OK, so onto the men's semi finals which were altogether a tougher, lengthier more demanding affair, as the top four players in the world fought it out against each other.
The first match was certainly the more superior of the two as Djokovic and Federer promised to deliver an epic encounter and they didn't disappoint, as the two of them produce an amazing encounter, which stretched over 5 sets. At the start Federer definitely took the advantage after winning the first set tiebeaker, he broke early in the 2nd set, despite being broken back, Federer broke again to take the second set. However Djokovic inevitably fought back to even match to make it 2 sets all in the decider, despite Federer being a break up at 5-3 and being in a position to win the match, double faulted to hand the break back to Djokovic, and before we know it was 5-5 all and Djokovic secured a break of his own, which after nearly four hours, the World No.1 defeated Federer in 6(7)-7(9), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. This was quite a match without a doubt and it marked the first time this year that Djokovic was taken the distance in a grand slam match. It really does say something about Djokovic's perseverance, talent and ability to pull a win out of the most seemingly impossibly tasks, but I have to say he really deserved the win, he certainly earnt it. Djokovic certainly isn't playing to the same invincible level he was earlier this year, fatigue and tiredness has gripped him over the past month or so after having played over 60 matches. But his ability to win a match under such pressure really is quite remarkable, and it has secured his 3rd US Open final.
So onto the next semi final encounter between Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal, Rafa naturally leads their head to head which was 12-4 to the Raf coming into this match. And while it was a match of mixed quality, it certainly had some excellent moments in it as well, especially in the latter half where a lacklustre Andy Murray suddenly decided to get involved in the match. Rafa looked to be in utterly formidable form coming into this match after he demolished Andy Roddick, and right enough he kept up that form in the match (I don't think there is a player who uses the passing shot more than Rafa!). After Rafa secured a break in the first set he took it, and in the 2nd set Andy's mindset when walkies as it does when he serves poorly and let Rafa take it with more ease. However in the 3rd set Andy fought back and broke Rafa's serve early on, only to have Rafa break back, but Andy battled to break again at 5-3 to take the set. In the 4th set despite a promising start especially a terrific game at 1-1 all on Rafa's serve, with Andy trying to convert another break point, which didn't come off. By then the toll of playing back to back matches in two days started to prove to be a bit too much as Andy struggled to hold his serve at 5-2 down, his back troubles emerged which started toward the end of his Isner match, as Rafa broke Muzza's service game to love to secure his place in his 2nd US Open final and the final scoreline reading 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
But overall the match belied its scoreline as it was quite an interesting and occassionally thrilling encounter especially in the 3rd and 4th sets, where Andy stopped playing naff tennis and started to produce some great rallies, vollies, passing shots and backhand winners to counteract Rafa's frequent brilliance. But I actualy thought it was a much better match than the Wimbledon semi-final which became more painful to watch as it went on, at least Andy mounted a fightback this time rather than start strong then go downhill as it went on. However it has to be said Andy intermittently produced some absolutely brilliant tennis as well as awful, its just that lack of consistency that plagues him that is the problem, as well as his insistance at whinging every time he hits a bad point or is broken. Andy has tried a bit more this year to hold his composure, but he sure struggled to do that in this match, as he kept yelling and muttering to himself, it certainly doesn't help him, although I do find his talking to himself quite amusing sometimes. But someone needs to give him a good talking to methinks! ;-)
Regardless of all that, Andy actually put up a good fight and for the most part played a good match against Rafa, especially considering he had previously played such a gruelling match the day before. And looking back I think while the main reason he lost the match was simply due to Rafa being the better player, but I also think it had a little in part to do with Andy having to play two gruelling matches back to back. I don't think Rafa would have envied playing John Isner the day before either as he found out at the French Open, and just maybe things might have been different if the tables were turned, but then again maybe not. But I think the poor scheduling of the US Open definitely didn't help matters, they couldn't have helped with the rain delays, but the way the draw works with Djokovic and Federer getting a day off between matches while the bottom half didn't in the second week, just wasn't fair. And to ask a player to play two tough matches back to back in a slam over two days is quite a lot. Inevitably Rafa had the easier match against Roddick and that gave him quite an advantage in expending less energy and time on court. But on the day I guess Andy struggled with his serve, himself and his back, its a great shame but to be expected.
Regardless Andy has finished his grand slam season having reached a final and three semi finals which is in itself quite an achievement. And there are plenty more tournaments coming up this season, particularly the Masters in Shanghai, which is Andy is defending champion of, and Paris, as well as the big finale the ATP World Finals in London, so Andy will have his chances there, in fact it would signal the best end to his year if he won in London, buttttttt that's a while and wayyy off yet, and he will still have to go through the top 3 to do it. Slam or no slam, Andy's efforts are always considerable and he is a great fighter no doubt, and 2011 ain't over yet, so we will see what else is up for him next.
So that sets us up another tasty final between the world's two best tennis players, Rafa and Djoko, who's going to win?????? My money is definitely on Djokovic, because if for no better reasons, he is the World No.1, he is currently the best player in the world, and he has beaten Rafa five times in a row, 4 in Masters and 1 at slam level, so that's good enough for me. However Rafa is back on form just now, and I think it will be a tighter match than the one at Wimbledon, but I do think Djokovic will prevail, as he has shown time and time again how to deal with adversity this year. So I'm guessing it will be Djokovic in 5, maybe a very tight 4.
Soooooooooooooooooooo that's the end........ more soon when the silveware lifters are revealed.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Flushing Meadows Part 6.1: When it rains it pours
So that's another men's and ladies semi finals over at the US Open and we were treated pretty well with some fine tennis.
Starting with the ladies, a very much anticipated semi final between the current World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and 13 time grand slam champion Serena Williams who's on the comeback. And right from the start you could tell who the better player on court was, and it wasn't Caroline, as Serena dominated the 21 year old from the very first point. In the first set Serena in typical fashion broke early on and took it in 6-2, in the second set Caroline did her best to fight back from a break down, but once again Serena proved to have too much for her and now she's in the final with a chance to win her 4th US Open title. I feel in a way that Caroline is almost like the female Andy Murray, well except more chirpy of course! I say that because in a way she is also very keen to win her first major, she puts in the hard graft, but she is up against other players who have pipped her to the post, so for every Caroline Wozniacki, there is a Kim Clijsters, Li Na or Serena Williams who get in her way first. So it must be tough to be the World no.1 and not have won a slam to back it up, Jelena Jankovic and Dinira Safina similarly were also No.1s who also never won a major, will know how it feels. But Caroline will also have other chances, although while Serena is still around she may not get one, but Serena may only have a couple more years in her before she retires.
In the other ladies match, Sam Stosur took on the wildcard Angeliq Kerber who amazingly pulled through to her first grand slam semi final. Keber put up a good fight against Stosur but it was the 7th seed who had the upper hand in the end and sealed the match after 3 sets in 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. I do feel a bit understandably annoyed for Sam Stosur though that her match got less publicity because she played on the Grandstand, instead of maybe the Louis Armstrong stadium, which had water damage. Again this was in part due to the organisers incompetence in refusing to provide covers for the courts simply because they don't look nice!! Excuse me, but if they help keep the court dry who gives a shit what they look like!! But the Grandstand is a good size stadium, and Sam definitely had a terrific crowd and a great atmosphere to back her.
So this will be Sam's second slam final, and her first US Open final, which is a great achievement in itself, but I don't envy the task that lies ahead of her to try and take out the former reigning 3 time champion. Can Sam win today????? Nahhhhh. Sadly not, I think Serena will have too much game for her, in fact I think it will be the same result as it was in their final in Toronto, 6-4, 6-2 to Serena. However I might be wrong, if Sam plays well enough she could push it to a decider, which would make for a better match, and Sam herself has a big serve and she is no stick insect as she has a powerful build, but she has to serve well to have any chance. But it won't make difference to the outcome as I think it will be Serena who will be lifting that silverware at the end of the day. Regardless of the outcome I think it will be worth a watch and I hope it isn't too bad a defeat for Sam, its also the last slam of the season, and so far the ladies slam finals have been excellent, so it would be great to see the season finish off with a great one.
