Right, OK, I figured I might as well do this post in a oner and cover both the mens and ladies finals of the Wimbledon championships. So, without any further ados let's take a look and see who emerged the champs on either side of the gender net...
LADIES FINAL
Well, the ladies final was of course between the five time champion, Venus Williams and the 2015 finalist, Garbine Muguruza, who had previously lost to "little sis" or rather Serena Williams. So, Venus actually went into this match as the favourite given the form she had shown going into the final, she looked poised to win her 6th Wimbledon title and end her major drought.
However...the match itself went a bit differently than planned as both players locked horns in a tight opening set, it saw in fact Venus get two set points against Muguruza at 5-4 in the match, however Garbine saved them both. And Garbine then went on herself to break Venus and with it she took the opening set and was half way there to claiming her first Wimbledon title. And in the 2nd set, something happened with Venus as she appeared to collapse under pressure or expectation (or so it seemed) as she made a series of errors that cost her the match and the title, which saw Muguruza win her first Wimbledon title with a convincing 7-5, 6-0 victory.
Well, its a pity the way this match turned out after a gripping first set, Venus inexplicably fell away from the contest and it became one-way traffic pretty quickly as Garbine ruthlessly sped to the finish line. Perhaps its could have been a mix of nerves or even fatigue from Venus that caused her collapse in the 2nd set but whatever it was, it was a pity she never managed to get herself back in the match as she kept going for too much on her shots.
As for Garbine Muguruza, well this was terrific win that will see her climb back into the top 5 in the world and now that she has two major titles to her name with the French open also from last year, Muguruza will surely see her win more in the future. So, Garbine deserves all the credit for having played a great tournament and it was great to see her fun side come out after the trophy presentation as she balanced the champion's dish on her head for a laugh as she walked off court! So, not only is Garbine a great player, she is also a great character for the game and her bright and bubbly personality is a breath of fresh air. So, congrats to Garbine, you deserve it.
MEN'S FINAL
Now we get onto the men's final, which was a much anticipated match between Roger Federer, the seven time champion and debut finalist, Marin Cilic who were playing a re-match of their epic five set match in last year's quarter final. So, this match promised to deliver much based on their previous one and given Cilic's form so far in the tournament he was sure to be the man to give Roger his sternest test.
However.....again.....the match itself it was a bit of a damp squib in the end as despite a promising start from Cilic, he just couldn't keep up with Roger, who piled on the pressure in the 1st set as he broke the Croat and then went on to win the set. In the 2nd set it was more of the same as Cilic quickly went down a break and at the sit down between games, 3-0 down, Cilic's poor form in the match started to takes it toll on him emotionally as he was shown to be in tears. As the match progressed, Cilic soon found himself a double break down in the 2nd set that was enough for Roger to grab the set and the match by the scruff of the neck. And in the 3rd set it was apparent that Cilic that was struggling with an injury as he had a medical timeout we saw he had a blister on his foot that was hampering his movement so far. And despite Cilic's best efforts he went down another fatal break that spelled the end for the big Croat as Roger went on to serve the match with ease and claimed his 8th Wimbledon title with an emphatic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 win.
Well, as far as finals go, this one sure was a bit of a letdown as Cilic needed to be no less than 100% to beat Federer in this match and after the 1st set and a break it was pretty evident there was no way back for Cilic. Its a pity for Cilic of course as he battled to be in the final and to be fit for the match but as it wore on, he needed the trainer on court to treat his blistered foot and trying to beat the greatest player of all time on his favourite court in the best of form of his life, was too much to ask.
However despite the disappointment of the match being not as competitive as we'd hoped you still can't take away from Roger Federer's incredible achievements this year and indeed here at Wimbledon where he clinched his record 8th title to surpass Pete Sampras's seven titles record. And what is even more remarkable for Roger is that he did it without even dropping a set, which is the first time he had done this at Wimbledon. And this win puts Roger way ahead of any of the other greats in the game just now and he really is the GOAT (Greatest of all time) with 19 majors to his name, its a record that I don't think will be beaten by Rafa or Novak Djokovic.
And looking ahead to the US Open you would have to say that Roger would be the favourite to win the title there also and if he does then he will take his tally to 20 slams, which would be unbelievable if he can do that. It would also see Roger claim three out of the four slams in the one season, which is something he himself hasn't done for 10 years and not only that but he will surely be the favourite to reclaim the World No.1 ranking from Andy Murray, who holds onto it for the time being despite his quarter final defeat at Wimbledon.
As for Marin Cilic, well it was a bitterly disappointing end to a great tournament for him and he came away empty handed from SW19 as he did at Queens but the signs ahead for Cilic look very promising, especially as we head into the North American hard court swing leading into the US Open. And at the US Open, this is where Cilic has already won his first and only grand slam so far and given the form he has shown in 2017, there is no reason not to pick him as one of the favourites to win the title there also. So, if we see Cilic lift a 2nd US Open title by the end of the two weeks at Flushing meadows, I would not be surprised.
WHAT ABOUT ANDY????
And before I finish up, I thought would say a bit about Andy Murray and his chances of playing for the rest of the season, which right now looks to be in serious doubt as Andy attended a hip specialist clinic in Switzerland to assess the damage to his hip. And based on the results, Andy will then plan out his rehab and schedule for possibly coming back to play.
And right now I can't say with any accuracy just when Andy might be expected to come back to play on the tour but I would certainly say it would be very doubtful that we would see him before the US Open and I would dare even say that even his appearing in New York would be in doubt also. Andy had attended Wimbledon yesterday to support his brother, Jamie who played in the mixed doubles with Martina Hingis as they went on to win the title there. However on leaving the club, Andy was seen to have been limping quite a bit, which to me suggests that he is going to need quite a bit of rehab or indeed even surgery.
So far in the press there has been speculation from hip specialists, who say depending on the extent on Andy's hip injury, he may have to undergo surgery, which could put him out for the rest of the season. Alterantively, Andy could also undergo a series of phyisotherapy and a course of injections to treat his hip, which might see him return to the tour sooner, which I'm sure given the choice, Andy would prefer to take.
