OK so now I'm finally onto the second part of my entries on the Australian Open, the first major of the tennis season from Melbourne park. So I have a bit to catch up on, so I've decided to split these posts into two parts, one for ladies and the other for the men's. So let's get to it!
Ladies first starting with Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion who in the 2nd round faced her opponent from Greece, Eleni Daniilidou, who she made very short work of as she blasted her way past the Greek player, conceding only one game, and racing to a 6-1, 6-0 win. In the 3rd round however, Vika met her first challenge of the tournament as she was up against the very talented American player, Jamie Hampton, who played some very aggressive points against Vika and went for her shots, breaking twice in the 1st set, before double faulting to hand over the set to Azarenka. In the 2nd set, Vika showed more signs of fragility as she went a break down, and this time Jame went on to level the match, but in the decider after going a break down, Vika raced to victory, reeling of 5 games in a row, to reach the 4th round in 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Next up Victoria will face Elena Vesnina of Russia in the 4th round.
Serena Williams on the other hand little trouble in her 2nd round and 3rd round matches, as despite an injury scare in the 2nd, she pummelled her opponent Garbine Muguruza of Spain in 6-2, 6-0. In the 3rd round Serena met little more resistance as she beat Ayumi Morita of Japan in 6-1, 6-3 to reach the 4th round, having conceded only 6 games in the process. Agnieszka Radwanska, the world no.4, also has had a fairly easy time of it so far, and in her 2nd round she beat Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania in 6-3, 6-3. Next Aga faced the British No.1, Heather Watson, who made it into the 2nd round after battling past Ksenia Pervak in 3 sets. But Aga was just too good for Heather, who despite all that put up a decent fight in the process, and even had several break point opportunities, but she was unable to take them, as the Pole outclassed the Brit in 6-3, 6-1. Next up for Aga will be a sterner challenge as she faces the Serbian No.1, Ana Ivanovic in the 4th round.
Maria Sharapova, the World No.2, so far has proved to be in near unbeatable form, as she destroyed her first two round opponents in 6-0, 6-0, and in the 3rd round we expected quite a competitive match against Venus Williams. However Maria once again made short work of the former No.1, by racing past her in an emphatic straight set win of 6-1, 6-3. This more impressively than Serena, means that Maria has only dropped just four games on her way to the 4th round, now that is some going! Next up Maria will face Kirsten Flipkens, so you can expect another massively one-sided scoreline. Angelique Kerber, the World No.5, also has been in impressive form so far, as she hasn't dropped set, and in the 2nd round she dismissed Lucie Hdrecka of the Czeck Republic in 6-3, 6-1, and in the 3rd round she had more competitve match with the American, Madison Keys as she beat her 6-2, 7-5 to reach the 4th round. In the 4th round Kerber will face Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, which could promised to be a really good match, as Makarova has improved as player, and she took out Marion Bartoli in the 3rd round.
In other ladies matches, Li Na has been in similarly impressive form, and is also so far yet to drop a set, and in the 2nd round she beat Olga Govortsova in 6-2, 7-5. And in the 3rd round Li Na dismissed Sorana Cirstea of Romania (popular country for tennis players!) in 6-4, 6-1, which sees Li Na faced her first big potential threat with Julia Goerges of Germany, who is dangerous big bitter with a big forehand (and a nice jiggle, sorry, being a perv!). Caroline Wozniacki so far has made impressive progress in Melbourne, as she beat Donna Vekic, the 16 year old from Croatia in 6-1, 6-4 in the 2nd round. In the 3rd round Caroline went on to beat Lseia Tsurenko of the Ukraine in 6-4, 6-3, which will set up for her first big challenge of the tournament, as she will play Svetlana Kuznetsova, and the Russian beat her in their previous meeting. But I hope Caroline get's through as it could set up a potential clash with Victoria Azarenka, which I would really like to see, as that would be a real belter, but first things first.
In the not so fortunate side of the ladies match, the British interest in the ladies players have both suffered losses. I've already mentioned Heather Watson, who fell to the Pole, Agnieszka Radwanska in 6-3, 6-1, in a match that actually betrayed the scoreline, as they both had some tight duece games, and it showed Heather's promise against the top players, but she made a few too many unforced errors and couldn't capitalise on several break point opportunities, but I'm sure Heather will continue to improve in the future.
And as for Laura Robson, she also has made impressive progress and in her 2nd round match so claimed another big scalp, as she took out an ailing Petra Kvitova in a real battle, after going a set and a break down, Laura battled back to level the match. And in the decider they played an epic set, where both players fought hard on serve, with Petra going a break up early on, only to squander it to let Laura back into the match. After that it went by serve until 9-9 when Laura made the decisive break, and finally went on to serve out the match, with a final scoreline of 2-6, 6-3, 11-9. This was an achievement for Laura, in taking out the former Wimbledon champion, however the match was mixed in quality, and both players faltered badly on serve, with Petra serving as bad as she ever has, making 18 double faults, with Laura not far behind at 14. Regardless it saw Laura make impressive strides in her effort against the big names and it proves she has what it takes to beat them. However in her next round match, Laura was not so lucky, as she played the American teenager, Sloane Stephens, and Laura was hampered by a shoulder injury, which she received a medical timeout for. Laura however managed despite going 4-1 down in the opening to set to level at 5-5, but Stephens broke again to close the set. And in the 3rd set, Laura couldn't keep up, as Sloane broke again to win the match in 7-5, 6-3.
So regardless of the both girls in the first slam of the season, they are showing real signs of progress in reaching the 3rd round of a major, and I'm sure throughout the year we will see them improve even more.
And that's it for the ladies, next up is the men.
Bye for now.
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
2013 Aussie Open Part 1: Getting under way....
Right ok so its time for my post of the Australian Open, the first grand slam of the tennis season from Melbourne Park, where the world's best tennis players compete to win one of tennis's most craved trophies. This post will cover the 1st round matches as play go underway on Monday there so let's get to it and I'll start with the lasses...
OK so ladies first, starting with Day 1, out on court first we had Maria Sharapova who wasted precious time on the court, as she smashed her opponent, Olga Puchkova without even dropping a single game, with a brutal 6-0, 6-0 bludgeoning. Despite the fact that Maria had not played a competitive match this year leading up to Melbourne, she quickly shrugged off any fears of her rustiness with this performance. So next up for Maria will be Misaki Doi of Japan in the 2nd round. After that we had Sam Stosur who took on Chang Kai-Chen of Taiwan, who had defeated the Aussie No.1 last year in Osaka, and there were concerns that Sam would make another first round exit like she did at Melbourne last year. However these fears were quickly dispelled as Sam battled her way through the first set, which she took on the tiebreak, and then went on to secure the break in the 2nd to close out her first win in Melbourne for a while in 7-6, 6-3. It was good to see Sam win through as she had already gone out twice in the Australian warm up events in her first match, so hopefully this will give her more confidence to carry on in the event. Next up we had Li Na who had little trouble in making it past her opponent Sesil Karantantcheva with a straight forward 6-1, 6-3 win. Agnieszka Radwanska also managed to breeze past the Aussie player, Bojana Bobusic, after a tight first set, her opponent had no answer for her whatsoever, with the World No.4 winning in 7-5, 6-0. Venus Williams also showed a very impressive and dominant performance who trounced Galina Voskoboeva, only dropping a single game on her way to the 2nd round with a 6-0, 6-1 victory.
So onto day 2 of the ladies, which saw more of the top seeds in battle, and we saw a couple of early exit shockers, with first up the biggest one being, the 7th seed, Sara Errani, and quarter finalist last year, go out to the Spanish player, Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Nadia Petrova also went out, the 12th seed, to Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan, who thrashed the former world no.3 in 6-2, 6-0. As for the top seeds, Serena Williams, despite having an injury scare, having twisted her ankle on court, had little trouble getting past her opponent Edina Gallovits Hall witha bruising 6-0, 6-0 win, which shows you just how Serena is even with an injury!
Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion had a slightly trickier time against Monica Niculescu of Romania, after winning the first set, she went 3-0 down in the 2nd set, but Vika quickly regained momentum and won the match in 6-1, 6-4. Petra Kvitova on the other hand had a much tougher passage into the 2nd round as she battled past Francesca Schiavone, after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win. And the 10th seed, Caroline Wozniacki also had a test in front of her, who played Sabine Lisicki of Gemany, after dropping the opening set, Caroline battled back in the 2nd set and went on to take the 3rd to seal her place in the 2nd round with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was good to see Caroline get past her first hurdle as Lisicki is a tough player to beat, but on hard court Caroline would be the favourite and with it she managed to avoid another early exit in a major, after her last two 1st round exits last year at Wimbledon and the US Open. Angelique Kerber also made is safely into the 2nd round against her opponent Elina Svitolina in 6-2, 6-4. And finally Marion Bartoli the French No.1, who did have a tough time getting through to the 2nd round as she beat Anabel Medina Garrigues in straight sets, despite the 6-2, 6-4 scoreline it was a tough match.
As for the British interest on the ladies front, Heather Watson on day 1 had a tough time on court as she faced Alexandra Cadantu of Romania, having dropped the opening set and looking rather weary on court. In the 2nd set Heather took a long medical time out for cramp and after that she made an impressive comeback, by fighting her way to win the 2nd set, and she broke twice in the 3rd to seal out the match in 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Laura Robson on the other hand had no such trouble in her first match as she powered her way past Melanie Oudin in 6-2, 6-3, but she will go on to face Petra Kvitova, so she will have her work cut out for her there, but it promises to be a good match.
So now onto the men starting with Novak Djokovic, the defending champion on Day 1 who was up against the Frenchman, Paul Henrei Mathieu, who despite a spirited fight from the Mathieu in the 2nd and 3rd sets, managed to win comfortably in the end in 6-2, 6-4, 7-5. This sees Nole getting his title defence off to a strong start as he put in a fine performance against the Frenchman, and he was impressive on serve and his return game. Although Nole's next opponent might prove to be quite a tough one as he will play the very talented young American, Ryan Harrison. David Ferrer up next also had a pretty easy time of it, as he breezed past Olivier Rochus in 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to seal his 2nd round match with Tim Smyczek. In a high profile match and a much anticipated one Lleyton Hewitt, the former World No.1, and Melbourne finalist, took on Janko Tipsarevic of Sebria, the World No.9. And despite a spirited fight from the Aussie, it was Tipsy who went on to close out the match after 3 hours with a straight sets win of 7-6, 7-5, 6-3.
In other men's matches Tomas Berdych won comfortably against the American player, Michael Russell with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 result. Fernando Verdasco saw off a very gutsy fight from the young baby faced Belgian, David Goffin, who I saw last year at the Davis cup tie in Braehead (he won the tie for Belgium) and Verdasco battled through in 5 sets with a 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win. And Kei Nishikori of Japan, managed to get past Victor Hansecu of Romania (popular contry!) with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 scoreline.
So onto Day 2 for the men, starting with the British No.1 and reigning US Open champion, Andy Murray, who was up against the Dutch player, Robin Haase. In their last meeting, Andy had a very narrow scrape with the Dutchman, who pushed Andy to 5 sets before the Muzza managed to pull off the win, from two sets to love down. However this match couldn't have been more different as Andy had little trouble with Haase, as he made a very impressive start in Melbounre, and he swept Haase aside in straight sets with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 win. This was a really good start from Andy and just what the doctor ordered, as the Crocodile Dunblane (a joke made up in the press from pics of Andy's face superimposed on Crocodile Dundee's face!) made his presence known in Melbounre, sending a strong message to his rivals that he is in this to win it. Also on court we had Roger Federer, who despite having not played a match since last year's ATP world tour finals, got off to an impressive start, and dismissed Benoit Paire of France in 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Throughout Roger played some amazing shots, not to mention some lovely net skils and nuianced drop shots that the Frenchman had no answer for, and it makes you think that after all this time, Fed is still very much in the mix (well he isn't the World No.2 for nothing!).