So as this post is exceedingly long as it is, I'm splitting into two, now fer the men's tennis.....
Starting with the ladies, a very much anticipated semi final between the current World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and 13 time grand slam champion Serena Williams who's on the comeback. And right from the start you could tell who the better player on court was, and it wasn't Caroline, as Serena dominated the 21 year old from the very first point. In the first set Serena in typical fashion broke early on and took it in 6-2, in the second set Caroline did her best to fight back from a break down, but once again Serena proved to have too much for her and now she's in the final with a chance to win her 4th US Open title. I feel in a way that Caroline is almost like the female Andy Murray, well except more chirpy of course! I say that because in a way she is also very keen to win her first major, she puts in the hard graft, but she is up against other players who have pipped her to the post, so for every Caroline Wozniacki, there is a Kim Clijsters, Li Na or Serena Williams who get in her way first. So it must be tough to be the World no.1 and not have won a slam to back it up, Jelena Jankovic and Dinira Safina similarly were also No.1s who also never won a major, will know how it feels. But Caroline will also have other chances, although while Serena is still around she may not get one, but Serena may only have a couple more years in her before she retires.
In the other ladies match, Sam Stosur took on the wildcard Angeliq Kerber who amazingly pulled through to her first grand slam semi final. Keber put up a good fight against Stosur but it was the 7th seed who had the upper hand in the end and sealed the match after 3 sets in 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. I do feel a bit understandably annoyed for Sam Stosur though that her match got less publicity because she played on the Grandstand, instead of maybe the Louis Armstrong stadium, which had water damage. Again this was in part due to the organisers incompetence in refusing to provide covers for the courts simply because they don't look nice!! Excuse me, but if they help keep the court dry who gives a shit what they look like!! But the Grandstand is a good size stadium, and Sam definitely had a terrific crowd and a great atmosphere to back her.
So this will be Sam's second slam final, and her first US Open final, which is a great achievement in itself, but I don't envy the task that lies ahead of her to try and take out the former reigning 3 time champion. Can Sam win today????? Nahhhhh. Sadly not, I think Serena will have too much game for her, in fact I think it will be the same result as it was in their final in Toronto, 6-4, 6-2 to Serena. However I might be wrong, if Sam plays well enough she could push it to a decider, which would make for a better match, and Sam herself has a big serve and she is no stick insect as she has a powerful build, but she has to serve well to have any chance. But it won't make difference to the outcome as I think it will be Serena who will be lifting that silverware at the end of the day. Regardless of the outcome I think it will be worth a watch and I hope it isn't too bad a defeat for Sam, its also the last slam of the season, and so far the ladies slam finals have been excellent, so it would be great to see the season finish off with a great one.
So as this post is exceedingly long as it is, I'm splitting into two, now fer the men's tennis.....
Friday, 9 September 2011
Flushing Meadows Part 5: The fab four!
So Day 12 of the US Open is pretty much stitched up which featured two very much anticipated quarter finals matches between Andy Murray and John Isner, and Rafa Nadal vs Andy Roddick, so its the remaining yanks against the Scot and the Spaniard. So who came out on top????
Well in the first QF match, the Muzza had to take on the giant serving giant John Isner, who made his first grand slam quarter final debut in this match. Isner had only played Andy once before this match at the Australian Open last year and the giant American got beat in straight sets, but this encounter was somewhat tougher. Andy early on in the match took a two set lead as he came out very strong and secured a break on Isner's serve at 5-5, and in the 2nd set Andy broke early to take it, however in the 3rd set Andy dropped his serve and then Isner rose his level and before we knew it, we were into a 4th set. The 4th set was a far more tense even pegged affair as the two men fought it out, with Andy surviving a scare at break point on his own serve at 4-4, they eventually went to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak I must confess I thought Isner would be the hot favourite to win it, but Andy served superbly in the breaker and quickly took a double mini break lead and the match in 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2). Overall it was a very good match with plenty of tense close points and I think John Isner definitely deserves credit for his excellent performance not only in this match but throughout the tournament.
So that's Andy through to his fourth consecutive grand slam semi final this year, the first time in his career he has managed to achieve that, which in itself is no mean feat. But can he take it those two steps further, get to the final and win???????? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, time will need to answer that one. So I will leave that down to the man upstairs and the four guys on court tomorrow and the two guys on court come Monday night. But so far despite a few wobbles I have to say Andy has had a very impressive US Open tournament, and he has definitely worked on improving his serve which is really good, but he still has struggled to keep it consistently high. However his 1st serve percentages in his Lopez match were 76% and his match with John Isner was 68%, which is pretty impressive, he also managed to keep his unforced errors down in those matches. But can he keep it up over the next two matches, that is the question.
One thing I do know for sure is that Andy will face Rafa in the semi final. And I have to say I do fear for Andy a bit, because so far Rafa has been formidable in this tournament, as he has just ruthlessly dismissed Andy Roddick in their match in straight sets, with a comprehensive win in 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 (of course Muzza did same to Roddick at Queens). Rafa hasn't dropped a set yet and looks superb, Andy has dropped three. Regardless of that though I don't necessarily think tomorrow will be a cakewalk for Rafa, in fact it could be quite the opposite, but I am not entirely convinced that Andy can beat him. However rather than make any assumptions (and make an ass of umption!) time will tell on this one, as I've watched too many matches this year to unrealistically get my hopes up. I just hope Andy can raise his game that bit higher than he did at Wimbledon, and if he does make a mistake then not to dwell on it and just get on with playing the next point. Another factor in Rafa's favour tomorrow could also be that he spent about only 2 hours on court, so he could be that bit more refreshed for the semis match tomorrow, than Andy is.
Achh well you never know, Andy has beaten Rafa in the semis at the US Open three years ago, but Rafa has moved on as a player on hard courts since then. But I do get frustrated for Andy when Rafa beats him in the slams, as I really do think he deserves to win a major as he trains and works so hard for them, and to be quite frank the other three have won quite enough between them. As an anology the situation with the top 3 and Andy is its like a few big boys who are all taking a big slice of the pie, while Andy is trying to desparately get a piece but they keep pushing him away, as in a way that's what tennis is like, its all about who's the hungriest.
So all we can hope for tomorrow is that Andy and Rafa give us the match of the tournament, or at least something close, and if they don't I'm positive Djokovic and Federer will. But its great to see the top four make it into the final four again, like they did at the French Open, its the dream semi final setup we all want to see, even if we suspect who might already be in that final!!
So with potential baited breath that's eeeeeeeetttttt!
Well in the first QF match, the Muzza had to take on the giant serving giant John Isner, who made his first grand slam quarter final debut in this match. Isner had only played Andy once before this match at the Australian Open last year and the giant American got beat in straight sets, but this encounter was somewhat tougher. Andy early on in the match took a two set lead as he came out very strong and secured a break on Isner's serve at 5-5, and in the 2nd set Andy broke early to take it, however in the 3rd set Andy dropped his serve and then Isner rose his level and before we knew it, we were into a 4th set. The 4th set was a far more tense even pegged affair as the two men fought it out, with Andy surviving a scare at break point on his own serve at 4-4, they eventually went to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak I must confess I thought Isner would be the hot favourite to win it, but Andy served superbly in the breaker and quickly took a double mini break lead and the match in 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2). Overall it was a very good match with plenty of tense close points and I think John Isner definitely deserves credit for his excellent performance not only in this match but throughout the tournament.
