Right, it is time for my last post on the 2016 US Open as the last grand slam of the year has drawn to a close and this post will look at who came out on top in the ladies and men's finals.
So without further ado let's take a look....
LADIES FINAL
Right, so to start off why begin with the ladies final, which saw Angelique Kerber take on Serena William's conqueror, Karolina Pliskova for the title in what promised to be a very interesting encounter.
And the match itself did not disappoint as it was a high quality encounter between the two players who battled it out on Arthur Ashe stadium. And it was Kerber, the new World No.1, who made the stronger start as she broke Pliskova to take the 1st set and her first step towards a second major title. In the 2nd set however, Pliskova showed her mettle and started to fight back and she managed to break Kerber to level the match at a set all.
And in the final set, Pliskova looked to stage the upset as she went a break up against Kerber and she looked set to win her first major. However it wasn't to be as Kerber soon broke back and play went to 5-4 on serve with Pliskova serving to level 5-5 when she dropped serve just at the wrong time and this gave Kerber her 2nd grand slam title and an impressive 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win.
Well this was an excellent match and both women provided a great contest for the Arthur Ashe crowd that saw Kerber cement her new No.1 ranking with her second major title. And there is little doubt that right now Kerber is indeed the best player in the world as she has played the most consistent tennis throughout the season and now she has two majors to back it up. So things are looking very bright indeed the for new World No.1 and it will be interesting to see if Kerber can maintain her top spot.
As for Pliskova, well she put in a great effort and she really showed what a terrific player she has become and that she has developed a big match mentality in New York this year. And from the basis of her performance in this tournament, its fairly safe to say that Pliskova may well be a future grand slam champion. Pliskova also had her chances and it could very easily have been a different result on Saturday night but regardless of her loss, Pliskova at the age of 24 has definitely arrived as a tennis player.
MEN'S FINAL
Right now we get onto the men's final which was between the defending champ and World No.1, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka. Novak may have a distinct lead in their head to head 19-4 going into this match but their rivalry has been very closely contested over the last three years, where Stan has beaten Nole twice in the majors at the Aussie Open two years and the French open final last year and they have had their share of five set epics and classics.
And this match didn't disappoint either as both men produced another humdinger for the Arthur Ashe crowd who were enthralled by the tennis on display. And the first set started with Novak coming out sharp and taking a quick 4-1 lead against Stan, however a lapse of concentration on serve saw Novak surrender his break and play soon went to a tiebreak, which Novak dominated to win the opener.
The 2nd set however saw a change in momentum as Stan broke Nole early on to take the lead in the 2nd set, but Nole broke back again before Stan managed to yet again break Novak to win the 2nd set and level. And in the 3rd set Stan started to boss Novak as he began to find his range and use his powerful game and dazzling array of shotmaking to eventually grab the two sets to one lead although he had to overcome Novak's break of serve first.
And in the 4th set, Stan really stamped his authority on the match and sped into a 3-0 lead, which saw Novak start to wilt physically with injury and 3-1 down he took a medical timeout for his toe. However this was not enough to put off a determined Stan who then went on to hold firm and also his break which eventually saw the Swiss No.1 seal the win and his first US Open title with it after a thrilling 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Well there is little doubt this was the best grand slam final of the year and it featured so many great points from both players and from the start it looked doubtful that Stan might come through as Novak came out so sharp. However, Stan soon turned the tide as he found his range and grew in confidence he rediscovered the form that won him his previous two grand slam titles and after he won the 3rd set he never really looked back.
And with this win Stan has really announced himself as one of the elite players in the game and Novak even after the match suggested that Stan could consider himself an addition to the "big four" and it could now be the "big five" especially as Stan now has three majors to his name just like Andy Murray. And when you think about it, Stan is now only one slam away from the career slam if he wins Wimbledon then he has achieved something very special indeed. Although the one thing that could prevent Stan from getting there and from taking on the mantle of one of the "big five" is his lack of confidence in believing in himself when it comes to being prepared to take on that mantle itself as Stan seemed insistent after the match that he still wasn't in the same league as the others.
Its also funny to think that Stan himself said after the match that he was in state of panic before the final began and that he was in tears in the locker room looking for consolement from his coach, Magnus Norman, yet he went on to produce a very powerful and impressive display. And this also sums up one of Stan's great strengths is his ability to quietly work his way into the major events and win them when you least expect him to.
And no matter how you look at it, Stan has proved in this tournament once again he really is player to be reckoned with and no matter how up and down his season gets when it comes to the majors you can never write him off. And I was personally pleased to see Stan win this one as he worked hard to get to the final having played seven full matches whereas Novak had only played three and with no offence to Novak, it felt more deserving for Stan to win it.
As for Novak....well this was a bit of a disappointing end to his summer where he has struggled with fitness, injury and personal issues off the court, however he still proved yet again he has a great ability in reaching the final stages of the big events. And despite Novak's injury concerns, he will still able to put up a good fight against Stan although in the end Stan overpowered him, which has often been the case with Novak this year with quite a few of his defeats coming at the hands of big hitting players.
And where Novak goes from here....well its hard to say but I don't think he will be overly concerned by this defeat and no doubt he will be able to recover his form in the final swing of the ATP tour season. Although this is of course where the battle for the No.1 spot between Novak and Andy Murray could start to pick up the pace because if Novak is still less than 100% then there is a fair chance that Andy could close the gap between them both but remains to be seen.
Anyway so that's it for now and it has been a great US Open this year that has seen two excellent finals to close the tournament. So all it remains for me to say is to congratulate Angelique Kerber and Stan Wawrinka on their victories as they are both very well deserved.
And that's it and I might be back again soon with a look at the Davis cup weekend as Great Britain, the defending champions will take on Argentina in the semi finals for a spot in the final. Can team GB defend their title??? Well I guess we will soon find out.
So until then its bye for now.
Monday 12 September 2016
Saturday 10 September 2016
2016 US Open Men's Part 2: Semi finals and final preview
Right, now its time for the men's semi finals and final preview at the 2016 US Open, so let's see who came out on top this time.....
SEMI FINALS
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils
First up was the semi between Novak Djokovic, the World No.1 and Gael Monfils, the 10th seed in what promised to be a very intriguing match. Monfils had been in great form going into this match as he reached the semis without dropping a set, whereas Novak had something of a very easy ride going into this match thanks to a withdrawal and two retirements in his draw that saw him spend only 6 and a half hours on court going into this match.
And the match itself proved to be one of the most bizarre encounters you could ever see on a tennis court as both players had to play in punishing heat as the New York humidity hit its peak and it saw both men struggle on the court. And Monfils, despite his prior great form, started off horribly as he found himself a double break down in no time but not before he managed to break back once courtesy of a double fault from Novak on his own service. However despite that blip the No.1 managed to go on and serve out the first set. In the 2nd set things didn't get any better for Monfils as he seemed to be suffering in the heat and he then went down another double break to Novak who was starting to look better physically.
However the tide took an unexpected turn in the 3rd set when Monfils suddenly after going a break down and getting boos from the crowd for what seemed to be an apparent lack of trying, managed to break back and then went on to break Novak's serve and this unexpectedly saw him grab the 3rd set to keep himself alive. But in the 4th set, the heat and humidity really started to play its part as Monfils started to cramp up and he found himself yet again in big trouble as he was unable to hold serve and found himself broken yet again twice on serve as Novak hit a return winner to seal a place in his 21st grand slam final with a bizarre 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win.