In other matches on Day 2 for the men we had Juan Martin Del Potro who also had little trouble in beating the Frenchman, Adrian Mannarino in 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 (even more impressive than Roger and Andy games wise!). Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had a slightly tougher time against his compatriot, Michael Llodra, but still made a safe passage into the 2nd round after beating him 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. And Jo's fellow Frenchman, who is steadily catching up on him in the rankings, Richard Gasquet, also made a fine start in beating Albert Montanes of Spain in 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. Milos Raonic, the 13th seed however had a tougher time in his first round match in beating his opponent, the Czeck 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-6. Gilles Simon of France also had a tricky time of it in reaching the 2nd round as he defeated Filippo Volandri in 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. And finally the young upstart that is Bernard Tomic, who despite all his bravado (or bullshit if you like!) made a very good start as he beat Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to the delight of the home crowd, and he could be a very much anticipated 3rd round opponent for Federer, but whether or not he can topple the mighty Fed is another matter altogether.
Sooooooooooooooooooo that's it for now, more to follow in a couple of days once the 2nd round matches are over with.
Until then bye for now!
OK so ladies first, starting with Day 1, out on court first we had Maria Sharapova who wasted precious time on the court, as she smashed her opponent, Olga Puchkova without even dropping a single game, with a brutal 6-0, 6-0 bludgeoning. Despite the fact that Maria had not played a competitive match this year leading up to Melbourne, she quickly shrugged off any fears of her rustiness with this performance. So next up for Maria will be Misaki Doi of Japan in the 2nd round. After that we had Sam Stosur who took on Chang Kai-Chen of Taiwan, who had defeated the Aussie No.1 last year in Osaka, and there were concerns that Sam would make another first round exit like she did at Melbourne last year. However these fears were quickly dispelled as Sam battled her way through the first set, which she took on the tiebreak, and then went on to secure the break in the 2nd to close out her first win in Melbourne for a while in 7-6, 6-3. It was good to see Sam win through as she had already gone out twice in the Australian warm up events in her first match, so hopefully this will give her more confidence to carry on in the event. Next up we had Li Na who had little trouble in making it past her opponent Sesil Karantantcheva with a straight forward 6-1, 6-3 win. Agnieszka Radwanska also managed to breeze past the Aussie player, Bojana Bobusic, after a tight first set, her opponent had no answer for her whatsoever, with the World No.4 winning in 7-5, 6-0. Venus Williams also showed a very impressive and dominant performance who trounced Galina Voskoboeva, only dropping a single game on her way to the 2nd round with a 6-0, 6-1 victory.
So onto day 2 of the ladies, which saw more of the top seeds in battle, and we saw a couple of early exit shockers, with first up the biggest one being, the 7th seed, Sara Errani, and quarter finalist last year, go out to the Spanish player, Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Nadia Petrova also went out, the 12th seed, to Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan, who thrashed the former world no.3 in 6-2, 6-0. As for the top seeds, Serena Williams, despite having an injury scare, having twisted her ankle on court, had little trouble getting past her opponent Edina Gallovits Hall witha bruising 6-0, 6-0 win, which shows you just how Serena is even with an injury!
Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion had a slightly trickier time against Monica Niculescu of Romania, after winning the first set, she went 3-0 down in the 2nd set, but Vika quickly regained momentum and won the match in 6-1, 6-4. Petra Kvitova on the other hand had a much tougher passage into the 2nd round as she battled past Francesca Schiavone, after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win. And the 10th seed, Caroline Wozniacki also had a test in front of her, who played Sabine Lisicki of Gemany, after dropping the opening set, Caroline battled back in the 2nd set and went on to take the 3rd to seal her place in the 2nd round with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was good to see Caroline get past her first hurdle as Lisicki is a tough player to beat, but on hard court Caroline would be the favourite and with it she managed to avoid another early exit in a major, after her last two 1st round exits last year at Wimbledon and the US Open. Angelique Kerber also made is safely into the 2nd round against her opponent Elina Svitolina in 6-2, 6-4. And finally Marion Bartoli the French No.1, who did have a tough time getting through to the 2nd round as she beat Anabel Medina Garrigues in straight sets, despite the 6-2, 6-4 scoreline it was a tough match.
As for the British interest on the ladies front, Heather Watson on day 1 had a tough time on court as she faced Alexandra Cadantu of Romania, having dropped the opening set and looking rather weary on court. In the 2nd set Heather took a long medical time out for cramp and after that she made an impressive comeback, by fighting her way to win the 2nd set, and she broke twice in the 3rd to seal out the match in 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Laura Robson on the other hand had no such trouble in her first match as she powered her way past Melanie Oudin in 6-2, 6-3, but she will go on to face Petra Kvitova, so she will have her work cut out for her there, but it promises to be a good match.
So now onto the men starting with Novak Djokovic, the defending champion on Day 1 who was up against the Frenchman, Paul Henrei Mathieu, who despite a spirited fight from the Mathieu in the 2nd and 3rd sets, managed to win comfortably in the end in 6-2, 6-4, 7-5. This sees Nole getting his title defence off to a strong start as he put in a fine performance against the Frenchman, and he was impressive on serve and his return game. Although Nole's next opponent might prove to be quite a tough one as he will play the very talented young American, Ryan Harrison. David Ferrer up next also had a pretty easy time of it, as he breezed past Olivier Rochus in 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to seal his 2nd round match with Tim Smyczek. In a high profile match and a much anticipated one Lleyton Hewitt, the former World No.1, and Melbourne finalist, took on Janko Tipsarevic of Sebria, the World No.9. And despite a spirited fight from the Aussie, it was Tipsy who went on to close out the match after 3 hours with a straight sets win of 7-6, 7-5, 6-3.
In other men's matches Tomas Berdych won comfortably against the American player, Michael Russell with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 result. Fernando Verdasco saw off a very gutsy fight from the young baby faced Belgian, David Goffin, who I saw last year at the Davis cup tie in Braehead (he won the tie for Belgium) and Verdasco battled through in 5 sets with a 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win. And Kei Nishikori of Japan, managed to get past Victor Hansecu of Romania (popular contry!) with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 scoreline.
So onto Day 2 for the men, starting with the British No.1 and reigning US Open champion, Andy Murray, who was up against the Dutch player, Robin Haase. In their last meeting, Andy had a very narrow scrape with the Dutchman, who pushed Andy to 5 sets before the Muzza managed to pull off the win, from two sets to love down. However this match couldn't have been more different as Andy had little trouble with Haase, as he made a very impressive start in Melbounre, and he swept Haase aside in straight sets with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 win. This was a really good start from Andy and just what the doctor ordered, as the Crocodile Dunblane (a joke made up in the press from pics of Andy's face superimposed on Crocodile Dundee's face!) made his presence known in Melbounre, sending a strong message to his rivals that he is in this to win it. Also on court we had Roger Federer, who despite having not played a match since last year's ATP world tour finals, got off to an impressive start, and dismissed Benoit Paire of France in 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Throughout Roger played some amazing shots, not to mention some lovely net skils and nuianced drop shots that the Frenchman had no answer for, and it makes you think that after all this time, Fed is still very much in the mix (well he isn't the World No.2 for nothing!).
In other matches on Day 2 for the men we had Juan Martin Del Potro who also had little trouble in beating the Frenchman, Adrian Mannarino in 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 (even more impressive than Roger and Andy games wise!). Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had a slightly tougher time against his compatriot, Michael Llodra, but still made a safe passage into the 2nd round after beating him 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. And Jo's fellow Frenchman, who is steadily catching up on him in the rankings, Richard Gasquet, also made a fine start in beating Albert Montanes of Spain in 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. Milos Raonic, the 13th seed however had a tougher time in his first round match in beating his opponent, the Czeck 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-6. Gilles Simon of France also had a tricky time of it in reaching the 2nd round as he defeated Filippo Volandri in 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. And finally the young upstart that is Bernard Tomic, who despite all his bravado (or bullshit if you like!) made a very good start as he beat Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to the delight of the home crowd, and he could be a very much anticipated 3rd round opponent for Federer, but whether or not he can topple the mighty Fed is another matter altogether.
Sooooooooooooooooooo that's it for now, more to follow in a couple of days once the 2nd round matches are over with.
Until then bye for now!
Saturday, 12 January 2013
2013 Australian Open: The Draw
Ok so the draw for the first grand slam of the 2013 tennis season is now out, and so I thought I would put up a few thoughts on some of the favourites and who they will face on both the men and ladies side of the net. So let's go, and I've gone to the added trouble of sourcing some pics of the top seeds just for a change, spared no expense here!! (and they are all smiley ones too!). ;-)
Sooooo starting with the ladies:
Serena is the hot favourite to win the title however she will face one or two tricky obstacles in her path, such as Maria Kirilenko, the Russian No.2, and Peng Shuai of China (also the No.2 in China). And later on in the draw Serena will face as a potential quarter final opponent either Petra Kvitova, although she has struggled of late, and Nadia Petrova, who has made a resurgance lately back on the scene, especially as she won her biggest title last year in Tokyo. But Serena's main rival will be Victoria Azarenka, and they are set to met in the semi finals, which promises to be one heck of a match, but Serena I'm sure will come out on top. Its just a pity they are both drawn on the side same together as we could have had another great final, but I'm sure whatever way it goes Serena will be in that final. And Serena has also said she plans on going for the calendar slam this season, and trying to win all four majors, and if there is one player that can do it, its her. (that's a pic of Serena holding her 2013 Brisbane International trophy).
Vika, who is the defending champion also has one or two testing opponents in her way, but she has tendency to blast her way past her opponents earlier on in the draw. Nonetheless there are one or two dangers lurking for Vika such as potentially Sara Errani should they meet, possibly in the quarter finals, and there is also Caroline Wozniacki who could also be a possible quater final opponent. Now for me that would be the pick of the lot, as I'd would love to see the two of them play each other again. But Victoria's main obstacle will be Serena Williams, who she is set to meet in the semi finals. Can she beat Serena this time after getting so close in the US Open???? Possibly, but it will be one big test of her character and her ability to do so. Personally I think Victoria can make the semis but I'd have to say Serena would be the favourite in their match. Regardless Vika is the world no.1 for a reason, and she is improving all the time, so she could yet defend her title (that's a pic of her at an Aussie open press conference).
Maria is the world No.2, and she has the power to easily to bludgeon her way past most of her rivals, but she too will have a few toughies in her way. For starters Maria could face Venus Williams, and should they meet that would promise to be one hell of a match, but whether or not it would live up to the billing or not, who knows?? Should could also face the pint sized Dominika Cibulkova, who has had a good run this week in the Sydney Apia International, despite getting trounced by Agnieszka Radwanska there in the final. Maria also could face Marion Bartoli and Angelique Kerber in the latter stages as well, with Radwanska being a possible semi finalist, which could make for a really dangerous path for her before she would have a possible line up with Serena in the final. However Maria is mentally one of the toughest players in the game, as well as one of the great warriors as well, so she will be hard to stop and she has a very good chance at going deep and possibly reaching the final. (pic of Maria holding her French Open trophy from last year, having completed her career slam).
So onto Aga, who has gotten off to the perfect start in 2013 so far, as she has just won two titles back to back in Auckland and Sydney, without even dropping a set so far this year! So this bodes extremely for her in Melbourne as if she can keep this record up then she will be nigh impossible to stop. However Radwanska may have some tough customers in her draw one of which being Ana Ivanovic, who has shown drastic improvements over the last year or so in her game. Radwanska could also potentially face either Li Na or Sam Stosur in the quarter finals before setting up a semi final clash with Maria Sharapova for a place in the final. Can Aga win the title???? Not entirely sure, she has the game and the finesse but she lacks the raw power of the big hitters, so I'd have to say she might make the semis or even the final, but I don't quite see her winning, but you never know, this might yet still be her year. (Pic of Aga holding her Sydney Apia International trophy this year).
Other seeds I will quickly mention are....
Sam made a shock first round exit last year in Melbourne, but she will hope to turn it around this year and here's hoping she does, as it would be a great pity for her to go out early on again. But Stosur does have a tough draw in front of her as she will face a few potential opponents from the East, starting with Chang Kai-chen, who defeated Stosur last year in Osaka. Then Stosur could face the Chinese player, Zheng Jie, who could prove to be really dangerous as well, as well as Li Na as a possible fourth round opponent, and Ana Ivanovic and Agnieszka Radwanska as possible quarter finalists, so its a tough draw, but you never know. Which means she could have a possible showdown with Maria Sharapova in the semis, and it would be a US Open final re-match with Serena. Sam has the weapons to down Serena as she showed in their final, but she lacks the overall confidence to keep winning in the big matches. But we shall see, anyway let's hope Sam survives the first round and that will hopefully give her some confidence to keep going.