So that's Andy through to his fourth consecutive grand slam semi final this year, the first time in his career he has managed to achieve that, which in itself is no mean feat. But can he take it those two steps further, get to the final and win???????? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, time will need to answer that one. So I will leave that down to the man upstairs and the four guys on court tomorrow and the two guys on court come Monday night. But so far despite a few wobbles I have to say Andy has had a very impressive US Open tournament, and he has definitely worked on improving his serve which is really good, but he still has struggled to keep it consistently high. However his 1st serve percentages in his Lopez match were 76% and his match with John Isner was 68%, which is pretty impressive, he also managed to keep his unforced errors down in those matches. But can he keep it up over the next two matches, that is the question.
One thing I do know for sure is that Andy will face Rafa in the semi final. And I have to say I do fear for Andy a bit, because so far Rafa has been formidable in this tournament, as he has just ruthlessly dismissed Andy Roddick in their match in straight sets, with a comprehensive win in 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 (of course Muzza did same to Roddick at Queens). Rafa hasn't dropped a set yet and looks superb, Andy has dropped three. Regardless of that though I don't necessarily think tomorrow will be a cakewalk for Rafa, in fact it could be quite the opposite, but I am not entirely convinced that Andy can beat him. However rather than make any assumptions (and make an ass of umption!) time will tell on this one, as I've watched too many matches this year to unrealistically get my hopes up. I just hope Andy can raise his game that bit higher than he did at Wimbledon, and if he does make a mistake then not to dwell on it and just get on with playing the next point. Another factor in Rafa's favour tomorrow could also be that he spent about only 2 hours on court, so he could be that bit more refreshed for the semis match tomorrow, than Andy is.
Achh well you never know, Andy has beaten Rafa in the semis at the US Open three years ago, but Rafa has moved on as a player on hard courts since then. But I do get frustrated for Andy when Rafa beats him in the slams, as I really do think he deserves to win a major as he trains and works so hard for them, and to be quite frank the other three have won quite enough between them. As an anology the situation with the top 3 and Andy is its like a few big boys who are all taking a big slice of the pie, while Andy is trying to desparately get a piece but they keep pushing him away, as in a way that's what tennis is like, its all about who's the hungriest.
So all we can hope for tomorrow is that Andy and Rafa give us the match of the tournament, or at least something close, and if they don't I'm positive Djokovic and Federer will. But its great to see the top four make it into the final four again, like they did at the French Open, its the dream semi final setup we all want to see, even if we suspect who might already be in that final!!
So with potential baited breath that's eeeeeeeetttttt!
Flushing Meadows Part 4: Holy cow we have play!!
After 2 full days of rain delay at Flushing Meadows in New York, the rain has finally abaited and the remaining matches that have need to be played have been mostly played and there were a few good ones in there I'm sure.
So Day 11 first off saw Rafa resume his match against the talented Luxmbourger Gilles Muller, who after an even pegged first set, saw Rafa run away with the match, as he closed it out in 7-6, 6-1, 6-2. Rafa of course in latter stage grand slam style is playing some of his best stuff again and will prove quite a threat for his following opponents. Andy Murray also resumed his match with the American wildcard Donald Young, who made a real upset earlier this year when he beat Andy in Indian Wells back in March. But this time Andy had no such trouble as he broke the young lad twice in the opening set to take it, and despite a few breaks of serve between each player, Andy still managed to close it out quite easily in 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. It was quite a comfortable win not to mention it saw him complete his revenge against Young and Bogomolov for his losses earlier this year.
So onto the other men's matches quickly, Andy Roddick who after a few rain delays, and also spotting a crack in the surface of the court behind the baseline on Louis Armstrong stadium, had to have his match moved to court 13 (unlucky maybe???). Understandably Roddick was pretty miffed, but it didn't affect his performance against David Ferrer, which was pretty impressive, and it saw him reach his first grand slam quarter final of the year as well as a return to form. Fellow yank giant John Isner also imperssed in his match against the Frenchman Gilles Simon, who he defeated in a tough 4 set match, which Isner took after a 3 tiebreaks, while dropping the 2nd set, he won in 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). So that's the 2nd half of the mens quarter finals matches setup to go tomorrow, so they should be corkers, its Rafa vs Roddick (yah!), Muzza vs Isner (yeeeahhh!). Its gonna be tough for all four of them, although I have to say Rafa and Andy are the favourites to win both of them, but one thing is for sure, we should be in for a treat.
Onto the womans matches briefly also as I'm pleased to say that the current World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki defeated Andrea Petkovic to make her third US semi final, where she will face a no good player called Serena Williams. ;-) Speaking of which Serena eased her way to victory against the Russian Anastasia Pavyluchenkova in 7-5, 6-1. I was a bit frustrated watching Serena before hand as she is always a bit curt and truculent in her pre-match interviews, she did everything she could to get away from the interviewer. I do apperciate she is a terrific player but I just find her attitude very ignorant, as its all about her, and its funny how she is always so sour before her matches and so happy after them in interview. Regardless of that, we have a very exciting womans semi final match setup for what is now going to be on Saturday night, due to the rain delays. So the big question must be asked: can Caroline defeat Serena???? Based on her performance throughout the tournamenet I would have to probably say no, but they have both looked pretty convincing in their campaigns. Caroline has only dropped one set in one match, while Serena has breezed through despite a tight set against Pavly tonight and a fightback from Azarenka, she hasn't dropped one yet. But I think Caroline has the energy, stamina and ability to if not beat Serena but certainly go toe to toe with her, but if she does go down, I hope its a real battle.
Oh and Sam Stosur is also through to the semis as she defeated Vera Zvonareva easily in 6-3, 6-3, which saw her improve her record against Vera. In the other semi final match Sam will play wildcard Angeliq Kerbrer from Germany, who has surprised everyone by making her first grand slam semi final, after beating Flavia Pennetta.
Well that's the ladies now onto the men, tonight we saw what so far might possibly have been the match of the tournament, between the two Serbs Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, as the battled it out for Serbia. I wasn't expecting too much from Tipsy in this match, but he really did surprise me as he played a brilliant match against Djokovic, for two sets it was even pegged as we were treated to two thrilling sets, and for the first time Djokovic dropped a set in the tournament. However the superb play was cut short as Tipsy started showing signs of tiredness aswell as a thigh injury, which forced him to retire (that I think brings the retiral record up 19!!). But I sometimes wonder if this all revolves around Djokovic winning the title, as he pays off Federer, Rafa to take a dive in the finals, semis or quarter finals, so he can win the tournament! Haw haw, I joke of course! As Fed himself once said "tennis is a crazy game". And that it sure is. Speaking of which Fedora also got his revenge on Tsonga as he defeated him in the quarter finals in a very impressive display in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. I have to say that Federer is looking pretty formidable again just like he did at French Open, and next up is Djokovic, and we all know what happened in their previous meeting. Will it be the same result this time? Can Federer hand Djokovic his third loss this year??? Well its all in the future waiting to unfold, but we will find out. One way or another this match promises to be the match of the tournament, so can't wait for it.
So things are heating up, its getting exciting, as we are getting down to the final 8 in the mens and the final 4 in the ladies at the US Open.
But for now that's enough.... Tara.
So Day 11 first off saw Rafa resume his match against the talented Luxmbourger Gilles Muller, who after an even pegged first set, saw Rafa run away with the match, as he closed it out in 7-6, 6-1, 6-2. Rafa of course in latter stage grand slam style is playing some of his best stuff again and will prove quite a threat for his following opponents. Andy Murray also resumed his match with the American wildcard Donald Young, who made a real upset earlier this year when he beat Andy in Indian Wells back in March. But this time Andy had no such trouble as he broke the young lad twice in the opening set to take it, and despite a few breaks of serve between each player, Andy still managed to close it out quite easily in 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. It was quite a comfortable win not to mention it saw him complete his revenge against Young and Bogomolov for his losses earlier this year.
