Well its time for an update on the ladies tennis tour as it has now come to an end (well actually not quite as the Sofia tournament of champions is still to be played this week and there are one or two other smaller tournaments as well still to wrap up). But the main showpiece of the WTA tour is now over which is what I mean as the WTA Championships from Istanbul took place last week where the world's top eight players went at it to try and lift the trophy that label them queen of the WTA tour (or the year end championships). So let's have a look at some the matches...
Starting with the first day we had Serena Williams, the defending champion take on Angelique Kerber and for Serena it was nothing more than a quick workout as she ruthlessly disatched Kerber in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to quickly stamp her authority on the proceedings. Also on the first day we had Victoria Azarenka face Sara Errani in a hard fought match with the first set going on for nearly an hour and a half which finally saw Vika battle past the plucky Italian. And in the 2nd set, Errani suffered a calf injury, which hampered her chances and she went down a double break as Vika sealed the match in 7-6, 6-2. And in the last match of the day there Agnieszka Radwanska who faced the former champion, Petra Kvitova, and Petra showed her champion qualities as she easily dispatched Aga in straight sets with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
On Day 2 we had Li Na face against Sara Errani in what turned out to be a real topsy turvey match which saw momentum swing one way then the other. However in the end it was Li Na who closed it out in a tough straight set win of 6-3, 7-6. Jelena Jankovic, who has made a great return to form this year continued to show her fine form as she outclassed an ailing Victoria Azarenka who appeared to be struggling badly on serve, but Jankovic managed to close down the Belarusian with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. And the last match of the day turned out to be the most entertaining as Serena took on Radwanska in a cat and mouse game, which saw Serena struggle on serve and let Radwanska take her to duece on several games, and the sly Pole managed to even get a break of serve off the World No.1 as well as produce some wonderful shots. But in the end Serena's might was just too strong and she went to break Aga to win the match with a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 victory. While it wasn't the result Radwanska wasn't hoping for it did at least let her show the crowds once again what a delightful player she is to watch and her guile and ingenuity remain a breath of fresh air in the ladies game, which makes for a good depature from all the baseline bludgeoning you get these days.
Getting on day 3, Li Na took on Jelena Jankovic in the first match of the tournament that went the distance as the two players battled it out, but in the end it was Li Na that made the crucial move and broke in the 3rd set to win the match in 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. In contrast to that however Kerber had no trouble in getting past a jaded Radwanska, who in her final match struggled to get anything going and the German made short work of her, which saw Angie win in 6-2, 6-2. This was a disappointing end for Radwanska and I personally thought she was handed a raw deal with the schedule as she had to play three days in a row and she really suffered as a result, and it was also a great pity to see her lose without even taking a set, but hopefully she will have a better 2014. Serena Williams in the last match of the day made short work of Petra Kvitova as she put in an unbelievable serving performanec and hit the Czeck player off the court to win 6-2, 6-3.
Moving onto Day 4, Li Na was up against Victoria Azarenka in what could have been a really competitve match, however it turned out to be the opposite as Vika struggled badly with a back injury throughout. But rather than retire Vika struggled on into the 2nd set where Li Na whitewashed her and took the match with a 6-2, 6-1 emphatic win. So this was another disappointing end to the season for another player in Azarenka as she had gotten off to a strong start early on this season winning in Melbourne for the 2nd time, but after losing out in the US Open final just there, Vika certainly has lost some of her fire, but here's hoping she will get it back next year. Petra Kvitova went on and had a real humdinger of a match against Angelique Kerber which went to three sets but it was Petra managed battle past the German in the end winning in 6-7, 6-2, 6-3. And in the last match of the day Sara Errani managed to nab the consolation prize as she defeated Jelena Jankovic in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, however after this it was Jankovic who went through to the semi finals, and Errani and Azarenka both went home.
On day 5, the semi finals started with Li Na taking on Petra Kvitova for a place in the final and as they are both big hitters it promised to be quite a contest. However in the end it was Li Na that was the better player as she went on to close it out and take her place in the final with a straight set 6-4, 6-2 win that see Li reach her first ever WTA Tour Championships final. Now onto the second semi final of the day, which was between Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic, which turned out to be the most bizzare match of the tournament, as Serena looked badly out of sorts for half the match as her movement was sluggish as anything and she went a break down early on in the first set, and she was even at one point sobbing into her towel. However Serena soon turned it around as she broke back and went on to nab the 1st set with a break of her own. In the 2nd set however Serena started to wobble badly again and she looked fatigued and barely able to move around the court she had to resort to hitting big winners from the back of the court to stay in the points. However Jelena managed to grab the initiative and a double break to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set things got weird and we were treated to an at times thrilling set with quite a few twists and turns but Serena eventually closed it out after much difficulty to reach another final in Istanbul with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win.
So this set up the final between Serena Williams and Li Na, which again saw Serena get off to a puzzling slow start as she moved sluggishly around the court and Li Na got the perfect opportunity to win her first ever set against Serena since 2007! So with a set up, in the 2nd Li Na looked to be the favourite if she could keep her momentum going, however it was soon cut short as Serena weaved her web and broke Li to grab the 2nd set and level the match. And in the 3rd set it was all Serena as Li Na struggled badly on her serve and served some very costly double faults and before we knew it, Serena was 5-0 up. But Serena didn't have it all her way in trying to serve it out as Li made a last ditch effort to break back and pushed Serena to deuce a few times before the American finally nailed it and she sanks to her knees in delight as she won her fourth WTA Tour Championships title with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory.
Well once again Serena Williams is the year end championships WTA champion and it caps the perfect end to yet another near perfect year for her as she has won nearly 13 million dollars in prize money and 11 titles, among with are two grand slams at the French and the US Open. And in another scary statistic Serena has only lost four matches all year (two of those were to Azarenka) and she has won 78 out of 82, which is something in itself! And from here it is difficult to see how she can get any better as she is light years ahead of the rest of the field and the rest of the players on the tour are going to have mighty tough time trying to get anywhere near her. But in the meantime all the credit has to go to Serena for her incredible talent and showing that she really is one of the all time great players to have played the game and I'm sure there will be more to come.
And that's it for now and the for WTA tour for this year, which will start back again in January and its been a great season with plenty of drama, great matches, upsets and good stuff all round. And in the meantime the men's ATP season is almost close to an end as well as there are only two more weeks left and this week there is the Paris Masters and the next week will be the ATP world tour finals from the O2 in London, so I can't wait to see that. This week will also be crucial for Roger Federer as he lost to Del Potro in the final of the Swiss Indoors in Basel just there on Sunday, so in order to qualify for the o2 next week he will have to win his first match this week in Paris, which will be against either Mikhail Youzhny or Kevin Anderson, so he will have his work cut out, but hopefully he will win as the World Finals will never be the same without him.
Anyway that's it for now, more will follow on the ATP world tour finals next week and also the Paris Masters final as it comes up.
Until then bye for now!
Monday, 28 October 2013
Monday, 14 October 2013
ATP/WTA tour catch up
Right well it has been a long time since I've updated this blog so I thought I would finally get to it and have a quick update on what's been happening in the ATP/WTA tour.
OK so starting with the lasses, we had in recent weeks the Asian swing of the ladies tour, which started with the China open in Beijing, which was the last Premier mandatory event of the season, for which there was a 1000 points up for grabs for the winner. And the eventual winner turned out to be none other than Serena Williams, the world No.1, who won the 10th title of the year against Jelena Jankovic in the final as she won with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. Serena's achievement in Beijing was in itself remarkable purely because she had been suffering from back pain and the fact that she was able to pull through shows just how good she is even when she isn't playing her best. And it also sees her taken an emphatic lead over any of her competitors and the current world no.2, Victoria Azarenka who trails an increidble 5000 points behind her! So with the WTA Championships next up for Serena in Istanbul, where she is the defending champion, it will be difficult to see anyone get near her or knock her off the top spot anytime soon.
