open slam title, and 4th overall of her career. The match was also memorable for Li Na's endearing personality at the award ceremony where she addressed her husband much to the amusement of the Rod Laver arena crowd "that she will love him even when he is fat and old!". It was a great effort from Li Na, and for Kim it signalled a breakthrough in her slam career, as she won the Australian open for the first time, after winning the US Open 3 times. In a way its a pity that after such a high, that Kim's career would take a downturn due to injury for most of the remainder of 2011. But it remains one of the best Aussie open ladies singles finals in recent years.
Number 2: WTA Championships Final, Istanbul, Petra Kvitova d. Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Well you'd have to hope that the year end championships would finish with a bang and no a whimper, and I'm pleased to say it certainly did end on a real bang, as two of the world's best players had it out in their bid to win the WTA crown. Right from the start Petra showed her intent by dominating Victoria, who could barely get a point in, but as the match progressed Vika started playing better, until it was level at 5-5, but Petra broke again to take the 1st set. In the second set, Victoria fought back and secured a break to put her back in the match and she took the set in 6-4, but in the final set, it was once again Petra who dished out the goods (and the pummelling) as shown won a terrific match in just about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Petra also really announced herself this year as a great player, and for my money she will be the hot favourite to take the World No.1 spot from Caroline Wozniacki. And with Petra I think we are looking at the new player to beat in the woman's game, although with Kim Clijsters, and Serena Williams coming back into the game next year no doubt, it will make for a tougher challenge. But this was a great match for Petra and a great end to her best season.
Number 1: Indian Wells final, Caroline Wozniacki d. Marion Bartoli, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
This is definitely one of my favorite ladies matches of the year as I caught it on Eurosport (as I have most of em!) back in March, as the World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in great form reached the final with fair ease and faced the French No.1 Marion Bartoli in the final. Being a Premier Mandatory event, there was a lot at steak on this one, and if Bartoli won, it would signal the biggest win of her career. In the first set though, Caroline made short work of Bartoli, however from the second set onward the two players traded some terrific rallies and great points that kept the crowd entertained, with Bartoli getting the crowd behind her in a brave fightback. The high quality of play continued in the 3rd set as well, regardless of Marion's being broken twice by Wozniacki who went on to claim her 2nd Premier Mandatory title. But both players brought some terrific tennis to the fore no doubt, as it added up to one of the most entertaining matches of the year, and for my money probably the best hard court match of the women's WTA season.
Right that's part one, the clay season next.....
So here goes:
WTA 2011 Hard Court Season Top 3 matches.
Number 5: Australian Open 4th Round, Francesca Schiavone d. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4, 1-6, 16-14.
This is definitely the most memorable match of the woman's hard court season and in general, mainly because it was the single longest match in history of grand slam women's tennis, as it clocked in at 4 hour and 44 minutes. In an unbelievable display of amazing stamina and superb quality tennis, the natural fighter and Italian No.1 Francesca Schiavone battled against the Russian Kuznetsova for a place in the quarter finals, which pretty much even put some of the men's tennis to shame, not to mention the rest of the ladies players on the tour. In what seemed to be an unending yet thrilling match, it was even more amazing after Schiavone won the match, she was able to carry on and play another great match against Caroline Wozniacki two days later, although she lost in another tight 3 set battle of the wits. But it was definitely one to remember.
Number 4: Sony Ericsson Open quarter finals, Maria Sharapova d. Alexandra Dulgheru, 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5).
Numero four in the list took a bit of pruning out but it definitely proved to be one of the most intense and dramatic ladies matches on the WTA tour, and also one of the longest too, as it clocked in at 3 hours and 30 minutes (even longer than the dramatic men's final at Miami too between Rafa and Djoko). Maria Sharapova in this match really showed her amazing fighting qualities as she not only battled a very tough opponent but also a sprained ankle as well. Maria's opponent Alexandra Dulgheru without any doubt deserves massive credit for her performance here, as she went toe to toe with one of tennis's greatest fighters, and both players put on a superb play of shot making and terrific rallies that had the crooowd applauding like mad (as Alan Partridge might say). It was also a late finishing match as well, as it must have been well after midnight by the time the two women finally finished up and walked off court. For Maria the match and later reaching the final in Miami proved to be a real turning point in her career in 2011, as well as one of the loudest decibel shrieking grunting performances of her career. But grunting or not, it was a great match.
Number 3: Australian Open final, Kim Clijsters d. Li Na, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
This match definitely deserves its place in this list because for one thing it marked that welcome rarity in the ladies grand slam finals, a 3 setter. And what a 3 set match it proved to be as the two players battled it out on court, and Li Na proved to be more than a handful for Kim Clijsters who went in as the hot favourite to win the match and the title. But Clijsters started well by breaking Li Na early on in the 1st set, but then Li broke back herself, and ended up taking the first set. However in the second set, Clijsters pounced and started to drill her way into the match, breaking the gutsy Chinese No.1 in the 2nd and 3rd sets, and ultimately closing out the match to win her first Aussie open slam title, and 4th overall of her career. The match was also memorable for Li Na's endearing personality at the award ceremony where she addressed her husband much to the amusement of the Rod Laver arena crowd "that she will love him even when he is fat and old!". It was a great effort from Li Na, and for Kim it signalled a breakthrough in her slam career, as she won the Australian open for the first time, after winning the US Open 3 times. In a way its a pity that after such a high, that Kim's career would take a downturn due to injury for most of the remainder of 2011. But it remains one of the best Aussie open ladies singles finals in recent years.
Number 2: WTA Championships Final, Istanbul, Petra Kvitova d. Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Well you'd have to hope that the year end championships would finish with a bang and no a whimper, and I'm pleased to say it certainly did end on a real bang, as two of the world's best players had it out in their bid to win the WTA crown. Right from the start Petra showed her intent by dominating Victoria, who could barely get a point in, but as the match progressed Vika started playing better, until it was level at 5-5, but Petra broke again to take the 1st set. In the second set, Victoria fought back and secured a break to put her back in the match and she took the set in 6-4, but in the final set, it was once again Petra who dished out the goods (and the pummelling) as shown won a terrific match in just about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Petra also really announced herself this year as a great player, and for my money she will be the hot favourite to take the World No.1 spot from Caroline Wozniacki. And with Petra I think we are looking at the new player to beat in the woman's game, although with Kim Clijsters, and Serena Williams coming back into the game next year no doubt, it will make for a tougher challenge. But this was a great match for Petra and a great end to her best season.
Number 1: Indian Wells final, Caroline Wozniacki d. Marion Bartoli, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
This is definitely one of my favorite ladies matches of the year as I caught it on Eurosport (as I have most of em!) back in March, as the World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in great form reached the final with fair ease and faced the French No.1 Marion Bartoli in the final. Being a Premier Mandatory event, there was a lot at steak on this one, and if Bartoli won, it would signal the biggest win of her career. In the first set though, Caroline made short work of Bartoli, however from the second set onward the two players traded some terrific rallies and great points that kept the crowd entertained, with Bartoli getting the crowd behind her in a brave fightback. The high quality of play continued in the 3rd set as well, regardless of Marion's being broken twice by Wozniacki who went on to claim her 2nd Premier Mandatory title. But both players brought some terrific tennis to the fore no doubt, as it added up to one of the most entertaining matches of the year, and for my money probably the best hard court match of the women's WTA season.
Right that's part one, the clay season next.....
Well that's the ladies done!
Welllllllll that's the end of another year for the Women's Tennis Association as the year end championships in Istanbul have to come to an end, and its been quite a year for woman's tennis, so here's a bit more about the final.
So the final was between Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, and for the final match of the year, it promised to be a real belter, and thankfully it lived up to its billing, as the two players battled it out for the trophy. But it didn't seem that way to begin with as in the 1st set Azarenka stumbled badly as the beginning and 0-5 down before fighting her way back into the match to make it 5-5, but Kvitova soon broke in at 6-5, to serve it out. In the second set, Azarenka took an early break and despite a tough scrap she managed to close out the set 6-4, but in the third Kvitova secured an early break at 2-0, and before we knew it she reached Championship point after nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes, winning the title in 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
This was a terrific end to the year as the two players provided some top class tennis for the 12000 capacity crowd who were cheering throughout, and both players deserve a great deal of credit for producing such a good match. Petra Kvitova also has firmly announced her arrival this year, and even more so than Djokovic, we didn't see it coming. In fact when I started watching the WTA tour at the beginning of the year just after the Australian Open, I saw Petra defeat Kim Clijsters at the Suez Open in Paris, which I thought was impressive at the time, but I didn't think she would then continue to have the year she has had. I also thought Victoria Azarenka has come foward in leaps and bounds and really gave Petra a match, she also did a much better job at keeping her composure than Petra did, who kept squealing like a puppy dog at the end of nearly every point! So I also think we are looking at a new rivalry in women's tennis which should keep the crowds peeled, if you can look past the lenghty Azarenka grunt and the Kvitova puppy like squeals. ;-)
So big well done to Petra Kvitova as she really has come to the fore this year, and she will now move up to the World No.2 spot, just ahead of Maria Sharapova, in fact I think it will be just a matter of time before she is the new World No.1. And the scary thing for the other plays on the tour, is that this is just how Petra performs even with an inconsistent game, once she sharpens her game, and improves her fitness she will be even more formidable. So I think we really could be looking at a new dominant player in the women's game, but time will tell on that one.
Soooo that's the end of the WTA season, but the men's ATP tour has yet another month to go so there will plenty more to catch up on over the next month, and this week we have two ATP 500 events in Valencia, with David Ferrer top seed, and Basel with the current champ Federer, World Numero 1 Djokovic and the new World No.3 Andy Murray taking part. Not bad! In fact I bet the men wish they had the same tour calendar as the women, get an extra month off, coh typical! ;-)
Rrrrrrright so that's it for now, I'll do a wee top 10 matches of the year for the women's tour, just for my own edification later on, which will feature my favourite matches from each surface and from the year end championships.
So, tara the nooow.
So the final was between Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, and for the final match of the year, it promised to be a real belter, and thankfully it lived up to its billing, as the two players battled it out for the trophy. But it didn't seem that way to begin with as in the 1st set Azarenka stumbled badly as the beginning and 0-5 down before fighting her way back into the match to make it 5-5, but Kvitova soon broke in at 6-5, to serve it out. In the second set, Azarenka took an early break and despite a tough scrap she managed to close out the set 6-4, but in the third Kvitova secured an early break at 2-0, and before we knew it she reached Championship point after nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes, winning the title in 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
This was a terrific end to the year as the two players provided some top class tennis for the 12000 capacity crowd who were cheering throughout, and both players deserve a great deal of credit for producing such a good match. Petra Kvitova also has firmly announced her arrival this year, and even more so than Djokovic, we didn't see it coming. In fact when I started watching the WTA tour at the beginning of the year just after the Australian Open, I saw Petra defeat Kim Clijsters at the Suez Open in Paris, which I thought was impressive at the time, but I didn't think she would then continue to have the year she has had. I also thought Victoria Azarenka has come foward in leaps and bounds and really gave Petra a match, she also did a much better job at keeping her composure than Petra did, who kept squealing like a puppy dog at the end of nearly every point! So I also think we are looking at a new rivalry in women's tennis which should keep the crowds peeled, if you can look past the lenghty Azarenka grunt and the Kvitova puppy like squeals. ;-)
So big well done to Petra Kvitova as she really has come to the fore this year, and she will now move up to the World No.2 spot, just ahead of Maria Sharapova, in fact I think it will be just a matter of time before she is the new World No.1. And the scary thing for the other plays on the tour, is that this is just how Petra performs even with an inconsistent game, once she sharpens her game, and improves her fitness she will be even more formidable. So I think we really could be looking at a new dominant player in the women's game, but time will tell on that one.
