So that's day 9 at Wimbledon over as is the men's singles quarter finals matches, which saw the top 4 seeds take on their opponents so I will go into more detail about them just now.
First up Muzza faced off the Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who we all thought would be a very tough opponent but in the end Andy made short work of Lopez and defeated him in straight sets winning in 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Andy did everything right on this occassion, serving well, reading Lopez's serve well, hitting incredible returns and basically blootering the guy off the court. Over his last two matches Andy has improved his performance dramatically and if he can maintain his level for his next match then he will give his next opponent a real run for his money!
Second up saw Djokovic who played a surprisingly tough match against his fellow hitting partner Bernard Tomic from the land of Oz, who made it to his first grand slam quarter final. Tomic managed to push the Serb to 4 sets, although I think he was also helped along the way by some dreadful tennis from Djokovic in the 2nd set, but in the end Djoko managed to fight his was into the match again and take it in 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
In the third match Rafa was up against the US No.1 Mardy Fish who made his first Wimbledon quarter final here, and Fish put in a strong performance too as he fought against the World No.1 and forced him to drop the 3rd set, but Rafa being who he is fought back into the match and sealed it in 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. This is the 2nd set Rafa and Djokovic have dropped at this tournament, considering their level this is impressive but it also shows definite vulnerability in their game so just maybe its something that can be exploited later.
In the fourth match of the lot, we saw the tournament's biggest upset as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put out the mighty Roger Federer in an epic 5 set battle. Roger who up until this match has never lost a match from 2 sets to love up suffered his first 2 sets to love up defeat in his career when Tsonga fought back in the 3rd and 4th sets to level the match. After that Roger didn't really have an answer to Tsonga's almost impenetrable serve as he beat the former World No.1 in 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. This really shows how remarkable Tsonga's ability as a player is, grass is definitely his best surface and in the space of about 3 weeks he's knocked out Roger and Rafa in two different tournaments. It just makes me think what if Andy can defeat Rafa in the semis and Tsonga beats Djokovic in the semis too, it would make for a Queens final rematchm and if its the same result well, Britian will have had its first British grand slam champion in 75 years, but we can dream, but you never know it might come a reality!
Which brings me onto that ongoing question, can Andy win this title???? Actually yes he can, his performance at Wimblydon has been very impressive, his last two matches in particular have seen him play some of his best tennis in recent memory. But it really does depend on maintaining that level and lifting it even higher for when he faces Rafa in the semis on Friday, and if he can do it, he's in with a strong chance. But I am still inclined to be cynical and maybe say that no he probably won't get past Rafa on Friday, but I would love him to, in fact we all would! But I will be really frustrated if Andy gets handed another straight set defeat on Friday, and to make that more frustrating, there are lower ranked players that have pushed Rafa further and taken a set off him already at SW19. Surely to God a player that's as highly ranked as Andy can pushed Nadal all the way. And this time I hope he does, especially if he fails, I want to see a real fight. Whichever way it goes it will promise to be a great match, I just hope it is and that its way better than their French Open semi final, which was ruined by windy conditions on court. But if Andy can beat Rafa and get to the final, I think the title will be his, especially if it is Tsonga he faces.
But at this stage its another pipe dream, but I do think Andy is edging that bit closer to his goal and he is getting better each year as a player and a person, and as they say the better a person you are the better a player you will be.
Anyway that's enough for now, the ladies semi finals matches are on tomorrow on Thursday so really look forward to them, as we have Sharapova vs Lisicki and Azarenka vs Kvitova. Predictions for those two: Sharapova in straight sets maybe 6-4, 7-5, and possibly Kvitova in 7-6, 6-4. But we will soon find oot.
OK that it.
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Monday, 27 June 2011
SW19 Part 4 - Upsets galore and then some
So today at Wimbledon - day 7 was highly entertaining as we saw the tournament progress into its second week and the fourth round for the mens and ladies singles matches. And as expected the players met up against some very tough resistance.
Starting with the ladies there were two massive upsets, as the Williams sisters have both been put out of Wimbledon, and it marks the first time in, well years since neither of them have won in the final. Serena Williams was the first casualty as she tried to battle against a very much on form Marion Bartoli, who raced her way through the first set in 6-3 and then took the 2nd in a tiebreaker 7-6(3), this marks the 2nd time that the French woman has managed to advance to the quarter finals, so I was really pleased to see her get through. Also Venus suffered an even bigger shock loss as she was defeated in straight sets by Tsetvana Pironkova, who defeated her last year too, but to go out in 6-2, 6-3 was a real shock. So that's us in a Williams-less quarter finals, which actually makes the game more exciting and that bit more unpredictable. Although I still predict Maria Sharapova to be a firm favourite to win the title as she has been really on form once again.
But I was disappointed to see Caroline Wozniacki go out early in another Grand Slam again as she was beaten by the pint size Dominika Cibulkova in 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, it was a better result than the French Open but it does raise the question of her ranking once again. Caroline seems to be more the World No.1 on paper and points than in achievement, her next best shot is the US Open and even there she will be up against the likes of Kim Clijsters and Li Na, so its probably going to take a while before she can achieve her main goal. Ironically Marion Bartoli who said after her defeat to Caroline at Indian Wells that she knew that Caroline's main goal was to win a grand slam and she was sure she will win one soon, yet Bartoli has done so much better at the slams this year than Caroline has! Marion is already in the quarter finals at Wimbledon and reached the semi finals at Roland Garros, so it seems more likely that Marion Bartoli could win one before the Wozzer can!
So tomorrow we see the ladies quarter final matches take place, so there will be plenty of good stuff to look forward to there, and the men are lucky as they get a day off tomorrow and will be in play on Wednesday. On the womans quarter finals here's a wee summary of them with my predictions just to variate the massive paragraphs I keep typing up!
Dominika Cibulkova vs Maria Sharapova - Sharapova in straight sets maybe 6-4, 6-4, or maybe 3 sets who knows??
Sabine Lisicki vs Marion Bartoli - tough one to call, possibly Bartoli in 3 sets, but Lisicki's athletism might edge it.