So onto the other men's matches quickly, Andy Roddick who after a few rain delays, and also spotting a crack in the surface of the court behind the baseline on Louis Armstrong stadium, had to have his match moved to court 13 (unlucky maybe???). Understandably Roddick was pretty miffed, but it didn't affect his performance against David Ferrer, which was pretty impressive, and it saw him reach his first grand slam quarter final of the year as well as a return to form. Fellow yank giant John Isner also imperssed in his match against the Frenchman Gilles Simon, who he defeated in a tough 4 set match, which Isner took after a 3 tiebreaks, while dropping the 2nd set, he won in 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). So that's the 2nd half of the mens quarter finals matches setup to go tomorrow, so they should be corkers, its Rafa vs Roddick (yah!), Muzza vs Isner (yeeeahhh!). Its gonna be tough for all four of them, although I have to say Rafa and Andy are the favourites to win both of them, but one thing is for sure, we should be in for a treat.
Onto the womans matches briefly also as I'm pleased to say that the current World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki defeated Andrea Petkovic to make her third US semi final, where she will face a no good player called Serena Williams. ;-) Speaking of which Serena eased her way to victory against the Russian Anastasia Pavyluchenkova in 7-5, 6-1. I was a bit frustrated watching Serena before hand as she is always a bit curt and truculent in her pre-match interviews, she did everything she could to get away from the interviewer. I do apperciate she is a terrific player but I just find her attitude very ignorant, as its all about her, and its funny how she is always so sour before her matches and so happy after them in interview. Regardless of that, we have a very exciting womans semi final match setup for what is now going to be on Saturday night, due to the rain delays. So the big question must be asked: can Caroline defeat Serena???? Based on her performance throughout the tournamenet I would have to probably say no, but they have both looked pretty convincing in their campaigns. Caroline has only dropped one set in one match, while Serena has breezed through despite a tight set against Pavly tonight and a fightback from Azarenka, she hasn't dropped one yet. But I think Caroline has the energy, stamina and ability to if not beat Serena but certainly go toe to toe with her, but if she does go down, I hope its a real battle.
Oh and Sam Stosur is also through to the semis as she defeated Vera Zvonareva easily in 6-3, 6-3, which saw her improve her record against Vera. In the other semi final match Sam will play wildcard Angeliq Kerbrer from Germany, who has surprised everyone by making her first grand slam semi final, after beating Flavia Pennetta.
Well that's the ladies now onto the men, tonight we saw what so far might possibly have been the match of the tournament, between the two Serbs Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, as the battled it out for Serbia. I wasn't expecting too much from Tipsy in this match, but he really did surprise me as he played a brilliant match against Djokovic, for two sets it was even pegged as we were treated to two thrilling sets, and for the first time Djokovic dropped a set in the tournament. However the superb play was cut short as Tipsy started showing signs of tiredness aswell as a thigh injury, which forced him to retire (that I think brings the retiral record up 19!!). But I sometimes wonder if this all revolves around Djokovic winning the title, as he pays off Federer, Rafa to take a dive in the finals, semis or quarter finals, so he can win the tournament! Haw haw, I joke of course! As Fed himself once said "tennis is a crazy game". And that it sure is. Speaking of which Fedora also got his revenge on Tsonga as he defeated him in the quarter finals in a very impressive display in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. I have to say that Federer is looking pretty formidable again just like he did at French Open, and next up is Djokovic, and we all know what happened in their previous meeting. Will it be the same result this time? Can Federer hand Djokovic his third loss this year??? Well its all in the future waiting to unfold, but we will find out. One way or another this match promises to be the match of the tournament, so can't wait for it.
So things are heating up, its getting exciting, as we are getting down to the final 8 in the mens and the final 4 in the ladies at the US Open.
But for now that's enough.... Tara.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Flushing Meadows Part 3.2: Thrills, tiebreaks, and the rain in New York mainly stays on the court!
OK as promised (well to myself and to whoever I haven't told about this blog which is everyone!!) here is part two of the epic 2 parts of Part 3 (this is getting very confusing!) of the US Open 2011.
Briefly before I go onto day 8 there was another extraordinary match on with the ladies matches, who let's face it so far this year have had the best ones at the US Open! This match I refer to was the one between Sam Stosur and Maria Kirilenko of Russia as they two of them battled it out in an extraordinary match for a place in the quarter finals. Their match was particularly noteworthy as it had the longest tiebreak in the history of the US Open, as in the second set Stosur and Kirilenko had it out, which saw Sam lose the 2nd set in the breaker by 15-17. However Sam managed to pick it up in the 3rd set and sealed the match and her place in the quarter finals for the second time at the US Open, winning the match in 6-4, 6-7(17), 6-3. Its great to see Sam reach the latter stage of a grand slam this year, as so far I think she has struggled to make it past 3rd round in the previous slams. And her next opponent will be Vera Zvonareva, whom Sam has a very good record against, so it could see her make way into US Open semi finals for the first time, but time will tell on that one.
So onto Day 8, which featured plenty of drama and entertainment, and plenty of fine matches. On the ladies side, there was quite a ding dong match between Francesca Schiavone and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as they shared breaks of serve, but this time Pavly got her revenge for her loss at the French Open and won the match 5-7, 6-4,6-4. However her next opponent will be one Serena Williams who just happens to be playing some of her best stuff just now, despite a rather mixed match against Ana Ivanovic, so I don't rate young Pavly's chances there. But the match of the day for the ladies matches was the battle between Caroline Wozniacki the World No.1 and the former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, as they hammered it out for a place in the quarter finals. After 3 hours of tense play between the two players it was Caroline who came out top, after being a set a and double break down to reel off 10 games in a row (I think) to seal her place in the next round winning in 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-1. Its really good to see Caroline get to the quarter finals at the US Open as she has had a mixed year in terms of her grand slam performances so I hope she continues to do well. Her next opponent is Andrea Petkovic, who has broken into the top 10 this year and is currently seeded 11th, Petko has already defeated Caroline once so it will be quite a tough match, but its 1-1 in their head to head, either way it will be one to watch.
And so now we go onto the men's tennis and to start off with the American No.1 Mardy Fish had a real battle against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who he fell to after a 5 set match, which will setup another quarter final grand slam match with Roger Federer. Federer so far has been playing really good tennis at the US Open and he crushed Juan Monaco in his 4th round match, dropping only 3 games. But Tsonga will prove a much tougher challenege, and he has won the last two of their meetings, but will Federer be able to beat him this time round??? I hope so because I would love to see another Federer vs Djokovic semi final setup, perhaps the Fed can hand another defeat to the World No.1 but maybe not. Even if Tsonga gets to the semi final it should still be a really good match as he posed quite a threat to Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Which brings us onto the World No.1's 4th round match, which was with the very talented and tricky Ukranian Alexandr Dolgopolov, who proved to be more than a handful for Djokovic for about half the match. In the first set, which was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining sets you will ever see this year, Dolgopolov gave Djokovic a real run for his money, with his hugely varied game, firing all sorts of unpredictable winners at him. And the 1st set featured a simply sensational tiebreak as both players had the crowd on the edge of their seats and in such an uproar I could imagine half of Manhattan could hear them!! The tiebreak lasted nearly 25 minutes as the Djoker and the Dog kept trading set points and unforced errors, until Djokovic finally hit a winner of his serve that the Dog sent long at 16-14. Unfortunately for the Dog he lost his way a bit at the start of the 2nd set as he dropped his serve straight off, and after that he fell victim to his own unforced errors and highly erratic serve. By this time Djokovic had brought the out of this world tennis playing from Dogly back down to Earth to a level that Djokovic can overcome. Regardless for one set the Dog put on one hell of a show and he showed signs of promise in the 2nd set too, not only that he managed to successfully disrupt Djokovic's rythhym if only for an hour and 15 minutes, so in the end the result was 7-6(14), 6-4, 6-2.
So that's Djoko and Fedora into the quarter finals, and for once Federer breezed and Djoky struggled, but they are through. Djokovic will next face his fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic in the quarter finals which should be an interesting match, but I think it will be straight sets again for Nole.