Soooo that's the end of the WTA season, but the men's ATP tour has yet another month to go so there will plenty more to catch up on over the next month, and this week we have two ATP 500 events in Valencia, with David Ferrer top seed, and Basel with the current champ Federer, World Numero 1 Djokovic and the new World No.3 Andy Murray taking part. Not bad! In fact I bet the men wish they had the same tour calendar as the women, get an extra month off, coh typical! ;-)
Rrrrrrright so that's it for now, I'll do a wee top 10 matches of the year for the women's tour, just for my own edification later on, which will feature my favourite matches from each surface and from the year end championships.
So, tara the nooow.
Friday 28 October 2011
That was f***** trippy!
For a change I thought I'd write up something about some classic movies (or recent classics) that I've been watching of late again. This entry will be about Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, which I got on Blu-ray last week, so it was an opportunity buy yet another movie in a new format, not only that of course its always great to see films being put out in HD quality. And yep Pulp Fiction looks pretty damn good on Blu-ray as it has been given a director approved HD remaster, so now we can see all the fine details of the movie better than ever before. The soundtrack also sounds pretty good although I sometimes thought the dialogue quality sounded a little thin at times. The Blu-ray also features an excellent brand new documentary about the film, which features interviews from the cast members such as John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Eric Stoltz, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, and Rosanna Arquette.
The film as we all know it features a big star-strewn cast which is lead by John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis, and this film definitely acted as a springboard for all four of these actors careers, particularly Travolta and Jackson. And we probably all know the plot, well those of us who have seen it, as it has a relatively complex plot, following the lives of two gangsters, a crime boss and his wife, and a boxer and his girlfriend, who in some way or another intertwine with one another at some point or another.
The main two stories of course features hitman Vincent (Travolta) who goes on a job with his partner Jules (Jackson) to retrieve a briefcase from some young kids who were stupid enough to rip off their boss Marcellus Wallace (played by Vingh Rhames). In the ensuing scene after they have killed the guys, Vincent accidentally kills one of their associates, Marvin, by shooting him in the head while Jules is driving. After that Jule's calls his local friend Jimmie for help (played by Tarantino himself) and Marcellus who sends one of his business associates Mr Wolf (Harvey Keitel), who "solves problems" and aids in cleaning up their mess for them. The other story being Vincent who is asked by Marcellus to take out his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) one night on the town while he is away on business. As the two of them have a good night out, and share a steak, burger, and take part in a twist contest, at a "wax museum with a pulse" 1950s style diner. But when they go back to Mia's place, Mia accidentally overdoses on Vincent's heroin baggie, thinking it to be cocaine. At this point Vincent in a panic takes the dying Mia over to his drug dealing buddie Lance (Eric Stoltz) from whom he bought heroin, which leads into the infamous "needle" scene where Vincent brings Mia round with an adrenaline shot.
The next big story is the "Golden Watch" with Bruce Willis as a boxer Butch Coolidge who is coming to the end of his career and is being forced to take a dive in his fight by Marcellus. But Butch has other ideas and ends up winning the fight, killing his opponent in the process (unintentionally of course) and plans to flee with his girlfriend and the winnings he made from the bookies who placed bets on him. But as Butch and his girlfriend, Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) plan their departure, Butch notices that Fabienne neglected to pick up his precious golden watch, which was given to him as a present from a soldier (Christopher Walken) who was entrusted the watch given to him by Butch's dad, who later died of dysentary (from concealing the watch in his ass!). So as Butch goes back to his apartment to pick up the watch he proceeds to have the "weirdest fucking day of his life" as he rightly puts it.
Having watched Pulp Fiction many times in the past and having not seen it for a while, I really enjoyed seeing it once again. Although the film is heavily verbose, its almost at times like listening to one of Aaron Sorkin's screenplays, except with loads more swearing, and more blood and violence. But the characters are all really well written and you can get a sense of who and what they are about. Vincent as the main character in the film, is both dim and smart at the same time, as he holds a rather stubborn view of life, but at key moments isn't the brightest of sparks (especially leaving his machine gun outside the bathroom, in the scene where Butch faces off him with his gun).
Jules on the other hand is much brighter, cockier and smarter, and as he and Vincent face certain death at one point in the film, Jules is smart enough to realise that at this point, this probably isn't the life for him. And its most likely Jules decision after his dice with death that would go on to save him from a similar fate than Vincent's. In the final scene Jules also helps the two coffee shop robbers (from the opening scene) to escape unharmed, as prior to that he would have just killed them. Jules also gets some of the best dialogue in the film which is forever quotable "I'm a mushroom cloud layin motherfucker, motherfucker. Every time my fingers touch brain, I'm Superfly TNT, I'm the Guns of the Navarone!" "Check out the big brain on Brad!" "The car hit no motherfuckin bump"! "Normally both your asses would be as dead as fuckin fried chicken, but you happen to be pullin this shit while I'm in a transitional period, so I don't want to kill I wanna help you".
Mia is also a really good character as she is nice and smart enough to know that her husband is protective of her, but she can look after herself. And Mia's close call with death also, provides a chance for Vincent to be the good guy and save her, although he wouldn't stand a chance in hell if she died on him. There's almost a fine line between Mia also flirting and going a step further with Vincent, but Quentin sensibly doesn't let it go that far, although in a later scene its implied they have been seeing each other behind Marcellus's back.
The film itself despite being 2 hours and 30 minutes, rarely drags, although I do admit the Butch and Fabienne scene does drag on a bit, and is the only fairly tedious scene in the film, especially with Fabienne wittering on, about wishing she had a pot belly like "Madonna did when she did Lucky Star!". You also get the sense that in Quentin's dialogue he loves to keep dropping in these nerdy references to where he might have been as its implied in Vincent's dialogue when he speaks on his travels to Amsterdam. And one of the few things that does leave me slighly uncomfortable about Pulp Fiction is the somewhat racist element on the dialogue, especially in the scenes such as Lance the drug dealer saying to Vincent about his deals "Am I a nigger? Are we in Inglewood??" as well as Jimmie saying to Jules "when you pulled in here, did you see a sign on the front of my house saying dead nigger storage??". It does show an uncomfortable mix of humour blended in with racism, and it was the same in Reservoir Dogs where the gangsters talk about "how every nigger they know treats their women like a piece of shit". Also in the redneck scene where Marcellus is raped by one of the good ol boys, it does appear very stereotypical in its depiction of these characters and it almost like Quentin threw in the sodomy scene for shock effect. But apart from that its a mighty impressive film, which is also great because not just the dialogue but also how the characters react and interact with one another, when there is no dialogue. And while Quentin was accussed of writing racist dialogue by Spike Lee when he did Jackie Brown, I think at that time he wrote it specifically for the black guys in the film, so it certainly wasn't racist then, and I guess he is also writing the dialogue from the point of view of the character's attitudes.
So on a final note if you haven't seen Pulp Fiction, I definitely think you should give it a go, I also have very fond memories of my first viewing of it back in my local cinema in 1994, where you literally felt like you were watching a live comedy show, with people laughing almost non stop. It also has a very cool soundtrack with some great tracks such as Dick Dale's "Miserlou" now unforgettable, and Kool n the Gang's "Jungle Boogie", Aretha Franklin's "Son of a preacher man" and plenty of others.
And with that, that's it.
The film as we all know it features a big star-strewn cast which is lead by John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis, and this film definitely acted as a springboard for all four of these actors careers, particularly Travolta and Jackson. And we probably all know the plot, well those of us who have seen it, as it has a relatively complex plot, following the lives of two gangsters, a crime boss and his wife, and a boxer and his girlfriend, who in some way or another intertwine with one another at some point or another.
The main two stories of course features hitman Vincent (Travolta) who goes on a job with his partner Jules (Jackson) to retrieve a briefcase from some young kids who were stupid enough to rip off their boss Marcellus Wallace (played by Vingh Rhames). In the ensuing scene after they have killed the guys, Vincent accidentally kills one of their associates, Marvin, by shooting him in the head while Jules is driving. After that Jule's calls his local friend Jimmie for help (played by Tarantino himself) and Marcellus who sends one of his business associates Mr Wolf (Harvey Keitel), who "solves problems" and aids in cleaning up their mess for them. The other story being Vincent who is asked by Marcellus to take out his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) one night on the town while he is away on business. As the two of them have a good night out, and share a steak, burger, and take part in a twist contest, at a "wax museum with a pulse" 1950s style diner. But when they go back to Mia's place, Mia accidentally overdoses on Vincent's heroin baggie, thinking it to be cocaine. At this point Vincent in a panic takes the dying Mia over to his drug dealing buddie Lance (Eric Stoltz) from whom he bought heroin, which leads into the infamous "needle" scene where Vincent brings Mia round with an adrenaline shot.
The next big story is the "Golden Watch" with Bruce Willis as a boxer Butch Coolidge who is coming to the end of his career and is being forced to take a dive in his fight by Marcellus. But Butch has other ideas and ends up winning the fight, killing his opponent in the process (unintentionally of course) and plans to flee with his girlfriend and the winnings he made from the bookies who placed bets on him. But as Butch and his girlfriend, Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) plan their departure, Butch notices that Fabienne neglected to pick up his precious golden watch, which was given to him as a present from a soldier (Christopher Walken) who was entrusted the watch given to him by Butch's dad, who later died of dysentary (from concealing the watch in his ass!). So as Butch goes back to his apartment to pick up the watch he proceeds to have the "weirdest fucking day of his life" as he rightly puts it.
Having watched Pulp Fiction many times in the past and having not seen it for a while, I really enjoyed seeing it once again. Although the film is heavily verbose, its almost at times like listening to one of Aaron Sorkin's screenplays, except with loads more swearing, and more blood and violence. But the characters are all really well written and you can get a sense of who and what they are about. Vincent as the main character in the film, is both dim and smart at the same time, as he holds a rather stubborn view of life, but at key moments isn't the brightest of sparks (especially leaving his machine gun outside the bathroom, in the scene where Butch faces off him with his gun).
Jules on the other hand is much brighter, cockier and smarter, and as he and Vincent face certain death at one point in the film, Jules is smart enough to realise that at this point, this probably isn't the life for him. And its most likely Jules decision after his dice with death that would go on to save him from a similar fate than Vincent's. In the final scene Jules also helps the two coffee shop robbers (from the opening scene) to escape unharmed, as prior to that he would have just killed them. Jules also gets some of the best dialogue in the film which is forever quotable "I'm a mushroom cloud layin motherfucker, motherfucker. Every time my fingers touch brain, I'm Superfly TNT, I'm the Guns of the Navarone!" "Check out the big brain on Brad!" "The car hit no motherfuckin bump"! "Normally both your asses would be as dead as fuckin fried chicken, but you happen to be pullin this shit while I'm in a transitional period, so I don't want to kill I wanna help you".
Mia is also a really good character as she is nice and smart enough to know that her husband is protective of her, but she can look after herself. And Mia's close call with death also, provides a chance for Vincent to be the good guy and save her, although he wouldn't stand a chance in hell if she died on him. There's almost a fine line between Mia also flirting and going a step further with Vincent, but Quentin sensibly doesn't let it go that far, although in a later scene its implied they have been seeing each other behind Marcellus's back.