The former world no.1, has arguably an even tougher draw ahead of her as she will face Sabine Lisicki from Germany, in her first round match, which will prove to be a real test. Caroline could then face Sara Errani as a possible 4th round opponent and a possible mouth watering clash with Victoria Azarenka in the quarter finals. Caroline could then have a possible semi final battle with Serena, and it would be a final most likely with Mara Sharapova. So it will be a real uphill battle for Caroline but let's hope she can get to the quarters at least, but I can't see her negotiating her way past the big hitters, especially Maria and Serena, it will be tough no doubt, but stranger things have happened. However with Caroline she will just have to take it one match at a time, and Lisicki will be a really tough first hurdle to get by.
And finally Li Na who has had an excellent start to the year so far, having won a title in China and reaching the semis in Sydney. Li Na is also a former finalist in Melbourne so she has had some great results here in the past, although Kim Clijsters stopped her in the last two years from advancing further, as Kim put her out in the 4th round last year. Li however also has a tough section too as she could be up against Sorana Cirstea or Roumania, Julia Goerges of Germany, and possibly Sam Stosur in the 4th round, and a possible quarter final with Agnieszka Radwanska, followed with Sharapova in the semis possibly, and either a Serena or Azarenka final. So its a tough one but Li has a big game, and on form she will be very dangerous, and she has a very good chance to go deep this year so we will see how it goes for her.
So now onto the men:
Starting with the top dog, Nole has a potentially difficult draw ahead of him, and even though Melbourne has proved to be his tournament so far, there will be alot of work ahead of him in order to defend that title. For starters in his draw Novak will face the talented Frenchman, Paul Henri-Mathieu, but he should still get past him with fair ease. But as Nole's draw carries on it gets tougher as he could face Sam Querrey, who defeated him in Paris last year, as well as Stan Wawrinka, the Swiss No.2. Novak might also go on to face players such as Juan Monaco, Fernando Verdasco, and as strong possible quarter final opponent, Tomas Berdych, who if he plays really well, will be a big test. And in the semis Novak could be up against the dogged David Ferrer, although he did beat the Spaniard with relative ease in their last encounter at the US Open last year, but I'm sure the little beast will give him a real workout. And after this, Nole could set up a dream final with either Roger Federer or Andy Murray, with the latter being my preference and let's hope it is! Can Nole defend the title???? For sure. Will he??? Wait and see. All we can hope for is another great 5 set epic match between two out of the three best players in the world right now, and let's hope it is Nole and Andy, but I'd even still take Roger and Novak if it happens. (And in the pic here's Nole, rather aptly holding his 2012 trophy for his 3rd Australian Open title).
Roger equally has a rather unkind draw and he may have to face one or two difficult opponents before he can get anywhere near that 5th Aussie Open title. For starters Roger may have to face Nikolai Davykeno early on as a possible 2nd round opponent, after that he could go on to Bernard Tomic, who has improved his game lately, although I don't see the Aussie toppling the GOAT. And one of Roger's toughest potential opponents could be the big Canadian Milos Raonic, with whom he has had some really tight close matches with, but he has come out on top in every one, just. As for a quarter final opponent Federer may have to the top two frenchmen, Richard Gasquet (No.2) or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No.1) and if he faces either of them in top form, then he could be in for a long night. And let's not forget Roger's semi final opponent could be some fella called Andy Murray, which could promise to be a real cracker. And if Andy is beaten by Del Potro enroute to the semis, then Roger could be looking at a semi final exit to the big Argentine, who poses a big threat to him, especially as Delpo has beaten him already in a major final. Which begs the question: can Roger win and reach the final???? Very possibly, as his Murray match will be 50/50, or 60/40, depending on who get's the lead. However I don't quite see Roger lifting the title, if Andy fails, Nole will succeed I think. But you can never write Fed off and you never know how things will pan out. (That's a pic of Roger holding his 7th Wimbleon title aloft).
So onto the British No.1, Andy Murray (OBE). Andy actually hasn't got too bad a section leading up before the quarter finals. However his first round opponent could prove to be a real test, as he will face the Dutch player, Robin Haase, who very nearly took out Andy at the US Open two years ago, in a very close 5 set battle. However Andy is a different and much better player now than he was then, so I think he will get past Haase in 4 sets tops. As for the rest of his draw, its looking not too torturous for the next few rounds as he could face the likes of Gilles Simon, whom he has a great record against (beaten only once), Gael Monfils who could prove tricky, but should be beatable, and also Alexandr Dolgopolov, who despite their first tight meeting at Melbourne two years ago, Andy has beaten him with ease since, but he could still pose a threat. However things get way tougher at the quarter finals when Andy could confront Juan Martin Del Potro, who with his big serve and monster forehand could cause big problems for him, but he does have a good head to head against Delpo so hopefully he can use that. And in the semis its a possible showdown against Roger Federer, and well that one depends purely on how well he plays on the night (well he needs to find his first serve for starters!). So if its a tantalising final with Andy and Nole, can Andy beat in their 3rd possible major final again???? Yes he can, but it will be exceptionally tough for him to dethrone Nole, and if he is to do it, hopefully it will be another epic match, so time will reveall all! (the picture is of course Andy with his US Open trophy from last year, looking suitably chuffed at the press conference).
As for some of the other men's seeds we have.....
David Ferrer, the fourth seed in Melbourne, who is on the verge of overtaking an absent Rafa in the rankings, has just triumphed in Auckland for his 4th title there, and he already has a very impressive tally of 19 titles to his name, and his game seems to be improving all the time. Ferrer has quite a tough draw ahead of him though, as he will player Olivier Rochus in the 1st round and could encounter big Ivo Karlovich in the 2nd, and to follow Ferrer could also be up against Marcos Baghdatis in the 3rd round and Kei Nishikori in the 4th. And we could have a US Open quarter final re-match in the quarters with Ferrer possibly taking on Janko Tipsarevic, and its some fella by the name of Novak Djokovic in the semis (two Serbs for the price of one!). Ferrer for me however, despite being at the top of his game just now doesn't have the weapons to take down the big three so I think while he can go deep I don't think Ferrer will be taking the title, as his lack of experience in reaching the final stage of the slams is something that has always eluded him, but who knows?
The big 6ft 6 inch Argentine, who is already a former US Open champion, and he has a fairly tough draw also, as he might come up against the likes of Andreas Seppi of Italy and Marin Cilic of Croatia in his section as possible 3rd and 4th round opponents. Delpo would then face a titanic challenge in the quarters with a possible clash with Andy Murray, which could be a real belter, but we will have to wait and see, and if he wins, then it will be another match up with Roger Federer, which could work in Delpo's favour should he get there, given that he has won their last two meetings, suggesting Delpo has worked out how to get Federer's number. However Delpo while he might have a chance of reaching the final, I can't quite see him winning against Nole, who is by far the faster and more agile of the two of them, but time will tell and with one major title behind him, Delpo does know what it takes to win one.
And finally I'll look at the former 2008 finalist in Melbourne, and French No.1, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has been a bit up and down of late, having recently worked with a new coach. However Tsonga has the game and the firepower to down anyone when he is on form, and if he were to play his absolute best he would a fairly strong chance of winning. However Tsonga has a tough draw as well, as he will play Michael Llorda, fellow Frenchman in the opening round, and possibly Thomas Bellucci of Brazil in the 3rd round, and in the 4th round maybe even his other native player, Richard Gasquet, who is creeping up on Tsonga, and will be looking to take his place as the French No.1. And in the quarter finals we could see Jo face off against Federer, which could promise to be a burnburner should he get that far. And if he beats Federer then that could be good news for Andy if they should meet in the semis. However Jo is as I said very up and down and depending on his frame of mind he might only get so far before he exits the tournament, as last year he went out to Kei Nishikori in the 4th round, but we'll see.
So I will leave it there, more updates will follow from me throughout the next two weeks of what promises to be one of the best Australian Open championships (hopefully!).
Bye for now!
Sooooo starting with the ladies:
Serena Williams
Serena is the hot favourite to win the title however she will face one or two tricky obstacles in her path, such as Maria Kirilenko, the Russian No.2, and Peng Shuai of China (also the No.2 in China). And later on in the draw Serena will face as a potential quarter final opponent either Petra Kvitova, although she has struggled of late, and Nadia Petrova, who has made a resurgance lately back on the scene, especially as she won her biggest title last year in Tokyo. But Serena's main rival will be Victoria Azarenka, and they are set to met in the semi finals, which promises to be one heck of a match, but Serena I'm sure will come out on top. Its just a pity they are both drawn on the side same together as we could have had another great final, but I'm sure whatever way it goes Serena will be in that final. And Serena has also said she plans on going for the calendar slam this season, and trying to win all four majors, and if there is one player that can do it, its her. (that's a pic of Serena holding her 2013 Brisbane International trophy).
Victoria Azarenka
Vika, who is the defending champion also has one or two testing opponents in her way, but she has tendency to blast her way past her opponents earlier on in the draw. Nonetheless there are one or two dangers lurking for Vika such as potentially Sara Errani should they meet, possibly in the quarter finals, and there is also Caroline Wozniacki who could also be a possible quater final opponent. Now for me that would be the pick of the lot, as I'd would love to see the two of them play each other again. But Victoria's main obstacle will be Serena Williams, who she is set to meet in the semi finals. Can she beat Serena this time after getting so close in the US Open???? Possibly, but it will be one big test of her character and her ability to do so. Personally I think Victoria can make the semis but I'd have to say Serena would be the favourite in their match. Regardless Vika is the world no.1 for a reason, and she is improving all the time, so she could yet defend her title (that's a pic of her at an Aussie open press conference).
Maria Sharapova
Maria is the world No.2, and she has the power to easily to bludgeon her way past most of her rivals, but she too will have a few toughies in her way. For starters Maria could face Venus Williams, and should they meet that would promise to be one hell of a match, but whether or not it would live up to the billing or not, who knows?? Should could also face the pint sized Dominika Cibulkova, who has had a good run this week in the Sydney Apia International, despite getting trounced by Agnieszka Radwanska there in the final. Maria also could face Marion Bartoli and Angelique Kerber in the latter stages as well, with Radwanska being a possible semi finalist, which could make for a really dangerous path for her before she would have a possible line up with Serena in the final. However Maria is mentally one of the toughest players in the game, as well as one of the great warriors as well, so she will be hard to stop and she has a very good chance at going deep and possibly reaching the final. (pic of Maria holding her French Open trophy from last year, having completed her career slam).
Agnieszka Radwanska
So onto Aga, who has gotten off to the perfect start in 2013 so far, as she has just won two titles back to back in Auckland and Sydney, without even dropping a set so far this year! So this bodes extremely for her in Melbourne as if she can keep this record up then she will be nigh impossible to stop. However Radwanska may have some tough customers in her draw one of which being Ana Ivanovic, who has shown drastic improvements over the last year or so in her game. Radwanska could also potentially face either Li Na or Sam Stosur in the quarter finals before setting up a semi final clash with Maria Sharapova for a place in the final. Can Aga win the title???? Not entirely sure, she has the game and the finesse but she lacks the raw power of the big hitters, so I'd have to say she might make the semis or even the final, but I don't quite see her winning, but you never know, this might yet still be her year. (Pic of Aga holding her Sydney Apia International trophy this year).
Other seeds I will quickly mention are....
Sam Stosur
Sam made a shock first round exit last year in Melbourne, but she will hope to turn it around this year and here's hoping she does, as it would be a great pity for her to go out early on again. But Stosur does have a tough draw in front of her as she will face a few potential opponents from the East, starting with Chang Kai-chen, who defeated Stosur last year in Osaka. Then Stosur could face the Chinese player, Zheng Jie, who could prove to be really dangerous as well, as well as Li Na as a possible fourth round opponent, and Ana Ivanovic and Agnieszka Radwanska as possible quarter finalists, so its a tough draw, but you never know. Which means she could have a possible showdown with Maria Sharapova in the semis, and it would be a US Open final re-match with Serena. Sam has the weapons to down Serena as she showed in their final, but she lacks the overall confidence to keep winning in the big matches. But we shall see, anyway let's hope Sam survives the first round and that will hopefully give her some confidence to keep going.