Unfortunately due to heavy rain showers the schedule for the remaining 4th round matches especially the Muzza's rematch with Donald Young has been cancelled and rescheduled for Day 10, which will be a jam packed day for sure as they will combine the first ladies and men's quarter finals matches as well. So it will be a feast tomorrow, weather permitting of course, as its supposed to rain tomorrow, in fact its forecast to rain for the rest of the week in New York, so I don't how or if they will be able to complete the tournament schedule on time! This is where having a contingency plan would be useful in providing in-door hard courts or better yet providing a roof for the Arthur Ashe stadium just like they did at Wimbledon centre court!
And to add a bit more of an update on Day 10, the weather hasn't been any better as Andy's Murray/Roddick and Rafa have all taken to the court earlier on only to have their play disrupted only minutes into their matches by more rain! Understandably there were scenes of displeasure from Rafa who was at this point 3-0 down to his opponent Gilles Muller, so we will wait and see how that one goes. Andy Murray a bit more even pegged as it was going by service, 2-1 to Young, and Roddick was 3-1 up against Ferrer.
But having read one of the comments on the BBC Sports website, someone rightly said it seems unfair that in the US Open that they split the draw in the 2nd week, also it leaves for whoever makes it to the final on Rafa and Andy's side, they have to play four matches in five days, assuming there are no more delays! I also think that Andy and Rafa always seem to get a bit of a bum steer in the grand slams while Roger and Nole get an extra day's rest in between matches as they go out first. A perfect case in point was the Australian Open final where Djokovic had two full days of rest before meeting Andy in the final, whereas Andy only had one to recover after his brutal match against David Ferrer. I'm not saying the outcome would have been different, in fact it most likely wouldn't, but I always think Djokovic had the advantage of more time, and that seemed a bit unfair in itself. But we will soon find out how the rest of the tournament pans out timewise.
And as a further update I've just heard that due to more heavy rain that the day 10 schedule has been cancelled again!! So that puts the schedule quite far behind, as there are four 4th round matches to go for the men, and the first leg of the ladies and mens quarter finals are still to be scheduled also. So clearly there is no way there are going to finish the tournament on schedule now as that's two full days of delay, so tomorrow they have to try and make some headway in getting the schedule underway here's hoping those clouds clear up and rain goes away! Although there has been talk of them trying to schedule the ladies quarter finals matches tonight, which in a way seems unfair to the mens 4th round matches, but I guess the woman's matches might end quicker, especially Serena's match surely it will be over before we know it, but then again we don't know that, as it depends on how tough a test Pavlyuchenkova proves to be.
So while I'm rambling I had a look at the weather forecast for the rest of the week in New York City, and tomorrow its thunderstorms followed by rain, Friday thunderstorms and rain, Saturday guess what??? Yep thunderstorms, and on Sunday, supposedly the men's finals day, ermm cloudy but dry! So the weather forecast is pretty grim for the bulk of what remains of the final grand slam of the season, surely to God they must come with some contingency plan, such as putting a massive marquee tent over the courts if possible. And as Boris Becker rightly says they need to put a roof on the Centre Court, Wimbledon have done it so its high time US Open followed their example! To be fair to the organisers of the tournament they can't control the weather and all they can try to do is their best to deal with the situation, but at this rate we could be looking at maybe a Tuesday finish, which could also have a knock on effect with the next round of the Davis Cup which starts next Friday!
Anywayyyy when there is more updates on the state of play, and if matches have taken place, I'll be sure to blog it up. More to follow......
.......
......
Honestly........
Trust me......
Really.......
OK that's it.
Briefly before I go onto day 8 there was another extraordinary match on with the ladies matches, who let's face it so far this year have had the best ones at the US Open! This match I refer to was the one between Sam Stosur and Maria Kirilenko of Russia as they two of them battled it out in an extraordinary match for a place in the quarter finals. Their match was particularly noteworthy as it had the longest tiebreak in the history of the US Open, as in the second set Stosur and Kirilenko had it out, which saw Sam lose the 2nd set in the breaker by 15-17. However Sam managed to pick it up in the 3rd set and sealed the match and her place in the quarter finals for the second time at the US Open, winning the match in 6-4, 6-7(17), 6-3. Its great to see Sam reach the latter stage of a grand slam this year, as so far I think she has struggled to make it past 3rd round in the previous slams. And her next opponent will be Vera Zvonareva, whom Sam has a very good record against, so it could see her make way into US Open semi finals for the first time, but time will tell on that one.
So onto Day 8, which featured plenty of drama and entertainment, and plenty of fine matches. On the ladies side, there was quite a ding dong match between Francesca Schiavone and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as they shared breaks of serve, but this time Pavly got her revenge for her loss at the French Open and won the match 5-7, 6-4,6-4. However her next opponent will be one Serena Williams who just happens to be playing some of her best stuff just now, despite a rather mixed match against Ana Ivanovic, so I don't rate young Pavly's chances there. But the match of the day for the ladies matches was the battle between Caroline Wozniacki the World No.1 and the former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, as they hammered it out for a place in the quarter finals. After 3 hours of tense play between the two players it was Caroline who came out top, after being a set a and double break down to reel off 10 games in a row (I think) to seal her place in the next round winning in 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-1. Its really good to see Caroline get to the quarter finals at the US Open as she has had a mixed year in terms of her grand slam performances so I hope she continues to do well. Her next opponent is Andrea Petkovic, who has broken into the top 10 this year and is currently seeded 11th, Petko has already defeated Caroline once so it will be quite a tough match, but its 1-1 in their head to head, either way it will be one to watch.
And so now we go onto the men's tennis and to start off with the American No.1 Mardy Fish had a real battle against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who he fell to after a 5 set match, which will setup another quarter final grand slam match with Roger Federer. Federer so far has been playing really good tennis at the US Open and he crushed Juan Monaco in his 4th round match, dropping only 3 games. But Tsonga will prove a much tougher challenege, and he has won the last two of their meetings, but will Federer be able to beat him this time round??? I hope so because I would love to see another Federer vs Djokovic semi final setup, perhaps the Fed can hand another defeat to the World No.1 but maybe not. Even if Tsonga gets to the semi final it should still be a really good match as he posed quite a threat to Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Which brings us onto the World No.1's 4th round match, which was with the very talented and tricky Ukranian Alexandr Dolgopolov, who proved to be more than a handful for Djokovic for about half the match. In the first set, which was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining sets you will ever see this year, Dolgopolov gave Djokovic a real run for his money, with his hugely varied game, firing all sorts of unpredictable winners at him. And the 1st set featured a simply sensational tiebreak as both players had the crowd on the edge of their seats and in such an uproar I could imagine half of Manhattan could hear them!! The tiebreak lasted nearly 25 minutes as the Djoker and the Dog kept trading set points and unforced errors, until Djokovic finally hit a winner of his serve that the Dog sent long at 16-14. Unfortunately for the Dog he lost his way a bit at the start of the 2nd set as he dropped his serve straight off, and after that he fell victim to his own unforced errors and highly erratic serve. By this time Djokovic had brought the out of this world tennis playing from Dogly back down to Earth to a level that Djokovic can overcome. Regardless for one set the Dog put on one hell of a show and he showed signs of promise in the 2nd set too, not only that he managed to successfully disrupt Djokovic's rythhym if only for an hour and 15 minutes, so in the end the result was 7-6(14), 6-4, 6-2.
So that's Djoko and Fedora into the quarter finals, and for once Federer breezed and Djoky struggled, but they are through. Djokovic will next face his fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic in the quarter finals which should be an interesting match, but I think it will be straight sets again for Nole.