However right now we can't say anything without much doubt and will have to wait and see what Andy's results will be and based on that he will have to plan out with his team just when he can make his comeback. But let's just hope for Andy's sake and the sake of his fans that his return will be sooner rather than later but at the same time he shouldn't come back until he is 100% fit, so if he needs to take out the rest of the year then that's definitely for the best.
Anyway in the meantime let's just wish Andy well and hope that his hip will recover in due course.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and we finally say goodbye to the 2017 Wimbledon championships and with that I shall say congrats to Roger Federer and Garbine Muguruza on their singles titles. So, it might be a while before I do another tennis post as I will surely put up one prior to the US Open kicking off or indeed with an update on Andy's hip injury but until then I'll be back on my review blog.
Anyway, so for now I'll say goodnight and see you's later!
Monday 17 July 2017
Saturday 15 July 2017
2017 Wimbledon Men's Event Part 2 - Semi finals
Right, well the Wimbledon championships for this year are now drawing to a close, so this post will look at the men's semi final matches that took place yesterday. So let's see how they went on who made it through to the final....
MENS FINALS
Marin Cilic vs Sam Querrey
First up was this match between Marin Cilic, the 7th seed and the surprise finalist, Sam Querrey, who knocked out Andy Murray, the defending champion in the quarter finals. So, this match promised to be quite an interesting encounter even though Cilic had the commanding lead in their head to head 4-0 going into this match.
And the match itself didn't disappoint as both men played a high quality match from the first point that saw the 1st set with both men locked into battle that went to a tiebreak, which was disrupted by someone in the audience taking ill. This distraction happened while Cilic was about to serve and it ultimately cost him the set as he was clearly distracted by the event that let Querrey go on to win the tiebreak and the 1st set.
In the 2nd set however, Cilic fought back as he broke the big serving American at 3-3 to go ahead and serve out the set to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set it was now starting to become evident that Querrey was beginning to tire as Cilic broke him to take the lead for the first time in the match. However the break was short lived as Querrey showed his class and broke back and play again went to a tiebreak, which this time Cilic won to grab the two sets to one lead.
And in the 4th set, things took another twist as Querrey managed to break Cilic to move ahead in the set and a 5th set looked to be on the cards. However, Cilic once again managed to break the American back and he then went on to break Querrey yet again at 6-5 to seal the match and his place in his first Wimbledon final with an impressive 6-7, 6-4, 7-,6 7-5 win.
This was definitely one of the best, high quality matches on the men's side of the tournament and it was great to see both men bring it to centre court with neither man showing a great deal of nerves. Querrey also showed great form in the match, despite his loss, he said afterwards he wasn't that nervous playing in the biggest match of his career but ultimately Cilic was just better than him. And for Cilic its hard to argue with this as he clearly was the stronger player as the match wore on, despite a couple of dips, it was inevitable that the big Croatian would emerge the winner and deservedly so.
Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych
So, next up was this match between the 7 time champion, Roger Federer and the 2010 finalist, Tomas Berdych, who defeated Roger in their previous Wimbledon encounter back in 2010 enroute to the final. However given Roger's red hot form this season, having already won the Australian open, he looked to be the favourite in a match that could easily have been one-way traffic.
However the match itself was quite a close, tight encounter with both men playing very well and Berdych did his best to bring it to Federer throughout the match. The 1st set however saw Federer quickly go up a break, which looked inevitably like he was going to run away with the set. Berdych, however managed to break Roger back and pushed play into a tiebreak, which Roger went on to dominate and finally grabbed the 1st set. The 2nd set was more of the same as Fed and Berdych were locked in another tight battle that went to a tiebreak but again it was Roger that came out on top to grab the two set lead.
And in the 3rd set, Roger continue to keep up the pressure on Berdych, however the big Czeck did managed to grab two break points on Roger's serve at 3-2 but they were quickly snuffed out by two aces. And from here it was Rog that put the final squeeze on Berdych's service game and he broke the big Czeck for the second time in the match and that was all he needed as he went on to serve out the match to seal his place in his 11th Wimbledon final with a 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 win.
Well, this match was actually a much closer, hard fought affair then I had initially anticipated myself and I think Tomas Berdych himself deserves alot of credit for how he played and I think he couldn't have done anymore than he did because at the end of the day, Roger was just too good for him. So, this means that Roger will now play for his 8th Wimbledon title, which would break the record that he and Pete Sampras holds for the most Wimbledon titles and given his current form you could certainly see him do it.
MEN'S FINAL
So, looking ahead to the men's final it is now set between Roger Federer and Marin Cilic and this promises to be a very interesting match as both men played a thrilling five setter last year in which Cilic lead two sets to love against Roger before the seven time champ fought back and won.
So, it all begs the question: who will win this time????
Well, looking at both men's tournament's so far, they have both been in very impressive form with Cilic not dropping a set going into the quarter finals but he then had to battle his way past an in form Gilles Muller in five sets and Sam Querrey in four sets to get to the final. Roger Federer on the other hand has gone into the final without even dropping a single set, despite being pushed to a tiebreak on five occassions in the whole tournament so far, he has won them all. So, clearly Roger has the edge here in terms of having spent less time on court and having dropped no sets so far.
As for the final itself, well this will come down to serve, aggressive play and mental belief and in that department, Roger Federer is short on none of these and he has not only won all his matches in straight sets here but also in Halle where he won his record 9th title there. Cilic also however has exhibited a great deal of belief and he himself is a terrific server, who had drastically improved his serve under the time he was coached by Goran Ivanisevic and it is now a dangerous weapon. Cilic also has won the US Open three years ago where he actually beat Roger enroute to the final in their semi final match there.
However as for who I actually see winning......well I have to really go with Roger on this one, as he has simply been unstoppable throughout this tournament so far and been in magnificent form from the first point he has played up until now. And I think it would take something extra, extra special from Cilic to derail the 7 time champion and deny him his chance to win a record 8th Wimbledon title. However, Cilic has already shown that he can beat Roger on the big stage at the US Open, so I don't mean to entirely dismiss his chances but it is hard to look past Roger winning in all honesty.