Caroline Wozniacki
The former world no.1, has arguably an even tougher draw ahead of her as she will face Sabine Lisicki from Germany, in her first round match, which will prove to be a real test. Caroline could then face Sara Errani as a possible 4th round opponent and a possible mouth watering clash with Victoria Azarenka in the quarter finals. Caroline could then have a possible semi final battle with Serena, and it would be a final most likely with Mara Sharapova. So it will be a real uphill battle for Caroline but let's hope she can get to the quarters at least, but I can't see her negotiating her way past the big hitters, especially Maria and Serena, it will be tough no doubt, but stranger things have happened. However with Caroline she will just have to take it one match at a time, and Lisicki will be a really tough first hurdle to get by.
Li Na
And finally Li Na who has had an excellent start to the year so far, having won a title in China and reaching the semis in Sydney. Li Na is also a former finalist in Melbourne so she has had some great results here in the past, although Kim Clijsters stopped her in the last two years from advancing further, as Kim put her out in the 4th round last year. Li however also has a tough section too as she could be up against Sorana Cirstea or Roumania, Julia Goerges of Germany, and possibly Sam Stosur in the 4th round, and a possible quarter final with Agnieszka Radwanska, followed with Sharapova in the semis possibly, and either a Serena or Azarenka final. So its a tough one but Li has a big game, and on form she will be very dangerous, and she has a very good chance to go deep this year so we will see how it goes for her.
So now onto the men:
Novak Djokovic
Starting with the top dog, Nole has a potentially difficult draw ahead of him, and even though Melbourne has proved to be his tournament so far, there will be alot of work ahead of him in order to defend that title. For starters in his draw Novak will face the talented Frenchman, Paul Henri-Mathieu, but he should still get past him with fair ease. But as Nole's draw carries on it gets tougher as he could face Sam Querrey, who defeated him in Paris last year, as well as Stan Wawrinka, the Swiss No.2. Novak might also go on to face players such as Juan Monaco, Fernando Verdasco, and as strong possible quarter final opponent, Tomas Berdych, who if he plays really well, will be a big test. And in the semis Novak could be up against the dogged David Ferrer, although he did beat the Spaniard with relative ease in their last encounter at the US Open last year, but I'm sure the little beast will give him a real workout. And after this, Nole could set up a dream final with either Roger Federer or Andy Murray, with the latter being my preference and let's hope it is! Can Nole defend the title???? For sure. Will he??? Wait and see. All we can hope for is another great 5 set epic match between two out of the three best players in the world right now, and let's hope it is Nole and Andy, but I'd even still take Roger and Novak if it happens. (And in the pic here's Nole, rather aptly holding his 2012 trophy for his 3rd Australian Open title).
Roger Federer
Roger equally has a rather unkind draw and he may have to face one or two difficult opponents before he can get anywhere near that 5th Aussie Open title. For starters Roger may have to face Nikolai Davykeno early on as a possible 2nd round opponent, after that he could go on to Bernard Tomic, who has improved his game lately, although I don't see the Aussie toppling the GOAT. And one of Roger's toughest potential opponents could be the big Canadian Milos Raonic, with whom he has had some really tight close matches with, but he has come out on top in every one, just. As for a quarter final opponent Federer may have to the top two frenchmen, Richard Gasquet (No.2) or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No.1) and if he faces either of them in top form, then he could be in for a long night. And let's not forget Roger's semi final opponent could be some fella called Andy Murray, which could promise to be a real cracker. And if Andy is beaten by Del Potro enroute to the semis, then Roger could be looking at a semi final exit to the big Argentine, who poses a big threat to him, especially as Delpo has beaten him already in a major final. Which begs the question: can Roger win and reach the final???? Very possibly, as his Murray match will be 50/50, or 60/40, depending on who get's the lead. However I don't quite see Roger lifting the title, if Andy fails, Nole will succeed I think. But you can never write Fed off and you never know how things will pan out. (That's a pic of Roger holding his 7th Wimbleon title aloft).
Andy Murray
So onto the British No.1, Andy Murray (OBE). Andy actually hasn't got too bad a section leading up before the quarter finals. However his first round opponent could prove to be a real test, as he will face the Dutch player, Robin Haase, who very nearly took out Andy at the US Open two years ago, in a very close 5 set battle. However Andy is a different and much better player now than he was then, so I think he will get past Haase in 4 sets tops. As for the rest of his draw, its looking not too torturous for the next few rounds as he could face the likes of Gilles Simon, whom he has a great record against (beaten only once), Gael Monfils who could prove tricky, but should be beatable, and also Alexandr Dolgopolov, who despite their first tight meeting at Melbourne two years ago, Andy has beaten him with ease since, but he could still pose a threat. However things get way tougher at the quarter finals when Andy could confront Juan Martin Del Potro, who with his big serve and monster forehand could cause big problems for him, but he does have a good head to head against Delpo so hopefully he can use that. And in the semis its a possible showdown against Roger Federer, and well that one depends purely on how well he plays on the night (well he needs to find his first serve for starters!). So if its a tantalising final with Andy and Nole, can Andy beat in their 3rd possible major final again???? Yes he can, but it will be exceptionally tough for him to dethrone Nole, and if he is to do it, hopefully it will be another epic match, so time will reveall all! (the picture is of course Andy with his US Open trophy from last year, looking suitably chuffed at the press conference).
As for some of the other men's seeds we have.....
David Ferrer
David Ferrer, the fourth seed in Melbourne, who is on the verge of overtaking an absent Rafa in the rankings, has just triumphed in Auckland for his 4th title there, and he already has a very impressive tally of 19 titles to his name, and his game seems to be improving all the time. Ferrer has quite a tough draw ahead of him though, as he will player Olivier Rochus in the 1st round and could encounter big Ivo Karlovich in the 2nd, and to follow Ferrer could also be up against Marcos Baghdatis in the 3rd round and Kei Nishikori in the 4th. And we could have a US Open quarter final re-match in the quarters with Ferrer possibly taking on Janko Tipsarevic, and its some fella by the name of Novak Djokovic in the semis (two Serbs for the price of one!). Ferrer for me however, despite being at the top of his game just now doesn't have the weapons to take down the big three so I think while he can go deep I don't think Ferrer will be taking the title, as his lack of experience in reaching the final stage of the slams is something that has always eluded him, but who knows?
Juan Martin Del Potro
The big 6ft 6 inch Argentine, who is already a former US Open champion, and he has a fairly tough draw also, as he might come up against the likes of Andreas Seppi of Italy and Marin Cilic of Croatia in his section as possible 3rd and 4th round opponents. Delpo would then face a titanic challenge in the quarters with a possible clash with Andy Murray, which could be a real belter, but we will have to wait and see, and if he wins, then it will be another match up with Roger Federer, which could work in Delpo's favour should he get there, given that he has won their last two meetings, suggesting Delpo has worked out how to get Federer's number. However Delpo while he might have a chance of reaching the final, I can't quite see him winning against Nole, who is by far the faster and more agile of the two of them, but time will tell and with one major title behind him, Delpo does know what it takes to win one.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
And finally I'll look at the former 2008 finalist in Melbourne, and French No.1, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has been a bit up and down of late, having recently worked with a new coach. However Tsonga has the game and the firepower to down anyone when he is on form, and if he were to play his absolute best he would a fairly strong chance of winning. However Tsonga has a tough draw as well, as he will play Michael Llorda, fellow Frenchman in the opening round, and possibly Thomas Bellucci of Brazil in the 3rd round, and in the 4th round maybe even his other native player, Richard Gasquet, who is creeping up on Tsonga, and will be looking to take his place as the French No.1. And in the quarter finals we could see Jo face off against Federer, which could promise to be a burnburner should he get that far. And if he beats Federer then that could be good news for Andy if they should meet in the semis. However Jo is as I said very up and down and depending on his frame of mind he might only get so far before he exits the tournament, as last year he went out to Kei Nishikori in the 4th round, but we'll see.
So I will leave it there, more updates will follow from me throughout the next two weeks of what promises to be one of the best Australian Open championships (hopefully!).
Bye for now!
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Australian Open men's preview
OK so now onto the men's preview of the Australian Open as I look at my pick of the bunch for possible contenders at the first slam of the new season. Regretfully before I start, as we know, Rafa will not be participating in Melbourne this year, due to a stomach virus, and he won't make a return to the tour until the end of February, so let's hope he makes a fast recovery.
So to start off at the top, we have Novak Djokovic, who has won the title for the last two years running and for me he has to be the absolute favourite to win here again. Novak won his first major in Melbourne back in 2008, and for me I think this is the slam he can gain real owernship over, just like Rafa has at the French Open, I do believe that Djokovic will win this title at least another 2 or 3 times before he retires. So if I had to pick the top favourite, it has to be Nole, and he really is back on top of his game again as well, after his level dipping slightly during 2012, he went on to defeat Roger Federer in the year end championships, which no doubt gave him a real boost. And in terms of putting away a player, there is no one more difficult to put away than Novak Djokovic, who never gives up on any point, with his first class defensive play, speed, court coverage and sheer flexibility which is why he is the World No.1 (no one else can do the splits like him!). And as Nole has re-established his position as the world No.1 again, I think he will continue to dominate the game over the next few years, so to say he will win the Australian open again is a fairly safe bet. However safe bets aren't always safe, as Nole's nemesis would be my next best choice.....
And that man is Andy Murray, as Andy has already proved he has the chops to win a major, after finally getting the monkey off his back at the US Open last year. So does he have a good shot at winning the title???? Absolutely, as in regards to Djokovic while he may lead their head to head 10-7, there really hasn't been much between them and their games, in terms of return, defence and fitness, and their last few matches have been so close, and I'm sure their terrific rivalry will continue to improve this year, which is a scary thought! So while I wouldn't put Andy as the outright favourite to win, he definitely has a really good chance to do so, and I hope he does, and in doing so let's hope its an Andy vs Nole final. However if Andy were to play Roger in the semis, there is still that danger he could lose, as Andy struggles against Federer, once he get's ahead in a match, its tough for Andy to get back into the game. So if Andy were to play Rog he would have to ensure he got off to a good start and try and maintain his lead. And the Muzza also struggles with consistency at times, especially on his serve, as he infamously has struggled to get good 1st serve percentages in, which means he could end up on court grinding it out more than he needs to, due to playing sloppy service games or being bossed in the points by his opponent. But all that aside, Andy has grown as a player since this time last year, and with that 1st major title behind him, more is sure to follow at some point, and Melbourne would be the perfect place to follow that up.
Speaking of which, next up is Roger Federer, who last year really got back on his game by securing the No.1 spot for three months or so, as well as adding another major to his collection with a 7th Wimbledon title. Roger Federer's record speaks for itself as well, 76 career titles, 17 grand slams, and when he is on his game, the guy is simply unplayable. In terms of physical fitness however, its debatable just how well Roger can last in the blazing heat in Melbourne, as over 7 rounds and 5 set matches, its a big ask for him to try and battle his way past the other top guys, especially Novak, who has beaten Federer in their last two semi final meetings there. And given that Roger is that bit older than the rest of the competition that makes him a step slower than Nole and Andy for example, especially when moving in and out of the corners on the court. But for Roger I think you would be mad or both to dismiss his chance at winning another title in Melbourne, and with him taking extra time to prep for the tournament, I'm sure he will be fit and ready to have another go at picking up his 18th career major title. Unless en-route before the final Roger meets the next man I will discuss...
Which is Juan Martin Del Potro, who remains the only man, other than Rafa, to defeat Federer in the final of a grand slam. Delpo after taking a year in 2010 to have wrist surgery, made a resurgance in 2011, with his ranking having gone from about 485 to 11 in the space of 11 months! In 2012 he also made further strides as he won the Olympic bronze medal in the play-off against Novak Djokovic, and in their last two meetings, Delpo has gotten the better of Federer. So if the two of them are drawn together, Delpo will pose a serious threat to Federer's chances of winning. And Del Potro as I have already said is a grand slam champion, so he knows what it takes to win one, so for me has an excellent chance of winning the title as well, especially as he is the only man other than Andy Murray, outside the top three to have won a major in the last 10 years! And for that reason he is 4th favourite to claim the Norman Brookes challenge cup (the name of the trophy if you don't know!).