The film itself despite being 2 hours and 30 minutes, rarely drags, although I do admit the Butch and Fabienne scene does drag on a bit, and is the only fairly tedious scene in the film, especially with Fabienne wittering on, about wishing she had a pot belly like "Madonna did when she did Lucky Star!". You also get the sense that in Quentin's dialogue he loves to keep dropping in these nerdy references to where he might have been as its implied in Vincent's dialogue when he speaks on his travels to Amsterdam. And one of the few things that does leave me slighly uncomfortable about Pulp Fiction is the somewhat racist element on the dialogue, especially in the scenes such as Lance the drug dealer saying to Vincent about his deals "Am I a nigger? Are we in Inglewood??" as well as Jimmie saying to Jules "when you pulled in here, did you see a sign on the front of my house saying dead nigger storage??". It does show an uncomfortable mix of humour blended in with racism, and it was the same in Reservoir Dogs where the gangsters talk about "how every nigger they know treats their women like a piece of shit". Also in the redneck scene where Marcellus is raped by one of the good ol boys, it does appear very stereotypical in its depiction of these characters and it almost like Quentin threw in the sodomy scene for shock effect. But apart from that its a mighty impressive film, which is also great because not just the dialogue but also how the characters react and interact with one another, when there is no dialogue. And while Quentin was accussed of writing racist dialogue by Spike Lee when he did Jackie Brown, I think at that time he wrote it specifically for the black guys in the film, so it certainly wasn't racist then, and I guess he is also writing the dialogue from the point of view of the character's attitudes.
So on a final note if you haven't seen Pulp Fiction, I definitely think you should give it a go, I also have very fond memories of my first viewing of it back in my local cinema in 1994, where you literally felt like you were watching a live comedy show, with people laughing almost non stop. It also has a very cool soundtrack with some great tracks such as Dick Dale's "Miserlou" now unforgettable, and Kool n the Gang's "Jungle Boogie", Aretha Franklin's "Son of a preacher man" and plenty of others.
And with that, that's it.
WTA championships part 3: Semis here we come!
So that's day 4 of the the WTA championships over with and while it was not the best day of the tournament it did feature some good tennis in between the not so good tennis.
The first match of the day saw two of the 2011 Grand Slam champions go at it, Li Na and Sam Stosur, and Stosur leads the head to head 6-0 going into this one, and well this match didn't prove any different for Stosur's record. Li Na right from the get go was absolutely nowhere in this match as Stosur demolished her in 6-1, 6-0. Li Na failed to even win a game on her serve, the only game she won was a break on Stosur's serve, so this definitely was not the end to the season that Li Na needed, and it sees her very mixed year end on a real low, so I hope things get better for her next year.
In the second match of the day, which was the best of the three, we saw Petra Kvitova take on the very much in form Agnieszka Radwanska, and despite being 5-1 down in the first set, Petra reeled off the next 5 games to take it to a deciding tiebreak, which she won. In the second set the two players shared an intense game at 3-3 on Petra's serve, who after nearly 14 minutes, she won the game. But in the end Petra proved too good for Radwanska, and she won the match and sealed her place in the semis winning 7-6(4), 6-3. Going by her form in this tournament, I definitely think Petra is the firm favourite to win this title now, and she has yet to drop a set. Tomorrow she will play Sam Stosur, which should be a good match, and Petra has won their last meetings already so I think her place in the final could be safe.
So onto the final match of the day, which was a dead rubber match between Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli, who subtituted for Maria Sharapova who withdrew from the tournament due to injury. I was actually quite certain that Azarenka would win this match in straight sets, but Bartoli put in a fine performance, and showed much energy and vigour against the World No.4. After dropping the first set, Bartoli broke in the 2nd and took it 6-4, however in the 3rd Azarenka seemed to lose interest in the match almost altogether, as she half heartedly played against Bartoli, and Bartoli broke again and served it out to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
This was a sporadically good match, but it could have been even better if Victoria Azarenka's attitude was better, but with having her semi finals match tomorrow afternoon, she clearly didn't want to expend too much energy, so she deliberately held back in her game and shots. Personally I was pretty disappointed in Victoria's decision to do this, although I can see why she did it, but she did herself no favours with the crowd as they booed her off at the end. In fact if that match took place in France, the French would have crucified her for it, and she would have deserved it. But I was pleased to see Marion win her only match in the event, and even if it was a dead rubber and she played an apathetic opponent, she put in a good performance. In fact it was a shame she didn't qualify for the tournament because I think it would have been that bit more exciting with her in it throughout. So Bartoli will finish her season next week as she will play in the WTA International Championships in Bali, of which she is the top seed, so best of luck there lass.
So that's the semis set up and good to go for tomorrow, as Victoria Azarenka will play Vera Zvonareva (hope Vera wins! ;-) and Petra Kvitova will play Sam Stosur. They promise to be good ones!
Until then thats it for now.....
The first match of the day saw two of the 2011 Grand Slam champions go at it, Li Na and Sam Stosur, and Stosur leads the head to head 6-0 going into this one, and well this match didn't prove any different for Stosur's record. Li Na right from the get go was absolutely nowhere in this match as Stosur demolished her in 6-1, 6-0. Li Na failed to even win a game on her serve, the only game she won was a break on Stosur's serve, so this definitely was not the end to the season that Li Na needed, and it sees her very mixed year end on a real low, so I hope things get better for her next year.
In the second match of the day, which was the best of the three, we saw Petra Kvitova take on the very much in form Agnieszka Radwanska, and despite being 5-1 down in the first set, Petra reeled off the next 5 games to take it to a deciding tiebreak, which she won. In the second set the two players shared an intense game at 3-3 on Petra's serve, who after nearly 14 minutes, she won the game. But in the end Petra proved too good for Radwanska, and she won the match and sealed her place in the semis winning 7-6(4), 6-3. Going by her form in this tournament, I definitely think Petra is the firm favourite to win this title now, and she has yet to drop a set. Tomorrow she will play Sam Stosur, which should be a good match, and Petra has won their last meetings already so I think her place in the final could be safe.
So onto the final match of the day, which was a dead rubber match between Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli, who subtituted for Maria Sharapova who withdrew from the tournament due to injury. I was actually quite certain that Azarenka would win this match in straight sets, but Bartoli put in a fine performance, and showed much energy and vigour against the World No.4. After dropping the first set, Bartoli broke in the 2nd and took it 6-4, however in the 3rd Azarenka seemed to lose interest in the match almost altogether, as she half heartedly played against Bartoli, and Bartoli broke again and served it out to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
This was a sporadically good match, but it could have been even better if Victoria Azarenka's attitude was better, but with having her semi finals match tomorrow afternoon, she clearly didn't want to expend too much energy, so she deliberately held back in her game and shots. Personally I was pretty disappointed in Victoria's decision to do this, although I can see why she did it, but she did herself no favours with the crowd as they booed her off at the end. In fact if that match took place in France, the French would have crucified her for it, and she would have deserved it. But I was pleased to see Marion win her only match in the event, and even if it was a dead rubber and she played an apathetic opponent, she put in a good performance. In fact it was a shame she didn't qualify for the tournament because I think it would have been that bit more exciting with her in it throughout. So Bartoli will finish her season next week as she will play in the WTA International Championships in Bali, of which she is the top seed, so best of luck there lass.
So that's the semis set up and good to go for tomorrow, as Victoria Azarenka will play Vera Zvonareva (hope Vera wins! ;-) and Petra Kvitova will play Sam Stosur. They promise to be good ones!
Until then thats it for now.....
WTA Championships Part 2: Bowing out
So here's another update on the WTA Championships from Istanbul, which sees the top 8 ladies tennis players go at it for a chance to be crowned the year end Champion of the WTA tour.
Starting with Day 2 (on Wednesday, my least favourite day to spell!) we saw Victoria Azarenka come into play as she took on Sam Stosur, who the other day was in great form, but she had never won a match let alone a set against Vika in their previous meetings. And this one was no different as Stosur struggled to hold serve, or get anything going against Azarenka who was unstoppable in her quest, and surged to victory winning in 6-2, 6-2, in just under 1 hour 20 minutes. In the following match Li Na, played her first match against Maria Sharapova, who failed once more to win a set or take a match, which saw her bow out in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, to the Chinese No.1. This will give Li Na a bit of a boost as this was the first match she won in nearly 2 months. And finally it was Caroline Wozniacki against Vera Zvonareva, of which Caz looked to be the favourite, but unfortunately for her, her game wasn't on and she took a loss against the Russian in 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. This result meant it would hold her staying in the tournament in the balance on the results of how she played on Day 3.
So this brings me onto Day 3, which started off Victoria Azarenka playing against Li Na, who again came out all guns firing, as Vika dismissed Li Na, once again in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, although to Li Na's credit, she played a fairly good match, but in the end she was outplayed. So this now means that Victoria Azarenka will advance into the semi finals on Friday (Day 4), where she will play Marion Bartoli, who is the substitute for Maria Sharapova who pulled out earlier this week. Victoria really looks on fire coming into the tournament so I do think she will be a hot favoruite to win the title, as going by her form she will be really hard to stop. In the second match, we saw Caroline Wozniacki play Petra Kvitova, and this was a must-win match for Caroline in order to progress to the semis. But unfortunately for her, she seemed to be suffering from fatigue, as she looked under the weather and put in a sub-par performance (no pun intended Rory!). Also in between the 2nd set Caroline took a medical timeout to have her blood pressure checked as she looked to be pretty tired out, and in that set she could do little against a dominant Kvitova who cleaned up to seal her place in the semi finals, winning 6-4, 6-2.
And in the final match, which was the best one of the day, Vera Zvonareva battled against Agnieskza Radwanska for a place in the semis too. And despite being the in form player for the most part, Vera soon found herself fighting breaks of serve in the deciding set, and despite having 3 match points, she couldn't close the door on the tricky Pole, who soon broke Vera at 6-5, and closed it out to secure a place in the semi finals, winning in 1-6, 6-2, 7-5. I was a bit disappointed for Vera having come so close only to lose out, but Radwanska definitely deserves credit for her tenacious performance, as she refused to go away, it was like watching the Djokovic v Federer US Open semi final, where Fedora had a match point against Djokovic but he couldn't take it. And you never know just maybe Radwanska could pull through this one and go a few steps further to lift the trophy. But she has a tough match in Petra Kvitova in front of her tomorrow, which promises to be a really good one.
But I am disappointed for Caroline Wozniacki most of all, as she had another opportunity to cement her No.1 ranking by winning the year end championships. For me she is fast becoming the Andy Murray of woman's tennis, in that she may never win a grand slam, and she always comes up a little short on the big occassions, which is a great shame for her. And while its good to see she has finished the year still ranked as No.1, its not been an entirely satisfying year for her all round, the first half was very good, as she played really well and won 6 titles, notably big ones in Dubai and Indian Wells. But in the second half of the season, post French Open, and Wimbledon and the second leg of the hard court season, she has struggled badly in the big tournaments. She did very well though at the US Open though in getting to the semi finals, and it was a pity that she faced Serena Williams in great form, which was ironic that she wasn't in great form in the final! ;-).
But like it is for Andy Murray, she will always face big obstacles in her way to prevent her getting her hands on the major prizes. I hope they both get there one day, and Caroline has more time on her side being a few years younger, so here's hoping 2012 is a brighter year for her. The girl has plenty more to offer and show, and despite having a suspect forehand (well what do I know about tennis really???!) and not being the best vollier, her game is pretty solid.
But anyways onwards and onwards the WTA Championships goes, and I'll have more on the next matches as they come up.
Also a wee update on the ATP men's tour, as Andy Murray has confirmed he will take part in the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland, along with two other fairly well known players Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, so should be a scoosh! ;-) Andy is keen of course to keep his 15 match winning streak going, but here is the question can he out-Djokovic Djokovic???? Or outdo Federer on his home turf???? Its going to be fun finding out!
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrighhhht that'll do the now.
