2017 Australian Open Part 6 - Ladies final "23 or 8.....???"

Right well its time to finish up my look at the ladies tournament at the Australian open this year as the Williams sisters met in a historic final as they prepared to fight it out for the title in their 9th major final.

So with that being said let's see how the final panned out....

THE FINAL

Well the final of course promised to be quite a clash given that Venus has one of the closer head to heads of any against Serena as little sis (i.e. Serena) leads their head to head 16-11 going into this match.  And prior to this match, Serena was looking to break Stefi Graff's record of 22 major titles whereas Venus was looking for her 8th major title and first title down under.   

However the match itself wasn't quite the classic encounter that we'd hoped as Serena was the boss in the match pretty much from the word go although to be fair Venus did try and make things close as the two women traded breaks of serve in the 1st set, but Serena soon went on to serve it out. 

In the 2nd set it was more of the same as Serena soon managed to break Venus to go ahead on the scoreboard, and despite one last ditch effort from Venus to break back to go 5-5, having pushed Serena to 30-30, it wasn't enough as little sis got over the finishing line to win the title.  And with this win Serena surpassed Stefi Graff's record of 22 grand slam titles as Serena recorded her historic 23rd major title with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 victory.

THOUGHTS

Well there really wasn't a great deal to expect from this final in terms of the result as it was already a foregone conclusion that Serena would win it, as not even Venus could stop her mighty younger sister from breaking the record books here.  And right now no one can really compete with Serena when she plays like this and with this title she not only broke the record she also got the No.1 ranking back from Angelique Kerber, who lost out in the 4th round of the tournament (just like Andy Murray did, although he get's to keep his No.1 spot courtesy of Novak's earlier 2nd round exit, but I digress!).  

As for Venus well she deserves a great deal of credit for her run to the final and for reaching her first major final in 8 years, it still shows that the old lass still has it in her and just maybe she might even have a chance of winning a grand slam herself one day before she will hang up her racquet.  Venus also provided one of the most entertaining and flamboyant runner-up acceptance speeches at the trophy presentation for which she also deserves credit for and even if Venus can't beat her little sister, she can at least outdo her in the speech stakes!  Anyway despite her loss, Venus will now see her ranking go back up to No.11 in the world, just outside the top 10, so no doubt she will be back in there in no time.

Getting back to Serena, well there is now no limit to the number of slams she go on to win and from here its hard to put a figure on how many more she will claim before she retires but there is no doubt that this win pretty much cements her place as the greatest female singles player of all time.  Although Serena still has one more record to break and that is to overtake the all time record holder, Margaret Court, who has 24 major titles in singles, although this does extend back before the open era began in 1968.

The only problem however from here for the women's game in this current era of Serena Williams is there are no great rivalries because no one can really compete with Serena day in, day out due to her power and her incredibly accurate serve.  Back in Serena's earlier days she had the likes of Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and of course Venus when she was still in her heyday and together they produced some great matches.  However in this day and age that era is now long gone and there are practically no players that can take on that mantle to compete with Serena and the sport needs great rivalries and if they are missing that's when the game becomes stagnant and dull.

So while the game of ladies tennis is still an eminently watchable one just now, the only real downside is that until someone can challenge Serena it will not be able to elevate itself to the level that the men's game has with the "big four" which is a great pity.  And this remains the main thing undermines Serena's great achievements that they were achieved in era, where rivalries in the ladies game against the very best are currently looking to be a thing of the past.  So let's just hope in the future that someone will come along to take up that mantle or once Serena retires maybe it will pave the way for some new and exciting players to take over.

In the meantime however, Serena should still be congratulated for her tremendous achievements in the sport and she will no doubt keep on playing until she puts that title record well beyond anyone's reach.

SIGN OFF

Right, so that's it for now and I will be back on here soon with the men's final, which was between Roger Federe and Rafael Nadal, which promised to be an epic of well... epic proportions!  How did it turn out???  Well you'll find out in the next post (or alternatively just look it up on the Internet!).

So I will get onto that just now and see you soon....

      

2017 Australian Open Part 5: Men's semi finals - rolling back the years....

Right OK its time for my look at the men's semi finals from the Australian open in Melbourne, which saw three grand slam champs and one semi finalist duke it out for a place in the final.  So how did the matches go???  Well let's find out....

Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka

First up was the hugely anticipated all Swiss semi final between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka as the two men looked to put on what promised to be a real classic encounter.  And the match itself thankfully did not disappoint as both men put on an excellent clash for the packed Rod Laver arena crowd.

As for how the match unfolded well it started with a tight first set until 6-5 when Roger broke Stan who was serving to take things into a tiebreak and in the 2nd set, Roger started to stamp his authority on the match as he swiftly broke Stan to take a two set lead and looked to be on cruise control for the final.  However in the 3rd set after Stan took a medical timeout for his knee, Roger started to lose concentration, which let Stan back into the match and he went on to break the Maestro three times to take the 3rd to keep himself alive in the match.  And in the 4th set, things were a bit closer but Stan again managed to break Roger's serve to take the match into a decider.  And in the 5th set, Roger reasserted himself and pinched a crucial break of serve as Stan double faulted to hand his good friend a 4-2 lead.  So it wasn't long before Roger did what was expected of him and that is seal the match on his own serve to love to reach his 28th grand slam final and his 6th at the Aussie Open with a remarkable 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3 win. 

Well this was for the most part an excellent match with plenty of great points from both men although it was slightly hampered by both men's injury time-outs, which left each player at a disadvantage at different times in the match.  However for the majority of the match it was great stuff and Roger once again showed just why he is the greatest player to have played the game as he just keeps coming back time and time again from injury stronger than ever.  And with this kind of determination you just have to think that Rog's elusive 18th grand slam is just around the corner. 

As for Stan, well he will no doubt be disappointed that he lost this match given that he had a good shout having levelled it and pushed Roger all the way to a decider.  Regardless of this though, Stan should still take much encouragement from his efforts in the match and in the tournament and given that he has won a major per year since 2014, you'd imagine there's bound to another one this season with his name on it.