So, as for my actual prediction I will go with Roger winning this one in four sets and I do think Cilic has more than enough in his game to nab a set off him here, so I can see Rog finally drop his first set in this match. However given Roger's superb form I wouldn't be surprised if he did go on to win the title in straight sets, which would be the first time ever that he would have won a Wimbledon title without dropping a set. But hopefully for Cilic he won't go away from this final without a single set to his name and I think we could still be in for a close match here and let's hope it is.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back soon with my look at the results of the ladies final and we will see who won the dual between Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza.
So, till then its bye for now!
MENS FINALS
Marin Cilic vs Sam Querrey
First up was this match between Marin Cilic, the 7th seed and the surprise finalist, Sam Querrey, who knocked out Andy Murray, the defending champion in the quarter finals. So, this match promised to be quite an interesting encounter even though Cilic had the commanding lead in their head to head 4-0 going into this match.
And the match itself didn't disappoint as both men played a high quality match from the first point that saw the 1st set with both men locked into battle that went to a tiebreak, which was disrupted by someone in the audience taking ill. This distraction happened while Cilic was about to serve and it ultimately cost him the set as he was clearly distracted by the event that let Querrey go on to win the tiebreak and the 1st set.
In the 2nd set however, Cilic fought back as he broke the big serving American at 3-3 to go ahead and serve out the set to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set it was now starting to become evident that Querrey was beginning to tire as Cilic broke him to take the lead for the first time in the match. However the break was short lived as Querrey showed his class and broke back and play again went to a tiebreak, which this time Cilic won to grab the two sets to one lead.
And in the 4th set, things took another twist as Querrey managed to break Cilic to move ahead in the set and a 5th set looked to be on the cards. However, Cilic once again managed to break the American back and he then went on to break Querrey yet again at 6-5 to seal the match and his place in his first Wimbledon final with an impressive 6-7, 6-4, 7-,6 7-5 win.
This was definitely one of the best, high quality matches on the men's side of the tournament and it was great to see both men bring it to centre court with neither man showing a great deal of nerves. Querrey also showed great form in the match, despite his loss, he said afterwards he wasn't that nervous playing in the biggest match of his career but ultimately Cilic was just better than him. And for Cilic its hard to argue with this as he clearly was the stronger player as the match wore on, despite a couple of dips, it was inevitable that the big Croatian would emerge the winner and deservedly so.
Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych
So, next up was this match between the 7 time champion, Roger Federer and the 2010 finalist, Tomas Berdych, who defeated Roger in their previous Wimbledon encounter back in 2010 enroute to the final. However given Roger's red hot form this season, having already won the Australian open, he looked to be the favourite in a match that could easily have been one-way traffic.
However the match itself was quite a close, tight encounter with both men playing very well and Berdych did his best to bring it to Federer throughout the match. The 1st set however saw Federer quickly go up a break, which looked inevitably like he was going to run away with the set. Berdych, however managed to break Roger back and pushed play into a tiebreak, which Roger went on to dominate and finally grabbed the 1st set. The 2nd set was more of the same as Fed and Berdych were locked in another tight battle that went to a tiebreak but again it was Roger that came out on top to grab the two set lead.
And in the 3rd set, Roger continue to keep up the pressure on Berdych, however the big Czeck did managed to grab two break points on Roger's serve at 3-2 but they were quickly snuffed out by two aces. And from here it was Rog that put the final squeeze on Berdych's service game and he broke the big Czeck for the second time in the match and that was all he needed as he went on to serve out the match to seal his place in his 11th Wimbledon final with a 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 win.
Well, this match was actually a much closer, hard fought affair then I had initially anticipated myself and I think Tomas Berdych himself deserves alot of credit for how he played and I think he couldn't have done anymore than he did because at the end of the day, Roger was just too good for him. So, this means that Roger will now play for his 8th Wimbledon title, which would break the record that he and Pete Sampras holds for the most Wimbledon titles and given his current form you could certainly see him do it.
MEN'S FINAL
So, looking ahead to the men's final it is now set between Roger Federer and Marin Cilic and this promises to be a very interesting match as both men played a thrilling five setter last year in which Cilic lead two sets to love against Roger before the seven time champ fought back and won.
So, it all begs the question: who will win this time????
Well, looking at both men's tournament's so far, they have both been in very impressive form with Cilic not dropping a set going into the quarter finals but he then had to battle his way past an in form Gilles Muller in five sets and Sam Querrey in four sets to get to the final. Roger Federer on the other hand has gone into the final without even dropping a single set, despite being pushed to a tiebreak on five occassions in the whole tournament so far, he has won them all. So, clearly Roger has the edge here in terms of having spent less time on court and having dropped no sets so far.
As for the final itself, well this will come down to serve, aggressive play and mental belief and in that department, Roger Federer is short on none of these and he has not only won all his matches in straight sets here but also in Halle where he won his record 9th title there. Cilic also however has exhibited a great deal of belief and he himself is a terrific server, who had drastically improved his serve under the time he was coached by Goran Ivanisevic and it is now a dangerous weapon. Cilic also has won the US Open three years ago where he actually beat Roger enroute to the final in their semi final match there.
However as for who I actually see winning......well I have to really go with Roger on this one, as he has simply been unstoppable throughout this tournament so far and been in magnificent form from the first point he has played up until now. And I think it would take something extra, extra special from Cilic to derail the 7 time champion and deny him his chance to win a record 8th Wimbledon title. However, Cilic has already shown that he can beat Roger on the big stage at the US Open, so I don't mean to entirely dismiss his chances but it is hard to look past Roger winning in all honesty.
So, as for my actual prediction I will go with Roger winning this one in four sets and I do think Cilic has more than enough in his game to nab a set off him here, so I can see Rog finally drop his first set in this match. However given Roger's superb form I wouldn't be surprised if he did go on to win the title in straight sets, which would be the first time ever that he would have won a Wimbledon title without dropping a set. But hopefully for Cilic he won't go away from this final without a single set to his name and I think we could still be in for a close match here and let's hope it is.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back soon with my look at the results of the ladies final and we will see who won the dual between Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza.
So, till then its bye for now!
Friday 14 July 2017
2017 Wimbledon Men's Event Part 1 - so far up to the semis.....
Now its time to look at the men's event at this year's Wimbledon championships in which the top players of the world compete for that much coveted golden trophy. So let's how things have gone so far...