In other tournament events on the ladies we had some good results such as in the HP Open in Osaka, where Sam Stosur in the final battled from a set down against Eugenie Bouchard to win her 2nd title of the year with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory. It was great to see Sam Stosur win another title again as she has suffered a real drought in her career and it was two years between her US Open title and her first title of the season in Carlsbad in California earlier this year, so it will see her finish her year in fine form, which isn't quite over yet as she will next play the Kremlin cup in Moscow, where she was last year's finalist losing out to Caroline Wozniacki in a closely fought contest, so maybe she could do a hattrick, but we will see.
Also last week in Austria we had the Generali Ladies in Linz in which Angelique Kerber had a great as she not only walked away with the title but she also secured her place in the WTA Championships as she nabbed the last place in the top eight to play in Istanbul. Its also good to see that Kerber is back on form as she had taken a dip in form this year after her stellar rise last season up the rankings. And in the final Kerber was given a stern test from the former Linz champion, Ana Ivanovic as she was pushed hard by the Serb but eventually came through in 6-4, 7-6(6). Kerber was set to play in Moscow this week but she was forced to pull out with abdominal injury so no doubt she will saving herself for the big finale in Istanbul, where we will just need to wait and see what impact she can make on the other seven players.
So now onto the men's starting with the bad news for Andy Murray who decide shortly after his Davis cup triumph for Great Britain in securing their team a place back in the world group, to undergo back surgery to correct a disc problem in his lower back, which had aggravated his back injury for nearly two years. This decision was undoubtedly the right one for Andy as he has to consider his careeer for the long term and in undergoing the surgery it will hopefully ensure it will stay corrected. And as a result of his surgery and rehab recovery time, Andy has been forced to withdraw from the events for the rest of the season, which includes the ATP world tour finals at the o2 arena in London, which is pity, but undoubtedly the right decision. But Andy however has said he will hope to be ready again for an exhibition event in Barbados, the dream cup at the end of November, which will be a four man event including Juan Martin Del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Almagro as well as the Abu Dhabi exhbition event at the end of the year in December. So let's hope the Muzza will recover real soon for those events.
Now for the men's atp tour events, starting with the China open at which Novak Djokovic, now the former World No.1, lost the top spot to Rafa afer the Spaniard managed to reach the final of the event, as did Nole. And given Rafa's hot form in 2013 you would expect with having reached 13 finals out of the 14 tournaments that he has played in this year that he would emerge victorious here. However Nole had other ideas as he has been unbeaten in China since 2010 (he didn't play in 2011 where Tomas Berdych won) and he managed to continue that run as he put in a superb display of serving, as Rafa for the first time in quite a while faltered badly and before we knew it Nole served it out to win in 6-3, 6-4. This was Nole's 4th title of the year and it saw him get back on form after suffering a dip in form since losing to Rafa at the French Open earlier this year in their epic semi final.
And Nole managed to continue his fine form in Shanghai at the Rolex Masters where he was also the defending champion after he defeated Andy Murray last year in an amazing final. And in the final this year we were treated to a real cracker, as Novak reached the final again and despite Rafa being the odds on favourite opponent for him, it was big Juan Martin Del Potro that put in a stunning performance which knocked out Rafa in straight sets to reach the final. And in the final Nole as expected came out firing as he blasted past Delpo as tore him up to nab a double break to close out the first set. In the 2nd set however Nole literally started to wobble on serve as he played a bizarre service game which gave Delpo the chance he needed to get himself back in the match as he broke to move ahead with a 3-0 lead. After this Delpo managed to consolidate his break and he ended up serving out the second set with relative ease to level the match and take it to a decider. And the decider proved to be a thrilling contest between both men with not much in at all, and even Delpo defied the odds as he managed to rescue his serve at 4-5 down being 15-40 own on his serve, giving Djoko two championship points. However in the end as play was pushed to a final set tiebreak it was Djokovic that took the initative and he ended Delpo's hopes of winning his first Masters title for a third time with a superb 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(3) victory.
This really was a terrific match between two great players, and it shows along with Stan Wawrinka that Del Potro also poses a serious threat to the Serb. And Del Potro himself deserves a great deal of credit for his performance in this final as he gave it his absolute all and I was pretty gutted for him myself that he came up short in the end, especially as he has been fighting so hard in his career to win that elusive Masters title. And in a way seems a bit funny that as Delpo has already won a grand slam, it almost feels like winning a Masters is more important to him. But I'm sure Del Potro will have many more chances ahead of him to win his first Masters title and with the last one of the season ahead in Paris, he might just end up taking it. Del Potro also in having reached the final of Shanghai has secured his place in the ATP world tour finals at the o2 in London so it will be great to see how he will do there as well, and given his current form he is sure to do some real damage there.
As for Nole well his victory in Shanghai contines to show he is back on form, just like he did last year as he regrouped toward the end of the season, and so far he has defending two out of the three title he has played at so far in this part of the tour, and all he needs to do is defend at the o2. And in between that is the Paris Masters where Novak suffered an early exit last year but this year he has chance to make some extra points which might help him in his quest to regain the No.1 spot but that will still all depend on how Rafa will do. And it has to be said in the last two tournaments Rafa has taken a slight dip in form, so just maybe the effects of his hugely successful season are starting to catch up with him, so time will tell how well he will respond for the reaminder of the year in Basel, Paris and London.
And lastly for Roger Federer well its safe to say that he is having the worst season of his career in the last ten years or so, as this year alone he has failed to win a major and has suffered a worrying lapse in form in the majors at Wimbledon and the US Open where he went out early on. This has also affected him in the tour events as well as this week alone he suffered another early exit at the hands of Gael Monfils, who beat him in three sets. And Roger has also announced his split with his coach Paul Annaconne, whom he has worked with for the last three years, as I'd imagine he felt he needed a change of direction, however whether or not that will make any difference to his game or not seems doubtful. Perhaps at this point in his career Roger just has to face up to the fact that his best days are behind him and while its impossible to write him off, it will be tough to see him make another strong comeback like he did last year.
Anywayyyy that's it for now, more to follow on the WTA championships which are not far away now as they start next week in Istanbul, which sees the full line up of Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova, Sara Errani, Jelena Jankovic, Li Na and Angelique Kerber. Now that is quite a line up to look forward to!
So until then bye for now.
OK so starting with the lasses, we had in recent weeks the Asian swing of the ladies tour, which started with the China open in Beijing, which was the last Premier mandatory event of the season, for which there was a 1000 points up for grabs for the winner. And the eventual winner turned out to be none other than Serena Williams, the world No.1, who won the 10th title of the year against Jelena Jankovic in the final as she won with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. Serena's achievement in Beijing was in itself remarkable purely because she had been suffering from back pain and the fact that she was able to pull through shows just how good she is even when she isn't playing her best. And it also sees her taken an emphatic lead over any of her competitors and the current world no.2, Victoria Azarenka who trails an increidble 5000 points behind her! So with the WTA Championships next up for Serena in Istanbul, where she is the defending champion, it will be difficult to see anyone get near her or knock her off the top spot anytime soon.
In other tournament events on the ladies we had some good results such as in the HP Open in Osaka, where Sam Stosur in the final battled from a set down against Eugenie Bouchard to win her 2nd title of the year with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory. It was great to see Sam Stosur win another title again as she has suffered a real drought in her career and it was two years between her US Open title and her first title of the season in Carlsbad in California earlier this year, so it will see her finish her year in fine form, which isn't quite over yet as she will next play the Kremlin cup in Moscow, where she was last year's finalist losing out to Caroline Wozniacki in a closely fought contest, so maybe she could do a hattrick, but we will see.
Also last week in Austria we had the Generali Ladies in Linz in which Angelique Kerber had a great as she not only walked away with the title but she also secured her place in the WTA Championships as she nabbed the last place in the top eight to play in Istanbul. Its also good to see that Kerber is back on form as she had taken a dip in form this year after her stellar rise last season up the rankings. And in the final Kerber was given a stern test from the former Linz champion, Ana Ivanovic as she was pushed hard by the Serb but eventually came through in 6-4, 7-6(6). Kerber was set to play in Moscow this week but she was forced to pull out with abdominal injury so no doubt she will saving herself for the big finale in Istanbul, where we will just need to wait and see what impact she can make on the other seven players.
