Right so now I thought I would do the first leg of the 4th round matches at the Australian open for the men's and ladies, as there was plenty of excitement on Rod Laver arena today (or tomorrow night if you are in Melbourne). So let's gie it a look.
Starting with as usual the ladies, we saw Angelique Kerber, the fifth seed take on the in form Russian player Ekaterina Makarova for a place in the quarter finals, and naturally Kerber was the favourite here. However things proved to be quite different as Makarova put in a fine effor to derail Kerber from reaching her first Australian open quarter final with a straight sets win of 7-5, 6-3. This sees Makarova make her second consecutive quarter final in Melbourne, where she will next face the woman I will discuss next.
And that lady is Maria Sharapova, who so far has been in absolutely formidable form, and has shown a form that has even put Serena Williams to shame! Maria's 4th round opponent was Kirsten Flipkens, the Belguim player, and just like in her previous rounds, Maria showed no mercy as she absolutely hammered the Belgian, conceding just one game as she steamrolled her way to a 6-1, 6-0 drubbing. This shows further evidence of just how scarily good Maria's form has been in this tournament, and so far she has only dropped a mere 5 games on her way to the quarter finals, which is just staggering. Maria as I said will next face Makarova for a place in the semis, and I predict that she might do the same Makarova as well, but we will wait and see. Whatever happens, Maria is going to be mighty mighty hard to stop in this form.
In other ladies matches we had Agnieszka Radwanska, who was up against Ana Ivanovic, in what promised to be a competitive match. But Ana just made too many unforced errors, and Aga as she usually does, hardly made any at all, with her steady and unbelievably consistent level that she has shown over the last 12 months or so. Aga also continues her winning streak, as she remains unbeaten in 2013 with a perfect 13-0 record so far, and she has yet to even drop a set this year! However she might start dropping one when she plays Li Na next in the quarter finals, who made it through in straight sets against Julia Goerges with a 7-6. 6-1 win.
In fact its going to be quite interesting who is going to be in the last four as I think that the top four all have an excellent chance of making it there, and I think from thereon in we might just be treated to some great tennis. And let's hope so as it has to be said most of the ladies matches so far have been won quite easily, especially by the top seeds, so let's hope they are put to the test and we see some tighter contests in the next few days.
So moving onto the men first off we had David Ferrer on court playing Kei Nishikori of Japan, and surprisingly Nishikori lead their head to head 2-1 coming into this match, so it promised to be a tight one. But it proved to be anything but as Ferrer made short work of Nishikori by dispatching him in three easy straight sets, with an emphatic score of 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. Ferrer will go on to face his compatriot Nicolas Almagro, who won his match after Janko Tipsarevic retired from their match, which will see Almagro advance to his first Aussie open quarter final, so that promises to be a pretty good match, but I see Ferrer coming through. Next up we we had Tomas Berdych who so far has been in really good form in the tournament, but he faced his first potential threat with the big Kevin Anderson, who had a serve big enough to challenge Berdych's. The first two sets went to Berdych easily enough, but in the 3rd they shared a mammoth tiebreak, which eventually saw Berdych seal the win to reach the quarter finals in 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(13). And Berdych will go on to face the winner of the next match I will discuss...
Which was between the World No.1 Novak Djokovic, and Stan Wawrinka, the world no.17, in what was a potentially intruiging encounter, which might have seen Nole been given a bit of test. However the words a bit of a test turned out to be something of an understatement as the Swiss No.2 came with his A game in full swing against Novak. And for Stan, starting off so good, winning the first set and going 5-2 up in the 2nd, Novak had no answer whatsoever for the Swiss player, who was just on absolute fire. However Nole fought back in the 2nd set to level 5-5, and he went on to break Stan to level the match. In the 3rd set, Stan went a break down, which let Nole serve out for a 2 sets to 1 lead. However in the 4th set we were treated to some electrifying tennis as neither man gave an inch on their serve, and they played a pulsating tiebreak, which Stan won to take the match into a decider. And the 5th was an epic in itself and both players were locked in a battle of the wills as they kept holding onto their serve (at times tentatively). That is until 11-10, which Stan serving to make it 11-11, Djokovic seized his chance, needing three match points, he took the initiative and played a terrific backhand cross court to close an unbelievable match in just over 5 hours, with an exhaustive scoreline of 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6(5)-7, 12-10.