Tamira Paszek vs Victoria Azarenka - more inclined to say Azarenka maybe in 2 or 3 sets, not sure, there will be plenty of girly grunting though!
Petra Kvitova vs Tsvetana Pironkova - very very tough to call, both really good players, most likely 3 sets, definitely could go either way, possibly Kvitova could edge it.
Onto the mens tennis today we saw Rafa take on Del Potro in a terrific 4 set battle, where Rafa played his toughest match yet at SW19 with the big un making life difficult for Rafa with his mammoth serve. It took till the 4th set before Rafa could finally break Del Potro after that he sealed out the match in 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. It was good to see Rafa go through but it was also a terrific performance from Delpo as he showed tremendous grit being out there so long, in fact it makes you wish that Andy could play Rafa like that at Wimbledon as he is yet to! In their previous 2 meetings Rafa has beaten Andy in straight sets (albeit tight ones) but it would be great to see Andy battle Rafa more on the grass and take it to 4 or 5 sets should they meet in the final. Speaking of Andy's match, despite a much expected tough match up with Richard Gasquet, he ended easing his way past the Frenchman after a tight first set tiebreak which Andy won, he secured the break early in the 2nd and after that it was easy street, as he won in 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. It was good to see Andy secure a straight sets win as it will leave him more refreshed for the quarter finals when he faces Feliciano Lopez, the unseeded Spaniard, who took out Andy Roddick and beat a qualifier today. Lopez is going to be a trickier customer I think cos he has a big serve and also serves up many aces, so it will take a really good performance from Andy to get past him.
Other matches today saw Federer who also had a bit of a scare against the Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who pushed Roger to 4 sets, after losing the first set in a tiebreak, he then took control and won in 7-6, 6-3, 6-3,6-3. However Djoko had no such problem against Michel Llorda whom displayed some entertaining serve and volley, but he ended up making too many mistakes, making things very easy for Djoko who won in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. So all the top 3 seeds have now dropped a set each (and Andy 2) from here things should get tougher.
Anyway that's enough tennis blabbing fer now, its exhausting all this sitting around and watching Wimbledon you know!
Fin, end.
Starting with the ladies there were two massive upsets, as the Williams sisters have both been put out of Wimbledon, and it marks the first time in, well years since neither of them have won in the final. Serena Williams was the first casualty as she tried to battle against a very much on form Marion Bartoli, who raced her way through the first set in 6-3 and then took the 2nd in a tiebreaker 7-6(3), this marks the 2nd time that the French woman has managed to advance to the quarter finals, so I was really pleased to see her get through. Also Venus suffered an even bigger shock loss as she was defeated in straight sets by Tsetvana Pironkova, who defeated her last year too, but to go out in 6-2, 6-3 was a real shock. So that's us in a Williams-less quarter finals, which actually makes the game more exciting and that bit more unpredictable. Although I still predict Maria Sharapova to be a firm favourite to win the title as she has been really on form once again.
But I was disappointed to see Caroline Wozniacki go out early in another Grand Slam again as she was beaten by the pint size Dominika Cibulkova in 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, it was a better result than the French Open but it does raise the question of her ranking once again. Caroline seems to be more the World No.1 on paper and points than in achievement, her next best shot is the US Open and even there she will be up against the likes of Kim Clijsters and Li Na, so its probably going to take a while before she can achieve her main goal. Ironically Marion Bartoli who said after her defeat to Caroline at Indian Wells that she knew that Caroline's main goal was to win a grand slam and she was sure she will win one soon, yet Bartoli has done so much better at the slams this year than Caroline has! Marion is already in the quarter finals at Wimbledon and reached the semi finals at Roland Garros, so it seems more likely that Marion Bartoli could win one before the Wozzer can!
So tomorrow we see the ladies quarter final matches take place, so there will be plenty of good stuff to look forward to there, and the men are lucky as they get a day off tomorrow and will be in play on Wednesday. On the womans quarter finals here's a wee summary of them with my predictions just to variate the massive paragraphs I keep typing up!
Dominika Cibulkova vs Maria Sharapova - Sharapova in straight sets maybe 6-4, 6-4, or maybe 3 sets who knows??
Sabine Lisicki vs Marion Bartoli - tough one to call, possibly Bartoli in 3 sets, but Lisicki's athletism might edge it.
Tamira Paszek vs Victoria Azarenka - more inclined to say Azarenka maybe in 2 or 3 sets, not sure, there will be plenty of girly grunting though!
Petra Kvitova vs Tsvetana Pironkova - very very tough to call, both really good players, most likely 3 sets, definitely could go either way, possibly Kvitova could edge it.
Onto the mens tennis today we saw Rafa take on Del Potro in a terrific 4 set battle, where Rafa played his toughest match yet at SW19 with the big un making life difficult for Rafa with his mammoth serve. It took till the 4th set before Rafa could finally break Del Potro after that he sealed out the match in 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. It was good to see Rafa go through but it was also a terrific performance from Delpo as he showed tremendous grit being out there so long, in fact it makes you wish that Andy could play Rafa like that at Wimbledon as he is yet to! In their previous 2 meetings Rafa has beaten Andy in straight sets (albeit tight ones) but it would be great to see Andy battle Rafa more on the grass and take it to 4 or 5 sets should they meet in the final. Speaking of Andy's match, despite a much expected tough match up with Richard Gasquet, he ended easing his way past the Frenchman after a tight first set tiebreak which Andy won, he secured the break early in the 2nd and after that it was easy street, as he won in 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. It was good to see Andy secure a straight sets win as it will leave him more refreshed for the quarter finals when he faces Feliciano Lopez, the unseeded Spaniard, who took out Andy Roddick and beat a qualifier today. Lopez is going to be a trickier customer I think cos he has a big serve and also serves up many aces, so it will take a really good performance from Andy to get past him.