Well this really was one of the strangest matches you could ever see on a tennis court, which had some weird swings in momenum from both men. And Monfils himself at times really looked badly out of sorts in the match and understandably he did look nervous at the start as he failed to get on the board until the end of the first set. However Monfils did at times look almost disinterested in the match and he also tried the "slow ball" technique in order to distract Novak, which for a short time worked. But despite that Monfils does deserve a bit of credit for fighting back in the 3rd set and making a bit of a match of it before he eventually succumbed to the world no.1, who for the most part never looked in trouble.
However as for Novak himself, he did appear to be in a bit of a physical crisis during the match aswell as he served up a highly uncharacteristic number of double faults (seven for the match) that saw him dig himself into a hole but ultimately it was one he was able to get out of. And at one point during the match we also saw Novak get both of his shoulders massaged, which suggests his shoulder(s) problem could become an issue in the final but I guess time will tell on that one.
Stan Wawrinka vs Kei Nishikori
So next up was Stan "the man" Wawrinka who took on Kei Nishikori for a place in the final and both men came into this match in mixed form, with Stan overcoming Juan Martin del Potro and Kei stunning Andy Murray in an epic five set match. Stan historically held the edge in their head to head as he lead 3-2 but Kei did win the most recent of their clashes, which was in Canada.
As for the match itself, well it was Kei that made the stronger start as he came out the blocks very sharp and quickly broke Stan to grab the first set. And in the 2nd set, Kei carried on his fine form as he broke Stan early on to what looked like a two sets to love advantage being on the cards. However Stan was able to break back Kei and he soon went on to level the match with a set apiece. And from here, Stan took full charge of the match and stunned Kei as he got stronger with every game and sealed his place in his first US Open final with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Well this in a way was not a surprising result given Stan's experience in the slams at the latter stages being greater than Kei's although I did expect Kei to actually win this match. But in the end it was Stan that showed his ability to grow into a match after a slow start and take control, which is something he is very good at.
FINAL PREDICTION
Sooooo.....this now sets up the men's final between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka and it promises to be a cracker of a final given that both these men are no stranger to play epic matches in the majors.
So how will it go???? Well....to take a look at both men they have had contrasting draws and results coming into this final. Novak has certainly had the easier draw and ride into the final, having only played three full matches and had the benefit of a withdrawl at the hands of Jiri Vesily in the 2nd round, and two retirals from Mikhail Youzhny and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 3rd round and quarter finals respectively. This might appear to give Novak a some what unfair advantage over Stan simply because the less amount of time he has spent on court so far as he has probably only been on court for a max of 9 hours whereas Stan will no doubt have been on alot more.
And Stan has so far had quite a tough time in getting to the final despite making a strong start in his first two matches, he then had to battle past Dan Evans in five sets, Ilya Marchenko in four sets, Juan Martin del Potro in four sets and also Kei Nishikori in four sets. However San has shown that he is truly battle hardy and when he is on he can really be on when he needs to be and he sure did bring it this fortnight in order to reach the final.
So as for my prediction...........well I know all the pundits will look at Novak as the favourite to win this because a) he is the world No.1 and b) he has spent way less time on court that Stan....but I have to go the other way and think Stan will take this one.
And the reason why I think Stan will win the title is because for starters he has had much more matchplay than Novak has had so far in this tournament and that will have made him match tight going into the final. Stan is also going into the final feeling fit and healthy whereas Novak is going in carrying a shoulder injury that could seriously hamper him against a quality opponent like Stan.
Not only that Stan has already beaten Novak twice in the majors at the Australian open two years ago and last year in the final of the French Open and he carries a perfect 2-0 in slam finals so far, so I think he could certainly make that 3-0 tomorrow evening.
And finally the reason why I think Stan could win is because out of all the slams, the US Open is the toughest to defend as no player has successfully defended it for eight years with Roger Federer being the last one to do so.
CUTTING TO THE CHASE (AT LAST!)
So as for my final prediction I think Stan will win this match in four close sets and it will be pretty tough but in the end I think he will overpower Novak and he should definitely do so if Novak's fitness becomes an issue. And I personally hope Stan does win the title as I think for Novak to win it, given the easy ride he has had so far, it would feel less deserved (but that's just me although I'm sure there other people that will agree).
So as for my scoreline prediction (which is never right!) I will go with this....
Wawrinka d. Djokovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
OK so that's it for now and I will be back soon once the results for both the men and ladies are in.
Till the next one, its bye fer now!
SEMI FINALS
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils
First up was the semi between Novak Djokovic, the World No.1 and Gael Monfils, the 10th seed in what promised to be a very intriguing match. Monfils had been in great form going into this match as he reached the semis without dropping a set, whereas Novak had something of a very easy ride going into this match thanks to a withdrawal and two retirements in his draw that saw him spend only 6 and a half hours on court going into this match.
And the match itself proved to be one of the most bizarre encounters you could ever see on a tennis court as both players had to play in punishing heat as the New York humidity hit its peak and it saw both men struggle on the court. And Monfils, despite his prior great form, started off horribly as he found himself a double break down in no time but not before he managed to break back once courtesy of a double fault from Novak on his own service. However despite that blip the No.1 managed to go on and serve out the first set. In the 2nd set things didn't get any better for Monfils as he seemed to be suffering in the heat and he then went down another double break to Novak who was starting to look better physically.
However the tide took an unexpected turn in the 3rd set when Monfils suddenly after going a break down and getting boos from the crowd for what seemed to be an apparent lack of trying, managed to break back and then went on to break Novak's serve and this unexpectedly saw him grab the 3rd set to keep himself alive. But in the 4th set, the heat and humidity really started to play its part as Monfils started to cramp up and he found himself yet again in big trouble as he was unable to hold serve and found himself broken yet again twice on serve as Novak hit a return winner to seal a place in his 21st grand slam final with a bizarre 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win.
Well this really was one of the strangest matches you could ever see on a tennis court, which had some weird swings in momenum from both men. And Monfils himself at times really looked badly out of sorts in the match and understandably he did look nervous at the start as he failed to get on the board until the end of the first set. However Monfils did at times look almost disinterested in the match and he also tried the "slow ball" technique in order to distract Novak, which for a short time worked. But despite that Monfils does deserve a bit of credit for fighting back in the 3rd set and making a bit of a match of it before he eventually succumbed to the world no.1, who for the most part never looked in trouble.
However as for Novak himself, he did appear to be in a bit of a physical crisis during the match aswell as he served up a highly uncharacteristic number of double faults (seven for the match) that saw him dig himself into a hole but ultimately it was one he was able to get out of. And at one point during the match we also saw Novak get both of his shoulders massaged, which suggests his shoulder(s) problem could become an issue in the final but I guess time will tell on that one.
Stan Wawrinka vs Kei Nishikori
So next up was Stan "the man" Wawrinka who took on Kei Nishikori for a place in the final and both men came into this match in mixed form, with Stan overcoming Juan Martin del Potro and Kei stunning Andy Murray in an epic five set match. Stan historically held the edge in their head to head as he lead 3-2 but Kei did win the most recent of their clashes, which was in Canada.