Starting with Day 2 (on Wednesday, my least favourite day to spell!) we saw Victoria Azarenka come into play as she took on Sam Stosur, who the other day was in great form, but she had never won a match let alone a set against Vika in their previous meetings. And this one was no different as Stosur struggled to hold serve, or get anything going against Azarenka who was unstoppable in her quest, and surged to victory winning in 6-2, 6-2, in just under 1 hour 20 minutes. In the following match Li Na, played her first match against Maria Sharapova, who failed once more to win a set or take a match, which saw her bow out in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, to the Chinese No.1. This will give Li Na a bit of a boost as this was the first match she won in nearly 2 months. And finally it was Caroline Wozniacki against Vera Zvonareva, of which Caz looked to be the favourite, but unfortunately for her, her game wasn't on and she took a loss against the Russian in 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. This result meant it would hold her staying in the tournament in the balance on the results of how she played on Day 3.
So this brings me onto Day 3, which started off Victoria Azarenka playing against Li Na, who again came out all guns firing, as Vika dismissed Li Na, once again in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, although to Li Na's credit, she played a fairly good match, but in the end she was outplayed. So this now means that Victoria Azarenka will advance into the semi finals on Friday (Day 4), where she will play Marion Bartoli, who is the substitute for Maria Sharapova who pulled out earlier this week. Victoria really looks on fire coming into the tournament so I do think she will be a hot favoruite to win the title, as going by her form she will be really hard to stop. In the second match, we saw Caroline Wozniacki play Petra Kvitova, and this was a must-win match for Caroline in order to progress to the semis. But unfortunately for her, she seemed to be suffering from fatigue, as she looked under the weather and put in a sub-par performance (no pun intended Rory!). Also in between the 2nd set Caroline took a medical timeout to have her blood pressure checked as she looked to be pretty tired out, and in that set she could do little against a dominant Kvitova who cleaned up to seal her place in the semi finals, winning 6-4, 6-2.
And in the final match, which was the best one of the day, Vera Zvonareva battled against Agnieskza Radwanska for a place in the semis too. And despite being the in form player for the most part, Vera soon found herself fighting breaks of serve in the deciding set, and despite having 3 match points, she couldn't close the door on the tricky Pole, who soon broke Vera at 6-5, and closed it out to secure a place in the semi finals, winning in 1-6, 6-2, 7-5. I was a bit disappointed for Vera having come so close only to lose out, but Radwanska definitely deserves credit for her tenacious performance, as she refused to go away, it was like watching the Djokovic v Federer US Open semi final, where Fedora had a match point against Djokovic but he couldn't take it. And you never know just maybe Radwanska could pull through this one and go a few steps further to lift the trophy. But she has a tough match in Petra Kvitova in front of her tomorrow, which promises to be a really good one.
But I am disappointed for Caroline Wozniacki most of all, as she had another opportunity to cement her No.1 ranking by winning the year end championships. For me she is fast becoming the Andy Murray of woman's tennis, in that she may never win a grand slam, and she always comes up a little short on the big occassions, which is a great shame for her. And while its good to see she has finished the year still ranked as No.1, its not been an entirely satisfying year for her all round, the first half was very good, as she played really well and won 6 titles, notably big ones in Dubai and Indian Wells. But in the second half of the season, post French Open, and Wimbledon and the second leg of the hard court season, she has struggled badly in the big tournaments. She did very well though at the US Open though in getting to the semi finals, and it was a pity that she faced Serena Williams in great form, which was ironic that she wasn't in great form in the final! ;-).
But like it is for Andy Murray, she will always face big obstacles in her way to prevent her getting her hands on the major prizes. I hope they both get there one day, and Caroline has more time on her side being a few years younger, so here's hoping 2012 is a brighter year for her. The girl has plenty more to offer and show, and despite having a suspect forehand (well what do I know about tennis really???!) and not being the best vollier, her game is pretty solid.
But anyways onwards and onwards the WTA Championships goes, and I'll have more on the next matches as they come up.
Also a wee update on the ATP men's tour, as Andy Murray has confirmed he will take part in the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland, along with two other fairly well known players Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, so should be a scoosh! ;-) Andy is keen of course to keep his 15 match winning streak going, but here is the question can he out-Djokovic Djokovic???? Or outdo Federer on his home turf???? Its going to be fun finding out!
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrighhhht that'll do the now.
Tuesday 25 October 2011
WTA Championships Part 1
Its amazing to think that we are now near the end of October, and not only that it is almost the end of the WTA ladies tennis season, and this week we have the big finale, the WTA Championships, which is held at the end of every year, this year its in Istanbul. The WTA Championships basically consists of the top 8 players in the world who compete against each other in attempt to try and win the title, in the process the 8 players are split into two groups, the red group and the white group, which consists of four players each. So today was the first day and what it a day it was, so here's a bit more about that...
So to start off with the World No.3 Petra Kvitova took on the World No.6 Vera Zvonareva, and from the start Petra dominated the match, in the second set, Vera broke to make it even at 4-4, but she was broken on her serve to let Petra serve out the match at 6-2, 6-4. Petra has come into the year end championships in fine form, as she had previously won the title in Linz earlier in the month, which gave her a boost, especially after hitting a slump post-Wimbledon. But Petra is definitely looking pretty strong as a possible contender for the title, so we will see how it goes for her. Also did I mention before that Petra looks good when she's dolled up???? Because she does, as I saw another picture among the other top 8 players, all dressed up, and yep she looks good (which is funny when you see some of the faces she pulls on court in mid-shot!).
But anyhoow onto the next match, which was the match of the day between the current World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and the newly christened World No.8 Agnieszka Radwanska, who secured her place in the tournament after Marion Bartoli retired from the Kremlin Cup last week. In one of their previous meetings in Stuttgart back in April, they played one of the best matches of the year, and this was similarly terrific, as both players provided some outstanding tennis, as they battled it out, which finally saw Caroline prevail 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, after 2 and a half hours. I was pleased to see Caroline win, especially after she got off to such a ropey start, she turned it around, although she got a bit of help from Radwanska's shoulder injury. But the 3rd set provided some terrific rallies and incredible tennis from the World No.1, and it would be terrific if Caroline could win this title, as it would really help cement her ranking and give her a boost to take it to the next level.
And now onto the last match of the day, which was between the current US Open champion Sam Stosur, and the World No.2 Maria Sharapova (also a former US Open champion!). And Sam Stosur came out in fine form, which was similar to her form at the US Open as she played a pretty solid match from start to finish. Sharapova on the other hand misfired quite badly in the first set, make a series of unforced errors, but in the second she turned it around and produced some fine tennis, to make it a gripping contest, before Stosur broke at 6-5, to win the match. This was also Sam's first win over Sharapova in their 10 meetings, and its great to see she has kept her form up form the US Open, and there is no doubt she could well be a strong contender to win this title. After winning in Flushing Meadows it really looks like Stosur has brought her game to the big occassions which is great to see, and it will be exciting to see where her game is at for the rest of the week.
Soooo that's it for now, as tomorrow there will be some more potentially terrific tennis on the way, with three matches as Sam Stosur takes on Victoria Azarenka (should be a noisy one!), Sharapova takes on Li Na, and Caroline takes on Vera Zvonareva. So it all sounds really good. Li Na's match with Sharapova should also be quite interesting, as despite being in the top 8, Li Na's form has really dropped off quite badly over the past few months. Despite winning the French Open, since then Li Na has struggled with her confidence and her game, but just perhaps maybe she can pull it together in Istanbul. But one thing is for sure, this week is gonna be a real treat in terms of ladies tennis, and its already got off to a great start.
Rrrrright that's enough the now. More to follow.
So to start off with the World No.3 Petra Kvitova took on the World No.6 Vera Zvonareva, and from the start Petra dominated the match, in the second set, Vera broke to make it even at 4-4, but she was broken on her serve to let Petra serve out the match at 6-2, 6-4. Petra has come into the year end championships in fine form, as she had previously won the title in Linz earlier in the month, which gave her a boost, especially after hitting a slump post-Wimbledon. But Petra is definitely looking pretty strong as a possible contender for the title, so we will see how it goes for her. Also did I mention before that Petra looks good when she's dolled up???? Because she does, as I saw another picture among the other top 8 players, all dressed up, and yep she looks good (which is funny when you see some of the faces she pulls on court in mid-shot!).
But anyhoow onto the next match, which was the match of the day between the current World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and the newly christened World No.8 Agnieszka Radwanska, who secured her place in the tournament after Marion Bartoli retired from the Kremlin Cup last week. In one of their previous meetings in Stuttgart back in April, they played one of the best matches of the year, and this was similarly terrific, as both players provided some outstanding tennis, as they battled it out, which finally saw Caroline prevail 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, after 2 and a half hours. I was pleased to see Caroline win, especially after she got off to such a ropey start, she turned it around, although she got a bit of help from Radwanska's shoulder injury. But the 3rd set provided some terrific rallies and incredible tennis from the World No.1, and it would be terrific if Caroline could win this title, as it would really help cement her ranking and give her a boost to take it to the next level.
And now onto the last match of the day, which was between the current US Open champion Sam Stosur, and the World No.2 Maria Sharapova (also a former US Open champion!). And Sam Stosur came out in fine form, which was similar to her form at the US Open as she played a pretty solid match from start to finish. Sharapova on the other hand misfired quite badly in the first set, make a series of unforced errors, but in the second she turned it around and produced some fine tennis, to make it a gripping contest, before Stosur broke at 6-5, to win the match. This was also Sam's first win over Sharapova in their 10 meetings, and its great to see she has kept her form up form the US Open, and there is no doubt she could well be a strong contender to win this title. After winning in Flushing Meadows it really looks like Stosur has brought her game to the big occassions which is great to see, and it will be exciting to see where her game is at for the rest of the week.
Soooo that's it for now, as tomorrow there will be some more potentially terrific tennis on the way, with three matches as Sam Stosur takes on Victoria Azarenka (should be a noisy one!), Sharapova takes on Li Na, and Caroline takes on Vera Zvonareva. So it all sounds really good. Li Na's match with Sharapova should also be quite interesting, as despite being in the top 8, Li Na's form has really dropped off quite badly over the past few months. Despite winning the French Open, since then Li Na has struggled with her confidence and her game, but just perhaps maybe she can pull it together in Istanbul. But one thing is for sure, this week is gonna be a real treat in terms of ladies tennis, and its already got off to a great start.
Rrrrright that's enough the now. More to follow.
One fail no passes
Well I haven't said too much on the ol blog for a bit, partly because I've been neglecting it a little bit, but also because I've been really busy with alot of studying. As at the end of August I started another IT course the Windows 7 Configuration course out at Routes to work south in Cambuslang, The exam involves the overall picture of configuring Windows 7 Enterprise, looking at things such as sharing resources, deploying windows, working with hard disks and partitions, faffing about with system settings, networking etc.
So this is the focus of what this post will be about, and today I sat the exam for it (70-680 exam as stated above) and for the first time in ages I failed an exam. So I'm a bit disappointed by it, but at the same time I'm not surprised as this course only lasts 14 weeks, and we have had to cover a great deal in such a short space of time. The exam itself was pretty difficult and again I found that it covered a lot of information that wasn't in our study materials, and it was full of a lot of command line parameters which I had no idea about. I also found that in the past with Microsoft, as I had previously sat the Microsoft Certified Professional for XP Pro 6 years ago, which I did pass but we were given some sample questions from one of the "brain dumps" websites. But if you use the official Microsoft study guides, you most likely will not pass, how about that??!