So now onto the men's starting with the bad news for Andy Murray who decide shortly after his Davis cup triumph for Great Britain in securing their team a place back in the world group, to undergo back surgery to correct a disc problem in his lower back, which had aggravated his back injury for nearly two years. This decision was undoubtedly the right one for Andy as he has to consider his careeer for the long term and in undergoing the surgery it will hopefully ensure it will stay corrected. And as a result of his surgery and rehab recovery time, Andy has been forced to withdraw from the events for the rest of the season, which includes the ATP world tour finals at the o2 arena in London, which is pity, but undoubtedly the right decision. But Andy however has said he will hope to be ready again for an exhibition event in Barbados, the dream cup at the end of November, which will be a four man event including Juan Martin Del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Almagro as well as the Abu Dhabi exhbition event at the end of the year in December. So let's hope the Muzza will recover real soon for those events.
Now for the men's atp tour events, starting with the China open at which Novak Djokovic, now the former World No.1, lost the top spot to Rafa afer the Spaniard managed to reach the final of the event, as did Nole. And given Rafa's hot form in 2013 you would expect with having reached 13 finals out of the 14 tournaments that he has played in this year that he would emerge victorious here. However Nole had other ideas as he has been unbeaten in China since 2010 (he didn't play in 2011 where Tomas Berdych won) and he managed to continue that run as he put in a superb display of serving, as Rafa for the first time in quite a while faltered badly and before we knew it Nole served it out to win in 6-3, 6-4. This was Nole's 4th title of the year and it saw him get back on form after suffering a dip in form since losing to Rafa at the French Open earlier this year in their epic semi final.
And Nole managed to continue his fine form in Shanghai at the Rolex Masters where he was also the defending champion after he defeated Andy Murray last year in an amazing final. And in the final this year we were treated to a real cracker, as Novak reached the final again and despite Rafa being the odds on favourite opponent for him, it was big Juan Martin Del Potro that put in a stunning performance which knocked out Rafa in straight sets to reach the final. And in the final Nole as expected came out firing as he blasted past Delpo as tore him up to nab a double break to close out the first set. In the 2nd set however Nole literally started to wobble on serve as he played a bizarre service game which gave Delpo the chance he needed to get himself back in the match as he broke to move ahead with a 3-0 lead. After this Delpo managed to consolidate his break and he ended up serving out the second set with relative ease to level the match and take it to a decider. And the decider proved to be a thrilling contest between both men with not much in at all, and even Delpo defied the odds as he managed to rescue his serve at 4-5 down being 15-40 own on his serve, giving Djoko two championship points. However in the end as play was pushed to a final set tiebreak it was Djokovic that took the initative and he ended Delpo's hopes of winning his first Masters title for a third time with a superb 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(3) victory.
This really was a terrific match between two great players, and it shows along with Stan Wawrinka that Del Potro also poses a serious threat to the Serb. And Del Potro himself deserves a great deal of credit for his performance in this final as he gave it his absolute all and I was pretty gutted for him myself that he came up short in the end, especially as he has been fighting so hard in his career to win that elusive Masters title. And in a way seems a bit funny that as Delpo has already won a grand slam, it almost feels like winning a Masters is more important to him. But I'm sure Del Potro will have many more chances ahead of him to win his first Masters title and with the last one of the season ahead in Paris, he might just end up taking it. Del Potro also in having reached the final of Shanghai has secured his place in the ATP world tour finals at the o2 in London so it will be great to see how he will do there as well, and given his current form he is sure to do some real damage there.
As for Nole well his victory in Shanghai contines to show he is back on form, just like he did last year as he regrouped toward the end of the season, and so far he has defending two out of the three title he has played at so far in this part of the tour, and all he needs to do is defend at the o2. And in between that is the Paris Masters where Novak suffered an early exit last year but this year he has chance to make some extra points which might help him in his quest to regain the No.1 spot but that will still all depend on how Rafa will do. And it has to be said in the last two tournaments Rafa has taken a slight dip in form, so just maybe the effects of his hugely successful season are starting to catch up with him, so time will tell how well he will respond for the reaminder of the year in Basel, Paris and London.
And lastly for Roger Federer well its safe to say that he is having the worst season of his career in the last ten years or so, as this year alone he has failed to win a major and has suffered a worrying lapse in form in the majors at Wimbledon and the US Open where he went out early on. This has also affected him in the tour events as well as this week alone he suffered another early exit at the hands of Gael Monfils, who beat him in three sets. And Roger has also announced his split with his coach Paul Annaconne, whom he has worked with for the last three years, as I'd imagine he felt he needed a change of direction, however whether or not that will make any difference to his game or not seems doubtful. Perhaps at this point in his career Roger just has to face up to the fact that his best days are behind him and while its impossible to write him off, it will be tough to see him make another strong comeback like he did last year.
Anywayyyy that's it for now, more to follow on the WTA championships which are not far away now as they start next week in Istanbul, which sees the full line up of Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova, Sara Errani, Jelena Jankovic, Li Na and Angelique Kerber. Now that is quite a line up to look forward to!
So until then bye for now.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Davis cup weekend catch up
OK just for a change I thought I would do a post on the Davis cup weekend which was just there and it saw the world group teams play out the semi final stages to see who would reach the final, and I will also cover the world group play offs, to see who would reach the world group.
So let's start with the world group semi final matches, and to begin the defending champions, the Czeck republic who were up against Argentina. In their first singles match, Radek Stepanek, the hero of the Czeck republic's triumph last year, took on Juan Monaco of Argentina, and it was Stepanek who impressed once again as he beat the Argentine in straight sets 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 to give his team a winning start. In the second singles rubber we had Tomas Berdych face Leo Mayer in a tight four set match which saw Berdych finally win through as he gave his team the 2-0 lead after a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. And in the decisive rubber, the doubles one, Stepanek and Berdych both teamed up and put on impressive show to dismiss the Argentine team of Carlos Berlocq and Horacio Zeballos in 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to seal their place in their second consecutive Davis cup final. This really shows just how impressive the Czeck republic team are, especially as they are really the combination of Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, who both together won the title for the country last year. And on the evidence of their performance here, in the final they will be tough to stop.
However that might all change as in waiting for the Czeck republic would be the winner of the next tie, which was between Serbia and Canada. In the first match Novak Djokovic, the world no.1, who had just come off the receiving end of a stinging defeat in the US Open final, bounced back in fine style here as he dismissed Vasek Pospisil in straight sets, conceding only six games with a 6-2, 6-0, 6-4 victory. However in the 2nd rubber, things didn't quite go according to plan for Serbia as Janko Tipsarevic was defeated by Milos Raonic in a very tight battle, with Raonic just edging Tipsy in the 5th set to win the match 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8. And on the second day, the doubles rubber would give either team a pivotal lead, and the match itself was another epic battle as the Canadian team edged Serbia again as Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil won in 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 10-8 to give Canada a 2-1 lead. Going into the final day, things looked mighty precarious for Serbia, however Djokovic confidently levelled the scores as he beat Raonic in their singles rubber 7-6, 6-2, 6-2. And it was up to Janko Tipsarevic to try and win the tie for Serbia in the crucial final rubber, who did just that after a tight straight set win against Vasek Pospisil in 7-6, 6-2, 7-6, which saw the Serbs reach their second Davis cup final.
Well this sets up a very intruiging clash for the Davis cup final between the Czeck republic and Serbia, and no doubt it promises to be quite a cracker. But who will win it?????? Well I have to go with Serbia as they have Novak Djokovic, who will play a key part in both singles matches, although where the odds might tip in the Czeck team's favour is that Stepanek and Berdych have never lost a doubles match so far in Davis cup, and if Berdy or Stepanek can win two of the other singles rubbers then it might just see them come through. But however it goes I'm sure it promises to be one hell of a final and one to remember I'm sure, but my money is on Serbia for a possible 3-2 victory.
