OK so now we are getting deeper and closer to the end of the Australian open as most of the semi final matches were played today, all for the ladies and one of the men, so let's take the microscope and look at em closer...
So ladies first, the opening semi final of the day was between Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion and the 29th seed, Sloane Stephens. In the first set, Vika dominated play by breaking the American youngster twice, to go on and close out the set. In the 2nd however things got tougher for Victoria as Stephens clawed her way back into the match and it went by serve until Vika broke to go 4-3 up, and at 5-3 with Vika serving for the match, she got tight and her opponent Stephens staved off 5 match points to break back to make it 5-4. But then Azarenka went off court for a medical timeout as she appeared to be suffering issues with her back and her neck, and she didn't re-appear until 10 minutes later to resume play. However Stephens resistance broke down in the last game as Victoria broke to win the match and secure her place in her 2nd Australian open final with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
This was not too bad a match and certainly it picked up in the 2nd set, although the most interesting talking point was not the match itself, but the medical timeout Vika took for injury, which turned out to be stress related, as Vika seemed to be succumbing to the intense heat on the court. And the rules of the sport state that medical timeouts are purely for physical reasons and not mental ones, however Azarenka later defended her timeout as she said had a blocked rib which made it difficult for her to breath. Regardless when she came back on court she didn't look too fazed and she managed to close out the match with ease, much to the dismay of the crowd I believe! And in her post match interview there was a stony silence from the audience, which shows she isn't that popular down under, but I'm sure Azarenka regardless will be relieved that she got through to the final.
But I have to say Victoria does have some off putting moments in her career when she does things like this, although if it was a blocked rib that's understandable. But she did also take a timeout last year when she played in Doha against Agnieszka Radwanska for what appeared to be an ankle injury, but it looked fine and again it looked more like a psychological thing than anything else, and Radwanska herself since has been somewhat distant towards Vika as she doubted the injury. So this in a way has put me off wanting her to win the title again, but if she does fair play and good on her, but these moments in her career certainly don't endear her to the crowd. Another of which was when Vika deliberately conserved her energy in a dead rubber match in Istabnul two years ago against Marion Bartoli, as she basically let Bartoli win in the 3rd set. And when she does things like that it does show a lack of respect to her opponent and the game itself. Regardless of all that we'll see how she get's on on Saturday and how she will hold up physically.
Now onto the 2nd ladies semi final which was between Maria Sharapova and Li Na, in what looked like a real battle in prospect. But again the match turned out to be anything but, and despite her red hot form in Melbourne so far, Maria could do little against an in form Li Na, who broke her twice in both sets to claim a straight forward 6-2, 6-2 victory to reach her 2nd Melbourne final as well. It seemed ironic that Maria would play so well throughout the tournament that she would be beaten so emphatically in the semi finals, as she had dropped only 9 games on her way to this point. But Maria did struggle on her serve, which ultimately is her downfall in big matches when things goes pear shaped. However I'm really pleased for Li Na and she thoroughly deserves her place in the final on Saturday where she will have a really good chance to win her 2nd grand slam title.
So that begs the question who will win on Saturday?????? Well for me I would have to go with Li Na, as she has been in the best form throughout the tournament, and to take down Sharapova in straight sets, given the Russian's form, that is even more impressive. I also feel that there are now fitness issues surrounding Azarenka after her match with Sloane Stephens, where she had issues with her ankle and her breathing caused by a blocked rib, so that might play a big factor in deciding this match. As for my prediction on the score well I think if Li Na wins it, it will be in straight sets, whereas if Vika wins it there's a good chance she will do it 3 sets. Anyway it promises to be a good one, and let's hope so as the ladies tournament has been a bit underwhelming this year, and I think it deserves a really good final to finish it off.
Right now onto the men's first semi final which saw the World No.1, Novak Djokovic take on David Ferrer, the 4th seed for a place in the final. Last year Ferrer while he was beaten in straight sets by Nole, he did give Novak a pretty good match, so we could expect the same this time. But this match proved to be anything but as Nole was in the form of his life, and he didn't just beat Ferrer, he absolutely trounced him in a stellar performance of the likes we haven't seen in quite a while. Right from the start Nole was the boss in this match and to Ferrer's credit, he tried the best he could, but the Serb was just on fire, as he broke Ferrer twice in the first two sets to take a 2 set lead. And any hopes of a fight back in the 3rd were quickly denied for Ferrer, and Nole went to break Ferrer three times to close out a remarkable victory, with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 drubbing.
It was a pity this match was so easy for Nole and yet so tough for Ferrer, who had nowhere to go and could do nothing against the might of the Djokster, as he was outplayed, out manoevered, and outdone in every concievable way. It also shows after his 5 set epic in the 4th round against Stan Wawrinka, that Djokovic has bounced back brilliantly and given that he has managed to keep his time on court down to a minimum since that match, and now have two full days to recover for the final, he surely will be a totally formidable opponent.
And as for David Ferrer, well you can't but help feel sorry for him as he clearly was trying in this match, but he was totally outclassed by Djokovic. And a slightly troubling thing for Ferrer is in press conferences he has always said he knows the top four are better than him, and whilst it is true, it also shows Ferrer has a somewhat defeatist attitude to playing these guys at times, especially in this match. Ferrer said prior to the match said the same thing again, and to me it made me think he went into that match with no belief that he could win, as if he did he might have taken it on more. Regardless Ferrer did really well once again in reaching another grand slam semi final, and its a pity he didn't have more to give in the match, as even last year Ferrer played a far more competitive match against Nole. So I wish him the best of luck for the rest of the season and if he comes up against the top four again let's hope he can take it to them more in future contests.
So for me I think we will be witnessing a piece of history on Sunday with Nole winning three consecutive Australian open titles (and his 4th overall) which has never been done before in the history of tennis. In fact the winner of this slam will be a three-way history horse, as if its Nole as I've said already, he will be the first man to win three Aussie open titles in a row. If Andy wins he will be the first man to win his maiden major title and his 2nd successive one, back to back, which no player has done either(!) and if Roger wins well he extends his record to 18 titles (which pretty much puts his record even further out of reach!).
Which brings me quickly onto the next semi final, which will be on tomorrow, which is of course, bar the final, the most eagerly anticipated match of the tournament between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. How that one will turn out is anyone's guess, but here's hoping it will be a real belter and is far more competitive (not to mention longer!) and thrilling. And despite the fact Andy has never beaten Roger in a grand slam tournament, he has never played him in a major when he was a grand slam champion, and now he is. So this might tip the odds slightly as now that Andy knows what it takes to win the big matches in the biggest events, this might see him take an advantage over his old rival. On the other hand Roger has won 17 majors already and he knows a thing or two about winning them, and his faultless record against Andy in the slams could serve him really well tomorrow (pardon the pun!).
So who will win???????? Well as much as I would like to see Andy win, I would have to go with Roger given his record against Andy in the big matches, and if Andy goes a set or 2 sets down, then it will be very hard for him to claw his way back in, as Andy has always struggled against Federer when he gets ahead in a match. However that can't last forever and it is possible that tomorrow Andy will score his first win over Roger in a major tournament, so we will just have to wait and see, but if he is to win then he must maintain his lead over Federer and not let him claw his way back into the match, or he could be in for some more major heartache. But I do think regardless of the outcome that it will be a very close match and hopefully one of the best of the tournament (or it might be just a big letdown, but I think not!). So prediction wise I would have to say it maybe Roger in 4 sets, either that or Andy in 3 or 5 sets.
Well that's it for now, I will report back with the winner of the men's second semi final tomorrow.
So with baited breath I shall say bye for now!
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