Rafael Nadal vs Grigor Dimitrov

Next is the second semi final, which saw Rafael Nadal take on Grigor Dimitrov in what promised to be quite an intruiging encounter.  But this match did not just live up to its expectations, it totally surpassed them as both men played one of the greatest matches seen in recent years at the Australian open.

And to get more into the specifics of the match, it started with Rafa getting off to the stronger start as he broke Dimitrov to take the opening set.  In the 2nd set however, both men traded breaks of serve with Dimitrov at 5-3 with a chance to serve it out but Rafa broke back again before Grigor broke him to take the second set and level the match.  In the 3rd set, both men settled down on serve and play went to a thrilling tiebreak, which saw Rafa take the lead and the two sets to one advantage.  In the 4th set, the high quality continued from both guys and play yet again was pushed to a breaker and this time Grigor took the tiebreak to push the match into a decider.  And in the 5th set the level of play did not falter for one bit as both men didn't give an inch and Grigor pushed Rafa to the very limit with chances to break him but he didn't quite take them.  However in the end it was Rafa that put the match to bed as he broke Dimitrov at 4-4 and served out a final edgy game that saw him reach his 4th Australian open final with a stunning 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory.

Well we are only four weeks into the new year so far but already this match was one of the best of the season (if not the best!) as both men raised their games to unprecedented heights and played mind blowing tennis for the enthralled crowd at Rod Laver arena.  And it was such a good match that it was a pity that one man had to lose given the sheer effort both of them put into it. 

And it was also testament as to just how resilient a competitor Rafa really is when it comes to the big matches and when he is playing at his best, he is mighty tough to beat as this level of form has been missing from him for some time.  But given how he has played so far and grit and determination Rafa has shown its fair possibility that he will go on to win this title but I'll say more about that in a bit.

As for Dimitrov well no doubt he will be gutted with this loss as it was a real tough one to lose given how well he played but its a match that will have won him plenty of fans and if he continues on this path then surely Grigor will not before long, lift a major title himself.  It should also hopefully see Grigor propel himself closer to the top 10 although I'm not sure how far up he will go in the rankings as a result of his efforts down under but there is not much doubt that he will be back in the top 10 in no time.

MEN'S FINAL THOUGHTS

Right so this now brings my attention onto the men's final on Sunday, which is now set and it sees the old dogs, Roger and Rafa go at it again and let's face it I don't imagine there were too many of us out there thinking this final would have happened this year but it has.  And for many it will be a real treat to see two of the great legends in the game go at it once more in a grand slam final as its been six years since they last met in a final as Rafa defeated Roger in the French open that year.

So this all begs the big question....who will win????  Well let's take a look at this one....

Well its going to be a tough call as both men have had to effectively play themselves into form in this tournament as they have recently just come back from injury and against each other its going to difficult to guage who will come out on top at this stage.  And this would have been easier to predict in the past given that Rafa in the slams has dominated Roger, who has failed to beat Rafa in a slam match for 10 years now, when they were playing week in, week out, Rafa's healthy head to head record over him would make this easier to pick.

But regardless of this, its a match that could be won by either man and to look at Roger's chances first, well he certainly has the two days rest advantage as Rafa will only have one thanks to the ruling at the Aussie open where the first winning semi-finalist get's to play on a Thursday and the second on a Friday.  And given that Roger was showing signs of wearing in his match with Stan as he was forced to take a medical timeout for his leg, the extra recovery time will help him going into the final.  However Roger will need to still be on his guard with Rafa, who could end up grinding Roger down and forcing him into longer rallies, so it will be up to Rog to try and keep the points shorter to conserve his energies and serve very well.  It might also be of some consideration that Roger also beat Rafa in their previous meeting in the Swiss Indoors final in Basel so he could certainly keep that victory in mind going into this match.

As for Rafa, well he is at a disadvantage going into this match having played a gruelling near five hour match against Dimitrov, which could no doubt leave him pretty sapped when he plays Roger in the final.  However Rafa's dominant 24-11 head to head record over his old rival is one that is well worth taking into consideration here as Rafa for the most part has really bossed Roger in most of their previous recent meetings.  But its also worth considering that Rafa has struggled with his form over the last two years or so with injury and also a lack of confidence and its only really just recently that he has rekindle some of that old magic that he had in abundance.  So Rafa here will need to try and keep up with Roger on his service games and then start to boss the match with his forehand if he can and if he can get into Roger's head as the match goes on then here is sure to win.

FINAL PREDICTION

So as for my prediction.....well........I have to go....... with...... (sorry!)

Well....I have to go with Rafa on this one because I feel that even though he will be left at a disadvantage of having just one day's rest before the final, as opposed to Roger's two, it still might not change the outcome.  And in the past we've seen Roger get off to a strong start against Rafa and before we knew it, Rafa would start to work his way into the match and start to boss and dominate his old rival and I think this could happen here.  And I certainly think Roger will come out firing with maybe Rafa being a bit slow out of the blocks but ultimately I don't think it will last as sooner or later Rafa's grit will fire him up and see him through. 

So for my final prediction I think Rafa will win his 2nd Australian open title in four or maybe five sets and put him within two of equalling Roger's record of 17 majors.  I might be wrong of course and it would be nice to see Roger win his first slam in five years but in the end I still think Rafa will be the man that comes out on top but we'll see.  But whatever happens it promises to be a real cracker and hopefully one of the best matches of the season (well you can but hope!).

SIGN OFF

Right so that's it for now and I will be back soon once the final results for the men and ladies finals are through.  And it has to be said this really has been a tournament that has rolled back the years with the Williams sisters in a major final for the first time since 2009 and Roger and Rafa making their appearance together for the first time since 2011 too.  So let's hope both matches will live up to their billing!

So until next time, its bye for now!

2017 Australian Open Part 4: Ladies semi finals and look to the final....

Right OK, I must apologise as I have been neglecting the ladies side of the tournament so far but that all stops now with this post as I will do a quick catch up on how their event has gone up until now although I won't really go into much detail to save time.  Instead the real focus of this post will be primarily on the ladies semi final matches and my prediction for the final.