So onto some of the other possible contenders, first off we have David Ferrer, who last year had the best season of his career, having won not only the most titles of any player last year (7), but also the most matches (76). Ferrer also clinched the biggest title of his career at the Paris masters last year, which was thoroughly well deserved as being in the top 10 he deserves nothing less. Ferrer also last year had a good run in the majors, as he reached the quarter finals at the Australian open and Wimbledon, and the semi finals at the French and the US Open. However Ferrer doesn't have the big weapons that the top three have (or Delpo has for that matter, but he does lead their head to head) and in that department has always struggled against them, so it will be tough for him to get past them. But Ferrer still remains one the biggest competitors on the tour, and never gives up on any point and fights to the very end, so if he will be beat, he will go down fighting.
Next up there is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who was a former finalist in Melbourne, when he played Novak Djokovic in 2008, but he hasn't reached the final of a major since, and he is somwaht inconsistent in his results also. Regardless Tsonga has done well at the majors last year, having reached the quarter finals of the French and the semi finals at Wimbledon, so its fair to say he will have another good run in Melbourne, if he is on his game. After that we have Tomas Berdych, who was also a former finalist at Wimbledon, who has the game to beat anyone, with his powerful serve and his groundstrokes, he can knock any player off their ryhthym. Berdych also poses a strong threat to players such as Federer and Murray, who he has good head to heads against (4-4 with Andy, and well ok Federer leads 11-5) and has what it takes to topple them. But Berdy still lacks the mental focus when playing in the big matches, as he tends to come up a bit short, and when it comes to players like Djokovic (who dominates their head to head 8-1) he always struggles to get to the finishing line. Regardless Berdych remains a tough obstacle for any player to get past, especially when he is on form.
And finally I thought I would add the new kid on the block, Milos Raonic from Canada, who is fast rising in the game, and is now sitting at No.13 in the world. Raonic has one of the biggest and more importantly consistent serves in the game, and that will prove to be a serious threat for anyone in his side of the draw. Roanic has also already beaten some of the big names, especially Andy Murray, whom he leads their head to head 2-1, and Andy has struggled against the big fella's serve in those defeats. Raonic has also had some pretty close tight matches with Federer and he proved in those matches he has what it takes to be a real threat to the top guys in the game as well. But Raonic's downfall is his lack of experience and he has also never gotten past the 4th round in a major so far, but that will change quite soon I think. So while he is an outsider, he remains a tough one for any player to get past.
So that's it for my preview of the Australian Open, more to follow once its under way. In the meantime some of the top players are in action this week, with Andy Murray playing at the Brisbane International, which he is the defending champion of. But can he defend the title???? Who knows, as Andy has always been a bit up and down on the ATP tour, and he has a tough draw to face with potentially Lleyton Hewitt and Radek Stepanek ahead of him, and a possible meeting with Milos Raonic in the final, which could end in another loss, but here's hoping he can win it. In fact as an update (as of 07.01.13) Andy has successfully defended his title in Brisbane, having defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the final 7-6, 6-4. Also Novak Djokovic was in action at the Hopman cup, the team event featuring 8 countries, where despite a dip, when he was beaten by Beranrd Tomic 6-4, 6-4 during the round robins, he and Ana Ivanovic did manage to secure Serbia's place in the final. However Serbia was defeated by Spain in the final, in the crucial doubles match, but despite that I'm sure Novak will be more than ready for Melbourne when it starts next week.
And that is it for now. More to follow later, in the meantime have a good new year!
So to start off at the top, we have Novak Djokovic, who has won the title for the last two years running and for me he has to be the absolute favourite to win here again. Novak won his first major in Melbourne back in 2008, and for me I think this is the slam he can gain real owernship over, just like Rafa has at the French Open, I do believe that Djokovic will win this title at least another 2 or 3 times before he retires. So if I had to pick the top favourite, it has to be Nole, and he really is back on top of his game again as well, after his level dipping slightly during 2012, he went on to defeat Roger Federer in the year end championships, which no doubt gave him a real boost. And in terms of putting away a player, there is no one more difficult to put away than Novak Djokovic, who never gives up on any point, with his first class defensive play, speed, court coverage and sheer flexibility which is why he is the World No.1 (no one else can do the splits like him!). And as Nole has re-established his position as the world No.1 again, I think he will continue to dominate the game over the next few years, so to say he will win the Australian open again is a fairly safe bet. However safe bets aren't always safe, as Nole's nemesis would be my next best choice.....
And that man is Andy Murray, as Andy has already proved he has the chops to win a major, after finally getting the monkey off his back at the US Open last year. So does he have a good shot at winning the title???? Absolutely, as in regards to Djokovic while he may lead their head to head 10-7, there really hasn't been much between them and their games, in terms of return, defence and fitness, and their last few matches have been so close, and I'm sure their terrific rivalry will continue to improve this year, which is a scary thought! So while I wouldn't put Andy as the outright favourite to win, he definitely has a really good chance to do so, and I hope he does, and in doing so let's hope its an Andy vs Nole final. However if Andy were to play Roger in the semis, there is still that danger he could lose, as Andy struggles against Federer, once he get's ahead in a match, its tough for Andy to get back into the game. So if Andy were to play Rog he would have to ensure he got off to a good start and try and maintain his lead. And the Muzza also struggles with consistency at times, especially on his serve, as he infamously has struggled to get good 1st serve percentages in, which means he could end up on court grinding it out more than he needs to, due to playing sloppy service games or being bossed in the points by his opponent. But all that aside, Andy has grown as a player since this time last year, and with that 1st major title behind him, more is sure to follow at some point, and Melbourne would be the perfect place to follow that up.
Speaking of which, next up is Roger Federer, who last year really got back on his game by securing the No.1 spot for three months or so, as well as adding another major to his collection with a 7th Wimbledon title. Roger Federer's record speaks for itself as well, 76 career titles, 17 grand slams, and when he is on his game, the guy is simply unplayable. In terms of physical fitness however, its debatable just how well Roger can last in the blazing heat in Melbourne, as over 7 rounds and 5 set matches, its a big ask for him to try and battle his way past the other top guys, especially Novak, who has beaten Federer in their last two semi final meetings there. And given that Roger is that bit older than the rest of the competition that makes him a step slower than Nole and Andy for example, especially when moving in and out of the corners on the court. But for Roger I think you would be mad or both to dismiss his chance at winning another title in Melbourne, and with him taking extra time to prep for the tournament, I'm sure he will be fit and ready to have another go at picking up his 18th career major title. Unless en-route before the final Roger meets the next man I will discuss...
Which is Juan Martin Del Potro, who remains the only man, other than Rafa, to defeat Federer in the final of a grand slam. Delpo after taking a year in 2010 to have wrist surgery, made a resurgance in 2011, with his ranking having gone from about 485 to 11 in the space of 11 months! In 2012 he also made further strides as he won the Olympic bronze medal in the play-off against Novak Djokovic, and in their last two meetings, Delpo has gotten the better of Federer. So if the two of them are drawn together, Delpo will pose a serious threat to Federer's chances of winning. And Del Potro as I have already said is a grand slam champion, so he knows what it takes to win one, so for me has an excellent chance of winning the title as well, especially as he is the only man other than Andy Murray, outside the top three to have won a major in the last 10 years! And for that reason he is 4th favourite to claim the Norman Brookes challenge cup (the name of the trophy if you don't know!).
So onto some of the other possible contenders, first off we have David Ferrer, who last year had the best season of his career, having won not only the most titles of any player last year (7), but also the most matches (76). Ferrer also clinched the biggest title of his career at the Paris masters last year, which was thoroughly well deserved as being in the top 10 he deserves nothing less. Ferrer also last year had a good run in the majors, as he reached the quarter finals at the Australian open and Wimbledon, and the semi finals at the French and the US Open. However Ferrer doesn't have the big weapons that the top three have (or Delpo has for that matter, but he does lead their head to head) and in that department has always struggled against them, so it will be tough for him to get past them. But Ferrer still remains one the biggest competitors on the tour, and never gives up on any point and fights to the very end, so if he will be beat, he will go down fighting.
Next up there is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who was a former finalist in Melbourne, when he played Novak Djokovic in 2008, but he hasn't reached the final of a major since, and he is somwaht inconsistent in his results also. Regardless Tsonga has done well at the majors last year, having reached the quarter finals of the French and the semi finals at Wimbledon, so its fair to say he will have another good run in Melbourne, if he is on his game. After that we have Tomas Berdych, who was also a former finalist at Wimbledon, who has the game to beat anyone, with his powerful serve and his groundstrokes, he can knock any player off their ryhthym. Berdych also poses a strong threat to players such as Federer and Murray, who he has good head to heads against (4-4 with Andy, and well ok Federer leads 11-5) and has what it takes to topple them. But Berdy still lacks the mental focus when playing in the big matches, as he tends to come up a bit short, and when it comes to players like Djokovic (who dominates their head to head 8-1) he always struggles to get to the finishing line. Regardless Berdych remains a tough obstacle for any player to get past, especially when he is on form.
And finally I thought I would add the new kid on the block, Milos Raonic from Canada, who is fast rising in the game, and is now sitting at No.13 in the world. Raonic has one of the biggest and more importantly consistent serves in the game, and that will prove to be a serious threat for anyone in his side of the draw. Roanic has also already beaten some of the big names, especially Andy Murray, whom he leads their head to head 2-1, and Andy has struggled against the big fella's serve in those defeats. Raonic has also had some pretty close tight matches with Federer and he proved in those matches he has what it takes to be a real threat to the top guys in the game as well. But Raonic's downfall is his lack of experience and he has also never gotten past the 4th round in a major so far, but that will change quite soon I think. So while he is an outsider, he remains a tough one for any player to get past.
So that's it for my preview of the Australian Open, more to follow once its under way. In the meantime some of the top players are in action this week, with Andy Murray playing at the Brisbane International, which he is the defending champion of. But can he defend the title???? Who knows, as Andy has always been a bit up and down on the ATP tour, and he has a tough draw to face with potentially Lleyton Hewitt and Radek Stepanek ahead of him, and a possible meeting with Milos Raonic in the final, which could end in another loss, but here's hoping he can win it. In fact as an update (as of 07.01.13) Andy has successfully defended his title in Brisbane, having defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the final 7-6, 6-4. Also Novak Djokovic was in action at the Hopman cup, the team event featuring 8 countries, where despite a dip, when he was beaten by Beranrd Tomic 6-4, 6-4 during the round robins, he and Ana Ivanovic did manage to secure Serbia's place in the final. However Serbia was defeated by Spain in the final, in the crucial doubles match, but despite that I'm sure Novak will be more than ready for Melbourne when it starts next week.
And that is it for now. More to follow later, in the meantime have a good new year!
2013 welcome! Australian Open ladies preview
Well I'd to start off this post by saying happy new year to everyone out there (and to whoever is reading!) as we are now into 2013, and we have survived the Mayan prophecy in 2012, so it looks like existance will continue for quite a while yet. So now onto my first tennis post of the year (and for quite a while) which will be a quick preview of the Australian open, and my thoughts on the contenders for the men and the ladies tour. I'll split these posts into two, one for the ladies and the men each.
So to kick off with the ladies, starting the top favourite, Serena Williams, who has already made a bold statement in saying she is looking to make a clean sweep at the grand slams this year, and go for a calendar slam, by trying to win all four majors. This is quite ambitious even for Serena, but can she do it???? Absolutely, as she is by far the greatest in the ladies game just now, and one of the all time greats, and despite my misgivings about her, I can't deny her talent as a player, and she is more than capable of winning the Australian open, having won the last two slams at Wimbledon and the US Open. And despite the fact she went out in the 4th round last year, I don't think it will happen this year, as she really re-established herself throughout last year, so for me she will be the player to beat.
And the next player to beat after Serena will be Victoria Azarenka, who is also the defending champion, who triumped last year by thrashing Maria Sharapova in straight sets. Victoria had her best season last year, winning 26 consecutive matches at the start of 2012, as well as going on to win big titles such as Indian Wells, Beijing, and additionally winning the Olympic bronze medal in the singles, the gold medal in the mixed doubles. And she is just about the only player who has the chops to actually beat Serena, and she came real close in the US Open final last year, but in doing so, she will have her work cut out. But if by any chance Serena is knocked in Melbourne, I'd peg Vika as the next favourite to win.