And this is a really frustrating thing with Microsoft's exams, quite often a fair bit of the course detail doesn't tally with what will be in the exam. Today I found myself largely stumped by the questions I was given and it really was a case of taking a wild stab in the dark, which isn't good. So I do think if we were given more time to revise for the exam there might have been a better chance of getting a pass, but the format of the course is too rushed. I was also annoyed at the Microsoft exam structure in that it gives you 2 hours overall, but that includes time taken to read their license agreement and do the survey, which leaves you less time for the actual exam, as I had only about 1 hour and 20 minutes left by the time I started the exam!!
Thankfully (well in a way) I wasn't the only person who failed the exam today, in fact only one of us passed it, so I'm relieved that it was just me. But overall the exam was very difficult and that's the thing with Microsoft, you can never guarantee you can get a pass based on the study books you use, you have to look further afield. Its different with the CompTIA exams, as you can read your study guides, materials, etc, and you will get a pass. But Microsoft in their benevolance quite often like to stump and baffle you with vague questions (not to mention difficult) which makes it that bit tougher to get a handle on.
But anyway, from here as a group we can discuss where it all went wrong and try and gear ourselves up for another resit soon (although hopefully not too soon!).
So this is the focus of what this post will be about, and today I sat the exam for it (70-680 exam as stated above) and for the first time in ages I failed an exam. So I'm a bit disappointed by it, but at the same time I'm not surprised as this course only lasts 14 weeks, and we have had to cover a great deal in such a short space of time. The exam itself was pretty difficult and again I found that it covered a lot of information that wasn't in our study materials, and it was full of a lot of command line parameters which I had no idea about. I also found that in the past with Microsoft, as I had previously sat the Microsoft Certified Professional for XP Pro 6 years ago, which I did pass but we were given some sample questions from one of the "brain dumps" websites. But if you use the official Microsoft study guides, you most likely will not pass, how about that??!
And this is a really frustrating thing with Microsoft's exams, quite often a fair bit of the course detail doesn't tally with what will be in the exam. Today I found myself largely stumped by the questions I was given and it really was a case of taking a wild stab in the dark, which isn't good. So I do think if we were given more time to revise for the exam there might have been a better chance of getting a pass, but the format of the course is too rushed. I was also annoyed at the Microsoft exam structure in that it gives you 2 hours overall, but that includes time taken to read their license agreement and do the survey, which leaves you less time for the actual exam, as I had only about 1 hour and 20 minutes left by the time I started the exam!!
Thankfully (well in a way) I wasn't the only person who failed the exam today, in fact only one of us passed it, so I'm relieved that it was just me. But overall the exam was very difficult and that's the thing with Microsoft, you can never guarantee you can get a pass based on the study books you use, you have to look further afield. Its different with the CompTIA exams, as you can read your study guides, materials, etc, and you will get a pass. But Microsoft in their benevolance quite often like to stump and baffle you with vague questions (not to mention difficult) which makes it that bit tougher to get a handle on.
But anyway, from here as a group we can discuss where it all went wrong and try and gear ourselves up for another resit soon (although hopefully not too soon!).
Sunday 16 October 2011
Yep, we have a new World No.3!
Soooooooo its the end of another interesting week of tennis on the ATP/WTA tour, which has seen some excellent matches from both sexes, with the men in Shanghai and the ladies in Osaka and Linz.
In fine tradition its ladies first, starting in Linz Germany, we were treated to some excellent matches, and it also saw the return to form of Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who dominated the play throughout the tournament. Although the highlight of the tournament was Petra's match with Jelena Jankovic, which from the get go was a terrific scrap, filled with some amazing points and great rallies. It was also good to see Jelena return to form, despite her loss to Petra, she put up some fight, as the Czeck edged past her in 4-6, 6-4,6-3. After this it was the final with Dominika Cibulkova, the pint sized Slovakian who after a tight first set, succombed to the very much on form Kvitova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. This marks a definitely much needed step in the right direction for Petra who after her win at Wimbledon, took a big dive in confidence and made early exits in quite a few tournaments, particularly at the US Open. But unlike Li Na, Petra has definitely bounced back and I definitely think she is a future contender for winning many grand slams, as she has a terrific game and as well as the calm composure that must be crucial to win the major silveware.
So briefly to Osaka which featured some of the top 10 seeds, particularly Sam Stosur, the US Open champion and Marion Bartoli, who faced each other in the Osaka final, but it was Marion who won this time, as she defeated Stosur with ease in 6-3, 6-1. Its funny how certain players can beat other players, as an example, Bartoli has taken Stosur apart the last two times they played, meanwhile Stosur can always beat Vera Zvonareva, but has never beaten Maria Sharapova. Regardless of the outcome, its another title for Marion Bartoli which is always a good thing, and she's definitely one of my favourite players on the WTA tour, with her unusual balletic serve, two handed forehand and backhand game, not to mention her ridiculous jumping up and down in between points. She's another character in woman's tennis which again is always something good, so well done lass.
Nowwwww onto the men's tennis, which this week was the Shanghai Masters, which saw the very much in form Andy Murray demolish his way through the opposition, (well apart from Stan Wawrinka in the 3rd round) to get to the final where played David Ferrer. Their previous meeting was a straight forward affair with the Muzza winning quite easy in 6-2, 6-3, this time however it was a bit tougher as Ferrer pushed Andy round the court, as they engaged in some great long rallies, with 30+ shots. But it was once again Andy that prevailed in another final, as he got past Ferrer in straight sets winning in 7-5, 6-4 in a very entertaining match lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes. I was hoping Ferrer would give Andy a match and thankfully for the most part he did just that, although I did feel a bit sorry for Ferrer that he lost out, but ultimately with those other 3 guys at the top out of commission just now, Andy is currently the world's best player. And who knows, just maybe he can maintain this form for the rest of the year, it would be great if he could. I certainly think having won 3 titles in a row, and having been christened as the new World No.3, will instill Andy with a great deal of confidence, and his game and even his serve has been very impressive of late.
So it really remains to be seen just how his game will stack up once Federer and Djokovic return to the scene, and even if Djokovic is still out by the time the ATP World Tour Finals arrives in London next month, then this increases Andy's chance of winning even more. And with Andy's current form, could this be the making of him as a player????? Well I sincerely hope so, its been quite a long time for Andy to make a breakthrough into winning a major, and if he wins the title at the o2 in London, it will signal not only the biggest win of his career, but also the perfect starting point to take it that step further. But even if Djokovic and Federer are still out by the time we hit London next month, there is still Rafa of course, and yes he has had a bad run of late, but I think its a safe bet he will do everything he can to ensure he is back on form by then, and then Andy's current form will really be put to the test.
But in the meantime well done, Andy lad, no doubt you deserve a rest after a long and very successful 3 weeks in Asia. 21 titles, 5 of them in 2011, and he has also won the second most this year also (just behind Djoko's 10). So its looking bright for the British No.1. Next up it may be Basel in Switzerland, Roger's hometown tournament (not sure if its his actual hometown!) and after that the Paris Masters. Andy hasn't stated which tournament he might play in next, but he did joke in his post match Sky Sports interview "I'll probably play in whichever tournament Sky Sports covers!". So it would be great if he could pull off another hattrick, with maybe Basel, Paris and London under his belt, buttttt that's all ahead of him.
That'll do her for now.
In fine tradition its ladies first, starting in Linz Germany, we were treated to some excellent matches, and it also saw the return to form of Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who dominated the play throughout the tournament. Although the highlight of the tournament was Petra's match with Jelena Jankovic, which from the get go was a terrific scrap, filled with some amazing points and great rallies. It was also good to see Jelena return to form, despite her loss to Petra, she put up some fight, as the Czeck edged past her in 4-6, 6-4,6-3. After this it was the final with Dominika Cibulkova, the pint sized Slovakian who after a tight first set, succombed to the very much on form Kvitova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. This marks a definitely much needed step in the right direction for Petra who after her win at Wimbledon, took a big dive in confidence and made early exits in quite a few tournaments, particularly at the US Open. But unlike Li Na, Petra has definitely bounced back and I definitely think she is a future contender for winning many grand slams, as she has a terrific game and as well as the calm composure that must be crucial to win the major silveware.
So briefly to Osaka which featured some of the top 10 seeds, particularly Sam Stosur, the US Open champion and Marion Bartoli, who faced each other in the Osaka final, but it was Marion who won this time, as she defeated Stosur with ease in 6-3, 6-1. Its funny how certain players can beat other players, as an example, Bartoli has taken Stosur apart the last two times they played, meanwhile Stosur can always beat Vera Zvonareva, but has never beaten Maria Sharapova. Regardless of the outcome, its another title for Marion Bartoli which is always a good thing, and she's definitely one of my favourite players on the WTA tour, with her unusual balletic serve, two handed forehand and backhand game, not to mention her ridiculous jumping up and down in between points. She's another character in woman's tennis which again is always something good, so well done lass.
Nowwwww onto the men's tennis, which this week was the Shanghai Masters, which saw the very much in form Andy Murray demolish his way through the opposition, (well apart from Stan Wawrinka in the 3rd round) to get to the final where played David Ferrer. Their previous meeting was a straight forward affair with the Muzza winning quite easy in 6-2, 6-3, this time however it was a bit tougher as Ferrer pushed Andy round the court, as they engaged in some great long rallies, with 30+ shots. But it was once again Andy that prevailed in another final, as he got past Ferrer in straight sets winning in 7-5, 6-4 in a very entertaining match lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes. I was hoping Ferrer would give Andy a match and thankfully for the most part he did just that, although I did feel a bit sorry for Ferrer that he lost out, but ultimately with those other 3 guys at the top out of commission just now, Andy is currently the world's best player. And who knows, just maybe he can maintain this form for the rest of the year, it would be great if he could. I certainly think having won 3 titles in a row, and having been christened as the new World No.3, will instill Andy with a great deal of confidence, and his game and even his serve has been very impressive of late.
So it really remains to be seen just how his game will stack up once Federer and Djokovic return to the scene, and even if Djokovic is still out by the time the ATP World Tour Finals arrives in London next month, then this increases Andy's chance of winning even more. And with Andy's current form, could this be the making of him as a player????? Well I sincerely hope so, its been quite a long time for Andy to make a breakthrough into winning a major, and if he wins the title at the o2 in London, it will signal not only the biggest win of his career, but also the perfect starting point to take it that step further. But even if Djokovic and Federer are still out by the time we hit London next month, there is still Rafa of course, and yes he has had a bad run of late, but I think its a safe bet he will do everything he can to ensure he is back on form by then, and then Andy's current form will really be put to the test.
But in the meantime well done, Andy lad, no doubt you deserve a rest after a long and very successful 3 weeks in Asia. 21 titles, 5 of them in 2011, and he has also won the second most this year also (just behind Djoko's 10). So its looking bright for the British No.1. Next up it may be Basel in Switzerland, Roger's hometown tournament (not sure if its his actual hometown!) and after that the Paris Masters. Andy hasn't stated which tournament he might play in next, but he did joke in his post match Sky Sports interview "I'll probably play in whichever tournament Sky Sports covers!". So it would be great if he could pull off another hattrick, with maybe Basel, Paris and London under his belt, buttttt that's all ahead of him.
That'll do her for now.
Thursday 13 October 2011
Chasing No.3
So we are into another week of the men's ATP tour, which now takes us to the Shanghai Masters, where Andy Murray is the defending champion, but he can hold onto his title??? We will find out soon enough.