So let's take a look and see how the top seeds who went out got on before they fell down under....

TOP SEEDS THAT WENT OUT

Angelique Kerber - Well Kerber, the current World No.1 didn't have the best of tournaments as despite making it through to the 2nd week, she was then upset by the American player, Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets.  This result would mean if Serena were to reach the final and win the title she would drop down to No.2 in the world as of next week.

Agnieszka Radwanska - As for Radwanska, well she didn't fair any better as she was beaten early on in the 2nd round by the giant killer, Marjana Lucic-Baroni in another straight set defeat, denying the 3rd another shot at her maiden major title.

Simona Halep - Simon suffered an ever worse fate than Kerber or Radwanska as she fell at the first hurdle in her opening match where she lost to the American player, Shelby Rogers, also in straight sets. 

Karolina Pliskova - Pliskova, last year's US Open finalist, on the other hand did make more progress as she managed to reach the quarter finals this year in Melbounre.  However Pliskova took on Marjana Lucic-Baroni also and fell foul to her abilities to slay the top seeds although it was a battle as it took three sets for Pliskova to be upended. 

Dominika Cibulkova - As for the 5ft 3 inch pint sized Cibulkova, who had won the WTA Championships last year, she suffered an early exit also as she was beaten in the 3rd round, losing to the Russian player, Ekaterina Makarova in three sets.

Svetlana Kuznetsova - Kuznetsova, who has had a real resurgence in the last year or so by getting back into the top 10, also lost out in the 2nd week as she was defeated by her Russian compatriot, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who put her out in straight sets.

Johanna Konta - Next up is the British No.1 in the ladies game and 9th seed, Jo Konta, who made it to the semi finals last year but this year she met her end at the hands of Serena Williams, who beat Konta convincingly in straight sets to deny Jo her a shot at winning her first major. 

Carla Suarez-Navarro - And lastly the Spaniard, Suarez-Navarro, the 10th seed also suffered an early exit as she was beaten by the Romanian player, Sorana Cirstea in straight sets. 

SEMI FINAL MATCHES

And now to get onto the ladies semi final matches, which were between Venus Williams vs Coco Vandeweghe and Serena Williams vs Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, so let's take a closer look at them.

Venus Williams vs Coco Vandeweghe

OK so first up is the match between Venus and Coco and it was a pretty high level entertaining match that saw Coco really take it to the former finalist and seven time major champion in Venus as the young American nabbed the first set on a tiebreak.  However it wasn't long before Venus fought her way back into the match a she broke Coco twice in the 2nd set to level the match.  And in the 3rd set, Venus proved too strong for Coco, who she broke once to go ahead and then broke her again as Coco failed to hold onto her serve at 5-3 down, which saw Venus fall to her knees in delight at reaching her first grand slam final since 2009 with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 win.

Well this was a result and a match that saw Venus roll back the years (and you might hear that term being mentioned quite a bit from now on in this posts!) as she really proved here that she still has what it takes to win a major or at least reach the final of one and she sure looked delighted to be back in the final of one of the biggest events in the sport. 

As for Coco, well she will no doubt disappointed with her loss here but she did a great job in getting herself this deep into a grand slam for the first time and judging by her game she should be a future major winner if she can continue her form.  I also think that Coco should be commended as a player as she one of the very few female players around these days that DOESN'T grunt!  And I honestly can't think of another player off the top of my head in the ladies game that doesn't grunt (other than Kim Clijsters who is now retired of course!) although many of the men are now guilty of it too, but I digress.

Serena Williams vs Marjana Lucic-Baroni 

Next up is the second semi final, which was between the 22 time grand slam winner, Serena Williams and first time Melbourne semi finalist, the Croatian, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.  Now this match was an intriguing one on paper given Lucic-Baroni's reputation for taking big scalps in her career by taking out some of the biggest players out there, so she presented something of a threat to Serena going into this match.

However....the match itself was no more than an exhibition for Serena's power and precision as she swiftly dispatched the plucky Croatian with a ruthless straight set victory that saw Serena with a chance to win her 7th Australian open title with a 6-2, 6-1 scoreline.

Well there isn't really much else to say about this match other than Serena was simply too good for Lucic-Baroni on the day and she demonstrated why she is arguably the greatest female player to have played the game.  And Serena will certainly prove that point as she will go on to try and win her 23rd grand slam title and thereby surpass Stefi Graff's record of 22 and put Serena within one of equalling the all time record held by Margaret Court.

And this brings me onto my look at the final....

LADIES FINAL PREDICTION

Well here we have a final that none of us would have predicted would happen but here it is, the Williams sisters are both back in a grand slam final and its been 8 years since they last played each other in a major final.  So how will it go???

Well to be honest from here I can still only see one winner and that is Serena and the reason being that she has far more extensive slam final experience than her sister and she is way ahead in her tally of 22 in comparison to Venus's 7.  Also Serena has been in terrific form throughout this tournament so far and I don't think she is going to stop at playing against her sister.  
 
However the only thing that might stop Serena from winning is herself as she could get tight on court at the notion of playing her sister, which she has said in the past has always made her uncomfortable when it arose.  Serena also might have the record of 22 slams on her mind and trying to break it might also give her reason to get edgy in the final whereas Venus has precious little to lose, so the pressure will almost certainly be more on her little sister.

So my final prediction is that Serena will win this one but given that its the Williams sisters, I think it could be quite close and wouldn't be surprised if it went the distance although if Venus starts making errors then it could all be over pretty fast.  So I think Serena will probably win this in straight sets but it might be tight so a tiebreak in one set is at least a possibility here so maybe we might get a scoreline such as 7-6, 6-3 and for what its worth that's what I'll go for here, so Serena in two: 7-6, 6-3.

SIGN OFF

Right well that's it from me for now and I will be back soon with the results of the men's semi finals and see how they went.

Until the next one its bye fer now!          

2017 Australian Open Part 3: Men's quarter finals and semis predictions

Ok doke, now its time to look at the men's remaining quarter final matches and my look ahead at the semi final matches at the Aussie Open.  So let's get on with it then....

