Ok so now that we are well into the clay court season and as the
French Open is just around the conrer, I thought I would a little post
on my favourite matches from the first hard court swing of the season,
i.e. from January to the end of March, so I've posted up my top five
matches. And with that let's start her up....
5. Sony Open Final, Andy Murray d. David Ferrer, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1)
OK I'm starting with this one as it was one of the most significant matches in Andy Murray's career, not to mention one of the toughest finals he has played in quite some time,which was erratic in quality but also a gripping contest. The match started off with Andy serving horribly and making all sorts of unforced errors, which saw Ferrer bringe ahead to a 5-0 lead. However Andy served to stay in the set, and when Ferrer served at 5-1, Andy broke back, only to double fault and lose his own serve and the set. In the 2nd set there were more breaks aplenty, but the level of tennis rose (and fell at times) as both men traded some terrific points, and Andy battled his way to take the 2nd set. In the 3rd set both men again struggled badly on serve, as well as in the blazing hot conditions on court, and even as Andy went a break up 5-4 and was in with a chance to serve for the title, he messed up and let Ferrer back in. Play went to 6-5 with Andy serving to take it into a tiebreak, when Ferrer had a match point, but he made the mistake of making a challenge on a shot Andy made that was in, and he soon held serve. In the breaker Andy dominated Ferrer, who started to cramp up in the legs, and as Andy hit a forehand winner to win the title he limped to the net in disbelief at how he pulled off this brutal yet remarkable victory. It has to be said for me though despite the lapses in quality, overall this was a fascinating encounter between the two men, who already have an excellent rivalry, and Ferrer no doubt will be haunted by having missed his opportunity to get a win over the top four in a big final. As for Andy well he showed incredible resilience and a champion mentality in battling past Ferrer and on that match of Ferrer's he went for his shots and kept believing which was the main thing here, and that was what got him through in the end and up to the No.2 spot in the world four the first time in four years. So overall it was an interesting and intruiging battle, with the last man standing.
4. BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells final, Rafael Nadal d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
When Rafa made his return to the tour there was a big question mark over him as to how he would perform not only on clay, but also on other surfaces. And with the change in surfaces from his comfortable clay to the more physically jarring hard courts Rafa had a tough job in making a smooth transition. However he surprised everyone by making a strong debut back on the hard courts for the first time in a year, as he breezed his way into the final dismissing Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer en-route. In the final however it was no picnic as Rafa was up against the talented big Argentine and former US Open champion, Juan Martin Del Potro, who really put Rafa through his paces. Delpo despite going 3-0 down in the 1st set, soon broke back and reeled off the next three games to level, and he then went on to win the set. In the 2nd set, Rafa made a nervous start and he went a break down, however the seemingly cast iron serve of Delpo started to break down as Rafa secured a break and nabbed the 2nd set. In the 3rd however it was Rafa that made the decisive break and he went on to close out a remarkable victory, as when he won he went flat on his back in delight, in typical Rafa fashion. This match really did show that Rafa was well and truly back and it was overall pretty high quality stuff, with some great play from Delpo aswell who was searching for his maiden 1000 Masters series title only to come up short. As for Rafa well with this title it saw him win his first hard court title for nearly three years (or a title on any other surface than clay for that matter!) and it really did show how strong a comeback he had made to the scene and after a 7 month absence he was hungry as ever.
3. Australian Open quarter final, Roger Federer d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.
There were quite a few picks from the first hard court grand slam of the season in Melbourne and for No.3 I thought I would go with this one, which was between Roger Federer and Jo Wilfried Tsonga. These two men have had their fair share of spats, and in their last five set encounter it was Tsonga that came out on top at Wimbledon two years ago. But this time Roger was the man that got off to the better start taking the opening set on a tiebreak, but with Tsonga fighting back to take the 2nd set. In the 3rd Roger edged another tiebreaker and looked to take the decisive lead, but Tsonga was still not done as he broke Rog in the 4th and took it to level the match. But in typical Rog fashion he went on to seal the deal in the 5th set as he closed out a very entertaining hard fought encounter. This was definitely one of the highlights of the tournament as Tsonga really showed his A game at times in the match and put up some terrific resistance against Roger, who only in the previous round dismissed big Milos Raonic in straight sets, but here he was pushed all the way. And it showed really encouraging signs for Tsonga in future tournaments and come the French Open he could go on to do really well once again.