1st WEEK NOTABLE SEEDS THAT WENT OUT
Well, the first week saw some big upsets on the men's side of the net with the biggest casualty coming on the 1st day, which was Stan Wawrinka, who was up against the talented grass court player, Daniil Medvedev who has enjoyed a grass season on the grass so far whereas Stan hasn't, who went out in the 1st round at Queens. And it was no different here for Stan as Medvedev showed his grass court pedigree and used to defeat Stan in four sets to reach the 2nd round at Wimbledon.
Another big upset was Nick Kyrgios, who was up against Pierre Hughes-Herbert and Nick found himself two sets to love down before he finally decided to throw in the towel due to injury. This marked Nick's worst loss of the season so far after going out early in Australia and Paris in the first two slams in the 2nd round.
Feliciano Lopez, the 19th seed, despite having a great grass season so far and winning the Queens club title for the first time just a week prior to Wimbledon, also suffered an early loss at the hands of Adrian Mannirino of France as he retired in the 4th set with injury.
Juan Martin Del Potro also suffered an early exit in the 2nd round as he was defeated by Ernest Gublis in straight sets, which saw the big Argentine fail to reach beyond the first week at Wimbledon again for the second year running.
Kei Nishikori was another top 10 seed casualty who suffered an early exit in the 3rd round at the hands of the 18th seed, Robert Bautista Agut, the Spaniard who is pretty consistent on all surfaces and has so far reached the 4th round of every major. Nishikori however has always struggled to play well on grass having never gotten past the last 16 at the event.
And lastly Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has been a two time semi-finalist at SW19 also suffered a defeat from the American big server, Sam Querrey as the two of them needed two days to complete their five set epic match. On the 2nd day of returning to the court, at 6-5 up to Querrey it took only five minutes for the American to break Tsonga's serve and seal his place in the last 16.
2ND WEEK SO FAR AND MORE UPSETS
So moving onto the 2nd week we saw big seismic upsets that left the crowds at SW19 in shock starting with Rafael Nadal, the former two time champion, who took on the talented grass court specialist, Gilles Muller in the 4th round.
And the two men played what has so far been undisputedly the match of the tournament that was a real epic that went the distance. The match began however with Muller surprisingly outplaying Rafa and nabbing a two set lead to put the 4th seed in real danger of going out. Rafa however managed to dig deep and win the 3rd and 4th sets to level the match and make him the favourite to win the decider. However, Muller showed his class with his quality serve and kept his calm as both men played a thrilling deciding set that went real deep as both men refused to budge on serve until at 14-13 it was Muller that made the breakthrough and broke Rafa at last to win the match. This saw Rafa go out yet again at Wimbledon before the quarter finals for the 2nd time in the last six years as Muller reach his first Wimbledon quarter final with a stunning 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 victory.
This really was a big upset given that Rafa looked to be played very well on the grass courts again as he reached the last 16 in such impressive form having not dropped a set. However, Muller deserves all the credit here for pulling off such a big win and it blew the draw wide open for the other players to progress further.
The next big upset came with the defending champion, Andy Murray who took on the big serving American, Sam Querrey, who had already come through two testing five setters to get to this stage against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kevin Anderson respectively. Andy had come into the event with a question mark around his fitness as he was suffering from a hip injury that hampered his preparations but he still managed to put in a good effort to get this far to the quarter final stage.
And at the start of the match it looked likely that Andy would be able to win it as he took the first set and he went up a break in the 2nd set. However, Querrey broke back and then went on to break Andy's own serve to level the match. The 3rd set was a tight affair however that saw both men trade breaks of serve as Andy failed to serve out the set at 5-4 and play went to a tiebreak, which Andy won to take the two sets to one lead. However just as victory looked to be in sight for Andy, his fitness suddenly detirioated and started to hobble badly on one leg as his hip injury resurfaced, which let Querrey back into the match as he ruthlessly broke the defending champion three times in the 4th set to level the match. And in the 5th set, Andy's movement grew even worse as he could barely move around the court, hobbling and limping badly, this let Querrey grab the triple break to go 5-1 up and then serve out the match with an ace to reach his first major semi final with a huge upset victory winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Well, this was yet another big upset with Andy looking in pretty good form at the start of the match only for his hip injury to rear its ugly head (or hip!) again, Querrey's big serving and good movement were too much for Andy as the match wore on. And by the end of the match it was difficult to watch the defending champion hobble around the court and in the last couple of games he was really whincing in pain, so it was inevitable after the 3rd set that he wouldn't have won.
So, this leaves a big question mark as to what Andy will do next as it looks most likely that he will need to take an extended break to sort out his hip, which could either involve a long period of rest and rehab or maybe even surgery, which experts have said could put him out for six months, meaning his season this year would be as good as over. Personally I would rather see Andy take the necessary time out needed to get himself back to 100 percent fitness and if that means taking the rest of the season off to recover, then so be it as his fitness and health should definitely come first before playing any tournament regardless of it being a slam or not.
And the last big upset comes in the form of Novak Djokovic, who was looking to be in pretty good form coming into the tournament as he won his first grass court warm-up title at Eastbourne just the week prior to Wimbledon and he managed to reach the quarter finals here where he played Tomas Berdych.
However unfortunately for Novak, during his win over Adrian Mannarino in the 4th round he was suffering with a shoulder injury, which later developed into his elbow as he went into his match with Tomas Berdych. So, in the match both men played a tight first set that went to a tiebreak and Berdych took the initiative as Novak appeared to be struggling with his elbow and the big Czeck took the opening set. And in the 2nd set, after going a break down, Novak finally decided to throw in the towel as his elbow injury forced him to retire trailing 2-0 in the 2nd set that saw Berdych reach his 2nd consecutive Wimbledon semi final with a 7-6, 2-0 ret result.
Well this result was definitely a surprise as Novak looked to be in good form coming into Wimbledon even though there were a few concerns about his shoulder injury in his 4th round match he appeared to be OK in the first set against Berdych. However it was soon apparent that Novak's elbow was a problem and in the end it was too much for Novak to continue.