As for the match itself, well it was Kei that made the stronger start as he came out the blocks very sharp and quickly broke Stan to grab the first set. And in the 2nd set, Kei carried on his fine form as he broke Stan early on to what looked like a two sets to love advantage being on the cards. However Stan was able to break back Kei and he soon went on to level the match with a set apiece. And from here, Stan took full charge of the match and stunned Kei as he got stronger with every game and sealed his place in his first US Open final with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Well this in a way was not a surprising result given Stan's experience in the slams at the latter stages being greater than Kei's although I did expect Kei to actually win this match. But in the end it was Stan that showed his ability to grow into a match after a slow start and take control, which is something he is very good at.
FINAL PREDICTION
Sooooo.....this now sets up the men's final between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka and it promises to be a cracker of a final given that both these men are no stranger to play epic matches in the majors.
So how will it go???? Well....to take a look at both men they have had contrasting draws and results coming into this final. Novak has certainly had the easier draw and ride into the final, having only played three full matches and had the benefit of a withdrawl at the hands of Jiri Vesily in the 2nd round, and two retirals from Mikhail Youzhny and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 3rd round and quarter finals respectively. This might appear to give Novak a some what unfair advantage over Stan simply because the less amount of time he has spent on court so far as he has probably only been on court for a max of 9 hours whereas Stan will no doubt have been on alot more.
And Stan has so far had quite a tough time in getting to the final despite making a strong start in his first two matches, he then had to battle past Dan Evans in five sets, Ilya Marchenko in four sets, Juan Martin del Potro in four sets and also Kei Nishikori in four sets. However San has shown that he is truly battle hardy and when he is on he can really be on when he needs to be and he sure did bring it this fortnight in order to reach the final.
So as for my prediction...........well I know all the pundits will look at Novak as the favourite to win this because a) he is the world No.1 and b) he has spent way less time on court that Stan....but I have to go the other way and think Stan will take this one.
And the reason why I think Stan will win the title is because for starters he has had much more matchplay than Novak has had so far in this tournament and that will have made him match tight going into the final. Stan is also going into the final feeling fit and healthy whereas Novak is going in carrying a shoulder injury that could seriously hamper him against a quality opponent like Stan.
Not only that Stan has already beaten Novak twice in the majors at the Australian open two years ago and last year in the final of the French Open and he carries a perfect 2-0 in slam finals so far, so I think he could certainly make that 3-0 tomorrow evening.
And finally the reason why I think Stan could win is because out of all the slams, the US Open is the toughest to defend as no player has successfully defended it for eight years with Roger Federer being the last one to do so.
CUTTING TO THE CHASE (AT LAST!)
So as for my final prediction I think Stan will win this match in four close sets and it will be pretty tough but in the end I think he will overpower Novak and he should definitely do so if Novak's fitness becomes an issue. And I personally hope Stan does win the title as I think for Novak to win it, given the easy ride he has had so far, it would feel less deserved (but that's just me although I'm sure there other people that will agree).
So as for my scoreline prediction (which is never right!) I will go with this....
Wawrinka d. Djokovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
OK so that's it for now and I will be back soon once the results for both the men and ladies are in.
Till the next one, its bye fer now!
2016 US Open Ladies Part 2 - Semi finals and final preview
Right, so the final grand slam of the season, the US Open is now starting to draw to a close and in this post I will be looking at the ladies semi final matches and how they went and also my prediction for the final.
So without further messing about let's get going......
SEMI FINALS
Serena Williams vs Karolina Pliskova
So to start off the first semi final was between the World No.1, Serena Williams and the 10th seed, Karolina Pliskova. This match had alot riding on it for both players as Serena was looking to hold onto her No.1 ranking and she would need to win the match in order to do so, whereas Pliskova was looking to reach her first grand slam final.
And on paper the match looked to be foregone conclusion that Serena would come out on top, however it wasn't to be the case as Pliskova in the 1st set really came out firing as she went a double break up against an ailing Serena, who appeared to be struggling with a knee injuy and Pliskova nabbed the opener. In the 2nd set however it was a much tighter affair as Serena battled back against the 10th seed and play was pushed into a tiebreak. But it proved to be not enough for Serena as she surrendered her serve and the match with a double fault, which saw her not only lose the match but also her No.1 ranking with it. And this meant that Pliskova sealed her place in his first ever grand slam final with a remarkable 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win.
Well this really was a shock loss for Serena who look to better Stefi Graff's record of 22 slams, which would have made Serena the most successful player in the open era of the sport, however in the end it was not to be.
As for Pliskova, well this was a terrific result and a great achievement as she has reached her first grand slam final and she has been a player who has risen up in the rankings this year so far. And right now given her form, I would not write off Pliskova's chances for the final but I will get on to that a bit later.
Angelique Kerber vs Caroline Wozniacki
So next up was the other semi final, which saw the World No.2, Angelique Kerber take on the former World No.1, Caroline Wozniacki. Kerber had alot riding on this match too as she was looking to grab the top spot in the sport from Serena Williams and after Serena was defeated by Pliskova it ensured that Kerber would indeed become the No.1.
So suffice to say that Kerber went into this match with alot of motivation and it also helped her out quite a bit as she showed great form against a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki. However whatever Caroline had what simply not enough as Kerber went on to beat her rival in straight sets to claim the No.1 spot and her place in the final with a commanding 6-4, 6-3 win.
Well there was little doubt that Kerber would win this match as she has been in great form all year and now she has the top ranking to prove it and it would be difficult to not see her claim her second slam of the season by the end of the tournament.
As for Caroline however it was disappointing that she was not able to make it a closer match but she has managed to rediscover her form again with her great run at the US Open and reaching the last four is a terrific effort from her. Not only that, Caroline's run in New York will see her return to the top 30 next week in the rankings as she will be ranked 29 in the world as of Monday, which is great to see and hopefully she will soon be able to get back into the top 10.
FINAL PREDICTIONS
Right so now onto the ladies final prediction that will see Angelique Kerber take on Karoline Pliskova for the title. So how will it go???? Well this is actually a tough one to fully predict as their head to head is very close with Kerber leading 4-3 so there isn't much between them.
However there are one or two things to consider regarding Pliskova as she did beat Kerber in their previous match in the Cincinnati final where Kerber would have become No.1 if she had won the title. Pliskova has also put in a great run at the US Open and she has beaten both the Williams sisters enroute to get to the final and has shown a great deal of grit and determination so far that could see her lift the title.
Kerber on the other hand has been the most consistent player on the tour this year and she has already claimed her first grand slam at the Australian open earlier this season and reached the final at Wimbledon. And now that Kerber is No.1 she is bound to be feeling very confident going into this match with it all to play for.
But as for my final prediction......well I have to side with Kerber as I really think she has shown what a great and consistent player she has become throughout the year. I also think he defeat to Pliskova in Cincinnati was attributed partly to fatigue and exhaustion from having competed at the Olympics the prior week, which left her out of steam in reaching the gold medal final only to come up short to Monica Puig. But this time round, Kerber has managed to reach the final in New York without dropping a set and she should have plenty left in the tank for what lies ahead.