Other contenders for the title are of course Maria Sharapova, who is the world No.2 and she without doubt the hardest hitter in the ladies game right, and no doubt she will bludgeon her way past the opposition, that is until she meets Serena and Vika. But it would be mad to write off Sharapova's chances depending on how her draw works out, so she is still a top contender. Next up would be Agneiszka Radwanska who had a great season last year, having reached the final at Wimbledon, and winning her biggest title at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Aga also had the most consistent year of her career in 2012 as well, and if she carries on in that veint she will be hard to stop, and she can ever upset the big hitters such as Sharapova and Angelique Kerber, which she did last year, with her guile and ingenuity. However Aga lacks the raw power of the big hitters, and she has definitely struggled against Serena and especially Azarenka in the past, so it will be tough for her if she should meet either player to get past them, but you never know. Which brings me to Angelique Kerber who made a meteoric rise in 2012, and also won the most matches out of any female player on the tour last year. Kerber while she isn't quite as big a hitter as Sharapova, Serena or Azarenka, she does have the speed and the agility to take it to any of these players, and she has beaten them all, with the exception of Azarenka. However Kerber's serve is also somewhat inconsistent and she does falter at times on the big points in the big matches, so I think it will tough for her to battle past the big three, but not impossible.
Next up would be Sam Stosur, the Aussie, although she does lack the focus in the big matches at times, and is prone to making errors on her forehand, and she obviously felt the pressure last year going out in the 1st round, with the expectation of winning in Melbourne, after her victory at the 2011 US Open final. And this year she appears to be suffering the same as she has already made first round exits at Brisbane and Sydney on the WTA tour. But if Stosur regroups her game, then she will prove to be very tough to beat, and she has the chance to make a really good run in Melbourne, if she holds her nerve.
And then there is Caroline Wozniacki, who has been up and down of late, and she already suffered (like Stosur) a first round exit at the Brisbane International event last week, but as of this week (updated 07.01.13) she has won her first match of the year against Ursula Radwanska (Aga's younger sister). However Caroline is one of the grittiest competitors in the women's game, and if her game is really on then she will be tough to beat. But she also lacks the raw power to take it to the big hitters, who mostly can overpower her with relative ease. On the tour she has always had an over reliance bringing her dad, Piotr, onto court quite alot, and in the slams the ladies aren't allowed that, so she may also find herself in tight moments where she has to fend for herself without help. However Caroline has shown she can be a tough obstacle to remove especially as she proved against Sharapova last year in Miami, in a tight match, and when she defeated Serena there as well. So while she isn't a top favourite to win there, Caroline still can pose a threat to the other players, but she will have to up her pace and aggression in order to win through.
Then there is Li Na who was of course a finalist at the Australian open two years ago, and she is also a major champion having won the French Open two years ago. However Li Na can also be a bit up and down on the tour, but she is a tough competitor and on form she will be tough to win against. Li has also shown some great form early on in the lead up to Melbourne, as she won a title in China, and is playing well in Sydney. So I think Li could be a real dark horse for the title in Melbourne. Next up is Sara Errani who has also made a name for herself after last year when she reached the final of the French Open, where she lost to Sharapova. Errani is another clever counterpuncher, and she the tools to knock any player off their ryhthym, however she also lacks the raw power of the big hitters, and that's where she comes up short, as proved at the US Open last year, when Serena Williams thumped her in the semis. Nonetheless Errani still managed to reach the quarter finals of Melbourne last year and she is still a danger when she is playing her best.
And finally another potential contender could be Marion Bartoli, who is one of my favourite players on the tour, with her unorthodox style of play and her two handed forehand and backhand. Marion has proven that she can pose a big threat to the top players and she has pretty much beaten all of them at one time or another. And while Marion didn't have the best season last year, she made promising signs in reaching the quarter finals of the US Open in 2012, and defeating Petra Kvitova in the 4th round. Marion has also proven she has the ability to reach the latter stages in a major, having been a former Wimbledon finalist, and she is also one of the best returners in the ladies game. However Marion, while she has improved her fitness, she still lacks the speed of the more agile players on the tour, and her two handed style can hamper her movement on the court, and her ability to reach certain shots. But regardless of that, Marion is still a possible contender and one to watch in Melbourne.
So that's it for the ladies, next up is my look at the men's.
See you in a bit!
So to kick off with the ladies, starting the top favourite, Serena Williams, who has already made a bold statement in saying she is looking to make a clean sweep at the grand slams this year, and go for a calendar slam, by trying to win all four majors. This is quite ambitious even for Serena, but can she do it???? Absolutely, as she is by far the greatest in the ladies game just now, and one of the all time greats, and despite my misgivings about her, I can't deny her talent as a player, and she is more than capable of winning the Australian open, having won the last two slams at Wimbledon and the US Open. And despite the fact she went out in the 4th round last year, I don't think it will happen this year, as she really re-established herself throughout last year, so for me she will be the player to beat.
And the next player to beat after Serena will be Victoria Azarenka, who is also the defending champion, who triumped last year by thrashing Maria Sharapova in straight sets. Victoria had her best season last year, winning 26 consecutive matches at the start of 2012, as well as going on to win big titles such as Indian Wells, Beijing, and additionally winning the Olympic bronze medal in the singles, the gold medal in the mixed doubles. And she is just about the only player who has the chops to actually beat Serena, and she came real close in the US Open final last year, but in doing so, she will have her work cut out. But if by any chance Serena is knocked in Melbourne, I'd peg Vika as the next favourite to win.
Other contenders for the title are of course Maria Sharapova, who is the world No.2 and she without doubt the hardest hitter in the ladies game right, and no doubt she will bludgeon her way past the opposition, that is until she meets Serena and Vika. But it would be mad to write off Sharapova's chances depending on how her draw works out, so she is still a top contender. Next up would be Agneiszka Radwanska who had a great season last year, having reached the final at Wimbledon, and winning her biggest title at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Aga also had the most consistent year of her career in 2012 as well, and if she carries on in that veint she will be hard to stop, and she can ever upset the big hitters such as Sharapova and Angelique Kerber, which she did last year, with her guile and ingenuity. However Aga lacks the raw power of the big hitters, and she has definitely struggled against Serena and especially Azarenka in the past, so it will be tough for her if she should meet either player to get past them, but you never know. Which brings me to Angelique Kerber who made a meteoric rise in 2012, and also won the most matches out of any female player on the tour last year. Kerber while she isn't quite as big a hitter as Sharapova, Serena or Azarenka, she does have the speed and the agility to take it to any of these players, and she has beaten them all, with the exception of Azarenka. However Kerber's serve is also somewhat inconsistent and she does falter at times on the big points in the big matches, so I think it will tough for her to battle past the big three, but not impossible.
Next up would be Sam Stosur, the Aussie, although she does lack the focus in the big matches at times, and is prone to making errors on her forehand, and she obviously felt the pressure last year going out in the 1st round, with the expectation of winning in Melbourne, after her victory at the 2011 US Open final. And this year she appears to be suffering the same as she has already made first round exits at Brisbane and Sydney on the WTA tour. But if Stosur regroups her game, then she will prove to be very tough to beat, and she has the chance to make a really good run in Melbourne, if she holds her nerve.
And then there is Caroline Wozniacki, who has been up and down of late, and she already suffered (like Stosur) a first round exit at the Brisbane International event last week, but as of this week (updated 07.01.13) she has won her first match of the year against Ursula Radwanska (Aga's younger sister). However Caroline is one of the grittiest competitors in the women's game, and if her game is really on then she will be tough to beat. But she also lacks the raw power to take it to the big hitters, who mostly can overpower her with relative ease. On the tour she has always had an over reliance bringing her dad, Piotr, onto court quite alot, and in the slams the ladies aren't allowed that, so she may also find herself in tight moments where she has to fend for herself without help. However Caroline has shown she can be a tough obstacle to remove especially as she proved against Sharapova last year in Miami, in a tight match, and when she defeated Serena there as well. So while she isn't a top favourite to win there, Caroline still can pose a threat to the other players, but she will have to up her pace and aggression in order to win through.
Then there is Li Na who was of course a finalist at the Australian open two years ago, and she is also a major champion having won the French Open two years ago. However Li Na can also be a bit up and down on the tour, but she is a tough competitor and on form she will be tough to win against. Li has also shown some great form early on in the lead up to Melbourne, as she won a title in China, and is playing well in Sydney. So I think Li could be a real dark horse for the title in Melbourne. Next up is Sara Errani who has also made a name for herself after last year when she reached the final of the French Open, where she lost to Sharapova. Errani is another clever counterpuncher, and she the tools to knock any player off their ryhthym, however she also lacks the raw power of the big hitters, and that's where she comes up short, as proved at the US Open last year, when Serena Williams thumped her in the semis. Nonetheless Errani still managed to reach the quarter finals of Melbourne last year and she is still a danger when she is playing her best.
And finally another potential contender could be Marion Bartoli, who is one of my favourite players on the tour, with her unorthodox style of play and her two handed forehand and backhand. Marion has proven that she can pose a big threat to the top players and she has pretty much beaten all of them at one time or another. And while Marion didn't have the best season last year, she made promising signs in reaching the quarter finals of the US Open in 2012, and defeating Petra Kvitova in the 4th round. Marion has also proven she has the ability to reach the latter stages in a major, having been a former Wimbledon finalist, and she is also one of the best returners in the ladies game. However Marion, while she has improved her fitness, she still lacks the speed of the more agile players on the tour, and her two handed style can hamper her movement on the court, and her ability to reach certain shots. But regardless of that, Marion is still a possible contender and one to watch in Melbourne.
So that's it for the ladies, next up is my look at the men's.
See you in a bit!
Monday, 3 December 2012
The Rivalry of 2012
Well the tennis season is over for now, but I can't resist but say a bit more about a rivalry in the men's game that is taking shape very nicely in 2012, and it promises to become an even better one in future years to come. I am talking about the rivlary of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, both men were born in 1987, just separated by a week apart in their age (Andy on 15 May, and Nole on 22 May) and they grew up together on the tour circuit, having met in Spain where they trained with one another and they played friendly rival matches together.
However early on in their rivalry, it was Djokovic that made faster strides in his career as he defeated Andy four times in a row in so many meetings, and he made his breakthrough maiden grand slam victory at the Australian Open back in 2008, after he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. Djokovic also went on to win the Olympic bronze medal in Beijing and finished the year with victory at the ATP Masters Cup final. However Andy has also had a few one ups over Djokovic in the past, especially when it came to Masters tournaments, as he won his first ever Masters title in Cincinnati in 2008, where he defeated Djokovic in straight sets 7-6, 7-6. He also went on to defeat Djokovic in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami in 2009, where he defeated Novak again in straight sets with a 6-2, 7-5 win. It looked to be like they were starting to even out in their rivalry.
In 2011 though Djokovic started his incredible run of form and he made an emphatic statement to the tennis world when he thrashed Andy in straight sets in the Australian Open final, with a bruising 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win. And he carried on with an incredible winning streak that was finally ended by Roger Federer with their thrilling match at the French Open semi final. But during that streak, while Djokovic was demolishing players left, right and centre, there was only one man other than Federer, that came even close to beating him, and that was Andy Murray. This was highlighted in one of the best matches of 2011, where Andy and Novak faced each other in a 3 hour battle at the Rome Masters semi final. In the match Andy fought back from a set down to level the match, and he at one point in the 3rd was even serving for it, although a loose service game let Djokovic back in, and before we knew it the Serb emerged victorious yet again. But in this match this is where we saw their rivalry start to really take shape and showed us all glimpses of what could be in the future, as it was toe to toe stuff, and it also showed just how good Andy Murray really could be.
After this match however the two men would not meet again until the Cincinnati masters final, where it promised to be another cracking match. Unfortunately though, after a promising 1st set, Djokovic succumbed to injury as he was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury, which saw Andy lift his second title in Cincinnati. It could have been a great match and it was disappointing to see it end the way it did, and after this the two men would not play again until 2012. And what little did we know we would all soon by in for a treat.