So, this now leaves another question mark over Novak's fitness, who has considered taking an extended break himself to try and get his form back and recover well, which means potentially we might not see either Andy or Novak in action in the latter half or indeed the rest of the season. Time will tell soon enough for both men but right now rest and recuperation sounds like the best course of action.
WHO'S LEFT
Well as for who is left there is of course the men's favourite, Roger Federer, who so far has been in sublime form in the tournament and is yet to drop a set as he has breezed his way into the semi finals. Roger so far has taken out players such as Mischa Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and in his quarter final match, Milos Raonic, all in straight sets, which has shown that he remains imperious in his form and well on course to lift that recording breaking 8th Wimbledon title.
Marin Cilic, who was already considered a real favourite for the title also has made a great run into the semis so far as he reached the last eight without dropping a set. However that all changed when he met Gilles Muller, who handed Cilic his first real test of the tournament and the Luxembourger pushed Cilic to the limit as their match went to a 5th set. But in the end, Cilic showed his class as he went to break Muller twice (or three times maybe!) in the decider and seal his place in his first Wimbledon semi final with a hard fought 3-6, 7-6, 6-5, 5-7, 6-1 victory.
And of course we have Tomas Berdych and Sam Querrey who toppled Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic respectively. However both men will have their work cut out as Berdych will take on Roger next, which is one I honestly have to say is a match I do not think he will win and it will be most likely that Rog will come through that match without dropping a set. Querrey however might be able to make life tougher for Cilic as they had previously played the second longest match at Wimbledon as both men played a five setter previously that went Cilic's way 17-15 in the 5th. Cilic however has never lost to Querrey in his career and I think this late in the tournament that he will be the real favourite to come through that match in an easier fashion in maybe four sets.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back with the result of the men's semi finals once the matches have been played out.
So, till the next one its bye for now.
1st WEEK NOTABLE SEEDS THAT WENT OUT
Well, the first week saw some big upsets on the men's side of the net with the biggest casualty coming on the 1st day, which was Stan Wawrinka, who was up against the talented grass court player, Daniil Medvedev who has enjoyed a grass season on the grass so far whereas Stan hasn't, who went out in the 1st round at Queens. And it was no different here for Stan as Medvedev showed his grass court pedigree and used to defeat Stan in four sets to reach the 2nd round at Wimbledon.
Another big upset was Nick Kyrgios, who was up against Pierre Hughes-Herbert and Nick found himself two sets to love down before he finally decided to throw in the towel due to injury. This marked Nick's worst loss of the season so far after going out early in Australia and Paris in the first two slams in the 2nd round.
Feliciano Lopez, the 19th seed, despite having a great grass season so far and winning the Queens club title for the first time just a week prior to Wimbledon, also suffered an early loss at the hands of Adrian Mannirino of France as he retired in the 4th set with injury.
Juan Martin Del Potro also suffered an early exit in the 2nd round as he was defeated by Ernest Gublis in straight sets, which saw the big Argentine fail to reach beyond the first week at Wimbledon again for the second year running.
Kei Nishikori was another top 10 seed casualty who suffered an early exit in the 3rd round at the hands of the 18th seed, Robert Bautista Agut, the Spaniard who is pretty consistent on all surfaces and has so far reached the 4th round of every major. Nishikori however has always struggled to play well on grass having never gotten past the last 16 at the event.
And lastly Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has been a two time semi-finalist at SW19 also suffered a defeat from the American big server, Sam Querrey as the two of them needed two days to complete their five set epic match. On the 2nd day of returning to the court, at 6-5 up to Querrey it took only five minutes for the American to break Tsonga's serve and seal his place in the last 16.
2ND WEEK SO FAR AND MORE UPSETS
So moving onto the 2nd week we saw big seismic upsets that left the crowds at SW19 in shock starting with Rafael Nadal, the former two time champion, who took on the talented grass court specialist, Gilles Muller in the 4th round.
And the two men played what has so far been undisputedly the match of the tournament that was a real epic that went the distance. The match began however with Muller surprisingly outplaying Rafa and nabbing a two set lead to put the 4th seed in real danger of going out. Rafa however managed to dig deep and win the 3rd and 4th sets to level the match and make him the favourite to win the decider. However, Muller showed his class with his quality serve and kept his calm as both men played a thrilling deciding set that went real deep as both men refused to budge on serve until at 14-13 it was Muller that made the breakthrough and broke Rafa at last to win the match. This saw Rafa go out yet again at Wimbledon before the quarter finals for the 2nd time in the last six years as Muller reach his first Wimbledon quarter final with a stunning 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 victory.
This really was a big upset given that Rafa looked to be played very well on the grass courts again as he reached the last 16 in such impressive form having not dropped a set. However, Muller deserves all the credit here for pulling off such a big win and it blew the draw wide open for the other players to progress further.
The next big upset came with the defending champion, Andy Murray who took on the big serving American, Sam Querrey, who had already come through two testing five setters to get to this stage against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kevin Anderson respectively. Andy had come into the event with a question mark around his fitness as he was suffering from a hip injury that hampered his preparations but he still managed to put in a good effort to get this far to the quarter final stage.
And at the start of the match it looked likely that Andy would be able to win it as he took the first set and he went up a break in the 2nd set. However, Querrey broke back and then went on to break Andy's own serve to level the match. The 3rd set was a tight affair however that saw both men trade breaks of serve as Andy failed to serve out the set at 5-4 and play went to a tiebreak, which Andy won to take the two sets to one lead. However just as victory looked to be in sight for Andy, his fitness suddenly detirioated and started to hobble badly on one leg as his hip injury resurfaced, which let Querrey back into the match as he ruthlessly broke the defending champion three times in the 4th set to level the match. And in the 5th set, Andy's movement grew even worse as he could barely move around the court, hobbling and limping badly, this let Querrey grab the triple break to go 5-1 up and then serve out the match with an ace to reach his first major semi final with a huge upset victory winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Well, this was yet another big upset with Andy looking in pretty good form at the start of the match only for his hip injury to rear its ugly head (or hip!) again, Querrey's big serving and good movement were too much for Andy as the match wore on. And by the end of the match it was difficult to watch the defending champion hobble around the court and in the last couple of games he was really whincing in pain, so it was inevitable after the 3rd set that he wouldn't have won.