Other matches today saw Federer who also had a bit of a scare against the Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who pushed Roger to 4 sets, after losing the first set in a tiebreak, he then took control and won in 7-6, 6-3, 6-3,6-3. However Djoko had no such problem against Michel Llorda whom displayed some entertaining serve and volley, but he ended up making too many mistakes, making things very easy for Djoko who won in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. So all the top 3 seeds have now dropped a set each (and Andy 2) from here things should get tougher.
Anyway that's enough tennis blabbing fer now, its exhausting all this sitting around and watching Wimbledon you know!
Fin, end.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Do the French love their children?????
Episode 8 of The Apprentice was another entertaining episode with the two teams Venture and Logic being given the task of taking British products over to Paris and try to sell them to the French.
Team Venture went for a popular choice, a backpack that turns into a booster seat and can be used to hold electronic items in such as iPods. However their somewhat dimwitted team leader kept asking stupid questions while enquiring about the cultural differences of the French and British which lead to her asking her team ridiculous questions such as "Do they French love their children? Do the French drive?". Yes Susan, the French are normal human beings who live normal lives and do all the things that British people do, in fact no they sit in the hills and live like hermits and eat tripe and drink milk and go haw-hee haw-hee haw! What a daft lassie!
Meanwhile team logic went for a lamp that was in the shape of a teapot, despite their team leader Tom's misgivings about the choice of item, the team decided to go ahead with the item. Also to complicate things teammate Melody decided to lead the team on her own when she travelled to Paris with her spare part Leon who just did whatever Melody asked. Melody of course isn't what I'd called a team player, because she just went ahead and made her appointments without really consulting Tom or any of the other team members, she did make sales though, but she did also keep knocking back the suggested products that Tom made to her without her even seeing them!
So in the boardroom it was Venture that came through and won the task as they secured the most amount of money as they managed to pull in a very impressive 250000 euros, most of those sales were secured by Helen, who has been on the winning team eight times now, that's quite a winning streak, she's almost like the female Djokovic of the candidates! Surely Helen must be a strong favourite to become Lord Sugar's business partner. However Logic who lost out by only selling a poor 11000 Euros saw Tom, Melody and Leon in the firing line, but since Tom and Melody made a good defence for themselves, it was Leon who had to go, as all he managed to do was make the feeble excuse that he couldn't speak French and couldn't therefore contribute to the task, but then again most of other teams couldn't either yet they managed to! So I have to say that Lord Sugar made the right call with Leon, he's looking for a business partner after all, not someone who says they can't do this or that. Although I did like Leon's response to Lord Sugar's question to Tom as to why he didn't sell anything and Leon said "because he can't sell?".
But I do have to say I have some concerns over Lord Sugar's attitude towards Melody as he said "she will step over anyone and chew them up and spit them out, that's what I like about her". That's not exactly very good business ethics is it Lord Sugar!!! Surely he should want someone who is tough but is also ethical, not someone who will shit over other people at any given opportunity, but then again it is his business and its up to him who he wants to go into partnership with. Perhaps later on in the series they can look at Melody's character traits and see how they stack up next to the other strong candidates.
So that's anoother episode done, and another post.
Team Venture went for a popular choice, a backpack that turns into a booster seat and can be used to hold electronic items in such as iPods. However their somewhat dimwitted team leader kept asking stupid questions while enquiring about the cultural differences of the French and British which lead to her asking her team ridiculous questions such as "Do they French love their children? Do the French drive?". Yes Susan, the French are normal human beings who live normal lives and do all the things that British people do, in fact no they sit in the hills and live like hermits and eat tripe and drink milk and go haw-hee haw-hee haw! What a daft lassie!
Meanwhile team logic went for a lamp that was in the shape of a teapot, despite their team leader Tom's misgivings about the choice of item, the team decided to go ahead with the item. Also to complicate things teammate Melody decided to lead the team on her own when she travelled to Paris with her spare part Leon who just did whatever Melody asked. Melody of course isn't what I'd called a team player, because she just went ahead and made her appointments without really consulting Tom or any of the other team members, she did make sales though, but she did also keep knocking back the suggested products that Tom made to her without her even seeing them!
So in the boardroom it was Venture that came through and won the task as they secured the most amount of money as they managed to pull in a very impressive 250000 euros, most of those sales were secured by Helen, who has been on the winning team eight times now, that's quite a winning streak, she's almost like the female Djokovic of the candidates! Surely Helen must be a strong favourite to become Lord Sugar's business partner. However Logic who lost out by only selling a poor 11000 Euros saw Tom, Melody and Leon in the firing line, but since Tom and Melody made a good defence for themselves, it was Leon who had to go, as all he managed to do was make the feeble excuse that he couldn't speak French and couldn't therefore contribute to the task, but then again most of other teams couldn't either yet they managed to! So I have to say that Lord Sugar made the right call with Leon, he's looking for a business partner after all, not someone who says they can't do this or that. Although I did like Leon's response to Lord Sugar's question to Tom as to why he didn't sell anything and Leon said "because he can't sell?".
But I do have to say I have some concerns over Lord Sugar's attitude towards Melody as he said "she will step over anyone and chew them up and spit them out, that's what I like about her". That's not exactly very good business ethics is it Lord Sugar!!! Surely he should want someone who is tough but is also ethical, not someone who will shit over other people at any given opportunity, but then again it is his business and its up to him who he wants to go into partnership with. Perhaps later on in the series they can look at Melody's character traits and see how they stack up next to the other strong candidates.
So that's anoother episode done, and another post.
SW19 Part 3 - It gets bumpy from here!
So that's the first week of Wimbledon out the way with the players that are through now awaiting a stern second week as we are about to progress into the 4th round, and what a first week its been.
On Friday we saw Andy Murray given his sternest test yet as he faced the Croat baldy giant (sorry Ivan!) Ivan Ljubicic and was pushed to 4 sets as it took a 4th set tiebreak to decide the match, with Andy winning in the end with 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). To be honest Andy's performance was once again a bit erratic and he could have closed out the match potentially in 3 sets if he didn't drop his serve right at the start of the 2nd set. Also he could have served for the match in the 4th set at 5-4 but he did meet a fightback from Luby at that point, but he did get the win in the crucial tiebreak so that's what counts I guess. Next up for Andy is indeed Richard Gasquet, which no doubt will prove to be his toughest match yet, as they have had very close matches in the past, with Andy winning the previous two encounters. So here's hoping he can do the same tomorrow, its going to be a hell of a match methinks.