QUARTER FINALS MATCHES

Grigor Dimitrov vs David Goffin

Right so to kick off we first up had Grigor Dimitrov take on David Goffin for a place in the semi final and both players were looking to reach the last four the first time in their careers, so this match had alot riding on it for both players.  And going into this match it was Dimitrov that held that advantage as he won their only previous meeting (they had previous qualifying and challenger matches all won by Grigor but they aren't counted here on the main tour) but Goffin is now a much improved player so it promised to be a real battle.  However the match itself was far from a great battle as Grigor simply dominated Goffin from the very start and the Belgian could nothing against Grigor's game who beat him in straight sets to reach the 2nd grand slam semi final of his career with a convincing 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory. 

This match was certainly another reminder that Dimitrov is now really beginning to find his feet again as he struggled badly for two years there but now he is finally starting to get his game back together and proving once again he really is a future major contender. 

As for Goffin well it was a good run to get to the last eight but in the end Dimitrov simply had too much for him but regardless he should take much encouragement from his performance down under.

Now we get onto the second match....

Rafael Nadal vs Milos Raonic 

So the second quarter final match saw Rafa take on the highest seed left in the draw, the world No.3, Milos Raonic in what promised to be a highly intriguing contest as both men looked to reach the final four.

And the match itself proved to be a very entertaining encounter with some very competitive play from both men but it was Rafa that bossed the majority of the match as he took the 1st set with a break.  In the 2nd set however, Raonic battled to keep things on serve and pushed play to a tiebreak where he held set points against Rafa but double faulted at 6-5 to lose his chance to level the match and Rafa went on to break Raonic and grab the two sets to love lead.  And in the 3rd set, Rafa made the decisive break and went on to serve out the match and he sunk to his knees full of emotion as he reached his first major semi final for almost three years with a commanding 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 win.

Well there is no doubt from the evidence of this match that Rafa is truly getting back to his best form and it has been quite some time since we have seen Rafa in this kind of form and it could very well be an indicator for what is to come for him this season.  And on the basis of his performances so far in the event, Rafa has shown that he has not lost his desire to compete and fight for the biggest titles and now after nearly three years you really would have to say he is now a legitimate contender for the title in Melbourne. 

As for Raonic, well no doubt he will be disappointed with the outcome of the match especially as he had set point in the second set to level the match and maybe from there things might have been different.  However in the end I guess it wasn't to be for Raonic but he can still come away from the Aussie Open with some positives.  However Raonic did say he wasn't sure he would play the Davis cup next week as Canada take on Great Britain and with Andy Murray already confirmed as not playing, it remains to be seen how Raonic's team will get on without him.

SEMI FINAL PREDICTIONS 

And so this brings me onto my predictions for the men's semi finals, which are now set up with the first semi finalists playing tomorrow and the second semi finalists playing on Friday (why they don't play both semis on the same day like the other slams, I will never know!).  So let's take a look at how they might go....

Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka

First up is the all Swiss semi final, which will be a highly anticipated match that promises to deliver much as Roger Federer will take on his good friend, Stan "the man" Wawrinka as they will duke it out for a place in the final.  But how will it go??? 

Well to be honest this one could be a bit tricky to call as on his day, Stan can beat anyone and he could certainly beat Roger if his game is firing on both wings and he is able to hit through his good friend Rog.  However the main problem for Stan is that he has never beaten Roger on a hard court in all their meetings and his only victories over Rog have come on a clay court, so this leaves him at a bit of a disadvatange straight away.

As for Roger well he has shown so far in this tournament that any concerns over his 6 month lay-off have been well and truly put to bed as his impressive form has just gotten better and better with every match in Melbourne.  And Roger here again has a big opportunity to beat Stan and reach another slam final with a real shout of claiming that 18th grand slam that has eluded him for five years now.  However he is still playing against a three time major champion in Stan, who now knows a thing or two about winning big matches, so Roger will certainly have to serve well and play a clean match to beat his good friend.

So for my final prediction......well I have to go with Roger because he is looking in great form and I have to take the fact onboard that Stan has never beaten Roger in a hard court match and this could be the main over riding factor that will hamper Stan's chances.  Stan could certainly beat Roger tomorrow but he showed when they played at the o2 arena in the ATP world tour finals three years ago, he had five match points and let them all slip and I think its possible that Stan could put himself a similar situation again tomorrow when push comes to shove.

So I think Roger will win this match in four close sets and reach his 28th grand slam final to give himself a real shot at winning a 5th Australian open title.

Rafael Nadal vs Grigor Dimitrov

So the next semi is of course between Rafa and Grigor Dimitrov and the two of them have both in very good form throughout the tournament so far, so this should promise to be a real cracker of a match .  So how will it pan out???

Well....again this could be a tough one to call because Grigor has shown great form so far in the tournament and he even beat Rafa last year in Beijing (albeit when Rafa was ailing with his wrist injury) so its enough to suggest he could upset Rafa again in Melbourne.  Grigor is also on an unbeaten 10 match winning streak this season so far as he won the title in Brisbane, so that will also give him alot of confidence going into this match with the belief that he can beat Rafa and reach his maiden major final.

As for Rafa well he has definitely recovered his form so far in 2017 and shown in Melbourne alone that he is starting to fight and compete just like he did in glory days when he was the No.1 player in the world.  Rafa however will need to be still wary of Dimitrov, who remains unbeaten so far in 2017 and he will still need to play a very high level match to beat the Bulgarian.

So for my final prediction.....well I have to still go with Rafa simply because of his extensive experience in the majors at the deep end have seen him fight through some tight corners in the past and it should certainly help him fight past Grigor now.  And when push comes to shove, Rafa should be able to handle the clutch points better than inexperienced Dimitrov will.

So I think Rafa will win this one but it will also be very tough and it wouldn't surprise me if it went at least four sets or maybe five.  However in the end I think Rafa will come through with his great experience, grit and determination to try and win a 2nd Australian open title.