So, this leaves a big question mark as to what Andy will do next as it looks most likely that he will need to take an extended break to sort out his hip, which could either involve a long period of rest and rehab or maybe even surgery, which experts have said could put him out for six months, meaning his season this year would be as good as over. Personally I would rather see Andy take the necessary time out needed to get himself back to 100 percent fitness and if that means taking the rest of the season off to recover, then so be it as his fitness and health should definitely come first before playing any tournament regardless of it being a slam or not.
And the last big upset comes in the form of Novak Djokovic, who was looking to be in pretty good form coming into the tournament as he won his first grass court warm-up title at Eastbourne just the week prior to Wimbledon and he managed to reach the quarter finals here where he played Tomas Berdych.
However unfortunately for Novak, during his win over Adrian Mannarino in the 4th round he was suffering with a shoulder injury, which later developed into his elbow as he went into his match with Tomas Berdych. So, in the match both men played a tight first set that went to a tiebreak and Berdych took the initiative as Novak appeared to be struggling with his elbow and the big Czeck took the opening set. And in the 2nd set, after going a break down, Novak finally decided to throw in the towel as his elbow injury forced him to retire trailing 2-0 in the 2nd set that saw Berdych reach his 2nd consecutive Wimbledon semi final with a 7-6, 2-0 ret result.
Well this result was definitely a surprise as Novak looked to be in good form coming into Wimbledon even though there were a few concerns about his shoulder injury in his 4th round match he appeared to be OK in the first set against Berdych. However it was soon apparent that Novak's elbow was a problem and in the end it was too much for Novak to continue.
So, this now leaves another question mark over Novak's fitness, who has considered taking an extended break himself to try and get his form back and recover well, which means potentially we might not see either Andy or Novak in action in the latter half or indeed the rest of the season. Time will tell soon enough for both men but right now rest and recuperation sounds like the best course of action.
WHO'S LEFT
Well as for who is left there is of course the men's favourite, Roger Federer, who so far has been in sublime form in the tournament and is yet to drop a set as he has breezed his way into the semi finals. Roger so far has taken out players such as Mischa Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and in his quarter final match, Milos Raonic, all in straight sets, which has shown that he remains imperious in his form and well on course to lift that recording breaking 8th Wimbledon title.
Marin Cilic, who was already considered a real favourite for the title also has made a great run into the semis so far as he reached the last eight without dropping a set. However that all changed when he met Gilles Muller, who handed Cilic his first real test of the tournament and the Luxembourger pushed Cilic to the limit as their match went to a 5th set. But in the end, Cilic showed his class as he went to break Muller twice (or three times maybe!) in the decider and seal his place in his first Wimbledon semi final with a hard fought 3-6, 7-6, 6-5, 5-7, 6-1 victory.
And of course we have Tomas Berdych and Sam Querrey who toppled Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic respectively. However both men will have their work cut out as Berdych will take on Roger next, which is one I honestly have to say is a match I do not think he will win and it will be most likely that Rog will come through that match without dropping a set. Querrey however might be able to make life tougher for Cilic as they had previously played the second longest match at Wimbledon as both men played a five setter previously that went Cilic's way 17-15 in the 5th. Cilic however has never lost to Querrey in his career and I think this late in the tournament that he will be the real favourite to come through that match in an easier fashion in maybe four sets.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back with the result of the men's semi finals once the matches have been played out.
So, till the next one its bye for now.
Thursday 13 July 2017
2017 Wimbledon ladies event Part 1 - so far and the semi finals
Right, OK so I am really late with my coverage of this year's Wimbledon championships coverage on this blog, so apologies for that, so this post will need to be a pretty quick update on the latest events in the tournament so far.
So, as usual with tradition, I will start with the ladies tournament....
WEEK 1 NOTABLE UPSETS AND ALL THINGS BRITISH....
Right, so in week 1 we had a number of upsets with the biggest one being the World No.3, Karolina Pliskova, who was deemed the favourite to win the title as she had just won a warm up grass court title in Eastbourn the week before. However, Pliskova didn't live up to the billing as she suffered a three set shock loss to the unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, who had come into the event with a protected ranking. Rybarikova herself would then go on to enjoy a deep run into the tournament as she went on to reach the semi finals but more on that in a bit.
Petra Kvitova, who has just recently returned from her knife attack injury at the end of last year, despite being one of the favourites to lift the title, also went out early in the second round as she was beaten by the American player, Madison Brengle in three sets. This was also a surprise given that Kvitova had won a warm up tournament in Birmingham that set her up as a favourite going into SW19.
On the British front of things however there were mixed fortunes as Laura Robson, suffered a first round loss, as she has been out of form with various injuries through her troubled career so far and she went out to the Brazilian player, Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets.
On a slightly more positive note though however for the British ladies players, Heather Watson did make a good run of things in the first week as she reached the 3rd round where she took on Victoria Azarenka, who herself has returned recently to the sport after she had her baby last year. However despite a valiant battle from Heather, Azarenka was just a bit too solid for her and Heather's unforced errors took their toll in the 3rd and decisive set, which saw Azarenka reach the 4th round. Azarenka would however later fall in the 4th round to Simona Halep.
However on the brighter note, the British No.1, Jo Konta, made it through the first week with flying colours although she did have to battle pretty hard in her 2nd round match where she took on Donna Vekic in a epic contest on centre court. The match was one of the best of the ladies tournament and it was a real battle that could have went either way but ultimately it went Konta's as she closed out a very memorable win with a 7-6, 4-6, 10-8 scoreline.
WEEK 2 SEEDS GONE OUT AND PROGRESS TO THE SEMIS
Now we get onto the 2nd week, which saw a few more big upsets in the top seeds that included Angelique Kerber, the World No.1, who has been struggling for form this year but she had a pretty decent grass court season going into Wimbledon. And in the 4th round she took on the former French Open champion, Garbine Muguruza as the two of them were locked in a tough battle that eventually went the way of Muguruza who came from a set down to beat Kerber and won in 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Then we had Agnieszka Radwanska who went out also in the 4th round at the hands of the former French and US Open champion and 7th seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, who overpowered Radwanska and put out 9th seed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Kuznetsova herself would then go on to be defeated in the quarter finals by Garbine Muguruza.