This was without a doubt so far the match of the tournament and both players couldn't have put anymore into that match than they did. Novak once again in this match, even when he looked seriously down and out at a set and 5-2 down in the 2nd, dug deep from his bottomless well of belief and somehow got the job done. And even after 5 hours of play, Novak while undoubtedly tired, still looked relatively fresh, and throughout the match he didn't call for a trainer once, which makes you appreciate just how fit the guy really is! And for me I think its safe to say that he can still win this tournament, as so far he has defied the physical odds that were stacked against him, just like he did last year when he beat Rafa in that exhaustive epic 6 hour final. So despite the fact he has another tough match ahead of him with Tomas Berdych, I really do think he can come through it, as he said so himself in his press conference afterwards, and that's why he is the best player in the world.
As for Stan Wawrinka well he too deserves a great deal of credit for his amazing performance in this match, as he played what must have been the match of his career, and its a great shame that he lost it, as he had several break point chances to beat Novak, but somehow the Serb just kept hanging in. But I'm sure the Swiss player will take great heart from this match as it shows he does have what it takes to stay with the best, and when he is on form, it takes one hell of an effort to beat him.
So that's it for now, I will report back once the second leg of quarter finals are over, which sees an exciting set up on both the mens and ladies. On the ladies, Victoria Azarenka is up against Elena Vesnina of Russia for a place in the quarter finals, which could be intruiging (or just a doddle). Serena Williams will also have a potentially tricky opponent in Maria Kirilenko (again Russian) who has been on form in recent months. Sloane Stephens, who knocked out Laura Robson, is also in action against the Serb player, Bojana Jovanovski. And finally in what could be the ladies match of the day, Caroline Wozniacki will take on Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russian again!) for a place in the quarter finals, which will be really tough, and I hope Caroline wins it.
As for the men, Andy Murray will be in action against the Frenchman, Gilles Simon, who has been struggling physically after his epic 5 set match with Gael Monfils on Saturday there. Simon could however, if he has recovered well enough, still pose a threat to Andy, however the Muzza has been in good form so far, despite a dip in performance in the 3rd round, he's still to drop a set in the tournament, so we'll see how it goes. In all French clash and what could be a terrific match we also have Jo-Wilfried Tsonga take on Richard Gasquet, for a place in the quarter finals, and that could be a really good one! Another in form Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy will also be in action with the Italian player, Andreas Seppi, so the winner of that will be a possible quarter final opponent for Andy Murray. And finally in what could be the match of the day, Roger Federer will take on Milos Raonic, and they have always had close matches in their previous encounters, but Roger has won all of them, so we can expect the Swiss maestro to come through it, but hopefully it will be a great one.
So that's it for now, more to follow soon!
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Saturday, 19 January 2013
2013 Australian Open Part 2.2: Playing catch up with the guys
So onto the men's tennis at the Australian open, which I will cover the 2nd and 3rd round matches so far at the first major of the season. So let's move on...
Starting with the top seed, Novak Djokovic, who is looking to win a hat trick of Melbourne titles, and on the form he has shown so far, he just might do it. In the 2nd round Nole had a potentially difficult opponent in the talented American youngster, Ryan Harrison, as they played a fairly close match at Wimbledon last year. However this time, Harrison proved to be no such threat and Nole thoroughly outclassed and out-manoevered the American and went on to win a very easy straight set win, with the scoreline of 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. In the 3rd round however Nole had a trickier time against the Davis cup hero last year, Radek Stepanek, who proved to be quite a test for him, in what was a very entertaining match. Stepanek throughout used his doubles skills at the net and played an array of classy and entertaining points, which knocked Novak off his rythym, and saw the Czeck make a lot of funny gestures on court such as pretending to shoot with his racquet. But being the World No.1, Nole managed to get it done in straight sets, albeit in three difficult ones, with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win. Next up for Novak will be the Swiss No.2, Stan Wawrinka, who is playing well just now, so we expect that to be quite a tricky encounter.
Next up we have Roger Federer, the No.2 seed, who so far has had a fairly easy time of it, and in the 2nd round he played Nikolai Davydenko, and despite a decent effort from the Russian, Fed outclassed him once again, and went to win in 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. In the 3rd round Roger was up against a potentially tough opponent as he played the home favourite, Bernard Tomic, who came into the match unbeaten in 2013. However Rog was intent on ending that, and after two competitive sets, he did just that in the 3rd as he broke the young Aussie twice to shut him down with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 victory in just under two hours. But things don't get any easier for Roger as in the 4th round he will face the big serving Canadian, Milos Raonic, who he has had some very close matches with so far, so we can expect a real tough one for the Fedster here, and hopefully it will be a cracker. However Roger so far has been in very impressive form and I think it will be very tough to knock him off his perch.