Right now let's get onto the world group play-offs, starting with Spain who were dumped out of the world group earlier this year, so this is where they were looking to fight their way back in and in their way stood the Ukraine. With Rafa being on top form this year in his comeback, his team were keen to get him back on their side, and despite concerns that Rafa might have skipped the Davis cup in order to recover from his tremendous efforts on the hard court swing, Rafa turned up to play. And in the first singles rubber, Rafa showed no trouble whatsoever in getting past Serigy Stakhovsky, as he looked a home on the clay (back on the Manolo Sonata stadium in Madrid) and raced to victory with a 6-0, 6-0, 6-4 win. Fernando Verdasco (sorry this was the second singles rubber!) played against the Ukraine No.1, Alexandr Dolgopolov in what was a tighter match but it eventually saw Verdasco win in 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, which saw Spain take a decisive 2-0 lead on day one. On the second day in the key doubles rubber, the Spanish team made their move with doubles pairing of Rafa and Marc Lopez sealing their place back in the world group after a hard fought four set win in 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. So that's Spain back in the big time again, and let's see who else would join them.
So other teams that came through to the world group included Switzerland, who featured Stan Wawrinka, the in form Swiss player, who filled in for Roger Federer, as he played his part leading his team to victory with a 4-1 result against Ecuador. Australia also managed to power through to the world group as they won 4-1 against Poland, with the help of Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic who won both their rubber singles matches, although the Aussies lost their doubles tie, the deal was clinched by Tomic on the final day as he took out Lukaz Kubot in straight sets. Japan had a much tighter tie on their hands as they managed to edge their way past Colombia, with Kei Nishikori doing his part to win both his singles rubbers, after the team lost one single and the doubles rubber, Go Soeda clinched the deal with a four set win against Allejandro Falla to reach the world group with a 3-2 result.
Which brings me onto the last tie I will mention which was Great Britain who took on Croatia in an away match on Croatian soil in Umag, on clay courts. It was a long road for Great Britain to get this far to the world group play-offs as they hadn't been there since 2008, so in order do do it they really need their best man, and thankfully for them he showed up, i.e. Andy Murray. So let's have a look at the tie, starting with on day one in the first singles rubber match, Andy Murray took on a 16 year old juinor player, Borna Coric, who had just won the US Open junior title. And despite it looking like a very one-sided maatch, Coric actually showed some very promising signs as he managed to push Andy fairly hard in the first set, before Andy closed it out with a break. However in the second set, Andy breezed through to hand Coric a bagel, and in the 3rd set, despite going a break down, Andy quickly pulled it back as he sped to victory to claim the first win for GB in 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.
In the 2nd rubber however fortunes changed for GB as Dan Evans, who has recently been on impressive form by reaching the 3rd round of the US Open, but he couldn't find a way past the Croatian No.2 (well No.1 in Marin Cilic's absence, who has been suspended due to failing a drug test) Ivan Dodig. Dodig who is by far the more experienced player (and five years Dan's senior at 28) sped to victory against Dan taking the match with a straight forward 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win, which saw both teams level pegged 1-1 on day one. On day two, the pivotal doubles rubber proved to be the toughest match of the tie so far, which saw team GB's doubles partnership of Andy Murray and Colin Fleming face off Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic. Andy and Flemo got off to a strong start as they took a two set lead, and despite being a break up in the 3rd set, they surrendered the break and let the Croats back in and play went to a tiebreak, which saw the Croatians nabs the 3rd set, courtesy of a double fault from Flemo's racquet. In the 4th set however, normality was restored as the Brits broke the Croatian team twice and sped to victory to take the decisive 2-1 lead.
And on the final day, Andy Murray did his bit for GB as he played Ivan Dodig in what was to be the crucial singles rubber. The match itself was a very entertaining one, and Dodig put up a good fight but Andy in the end outclassed him and played the big points way better, and Andy also put in a surprisingly good serving performance as he landed in over 70% of his first serves in for the match, which is virtually unheard of! ;-) And after going two sets to love up, Andy broke early in the 3rd set to take a further lead, although there was a bit of drama in Andy's last service game when serving out for the tie at 5-4. This was when Dodig tried to make his move to break back and he hit a couple of cracking winners, and he hit what appeared to be another that would bring up a break point, but the umpire called it out. And with Dodig looking desparately at the umpire and disagreeing with the call, he had to relent as the point went to Andy, which gave him match point, and with a hostile booing crowd in the background Andy served out the match with no problems as Dodig went long with his return to give team GB their place in the world group with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory, giving Great Britain the decisive lead 3-1.
Although it looked to be quite a comfortable victory for Andy, the match itself was quite a competitive one, and Dodig deserves alot of credit for showing his fighting qualities on the court, but in the end Andy proved to be just too good for him. And it would be hard not to feel sorry for Dodig as that break point went begging, which could have got him back in the match. However the crowd didn't deserve much sympathy as they kept booing throughout the last point of the match as Andy was trying to serve it out, which was well out of line, and while you can appreciate their annoyance, its not right that they should continue to boo when the player is trying to serve! Regardless of that though this sees Great Britain back among the big boys, and they can now compete against the biggest teams in the world, but in order to do well they will need Andy Murray that's for sure, so he will need to try and make himself available when he can. This victory will also hopefully help Andy in getting over his Wimbledon comedown and maybe he can get back on form for the rest of the season, as he is set to start the Asian hard court swing in Thialand next week.
So that's it for now, more to follow soon on the Asian hard court swing for the men and the ladies tour in the next few weeks.
Bye for now!
So let's start with the world group semi final matches, and to begin the defending champions, the Czeck republic who were up against Argentina. In their first singles match, Radek Stepanek, the hero of the Czeck republic's triumph last year, took on Juan Monaco of Argentina, and it was Stepanek who impressed once again as he beat the Argentine in straight sets 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 to give his team a winning start. In the second singles rubber we had Tomas Berdych face Leo Mayer in a tight four set match which saw Berdych finally win through as he gave his team the 2-0 lead after a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. And in the decisive rubber, the doubles one, Stepanek and Berdych both teamed up and put on impressive show to dismiss the Argentine team of Carlos Berlocq and Horacio Zeballos in 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to seal their place in their second consecutive Davis cup final. This really shows just how impressive the Czeck republic team are, especially as they are really the combination of Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, who both together won the title for the country last year. And on the evidence of their performance here, in the final they will be tough to stop.
However that might all change as in waiting for the Czeck republic would be the winner of the next tie, which was between Serbia and Canada. In the first match Novak Djokovic, the world no.1, who had just come off the receiving end of a stinging defeat in the US Open final, bounced back in fine style here as he dismissed Vasek Pospisil in straight sets, conceding only six games with a 6-2, 6-0, 6-4 victory. However in the 2nd rubber, things didn't quite go according to plan for Serbia as Janko Tipsarevic was defeated by Milos Raonic in a very tight battle, with Raonic just edging Tipsy in the 5th set to win the match 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8. And on the second day, the doubles rubber would give either team a pivotal lead, and the match itself was another epic battle as the Canadian team edged Serbia again as Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil won in 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 10-8 to give Canada a 2-1 lead. Going into the final day, things looked mighty precarious for Serbia, however Djokovic confidently levelled the scores as he beat Raonic in their singles rubber 7-6, 6-2, 6-2. And it was up to Janko Tipsarevic to try and win the tie for Serbia in the crucial final rubber, who did just that after a tight straight set win against Vasek Pospisil in 7-6, 6-2, 7-6, which saw the Serbs reach their second Davis cup final.
Well this sets up a very intruiging clash for the Davis cup final between the Czeck republic and Serbia, and no doubt it promises to be quite a cracker. But who will win it?????? Well I have to go with Serbia as they have Novak Djokovic, who will play a key part in both singles matches, although where the odds might tip in the Czeck team's favour is that Stepanek and Berdych have never lost a doubles match so far in Davis cup, and if Berdy or Stepanek can win two of the other singles rubbers then it might just see them come through. But however it goes I'm sure it promises to be one hell of a final and one to remember I'm sure, but my money is on Serbia for a possible 3-2 victory.