Unfortunately due to heavy rain showers the schedule for the remaining 4th round matches especially the Muzza's rematch with Donald Young has been cancelled and rescheduled for Day 10, which will be a jam packed day for sure as they will combine the first ladies and men's quarter finals matches as well. So it will be a feast tomorrow, weather permitting of course, as its supposed to rain tomorrow, in fact its forecast to rain for the rest of the week in New York, so I don't how or if they will be able to complete the tournament schedule on time! This is where having a contingency plan would be useful in providing in-door hard courts or better yet providing a roof for the Arthur Ashe stadium just like they did at Wimbledon centre court!
And to add a bit more of an update on Day 10, the weather hasn't been any better as Andy's Murray/Roddick and Rafa have all taken to the court earlier on only to have their play disrupted only minutes into their matches by more rain! Understandably there were scenes of displeasure from Rafa who was at this point 3-0 down to his opponent Gilles Muller, so we will wait and see how that one goes. Andy Murray a bit more even pegged as it was going by service, 2-1 to Young, and Roddick was 3-1 up against Ferrer.
But having read one of the comments on the BBC Sports website, someone rightly said it seems unfair that in the US Open that they split the draw in the 2nd week, also it leaves for whoever makes it to the final on Rafa and Andy's side, they have to play four matches in five days, assuming there are no more delays! I also think that Andy and Rafa always seem to get a bit of a bum steer in the grand slams while Roger and Nole get an extra day's rest in between matches as they go out first. A perfect case in point was the Australian Open final where Djokovic had two full days of rest before meeting Andy in the final, whereas Andy only had one to recover after his brutal match against David Ferrer. I'm not saying the outcome would have been different, in fact it most likely wouldn't, but I always think Djokovic had the advantage of more time, and that seemed a bit unfair in itself. But we will soon find out how the rest of the tournament pans out timewise.
And as a further update I've just heard that due to more heavy rain that the day 10 schedule has been cancelled again!! So that puts the schedule quite far behind, as there are four 4th round matches to go for the men, and the first leg of the ladies and mens quarter finals are still to be scheduled also. So clearly there is no way there are going to finish the tournament on schedule now as that's two full days of delay, so tomorrow they have to try and make some headway in getting the schedule underway here's hoping those clouds clear up and rain goes away! Although there has been talk of them trying to schedule the ladies quarter finals matches tonight, which in a way seems unfair to the mens 4th round matches, but I guess the woman's matches might end quicker, especially Serena's match surely it will be over before we know it, but then again we don't know that, as it depends on how tough a test Pavlyuchenkova proves to be.
So while I'm rambling I had a look at the weather forecast for the rest of the week in New York City, and tomorrow its thunderstorms followed by rain, Friday thunderstorms and rain, Saturday guess what??? Yep thunderstorms, and on Sunday, supposedly the men's finals day, ermm cloudy but dry! So the weather forecast is pretty grim for the bulk of what remains of the final grand slam of the season, surely to God they must come with some contingency plan, such as putting a massive marquee tent over the courts if possible. And as Boris Becker rightly says they need to put a roof on the Centre Court, Wimbledon have done it so its high time US Open followed their example! To be fair to the organisers of the tournament they can't control the weather and all they can try to do is their best to deal with the situation, but at this rate we could be looking at maybe a Tuesday finish, which could also have a knock on effect with the next round of the Davis Cup which starts next Friday!
Anywayyyy when there is more updates on the state of play, and if matches have taken place, I'll be sure to blog it up. More to follow......
.......
......
Honestly........
Trust me......
Really.......
OK that's it.
Flushing Meadows Part 3.1: yep its all been happening!
Well so far the US Open has very much lived up to its expectations of being a terrific tournament with plenty of exciting matches and it has to be said the yank crowds really have aided in lifting the atmos for the players as they are easily the loudest most reactive audiences you will get.
So there is a lot to cover so I've split this post over two entries since its been a few days since my last blog on the fourth grand slam of the year. So to start with the ladies match on Saturday just there, Day 6, which saw some terrific stuff particularly the match between Francesca Schiavone who played the South African wildcard Chanelle Scheepers. After dropping the first set, Fran looked pretty drained and fatigued from the word go, however she dredged as much energy as she could manage to level the match by taking the 2nd in a tense tiebreak, and after that she secured a break in the third set winning in 5-7, 7-6, 6-3. Later on that night we were also treated to a really good match up between Serena Williams and the world no.4 Victoria Azarenka, on paper this match promised to be a belter and for the most part it did live up to its expectations. After a one-way demolition job in the first set where Serena blasted off the young Belarusian off the court, Azarenka fought back and saved match point on Serena's serve and made it 5-5. Azarenka then battled onto to take the set to a tiebreaker but ultimately Serena closed out the match in the breaker winning 6-1, 7-6(5). Victoria Azarenka definitely deserves credit for her fightback in the match and it also promised to deliver a very interesting future rivalry between these two players, as Azarenka given time could prove to be one of the few players that can really threaten Serena. So I look forward to their future matches together.
On Day 7, there were some more excellent ladies matches, the main being a gusty battle from Flavia Pennetta who faced the talented Chinese player Peng Shuai who gave the 26th seed a tough test. Pennetta came out confidently like she did against Sharapova, but she soon faced a fightback from Peng Shuai and Flavia had to really battle in order to close out the first set. In the 2nd set it was even more of a battle, as the two players shared breaks of serve and Flavia showed signs of fatigue and at one point she even wretched on court. She also faced dropping the 2nd set in the tiebreaker as she was 5-0 down at one point, but Pennetta held her nerve and managed to fight her way back in to win the match in 6-4, 7-6(6). I was really pleased to see Flavia get through, as this is her 3rd US Open quarter final so it will be great to see how she does in the quarter finals where she will face Angelique Kerber from Germany.
In another day 7 match on the men's side we saw the giant Juan Martin Del Potro take on the talented Frenchman Gilles Simon. This is their 2nd meeting this year and Del Potro lead the head to head 3-1 going into the match. Delpo from the first set definitely appeared to be in control as he broke the Frenchman at 4-4 all to make it 5-4, however in the 2nd Simon held serve to take it to a tiebreak which Simon won. In the 3rd set, Del Potro seemed to suffer from fatigue and a foot injury, so he lost the momentum which saw Simon win the set. However in the 4th set, it was back to an even pegged battle to a tiebreak, but again Delpo just couldn't deliver which saw Gilles Simon win the match in 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 7-6, which marked the first time the Frenchman has made the 4th round. In another evening match between the yanks John Isner, and Alex Bogomolov Jr, Isner got off to a slow start but soon got going and won the match in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. So John Isner will go onto face Gilles Simon, I quite like to see Isner get through to the quarter finals as it will be the first time he will have reached a grand slam quarter final match.
And in another day 7 match the young American upcomer David Young took on Juan Ignaio Chela and performed another upset as he took out the 25th seed in straight sets in 7-5, 6-4,6-3. Young certainly has had a good US Open tournament so far, as he has already upset Stan Wawrinka also and next up is a certain fella who he defeated earlier in the year back in Indian Wells.
Which brings us onto the final match of the post between the Muzza and the Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, which after Andy's poor form in the 2nd match might have proved a bit worrying. However Andy had no such trouble as against as he gave a performance that was night and day from his Friday near fiasco, as he dispatched Lopez easily in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. This definitely was a big improvement from his last match, and saw Andy get right back on track, in fact his performance was so impressive that his 1st serve percentage was rated at 76%!! Now this is a stark contrast to what he has been serving at before, however the problem with Andy's serve and game in general is that its inconsistent and when he plays in the slams he needs to ensure he will play his best on the day, but that hasn't as we know always been the case. So next up Andy will face his past nemesis Donald Young in the 4th round and I hope this time Andy will beat him, hopefully he should. Back in March at Indian Wells, Andy was in a bad place and his mind just wasn't on his game, but things have since changed, so I'm hoping we will see the Muzza give Young a good what for and secure his place in the quarter finals, however with American crowd behind Young and his current form, this might wel prove to be a tough match. But I'm fairly sure the Muzza will prevail this time, well he better!!
Anyway more to follow in Part 3.2.......