So my scoreline prediction will be that Kerber wins this one in three sets and it should be a tough battle but in the end I think Angie will come good. So my scoreline for the match (for what very little its worth!) is:
Kerber d. Pliskova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Right, so that's it for my look at the ladies matches and I will be back soon with my look at the men's semi finals and look ahead to the final.
So, see you soon!
So without further messing about let's get going......
SEMI FINALS
Serena Williams vs Karolina Pliskova
So to start off the first semi final was between the World No.1, Serena Williams and the 10th seed, Karolina Pliskova. This match had alot riding on it for both players as Serena was looking to hold onto her No.1 ranking and she would need to win the match in order to do so, whereas Pliskova was looking to reach her first grand slam final.
And on paper the match looked to be foregone conclusion that Serena would come out on top, however it wasn't to be the case as Pliskova in the 1st set really came out firing as she went a double break up against an ailing Serena, who appeared to be struggling with a knee injuy and Pliskova nabbed the opener. In the 2nd set however it was a much tighter affair as Serena battled back against the 10th seed and play was pushed into a tiebreak. But it proved to be not enough for Serena as she surrendered her serve and the match with a double fault, which saw her not only lose the match but also her No.1 ranking with it. And this meant that Pliskova sealed her place in his first ever grand slam final with a remarkable 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win.
Well this really was a shock loss for Serena who look to better Stefi Graff's record of 22 slams, which would have made Serena the most successful player in the open era of the sport, however in the end it was not to be.
As for Pliskova, well this was a terrific result and a great achievement as she has reached her first grand slam final and she has been a player who has risen up in the rankings this year so far. And right now given her form, I would not write off Pliskova's chances for the final but I will get on to that a bit later.
Angelique Kerber vs Caroline Wozniacki
So next up was the other semi final, which saw the World No.2, Angelique Kerber take on the former World No.1, Caroline Wozniacki. Kerber had alot riding on this match too as she was looking to grab the top spot in the sport from Serena Williams and after Serena was defeated by Pliskova it ensured that Kerber would indeed become the No.1.
So suffice to say that Kerber went into this match with alot of motivation and it also helped her out quite a bit as she showed great form against a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki. However whatever Caroline had what simply not enough as Kerber went on to beat her rival in straight sets to claim the No.1 spot and her place in the final with a commanding 6-4, 6-3 win.
Well there was little doubt that Kerber would win this match as she has been in great form all year and now she has the top ranking to prove it and it would be difficult to not see her claim her second slam of the season by the end of the tournament.
As for Caroline however it was disappointing that she was not able to make it a closer match but she has managed to rediscover her form again with her great run at the US Open and reaching the last four is a terrific effort from her. Not only that, Caroline's run in New York will see her return to the top 30 next week in the rankings as she will be ranked 29 in the world as of Monday, which is great to see and hopefully she will soon be able to get back into the top 10.
FINAL PREDICTIONS
Right so now onto the ladies final prediction that will see Angelique Kerber take on Karoline Pliskova for the title. So how will it go???? Well this is actually a tough one to fully predict as their head to head is very close with Kerber leading 4-3 so there isn't much between them.
However there are one or two things to consider regarding Pliskova as she did beat Kerber in their previous match in the Cincinnati final where Kerber would have become No.1 if she had won the title. Pliskova has also put in a great run at the US Open and she has beaten both the Williams sisters enroute to get to the final and has shown a great deal of grit and determination so far that could see her lift the title.
Kerber on the other hand has been the most consistent player on the tour this year and she has already claimed her first grand slam at the Australian open earlier this season and reached the final at Wimbledon. And now that Kerber is No.1 she is bound to be feeling very confident going into this match with it all to play for.
But as for my final prediction......well I have to side with Kerber as I really think she has shown what a great and consistent player she has become throughout the year. I also think he defeat to Pliskova in Cincinnati was attributed partly to fatigue and exhaustion from having competed at the Olympics the prior week, which left her out of steam in reaching the gold medal final only to come up short to Monica Puig. But this time round, Kerber has managed to reach the final in New York without dropping a set and she should have plenty left in the tank for what lies ahead.
So my scoreline prediction will be that Kerber wins this one in three sets and it should be a tough battle but in the end I think Angie will come good. So my scoreline for the match (for what very little its worth!) is:
Kerber d. Pliskova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Right, so that's it for my look at the ladies matches and I will be back soon with my look at the men's semi finals and look ahead to the final.
So, see you soon!
Thursday 8 September 2016
2016 US Open update - Men's Part 1
OK, so now its time to move onto my look at the men's event so far at the 2016 US Open, the final grand slam of the season. So without further ados let's take a look what happened so far....
1st WEEK SEEDS OUT
Right so to kick off in the 1st week we had plenty of seeds tumble out early and to start there was Richard Gasquet who was tunned by the British player, Kyle Edmund who put in a great performance to beat Gasquet in straight sets. David Goffin also suffered defeat at the first hurdle as he went out to the American player, Jared Donaldson in four sets. Bernard Tomic went out in the 1st round too as he was beaten by Damir Dzumhur in four sets in a heated match that saw Tomic get angry with a fan saying something along the lines of "I'll stuff these balls down your throat!". Lovely!
As for the 2nd round losses we had a big casualty in the shape of Milos Raonic who despite his good form in the slams so far this season, suffered a 2nd round exit at the hands of the American, Ryan Harrison who beat Raonic in four sets. Feliciano Lopez also found himself on the losing end in the 2nd round as he got put out by Joao Sousa of Portugal in a four set match. Alexander Zverev, who has been tipped for big things in the future, lost to the British No.2, Dan Evans in a surprising four set defeat. Gilles Simon next was also a sufferer of the 2nd round defeat as he went down to Paolo Lorenzi in an epic five set match. And Steve Johnson also was beaten in the 2nd round by a resurgent Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets.
As for the 3rd round losses we had David Ferrer who was also beaten by the big Argentine, Del Potro in straight sets. Marin Cilic, the former US Open champion who had also recently won in Cincinnati, suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of the American, Jack Sock in straight sets. Nick Kyrgios also had his misfortunes at this stage when he was forced to retire from his match with Ilya Marchenko in the fourth set having went two sets to one down. And lastly John Isner was stunned by the in form British player, Kyle Edmund in their 3rd round clash which saw Edmund dispatch Isner in four sets.
2ND WEEK MATCHES LAST 16 AND QUARTER FINALS
Right so now onto the 4th round matches (or i.e. the last 16) and quarter final matches which saw the World No.1, Novak Djokovic take on Kyle Edmund. And Novak proved to be simply too strong for Kyle as he dominated the young Brit in a straight sets win 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. Novak would then go on to face Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the quarter finals, however Tsonga was forced to retire at the start of the 3rd set from a knee injury as Novak was two sets to love up. This had seen Novak get through to the last four having had two opponents, Tsonga and Mikhail Youzhny both retire during the matches and Jiri Vesily withdrawing before his 2nd round match with Novak was due to be played. This now means that Novak has only played two whole matches going into the semi finals, which will see him well rested but I will say more about that situation later.
As for the other matches, Gael Monfils who has shown great form so far in this tournament, he effortlessly beat Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets in the 4th round to reach the last eight in 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. And Monfils would then go on to beat his fellow countryman, Lucas Pouille in another straight sets win this time winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first US Open semi final. This has now seen Monfils reach the semi finals of the US Open without dropping a single set, which is very impressive in itself and it shows the Frenchman hasn't just got flash but plenty of substance aswell.