Right now let's get onto the world group play-offs, starting with Spain who were dumped out of the world group earlier this year, so this is where they were looking to fight their way back in and in their way stood the Ukraine. With Rafa being on top form this year in his comeback, his team were keen to get him back on their side, and despite concerns that Rafa might have skipped the Davis cup in order to recover from his tremendous efforts on the hard court swing, Rafa turned up to play. And in the first singles rubber, Rafa showed no trouble whatsoever in getting past Serigy Stakhovsky, as he looked a home on the clay (back on the Manolo Sonata stadium in Madrid) and raced to victory with a 6-0, 6-0, 6-4 win. Fernando Verdasco (sorry this was the second singles rubber!) played against the Ukraine No.1, Alexandr Dolgopolov in what was a tighter match but it eventually saw Verdasco win in 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, which saw Spain take a decisive 2-0 lead on day one. On the second day in the key doubles rubber, the Spanish team made their move with doubles pairing of Rafa and Marc Lopez sealing their place back in the world group after a hard fought four set win in 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. So that's Spain back in the big time again, and let's see who else would join them.
So other teams that came through to the world group included Switzerland, who featured Stan Wawrinka, the in form Swiss player, who filled in for Roger Federer, as he played his part leading his team to victory with a 4-1 result against Ecuador. Australia also managed to power through to the world group as they won 4-1 against Poland, with the help of Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic who won both their rubber singles matches, although the Aussies lost their doubles tie, the deal was clinched by Tomic on the final day as he took out Lukaz Kubot in straight sets. Japan had a much tighter tie on their hands as they managed to edge their way past Colombia, with Kei Nishikori doing his part to win both his singles rubbers, after the team lost one single and the doubles rubber, Go Soeda clinched the deal with a four set win against Allejandro Falla to reach the world group with a 3-2 result.
Which brings me onto the last tie I will mention which was Great Britain who took on Croatia in an away match on Croatian soil in Umag, on clay courts. It was a long road for Great Britain to get this far to the world group play-offs as they hadn't been there since 2008, so in order do do it they really need their best man, and thankfully for them he showed up, i.e. Andy Murray. So let's have a look at the tie, starting with on day one in the first singles rubber match, Andy Murray took on a 16 year old juinor player, Borna Coric, who had just won the US Open junior title. And despite it looking like a very one-sided maatch, Coric actually showed some very promising signs as he managed to push Andy fairly hard in the first set, before Andy closed it out with a break. However in the second set, Andy breezed through to hand Coric a bagel, and in the 3rd set, despite going a break down, Andy quickly pulled it back as he sped to victory to claim the first win for GB in 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.
In the 2nd rubber however fortunes changed for GB as Dan Evans, who has recently been on impressive form by reaching the 3rd round of the US Open, but he couldn't find a way past the Croatian No.2 (well No.1 in Marin Cilic's absence, who has been suspended due to failing a drug test) Ivan Dodig. Dodig who is by far the more experienced player (and five years Dan's senior at 28) sped to victory against Dan taking the match with a straight forward 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win, which saw both teams level pegged 1-1 on day one. On day two, the pivotal doubles rubber proved to be the toughest match of the tie so far, which saw team GB's doubles partnership of Andy Murray and Colin Fleming face off Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic. Andy and Flemo got off to a strong start as they took a two set lead, and despite being a break up in the 3rd set, they surrendered the break and let the Croats back in and play went to a tiebreak, which saw the Croatians nabs the 3rd set, courtesy of a double fault from Flemo's racquet. In the 4th set however, normality was restored as the Brits broke the Croatian team twice and sped to victory to take the decisive 2-1 lead.
And on the final day, Andy Murray did his bit for GB as he played Ivan Dodig in what was to be the crucial singles rubber. The match itself was a very entertaining one, and Dodig put up a good fight but Andy in the end outclassed him and played the big points way better, and Andy also put in a surprisingly good serving performance as he landed in over 70% of his first serves in for the match, which is virtually unheard of! ;-) And after going two sets to love up, Andy broke early in the 3rd set to take a further lead, although there was a bit of drama in Andy's last service game when serving out for the tie at 5-4. This was when Dodig tried to make his move to break back and he hit a couple of cracking winners, and he hit what appeared to be another that would bring up a break point, but the umpire called it out. And with Dodig looking desparately at the umpire and disagreeing with the call, he had to relent as the point went to Andy, which gave him match point, and with a hostile booing crowd in the background Andy served out the match with no problems as Dodig went long with his return to give team GB their place in the world group with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory, giving Great Britain the decisive lead 3-1.
Although it looked to be quite a comfortable victory for Andy, the match itself was quite a competitive one, and Dodig deserves alot of credit for showing his fighting qualities on the court, but in the end Andy proved to be just too good for him. And it would be hard not to feel sorry for Dodig as that break point went begging, which could have got him back in the match. However the crowd didn't deserve much sympathy as they kept booing throughout the last point of the match as Andy was trying to serve it out, which was well out of line, and while you can appreciate their annoyance, its not right that they should continue to boo when the player is trying to serve! Regardless of that though this sees Great Britain back among the big boys, and they can now compete against the biggest teams in the world, but in order to do well they will need Andy Murray that's for sure, so he will need to try and make himself available when he can. This victory will also hopefully help Andy in getting over his Wimbledon comedown and maybe he can get back on form for the rest of the season, as he is set to start the Asian hard court swing in Thialand next week.
So that's it for now, more to follow soon on the Asian hard court swing for the men and the ladies tour in the next few weeks.
Bye for now!
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
2013 Flushing meadows Part 7.2: The King of New York
Right this is my final post on the 2013 US Open from Flushing Meadows in New York, which will cover the men's final, which was between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, in probably the most anticipated slam final of the year. So let's start by having a look at the match....
OK so the match had a lot riding on it as both men were looking to clinch their 2nd US Open title, and although both Nole and Rafa were in contention for the No.1 spot (i.e. Rafa gaining it and Nole keeping it!) this battle was decided when Nole reached the final as he defended his points from last year, it meant he could remain at No.1. However the match itself promised to be a real thrilling contest and just possibly one of all time great classics, just like their amazing 2011 final was at Flushing meadows. But did this match live up to those expectations????? Well to be honest not quite, the match itself was a very entertaining and gripping one, but it was clear from the very start that the better and more aggressive player was Rafa, who came out strong and broke Nole's serve twice to grab the first set with ease. In the 2nd set however Nole started his comeback and after an incredible 54 shot rally, Nole broke Nadal's serve for what was only the 2nd time in the whole tournament to go 4-2 up. However Novak ended up surrendering the break back to Rafa, but he was not yet done as he broke again to go 5-3 up and from here he managed to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set the momentum at the beginning was firmly with Djokovic as he nabbed an early break as he raised his level and played some incredible shots against Rafa. But Rafa after a very tough and thrilling service game on to trail 2-1, Rafa managed to break back to go even on serve again at 3-3, and from here Rafa fashioned another break at 5-4 to grab a two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set we witnessed some of the most intense and ferocious play we have ever seen from Rafa on a tennis court as he ruthlessly overwhelmed the World No.1 to nab the double break and he served out the match with ease as he fell to the ground and wept with joy as he clinched his 2nd US Open title after a gritty 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
While it fell short of the mark of the classic we might have hoped for, the match nonetheless had plenty of terrific rallies and great points and it had the hugely enthusiastic New York crowd whooping and hollering all the way throughout. And without a doubt the most impressive thing about this match was Rafa himself and how he showed tremendous grit and determination and he played with about as much aggression and ferocity as I have ever seen him play with on a tennis court, and his venomous, blistering forehand consistently found its mark throughout the match. And what's even more remarkable is that Rafa even found a way to push back Nole when he was a break down in the 3rd set and he went to rentelessly pummel his rival into submission in the 4th. And there is no doubt that he is the best player in the world just now, and while Nole is ahead of him in the rankings for now at the No.1 spot, its only a matter of time before Rafa grabs it back for the first time in two years. Another scary thing about Rafa's stats in this tournament is that he only had his serve broken four times in total (and three of those were by Djokovic, one by Gasquet) and that shows just now that he is virtually invincible on serve.