In the meantime, here are some results from the tournament so far this week, starting with Rafa who made a shock exit in the 3rd round as he took on the talented Florian Mayer, who defeated the former Wold No.1 in straight sets 7-6, 6-3. This was a real surprise as I'm sure most of us didn't expect that to happen, especially after playing a solid match the other day against Fernando Garcia-Lopez. But it definitely once again echoes the troubles that Rafa is having this year, and I think this all mainly boils down to one player, Novak Djokovic, who has knocked Rafa off his World No.1 spot having beaten him six times already this year, and with Andy soundly beating Rafa in the 3rd set 6-0 of the Tokyo final last week probably added salt to the wound. And this is the second time Rafa has made an early exit in a tournament this year as he did before in Cincinnati, so it is safe to say that 2011 hasn't been too kind to him. Despite all that though if you look at his stats he hasn't had a bad year, having won the French Open, and titles in Barcelona and Monte Carlo, but playing second fiddle to Djokovic certainly hasn't helped his confidence.
In other matches, Feliciano Lopez put in a really good performance against Tomas Berdych, whom he best in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Also Gilles Simon was put out by the Australian wildcard Matthew Ebden who will now go on to face Andy in the quarter finals, as I don't know much about Ebden its hard to say how it could go, but it could be a tough one. In another match David Ferrer not only defeated Juan Carlos-Ferrero, but he also qualified for 5th place in the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of Novmeber in London O2 arena. Who qualifies next for it, is anybody's guess as Tsonga and Fish were both up for qualifying also but they have both been knocked out of Shanghai already, which might dent their chances a bit more, but we'll see.
So onto Muzza's match as he took on the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who defeated Andy in their last meeting at the US Open last year, but this time Andy got revenge as he toughed it out to win in 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. This marks that he has won 22 out of the last 23 matches, and he maintains his perfect record so far in the Asian leg of the tour, so it remains to be seen if the Muzza can go all the way and seize that World No.3 ranking. And judging by his current form it is looking likely, and he is now the top seed in the tournament, not only that but he has been playing really well and to his ranking. But there are three matches to go before he can lift that trophy, but he is the odds on favourite, so we will see how his match with Matthew Ebden goes. But it would be great Andy could keep up this form going into the O2 Arena in London at the end of this year, but by then Djokovic will most likely be back in action, so we need to wait for that one.
Anyhoooowww that's it for now, more will follow soon.
In the meantime, here are some results from the tournament so far this week, starting with Rafa who made a shock exit in the 3rd round as he took on the talented Florian Mayer, who defeated the former Wold No.1 in straight sets 7-6, 6-3. This was a real surprise as I'm sure most of us didn't expect that to happen, especially after playing a solid match the other day against Fernando Garcia-Lopez. But it definitely once again echoes the troubles that Rafa is having this year, and I think this all mainly boils down to one player, Novak Djokovic, who has knocked Rafa off his World No.1 spot having beaten him six times already this year, and with Andy soundly beating Rafa in the 3rd set 6-0 of the Tokyo final last week probably added salt to the wound. And this is the second time Rafa has made an early exit in a tournament this year as he did before in Cincinnati, so it is safe to say that 2011 hasn't been too kind to him. Despite all that though if you look at his stats he hasn't had a bad year, having won the French Open, and titles in Barcelona and Monte Carlo, but playing second fiddle to Djokovic certainly hasn't helped his confidence.
In other matches, Feliciano Lopez put in a really good performance against Tomas Berdych, whom he best in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Also Gilles Simon was put out by the Australian wildcard Matthew Ebden who will now go on to face Andy in the quarter finals, as I don't know much about Ebden its hard to say how it could go, but it could be a tough one. In another match David Ferrer not only defeated Juan Carlos-Ferrero, but he also qualified for 5th place in the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of Novmeber in London O2 arena. Who qualifies next for it, is anybody's guess as Tsonga and Fish were both up for qualifying also but they have both been knocked out of Shanghai already, which might dent their chances a bit more, but we'll see.
So onto Muzza's match as he took on the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who defeated Andy in their last meeting at the US Open last year, but this time Andy got revenge as he toughed it out to win in 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. This marks that he has won 22 out of the last 23 matches, and he maintains his perfect record so far in the Asian leg of the tour, so it remains to be seen if the Muzza can go all the way and seize that World No.3 ranking. And judging by his current form it is looking likely, and he is now the top seed in the tournament, not only that but he has been playing really well and to his ranking. But there are three matches to go before he can lift that trophy, but he is the odds on favourite, so we will see how his match with Matthew Ebden goes. But it would be great Andy could keep up this form going into the O2 Arena in London at the end of this year, but by then Djokovic will most likely be back in action, so we need to wait for that one.
Anyhoooowww that's it for now, more will follow soon.
Sunday 9 October 2011
A good couple of weeks at the office
So another week of tennis in the calendar of the ATP/WTA season has come to an end as the China Open and Tokyo Open championships concluded with some fine matches all round.
Once again I'll start with the ladies final at the China Open in Beijing, which saw the very much in form Agnieszka Radwanska take on the German Andrea Petkovic (who has also been in pretty good form too!). When it comes to final you, the viewer at home watching it, and the crowd there hope for a good match, and today we weren't disappointed as the two ladies put on a terrific display of superb tennis, with some thrilling rallies and long deuce games. Petkovic started off the match quite nervously as she was broken by Radwanska early on, but as the match progressed she held nerve and fought out in a terrific first set, but unfortunately for her Radwanska broke to win in 7-5. The second set however saw Petko come back in fine form as Radwanska struggled to find her game at all, and Andrea steamrolled her way through to the decider, where it was even pegged again. But it was Radwanska who got the crucial break and served it out to win her first Premier Mandatory title, with the scoreline reading 7-5, 0-6, 6-4.
There's no doubt about it that Radwanska as a player has arrived this year, as that's 3 titles under her skirt now ;-) and 2 titles back to back, both of them biggies as well. It was a great match from both women, and I think Petkovic deserves special credit also for her tremendous battle, and also fighting through a leg injury at one point, where she had to have a medical timeout, but after her leg was taped, she carried on and put in a great performance. It was also fun to see Andrea and Radwanska engage in a little version of the Petko dance for the Chinese crowd. And if Andrea Petkovic has done one thing for ladies tennis this year and in general, it is that she has injected a sense of fun into the sport, which is something that is much needed, especially as the woman players tend to be very business like in their approach to matches.
So this also sees Radwanska remerge into the top 10 and also it will guarantee her a place in the WTA Championships at the end of the season in Istanbul, where she could well be a hot favourite to win there too. If she does then I think its safe to say it could signal a new contender for a grand slam next year, and Radwanska's name could well be etched on the Australian Open trophy. One thing I noticed that the woman have which is rather good for them is that their tour calendar comes to an end at the end of the month, after that, that's them for the year! I bet the men wish they had that calendar!
Speaking of which onto the men's final in China and Tokyo, which first of all in China saw the Czeck and 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych take on the Croat Marin Cilic in the final. Despite being a set down against Cilic, who put in a solid display of hitting, Berdych held his nerve to fight his way back into the match and closed it out winning in 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. This was quite an impressive display from Berdych who has struggled to win a title since 2009 in Munich, and it should possibly stand him in good stead for his chances to win a place in the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the year. Onto the next final at Tokyo which was the far more anticipated of the two which saw Andy Murray go head to head with Rafa Nadal, as the Muzza looked to dethrone Rafa of his Tokyo title from last year as well as to end his losing streak of 5 matches in a row. And I'm happy to say Andy managed to do just that, as he put in a mighty performance against Rafa, after being a set down, Andy fought back in the 2nd set, breaking Rafa twice to win it, and in the 3rd set, Rafa barely got a lookin as he won only four points, which saw Andy crush Rafa and hand him a rare set bagel to finish the match and clinch the championship winning in 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.
To say Andy's run of form in the Asia leg of the tour season has been impressive is definitely something of an understatement, as that's two titles he's won back to back. Not only that, its given Andy another 500 points and it taken him a step closer to upping his ranking to No.3 in the world. Up next is Shanghai and if Andy can maintain his impressive form, then I can't see why he will not end up winning the title and if he does he will be the World No.3 for sure. Although I feel a bit sorry for Rafa losing out in yet another final, I was definitely more pleased for Andy whom snapped his losing streak to Rafa, so their head to head now sits at 5-13 in Andy's favour (i.e. 5 wins for him). And that's now 20 singles titles in the bag (must be a pretty big tennis bag!), 4 of which he won this year, which is pretty damn good work, especially as Rafa has only won 3, and Federer only 1.
So Shanghai is up next for the men's tour, and there will be more to follow on that, in the meantime a big congrats to Andy so I hope enjoys his win tonight, and to top it off he also won the doubles title with Jamie in Tokyo too. This is also a bit of a landmark as he is the only player in 2011 to win both a singles and doubles title in the same tournament, so eat that Djoko! ;-)
Anyway that's enough the now.
Once again I'll start with the ladies final at the China Open in Beijing, which saw the very much in form Agnieszka Radwanska take on the German Andrea Petkovic (who has also been in pretty good form too!). When it comes to final you, the viewer at home watching it, and the crowd there hope for a good match, and today we weren't disappointed as the two ladies put on a terrific display of superb tennis, with some thrilling rallies and long deuce games. Petkovic started off the match quite nervously as she was broken by Radwanska early on, but as the match progressed she held nerve and fought out in a terrific first set, but unfortunately for her Radwanska broke to win in 7-5. The second set however saw Petko come back in fine form as Radwanska struggled to find her game at all, and Andrea steamrolled her way through to the decider, where it was even pegged again. But it was Radwanska who got the crucial break and served it out to win her first Premier Mandatory title, with the scoreline reading 7-5, 0-6, 6-4.
There's no doubt about it that Radwanska as a player has arrived this year, as that's 3 titles under her skirt now ;-) and 2 titles back to back, both of them biggies as well. It was a great match from both women, and I think Petkovic deserves special credit also for her tremendous battle, and also fighting through a leg injury at one point, where she had to have a medical timeout, but after her leg was taped, she carried on and put in a great performance. It was also fun to see Andrea and Radwanska engage in a little version of the Petko dance for the Chinese crowd. And if Andrea Petkovic has done one thing for ladies tennis this year and in general, it is that she has injected a sense of fun into the sport, which is something that is much needed, especially as the woman players tend to be very business like in their approach to matches.
So this also sees Radwanska remerge into the top 10 and also it will guarantee her a place in the WTA Championships at the end of the season in Istanbul, where she could well be a hot favourite to win there too. If she does then I think its safe to say it could signal a new contender for a grand slam next year, and Radwanska's name could well be etched on the Australian Open trophy. One thing I noticed that the woman have which is rather good for them is that their tour calendar comes to an end at the end of the month, after that, that's them for the year! I bet the men wish they had that calendar!
Speaking of which onto the men's final in China and Tokyo, which first of all in China saw the Czeck and 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych take on the Croat Marin Cilic in the final. Despite being a set down against Cilic, who put in a solid display of hitting, Berdych held his nerve to fight his way back into the match and closed it out winning in 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. This was quite an impressive display from Berdych who has struggled to win a title since 2009 in Munich, and it should possibly stand him in good stead for his chances to win a place in the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the year. Onto the next final at Tokyo which was the far more anticipated of the two which saw Andy Murray go head to head with Rafa Nadal, as the Muzza looked to dethrone Rafa of his Tokyo title from last year as well as to end his losing streak of 5 matches in a row. And I'm happy to say Andy managed to do just that, as he put in a mighty performance against Rafa, after being a set down, Andy fought back in the 2nd set, breaking Rafa twice to win it, and in the 3rd set, Rafa barely got a lookin as he won only four points, which saw Andy crush Rafa and hand him a rare set bagel to finish the match and clinch the championship winning in 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.