Onto Nadal who hadn't the same trouble, but he did face a tough opponent in Gilles Muller from Luxembourg, the first two sets didnt allow any chance for Nadal to break Muller's serve, but in the 3rd Nadal got the break right away and then it was plain sailing in 7-6, 7-6, 6-0. Federer also breezed past David Nalbandian in straight sets too in 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 (I think!) so he and Rafa are yet to drop a set, so they are both looking very impressive. In fact I strongly feel they will both meet in the final.
Onto Djokovic who however didn't have an easy time either as he met Marcos Baghdatis and it took him 4 sets to get past the tricky and flashy Cypriot in 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was a very entertaining, crowd pleasing match with Baghdatis showing off his skills and doing keepy uppies and getting the crowd on his side. In the 2nd set Baghdatis really got under Djoko's skin as he was a break down and hit a return long which saw him smash his raquet into the ground. This is the first time I've seen Djokovic break a raquet this year so it is starting to show the cracks in his game and he is no longer as invincible as he was, and I do think he won't get past Federer in the semis, but who knows? We shall see. But overall it was a really good match, and I did feel a bit sorry for Djokovic when he was put on the spot about his outburst and he admitted he did lose it for a bit, its only natural though, players do lose the rag now and then and you have to get it out somehow.
Also in regards to the British ladies matches on Friday I have to say a few things as we had two excellent matches with the British No.1 and No.3 with Elena Baltacha playing against Peng Shuai of China and Laura Robson only taking the former World No.1 Maria Sharapova. Elena put in a gutsy performance against the Chinese No.2 as she fought hard over 3 sets to try and stay in the tournament, unfortunately though she couldn't push to a 3rd set tie break and fell in 7-5 in the last set. Its a shame Elena can't seem to progress further forward than she has in the bigger tournaments in the grand slams and the WTA tour, as she has beaten some of the top players in the past including the two French champions Li Na and Francesca Schiavone. But moving onto Laura Robson's match who took on Maria Sharapova, I was really surprised just how well the young Brit fought against the mighty Russian as she pushed her to a 1st tiebreak but lost in 7-6(5), in the 2nd set though Sharapova took control, but Robson did still manage to break back before losing in 6-3. It was a really gutsy performance from Laura Robson and she definitely looks to be one of the most promising players in the future of the ladies game.
So tomorrow will see some more very promising matches on both mens and ladies, with the Williams sisters facing two very stern tests as Venus is to face Tvsetvana Pironkova, who defeated her last year, and Serena to face an on form Marion Bartoli, they are going to be belters. And on the mens, as I said Andy faces Richard Gasquet, so he better watch he doesn't blow one (a gasket that is!!), and Rafa faces maybe his toughest test yet in Del Potro, should be a cracker. Another very promising match will be David Ferrer who takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, so that also should be a cracker, bother players a very tough and talented, so expect a very tough battle. I hope Ferrer wins because he hasn't gotten past the 4th round so far at Wimblydon so it would be great for him to progress into the quarter finals. Tomas Berdych also faces current American No.1 Mardy Fish, who has been doing well, but out of the two I'd rather see Berdych win, which he most likely will because he has yet to drop a set at the tournament. Djokovic will next play Michael Llodra, who could be another sticky customer, who is also a great grass player with a big serve, so the road for Djoko could also be quite bumpy from hereon in, unless he recovers his best form for tomorrow.
So that'll do for now, very much looking forward to tomorrow's festivities, its going to be quite a day at SW19.
On Friday we saw Andy Murray given his sternest test yet as he faced the Croat baldy giant (sorry Ivan!) Ivan Ljubicic and was pushed to 4 sets as it took a 4th set tiebreak to decide the match, with Andy winning in the end with 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). To be honest Andy's performance was once again a bit erratic and he could have closed out the match potentially in 3 sets if he didn't drop his serve right at the start of the 2nd set. Also he could have served for the match in the 4th set at 5-4 but he did meet a fightback from Luby at that point, but he did get the win in the crucial tiebreak so that's what counts I guess. Next up for Andy is indeed Richard Gasquet, which no doubt will prove to be his toughest match yet, as they have had very close matches in the past, with Andy winning the previous two encounters. So here's hoping he can do the same tomorrow, its going to be a hell of a match methinks.
Onto Nadal who hadn't the same trouble, but he did face a tough opponent in Gilles Muller from Luxembourg, the first two sets didnt allow any chance for Nadal to break Muller's serve, but in the 3rd Nadal got the break right away and then it was plain sailing in 7-6, 7-6, 6-0. Federer also breezed past David Nalbandian in straight sets too in 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 (I think!) so he and Rafa are yet to drop a set, so they are both looking very impressive. In fact I strongly feel they will both meet in the final.
Onto Djokovic who however didn't have an easy time either as he met Marcos Baghdatis and it took him 4 sets to get past the tricky and flashy Cypriot in 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was a very entertaining, crowd pleasing match with Baghdatis showing off his skills and doing keepy uppies and getting the crowd on his side. In the 2nd set Baghdatis really got under Djoko's skin as he was a break down and hit a return long which saw him smash his raquet into the ground. This is the first time I've seen Djokovic break a raquet this year so it is starting to show the cracks in his game and he is no longer as invincible as he was, and I do think he won't get past Federer in the semis, but who knows? We shall see. But overall it was a really good match, and I did feel a bit sorry for Djokovic when he was put on the spot about his outburst and he admitted he did lose it for a bit, its only natural though, players do lose the rag now and then and you have to get it out somehow.