2. Australian open semi final, Andy Murray d. Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
I had to put this as my second favourite match on this list as it is flat out the best grand slam match that Andy Murray and Roger Federer have ever played. Last year in the Wimbledon final, Andy showed promising signs of his new found mental belief under the coaching of Ivan Lendl as he took a set off Federer for the first time in his career in a major final. And here Andy went two better as he took three off the maestro to secure his place in his 3rd Melbourne final. The match itself had some terrific rallies and wonderful points from both players, and there were times were you had to marvel at the tennis these two men can produce together on a tennis court. Andy was the better player in the key sets, but Federer put some great resistance in the tiebreak sets, as he dominated Andy in them and lead to eventually levelling the match at 2 sets all. But in the 5th set Andy made the decisive move and he broke Roger twice to seal the deal and reach the final where he would meet his old friend and rival, Novak Djokovic. This match pretty much had it all, as there were so many highly entertaining points, and Andy showed a new level of aggression against Roger that we hadn't seen since the Olympics last year, and the victory in itself was a very important one, as it once again showed that he could beat Roger Federer when it really counts. The match also had a rather amusing moment where in the 4th set with Andy serving for the match that Federer got annoyed at him and cursed at him over the net, and Andy gave him an old fashion glare (possibly because he was about to to beaten??). But overall this was a highly entertaining match, with the only thing missing was a tighter 5th set, but despite that it really was one of the highlights of the Australian Open.
1. Australian Open 4th round, Novak Djokovic vs Stanislas Wawrinka, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 12-10.
Ok if the top honours deserve to go to any match then it is certainly this one. In this 4th round encounter between the defending champion Novak Djokovic and the 16th seed Stan Wawrinka, it seemed like Nole would garner a fairly comfortable win. However it was far from it as these two men produce an absolutely epic encounter that lasted over 5 hours that was the match of the tournament. And it was Stan that got off to a great start as he raced through the opening set. In the 2nd however Nole eventually found his feet and broke to level the scores and he went on in the 3rd to take a 2 sets to 1 lead. In the 4th however it was an even battle as Stan pushed play to a tiebreak which he won to level an incredible match at 2 sets all. And in the 5th we were treated to an epic decider where it went by serve up until 11-10 when Nole made his move on Stan and fired a backhand winner to seal the deal and afterward he ripped off his shirt and roared with delight just like he had just won the title. There is no doubt this match deserves this spot and Wawrinka despite his loss played the match of his life and he may never come this close again. As for Novak well it was sheer testament to his skill, talent and above all belief that he was able to come through this one. And Nole's post match celebration was almost like he had won the title there and then, and in a way he did just that.
So that's it for my pick of the men's matches from the first round of the hard court swing. More to follow soon on the French Open, then after its over I will post up my favs from the clay court season.
Bye for now!
5. Sony Open Final, Andy Murray d. David Ferrer, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1)
OK I'm starting with this one as it was one of the most significant matches in Andy Murray's career, not to mention one of the toughest finals he has played in quite some time,which was erratic in quality but also a gripping contest. The match started off with Andy serving horribly and making all sorts of unforced errors, which saw Ferrer bringe ahead to a 5-0 lead. However Andy served to stay in the set, and when Ferrer served at 5-1, Andy broke back, only to double fault and lose his own serve and the set. In the 2nd set there were more breaks aplenty, but the level of tennis rose (and fell at times) as both men traded some terrific points, and Andy battled his way to take the 2nd set. In the 3rd set both men again struggled badly on serve, as well as in the blazing hot conditions on court, and even as Andy went a break up 5-4 and was in with a chance to serve for the title, he messed up and let Ferrer back in. Play went to 6-5 with Andy serving to take it into a tiebreak, when Ferrer had a match point, but he made the mistake of making a challenge on a shot Andy made that was in, and he soon held serve. In the breaker Andy dominated Ferrer, who started to cramp up in the legs, and as Andy hit a forehand winner to win the title he limped to the net in disbelief at how he pulled off this brutal yet remarkable victory. It has to be said for me though despite the lapses in quality, overall this was a fascinating encounter between the two men, who already have an excellent rivalry, and Ferrer no doubt will be haunted by having missed his opportunity to get a win over the top four in a big final. As for Andy well he showed incredible resilience and a champion mentality in battling past Ferrer and on that match of Ferrer's he went for his shots and kept believing which was the main thing here, and that was what got him through in the end and up to the No.2 spot in the world four the first time in four years. So overall it was an interesting and intruiging battle, with the last man standing.
4. BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells final, Rafael Nadal d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
When Rafa made his return to the tour there was a big question mark over him as to how he would perform not only on clay, but also on other surfaces. And with the change in surfaces from his comfortable clay to the more physically jarring hard courts Rafa had a tough job in making a smooth transition. However he surprised everyone by making a strong debut back on the hard courts for the first time in a year, as he breezed his way into the final dismissing Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer en-route. In the final however it was no picnic as Rafa was up against the talented big Argentine and former US Open champion, Juan Martin Del Potro, who really put Rafa through his paces. Delpo despite going 3-0 down in the 1st set, soon broke back and reeled off the next three games to level, and he then went on to win the set. In the 2nd set, Rafa made a nervous start and he went a break down, however the seemingly cast iron serve of Delpo started to break down as Rafa secured a break and nabbed the 2nd set. In the 3rd however it was Rafa that made the decisive break and he went on to close out a remarkable victory, as when he won he went flat on his back in delight, in typical Rafa fashion. This match really did show that Rafa was well and truly back and it was overall pretty high quality stuff, with some great play from Delpo aswell who was searching for his maiden 1000 Masters series title only to come up short. As for Rafa well with this title it saw him win his first hard court title for nearly three years (or a title on any other surface than clay for that matter!) and it really did show how strong a comeback he had made to the scene and after a 7 month absence he was hungry as ever.
3. Australian Open quarter final, Roger Federer d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.
There were quite a few picks from the first hard court grand slam of the season in Melbourne and for No.3 I thought I would go with this one, which was between Roger Federer and Jo Wilfried Tsonga. These two men have had their fair share of spats, and in their last five set encounter it was Tsonga that came out on top at Wimbledon two years ago. But this time Roger was the man that got off to the better start taking the opening set on a tiebreak, but with Tsonga fighting back to take the 2nd set. In the 3rd Roger edged another tiebreaker and looked to take the decisive lead, but Tsonga was still not done as he broke Rog in the 4th and took it to level the match. But in typical Rog fashion he went on to seal the deal in the 5th set as he closed out a very entertaining hard fought encounter. This was definitely one of the highlights of the tournament as Tsonga really showed his A game at times in the match and put up some terrific resistance against Roger, who only in the previous round dismissed big Milos Raonic in straight sets, but here he was pushed all the way. And it showed really encouraging signs for Tsonga in future tournaments and come the French Open he could go on to do really well once again.
2. Australian open semi final, Andy Murray d. Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
I had to put this as my second favourite match on this list as it is flat out the best grand slam match that Andy Murray and Roger Federer have ever played. Last year in the Wimbledon final, Andy showed promising signs of his new found mental belief under the coaching of Ivan Lendl as he took a set off Federer for the first time in his career in a major final. And here Andy went two better as he took three off the maestro to secure his place in his 3rd Melbourne final. The match itself had some terrific rallies and wonderful points from both players, and there were times were you had to marvel at the tennis these two men can produce together on a tennis court. Andy was the better player in the key sets, but Federer put some great resistance in the tiebreak sets, as he dominated Andy in them and lead to eventually levelling the match at 2 sets all. But in the 5th set Andy made the decisive move and he broke Roger twice to seal the deal and reach the final where he would meet his old friend and rival, Novak Djokovic. This match pretty much had it all, as there were so many highly entertaining points, and Andy showed a new level of aggression against Roger that we hadn't seen since the Olympics last year, and the victory in itself was a very important one, as it once again showed that he could beat Roger Federer when it really counts. The match also had a rather amusing moment where in the 4th set with Andy serving for the match that Federer got annoyed at him and cursed at him over the net, and Andy gave him an old fashion glare (possibly because he was about to to beaten??). But overall this was a highly entertaining match, with the only thing missing was a tighter 5th set, but despite that it really was one of the highlights of the Australian Open.
1. Australian Open 4th round, Novak Djokovic vs Stanislas Wawrinka, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 12-10.
Ok if the top honours deserve to go to any match then it is certainly this one. In this 4th round encounter between the defending champion Novak Djokovic and the 16th seed Stan Wawrinka, it seemed like Nole would garner a fairly comfortable win. However it was far from it as these two men produce an absolutely epic encounter that lasted over 5 hours that was the match of the tournament. And it was Stan that got off to a great start as he raced through the opening set. In the 2nd however Nole eventually found his feet and broke to level the scores and he went on in the 3rd to take a 2 sets to 1 lead. In the 4th however it was an even battle as Stan pushed play to a tiebreak which he won to level an incredible match at 2 sets all. And in the 5th we were treated to an epic decider where it went by serve up until 11-10 when Nole made his move on Stan and fired a backhand winner to seal the deal and afterward he ripped off his shirt and roared with delight just like he had just won the title. There is no doubt this match deserves this spot and Wawrinka despite his loss played the match of his life and he may never come this close again. As for Novak well it was sheer testament to his skill, talent and above all belief that he was able to come through this one. And Nole's post match celebration was almost like he had won the title there and then, and in a way he did just that.
So that's it for my pick of the men's matches from the first round of the hard court swing. More to follow soon on the French Open, then after its over I will post up my favs from the clay court season.
Bye for now!
No comments:
Post a Comment