Next was Stan Wawrinka who so far has had a bit of an up and down tournament and he was pushed to the limit in his 3rd round match where he took on Dan Evans in an incredible five set match in which Stan had to save a match point in the 4th set tiebreak before going on to dominate the 5th. However in the 4th round, Stan mostly had things under control against Ilya Marchenko and he only suffered a couple of dips when he dropped the 3rd set on a tiebreak and had to wrestle back a break of serve in the 4th but he finished strong to beat Marchenko in four sets. And in the quarter finals, Stan took on Juan Martin Del Potro once again this year and this time he got his revenge for their Wimbledon match as Stan beat big Delpo and halted his comeback in four sets, which left a very emotional Del Potro who had won over the crowd with his efforts despite losing the match.
And last of all we have Kei Nishikori who has been in good form so far in the tournament and he went into the last 16 to face Ivo Karlovic and he proved to be too good for the giant Croatian as he beat him in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6.
And...after this Kei went on to face Andy Murray who up to that point had an up and down tournament but despite that Andy went into the match as the heavy favourite having dominated their head to head 7-1.
And it looked to be more of the same for Kei as Andy bossed him from the baseline and mercilessly broke Kei three times to claim the first set. In the 2nd set however the tide turned as the match had to be stopped for a rain delay and they eventually closed the roof and from here, Kei became a different player and went on to break Andy and level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set, Andy managed though to regain his momentum as he broke Kei to grab the 3rd set and the two sets to one lead. And in the 4th, Andy early on had the momentum as he had a break point on Kei's serve but their play was interrupted by a loud gong sound (which later was found out to be the stadium's speaker system having a malfunction). And this noise distracted Andy for the remainder of the set, which let Kei take advantage and break his opponent twice to level the match at two sets all.
And the final set was a nailbiter, which saw momentum swing back and forth between the two players but in the end it was Kei that made the decisive break as he finally managed to break Andy to go 6-5 and he served out the match to end Andy's hopes of winning a 2nd US Open title with a remarkable 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory.
And I can't forget to finish off by going back and mentioning the last 4th round match, which was between Lucas Pouille and Rafael Nadal, the former two time champion. The match itself was a thrilling contest that was undoubtedly one of the best matches of the tournament. Pouille made the stronger start winning the first but Rafa went on to claim the 2nd and Pouille nabbed the 3rd and Rafa levelled with the 4th. And in the 5th set we were treated to a nailbiting finale, which saw the match finally go into a deciding tiebreak that saw Pouille pull off a stunning upset and beat Rafa to win in five sets and clinch a stunning 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 win.
SO WHAT NOW FOR RAFA AND ANDY???
Well what indeed. Starting with Rafa, well to his credit he did have a pretty decent US Open run this time around although he only managed to go one stage further than he did last year (the 3rd round where he lost to Fabio Fognini). Rafa however has shown that he has still some way to go when it comes to beating the upcoming stars such as Pouille and maybe also players like Thiem, Raonic and Kyrgios who are all young guns who have the game to beat Rafa. And from here its difficult to see Rafa relcaim his glory days, he has overall done not too badly this year so far as he has won two clay court titles and the Olympic gold medal in the men's doubles. But if he wants to compete at the very top level then he is still has alot of work to do ahead of him and its probably just leaving things a bit late now at this time in his career.
Then there is the concerns over Rafa's wrist injury, which had plagued since his withdrawal at the French Open. However the positive thing is that throughout the US Open, Rafa looked to be playing pain free and also he competed very well at the Olympics, so the signs are at least looking a bit more encouraging Rafa in regards to his fitness. But where he goes from here is just something we will need to wait and see and he has also said he is keen to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London at the end of the year so we will have to see how that pans out.
So now onto Andy and well, it has to be said that his quarter final exit to Kei Nishikori was undoubtedly something of a surprise as it was a match where he definitely appeared to have the momentum at certain stages but in the end he just lost his way and Kei played more aggressively at the key points. So this will be a tough loss for Andy to dwell on but the good news is at least he will a bit more time to recover before he goes into the Davis cup semi final in Glasgow where Great Britain will take on Argentina.
One thing however that will hurt Andy as a result of this loss to Nishikori is his chances of closing the gap between himself and Novak for the No.1 spot as it will see him no further forward than he was at the start of the tournament and with Novak still have a very sizeable advantage in points over Andy. And this will see Andy have to make up a great deal of ground in the upcoming tournaments if he is to grab that No.1 spot.
But the concern I have regarding Andy's ambitions for the top spot boils down to one crucial factor, and that is his serve as his serve has always been a liability and at the US Open he struggled badly on his serve with most of matches hovering around the 50% first serves in mark. And it has to be said if Andy wants to overtake Novak in the rankings then 50% first serves in is simply nowhere near good enough and he would need to become more consistent on his own serve and until he does, his chances of reaching the summit of the game looks doubtful.
But regardless of these concerns, Andy has done exceptionally well over the summer having claimed three titles on the trot at Queens, Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics and put together a career best 22 match winning streak, which is something worthy of even Novak's standards. And its quite certain that Andy would have been feeling the effects of fatigue after having played so many matches over the last three months that it was bound to take its toll sometime. And despite all that, Andy has still got it all to play for as the 2016 season nears its end, he might not make to No.1 in the world by the end of it but it'll fun to see if he can get closer to that spot.
SEMI FINAL PREDICTIONS
Right! So now onto the men's semi final predictions and my thoughts on them....
Stan Wawrinka vs Kei Nishikori
This is a hard match to predict given that their head to head is pretty close as Stan leads Kei 3-2 but it was Kei that won their last match in Canada and before Stan beat Kei at the Australian open last year so they have split their last two meetings.
The one decisive factor here however could come down to Kei's fitness as he had the longer match of the two players as it took Kei nearly four hours to put away Andy Murray in five sets, whereas Stan had a more comfortable four set win so this could help make a bit of difference. Another factor however that could be in Kei's favour though is that he won their previous encounter at the US Open, which was an epic encounter that went to five sets and its possible that Kei could repeat the feat here again.
So as for my prediction....well I have to side with Kei here as I think he already has had the advantage of having beaten Stan at the US Open two years and I think it will help him again this time around. Stan for sure is the more experienced player when its comes to playing in grand slam finals, having won two of them already and Kei has yet to win one himself. But I just think if it comes down to dogged athletism and raw speed then Kei might just hold the edge and I think he should come through this one in five sets. So my scoreline prediction (for what little its worth!) is:
Nishikori d. Wawrinka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils
OK now this one is potentially much easier to predict as Novak simply owns Monfils in their head to head as he has never lost to the Frenchman, so Novak instantly starts off as the hot favourite to win this match.
However Novak still hasn't been fully tested at all in this tournament and that has simply come down to the fact that he as only played two full matches going into the last four, having benefited from a withdrawal and two retirals. Now whether or not this will benefit Novak fully or not remains to be seen as on the plus side he will be alot fresher going into this match but on the other hand, due to the walkovers he's had has left him without much in the way of proper matchplay that could impact on his game. And not only that, Monfils has been pretty efficient in his own matches as he has managed to reach the semi finals without even dropping a set, so he too should be feeling fairly fresh and fit.