Not only that given Rafa's absence from the tour this time last year, Rafa really has a golden opportunity to clean up even more here as with four tournaments ahead of him with the China Open, Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters and the ATP world tour finals in London, he is sure to finish as the world No.1 if here were to win all four of those titles. And if he does it will make for possibly the most successful season in the history of his career not to mention any player's career if he wins 14 titles in one season, surely that has to be a record! And as Rafa has shown sizzling form on the hard courts this year, and with the remainder of the season being on hard court, it would be tough to see him not win every event he will play for the rest of the season. But whether or not he is capable of that remains to be seen, but for now Rafa is looking unstoppable and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Although after winning the title Rafa said that he felt tired and fatigued after the intensive rigours of winning so many matches over the last month in Montreal and Cincinnati as well. And Rafa also said that while he is committed this week to play at the Davis cup in Spain's tie against the Ukraine, he felt concerned about changing surfaces from hard court back to clay could disrupt his progress for the remainder of the hard court season (as the tie will be played in Madrid on clay courts). And Rafa's main concern is of course in trying to remain on course to win the year end championships and end the season as the world no.1 And akin to Andy Murray after his historic win at Wimbledon, who felt mentally drained in his efforts after winning the title, there is also the possibility that Rafa might be feeling the same way after putting so much effort into his hard court season and winning at the US Open. And if that's the case then Rafa will need to be careful that he doesn't suffer a comedown in the forthcoming weeks, otherwise his attempt to finish as No.1 in the world will be thwarted.
As for Djokovic well its hard not to sympathise with him, as he really struggled to find his best form in the final, even though he produced some terrific tennis at times in the match, he suffered badly due to making too many unforced errors (53 in all) and his best shot, the backhand down the line was just misfiring on the day, as was his serve. And it does show a slightly alarming dip in Djokovic's form this year, that ever since losing to Nadal in their epic semi final match at the French Open earlier this year, he has just looked a bit flat as a player. Novak has however still managed to produce some terrific tennis even when he wasn't playing his best as he proved against the likes of Del Potro at Wimbledon and Stan Wawrinka at the US Open, and that is what makes him a great champion.
However Novak has to be careful as he goes into the remainder of the season as he has a lot of points to defend as he is the champion in the three of the four events left in his calender on the tour, in China, Shanghai and the o2 in London. And a certain Rafael Nadal is coming right after him and unless Nole can really step up his level, he's going to find it hard just to cling onto these titles. However Novak has a way bouncing back after defeats, and that is something he did really well last year after the disappointment og losing in the French Open final, and losing his title defences at Wimbledon and the US Open. And if Rafa is going to take that No.1 spot, then I'm sure Nole is not going to give it up without a real fight and that's we will hope to see from him in the next couple of months.
And while Andy Murray has nothing really to do with this post I thought I would ask the question again: when is Rafa going to play him???? It has now been two years since they last played in Tokyo where Andy upset Rafa in the final of the Japan open, and it would be absolutely fascinating just to see how both men's games will stack up against one another. With Nadal and Djokovic we know firmly where they stand with one another just now game wise, but with Andy its completely different, as he is not the same player since they last played. And if there IS one man that could upset the odds against Rafa then that one man is Andy Murray and I simply cannot wait to see them play again, and its been a long time waiting but hopefully whenever they finally meet again, it will be well and truly worth the wait.
So that's it for my posts on the 2013 US Open, which has been a terrific tournament for both the men and ladies events and they both featured some terrific matches and two strong finals to finish up the slam season this year. Next up for the men will be the Davis cup, and this week Andy Murray will be back in action with the Great Britain team, as they will take on Croatia in a world group play-off for a chance to get back into the World Group. The tie is however away from home, which will prove to be quite tough for them, and with clay being Andy's weakest surface, this could leave them at a disadvantage. However I'm sure that team GB can hopefully pull off a win here and let's they do as it would be great to see them get through to the world group once again.
Rafa also may be in action this week at the Davis cup as well as the Spanish team wait to see if he will be ready to play in their tie against the Ukraine. And Djokovic will also be in action in the Davis cup as Serbia take on Canada in the semis final where he will most likely play against the giant serving Milos Raonic, which should make for a mouth watering clash. So the slams may be finished but there is still plenty of great tennis left to look forward to this week and in the forthcoming weeks.
So once again I shall say bye for now, and bye bye to the US Open, which has been great this year.
Until the next post, bye the now!
OK so the match had a lot riding on it as both men were looking to clinch their 2nd US Open title, and although both Nole and Rafa were in contention for the No.1 spot (i.e. Rafa gaining it and Nole keeping it!) this battle was decided when Nole reached the final as he defended his points from last year, it meant he could remain at No.1. However the match itself promised to be a real thrilling contest and just possibly one of all time great classics, just like their amazing 2011 final was at Flushing meadows. But did this match live up to those expectations????? Well to be honest not quite, the match itself was a very entertaining and gripping one, but it was clear from the very start that the better and more aggressive player was Rafa, who came out strong and broke Nole's serve twice to grab the first set with ease. In the 2nd set however Nole started his comeback and after an incredible 54 shot rally, Nole broke Nadal's serve for what was only the 2nd time in the whole tournament to go 4-2 up. However Novak ended up surrendering the break back to Rafa, but he was not yet done as he broke again to go 5-3 up and from here he managed to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set the momentum at the beginning was firmly with Djokovic as he nabbed an early break as he raised his level and played some incredible shots against Rafa. But Rafa after a very tough and thrilling service game on to trail 2-1, Rafa managed to break back to go even on serve again at 3-3, and from here Rafa fashioned another break at 5-4 to grab a two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set we witnessed some of the most intense and ferocious play we have ever seen from Rafa on a tennis court as he ruthlessly overwhelmed the World No.1 to nab the double break and he served out the match with ease as he fell to the ground and wept with joy as he clinched his 2nd US Open title after a gritty 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
While it fell short of the mark of the classic we might have hoped for, the match nonetheless had plenty of terrific rallies and great points and it had the hugely enthusiastic New York crowd whooping and hollering all the way throughout. And without a doubt the most impressive thing about this match was Rafa himself and how he showed tremendous grit and determination and he played with about as much aggression and ferocity as I have ever seen him play with on a tennis court, and his venomous, blistering forehand consistently found its mark throughout the match. And what's even more remarkable is that Rafa even found a way to push back Nole when he was a break down in the 3rd set and he went to rentelessly pummel his rival into submission in the 4th. And there is no doubt that he is the best player in the world just now, and while Nole is ahead of him in the rankings for now at the No.1 spot, its only a matter of time before Rafa grabs it back for the first time in two years. Another scary thing about Rafa's stats in this tournament is that he only had his serve broken four times in total (and three of those were by Djokovic, one by Gasquet) and that shows just now that he is virtually invincible on serve.
Not only that given Rafa's absence from the tour this time last year, Rafa really has a golden opportunity to clean up even more here as with four tournaments ahead of him with the China Open, Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters and the ATP world tour finals in London, he is sure to finish as the world No.1 if here were to win all four of those titles. And if he does it will make for possibly the most successful season in the history of his career not to mention any player's career if he wins 14 titles in one season, surely that has to be a record! And as Rafa has shown sizzling form on the hard courts this year, and with the remainder of the season being on hard court, it would be tough to see him not win every event he will play for the rest of the season. But whether or not he is capable of that remains to be seen, but for now Rafa is looking unstoppable and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Although after winning the title Rafa said that he felt tired and fatigued after the intensive rigours of winning so many matches over the last month in Montreal and Cincinnati as well. And Rafa also said that while he is committed this week to play at the Davis cup in Spain's tie against the Ukraine, he felt concerned about changing surfaces from hard court back to clay could disrupt his progress for the remainder of the hard court season (as the tie will be played in Madrid on clay courts). And Rafa's main concern is of course in trying to remain on course to win the year end championships and end the season as the world no.1 And akin to Andy Murray after his historic win at Wimbledon, who felt mentally drained in his efforts after winning the title, there is also the possibility that Rafa might be feeling the same way after putting so much effort into his hard court season and winning at the US Open. And if that's the case then Rafa will need to be careful that he doesn't suffer a comedown in the forthcoming weeks, otherwise his attempt to finish as No.1 in the world will be thwarted.