Also in regards to the British ladies matches on Friday I have to say a few things as we had two excellent matches with the British No.1 and No.3 with Elena Baltacha playing against Peng Shuai of China and Laura Robson only taking the former World No.1 Maria Sharapova. Elena put in a gutsy performance against the Chinese No.2 as she fought hard over 3 sets to try and stay in the tournament, unfortunately though she couldn't push to a 3rd set tie break and fell in 7-5 in the last set. Its a shame Elena can't seem to progress further forward than she has in the bigger tournaments in the grand slams and the WTA tour, as she has beaten some of the top players in the past including the two French champions Li Na and Francesca Schiavone. But moving onto Laura Robson's match who took on Maria Sharapova, I was really surprised just how well the young Brit fought against the mighty Russian as she pushed her to a 1st tiebreak but lost in 7-6(5), in the 2nd set though Sharapova took control, but Robson did still manage to break back before losing in 6-3. It was a really gutsy performance from Laura Robson and she definitely looks to be one of the most promising players in the future of the ladies game.
So tomorrow will see some more very promising matches on both mens and ladies, with the Williams sisters facing two very stern tests as Venus is to face Tvsetvana Pironkova, who defeated her last year, and Serena to face an on form Marion Bartoli, they are going to be belters. And on the mens, as I said Andy faces Richard Gasquet, so he better watch he doesn't blow one (a gasket that is!!), and Rafa faces maybe his toughest test yet in Del Potro, should be a cracker. Another very promising match will be David Ferrer who takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, so that also should be a cracker, bother players a very tough and talented, so expect a very tough battle. I hope Ferrer wins because he hasn't gotten past the 4th round so far at Wimblydon so it would be great for him to progress into the quarter finals. Tomas Berdych also faces current American No.1 Mardy Fish, who has been doing well, but out of the two I'd rather see Berdych win, which he most likely will because he has yet to drop a set at the tournament. Djokovic will next play Michael Llodra, who could be another sticky customer, who is also a great grass player with a big serve, so the road for Djoko could also be quite bumpy from hereon in, unless he recovers his best form for tomorrow.
So that'll do for now, very much looking forward to tomorrow's festivities, its going to be quite a day at SW19.
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
SW19 Part 2 - Sowing the seeds
Ok so we are now into day 3 of Wimbledon and its been an entertaining tournament so far with quite a few good matches. And today and yesterday saw the top seeds get into action, Rafa and Andy already had on Day 1, but Day 2 saw Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic go out on court and start their campaign for glory.
Starting with Day 2, Roger started off quite strongly with his first match against the Uzbekistanian opponent Khkushkin, who actually came out quite strong in the first set and pushed Federer to a tiebreak, but Roger held his nerve and took the first set, after that he continued to dominate the match and won in 7-6, 6-4, 6-2. While it wasn't Federer at his best it didn't really need to be as he maintained a good level and it was a big improvement over his first match last year which was a 5 set scare at Wimbledon. But this year Federer definitely looks like he is in a better place, and so far his level appears to be almost as good as it was at the French Open, and if that is the case, Djokovic will seriously struggle to get past him this time too.
Which brings me on to Djokovic who had no such troubles with his campaign as he played against the French opponent Michael Chardy who he dismissed quite easily in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. It certainly looks a very convincing start for Djoker and we will see how he goes throughout the tournament, sooner or later though he will meet tougher opponents, but he has been able to wipe them out too, so can the Djoker win the title? He has a chance but I'm inclined to say no, because Federer could still beat him, as he is now on grass and Federer is the lawnmower. Also Rafa after winning at Roland Garros looks very much back on form and he will be inspired to win again.
Anyway onto Day 3, which saw Andies Roddick and Murray out on court again, although I'm not sure why Roddick went out again as he played yesterday also in his 1st round match. Regardless of that Roddick went out and played Victor Hanescu and defeated him in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, it shows Roddick is looking convincing so far, but he was trounced by Murray at Queens so we will see if his form has improved since then. And onto Murray who played the German Tomas Kamke who he defeated also in straight sets in 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, it was a fairly good performance from Andy but it was again a bit erratic as he did make a few unforced errors and was unable to convert as many break points as he could have against Kamke, but in the end he did get the breaks when it counted. However a straight sets win is always a good thing so Andy is safely through to the 3rd round, but from here it gets tougher as he will face Ivan Ljubicic so that will be a test, and after that he could face Richard Gasquet in the 4th round, so it doesn't get easier, and possibly Roddick in the quarter finals. But I'm sure the Muzza will raise his level and rise to the ocassion. Also Ljubicic hasn't got that good a record at Wimbledon having never made it passed the 3rd round, so hopefully that will be the same this time, although they have played each other before with a 3-3 win-loss ratio both ways, so it still won't be easy.
Other news on the courts, we see Rafa go through safely in straight sets as well against Ryan Sweeting in 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, Rafa again looks pretty convincing today and so I'm sure he will be ready for his next opponent. Del Potro was still play out his match against Oliver Rochus as they got to the end of the first set then Delpo had a bit of a tantrum apparently because he lost the first set to his opponent in the tiebreak, and he stormed over to the umpire and demanded they stop, after which he took off his shoes and threw them away. Temper temper. On the ladies side, Venus Williams came through a real battle after an epic match with the oldest woman on tour Kimiko Date-Krum from Japan, after a high quality first set, Krum took it in the tiebreaker, Venus then took the second, and in the third it went to another pulsating decider, where Venus won two games clear in 6(6)-7, 6-3, 8-6, definitely one of the best matches of the tournament yet and one of the best ladies matches of the year no doubt. The cynics prior to the match called it the zimmer match due to the age of both Krum and Williams, but their stamina, energy and athletism totally proved that wrong, and it was a great achievement from Krum. If she played Caroline Wozniacki at Wimbledon, Krum would have thrashed her.
Andrea Petkovic is through also in 3 sets against her opponent Dubois from Canada , Vera Zvonareva got past her Russian compatriot Elena Vesnina in straight sets 6-1, 7-6. Although I was hoping to see the Schiavone match as she plays the hysertic prone Barbara Strycova but due to timing it will tomorrow I think. It was also good to see the young British girl Lauren Robson get through to the second round, although she does face Maria Sharapova tomorrow, no biggie there. ;-) It was also sad to see Heather Watson the British No.2 go out today in 3 sets against her opponent, as she was hampered by a shoulder injury as well, and after the match she was really cut up about it, but chin up, Heather, you've done great so far and you will get there one day.