To say Andy's run of form in the Asia leg of the tour season has been impressive is definitely something of an understatement, as that's two titles he's won back to back. Not only that, its given Andy another 500 points and it taken him a step closer to upping his ranking to No.3 in the world. Up next is Shanghai and if Andy can maintain his impressive form, then I can't see why he will not end up winning the title and if he does he will be the World No.3 for sure. Although I feel a bit sorry for Rafa losing out in yet another final, I was definitely more pleased for Andy whom snapped his losing streak to Rafa, so their head to head now sits at 5-13 in Andy's favour (i.e. 5 wins for him). And that's now 20 singles titles in the bag (must be a pretty big tennis bag!), 4 of which he won this year, which is pretty damn good work, especially as Rafa has only won 3, and Federer only 1.
So Shanghai is up next for the men's tour, and there will be more to follow on that, in the meantime a big congrats to Andy so I hope enjoys his win tonight, and to top it off he also won the doubles title with Jamie in Tokyo too. This is also a bit of a landmark as he is the only player in 2011 to win both a singles and doubles title in the same tournament, so eat that Djoko! ;-)
Anyway that's enough the now.
Friday 7 October 2011
5th time lucky maybe?????
OK here's another update on the latest tennis stuff.
Starting with the WTA tour, the ladies this week have a biggie (that's what she said! OK shut up Michael Scott mode!) as its the China Open in Beijing, which is a Premier Mandatory title. And the current world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki was the defending champion from last year, however once again she has failed to hold onto her title defence as Caz fell in the quarter finals today at the hands of the Italian Flavia Penetta, who defeated her in 3 sets, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(2). This marks the 3rd title that Caroline has failed to defend this year, and yeah ok she did better in getting to the quarter finals, but with every match she loses, Caroline is starting to look less than convincing as the current World No.1. I'm not sure what is wrong with Caroline, maybe things aren't going so smoothly on the Rory front, or maybe they are going too smoothly, or maybe she has an injury of some kind. But Caroline's serve let her down once again which is usually one of the stronger parts of her game, but not on this occassion. And despite a brave fightback from 5-3 down, Caroline levelled the match at 5-5 and it went to a tiebreak but there it all went wrong. Its a shame for Caroline but let's hope her best isn't already behind her as its a worrying trend that keeps showing up, but then again every player goes through a bad patch. Despite her loss, Caroline in the third set did really well to level things to a tiebreak, so even though she lost she showed great tenacity at the same time. I hope come the year end WTA Championships in Dubai that Caroline can finish off the year better.
On other WTA matches from Beijing, Agnieszka Radwanska continued her fine form as she won over Ana Ivanovic, who trailed a set down and in the 2nd she retired due to her a back injury, this could well see Radwanska winning another title this week, as she really has been in incredible form, and this would mark the biggest win of her career so far if she does. But first things first as Radwanska still has to play Flavia Pennetta in the semi finals, and will most likely be a tough match but I can still the Pole coming through it. The other match of the day saw Andrea Petkovic take on the Russian Anatasia Pavlyuchenkova, who put up an impressive struggle, pushing Petko to a 2nd tiebreak, which the German won, winning overall 6-3, 7-6. So Andrea will go on to face the wildcard Monica Niculescu, whom has beaten Petko the last two times they have met which was a few years back, but both of them are different players now, especially Petko, should be a good one anyway. And a quick update as Petko managed to show her pedigree and breezed past Niculescu in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 to make it into her first Premier Mandatory final. And Agnieszka Radwanska fired past Flavia Pennetta in straight sets, as the Italian had no answer to the Pole, who floundered toward the end and saw Radwanska win in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. So its a Petkovic vs Radwanska final on Sunday and I would have to place my money on Radwanska winning, however lets not underestimate Petko who has also been playing some terrific stuff, but for me the Pole is the favourite.
So onto the men's tour, as this week we have the China Open as well, where Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the top seed, and will face Tomas Berdych in the semis, which should make for a very good match, as they are both tough players, but my money is still on Tsonga. Also Ivan Ljubicic takes on Marin Cilic for a place in the final as well, so it should make for anothe really match. I might be wrong but I would put good money on Tsonga winning this one as he's really come back on form of late especially after winning in Metz in France last month.
And onto the Tokyo where the men's semi finals have finished and I'm happy to say that its the final we all wanted as Rafa and Andy breezed past the opposition in their respective matches. Rafa as I knew he would, after a tight first set, closed out his match against Fish quite impressively in 7-5, 6-1, and Andy closed out against Ferrer that bit more impressively in 6-3, 6-2. This marks their 5th meeting this year (as the title refers to) and I can almost see Andy winning this title as well, although he faces Rafa in the final, but I think his form of late has been highly impressive, as he won the title in Bangkok last week, made it past a really tough Marcos Baghdatis en route to the semis, and his last three matches have been of a very good calibre. It would also be great to see Andy beat Rafa in a final for a change as he really does need to improve win loss ratio which stands at 13-4 in Rafa's favour. If he does win the title, it will also mean he is halfway closer to his goal of becoming World No.3, and Federer and Djokovic have both confirmed they are out of play for Shanghai, which leaves another door of opportunity open.
But there is no doubt about that Andy has played to his ranking this year, despite some inconsistent play here and there, his results have spoken for themselves, and here's to him that they continue to do so. Who knows? We could be looking at a new ATP World Finals champion this year, but we will see, as the way I see it, Andy's biggest barrier just now isn't Djokovic, its Rafa. Rafa certainly has got the edge on Andy just now and has done for quite a while, but it would be great to see Andy get the better of him this time and in Shanghai, its probably a bit much to ask for, but all the best to him and I hope he reaches his goal.
So more to follow once the mens and ladies semi finals are over.
Starting with the WTA tour, the ladies this week have a biggie (that's what she said! OK shut up Michael Scott mode!) as its the China Open in Beijing, which is a Premier Mandatory title. And the current world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki was the defending champion from last year, however once again she has failed to hold onto her title defence as Caz fell in the quarter finals today at the hands of the Italian Flavia Penetta, who defeated her in 3 sets, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(2). This marks the 3rd title that Caroline has failed to defend this year, and yeah ok she did better in getting to the quarter finals, but with every match she loses, Caroline is starting to look less than convincing as the current World No.1. I'm not sure what is wrong with Caroline, maybe things aren't going so smoothly on the Rory front, or maybe they are going too smoothly, or maybe she has an injury of some kind. But Caroline's serve let her down once again which is usually one of the stronger parts of her game, but not on this occassion. And despite a brave fightback from 5-3 down, Caroline levelled the match at 5-5 and it went to a tiebreak but there it all went wrong. Its a shame for Caroline but let's hope her best isn't already behind her as its a worrying trend that keeps showing up, but then again every player goes through a bad patch. Despite her loss, Caroline in the third set did really well to level things to a tiebreak, so even though she lost she showed great tenacity at the same time. I hope come the year end WTA Championships in Dubai that Caroline can finish off the year better.
On other WTA matches from Beijing, Agnieszka Radwanska continued her fine form as she won over Ana Ivanovic, who trailed a set down and in the 2nd she retired due to her a back injury, this could well see Radwanska winning another title this week, as she really has been in incredible form, and this would mark the biggest win of her career so far if she does. But first things first as Radwanska still has to play Flavia Pennetta in the semi finals, and will most likely be a tough match but I can still the Pole coming through it. The other match of the day saw Andrea Petkovic take on the Russian Anatasia Pavlyuchenkova, who put up an impressive struggle, pushing Petko to a 2nd tiebreak, which the German won, winning overall 6-3, 7-6. So Andrea will go on to face the wildcard Monica Niculescu, whom has beaten Petko the last two times they have met which was a few years back, but both of them are different players now, especially Petko, should be a good one anyway. And a quick update as Petko managed to show her pedigree and breezed past Niculescu in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 to make it into her first Premier Mandatory final. And Agnieszka Radwanska fired past Flavia Pennetta in straight sets, as the Italian had no answer to the Pole, who floundered toward the end and saw Radwanska win in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. So its a Petkovic vs Radwanska final on Sunday and I would have to place my money on Radwanska winning, however lets not underestimate Petko who has also been playing some terrific stuff, but for me the Pole is the favourite.
So onto the men's tour, as this week we have the China Open as well, where Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the top seed, and will face Tomas Berdych in the semis, which should make for a very good match, as they are both tough players, but my money is still on Tsonga. Also Ivan Ljubicic takes on Marin Cilic for a place in the final as well, so it should make for anothe really match. I might be wrong but I would put good money on Tsonga winning this one as he's really come back on form of late especially after winning in Metz in France last month.
And onto the Tokyo where the men's semi finals have finished and I'm happy to say that its the final we all wanted as Rafa and Andy breezed past the opposition in their respective matches. Rafa as I knew he would, after a tight first set, closed out his match against Fish quite impressively in 7-5, 6-1, and Andy closed out against Ferrer that bit more impressively in 6-3, 6-2. This marks their 5th meeting this year (as the title refers to) and I can almost see Andy winning this title as well, although he faces Rafa in the final, but I think his form of late has been highly impressive, as he won the title in Bangkok last week, made it past a really tough Marcos Baghdatis en route to the semis, and his last three matches have been of a very good calibre. It would also be great to see Andy beat Rafa in a final for a change as he really does need to improve win loss ratio which stands at 13-4 in Rafa's favour. If he does win the title, it will also mean he is halfway closer to his goal of becoming World No.3, and Federer and Djokovic have both confirmed they are out of play for Shanghai, which leaves another door of opportunity open.
But there is no doubt about that Andy has played to his ranking this year, despite some inconsistent play here and there, his results have spoken for themselves, and here's to him that they continue to do so. Who knows? We could be looking at a new ATP World Finals champion this year, but we will see, as the way I see it, Andy's biggest barrier just now isn't Djokovic, its Rafa. Rafa certainly has got the edge on Andy just now and has done for quite a while, but it would be great to see Andy get the better of him this time and in Shanghai, its probably a bit much to ask for, but all the best to him and I hope he reaches his goal.
So more to follow once the mens and ladies semi finals are over.
Monday 3 October 2011
Chasing titles
Its been a wee while since I've done a tennis post so here goes, there has been few tournaments on of late for both the men and ladies. The men's titles were a few smaller ones but I will get to them soon enough but now for ladies, as the Pan Pacific Open took place last week in Toyko with most of the top seeds in play.
So starting with the Pan Pacific open, the defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, made another early exit as Kaia Kenepi defeated her in 3 sets. This is a worrying trend in Caz's year so far, the first half of the year was great for her, and she did very well at the US Open getting to the semis, but she has been losing out quite early on in a few tournaments, and this is another one which she was defending that she lost in. Its a shame for her in a way as it will keep bringing her No.1 ranking into question every time she loses and hasn't won a slam, maybe all the time she is spending with her beau Rory McIlroy is distracting her from her game, who knows?? Anyway with the China Open this week, let's hope Caroline plays better.
However onto the final of the Toyko WTA tournament, which was between Vera Zvonareva and the very much in form Agnieszka Radwanska, who put in an inspired performance throughout the week, defeating Angelique Kerber, Kaia Kenepi, Victoria Azarenka on her way to the final where she defeated the Russian in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, to clinch the biggest singles title of her career to date. Radwanska has definitely been showing signs of promise throughout the year, but in the last couple of months she really has come into her own, and has been dispatching some top seeds quite impressively. It makes me think that Radwanska could potentially take it even further and who knows just maybe she could become another contender to win a major. But we'll see, it definitely marks a very promising time in her career. Watching the award ceremony though when Vera accepted her runner up dish she seemed bizarrely emotional, as if she was half smiling and crying at the same time!