Caroline Wozniacki also suffered a 4th round defeat at the hands of the 24th seed, Coco Vandeweghe from the US, who is currently being coached by the former men's champion, Pat Cash. And Coco proved to have too much for Wozniacki, who has always struggled against the big hitters in the game and this match was no exception as Coco won it in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. Coco herself however would then go on to face Magdalena Rybarikova, who stunned the 24th seed in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Simona Halep, who went into this tournament with a shot being No.1 by the end of it was up against Jo Konta in their quarter final match and if Halep won that match she would ensure that she would become the new World No.1. However, Konta had other ideas as she fought back from a set down to work her way into the match and into Halep's mind as the 2nd seed froze in the final set and was broken and Konta ended her dream and put Halep out with a 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 win. This win meant that Karolina Pliskova, despite her early loss, will become the new World No.1 as of next Monday when the rankings come out.
And lastly Jelena Ostapenko, this year's surprise French open ladies singles champion, took on the mighty Venus Williams for a place in the semi finals in their quarter final match. However despite the younster's ability to defy experience over youth at the French open, this time she was not able to defy Venus, who simply outclassed Ostapenko from the get-go and she swiftly went on to defeat the plucky Ostapenko in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.
SEMI FINALS
Right now for a quick look at the ladies semi finals matches, which took place today.
Garbine Muguruza vs Magdalena Rybarikova
So up first was this match featuring the 2015 finalist, Garbine Muguruza and the surprise player of the ladies tournament, Magdalena Rybarikova. This match was an intriguing one as the two players had an even head to head 2-2 going into this match with Magda (just refer to her as Magda to save on typing!) winning that won two years on grass in Birmingham.
However the match itself was a total mis-match for Magda this time around as Muguruza was ruthless in her efficiency on the court as she dominated Magda right from the start as she bossed her in the rallies and passed her at every opportunity. This then saw Garbine take an emphatic victory as she demolished her Slovakian opponent in straight sets to reach her 2nd Wimbledon final with a 6-1, 6-1 win.
This match promised to be interesting but given how much Muguruza has improved since as a player from their last meeting, in a way its no surprise that Muguruza would emerge as the winner for this one. So, this really sees Garbine in with a strong chance to go one step further this time round and claim her first Wimbledon title on Saturday. However that will all depend on the winner of the next match.....
Venus Williams vs Jo Konta
And the next match was between the 5 time champion, Venus Williams and the British No.1, Jo Konta, who had made a very impressive run to the last four at SW19 for the first time in her career and the first time in 39 years since a British woman had done so (Virgina Wade being the last). Jo also lead Venus in their head to head going into this match 3-2, so this promised to be a very close match.
However despite a strong start from both ladies, particularly with Konta, who at 4-4 manage to garner two break points against Venus, that was about as far as she could get against the 5 time champion who saved them both and went on to hold and break Konta to nab the first set. And in the 2nd set, Konta's nerves clearly got the better of her as she made a number of forehand errors that saw her go down a double break. And at 5-2 with Konta serving to make it 5-3, Venus managed to break once more to end Konta's hopes of reaching her maiden slam final and Venus reached her 9th Wimbledon final with an impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Well unfortunately for the Brits, this defeat for Konta marked the end of the line for British interest in the singles for the ladies and she would have to go on waiting for another year. However regardless of her defeat today, Konta deserves tremendous credit for her performance over the last two weeks and it really did show that she has got it in her to win a major one way.
As for Venus, will this match proves that you cannot write her off and in the absence of her sister, Serena (who is currently out of the game as she is pregnant) this will help Venus emerge from her sister's shadow and give her a chance to win another Wimbledon title. It would also be the perfect end to an upsetting fortnight for Venus, who had faced some difficult questions coming into the tournament due to her involvement in a car accident that saw the driver of the other car, later die from his injuries as a result.
THE FINAL
Right, so let's take a look ahead to the ladies final then....
So, the ladies final is now set between Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza, both ladies are grand slam champions, so they are no stranger as to how to win one, so going into this final, you get the feeling this could be a pretty even match. Venus however actually has the lead in their head to head 3-1 although Muguruza did win their most recent match this year in Rome on clay, so this might give some slight advantage to Murguruza but this is their first meeting on grass.
So it all begs the question: who will win????? Well....even though, Muguruza won their last meeting, I really have to go with Venus here as she has really shown her class in this tournament so far and her experience in slam finals is what might get her over the finishing line here. Muguruza however will be no pushover that is for sure and this should still be a pretty competitive match, so I could easily see it go the distance.
As for my actual prediction.....well I will go with Venus winning this one in three sets and by doing so it will end her grand slam title drought with her little sis out the way, this will surely be her best ever time to win just maybe that one last more major before Serena takes over again.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back soon with my look at the mens' tournament so far at SW19.
See you soon....
So, as usual with tradition, I will start with the ladies tournament....
WEEK 1 NOTABLE UPSETS AND ALL THINGS BRITISH....
Right, so in week 1 we had a number of upsets with the biggest one being the World No.3, Karolina Pliskova, who was deemed the favourite to win the title as she had just won a warm up grass court title in Eastbourn the week before. However, Pliskova didn't live up to the billing as she suffered a three set shock loss to the unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, who had come into the event with a protected ranking. Rybarikova herself would then go on to enjoy a deep run into the tournament as she went on to reach the semi finals but more on that in a bit.
Petra Kvitova, who has just recently returned from her knife attack injury at the end of last year, despite being one of the favourites to lift the title, also went out early in the second round as she was beaten by the American player, Madison Brengle in three sets. This was also a surprise given that Kvitova had won a warm up tournament in Birmingham that set her up as a favourite going into SW19.
On the British front of things however there were mixed fortunes as Laura Robson, suffered a first round loss, as she has been out of form with various injuries through her troubled career so far and she went out to the Brazilian player, Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets.