And now we go onto Andy Murray, the British No.1 and US Open champion. After getting the major monkey off his back, Andy so far has been in good form in Melbourne, and in the 2nd round he continued his form, as he took out Joaoa Sousa in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win. In the 3rd round however, Andy faced his first test against the talented Ricardes Berankis, whom is a regular hitting partner with Andy on the tour. And Berankis for the most part rose to the challenge with Andy, who struggled on serve against the young Lithuanian, who knocked off Andy off his rhythym throughout. Despite all that, Andy managed to close out the match in straight sets, after being broken in the 3rd at 5-4 by Berankis to level at 5-5, Andy broke once again to win the match in 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Andy next up will go on to face the talented Frenchman and 14th seed Gilles Simon, who has completed an epic battle against fellow countryman, Gael Monfils in 5 sets, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, 8-6. Andy also has a very good head to head against Simon, who has only beaten him once, and with Simon no doubt being exhausted after his lengthy epic against Monfils, then surely Andy has to be favourite, but we'll see.
In other matches starting with David Ferrer, the Spaniard has been making good progress so far, although he did face a tricky opponent in the 2nd round Tim Symczek, where he dropped his first set of the tournament. How Ferrer soon fought back after losing the 3rd set, he went on to win the match in the 4th with a scoreline of 6-0, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Next up Ferrer played Marcos Baghdatis, and despite any fear that he would be in for a long night, Ferrer put that to bed as he dismissed the Cypriot in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Ferrer will next up play a possibly tough encounter with the Japenese No.1, Kei Nishikori. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, and former finalist in Melbourne, also is in good form so far, and in the 2nd round he got past the talented Japenese player, Go Soeda in 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. In the 3rd round Tsonga continued his impressive form having beaten Blaz Kavcic, the Slovenian player, in 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. This sets a potentially really good clash with his fellow Frenchman, Richard Gasquet in the 4th round, which promises to be a fine match.
Tomas Berdych, the big Czeck so far has also been making good progress, and in the 2nd round dismissed Gilluamme Rufin of France with straight settie win of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. And despite a possible testing 3rd round with Jurgen Melzer, the Austrian player, Berdy had no probs in getting past him with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. This however sets up Berdych biggest test yet where he will play the big South African (6ft 8 to be exact!) Kevin Anderson, who has also been in good form, so that should be a really good un. Janko Tipsarevic so far has had a tougher time of it, as in the 2nd round he was up against it with the Slovak player, Lukas Lacko, who battled back from 2 sets to love down to square the match, to take it into the 5th, where Janko just edged him, to win in 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5. And in the 3rd round Tipsy had another testing encounter with the French player, Julienne Benneteau, which again went the distance, where the Serb finally won in 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the 4th round for the first time in his career. In the 4th round Tipsy will face Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who beat Tipsy quite easily last year, so this might prove to be a really tough encounter for him, but we'll see.
And finally to end up with a bit of bad news, Juan Martin Del Potro, who was one of the possible contenders for the title, went out in the shock less to the dangerous French player (yep there's alot of them!) Jeremy Chardy. Chardy himself impressively came from through after going to 2 sets to love up and Delpo squared the match, but the French player won in the 5th, where he has reached the 4th round of the Aussie open for the first time, with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-3 victory. This was a bit of a surprise but at the same time Chardy has shown in the past that he has game to knock any player off when he is on his game. And this could prove to be a real danger for Andy Murray, as Chardy could be a possible quarter final opponent for him, and Andy lost to the French man last year in Cincinnati, so he will need to be on his game to win. However first things first to Chardy, who will play Andreis Seppi of Italy in the 4th round, so we will see how that pans out.
So that's it for now for the men's, I will post up more once the 4th round matches have been completed for both the gals and the guys.
Till then bye for now!
Starting with the top seed, Novak Djokovic, who is looking to win a hat trick of Melbourne titles, and on the form he has shown so far, he just might do it. In the 2nd round Nole had a potentially difficult opponent in the talented American youngster, Ryan Harrison, as they played a fairly close match at Wimbledon last year. However this time, Harrison proved to be no such threat and Nole thoroughly outclassed and out-manoevered the American and went on to win a very easy straight set win, with the scoreline of 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. In the 3rd round however Nole had a trickier time against the Davis cup hero last year, Radek Stepanek, who proved to be quite a test for him, in what was a very entertaining match. Stepanek throughout used his doubles skills at the net and played an array of classy and entertaining points, which knocked Novak off his rythym, and saw the Czeck make a lot of funny gestures on court such as pretending to shoot with his racquet. But being the World No.1, Nole managed to get it done in straight sets, albeit in three difficult ones, with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win. Next up for Novak will be the Swiss No.2, Stan Wawrinka, who is playing well just now, so we expect that to be quite a tricky encounter.