SIGN OFF

Right so that's it for now and I will be back on here again with an update on the ladies semi finals once they are over and done with tomorrow and after that I will post up about the results of the men's semis and my prediction for the finals.

So until the next one, its ciao for now!     
  

2017 Australian open Part 2: 2nd Week up to quarter finals

Right, so now I get onto the 2nd week of the Australian open and this post contains another big upset, which I will get to in just a tick. 

So let's crack and see how the 2nd week of the Australian open has panned out so far up until the quarter final matches. 

2nd WEEK 

So to kick off with a real shock surprise we had the World No.1, Andy Murray, take on the German player, Mischa Zverev who is the older brother of the notable younger, Alexander Zverev.  Now on paper this was a match that heavily favoured Andy given that he is the top seed in the event and with Novak Djokovic now out, he looked to be the hot favourite to win the title. 

However, Zverev had other ideas in mind as he really imposed his aggressive serve and volley game on Andy, totally taking the world's best player out of his rythyhm that saw the German take the first set.  In the 2nd set however, Andy soon fought back as he managed to break Mischa to level the match and from here you would assume that things would come up good for the World No.1.  However that's not how the script went here as Mischa was not done yet and he imposed his game even further on Andy and he soon broke him twice to take a two sets to one lead.  And in the final set, a costly break saw the world's best player toppled out of the Australian open as Mischa Zverev pulled off a stunning upset that saw him reach his first ever major quarter final with a 7-5 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win.

Well I'm sure that no one would have ever predicted this result, especially given the consistent record Andy has had at the Australian open for the last seven years, he has never failed to reach the quarter finals or better at the event.  And this year with Novak absent, Andy really looked like he had a strong chance of winning his first ever title in Melbourne after five unsuccessful attempts in finals.  Unfortunately however it was not to be and Andy will just have to wait until next year before he has a chance again to compete for the slam that has forever eluded him.  But all credit to Zverev, who played an unbelievable match to stun Andy Murray and put him out of the tournament, it showed that Alexander's older brother is one to watch out for aswell.   

As for the other seeds, Roger Federer by contrast continued his good form as he took on the 5th seed, Kei Nishikori in a thrilling 4th round match, which saw Roger being handed his first stern test of the tournament.  And Kei took the opening set on a tiebreak (although he was 5-2 up at one point!) before Roger started his fightback and levelled the match and went on to grab a two sets to one lead.  In the 4th set however, Kei showed his mettle and broke Roger and he went on to level the match as play went into a 5th.  However in the 5th set, Kei's fitness started to fade as he suffered back problems, which let Rog break him and although Kei valiantly fought on to keep things to the single break, Roger served out the match with ease as he took an impressive victory to reach the quarter finals with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 scoreline. 

Roger would then go on to face Andy Murray's conqueror, Mischa Zverev in the quarter finals and as you would expect, the German was no match whatsoever for Rog as when it came to playing an aggressive game of serve and volley, two could play that game and Rog played it way better than Zverev did!  So in short, Roger wasted little time in getting past Zverev as he sealed a straight set victory in just over 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the semi finals, which now sees him as a strong contender to win this title.

Next up is Rafael Nadal who also showed very good form against the unpredictable but entertaining, Gael Monfils as the two of them battled it out for a place in the last eight.  And Rafa got off to a fast start as he soon broke an inconsistent Monfils in the first two sets to grab the two sets to love lead.  However in the 3rd, Gael mounted a fightback as he managed to break Rafa and serve out for the 3rd set to keep himself alive in the match.  And in the 4th set, Monfils continued his hot form as he broke Rafa again, however it wasn't long before Monfils's errors crept in and prevented him holding the break and Rafa broke back.  And from here Rafa went on to seal the match with a break of his own as the Frenchman captiulated on his serve, handing Rafa a place in the quarter finals after an entertaining four set 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win.  And this was Rafa's first quarter final at a grand slam in nearly two years with his last being the French Open in 2015.

Stan Wawrinka also continued his good run of form as he took on Andres Seppi in the 4th round as the two of them battled it out.  However in the end it was Stan that showed his class as he beat Seppi in three tight tiebreak sets to reach the last eight, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6.  And Stan went on to show his good form yet again in the quarter finals as he faced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who had put out Dan Evans in the 4th round) and he beat his old rival again in straight sets with an impressive 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

This now means we will be treated to an all Swiss semi final between Roger and Stan and its going to be fun guessing as to who will come out on top but for now I will leave my prediction aside for another post.  

Milos Raonic, who is now the highest remaining seed in the tournament (the 3rd seed) also has managed a good run so far in the Australian open (sorry forgot to mention him in the first part!) as he beat Dustin Brown and Gilles Muller both in straight sets and then Gilles Simon in four sets to reach the 2nd week.  In the 2nd week he has again played well to beat Roberto Bautista-Agut, despite suffering from a flu bug, Raonic still managed to fight his way past the B-Agut in four sets.  This sets up a highly anticipated clash now with Rafa for a place in the semi finals.

David Goffin next up showed that he is now a player to be reckoned with as he took on one of his main rivals, Dominic Thiem for a place in the quarter finals but it was Goffin this time that came out on top as he beat Thiem in four sets to reach his first quarter final in Melbourne.

And last of all, Grigor Dimitrov faced Novak Djokovic's conqueror, Denis Istomin, in the last 16 as the two of them fought it out for the last eight.  However injury started to hamper Istomin after he made a bright start by taking the first set, Dimitrov soon overtook him and nabbed the next three sets as Istomin started to fight, fighting a leg injury.  This saw Grigor reach his first slam quarter final in three years as he beat Istomin in 2-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the last eight and play David Goffin.

REMAINING QUARTER FINAL PREDICTIONS

Right well so far we are still to play the last two quarter final matches between Rafa and Raonic and Dimitrov and Goffin so I will quickly mention how I see them going....

Nadal vs Raonic 

Well for this one its tough to call given that both men have split their wins so far this year, although one of them was unofficial as Rafa beat Raonic in an exhibition event at Abu Dhabi (which doesn't really count) and Raonic officially beat Rafa in Brisbane.