When 2012 kicked off, Andy had appointed his new full time coach, Ivan Lendl, who helped him immensely throughout the year with his mental focus and on improving his consistency as a player. So when the first grand slam of the season came along, the Australian open in Melbounre, Andy and Novak were drawn on the same side together, and there were probably underlying fears that it would be the same story as last year. However their semi final proved to be anything but, as we suddenly saw an Andy Murray we had never seen before, as he really took it to Djokovic and pushed him to the limit over 5 sets, before falling to the Serb once again. It was a tough loss, coming so close, but it showed that Andy was getting that bit closer, and that as a player, he had finally turned a corner. Novak himself would then go and win his 3rd Australian open title by beating Nadal in an incredible 6 hour long 5 set epic, which considering the fact he had just played a five hour match with Andy, showed incredible almost superhuman endurance from the Serb.
As 2012 carried on, Andy and Novak met up again, and this time it was Andy that got his revenge in Dubai, as he snapped Nole's three year winning streak at the event, and beat him for the first time in a proper full match since the Sony Ericsson Open final back in 2009! Again we saw Andy step it up as a player, playing really aggressively and taking it to Djokovic all the way, breaking him twice in the opening set, and making the decisive break in the 2nd set to clinch the victory, although he would go on to lose to Federer in the final. In March 2012, Andy and Nole faced each other again in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open, except this time the tables were turned, as it was Nole that emerged the victor, playing the better tennis by far, and he won the title without even dropping a set! After such a momentous match in Melbourne it was a bit of letdown this one, but the two men still traded some great rallies in the 2nd set. Again we saw just how Novak was and is one of the greatest hard court players to have played the game, and that he was fast emerging as one of the all time great players also.
Their next meeting wasn't until August at the Olympics, in which they played a terrific and exciting match in front of a full capacity crowd on centre court at Wimbledon. Throughout the match Andy played his best tennis, but Nole put up some great resistance, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to break down Andy's defences, and his dream to win the Olympic gold medal was shattered after Andy defeated the Serb in straight sets to reach the final. This showed Andy's growing maturity as a player, and his ability to handle playing the big matches and the big points superbly, especially as he took one step closer to realising one of his dreams as an athlete to win an Olympic medal for his country. And after this they met in the momentous final of the US Open, the last grand slam of the season, in which the two men faced off each other in an epic battle on Arthur Ashe stadium. The windy conditions at times took away the ryhthym of the play, and made it sluggish to watch as well at points, but there were also some terrific moments and great points from both players. And in this match we saw again Andy Murray's sheer determination and self belief really come through, as he finally achieved his main goal to win a grand slam title, and beating one of the best players to have played the game in doing so. In this match, Andy really showed that he truly is one of the top four, and not like as the cynics might have said, the top three and Andy, in this tournamnet, he made that leap and surely more grand slams will follow.
In their penultimate meeting of the year in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final, the two men played their best match of the year, which was also arguably the match of the year, which saw Nole triumph, coming from a set down and saving 5 match points against Andy. In this final, we saw Andy and Novak's rival really blossom into something special and amazing to watch, as both men traded some incredible points, and produced some magnificent shot making which stunned the Chinese crowd. It was a match that was almost good enough to eclipse anything that Roger and Rafa have served up over the years together in their rivalry. It was also such a great match simply because it was so entertaining as well as enthralling, and there was alot of fun to be had watching these two men at the peak of their games. And in their final match of the year at the ATP world tour finals in London's o2 Arena, both men yet again put on a terrific display of exciting and aggressive tennis for the fans. And despite Andy's best efforts, it was Novak that won again, as he firmly re-established his foothold as the world's best player, and he went on to win the title there, by dethroning Roger Federer in the final. And the only set he conceded in the whole tournament was when he played Andy Murray in their match.
So there you go, in 2012 men's tennis has really been given something fresh and exciting to watch in the growing rivalry of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Based on what we've seen this year, their rivalry promises to get even better in 2013, which is scary thought when you think about it, as what we have seen this year has been astounding. And hopefully next year we will see Andy and Novak fighting it out in at least one of the grand slam finals of the season, and here's hoping that the Scot will have a chance to win one more, and no doubt Nole will win at least one too (maybe even all four!). So let's hope in 2013 we continue to see the building up of an incredible contest between two friends and two superb competitors, which will hopefully become one of the best rivalries in the history of tennis. And if it carries on like it has, there's no doubt it will.
And on that note, I will leave it there for now.
However early on in their rivalry, it was Djokovic that made faster strides in his career as he defeated Andy four times in a row in so many meetings, and he made his breakthrough maiden grand slam victory at the Australian Open back in 2008, after he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. Djokovic also went on to win the Olympic bronze medal in Beijing and finished the year with victory at the ATP Masters Cup final. However Andy has also had a few one ups over Djokovic in the past, especially when it came to Masters tournaments, as he won his first ever Masters title in Cincinnati in 2008, where he defeated Djokovic in straight sets 7-6, 7-6. He also went on to defeat Djokovic in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami in 2009, where he defeated Novak again in straight sets with a 6-2, 7-5 win. It looked to be like they were starting to even out in their rivalry.
In 2011 though Djokovic started his incredible run of form and he made an emphatic statement to the tennis world when he thrashed Andy in straight sets in the Australian Open final, with a bruising 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win. And he carried on with an incredible winning streak that was finally ended by Roger Federer with their thrilling match at the French Open semi final. But during that streak, while Djokovic was demolishing players left, right and centre, there was only one man other than Federer, that came even close to beating him, and that was Andy Murray. This was highlighted in one of the best matches of 2011, where Andy and Novak faced each other in a 3 hour battle at the Rome Masters semi final. In the match Andy fought back from a set down to level the match, and he at one point in the 3rd was even serving for it, although a loose service game let Djokovic back in, and before we knew it the Serb emerged victorious yet again. But in this match this is where we saw their rivalry start to really take shape and showed us all glimpses of what could be in the future, as it was toe to toe stuff, and it also showed just how good Andy Murray really could be.
After this match however the two men would not meet again until the Cincinnati masters final, where it promised to be another cracking match. Unfortunately though, after a promising 1st set, Djokovic succumbed to injury as he was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury, which saw Andy lift his second title in Cincinnati. It could have been a great match and it was disappointing to see it end the way it did, and after this the two men would not play again until 2012. And what little did we know we would all soon by in for a treat.
When 2012 kicked off, Andy had appointed his new full time coach, Ivan Lendl, who helped him immensely throughout the year with his mental focus and on improving his consistency as a player. So when the first grand slam of the season came along, the Australian open in Melbounre, Andy and Novak were drawn on the same side together, and there were probably underlying fears that it would be the same story as last year. However their semi final proved to be anything but, as we suddenly saw an Andy Murray we had never seen before, as he really took it to Djokovic and pushed him to the limit over 5 sets, before falling to the Serb once again. It was a tough loss, coming so close, but it showed that Andy was getting that bit closer, and that as a player, he had finally turned a corner. Novak himself would then go and win his 3rd Australian open title by beating Nadal in an incredible 6 hour long 5 set epic, which considering the fact he had just played a five hour match with Andy, showed incredible almost superhuman endurance from the Serb.
As 2012 carried on, Andy and Novak met up again, and this time it was Andy that got his revenge in Dubai, as he snapped Nole's three year winning streak at the event, and beat him for the first time in a proper full match since the Sony Ericsson Open final back in 2009! Again we saw Andy step it up as a player, playing really aggressively and taking it to Djokovic all the way, breaking him twice in the opening set, and making the decisive break in the 2nd set to clinch the victory, although he would go on to lose to Federer in the final. In March 2012, Andy and Nole faced each other again in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open, except this time the tables were turned, as it was Nole that emerged the victor, playing the better tennis by far, and he won the title without even dropping a set! After such a momentous match in Melbourne it was a bit of letdown this one, but the two men still traded some great rallies in the 2nd set. Again we saw just how Novak was and is one of the greatest hard court players to have played the game, and that he was fast emerging as one of the all time great players also.
Their next meeting wasn't until August at the Olympics, in which they played a terrific and exciting match in front of a full capacity crowd on centre court at Wimbledon. Throughout the match Andy played his best tennis, but Nole put up some great resistance, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to break down Andy's defences, and his dream to win the Olympic gold medal was shattered after Andy defeated the Serb in straight sets to reach the final. This showed Andy's growing maturity as a player, and his ability to handle playing the big matches and the big points superbly, especially as he took one step closer to realising one of his dreams as an athlete to win an Olympic medal for his country. And after this they met in the momentous final of the US Open, the last grand slam of the season, in which the two men faced off each other in an epic battle on Arthur Ashe stadium. The windy conditions at times took away the ryhthym of the play, and made it sluggish to watch as well at points, but there were also some terrific moments and great points from both players. And in this match we saw again Andy Murray's sheer determination and self belief really come through, as he finally achieved his main goal to win a grand slam title, and beating one of the best players to have played the game in doing so. In this match, Andy really showed that he truly is one of the top four, and not like as the cynics might have said, the top three and Andy, in this tournamnet, he made that leap and surely more grand slams will follow.
In their penultimate meeting of the year in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final, the two men played their best match of the year, which was also arguably the match of the year, which saw Nole triumph, coming from a set down and saving 5 match points against Andy. In this final, we saw Andy and Novak's rival really blossom into something special and amazing to watch, as both men traded some incredible points, and produced some magnificent shot making which stunned the Chinese crowd. It was a match that was almost good enough to eclipse anything that Roger and Rafa have served up over the years together in their rivalry. It was also such a great match simply because it was so entertaining as well as enthralling, and there was alot of fun to be had watching these two men at the peak of their games. And in their final match of the year at the ATP world tour finals in London's o2 Arena, both men yet again put on a terrific display of exciting and aggressive tennis for the fans. And despite Andy's best efforts, it was Novak that won again, as he firmly re-established his foothold as the world's best player, and he went on to win the title there, by dethroning Roger Federer in the final. And the only set he conceded in the whole tournament was when he played Andy Murray in their match.
So there you go, in 2012 men's tennis has really been given something fresh and exciting to watch in the growing rivalry of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Based on what we've seen this year, their rivalry promises to get even better in 2013, which is scary thought when you think about it, as what we have seen this year has been astounding. And hopefully next year we will see Andy and Novak fighting it out in at least one of the grand slam finals of the season, and here's hoping that the Scot will have a chance to win one more, and no doubt Nole will win at least one too (maybe even all four!). So let's hope in 2013 we continue to see the building up of an incredible contest between two friends and two superb competitors, which will hopefully become one of the best rivalries in the history of tennis. And if it carries on like it has, there's no doubt it will.
And on that note, I will leave it there for now.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Top 10 WTA/Grand slams matches of 2012: Part 2
OK so now onto Part 2 of my top 10 favourite matches from the WTA tour and I think I've hopefully picked some of the best uns of the year, as there is definitely plenty of great tennis to be found in them, so here we go from 5 down to 1.....
5. US Open quarter final, Victoria Azarenka d. Sam Stosur, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(5).
This quarter final clash between Vika and Sam Stosur had mixed expectations, especially since Stosur had never beaten Victoria, and had not even managed to take a set off her (I think!) especially as their last meeting in Doha earlier this year was a thrashing for Stosur. However this match proved quite the opposite, with Sam, the defending champion, giving her all to try and hold onto her title. After a very one-sided first set to Victoria, this looked like yet another routine straight set win, however things soon changed in the 2nd set as Sam rose her game and broke Victoria to go and win her first ever set against the Belarusian. In the 3rd set the players traded breaks (as is quite often the case in these sorts of matches!) but they both eventually wound up even pegged as the match went into its deciding tiebreak. But in the breaker, Azrenka re-established her authority and took the crucial minibreak to seal the deal after an exhaustive 2 hours and 24 minutes. Despite the fears of this being a doddle for Victoria, it was a pleasant surprise that it turned into quite an epic struggle for them both, and Stosur also deserves alot of credit for pushing Azarenka as hard as she did, especially in taking her first ever set off the World No.1, and it was a pity her title defence ended, but at least she went out with a bang and not one of those whipers. Great stuff.