Next up we have Roger Federer, the No.2 seed, who so far has had a fairly easy time of it, and in the 2nd round he played Nikolai Davydenko, and despite a decent effort from the Russian, Fed outclassed him once again, and went to win in 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. In the 3rd round Roger was up against a potentially tough opponent as he played the home favourite, Bernard Tomic, who came into the match unbeaten in 2013. However Rog was intent on ending that, and after two competitive sets, he did just that in the 3rd as he broke the young Aussie twice to shut him down with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 victory in just under two hours. But things don't get any easier for Roger as in the 4th round he will face the big serving Canadian, Milos Raonic, who he has had some very close matches with so far, so we can expect a real tough one for the Fedster here, and hopefully it will be a cracker. However Roger so far has been in very impressive form and I think it will be very tough to knock him off his perch.
And now we go onto Andy Murray, the British No.1 and US Open champion. After getting the major monkey off his back, Andy so far has been in good form in Melbourne, and in the 2nd round he continued his form, as he took out Joaoa Sousa in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win. In the 3rd round however, Andy faced his first test against the talented Ricardes Berankis, whom is a regular hitting partner with Andy on the tour. And Berankis for the most part rose to the challenge with Andy, who struggled on serve against the young Lithuanian, who knocked off Andy off his rhythym throughout. Despite all that, Andy managed to close out the match in straight sets, after being broken in the 3rd at 5-4 by Berankis to level at 5-5, Andy broke once again to win the match in 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Andy next up will go on to face the talented Frenchman and 14th seed Gilles Simon, who has completed an epic battle against fellow countryman, Gael Monfils in 5 sets, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, 8-6. Andy also has a very good head to head against Simon, who has only beaten him once, and with Simon no doubt being exhausted after his lengthy epic against Monfils, then surely Andy has to be favourite, but we'll see.
In other matches starting with David Ferrer, the Spaniard has been making good progress so far, although he did face a tricky opponent in the 2nd round Tim Symczek, where he dropped his first set of the tournament. How Ferrer soon fought back after losing the 3rd set, he went on to win the match in the 4th with a scoreline of 6-0, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Next up Ferrer played Marcos Baghdatis, and despite any fear that he would be in for a long night, Ferrer put that to bed as he dismissed the Cypriot in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Ferrer will next up play a possibly tough encounter with the Japenese No.1, Kei Nishikori. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, and former finalist in Melbourne, also is in good form so far, and in the 2nd round he got past the talented Japenese player, Go Soeda in 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. In the 3rd round Tsonga continued his impressive form having beaten Blaz Kavcic, the Slovenian player, in 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. This sets a potentially really good clash with his fellow Frenchman, Richard Gasquet in the 4th round, which promises to be a fine match.
Tomas Berdych, the big Czeck so far has also been making good progress, and in the 2nd round dismissed Gilluamme Rufin of France with straight settie win of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. And despite a possible testing 3rd round with Jurgen Melzer, the Austrian player, Berdy had no probs in getting past him with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. This however sets up Berdych biggest test yet where he will play the big South African (6ft 8 to be exact!) Kevin Anderson, who has also been in good form, so that should be a really good un. Janko Tipsarevic so far has had a tougher time of it, as in the 2nd round he was up against it with the Slovak player, Lukas Lacko, who battled back from 2 sets to love down to square the match, to take it into the 5th, where Janko just edged him, to win in 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5. And in the 3rd round Tipsy had another testing encounter with the French player, Julienne Benneteau, which again went the distance, where the Serb finally won in 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the 4th round for the first time in his career. In the 4th round Tipsy will face Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who beat Tipsy quite easily last year, so this might prove to be a really tough encounter for him, but we'll see.
And finally to end up with a bit of bad news, Juan Martin Del Potro, who was one of the possible contenders for the title, went out in the shock less to the dangerous French player (yep there's alot of them!) Jeremy Chardy. Chardy himself impressively came from through after going to 2 sets to love up and Delpo squared the match, but the French player won in the 5th, where he has reached the 4th round of the Aussie open for the first time, with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-3 victory. This was a bit of a surprise but at the same time Chardy has shown in the past that he has game to knock any player off when he is on his game. And this could prove to be a real danger for Andy Murray, as Chardy could be a possible quarter final opponent for him, and Andy lost to the French man last year in Cincinnati, so he will need to be on his game to win. However first things first to Chardy, who will play Andreis Seppi of Italy in the 4th round, so we will see how that pans out.
So that's it for now for the men's, I will post up more once the 4th round matches have been completed for both the gals and the guys.
Till then bye for now!
2013 Austrlian Open Part 2.1: Catch up with the lasses
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.
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.
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)