However one of the deciding factors here for me could come down to fitness as Rafa, despite any of last year's fitness concerns over his wrist, so far has shown none of that, so I think in this match he should still be fine.  Raonic however has suffered form a flu bug lately and this could hamper his movement and game against a seasoned veteran and all time great like Rafa, which could prove costly as surely the Canadian will need to be 100 percent to really beat Rafa here.

So for this reason alone I will go with Rafa, also not to mention that Rafa has the big match advantage over Raonic and when push comes to shove Rafa will show his grit and come through this one in four tight sets.

Dimitrov vs Goffin

This match is a bit tough to call even though Dimitrov has the emphatic lead in their head to head, i.e. he has never lost to Goffin and holds a commanding 4-0 lead over him.  But Goffin is a much improved player now so I think this could be a very even match and one that could really go either way and it would easy to suppose that Grigor will come away with yet another win here but it might not necessarily be the case.

Regardless of that however I still would say that Dimitrov might come out ontop here once again as he really has looked very solid for the most of this tournament and his 4-0 lead over Goffin should help him out here.  Dimitrov also has a bit more height on Goffin and an extra bit of firepower and a bigger serve too, so this should count towards another Grigor victory.  However it shouldn't be easy and I think this is one that could easily go five sets with Grigor eventually winning it to reach his maiden Melbourne semi final.

Right, so that's it for now and I will be back on here once the semi finals are finished and we know who is in the final.

Till the next one its bye for now!       

2017 Australian Open - Men's event so far Part 1: First week

G'day! (sorry couldn't resist!) 

Right!  Well it has to be said I am quite far behind on doing any coverage of the first grand slam of the season at Melbourne as the Australian open is now deep into its second week and this year's tournament has seen more than its fair share of upsets, so I will get into that soon enough.

But for now I will say I will try and keep my updates brief as I can so this post doesn't totally overrun and I will bring the results up to speed for the quarter finals of the men's tournament and I will cover the first week in this post and the second up until now in another.  

So without much further messing about, let's crack on....

1st WEEK

So to start off we'll look at some of the top seeds and how they got on....

Right well the first week of the Aussie open saw one of the biggest ever upsets of all time in the tournament's history as Novak Djokovic took on the Uzbekistanian, Denis Istomin, in the 2nd round.  And the defending champion looked up against it as he lost the first set, however he did then go on to level the match and take a two sets to one lead, but Istomin managed to level things in the 4th set.  And in the 5th set it was Istomin that did the unthinkable as he stunned the six time champion and sent him packing with an incredible 7-6, 5-7, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory.

Well this was one result that no one could have seen coming given that Novak went into this tournament having already beaten the current World No.1, Andy Murray in the final of Doha earlier this month and he was starting to look good again.  However this match really did sum up that Novak still isn't one hundred percent yet in his form and he has a way to go before he can recapture his very best and we will just have to wait and see if he does.

As for the other seeds, Andy Murray, the top seed (for the first time in a major) enjoyed better luck in the 1st week as he defeated Iilya Marchenko, Andrey Rublev and Sam Querrey all in straight sets to advance to the 2nd week with fair ease, which would be good going ahead into the last 16.

Roger Federer, who was making his tour comeback after being layed off with a knee injury for 6 months, also made an impressive start as he overcame a slow-ish start by beating Jurgen Melzer in four sets, then he went on to defeat Noah Rubin of the USA in three straight sets.  And more impressively Roger started to show where his game is really at now by dishing a convincing hammering to the 10th seed, Tomas Berdych who he beat in straight sets to advance to the 2nd week.

Rafael Nadal also looked in good form in the 1st week as he cruised his way past his first two rounds, beating Florian Mayer in the 1st round and Marcos Baghdatis in the 2nd round, both in straight sets.  Rafa however did not have it all his way in the 3rd round as he took on the young rising star, Alexander Zverev, who did a great job at taking it to Rafa throughout the match as the young German went two sets to one at one point.  However Rafa, valiantly fought back as he levelled the match taking it to a 5th set and he then went on to break Zverev twice to seal his place in the 4th round with a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 win.

Stan Wawrinka also so far has made it through the 1st week too although he had a very tough start as he had to battle his way past Martin Klizan of Slovakia, who pushed the Swiss No.1 to the limit in a five setter that eventually saw Stan come through and win.  Stan next however soon enjoyed a more straight forward win against the American, Steve Johnson whom he defeated in straight sets.  However, Stan once again was tested in the 3rd round where faced off against the Serb player, Viktor Troicki who Stan had to beat from a set down and was pushed into a 4th set tiebreak, which he eventually won to reach the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 win.

Kei Nishikori, the 5th seed had a pretty good 1st week although he started off with a tough five set win over the Russian player, Andrey Kuznetsov, but Kei soon went on to beat Jeremy Chardy and Lukas Lacko both in straight sets to reach the last 16.  

As for some of the other top seeds, Grigor Dimitrov, who has had something of a resurgence in his career again has made good progress too, so far as he beat Christopher O'Connell, Chung Hyeon and more impressively, Richard Gasquet in straight sets to reach the last 16.  This shows that Dimitrov is starting to recover that promise that he once had only a few years ago.

Gael Monfils also enjoyed good fortune too in the 1st week having beaten Jiri Vesely, Alexandr Dolgopolov and Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the last 16 where he would set up a showdown with another player of note, Rafa Nadal.

Dominic Thiem too has had a good 1st week where he beat all his first three opponents in four sets comprising of Jan Lennard Struff, Jordan Thompson and Benoit Paire, which enabled the Austrian to reach the last round of 16 for the first time in Melbourne.   

And last of all, David Goffin, who is currently ranked just outside the top 10 (literally!) at No.11 in the world, has shown some good form so far in the tournament also he has beaten Reilly Opelka, Radek Stepanek and quite impressively, the big giant serving erm...giant, Ivo Karlovic in straight sets to reach the 4th round.