As for Djokovic well its hard not to sympathise with him, as he really struggled to find his best form in the final, even though he produced some terrific tennis at times in the match, he suffered badly due to making too many unforced errors (53 in all) and his best shot, the backhand down the line was just misfiring on the day, as was his serve. And it does show a slightly alarming dip in Djokovic's form this year, that ever since losing to Nadal in their epic semi final match at the French Open earlier this year, he has just looked a bit flat as a player. Novak has however still managed to produce some terrific tennis even when he wasn't playing his best as he proved against the likes of Del Potro at Wimbledon and Stan Wawrinka at the US Open, and that is what makes him a great champion.
However Novak has to be careful as he goes into the remainder of the season as he has a lot of points to defend as he is the champion in the three of the four events left in his calender on the tour, in China, Shanghai and the o2 in London. And a certain Rafael Nadal is coming right after him and unless Nole can really step up his level, he's going to find it hard just to cling onto these titles. However Novak has a way bouncing back after defeats, and that is something he did really well last year after the disappointment og losing in the French Open final, and losing his title defences at Wimbledon and the US Open. And if Rafa is going to take that No.1 spot, then I'm sure Nole is not going to give it up without a real fight and that's we will hope to see from him in the next couple of months.
And while Andy Murray has nothing really to do with this post I thought I would ask the question again: when is Rafa going to play him???? It has now been two years since they last played in Tokyo where Andy upset Rafa in the final of the Japan open, and it would be absolutely fascinating just to see how both men's games will stack up against one another. With Nadal and Djokovic we know firmly where they stand with one another just now game wise, but with Andy its completely different, as he is not the same player since they last played. And if there IS one man that could upset the odds against Rafa then that one man is Andy Murray and I simply cannot wait to see them play again, and its been a long time waiting but hopefully whenever they finally meet again, it will be well and truly worth the wait.
So that's it for my posts on the 2013 US Open, which has been a terrific tournament for both the men and ladies events and they both featured some terrific matches and two strong finals to finish up the slam season this year. Next up for the men will be the Davis cup, and this week Andy Murray will be back in action with the Great Britain team, as they will take on Croatia in a world group play-off for a chance to get back into the World Group. The tie is however away from home, which will prove to be quite tough for them, and with clay being Andy's weakest surface, this could leave them at a disadvantage. However I'm sure that team GB can hopefully pull off a win here and let's they do as it would be great to see them get through to the world group once again.
Rafa also may be in action this week at the Davis cup as well as the Spanish team wait to see if he will be ready to play in their tie against the Ukraine. And Djokovic will also be in action in the Davis cup as Serbia take on Canada in the semis final where he will most likely play against the giant serving Milos Raonic, which should make for a mouth watering clash. So the slams may be finished but there is still plenty of great tennis left to look forward to this week and in the forthcoming weeks.
So once again I shall say bye for now, and bye bye to the US Open, which has been great this year.
Until the next post, bye the now!
Monday, 9 September 2013
2013 Flushing Meadows Part 7.1: Clash of the female titans
OK so this will be my penultimate post on the 2013 US Open as it draws to a close and the focus of this post will be on the ladies final, which was set to be an epic clash between the world's two best players, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarneka. So let's have a look at this match then......
Rrrrrrrrrright well the match itself was played in tough windy conditions, akin to the same conditions of the men's final last year, so play was bound to be error bound and scrappy. However both Serena and Vika with so much at stake in this final were more than up to the challenge, and it was actually Vika that got off to the more solid start as despite going a break down, she broke back and went on to hold more confidently than Serena did who's generally top class serve was going all over the place. However play went by serve until 5-5, and against all the odds it was Serena who broke Vika to move ahead 6-5 to then close out the first set. In the 2nd set the conditions played their part again (not to mention the wind kept blowing up Serena's skirt!) and there were breaks aplenty in what turned into an absoltely thrilling contest as Vika fought back from 4-1 down to push the set into a tiebreaker. The breaker itself was magnificent also as both players pushed themselves to the limit as their grunting grew more vociferous as each point was played, particularly at 6-5 for Vika and Serena levelled by hitting a ferocious winner to go 6-6. However it was Victoria that made the crucial minibreak and sealed the breaker 8-6 to level the match at a set all. The 3rd set promised to deliver more of the same and to an extent it did, however Vika's serve let her down badly as she served to try and go 2-2, she surrendered her serve and let Serena take the break, who confidently moved ahead. And Vika continued to struggle on her serve as she went down a double break, leaving Serena the golden opportunity to serve it out. However Serena did suffer a few minor jitters in doing so as Vika made a last stand by pushing her 40-30, but in the end Serena won the game, set and match to claim her 5th US Open title, with a superb 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1 victory.
There is no doubt this was one of the greatest ladies US Open finals for many years, and its also remarkable that prior to their previous terrific final last year, there hadn't been a ladies final at Flushing Meadows that went the distance for 16 years! So the fact that we managed to get another that was of such high quality was a real treat, and there is no doubt that the two best players in the world were out there last night slugging it out. And while the quality of play was mixed at times due to the wild and windy conditions, there was no doubt that it really was a thrilling contest, and both women played some magnificent points for the enthralled full capacity crowd at Flushing Meadows. And when you have a great final in New York, there is no better a crowd behind two players, as the noise is just unbelievable and the atmosphere nothing short of electrifying.
And while Serena once again showed her true fighting champion qualities, it was Victoria Azarenka that really announced her arrival to the world in this match as she put up such a tremendous fight against perhaps the greatest player to have played the game. And I think Vika deserves a great deal of credit for showing her fighting qualities and such great heart against a real thoroughbred champion. However it was a pity that she dropped her serve early on in the 3rd set as it really could become an even better contest if she hadn't, and in the end the double faults on Vika's serve cost her. But this match also continues to cement this thrilling and growing rivalry between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, and there is no doubt that the last four hard court matches they have played have all been classics. And this is something the women's game desparately needs and at last its great to say we have one as if carries on like this, Williams and Azarenka's rivalry could become one of the great modern rivalries in the ladies sport.
So once again the spoils go to Serena Williams, and there is no denying that deserves it as early on in the match she really struggled in the conditions and found it difficult to even get her serves in, but as the match progressed, like all great champions, she found a way to get it done. And as for Victoria Azarenka well she can take great heart in knowing she gave her opponent a real battle and she is literally the only player in the world that can give Serena a match and go toe to toe with her, and withstand her power and pace in long rallies. And I really think that one day Vika will get her chance to win against Serena in a major final as each time they play you see her get that bit better. And with the year end championships in Istanbul not too far off, which will be at the end of October, I'm sure these two will have a chance to compete again, and we will see how it goes there.
Right so that's it for now, and that's one final over with and it was some final, next up is the men's between the two former champions Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who both have a chance to claim their second title in New York. And there is no doubt this should be a real classic, but time will soon tell all, but if its anything near as good as their 2011 final, we are going to be in for a longggggg night. :-)
Anyway that's it for now and a big congrats once again to Serena Williams for winning her 5th US Open title and to Victoria Azarenka for putting up such a great fight. So I'll report back with the result of the men's final and who will lift the champions trophy.
Until the next one, bye the now!
Rrrrrrrrrright well the match itself was played in tough windy conditions, akin to the same conditions of the men's final last year, so play was bound to be error bound and scrappy. However both Serena and Vika with so much at stake in this final were more than up to the challenge, and it was actually Vika that got off to the more solid start as despite going a break down, she broke back and went on to hold more confidently than Serena did who's generally top class serve was going all over the place. However play went by serve until 5-5, and against all the odds it was Serena who broke Vika to move ahead 6-5 to then close out the first set. In the 2nd set the conditions played their part again (not to mention the wind kept blowing up Serena's skirt!) and there were breaks aplenty in what turned into an absoltely thrilling contest as Vika fought back from 4-1 down to push the set into a tiebreaker. The breaker itself was magnificent also as both players pushed themselves to the limit as their grunting grew more vociferous as each point was played, particularly at 6-5 for Vika and Serena levelled by hitting a ferocious winner to go 6-6. However it was Victoria that made the crucial minibreak and sealed the breaker 8-6 to level the match at a set all. The 3rd set promised to deliver more of the same and to an extent it did, however Vika's serve let her down badly as she served to try and go 2-2, she surrendered her serve and let Serena take the break, who confidently moved ahead. And Vika continued to struggle on her serve as she went down a double break, leaving Serena the golden opportunity to serve it out. However Serena did suffer a few minor jitters in doing so as Vika made a last stand by pushing her 40-30, but in the end Serena won the game, set and match to claim her 5th US Open title, with a superb 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1 victory.