So that's another day over at SW19, tomorrow we see Federer and Djokovic back in action in their respective matches, so should be fun. In fact a quick update regarding that, both the No.2 and No.3 went through with great ease in both their matches as Rog and Nov won in straight sets. Next up though for the dynamic duo could be a tougher test, as Roger faces David Nalbandian and the Djoker faces Baghdatis. But then again Djokovic has been making so much short work of every player that he may win it in straight sets once again.
But one thing I must comment on is Serena Williams petty complaints about being scheduled to play on Court 2 yesterday instead of Centre Court, which really seems ridiculous. I guess to a 5 time Wimbledon champion it means that bit more, but at the same time a court is a court, just go out and play tennis and get on with it!! But that's what the Williams sisters are like, and in that regard I'm not so keen on them, and it would be great to see someone else win Wimbledon this year instead. However in regards to the men's tennis in spite it all, I would actually still quite like to see Federer win it again. I only really say this because despite the fact I would love to see Andy Murray win the title more than the others, mainly of course because he's never won one, and its on his home ground, I don't think he will be able to get past the top 3 just yet. I would love to be proved wrong and get that plate of words ready and get a knife and fork to eat them, well OK I wouldn't, but you know what I mean. But the way I look at it, out the top 3, Djokovic has won quite enough this year, Nadal has won the French and Wimbledon twice already, so I think its time Federer won the title again. But without a doubt I'd rather see Andy win it any day of the week, twice on Sunday, and then the following Sunday, as between the top 3, they have won quite enough. But first things first, next up for Andy is Ivan Ljubicic, it will be a test but hopefully one he will pass.
That's eet for now....
Starting with Day 2, Roger started off quite strongly with his first match against the Uzbekistanian opponent Khkushkin, who actually came out quite strong in the first set and pushed Federer to a tiebreak, but Roger held his nerve and took the first set, after that he continued to dominate the match and won in 7-6, 6-4, 6-2. While it wasn't Federer at his best it didn't really need to be as he maintained a good level and it was a big improvement over his first match last year which was a 5 set scare at Wimbledon. But this year Federer definitely looks like he is in a better place, and so far his level appears to be almost as good as it was at the French Open, and if that is the case, Djokovic will seriously struggle to get past him this time too.
Which brings me on to Djokovic who had no such troubles with his campaign as he played against the French opponent Michael Chardy who he dismissed quite easily in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. It certainly looks a very convincing start for Djoker and we will see how he goes throughout the tournament, sooner or later though he will meet tougher opponents, but he has been able to wipe them out too, so can the Djoker win the title? He has a chance but I'm inclined to say no, because Federer could still beat him, as he is now on grass and Federer is the lawnmower. Also Rafa after winning at Roland Garros looks very much back on form and he will be inspired to win again.
Anyway onto Day 3, which saw Andies Roddick and Murray out on court again, although I'm not sure why Roddick went out again as he played yesterday also in his 1st round match. Regardless of that Roddick went out and played Victor Hanescu and defeated him in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, it shows Roddick is looking convincing so far, but he was trounced by Murray at Queens so we will see if his form has improved since then. And onto Murray who played the German Tomas Kamke who he defeated also in straight sets in 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, it was a fairly good performance from Andy but it was again a bit erratic as he did make a few unforced errors and was unable to convert as many break points as he could have against Kamke, but in the end he did get the breaks when it counted. However a straight sets win is always a good thing so Andy is safely through to the 3rd round, but from here it gets tougher as he will face Ivan Ljubicic so that will be a test, and after that he could face Richard Gasquet in the 4th round, so it doesn't get easier, and possibly Roddick in the quarter finals. But I'm sure the Muzza will raise his level and rise to the ocassion. Also Ljubicic hasn't got that good a record at Wimbledon having never made it passed the 3rd round, so hopefully that will be the same this time, although they have played each other before with a 3-3 win-loss ratio both ways, so it still won't be easy.
Other news on the courts, we see Rafa go through safely in straight sets as well against Ryan Sweeting in 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, Rafa again looks pretty convincing today and so I'm sure he will be ready for his next opponent. Del Potro was still play out his match against Oliver Rochus as they got to the end of the first set then Delpo had a bit of a tantrum apparently because he lost the first set to his opponent in the tiebreak, and he stormed over to the umpire and demanded they stop, after which he took off his shoes and threw them away. Temper temper. On the ladies side, Venus Williams came through a real battle after an epic match with the oldest woman on tour Kimiko Date-Krum from Japan, after a high quality first set, Krum took it in the tiebreaker, Venus then took the second, and in the third it went to another pulsating decider, where Venus won two games clear in 6(6)-7, 6-3, 8-6, definitely one of the best matches of the tournament yet and one of the best ladies matches of the year no doubt. The cynics prior to the match called it the zimmer match due to the age of both Krum and Williams, but their stamina, energy and athletism totally proved that wrong, and it was a great achievement from Krum. If she played Caroline Wozniacki at Wimbledon, Krum would have thrashed her.
Andrea Petkovic is through also in 3 sets against her opponent Dubois from Canada , Vera Zvonareva got past her Russian compatriot Elena Vesnina in straight sets 6-1, 7-6. Although I was hoping to see the Schiavone match as she plays the hysertic prone Barbara Strycova but due to timing it will tomorrow I think. It was also good to see the young British girl Lauren Robson get through to the second round, although she does face Maria Sharapova tomorrow, no biggie there. ;-) It was also sad to see Heather Watson the British No.2 go out today in 3 sets against her opponent, as she was hampered by a shoulder injury as well, and after the match she was really cut up about it, but chin up, Heather, you've done great so far and you will get there one day.