As for some of the other seeds however they also suffered early exits as well as Novak, such as Marin Cilic, who was stunned by the new in-form British player, Dan Evans, who made it through to the 2nd week after he beat Bernard Tomic.  Nicky Kyrgios also despite being the great Aussie young hope, also suffered a shock early defeat to the Italian, Andreas Seppi in a five set epic match that saw Seppi finally claim a win from two sets down.  Lucas Pouille, who made a name for himself last year after beating Rafa at the US Open, also went out early in the first round to Alexander Bublik (great name!).  And lastly, John Isner was also booted out early on by Mischa Zverev in the 2nd round in an epic five set match.

Right so that's it for now and I will be back soon with how the 2nd week at the event has gone so far.

See you in a bit!

2017 Australian Open Men's title contenders preview

OK, so its nearly that time in the new year that the first grand slam season get's under way in Melbourne: the Australian open.  So how will go this year??  Who is the favourite to win??  And who are the other contenders????  Well let's take a look....

1. Novak Djokovic 

At the top spot is of course the six time champion, Novak Djokovic, who had a mixed season last year in 2016 having completed his career slam at the French Open, Novak looked untouchable and ready to do a full sweep at the majors that year.  However the second half of 2016 wasn't what Novak, or anyone else for that matter had expected as he lost his form and concentration and he suffered a string of surprising loses and by the end of the year he lost his No.1 ranking to Andy Murrray.

However at the start of this year, Novak made it to his 2nd final in Doha and he took on the new World No.1 in Andy Murray and he beat his old rival in three sets.  And because of that reason alone I would put Novak at the top of this list as its a victory that will give him a much needed boost going into the first major of the season.  But its not only the first, its also Novak's most successful, having won six times, its impossible to look past that and NOT see him as the favourite. 

So will he win it this year??  I think its a fairly strong possibility given his start to 2017 so far but time will tell if he can keep that good start going, heading into Melbourne.  But personally I think he should definitely reach the final and if he does that record breaking 7th title might be round the corner. 

Prediction: champion or finalist.

2. Andy Murray 

At No.2 on the list is the current World No.1, Andy Murray, who had a stellar season last year, especially in the 2nd half where Andy was nearly untouchable and put together two remarkable winning streaks of 22 matches and then finishing the year unbeaten on a 24 matches.  And 2016 was a year that saw Andy claim a 2nd Wimbledon title and Olympic gold medal along with finishing the year as the No.1 player in the world, it was the cherry on top.

However Andy has found himself getting off to a slightly sluggish start this year as he lost to David Goffin in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi and then he went on to lose to Novak Djokovic in the final of Doha.  However, Andy shouldn't be too concerned going into Australia given that he put a strong performance against Novak before he lost out in three tight sets.  

The main problem really for Andy though is how he will cope with Novak down under should they meet in the final as he has been on the losing end of the Serb four times now and its a real possibility that it could be a fifth.  But given how close their match was in Doha it should be a real battle if the two of them do meet in the final.

Another issue for Andy is also how he will cope with the pressure of being the new World No.1 as in order for him to remain at the top spot he will need to reach the semi finals or better in Melbourne, otherwise Novak will dethrone him and take back the No.1 spot for himself.

However, no matter what might transpire, I can still see Andy reach the final this year and given that its his sixth final, just like it was with Vinny Gambini in the film "My Cousin Vinny" six times just might be the charm.  So while given that his nemesis, Nole, might be his opponent he might come off second best yet again, there's still a chance that Andy could for once come out on top. 

Prediction: champion or finalist.

3. Milos Raonic 

At the No.3 spot is the big serving Canadian, Milos Raonic, who reached the semi finals last year but lost out to the finalist, Andy Murray in five sets.  Raonic's game has come on in leaps and bounds over the last year or so and under the part time coaching on John McEnroe, it certainly has helped improve his mentality in the big matches.

The main problem for Milos is however that he still hasn't quite got the physical edge over the elite guys ahead of him in Andy and Nole and when it comes to defence and movement he still lags behind them in both respects.  So Milos will need to hope for a good draw and hope he can also conserve energy going into the latter stages.

So do I see Milos as the champion of the Aussie Open??? In all honesty, no. However I do think that Raonic can go pretty deep and a run into the last four is a relatively safe bet. 

Prediction: Semi finals.

4. Kei Nishikori 

Next is Kei Nishikori, who had a strong season last year, having reached the semis at the US Open and also winning a bronze medal at the Olympics in Rio.  Kei also managed to Masters series finals in Miami and also later in Toronto where he finished as a runner-up, which showed that he was able to maintain his consistency as a top player.

However the problem for Kei is in trying to break that stranglehold at the top of the men's game with Novak and Andy ahead of him (along with Raonic and Stan Wawrinka who are 3rd and 4th seeds at the Aussie open).  Kei also lacks the big weapons necessary to really threaten these guys as well on a consistent level as Kei has often come up short against them on that basis alone and that could also hinder his chances in Melbourne.

But that, for me, won't really stop Kei from having a strong run this year in Melbourne (well at least I think anyway!) and I think its also a reasonable that Kei could reach the last eight or four before he is done down under.

Prediction: Quarter finals or semi finals.

5. Stan Wawrinka 

Up next is Stan Wawrinka, who had a very mixed season last year where he won the US Open, his 3rd major title against Novak Djokovic in the final, which now sees him only need to claim Wimbledon this year and he will have the full set, which would be pretty damn good going for a man who believes he will never get to No.1!

However belief is indeed Stan's main problem because he is either unplayable or deeply lacklustre when it comes to tournaments and you never know, which Stan you will get from one tournament to the next.  So consistency is a big problem for the World No.4.

Having said that however, Stan has already won the Australian open three years ago and he did dethrone the then (and now current) champion in Novak Djokovic in order to do so, so to write off his chances this year would be very silly indeed, especially given he has won a major each year since 2014.

But right now unless Stan can quietly work his way through his draw (and believe me he can do it!) and grow with confidence, then its really tough to assess his chances and call him the outright champ of the event.  Can he do it???  Of course but Stan's inconsistency is his main downfall, so we will just need to wait and see how his time down under develops.  So for Stan, I will have to say even though he is in 5th place here, he can still win this tournament again and for that reason I think reaching the either the last eight, four or the final is a distinct possibility.