On a slightly more positive note though however for the British ladies players, Heather Watson did make a good run of things in the first week as she reached the 3rd round where she took on Victoria Azarenka, who herself has returned recently to the sport after she had her baby last year. However despite a valiant battle from Heather, Azarenka was just a bit too solid for her and Heather's unforced errors took their toll in the 3rd and decisive set, which saw Azarenka reach the 4th round. Azarenka would however later fall in the 4th round to Simona Halep.
However on the brighter note, the British No.1, Jo Konta, made it through the first week with flying colours although she did have to battle pretty hard in her 2nd round match where she took on Donna Vekic in a epic contest on centre court. The match was one of the best of the ladies tournament and it was a real battle that could have went either way but ultimately it went Konta's as she closed out a very memorable win with a 7-6, 4-6, 10-8 scoreline.
WEEK 2 SEEDS GONE OUT AND PROGRESS TO THE SEMIS
Now we get onto the 2nd week, which saw a few more big upsets in the top seeds that included Angelique Kerber, the World No.1, who has been struggling for form this year but she had a pretty decent grass court season going into Wimbledon. And in the 4th round she took on the former French Open champion, Garbine Muguruza as the two of them were locked in a tough battle that eventually went the way of Muguruza who came from a set down to beat Kerber and won in 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Then we had Agnieszka Radwanska who went out also in the 4th round at the hands of the former French and US Open champion and 7th seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, who overpowered Radwanska and put out 9th seed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Kuznetsova herself would then go on to be defeated in the quarter finals by Garbine Muguruza.
Caroline Wozniacki also suffered a 4th round defeat at the hands of the 24th seed, Coco Vandeweghe from the US, who is currently being coached by the former men's champion, Pat Cash. And Coco proved to have too much for Wozniacki, who has always struggled against the big hitters in the game and this match was no exception as Coco won it in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. Coco herself however would then go on to face Magdalena Rybarikova, who stunned the 24th seed in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Simona Halep, who went into this tournament with a shot being No.1 by the end of it was up against Jo Konta in their quarter final match and if Halep won that match she would ensure that she would become the new World No.1. However, Konta had other ideas as she fought back from a set down to work her way into the match and into Halep's mind as the 2nd seed froze in the final set and was broken and Konta ended her dream and put Halep out with a 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 win. This win meant that Karolina Pliskova, despite her early loss, will become the new World No.1 as of next Monday when the rankings come out.
And lastly Jelena Ostapenko, this year's surprise French open ladies singles champion, took on the mighty Venus Williams for a place in the semi finals in their quarter final match. However despite the younster's ability to defy experience over youth at the French open, this time she was not able to defy Venus, who simply outclassed Ostapenko from the get-go and she swiftly went on to defeat the plucky Ostapenko in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.
SEMI FINALS
Right now for a quick look at the ladies semi finals matches, which took place today.
Garbine Muguruza vs Magdalena Rybarikova
So up first was this match featuring the 2015 finalist, Garbine Muguruza and the surprise player of the ladies tournament, Magdalena Rybarikova. This match was an intriguing one as the two players had an even head to head 2-2 going into this match with Magda (just refer to her as Magda to save on typing!) winning that won two years on grass in Birmingham.
However the match itself was a total mis-match for Magda this time around as Muguruza was ruthless in her efficiency on the court as she dominated Magda right from the start as she bossed her in the rallies and passed her at every opportunity. This then saw Garbine take an emphatic victory as she demolished her Slovakian opponent in straight sets to reach her 2nd Wimbledon final with a 6-1, 6-1 win.
This match promised to be interesting but given how much Muguruza has improved since as a player from their last meeting, in a way its no surprise that Muguruza would emerge as the winner for this one. So, this really sees Garbine in with a strong chance to go one step further this time round and claim her first Wimbledon title on Saturday. However that will all depend on the winner of the next match.....
Venus Williams vs Jo Konta
And the next match was between the 5 time champion, Venus Williams and the British No.1, Jo Konta, who had made a very impressive run to the last four at SW19 for the first time in her career and the first time in 39 years since a British woman had done so (Virgina Wade being the last). Jo also lead Venus in their head to head going into this match 3-2, so this promised to be a very close match.
However despite a strong start from both ladies, particularly with Konta, who at 4-4 manage to garner two break points against Venus, that was about as far as she could get against the 5 time champion who saved them both and went on to hold and break Konta to nab the first set. And in the 2nd set, Konta's nerves clearly got the better of her as she made a number of forehand errors that saw her go down a double break. And at 5-2 with Konta serving to make it 5-3, Venus managed to break once more to end Konta's hopes of reaching her maiden slam final and Venus reached her 9th Wimbledon final with an impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Well unfortunately for the Brits, this defeat for Konta marked the end of the line for British interest in the singles for the ladies and she would have to go on waiting for another year. However regardless of her defeat today, Konta deserves tremendous credit for her performance over the last two weeks and it really did show that she has got it in her to win a major one way.
As for Venus, will this match proves that you cannot write her off and in the absence of her sister, Serena (who is currently out of the game as she is pregnant) this will help Venus emerge from her sister's shadow and give her a chance to win another Wimbledon title. It would also be the perfect end to an upsetting fortnight for Venus, who had faced some difficult questions coming into the tournament due to her involvement in a car accident that saw the driver of the other car, later die from his injuries as a result.
THE FINAL
Right, so let's take a look ahead to the ladies final then....
So, the ladies final is now set between Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza, both ladies are grand slam champions, so they are no stranger as to how to win one, so going into this final, you get the feeling this could be a pretty even match. Venus however actually has the lead in their head to head 3-1 although Muguruza did win their most recent match this year in Rome on clay, so this might give some slight advantage to Murguruza but this is their first meeting on grass.
So it all begs the question: who will win????? Well....even though, Muguruza won their last meeting, I really have to go with Venus here as she has really shown her class in this tournament so far and her experience in slam finals is what might get her over the finishing line here. Muguruza however will be no pushover that is for sure and this should still be a pretty competitive match, so I could easily see it go the distance.
As for my actual prediction.....well I will go with Venus winning this one in three sets and by doing so it will end her grand slam title drought with her little sis out the way, this will surely be her best ever time to win just maybe that one last more major before Serena takes over again.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back soon with my look at the mens' tournament so far at SW19.
See you soon....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)