So that's another day over at SW19, tomorrow we see Federer and Djokovic back in action in their respective matches, so should be fun. In fact a quick update regarding that, both the No.2 and No.3 went through with great ease in both their matches as Rog and Nov won in straight sets. Next up though for the dynamic duo could be a tougher test, as Roger faces David Nalbandian and the Djoker faces Baghdatis. But then again Djokovic has been making so much short work of every player that he may win it in straight sets once again.
But one thing I must comment on is Serena Williams petty complaints about being scheduled to play on Court 2 yesterday instead of Centre Court, which really seems ridiculous. I guess to a 5 time Wimbledon champion it means that bit more, but at the same time a court is a court, just go out and play tennis and get on with it!! But that's what the Williams sisters are like, and in that regard I'm not so keen on them, and it would be great to see someone else win Wimbledon this year instead. However in regards to the men's tennis in spite it all, I would actually still quite like to see Federer win it again. I only really say this because despite the fact I would love to see Andy Murray win the title more than the others, mainly of course because he's never won one, and its on his home ground, I don't think he will be able to get past the top 3 just yet. I would love to be proved wrong and get that plate of words ready and get a knife and fork to eat them, well OK I wouldn't, but you know what I mean. But the way I look at it, out the top 3, Djokovic has won quite enough this year, Nadal has won the French and Wimbledon twice already, so I think its time Federer won the title again. But without a doubt I'd rather see Andy win it any day of the week, twice on Sunday, and then the following Sunday, as between the top 3, they have won quite enough. But first things first, next up for Andy is Ivan Ljubicic, it will be a test but hopefully one he will pass.
That's eet for now....
Monday, 20 June 2011
SW19 Part 1 - Rainy start
So that's the first day of Wimbledon over, and unfortunately for a lot of the players play was rained off during the late afternoon which will lead to alot of match delays. However no one who played on Centre court had the same trouble thanks to that retractable roof.
Today also saw the start of Rafa and Andy's campaigns. Starting with Rafa he faced off against yank Michael Russell who put in an entertaining display, and despite Rafa double faulting in the first set to hand Russell a break, Rafa broke back immediately and after that it was pretty much plain sailing, as he defeated the American quite easily in 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. It was quite a convincing display from Rafa and it does show he is definitely in a better place after having won the French Open, so we could be looking at a 3rd Wimbledon title for the Spaniard but we'll see.
Onto Andy's match, which was a much sterner test as he faced a surprisingly tough first opponent in Daniel Guimeo-Traver (who actually doesn't look that Spanish!) the World No.56. Despite having had a bad year so far, Traver did produce a very solid display in the first and second sets, especially as Andy dropped his serve at 4-5 to hand Traver the first set. However in the second despite a strong start Andy secured the break at 5-3 and never looked back, after that the match changed completely and Andy crushed the Spaniard and handed him a double bagel for the 3rd and 4th sets, with the final result 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 in just over 2 hours. It was an entertaining match although the easier it got for Andy I felt sorry for Traver who just lost his way entirely, I think he was also nursing a knee injury as he called out the trainer at one point in the 3rd set, and after that his once pulverising forehands just fell away. Again Muzza's attitude on court was very good, even when he was a set down he didn't get angry with himself, he held his cool, and its starting to show the Andy Murray we want to see, he's starting to mature as a player and a person, so I hope he keeps it up as it will stand him in good stead for the rest of the tournament.
So that's the start of the men's campaigns on the ladies side, we had Vera Zvonareva who came through a tough test also against the American Alison Riske (appropriate name!) in 3 sets in 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. Francesca Schiavone also came through a tough match too against an old rival Jelena Dokic also in 3 sets 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, which marked the first time she was able to beat Dokic in their previous meetings. However Venus Williams came through her match in straight sets against her Uzbekistanian opponent Akgul Amanmuradova in 6-3, 6-1.
Tomorrow will see the other top seeds out on play, Federer and Djokovic as they take on their first round opponents. It will be especially interesting to see how Federer plays at Wimbledon this year, as he was on fire at the French Open, but there is the concern that he might have peaked too soon. Because if he isn't on form he won't stand a chance this time against Djokovic whom I sure will be out to get even for last time at Roland Garros. But its all waiting to happen and its going to be very entertaining to see how it unravels.
So here's hoping that tomorrow the rain has gone and the brollies are not needed. Until then tara.
Today also saw the start of Rafa and Andy's campaigns. Starting with Rafa he faced off against yank Michael Russell who put in an entertaining display, and despite Rafa double faulting in the first set to hand Russell a break, Rafa broke back immediately and after that it was pretty much plain sailing, as he defeated the American quite easily in 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. It was quite a convincing display from Rafa and it does show he is definitely in a better place after having won the French Open, so we could be looking at a 3rd Wimbledon title for the Spaniard but we'll see.
Onto Andy's match, which was a much sterner test as he faced a surprisingly tough first opponent in Daniel Guimeo-Traver (who actually doesn't look that Spanish!) the World No.56. Despite having had a bad year so far, Traver did produce a very solid display in the first and second sets, especially as Andy dropped his serve at 4-5 to hand Traver the first set. However in the second despite a strong start Andy secured the break at 5-3 and never looked back, after that the match changed completely and Andy crushed the Spaniard and handed him a double bagel for the 3rd and 4th sets, with the final result 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 in just over 2 hours. It was an entertaining match although the easier it got for Andy I felt sorry for Traver who just lost his way entirely, I think he was also nursing a knee injury as he called out the trainer at one point in the 3rd set, and after that his once pulverising forehands just fell away. Again Muzza's attitude on court was very good, even when he was a set down he didn't get angry with himself, he held his cool, and its starting to show the Andy Murray we want to see, he's starting to mature as a player and a person, so I hope he keeps it up as it will stand him in good stead for the rest of the tournament.
So that's the start of the men's campaigns on the ladies side, we had Vera Zvonareva who came through a tough test also against the American Alison Riske (appropriate name!) in 3 sets in 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. Francesca Schiavone also came through a tough match too against an old rival Jelena Dokic also in 3 sets 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, which marked the first time she was able to beat Dokic in their previous meetings. However Venus Williams came through her match in straight sets against her Uzbekistanian opponent Akgul Amanmuradova in 6-3, 6-1.