So there is a lot to cover so I've split this post over two entries since its been a few days since my last blog on the fourth grand slam of the year. So to start with the ladies match on Saturday just there, Day 6, which saw some terrific stuff particularly the match between Francesca Schiavone who played the South African wildcard Chanelle Scheepers. After dropping the first set, Fran looked pretty drained and fatigued from the word go, however she dredged as much energy as she could manage to level the match by taking the 2nd in a tense tiebreak, and after that she secured a break in the third set winning in 5-7, 7-6, 6-3. Later on that night we were also treated to a really good match up between Serena Williams and the world no.4 Victoria Azarenka, on paper this match promised to be a belter and for the most part it did live up to its expectations. After a one-way demolition job in the first set where Serena blasted off the young Belarusian off the court, Azarenka fought back and saved match point on Serena's serve and made it 5-5. Azarenka then battled onto to take the set to a tiebreaker but ultimately Serena closed out the match in the breaker winning 6-1, 7-6(5). Victoria Azarenka definitely deserves credit for her fightback in the match and it also promised to deliver a very interesting future rivalry between these two players, as Azarenka given time could prove to be one of the few players that can really threaten Serena. So I look forward to their future matches together.
On Day 7, there were some more excellent ladies matches, the main being a gusty battle from Flavia Pennetta who faced the talented Chinese player Peng Shuai who gave the 26th seed a tough test. Pennetta came out confidently like she did against Sharapova, but she soon faced a fightback from Peng Shuai and Flavia had to really battle in order to close out the first set. In the 2nd set it was even more of a battle, as the two players shared breaks of serve and Flavia showed signs of fatigue and at one point she even wretched on court. She also faced dropping the 2nd set in the tiebreaker as she was 5-0 down at one point, but Pennetta held her nerve and managed to fight her way back in to win the match in 6-4, 7-6(6). I was really pleased to see Flavia get through, as this is her 3rd US Open quarter final so it will be great to see how she does in the quarter finals where she will face Angelique Kerber from Germany.
In another day 7 match on the men's side we saw the giant Juan Martin Del Potro take on the talented Frenchman Gilles Simon. This is their 2nd meeting this year and Del Potro lead the head to head 3-1 going into the match. Delpo from the first set definitely appeared to be in control as he broke the Frenchman at 4-4 all to make it 5-4, however in the 2nd Simon held serve to take it to a tiebreak which Simon won. In the 3rd set, Del Potro seemed to suffer from fatigue and a foot injury, so he lost the momentum which saw Simon win the set. However in the 4th set, it was back to an even pegged battle to a tiebreak, but again Delpo just couldn't deliver which saw Gilles Simon win the match in 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 7-6, which marked the first time the Frenchman has made the 4th round. In another evening match between the yanks John Isner, and Alex Bogomolov Jr, Isner got off to a slow start but soon got going and won the match in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. So John Isner will go onto face Gilles Simon, I quite like to see Isner get through to the quarter finals as it will be the first time he will have reached a grand slam quarter final match.
And in another day 7 match the young American upcomer David Young took on Juan Ignaio Chela and performed another upset as he took out the 25th seed in straight sets in 7-5, 6-4,6-3. Young certainly has had a good US Open tournament so far, as he has already upset Stan Wawrinka also and next up is a certain fella who he defeated earlier in the year back in Indian Wells.
Which brings us onto the final match of the post between the Muzza and the Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, which after Andy's poor form in the 2nd match might have proved a bit worrying. However Andy had no such trouble as against as he gave a performance that was night and day from his Friday near fiasco, as he dispatched Lopez easily in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. This definitely was a big improvement from his last match, and saw Andy get right back on track, in fact his performance was so impressive that his 1st serve percentage was rated at 76%!! Now this is a stark contrast to what he has been serving at before, however the problem with Andy's serve and game in general is that its inconsistent and when he plays in the slams he needs to ensure he will play his best on the day, but that hasn't as we know always been the case. So next up Andy will face his past nemesis Donald Young in the 4th round and I hope this time Andy will beat him, hopefully he should. Back in March at Indian Wells, Andy was in a bad place and his mind just wasn't on his game, but things have since changed, so I'm hoping we will see the Muzza give Young a good what for and secure his place in the quarter finals, however with American crowd behind Young and his current form, this might wel prove to be a tough match. But I'm fairly sure the Muzza will prevail this time, well he better!!
Anyway more to follow in Part 3.2.......
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Flushing meadows Part 2: Close shaves
Well day 5 of the US Open was indeed a very eventful one which featured a couple of thrilling matches which I will go into more detail about in a bit.
But first a wee bit about Day 4, which saw on the ladies side unfortunately Elena Baltacha make an early exit as she faced off former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite a strong start with a 3-0 lead against Svety, Bally started to succomb to Kuznetsova's impressive movement and accurate shot making, and after 1 hour and 22 minutes Elena fell in 6-4, 6-3. In retrospect Elena played quite well against Svetlana, but she was just unlucky that the Russian was on better form and was the better player. Also on other ladies matches, Serena Williams breezed past her opponent in 6-0, 6-1, which sees the previous world no.1 continue her commanding comeback, next up for Serena will be Victoria Azarenka, so that should be a really good one. Caroline Wozniacki also showed some great return to form as she crushed her opponent in 6-2, 6-0, which is really great to see her get back on her game and puts her in a strong position to do well in the latter stages.
In the men's tennis on day 4, Djokovic proved even further just why he is the No.1 men's player as he trounced his opponent Carlos Berlocq in 6-0, 6-0, 6-2. Djokovic spent no more than 77 minutes on court as he dismantled his opponent, he even admitted after he felt sorry for him as he tried to fight his way back into the match. Federer also had no troubles getting past Dudi Sela whom he swept past in 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Although one of the first top seed upsets occured with Gael Monfils going out after an epic 5 set match against Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Onto Day 5, starting with the ladies, Vera Zvonareva made it through in straight sets as she took on Medina Garrigues, who put out Laura Robson in the previous round. And in a thrilling match, we saw the mighty Maria Sharapova fall to the Italian Flavia Pennetta (seeded No. 26) after a lenghty 3 set battle, which Flavia won in 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. This was a riveting match, and one which highlighted the great atmosphere of the US Open Arthur Ashe stadium, say what you want about the Americans, but when it comes to giving players an atmos and energy they are second to none. I was also pleased to see Flavia get through as she came out so strong early on and despite a real fightback from the Pova, she managed to make it through in the end. In the end Sharapova while she displayed the incredible fighting spirit that lead her to win her previous US Open title, also once again put in an incredibly erratic performance, as she served what must be a record breaking 12 double faults in the match and 60 unforced errors. With mistakes like that she's not likely to win another grand slam but we shall see. It also leaves the field that bit more open for the title to be taken, although Serena is still a hot favourite to win, but we will see how she does against Azarenka tomorrow.
So that brings us onto the other match of the day, which was an incredible and yet very frustrating one to watch, where Andy Murray took on Robin Haase, the very talented Dutch player who not only defeated Andy on their previous meeting, but also took Rafa to 5 sets last year in Wimbledon. And this time the match seemed to be of a similar nature and Andy himself was wary of his opponent, and rightly so as Haase come out with all guns blazing as he impressively held onto his serve in the first set, and broke Andy at one point who broke back, which saw the first go to a tiebreak which Haase won. In the second Andy worryingly went off the boil and lost it in 6-2, but in the third he regained his feet and took that set to keep himself in the match, and after easily taking the 4th set, and despite having a near 5-0 lead, he dropped his serve to let Haase back who found some inspiration to level the set until it was 4-4. But thankfully Andy managed to secure a break to make it 5-4 in the 5th set, and after a very tense final game which had the American crowd screaming for more, Andy finally won the match in 6-7, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, 6-4.