But no matter how fit and fresh Monfils might be feeling its hard to bet against Novak on this one as having only played two full matches he will be feeling pretty fresh and good having had ample recovery time for his shoulder that was troubling him earlier in the tournament. And its impossible to not also look at the facts that Novak has never lost to Monfils and even though there is a first time for everything, I don't necessarily see that time being in New York.
So my final prediction will be that Novak comes through this match in four sets to reach another US Open final and my scoreline prediction (again for what its worth!) is:
Djokovic d. Monfils 6-4, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Right! So that's its for now and I will be back soon once the mens and ladies semi final matches are over.
So till then its bye for now!
1st WEEK SEEDS OUT
Right so to kick off in the 1st week we had plenty of seeds tumble out early and to start there was Richard Gasquet who was tunned by the British player, Kyle Edmund who put in a great performance to beat Gasquet in straight sets. David Goffin also suffered defeat at the first hurdle as he went out to the American player, Jared Donaldson in four sets. Bernard Tomic went out in the 1st round too as he was beaten by Damir Dzumhur in four sets in a heated match that saw Tomic get angry with a fan saying something along the lines of "I'll stuff these balls down your throat!". Lovely!
As for the 2nd round losses we had a big casualty in the shape of Milos Raonic who despite his good form in the slams so far this season, suffered a 2nd round exit at the hands of the American, Ryan Harrison who beat Raonic in four sets. Feliciano Lopez also found himself on the losing end in the 2nd round as he got put out by Joao Sousa of Portugal in a four set match. Alexander Zverev, who has been tipped for big things in the future, lost to the British No.2, Dan Evans in a surprising four set defeat. Gilles Simon next was also a sufferer of the 2nd round defeat as he went down to Paolo Lorenzi in an epic five set match. And Steve Johnson also was beaten in the 2nd round by a resurgent Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets.
As for the 3rd round losses we had David Ferrer who was also beaten by the big Argentine, Del Potro in straight sets. Marin Cilic, the former US Open champion who had also recently won in Cincinnati, suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of the American, Jack Sock in straight sets. Nick Kyrgios also had his misfortunes at this stage when he was forced to retire from his match with Ilya Marchenko in the fourth set having went two sets to one down. And lastly John Isner was stunned by the in form British player, Kyle Edmund in their 3rd round clash which saw Edmund dispatch Isner in four sets.
2ND WEEK MATCHES LAST 16 AND QUARTER FINALS
Right so now onto the 4th round matches (or i.e. the last 16) and quarter final matches which saw the World No.1, Novak Djokovic take on Kyle Edmund. And Novak proved to be simply too strong for Kyle as he dominated the young Brit in a straight sets win 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. Novak would then go on to face Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the quarter finals, however Tsonga was forced to retire at the start of the 3rd set from a knee injury as Novak was two sets to love up. This had seen Novak get through to the last four having had two opponents, Tsonga and Mikhail Youzhny both retire during the matches and Jiri Vesily withdrawing before his 2nd round match with Novak was due to be played. This now means that Novak has only played two whole matches going into the semi finals, which will see him well rested but I will say more about that situation later.
As for the other matches, Gael Monfils who has shown great form so far in this tournament, he effortlessly beat Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets in the 4th round to reach the last eight in 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. And Monfils would then go on to beat his fellow countryman, Lucas Pouille in another straight sets win this time winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first US Open semi final. This has now seen Monfils reach the semi finals of the US Open without dropping a single set, which is very impressive in itself and it shows the Frenchman hasn't just got flash but plenty of substance aswell.
Next was Stan Wawrinka who so far has had a bit of an up and down tournament and he was pushed to the limit in his 3rd round match where he took on Dan Evans in an incredible five set match in which Stan had to save a match point in the 4th set tiebreak before going on to dominate the 5th. However in the 4th round, Stan mostly had things under control against Ilya Marchenko and he only suffered a couple of dips when he dropped the 3rd set on a tiebreak and had to wrestle back a break of serve in the 4th but he finished strong to beat Marchenko in four sets. And in the quarter finals, Stan took on Juan Martin Del Potro once again this year and this time he got his revenge for their Wimbledon match as Stan beat big Delpo and halted his comeback in four sets, which left a very emotional Del Potro who had won over the crowd with his efforts despite losing the match.
And last of all we have Kei Nishikori who has been in good form so far in the tournament and he went into the last 16 to face Ivo Karlovic and he proved to be too good for the giant Croatian as he beat him in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6.
And...after this Kei went on to face Andy Murray who up to that point had an up and down tournament but despite that Andy went into the match as the heavy favourite having dominated their head to head 7-1.
And it looked to be more of the same for Kei as Andy bossed him from the baseline and mercilessly broke Kei three times to claim the first set. In the 2nd set however the tide turned as the match had to be stopped for a rain delay and they eventually closed the roof and from here, Kei became a different player and went on to break Andy and level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set, Andy managed though to regain his momentum as he broke Kei to grab the 3rd set and the two sets to one lead. And in the 4th, Andy early on had the momentum as he had a break point on Kei's serve but their play was interrupted by a loud gong sound (which later was found out to be the stadium's speaker system having a malfunction). And this noise distracted Andy for the remainder of the set, which let Kei take advantage and break his opponent twice to level the match at two sets all.
And the final set was a nailbiter, which saw momentum swing back and forth between the two players but in the end it was Kei that made the decisive break as he finally managed to break Andy to go 6-5 and he served out the match to end Andy's hopes of winning a 2nd US Open title with a remarkable 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory.
And I can't forget to finish off by going back and mentioning the last 4th round match, which was between Lucas Pouille and Rafael Nadal, the former two time champion. The match itself was a thrilling contest that was undoubtedly one of the best matches of the tournament. Pouille made the stronger start winning the first but Rafa went on to claim the 2nd and Pouille nabbed the 3rd and Rafa levelled with the 4th. And in the 5th set we were treated to a nailbiting finale, which saw the match finally go into a deciding tiebreak that saw Pouille pull off a stunning upset and beat Rafa to win in five sets and clinch a stunning 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 win.
SO WHAT NOW FOR RAFA AND ANDY???
Well what indeed. Starting with Rafa, well to his credit he did have a pretty decent US Open run this time around although he only managed to go one stage further than he did last year (the 3rd round where he lost to Fabio Fognini). Rafa however has shown that he has still some way to go when it comes to beating the upcoming stars such as Pouille and maybe also players like Thiem, Raonic and Kyrgios who are all young guns who have the game to beat Rafa. And from here its difficult to see Rafa relcaim his glory days, he has overall done not too badly this year so far as he has won two clay court titles and the Olympic gold medal in the men's doubles. But if he wants to compete at the very top level then he is still has alot of work to do ahead of him and its probably just leaving things a bit late now at this time in his career.
Then there is the concerns over Rafa's wrist injury, which had plagued since his withdrawal at the French Open. However the positive thing is that throughout the US Open, Rafa looked to be playing pain free and also he competed very well at the Olympics, so the signs are at least looking a bit more encouraging Rafa in regards to his fitness. But where he goes from here is just something we will need to wait and see and he has also said he is keen to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London at the end of the year so we will have to see how that pans out.