Tomorrow will see the other top seeds out on play, Federer and Djokovic as they take on their first round opponents. It will be especially interesting to see how Federer plays at Wimbledon this year, as he was on fire at the French Open, but there is the concern that he might have peaked too soon. Because if he isn't on form he won't stand a chance this time against Djokovic whom I sure will be out to get even for last time at Roland Garros. But its all waiting to happen and its going to be very entertaining to see how it unravels.
So here's hoping that tomorrow the rain has gone and the brollies are not needed. Until then tara.
Evolution not revolution.... or is it the other way round???
Just seen X-Men: First Class at the pics and I quite enjoyed it, and I always quite like these explanations of the X-Men's origins movies. So this film explains how Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr aka Magneto (played by Michael Fassbender) met and how they formed the X-Men, as well as how they ultimately split and went their own ways.
So as usual the film introduces some new unseen characters and some familiar ones, one of the main ones being Raven (aka Mystique, played by the foxy Jennifer Lawrence) who is Charles Xavier's childhood friend who grew up together, but Raven likes to hide her true appearace, as the blue skinned red eyed mutant (with some nicely covered up naps) through shape shifting and taking the form of anyone. We also get the real badass villain of the piece, Sebastian Shaw (played by Kevin Bacon) who is set on taking over the world and the unique ability of being able to absorb any energy such as gunfire, fire, explosions and fire them back at anyone. Shaw of course is also responsible for killing Erik's mother as a young boy back during World War II and Erik spends most of the film looking for revenge. But Xavier tries to be Erik's saviour and rescue him from his own anger and desire for vengeance, however it all goes pear shaped and the rest is history.
I really liked how the story unwrapped and how these characters met up. James McAvoy is surprisingly good in the role of Charles Xavier as he shows his compassion and understanding, and in a way he shows more personality than Patrick Stewart's Xavier did. Michael Fassbender is also very good as Magneto (or Erik) and shows him very much to be a wounded man who is out for revenge and while there is some good in him, he chooses to go down that dark path. Jennifer Lawrence is also good as Mystique, although she doesn't quite wear that sexy blue make-up quite as well as Rebecca Romjin did in the earlier X-Men films. Also another thing that doesn't quite gel or make sense is that Mystique is clearly dedicated to being part of the X-Men but then she decides to go over to Magneto and the baddies, as she is also clearly for the most part a goodie so it appears to be an uneven shift. Also when FBI agent Moira McTaggart (Rose Byrne) near the end gets in the way of a crazed Magneto who is about to destroy some submarines who were ordered to attack the island with missiles and hurls missiles back at them, she accidentally shoots Xavier in the back. This ultimately leads to him being paralysed from the waist down and wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, but he wasn't too pissed off about it afterwards with Moira, it shows he is quite understanding!!! You shot me in the back, I can't walk, but I forgive you, although to be fair it was accidental and Magneto started it.
Matthew Vaughan does a fine job directing First Class and keeping it in check with the same tone as the other films. Its also good to see Vaughan direct another comic book film, unlike Kick Ass, which had a very uncomfortable mix of humour and brutal violence. He also provides some moments of humour, the best one being a cameo of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine who is approached by Xavier and Erik as they try to recruit mutants, but he simply tells them to go fuck themselves!
Anyways X-Men First Class continues to keep the franchise on track and in a good direction, so it will be good to see what comes next.
So as usual the film introduces some new unseen characters and some familiar ones, one of the main ones being Raven (aka Mystique, played by the foxy Jennifer Lawrence) who is Charles Xavier's childhood friend who grew up together, but Raven likes to hide her true appearace, as the blue skinned red eyed mutant (with some nicely covered up naps) through shape shifting and taking the form of anyone. We also get the real badass villain of the piece, Sebastian Shaw (played by Kevin Bacon) who is set on taking over the world and the unique ability of being able to absorb any energy such as gunfire, fire, explosions and fire them back at anyone. Shaw of course is also responsible for killing Erik's mother as a young boy back during World War II and Erik spends most of the film looking for revenge. But Xavier tries to be Erik's saviour and rescue him from his own anger and desire for vengeance, however it all goes pear shaped and the rest is history.
I really liked how the story unwrapped and how these characters met up. James McAvoy is surprisingly good in the role of Charles Xavier as he shows his compassion and understanding, and in a way he shows more personality than Patrick Stewart's Xavier did. Michael Fassbender is also very good as Magneto (or Erik) and shows him very much to be a wounded man who is out for revenge and while there is some good in him, he chooses to go down that dark path. Jennifer Lawrence is also good as Mystique, although she doesn't quite wear that sexy blue make-up quite as well as Rebecca Romjin did in the earlier X-Men films. Also another thing that doesn't quite gel or make sense is that Mystique is clearly dedicated to being part of the X-Men but then she decides to go over to Magneto and the baddies, as she is also clearly for the most part a goodie so it appears to be an uneven shift. Also when FBI agent Moira McTaggart (Rose Byrne) near the end gets in the way of a crazed Magneto who is about to destroy some submarines who were ordered to attack the island with missiles and hurls missiles back at them, she accidentally shoots Xavier in the back. This ultimately leads to him being paralysed from the waist down and wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, but he wasn't too pissed off about it afterwards with Moira, it shows he is quite understanding!!! You shot me in the back, I can't walk, but I forgive you, although to be fair it was accidental and Magneto started it.
Matthew Vaughan does a fine job directing First Class and keeping it in check with the same tone as the other films. Its also good to see Vaughan direct another comic book film, unlike Kick Ass, which had a very uncomfortable mix of humour and brutal violence. He also provides some moments of humour, the best one being a cameo of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine who is approached by Xavier and Erik as they try to recruit mutants, but he simply tells them to go fuck themselves!
Anyways X-Men First Class continues to keep the franchise on track and in a good direction, so it will be good to see what comes next.
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