This was quite a match, and it once again showed Andy's sheer determination and talent in turning a match around, as that's the sixth time he's won a match from two sets down in a grand slam. However it did also alarmingly raise just how poor his serve was, as he frequently dropped his serve and gave away too many free points to Haase. I think after losing the first set tiebreak that Andy really went off the boil, and it took him until the 3rd set to mentally come back into the match. And this leads us back to another concern and that's his mental strength in the face of adversity, as if that was Rafa he would have just gotten on the with match and put it behind him, and that's what Andy needs to do. Andy though to his credit was nothing but honest about his performance and he also said he needs to up his game when he faces his next opponent Feliciano Lopez or else he's going home. Another positive to take from the match was that we saw Andy in a rare moment where he broke into a big smile and jumped around with joy having won the match. It just shows that he has got that passion and that he wants to win and stay in the tournament, and it also shows he has got heart. In fact he did the same thing at the Davis Cup victory in Breaehead Arena. So it would be great to see some more of that from Muzza in future.
But in the meantime he really needs to work on his game and that serve of his as that was some of the worst playing I've seen from Andy in a while, and it makes him look far from convincing as a contender for the title. So we can hope Andy will try and sort himself out for Sunday when he plays Feliciano Lopez, whom he defeated previously Wimbledon so let's hope its a repeat performance. Another potential 4th round opponent for Andy should he get there, would be Donald Young who defeated him back in Indian Wells, so if Andy were to win that one, his revenge will be complete (as he already got his own back on his Miami nemesis Bogomolov in Cincinnati). And if Andy does make it to the quarter finals he could set up another very intruiging match with the former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, which would be very exciting, but again he will need to be on form and put his 2nd round display well behind him.
Also briefly Rafa managed to ease his way through his 2nd round encounter with Nicholas Mahut, who played that incredible longest 5 setter match in history against John Isner last year at Wimbledon. This time Mahut proved no such threat against Rafa who took him apart in the first two sets before Mahut had to retire from an abdominal injury at 6-2, 6-2 6-0 ret. So the top 3 all look quite healthy, but that top 4 guy needs to sort a few things out.
So Day 6 promises to be quite interesting as Djokovic will take on possibly his first test of the tournament in Nikolai Davydenko and Federer will take on Marin Cilic. To be honest Roger and Novak are both in pretty good form so I don't think either of them will have too much trouble, so I predict straight sets win for them both, but we'll see.
And that's all fer now.
But first a wee bit about Day 4, which saw on the ladies side unfortunately Elena Baltacha make an early exit as she faced off former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite a strong start with a 3-0 lead against Svety, Bally started to succomb to Kuznetsova's impressive movement and accurate shot making, and after 1 hour and 22 minutes Elena fell in 6-4, 6-3. In retrospect Elena played quite well against Svetlana, but she was just unlucky that the Russian was on better form and was the better player. Also on other ladies matches, Serena Williams breezed past her opponent in 6-0, 6-1, which sees the previous world no.1 continue her commanding comeback, next up for Serena will be Victoria Azarenka, so that should be a really good one. Caroline Wozniacki also showed some great return to form as she crushed her opponent in 6-2, 6-0, which is really great to see her get back on her game and puts her in a strong position to do well in the latter stages.
In the men's tennis on day 4, Djokovic proved even further just why he is the No.1 men's player as he trounced his opponent Carlos Berlocq in 6-0, 6-0, 6-2. Djokovic spent no more than 77 minutes on court as he dismantled his opponent, he even admitted after he felt sorry for him as he tried to fight his way back into the match. Federer also had no troubles getting past Dudi Sela whom he swept past in 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Although one of the first top seed upsets occured with Gael Monfils going out after an epic 5 set match against Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Onto Day 5, starting with the ladies, Vera Zvonareva made it through in straight sets as she took on Medina Garrigues, who put out Laura Robson in the previous round. And in a thrilling match, we saw the mighty Maria Sharapova fall to the Italian Flavia Pennetta (seeded No. 26) after a lenghty 3 set battle, which Flavia won in 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. This was a riveting match, and one which highlighted the great atmosphere of the US Open Arthur Ashe stadium, say what you want about the Americans, but when it comes to giving players an atmos and energy they are second to none. I was also pleased to see Flavia get through as she came out so strong early on and despite a real fightback from the Pova, she managed to make it through in the end. In the end Sharapova while she displayed the incredible fighting spirit that lead her to win her previous US Open title, also once again put in an incredibly erratic performance, as she served what must be a record breaking 12 double faults in the match and 60 unforced errors. With mistakes like that she's not likely to win another grand slam but we shall see. It also leaves the field that bit more open for the title to be taken, although Serena is still a hot favourite to win, but we will see how she does against Azarenka tomorrow.
So that brings us onto the other match of the day, which was an incredible and yet very frustrating one to watch, where Andy Murray took on Robin Haase, the very talented Dutch player who not only defeated Andy on their previous meeting, but also took Rafa to 5 sets last year in Wimbledon. And this time the match seemed to be of a similar nature and Andy himself was wary of his opponent, and rightly so as Haase come out with all guns blazing as he impressively held onto his serve in the first set, and broke Andy at one point who broke back, which saw the first go to a tiebreak which Haase won. In the second Andy worryingly went off the boil and lost it in 6-2, but in the third he regained his feet and took that set to keep himself in the match, and after easily taking the 4th set, and despite having a near 5-0 lead, he dropped his serve to let Haase back who found some inspiration to level the set until it was 4-4. But thankfully Andy managed to secure a break to make it 5-4 in the 5th set, and after a very tense final game which had the American crowd screaming for more, Andy finally won the match in 6-7, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, 6-4.
This was quite a match, and it once again showed Andy's sheer determination and talent in turning a match around, as that's the sixth time he's won a match from two sets down in a grand slam. However it did also alarmingly raise just how poor his serve was, as he frequently dropped his serve and gave away too many free points to Haase. I think after losing the first set tiebreak that Andy really went off the boil, and it took him until the 3rd set to mentally come back into the match. And this leads us back to another concern and that's his mental strength in the face of adversity, as if that was Rafa he would have just gotten on the with match and put it behind him, and that's what Andy needs to do. Andy though to his credit was nothing but honest about his performance and he also said he needs to up his game when he faces his next opponent Feliciano Lopez or else he's going home. Another positive to take from the match was that we saw Andy in a rare moment where he broke into a big smile and jumped around with joy having won the match. It just shows that he has got that passion and that he wants to win and stay in the tournament, and it also shows he has got heart. In fact he did the same thing at the Davis Cup victory in Breaehead Arena. So it would be great to see some more of that from Muzza in future.
But in the meantime he really needs to work on his game and that serve of his as that was some of the worst playing I've seen from Andy in a while, and it makes him look far from convincing as a contender for the title. So we can hope Andy will try and sort himself out for Sunday when he plays Feliciano Lopez, whom he defeated previously Wimbledon so let's hope its a repeat performance. Another potential 4th round opponent for Andy should he get there, would be Donald Young who defeated him back in Indian Wells, so if Andy were to win that one, his revenge will be complete (as he already got his own back on his Miami nemesis Bogomolov in Cincinnati). And if Andy does make it to the quarter finals he could set up another very intruiging match with the former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, which would be very exciting, but again he will need to be on form and put his 2nd round display well behind him.
Also briefly Rafa managed to ease his way through his 2nd round encounter with Nicholas Mahut, who played that incredible longest 5 setter match in history against John Isner last year at Wimbledon. This time Mahut proved no such threat against Rafa who took him apart in the first two sets before Mahut had to retire from an abdominal injury at 6-2, 6-2 6-0 ret. So the top 3 all look quite healthy, but that top 4 guy needs to sort a few things out.
So Day 6 promises to be quite interesting as Djokovic will take on possibly his first test of the tournament in Nikolai Davydenko and Federer will take on Marin Cilic. To be honest Roger and Novak are both in pretty good form so I don't think either of them will have too much trouble, so I predict straight sets win for them both, but we'll see.
And that's all fer now.
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