So now onto Andy and well, it has to be said that his quarter final exit to Kei Nishikori was undoubtedly something of a surprise as it was a match where he definitely appeared to have the momentum at certain stages but in the end he just lost his way and Kei played more aggressively at the key points. So this will be a tough loss for Andy to dwell on but the good news is at least he will a bit more time to recover before he goes into the Davis cup semi final in Glasgow where Great Britain will take on Argentina.
One thing however that will hurt Andy as a result of this loss to Nishikori is his chances of closing the gap between himself and Novak for the No.1 spot as it will see him no further forward than he was at the start of the tournament and with Novak still have a very sizeable advantage in points over Andy. And this will see Andy have to make up a great deal of ground in the upcoming tournaments if he is to grab that No.1 spot.
But the concern I have regarding Andy's ambitions for the top spot boils down to one crucial factor, and that is his serve as his serve has always been a liability and at the US Open he struggled badly on his serve with most of matches hovering around the 50% first serves in mark. And it has to be said if Andy wants to overtake Novak in the rankings then 50% first serves in is simply nowhere near good enough and he would need to become more consistent on his own serve and until he does, his chances of reaching the summit of the game looks doubtful.
But regardless of these concerns, Andy has done exceptionally well over the summer having claimed three titles on the trot at Queens, Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics and put together a career best 22 match winning streak, which is something worthy of even Novak's standards. And its quite certain that Andy would have been feeling the effects of fatigue after having played so many matches over the last three months that it was bound to take its toll sometime. And despite all that, Andy has still got it all to play for as the 2016 season nears its end, he might not make to No.1 in the world by the end of it but it'll fun to see if he can get closer to that spot.
SEMI FINAL PREDICTIONS
Right! So now onto the men's semi final predictions and my thoughts on them....
Stan Wawrinka vs Kei Nishikori
This is a hard match to predict given that their head to head is pretty close as Stan leads Kei 3-2 but it was Kei that won their last match in Canada and before Stan beat Kei at the Australian open last year so they have split their last two meetings.
The one decisive factor here however could come down to Kei's fitness as he had the longer match of the two players as it took Kei nearly four hours to put away Andy Murray in five sets, whereas Stan had a more comfortable four set win so this could help make a bit of difference. Another factor however that could be in Kei's favour though is that he won their previous encounter at the US Open, which was an epic encounter that went to five sets and its possible that Kei could repeat the feat here again.
So as for my prediction....well I have to side with Kei here as I think he already has had the advantage of having beaten Stan at the US Open two years and I think it will help him again this time around. Stan for sure is the more experienced player when its comes to playing in grand slam finals, having won two of them already and Kei has yet to win one himself. But I just think if it comes down to dogged athletism and raw speed then Kei might just hold the edge and I think he should come through this one in five sets. So my scoreline prediction (for what little its worth!) is:
Nishikori d. Wawrinka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils
OK now this one is potentially much easier to predict as Novak simply owns Monfils in their head to head as he has never lost to the Frenchman, so Novak instantly starts off as the hot favourite to win this match.
However Novak still hasn't been fully tested at all in this tournament and that has simply come down to the fact that he as only played two full matches going into the last four, having benefited from a withdrawal and two retirals. Now whether or not this will benefit Novak fully or not remains to be seen as on the plus side he will be alot fresher going into this match but on the other hand, due to the walkovers he's had has left him without much in the way of proper matchplay that could impact on his game. And not only that, Monfils has been pretty efficient in his own matches as he has managed to reach the semi finals without even dropping a set, so he too should be feeling fairly fresh and fit.
But no matter how fit and fresh Monfils might be feeling its hard to bet against Novak on this one as having only played two full matches he will be feeling pretty fresh and good having had ample recovery time for his shoulder that was troubling him earlier in the tournament. And its impossible to not also look at the facts that Novak has never lost to Monfils and even though there is a first time for everything, I don't necessarily see that time being in New York.
So my final prediction will be that Novak comes through this match in four sets to reach another US Open final and my scoreline prediction (again for what its worth!) is:
Djokovic d. Monfils 6-4, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Right! So that's its for now and I will be back soon once the mens and ladies semi final matches are over.
So till then its bye for now!
2016 US Open update - Ladies Part 1
Right, I'm way behind with starting these posts so I figured rather than do a big detailed list of the matches and the seeds that went out and who is still let's keep it even more concise to catch up for once. So I will quickly list how the 1st week went and into the 2nd week up until the semi finals, which take place tomorrow for the ladies match, which is what I will cover in this first post.
And with that let's take a look....
1ST WEEK SEEDS OUT
Right in the first week we had a number of seeds go out early such as Ana Ivanovic who lost out to Denise Allertova in straight sets. Sara Errani also suffered a first round defeat at the hands of the American, Shelby Rodgers who also won in straight sets. Kiki Bertens went out too in the first round as she was beaten by Ana Konjuh in a close three set match.
As for some of the top seeds inside the top 10 and 20 we first off had a big upset with Garbine Muguruza, the reigning French Open champion, going out in the second round to Anastasia Sevastova in straight sets. Svetlana Kuznetsova also went out at the hands of a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki who beat the former US Open champion in straight sets. Sam Stosur, the former 2011 champion, also went out in the 2nd round as she lost to Zhang Shuai of China with a straight set defeat. Timea Bacsinszky too went down to the American player, Varvara Lepchenko in the second round with a three set loss.
As for the 3rd round defeats there was Dominika Cibulkova, who suffered a three set loss to the Ukranian player, Lesia Tsurenko. Elena Vesnina also lost out to Carla Suarez Navarro in a straight sets match in the last 32. Caroline Garcia of France too was beaten by the Polish No.1, Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. And lastly Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine suffered her loss at the hands of the two time Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova who beat Elina in straight sets.
2ND WEEK MATCHES LAST 16 AND QUARTER FINALS
Now for the 2nd week matches and I will cover up until the quarter finals and I will kick off with the 4th round matches (and why not??). So in the 4th round we had a big upset for the British No.1, Johanna Konta, who took on Anatasija Sevastova of Latvia, however the Latvian proved too good for Konta who sufferd a straight sets defeat to deny her a place in her first US Open quarter final.
As for the wins well we had Caroline Wozniacki, who has been in great form in this tournament and seems to be getting back to her best after suffering a long slump this year and last year. And here Caroline took on Madison Keys and she went on to stun the 8th seed in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to reach her first major quarter final in two years. And Caroline went on to beat Anatasija Sevastova in the quarter finals in straight sets to reach the last four with an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 victory.
Angelique Kerber who is still vying for the No.1 ranking showed her great form by beating Petra Kivtova in the last 16 and advancing in straight sets with a 6-3, 7-5 win. And Angie went on to face last year's finalist, Roberta Vinci and despite winning a tight first set, Kerber went on to run away with the match and thrashed Vinci with a bagel and sealed her semi final spot in 7-5, 6-0.
Karolina Pliskova, who has shown great form so far this year continued to show her grit as she took on the mighty Venus Williams in their 4th round match, which turned into an epic battle, which went right down to the wire. And despite a valiant battle from the former World No.1 in Venus, it was Pliskova who won a decisive final set tiebreak to reach the quarter finals with a thrilling 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 win. Pliskova would then go on to face the surprise quarter finalist, Ana Konjuh, who was no match for Pliskova who trounced Konjuh in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, to reach her first grand slam semi final.
