Right this is now the penultimate post of the Sony Ericsson Open entries, covering the tournament from Crandon Tennis Park, as it is now reaching the end of the event with the ladies final today and the men's final tomorrow.
So starting with the men's semi finals as a catch up, there were two matches set up, the first being a very much anticipated match between Andy and Rafa, which unfortunately didn't take place because Rafa had a knee injury, which forced him to withdraw from the event, which saw Andy get another walkover into the final. The other match was between Djokovic and the Argentine No.2, Juan Monaco, who had reached his first 1000 Masters semi final. The match itself proved to be a fairly tough encounter for Djokovic, who breezed through the first set with ease, but in the 2nd he faced a fightback from Monaco who after going down a break down, broke back to make it 5-5 all, and pushed the match to a 2nd set tiebreak. However in the tiebreak Djokovic once again prevailed as he did against Ferrer in their excellent quarter final match, and securing his place in the final, winning the match in 6-0, 7-6(5).
Well well well, this sets up another showdown between two of the best players in the world, Novak and Andy, and its already their 3rd meeting this year, and they have both won one match each, so who will win this one?????? It really is tough to decide, as on one hand Andy hasn't played a match in three days so he will feel fit and fresh going into the final, however on the other hand, Djokovic has had match play over the last few days, which could give him the edge as he may be sharper on court tomorrow. And if Andy gets off to a rusty start, it could give Djokovic a strong advantage, which is something Andy can't afford to give him. But Andy also has a way of fighting his way into a match, like he did in Rome last year during the clay season, where he lost the 1st 6-1, and went on to win 2nd and play a very close match in the 3rd, which he lost. So if I'm going to pick a winner, I can't really say for sure, but if Andy comes out a bit rusty I can see Djokovic take an earlier advantage and possibly close it out in straight sets or 3 sets, but Andy might prove to be very sharp and take it to Djoko and win in straight set or maybe 3. The best we can hope for is a very tight final like we got last year from Djokovic and Rafa, but either one of them could win, and there are no favourites. Whatever way it goes, I think it promises to be a great final, so watch this space....
So today we have the ladies final which is between Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska who defeated Marion Bartoli in the semi finals in straight sets. And this also promises to be a very interesting match, and a much more intruiging one than if Victoria Azarenka where in the final, because we all would know what to expect if she was! Maria however has an emphatic lead on their head to head, with a 7-1 win loss in her favour, but looking at their past matches, they have been quite close, so this could be a very good one, with their last match being at the French Open last year, where Maria won in 7-6, 7-5. But Agnieszka since then has improved even more as a player, so I think this one could be even tighter, and regarding both players, Radwanska is a counterpuncher, who has a clever and creative game, and Sharapova is the aggressive baseliner who can hit flat out winners from anywhere on the court, so it really is a fascinating contrast in styles once again. Whichever way it goes it should be a very entertaining final.
So more to follow tomorrow once the tournament is over and we know who has lifted that nice glass trophy.
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