4. Kremlin cup final, Caroline Wozniacki d. Sam Stosur, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
In the Kremlin cup final we were given a real treat, despite the asbence of the top 8 players, who all took the week to prep for the WTA Championships, instead we had the World No.9, Sam Stosur, and the former World No.1, Caroline Wozniacki (now World No.11) go at it for the Kremlin cup. From the start of the match, Caroline played some effective and aggressive tennis, breaking Stosur twice to go and clinch the opening set. In the second however, the play dipped a little as both players traded breaks, but Stosur raised her level and managed to hold onto her serve to finally get the break she needed to bag the 2nd set, to level things at a set apiece. And in the 3rd and final set, the tennis increased in quality dramatically, and although Caroline went a break down straight away, she soon broke back, and after that it was all good as both women fought it out to try and win the title. And at 6-5, with Sam serving to take the match to a final tiebreak, it was Caroline that took the initiative and broke Sam for the last time to grab her 2nd title of the year, and end it on a real high note with an important victory, which saw her re-establish herself as a top player. This was a great match and despite the odd dip here and there, it got better and better as it went on, and it was terrific to see Caroline get back on form, as she looked like a revitalised player, especially after struggling for the most part of 2012, she turned it around and has become a more aggressive player who is willing to take it on more. As for Stosur, well it was a pity she lost, as she had her chances in that 3rd set, especially as she was a break up and she nearlt was in a position to serve it out but unfortunately she just wasn't able to take her chances. But regardless of that, it was a great final in the last Premier event of the WTA tour in 2012.
3. US Open final, Serena Williams d. Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
In recent years, the US Open ladies finals have generally always been won in straight sets, so it was a breath of fresh air, that for the first time in 16 years, we finally got a 3 setter, and it couldn't have featured two better players than here, with Serena going for her 4th US Open title, and Victoria her first. The match started off with Serena, who had been in imperious form throughout the tournament, serving with effortless ease and precision, as she broke Victoria twice in the opening set. In the 2nd set however, we had a rare turnaround as Serena's level dipped as she struggled with her serve, and Vika took the initiative to break her twice and getting her own back to grab the 2nd set she won against her in all their meetings. In the decider Vika managed to break Serena again, and it looked like things were going to go her way as she had a chance to serve for the title at 5-4, but then Serena showed her grit and went on to break her back to level 5-5. And after an effortless hold for Serena, Vika struggled with hers and in the end it was the American who went on to shut down the World No.1, winning her 4th US Open title. This was a great final for the last grand slam of the year, and it was great to see it be the longest ladies final in the last couple of years, clocking in at just under 2 hours and 20 minutes (which is long for a ladies final trust me!). The level of play from both women was great for the most part of the match, and it just went to prove that even though Serena isn't still yet the World No.1 in the rankings, she is very much the World No.1 for real. And despite Azarenka's loss, it showed she is the best player in the world next to Serena and hopefully they will continue many more high quality matches like this one in the future.
2. French Open 1st round, Virginie Razzano d. Serena Williams, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.
Over the years tennis has had some great upsets in the history of the sport, however they didn't get much bigger than this one, when at the French Open, despite going in as the hot favourite to win it, Serena went on in a shock first round defeat to a home players, Virginie Razzano, who was then ranked 111 in the world. In the match, Serena came in off having just won 17 matches in a row, and on paper this sounded like a doddle for the former champion. But Razzano had other ideas as she put up an incredible fight against Serena, coming from a set down she went on to level the scores at a set all. And something appeared to be really up with Serena emotionally, as she cried at certain points in the match, and she went 5-0 down, before fighting back to win the next 3 games. But the last game of the match was an unbelievable effort from Razzanno, who not only battled Serena but also cramp, as she was even docked a couple of points for crying out during points from the pain. However none of this dampened her spirits, as the racuous French crowd backed their player to win the match, and after 8 match points she did just that and pulled one of the biggest upsets in the history of tennis by defeating Serena Williams. This was a superb match, not only for its incredible play from the Razzano but also the amazing atmosphere, generated by the French crowd, who were naturally very partisan. Serena showed some uncharaceristic signs of crumbling throughout but she also did her best given the circumstances to hang in there as long as she could, especially against an inspired opponent. But it was Razzano's match and no doubt its one she will never forget, just like I'm sure Lukas Rosol won't have at Wimbledon, who defeated Rafa in another big upset. Wonderful stuff.
1. WTA Championships round robin, Victoria Azarenka d. Angelique Kerber, 7-6(13-11), 6-7(2-7), 6-4.
In the last WTA event of the season, featuring the top 8 players in the world, it was an event that needed some real top tennis to suit it, and they sure got it in this match, which for me is undisputedly the ladies match of 2012. The first set alone featured some of the greatest tennis you will ever see from anyone on a tennis court, as neither player held back and went for their shots, and the 1st set tiebreak, was nothing short of astonishing, which Kerber won. In the 2nd set it was even pegged again, with both players fighting hard, and in the 2nd tiebreak, Vika levelled the scores to one set all. In the final set though, it was Azarenka that made the vital break and went on to serve out a classic match after an epic 3 hour 6 minute slog. If there was ever an advert for the quality of women's tennis, then this match would be it, as the level from both players was simply staggering, the first set particularly has to rank as one of the finest sets on a tennis court. Keber once again showed why she is in the the top ten as she gave it her all to stay in the match and fought to the end. And as for Victoria well it showed once again her fighting spirit and champion qualities, who surely will go on to become a multiple grand slam champion in the future, and she is also great to watch in action (even despite her opera-esque grunting!). Just terrific stuff all round, and a great way to round off anyone's top 10 (and if it isn't anyone elses, then there's something wrong with them. Just kidding!) ;-).
So that's it for my top 10 list of the best ladies matches from the WTA tour and the grand slams this year. Hope its been enjoyable.
Until the next post, bye the now.
5. US Open quarter final, Victoria Azarenka d. Sam Stosur, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(5).
This quarter final clash between Vika and Sam Stosur had mixed expectations, especially since Stosur had never beaten Victoria, and had not even managed to take a set off her (I think!) especially as their last meeting in Doha earlier this year was a thrashing for Stosur. However this match proved quite the opposite, with Sam, the defending champion, giving her all to try and hold onto her title. After a very one-sided first set to Victoria, this looked like yet another routine straight set win, however things soon changed in the 2nd set as Sam rose her game and broke Victoria to go and win her first ever set against the Belarusian. In the 3rd set the players traded breaks (as is quite often the case in these sorts of matches!) but they both eventually wound up even pegged as the match went into its deciding tiebreak. But in the breaker, Azrenka re-established her authority and took the crucial minibreak to seal the deal after an exhaustive 2 hours and 24 minutes. Despite the fears of this being a doddle for Victoria, it was a pleasant surprise that it turned into quite an epic struggle for them both, and Stosur also deserves alot of credit for pushing Azarenka as hard as she did, especially in taking her first ever set off the World No.1, and it was a pity her title defence ended, but at least she went out with a bang and not one of those whipers. Great stuff.
4. Kremlin cup final, Caroline Wozniacki d. Sam Stosur, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
In the Kremlin cup final we were given a real treat, despite the asbence of the top 8 players, who all took the week to prep for the WTA Championships, instead we had the World No.9, Sam Stosur, and the former World No.1, Caroline Wozniacki (now World No.11) go at it for the Kremlin cup. From the start of the match, Caroline played some effective and aggressive tennis, breaking Stosur twice to go and clinch the opening set. In the second however, the play dipped a little as both players traded breaks, but Stosur raised her level and managed to hold onto her serve to finally get the break she needed to bag the 2nd set, to level things at a set apiece. And in the 3rd and final set, the tennis increased in quality dramatically, and although Caroline went a break down straight away, she soon broke back, and after that it was all good as both women fought it out to try and win the title. And at 6-5, with Sam serving to take the match to a final tiebreak, it was Caroline that took the initiative and broke Sam for the last time to grab her 2nd title of the year, and end it on a real high note with an important victory, which saw her re-establish herself as a top player. This was a great match and despite the odd dip here and there, it got better and better as it went on, and it was terrific to see Caroline get back on form, as she looked like a revitalised player, especially after struggling for the most part of 2012, she turned it around and has become a more aggressive player who is willing to take it on more. As for Stosur, well it was a pity she lost, as she had her chances in that 3rd set, especially as she was a break up and she nearlt was in a position to serve it out but unfortunately she just wasn't able to take her chances. But regardless of that, it was a great final in the last Premier event of the WTA tour in 2012.
3. US Open final, Serena Williams d. Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
In recent years, the US Open ladies finals have generally always been won in straight sets, so it was a breath of fresh air, that for the first time in 16 years, we finally got a 3 setter, and it couldn't have featured two better players than here, with Serena going for her 4th US Open title, and Victoria her first. The match started off with Serena, who had been in imperious form throughout the tournament, serving with effortless ease and precision, as she broke Victoria twice in the opening set. In the 2nd set however, we had a rare turnaround as Serena's level dipped as she struggled with her serve, and Vika took the initiative to break her twice and getting her own back to grab the 2nd set she won against her in all their meetings. In the decider Vika managed to break Serena again, and it looked like things were going to go her way as she had a chance to serve for the title at 5-4, but then Serena showed her grit and went on to break her back to level 5-5. And after an effortless hold for Serena, Vika struggled with hers and in the end it was the American who went on to shut down the World No.1, winning her 4th US Open title. This was a great final for the last grand slam of the year, and it was great to see it be the longest ladies final in the last couple of years, clocking in at just under 2 hours and 20 minutes (which is long for a ladies final trust me!). The level of play from both women was great for the most part of the match, and it just went to prove that even though Serena isn't still yet the World No.1 in the rankings, she is very much the World No.1 for real. And despite Azarenka's loss, it showed she is the best player in the world next to Serena and hopefully they will continue many more high quality matches like this one in the future.
2. French Open 1st round, Virginie Razzano d. Serena Williams, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.
Over the years tennis has had some great upsets in the history of the sport, however they didn't get much bigger than this one, when at the French Open, despite going in as the hot favourite to win it, Serena went on in a shock first round defeat to a home players, Virginie Razzano, who was then ranked 111 in the world. In the match, Serena came in off having just won 17 matches in a row, and on paper this sounded like a doddle for the former champion. But Razzano had other ideas as she put up an incredible fight against Serena, coming from a set down she went on to level the scores at a set all. And something appeared to be really up with Serena emotionally, as she cried at certain points in the match, and she went 5-0 down, before fighting back to win the next 3 games. But the last game of the match was an unbelievable effort from Razzanno, who not only battled Serena but also cramp, as she was even docked a couple of points for crying out during points from the pain. However none of this dampened her spirits, as the racuous French crowd backed their player to win the match, and after 8 match points she did just that and pulled one of the biggest upsets in the history of tennis by defeating Serena Williams. This was a superb match, not only for its incredible play from the Razzano but also the amazing atmosphere, generated by the French crowd, who were naturally very partisan. Serena showed some uncharaceristic signs of crumbling throughout but she also did her best given the circumstances to hang in there as long as she could, especially against an inspired opponent. But it was Razzano's match and no doubt its one she will never forget, just like I'm sure Lukas Rosol won't have at Wimbledon, who defeated Rafa in another big upset. Wonderful stuff.
1. WTA Championships round robin, Victoria Azarenka d. Angelique Kerber, 7-6(13-11), 6-7(2-7), 6-4.
In the last WTA event of the season, featuring the top 8 players in the world, it was an event that needed some real top tennis to suit it, and they sure got it in this match, which for me is undisputedly the ladies match of 2012. The first set alone featured some of the greatest tennis you will ever see from anyone on a tennis court, as neither player held back and went for their shots, and the 1st set tiebreak, was nothing short of astonishing, which Kerber won. In the 2nd set it was even pegged again, with both players fighting hard, and in the 2nd tiebreak, Vika levelled the scores to one set all. In the final set though, it was Azarenka that made the vital break and went on to serve out a classic match after an epic 3 hour 6 minute slog. If there was ever an advert for the quality of women's tennis, then this match would be it, as the level from both players was simply staggering, the first set particularly has to rank as one of the finest sets on a tennis court. Keber once again showed why she is in the the top ten as she gave it her all to stay in the match and fought to the end. And as for Victoria well it showed once again her fighting spirit and champion qualities, who surely will go on to become a multiple grand slam champion in the future, and she is also great to watch in action (even despite her opera-esque grunting!). Just terrific stuff all round, and a great way to round off anyone's top 10 (and if it isn't anyone elses, then there's something wrong with them. Just kidding!) ;-).
So that's it for my top 10 list of the best ladies matches from the WTA tour and the grand slams this year. Hope its been enjoyable.
Until the next post, bye the now.
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