And last of all Serena Williams, has shown her impressive form again in this tournament as she strolled her way through the first week into the quarter finals by beating Yaroslava Shvedova in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. However Serena encountered her first test of the tournament when she took on Simona Halep in the quarter finals as the dimunitive Romanian took a set against the American before Serena was able to close out the match in the 3rd with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win.
SEMI FINALS PREDICTION
So......! This sets up the ladies semi final matches and what matches they promise to be as it will see four great players go at it for the right to reach the final. So let's have a quick look at both of these matches and give a prediction....
Serena Williams vs Karolina Pliskova
This is a very intriguing match and even though Serena goes into it as the heavy favourite, they still have only played once and that was two years ago in Stanford where Serena won in straight sets.
However Pliskova has become a much better player since then and she has beaten several big names, most notably Angelique Kerber in Cincinnati, where Pliskova denied Kerber the No.1 spot in the final. Pliskova also has a pretty big serve too in her arsenal, which will do her good against the might of Serena, so if she can get a high percentage of first serves in she can make life difficult for the World No.1.
But....despite all this I still have to go with Serena but I think this could be a fairly close match and I think Serena will win it in two close sets, let's say Williams d. Pliskova 7-6, 6-4.
Angelique Kerber vs Caroline Wozniacki
This is promises to be a real humdinger of a match as both these ladies have quite an interesting rivalry with one another, although it is Kerber that leads their head to head 7-5 but they have split their last four matches with two wins apiece, so this really could be a close one. Not only that there are two other factors to consider too, first off: Caroline has rediscovered her form in this tournament so an upset is possible here and secondly: Kerber is still trying to go for the top spot so she is bound to feel the pressure here and this could lead to the upset.
However as for my prediction I still have to side with Kerber on this one as she is the current World No.2 and a real in form player who has already won a slam whereas Caroline has yet to and unfortunately may well not do before her career is over. But this should still be a cracking match and I think it will go to three sets but Kerber should emerge as the winner, so for what its worth my prediction will be Kerber d. Wozniacki 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Right, so that's it for my look at the ladies matches and I will be back soon with my update on the men's matches.
So see you soon....
And with that let's take a look....
1ST WEEK SEEDS OUT
Right in the first week we had a number of seeds go out early such as Ana Ivanovic who lost out to Denise Allertova in straight sets. Sara Errani also suffered a first round defeat at the hands of the American, Shelby Rodgers who also won in straight sets. Kiki Bertens went out too in the first round as she was beaten by Ana Konjuh in a close three set match.
As for some of the top seeds inside the top 10 and 20 we first off had a big upset with Garbine Muguruza, the reigning French Open champion, going out in the second round to Anastasia Sevastova in straight sets. Svetlana Kuznetsova also went out at the hands of a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki who beat the former US Open champion in straight sets. Sam Stosur, the former 2011 champion, also went out in the 2nd round as she lost to Zhang Shuai of China with a straight set defeat. Timea Bacsinszky too went down to the American player, Varvara Lepchenko in the second round with a three set loss.
As for the 3rd round defeats there was Dominika Cibulkova, who suffered a three set loss to the Ukranian player, Lesia Tsurenko. Elena Vesnina also lost out to Carla Suarez Navarro in a straight sets match in the last 32. Caroline Garcia of France too was beaten by the Polish No.1, Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. And lastly Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine suffered her loss at the hands of the two time Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova who beat Elina in straight sets.
2ND WEEK MATCHES LAST 16 AND QUARTER FINALS
Now for the 2nd week matches and I will cover up until the quarter finals and I will kick off with the 4th round matches (and why not??). So in the 4th round we had a big upset for the British No.1, Johanna Konta, who took on Anatasija Sevastova of Latvia, however the Latvian proved too good for Konta who sufferd a straight sets defeat to deny her a place in her first US Open quarter final.
As for the wins well we had Caroline Wozniacki, who has been in great form in this tournament and seems to be getting back to her best after suffering a long slump this year and last year. And here Caroline took on Madison Keys and she went on to stun the 8th seed in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to reach her first major quarter final in two years. And Caroline went on to beat Anatasija Sevastova in the quarter finals in straight sets to reach the last four with an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 victory.
Angelique Kerber who is still vying for the No.1 ranking showed her great form by beating Petra Kivtova in the last 16 and advancing in straight sets with a 6-3, 7-5 win. And Angie went on to face last year's finalist, Roberta Vinci and despite winning a tight first set, Kerber went on to run away with the match and thrashed Vinci with a bagel and sealed her semi final spot in 7-5, 6-0.
Karolina Pliskova, who has shown great form so far this year continued to show her grit as she took on the mighty Venus Williams in their 4th round match, which turned into an epic battle, which went right down to the wire. And despite a valiant battle from the former World No.1 in Venus, it was Pliskova who won a decisive final set tiebreak to reach the quarter finals with a thrilling 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 win. Pliskova would then go on to face the surprise quarter finalist, Ana Konjuh, who was no match for Pliskova who trounced Konjuh in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, to reach her first grand slam semi final.
And last of all Serena Williams, has shown her impressive form again in this tournament as she strolled her way through the first week into the quarter finals by beating Yaroslava Shvedova in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. However Serena encountered her first test of the tournament when she took on Simona Halep in the quarter finals as the dimunitive Romanian took a set against the American before Serena was able to close out the match in the 3rd with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win.
SEMI FINALS PREDICTION
So......! This sets up the ladies semi final matches and what matches they promise to be as it will see four great players go at it for the right to reach the final. So let's have a quick look at both of these matches and give a prediction....
Serena Williams vs Karolina Pliskova
This is a very intriguing match and even though Serena goes into it as the heavy favourite, they still have only played once and that was two years ago in Stanford where Serena won in straight sets.
However Pliskova has become a much better player since then and she has beaten several big names, most notably Angelique Kerber in Cincinnati, where Pliskova denied Kerber the No.1 spot in the final. Pliskova also has a pretty big serve too in her arsenal, which will do her good against the might of Serena, so if she can get a high percentage of first serves in she can make life difficult for the World No.1.
But....despite all this I still have to go with Serena but I think this could be a fairly close match and I think Serena will win it in two close sets, let's say Williams d. Pliskova 7-6, 6-4.
Angelique Kerber vs Caroline Wozniacki
This is promises to be a real humdinger of a match as both these ladies have quite an interesting rivalry with one another, although it is Kerber that leads their head to head 7-5 but they have split their last four matches with two wins apiece, so this really could be a close one. Not only that there are two other factors to consider too, first off: Caroline has rediscovered her form in this tournament so an upset is possible here and secondly: Kerber is still trying to go for the top spot so she is bound to feel the pressure here and this could lead to the upset.
However as for my prediction I still have to side with Kerber on this one as she is the current World No.2 and a real in form player who has already won a slam whereas Caroline has yet to and unfortunately may well not do before her career is over. But this should still be a cracking match and I think it will go to three sets but Kerber should emerge as the winner, so for what its worth my prediction will be Kerber d. Wozniacki 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Right, so that's it for my look at the ladies matches and I will be back soon with my update on the men's matches.
So see you soon....
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