Prediction: Quarters, semis, final or champion.

6. Rafael Nadal 

At No.6 is Rafa, who so far has shown some promise at the start of 2017 as he has already won the the exhibition event in Abu Dhabi and he also reached the quarter finals in Brisbane where he lost to Milos Raonic, the World No.3 in three sets.  So Rafa so far, despite his defeat in Brisbane is looking fairly good.

But...the problem is Rafa has been out for quite a while up until the start of this year and his form against the top guys might not currently be enough for him to get the better of the likes of Andy or Novak.  So Rafa will need to keep improving his form and get fitter before he can start to really compete with both of these guys.  Not only that Rafa has failed to even reach past the 4th round of a major for two years now as he last did it at the French Open in 2015 when he lost his crown to Novak, so he will have to work very hard or hope he get's a kind draw down under.

However, Rafa might still surprise us all and put in a good run in Melbourne even if he isn't an outright favourite to win, I think he could possibly reach the last 16 or 8 before he loses out.

Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.

7. Dominic Thiem 

At No.7 is Dominic Thiem, who had a meteoric rise last year into the top 10 and he for sure looks like a possible future World No.1 himself.

Thiem also had a great year in 2016 which saw him win four ATP tour titles, reach a career high world ranking of No.7 and also he reached his first grand slam semi final at the French Open.  Thiem also managed to qualify at the ATP World Tour Finals where he played in his first ever tournament there in London.  So 2016, was a mighty good one for Thiem.

However again, Thiem probably due to his inexperience at this level, will find himself probably come up short against the very best guys out there and so I can't quite see him get to the final or certainly win the event this year.  Although I do have to say I think, Thiem is definitely a future grand slam winner but now just yet.

So for me I think Thiem can still have a good tournament down under and just maybe he might reach the last 16 or 8 before going out.

Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals

8. David Goffin

At No.8 is David Goffin, the Belgium No.1, who is just sitting currently outside the top 10 and with good reason as he is certainly one of the most consistent of the young players out there just now.  #

Goffin also had his best season last year as he reached his first major quarter final at the French Open before he lost out to the man above him in this list (i.e. Thiem) and he even managed to qualify as an alternate at the ATP World Tour Finals, where he managed to get a chance to play one match against Novak Djokovic (but he was crushed in straight sets).

The problem however for Goffin though is that he lacks the big weapons necessary to take out the elite guys and that lack of raw firepower is something that would hold him back.  Goffin also tends to get a bit cagy when he plays the big points in the bigger events, so that could also seriously hold him back in Melbourne.

But having said that, Goffin might still enjoy a decent run in Melbourne that could possibly see him get to the 2nd week and just maybe a jaunt to the last 16 or 8 is a possibility.

Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals

9. Tomas Berdych

At 9th place is Tomas Berdych, who has been an old faithful of sorts in these lists as he has been one of the most consistent players on the tour over the last seven years or so.

Berdych also had a pretty decent year last season as he managed to reach the semi finals of Wimbledon for a 2nd time before he lost out to eventual champion, Andy Murray.  Berdych also claimed his 13th career title in Shenzhen, China where it was his 2nd title there at the event.

The problem however with Berdych as we all know is that he lacks the mental edge when it comes to playing the big four guys in the game as he has often come off second best against them.  Berdych also is starting to get that bit older where there are now younger players coming up over him in the rankings and that also could hinder his chances at the majors.

So again for me, Berdych won't be the champion down under this year or possibly even at a grand slam before he hangs up his racquet.  But despite that, Berdych could still make a decent run that might see him make the 2nd week before he could go down in the last 16 or 8.

Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.

10. Marin Cilic 

And lastly at No.10 is the World No.6 and former semi finalist at Melbourne, Marin Cilic, who had a pretty good year in 2016 as he won his first Masters title as he defeated Andy Murray in Cincinnati and he also reached the ATP World Tour Finals before he went on to lose in the finals of the Davis cup against Argentina.

Cilic no doubt is a strong performer and he has already won a major at the US Open, so he has an edge on some of his rivals in that respect and certainly might help him this year going into Melbourne.

The main problem for me with Cilic, is that he can be a bit inconsistent in terms of his results and when he has come up against the big guys recently in the majors he has usually faltered, especially when he took on Roger Federer last year in their incredible five set match at Wimbledon, having lost a two set lead.

So for me, I can't see Cilic as the eventual champion of the tournament but I still think he could have a decent event and just maybe reach the 2nd week before he's done.

Prediction: 3rd, 4th round or quarter finals.            

And a last few worthy mentions are of course: 

Roger Federer  - I kept him off the top 10 list simply because he is coming back from his knee injury, so it will hard to know where to place his chances at the event.  Roger however could still make it into the 2nd week but I can't see him get past the last eight or four.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Tsonga is also another unpredictable player when it comes to form and he was a former finalist in Melbourne, so he could have a good run but its hard to say, however he might just make the 2nd week.

Grigor Dimitrov - Dimitrov next has enjoyed a strong start to his 2017 season as he won his first title in almost three years as he claimed the Brisbane International event against Kei Nishikori in the final.  So I think Grigor looks like he could enjoy a good run in Melbourne that might also see him make the 2nd week and just maybe he could reach the last eight.

Lucas Pouille - Pouille is another up and coming player and the Frenchman has reached the last two major quarter finals at Wimbledon and US Open and who's to say he might not do the same in Melbourne?  So I think its possible that the Frenchman might make an appearance in the 2nd week.

Nick Kyrgios - And last of all is of course Nasty Nick Kyrgios, who makes his return to the tour here having been suspended from play due to his controversial on court behaviour that saw him have to undergo counselling from a sports pscyhologist.  So does that mean we will see a new, improved and more mature Nick in 2017???  I guess we'll find out!

Right!  So that is it for my look at the contenders for this year's Australian open at the men's event.  Will they come true???  Well I guess we'll find out soon enough and I will be back on here once the event get's underway.

So till then its bye for now!