One player on the ladies tour who is going through a really bad patch just now is Li Na, the Chinese No.1 who only back in June won her first grand slam title at the French Open, but is now going out early in just about every tournament. At the US Open she went out in the first round and yesterday she went out in the first round again at the China Open, falling to Monica Niculescu in straight sets 6-4, 6-0. This is quite a worrying time for Li Na who said after the match that she felt her confidence had gone completely, but she hoped to take a break and prepare to get ready for next year. I guess the pressure and expectation of winning a slam is too much for some players to take on their shoulders and this certainly seems to be the case with Li Na, who has always had confidence issues at some point. However it was good to see Sam Stosur, fresh from winning the US Open, despite losing her first match in Tokyo last week, managed to win her first match in China against Tvsetana Pironkova winning in 6-4, 6-0, so it is great to see her rebound quickly.
So onto the men's briefly, out in the Thailand Open in Bangkokh, Andy Murray for the first time in 6 years came back to the event to try and seal a win for the first time after losing in the finals the last time against Federer. Andy naturally being the top seed, was the favourite to win the title, and largely along the way his progress was pretty smooth, despite a fairly tough match against the talented Frenchman Gilles Simon, he managed to breeze through the final against the young yank Donald Young who he trounced in 6-2, 6-0. This was Andy's 3rd title of the year and his 19th overall, which actually marks the start of Andy's mission to try and become the World No.3 by the end of the year. This is in part because Federer is taking time out which may let him get his nose ahead, assuming he can get by Rafa as they may be due to meet in Toyko and Shanghai which they are both playing in. With Djokovic still out the picture just now due to his back injury, this gives Andy the perfect time to try and win against the competition, but is his biggest barrier, and he even said himself he has to be a bit more realistic in his expectations. But it would be great if Andy could win Tokyo and Shanghai, as that would put right in the World No.3 seat, and from there who knows how things could pan out for him. But so far its been a very impressive start to the Eastern leg of the tour and long may it continue for the Muzza.
Also briefly I was pleased to see the Serb Janko Tipsarevic win his first ATP title out in Kuala Lumpar, as he defeated the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, a great effort for Janko who has been improving his ranking as well as his play drastically lately, having hit the top 20. In fact next up for Tipsy will be Andy in Tokyo, so I don't know if I fancy his chances there but it should be a good match.
Anyway the China Open for WTA is on this week, and men's in Tokyo of course as well, so more to follow.
So that eeeet for now.
So starting with the Pan Pacific open, the defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, made another early exit as Kaia Kenepi defeated her in 3 sets. This is a worrying trend in Caz's year so far, the first half of the year was great for her, and she did very well at the US Open getting to the semis, but she has been losing out quite early on in a few tournaments, and this is another one which she was defending that she lost in. Its a shame for her in a way as it will keep bringing her No.1 ranking into question every time she loses and hasn't won a slam, maybe all the time she is spending with her beau Rory McIlroy is distracting her from her game, who knows?? Anyway with the China Open this week, let's hope Caroline plays better.
However onto the final of the Toyko WTA tournament, which was between Vera Zvonareva and the very much in form Agnieszka Radwanska, who put in an inspired performance throughout the week, defeating Angelique Kerber, Kaia Kenepi, Victoria Azarenka on her way to the final where she defeated the Russian in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, to clinch the biggest singles title of her career to date. Radwanska has definitely been showing signs of promise throughout the year, but in the last couple of months she really has come into her own, and has been dispatching some top seeds quite impressively. It makes me think that Radwanska could potentially take it even further and who knows just maybe she could become another contender to win a major. But we'll see, it definitely marks a very promising time in her career. Watching the award ceremony though when Vera accepted her runner up dish she seemed bizarrely emotional, as if she was half smiling and crying at the same time!
One player on the ladies tour who is going through a really bad patch just now is Li Na, the Chinese No.1 who only back in June won her first grand slam title at the French Open, but is now going out early in just about every tournament. At the US Open she went out in the first round and yesterday she went out in the first round again at the China Open, falling to Monica Niculescu in straight sets 6-4, 6-0. This is quite a worrying time for Li Na who said after the match that she felt her confidence had gone completely, but she hoped to take a break and prepare to get ready for next year. I guess the pressure and expectation of winning a slam is too much for some players to take on their shoulders and this certainly seems to be the case with Li Na, who has always had confidence issues at some point. However it was good to see Sam Stosur, fresh from winning the US Open, despite losing her first match in Tokyo last week, managed to win her first match in China against Tvsetana Pironkova winning in 6-4, 6-0, so it is great to see her rebound quickly.
So onto the men's briefly, out in the Thailand Open in Bangkokh, Andy Murray for the first time in 6 years came back to the event to try and seal a win for the first time after losing in the finals the last time against Federer. Andy naturally being the top seed, was the favourite to win the title, and largely along the way his progress was pretty smooth, despite a fairly tough match against the talented Frenchman Gilles Simon, he managed to breeze through the final against the young yank Donald Young who he trounced in 6-2, 6-0. This was Andy's 3rd title of the year and his 19th overall, which actually marks the start of Andy's mission to try and become the World No.3 by the end of the year. This is in part because Federer is taking time out which may let him get his nose ahead, assuming he can get by Rafa as they may be due to meet in Toyko and Shanghai which they are both playing in. With Djokovic still out the picture just now due to his back injury, this gives Andy the perfect time to try and win against the competition, but is his biggest barrier, and he even said himself he has to be a bit more realistic in his expectations. But it would be great if Andy could win Tokyo and Shanghai, as that would put right in the World No.3 seat, and from there who knows how things could pan out for him. But so far its been a very impressive start to the Eastern leg of the tour and long may it continue for the Muzza.
Also briefly I was pleased to see the Serb Janko Tipsarevic win his first ATP title out in Kuala Lumpar, as he defeated the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, a great effort for Janko who has been improving his ranking as well as his play drastically lately, having hit the top 20. In fact next up for Tipsy will be Andy in Tokyo, so I don't know if I fancy his chances there but it should be a good match.
Anyway the China Open for WTA is on this week, and men's in Tokyo of course as well, so more to follow.
So that eeeet for now.
Sunday 2 October 2011
The impossible man
Well just watched the end of the last episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who, with the dramatic conclusion of the Doctor's fate, 200 years into his future where he is killed by a figure in a spacesuit, and at least all comes clear as to who that was.
So as River Song herself says: spoilers! The Doctor realising that he is destined die at Lake Silencio in Utah USA, decides to do a bit of last minute visiting before his date with death to find his old blue pal Dorium Maldovar, who was killed in "A good man goes to war" who warns that his death has to happen as its a fixed point in time. We also learn of course that the figure in the spacesuit is in fact a younger version of River, who has been conditioned by the female baddie Kovarian to kill the Doctor. But River refuses to kill the Doctor and instead drains her suit of its weapons power to allow him to live, which then causes the fabric of time to begin to unravel. The Doctor afterwards is reunited with Amy, who now seems to be a ranked officer who leads an army of soldiers one of whom is Rory (first a Centurian now a Lieutenant!) but due to the altered timeline caused by the fabric in Amy's bedroom, Amy doesn't recognise Rory for who he is. But its all a big trap, as Kovarian has lured the Doctor so she can use the Silence (the creepy skull like faced baddies) to kill him and everyone else, but its the Doctor and if you think he's going down, well..... you know.
The wedding of River Song is a very entertaining finale to the sixth season, and there are plenty of good moments, and it was a good recovery after the naff episode prior to this one with James Corden and his baby who blows up the Cybermen "with love", cringe. So some of the good scenes in particular are the Doctor's scenes with Dorium, as Dorium provides the Doctor with some troubling facts. The idea of the altered timeline again is good as Amy (looking good with or without an eye patch) fails to recognise Rory who is her lieutenant, although Amy does appear to fail to recognise quite a lot when it comes to Rory! By now we pretty much know who River is, as she is Amy's daughter and looks very like the Doctor's future wife, and Alex Kingston again provides a very fine performance as the mysterious professor (and she looks pretty good in black!).
The only thing about the episode though and the whole series is once again Steven Moffat point blank refuses or is incapable or writing any story in a linear fashion which makes any sense! He is a clever and imaginative writer, but he does abuse the flashback and flash foward narrative more than anyone else, so much it makes even Quentin Tarantino look positively straight forward with his narratives! I also thought the end of the episode was a little bit of a copout with the Doctor confessing to Dorian that he faked his own death so he could keep a low profile and go back to his life as a travelling wanderer. It pretty much made the events of the season look like a big convoluted masquarade, which let's face it, it was. But with the Doctor we know he is always one step ahead of not just his enemies but everyone (and sometimes even himself!).
Anyhow that's the sixth season over with, overall I thought it was a bit of a mixed bag, some good episodes and some not so good ones, and it lacked the quality of Matt Smith's debut season. But Mr Smith has grown very well into his role as the Doctor, providing us with plenty of really good moments of humour, anger, vulnerability as well as a lot of ridiculous twirling!
Up next will be another Christmas special, usually the Xmas specials tend not to match the quality of the series episodes, but I'm sure it will prove to be entertaining enough.
So as River Song herself says: spoilers! The Doctor realising that he is destined die at Lake Silencio in Utah USA, decides to do a bit of last minute visiting before his date with death to find his old blue pal Dorium Maldovar, who was killed in "A good man goes to war" who warns that his death has to happen as its a fixed point in time. We also learn of course that the figure in the spacesuit is in fact a younger version of River, who has been conditioned by the female baddie Kovarian to kill the Doctor. But River refuses to kill the Doctor and instead drains her suit of its weapons power to allow him to live, which then causes the fabric of time to begin to unravel. The Doctor afterwards is reunited with Amy, who now seems to be a ranked officer who leads an army of soldiers one of whom is Rory (first a Centurian now a Lieutenant!) but due to the altered timeline caused by the fabric in Amy's bedroom, Amy doesn't recognise Rory for who he is. But its all a big trap, as Kovarian has lured the Doctor so she can use the Silence (the creepy skull like faced baddies) to kill him and everyone else, but its the Doctor and if you think he's going down, well..... you know.
The wedding of River Song is a very entertaining finale to the sixth season, and there are plenty of good moments, and it was a good recovery after the naff episode prior to this one with James Corden and his baby who blows up the Cybermen "with love", cringe. So some of the good scenes in particular are the Doctor's scenes with Dorium, as Dorium provides the Doctor with some troubling facts. The idea of the altered timeline again is good as Amy (looking good with or without an eye patch) fails to recognise Rory who is her lieutenant, although Amy does appear to fail to recognise quite a lot when it comes to Rory! By now we pretty much know who River is, as she is Amy's daughter and looks very like the Doctor's future wife, and Alex Kingston again provides a very fine performance as the mysterious professor (and she looks pretty good in black!).
The only thing about the episode though and the whole series is once again Steven Moffat point blank refuses or is incapable or writing any story in a linear fashion which makes any sense! He is a clever and imaginative writer, but he does abuse the flashback and flash foward narrative more than anyone else, so much it makes even Quentin Tarantino look positively straight forward with his narratives! I also thought the end of the episode was a little bit of a copout with the Doctor confessing to Dorian that he faked his own death so he could keep a low profile and go back to his life as a travelling wanderer. It pretty much made the events of the season look like a big convoluted masquarade, which let's face it, it was. But with the Doctor we know he is always one step ahead of not just his enemies but everyone (and sometimes even himself!).
Anyhow that's the sixth season over with, overall I thought it was a bit of a mixed bag, some good episodes and some not so good ones, and it lacked the quality of Matt Smith's debut season. But Mr Smith has grown very well into his role as the Doctor, providing us with plenty of really good moments of humour, anger, vulnerability as well as a lot of ridiculous twirling!
Up next will be another Christmas special, usually the Xmas specials tend not to match the quality of the series episodes, but I'm sure it will prove to be entertaining enough.
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