There is no doubt this was one of the greatest ladies US Open finals for many years, and its also remarkable that prior to their previous terrific final last year, there hadn't been a ladies final at Flushing Meadows that went the distance for 16 years! So the fact that we managed to get another that was of such high quality was a real treat, and there is no doubt that the two best players in the world were out there last night slugging it out. And while the quality of play was mixed at times due to the wild and windy conditions, there was no doubt that it really was a thrilling contest, and both women played some magnificent points for the enthralled full capacity crowd at Flushing Meadows. And when you have a great final in New York, there is no better a crowd behind two players, as the noise is just unbelievable and the atmosphere nothing short of electrifying.
And while Serena once again showed her true fighting champion qualities, it was Victoria Azarenka that really announced her arrival to the world in this match as she put up such a tremendous fight against perhaps the greatest player to have played the game. And I think Vika deserves a great deal of credit for showing her fighting qualities and such great heart against a real thoroughbred champion. However it was a pity that she dropped her serve early on in the 3rd set as it really could become an even better contest if she hadn't, and in the end the double faults on Vika's serve cost her. But this match also continues to cement this thrilling and growing rivalry between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, and there is no doubt that the last four hard court matches they have played have all been classics. And this is something the women's game desparately needs and at last its great to say we have one as if carries on like this, Williams and Azarenka's rivalry could become one of the great modern rivalries in the ladies sport.
So once again the spoils go to Serena Williams, and there is no denying that deserves it as early on in the match she really struggled in the conditions and found it difficult to even get her serves in, but as the match progressed, like all great champions, she found a way to get it done. And as for Victoria Azarenka well she can take great heart in knowing she gave her opponent a real battle and she is literally the only player in the world that can give Serena a match and go toe to toe with her, and withstand her power and pace in long rallies. And I really think that one day Vika will get her chance to win against Serena in a major final as each time they play you see her get that bit better. And with the year end championships in Istanbul not too far off, which will be at the end of October, I'm sure these two will have a chance to compete again, and we will see how it goes there.
Right so that's it for now, and that's one final over with and it was some final, next up is the men's between the two former champions Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who both have a chance to claim their second title in New York. And there is no doubt this should be a real classic, but time will soon tell all, but if its anything near as good as their 2011 final, we are going to be in for a longggggg night. :-)
Anyway that's it for now and a big congrats once again to Serena Williams for winning her 5th US Open title and to Victoria Azarenka for putting up such a great fight. So I'll report back with the result of the men's final and who will lift the champions trophy.
Until the next one, bye the now!
Sunday, 8 September 2013
2013 Flushing meadows Part 6: US Open rematches
Right well its time for another post on the US Open, which is getting really into the deep end now as I will cover the ladies and men's semi finals, which will see who will reach the final to have a chance to lift the champions trophy.
So to start as usual with the ladies we first up had Victoria Azarenk, last year's finalist, take on Flavia Pennetta, which turned out to be an error strewn but entertaining encounter, which had a real topsy turvey opening set with both players struggling on serve. However it was Vika that finally moved ahead to go 5-4 to then close out the first set, but in the 2nd Pennetta made too many errors, and she struggled to deal with Vika's searing baseline exchanges. And despite a last ditch effort at pushing Vika to 40-30 on her serve, Vika closed it out to reach her 2nd US Open final with a 6-4, 6-2 win. Vika's lack of form at the US Open it has to be said has been a bit troubling and in this match it continued as she really struggled on serve in this match, and that is something cannot afford to do against the likes of Serena Williams in the final. But we will just have to see how Azarenka will cope in the final and with two major titles already in the cabinet she is sure to raise her game. For Flavia Pennetta however despite her loss, she has had a great tournament and its great once again to see someone different in the last four in a slam in the ladies game, which is always a welcome change up, and her ranking will no doubt sky rocket after this.
Next up we had Serena Williams, the defending champion, who played against Li Na for a place in the final and this promise to be a cracker. However it wasn't really to be in the end and Serena was way too good for Li Na as she handed her a bagel in the first (she seems to have been doing that alot in this tournament!). In the 2nd set things started to look a bit more encouraging for Li Na as she managed to break Serena's serve early on, but ultimately it was to no avail as the American broke straight back and she went on to nab a break herself to go 4-2 up. And from here it was easy street with Serena closing it out with no real problems to reach yet another US Open final with a very convincing 6-0, 6-3 scoreline. Well there isn't a great deal to say about this match other than it highlights just how far ahead of the competition Serena is, and to say she isn't the favourite to lift the title on Sunday would be mad. As for Li Na well its a shame she was able to get more involved in the match as she is more than capable of it, but it just didn't materialise on the day.
So this sets up yet another mouth watering final against the world's two best players, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. And who will win it?????? Well its hard to bet against Serena, however Vika has managed score up two wins this year against her, both of them on hard courts and it would be silly to dismiss Vika's chances of causing an upset. Also Vika is the only player that can really go toe to toe with Serena just now as no one else is capable of it, and she is also the only player that can get into her head. However it also has to be said that Azarenka has not been serving that well in this tournament so far and she will need to against Serena otherwise the match will be over real fast. But given their past two matches and last year's final, I think this will be another belter and Azarenka will push Serena hard, and just maybe if she does serve well, she will have a chance to beat her rival and clinch her first US Open title. So despite Serena being overall favourite, and given their last two matches I'm going to be bold and go with Azarenka in three tough sets, but it will depend purely on how well she plays, if she doesn't well its going to be a straight set drubbing with Serena lifting the title once again. But whatever happens I think the match if its anything like their previous Cincinnati final then it will be a real classic and one of the great US open finals.
Right so onto the men's semis starting with the first one (and why not) which was a rematch of the Australian open 4th round match between Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka, which was easily one of the best matches of the year, so this one had quite alot to live up to. And it sure did that as both men produced yet another thrilling epic battle, which saw Stan start off where he finished against Andy Murray, by playing some magnificent tennis against a very flustered World No.1 in Nole. The Swiss's power and precision once again left Djokovic speechless and without answers in the first set, which Stan took with a double break. In the 2nd set Stan continued his dominance over the Serb with another break, however the tide soon turned as Nole broke back and play went on serve into a tiebreak, which Nole take int 7-4 to level the match. In the 3rd set however, Stan was far from done as Nole once again played a sloppy service, allowing Stan to break and go 5-3 up and he went on to serve out for a two sets to one lead. In the 4th set however Nole was not done yet as he fought back and broke Stan to level the match at two sets all. And in the 5th we were treated to a thrilling contest, especially in an epic 21 minute game on Stan's serve, as he battled to hold onto his serve to go 2-1 up. But in the end against all the odds it was Djokovic that made the final break and managed to serve out the match with an ace to reach his 4th consecutive US Open final after a monumental epic 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
There is no doubt this was one of the best if not the best match of the tournament so far, and it was yet another epic clash between two great players, which saw Stan Wawrinka throw everything at the World No.1, yet he still came up short. And I think in the end it was testament to Djokovic's sheer belief, will, and incredible fitness that got him over the finish line. But Stan once again deserve tremendous credit for putting up yet another great fight against the world's best player, and there were several moments in the match where it looked like he had Nole's number. And his performance at this tournament has shown what a great player he has become and just maybe he himself could one day become a contender for a slam, not only that he will no replace Roger Federer in the rankings as the Swiss No.1. Now who would have thought that! Anyway so well done to Nole as he has shown once again that really is the world's best player, or at least for now he is, as there is one man who might just have his number...
And that man was in the second semi final, Rafael Nadal who took on the talented Frenchman, Richard Gasquet for a place in the final. This was only Gasquet's second major semi final (the last being at Wimbledon six years ago) and he had a mammoth task ahead of him in trying to beat Rafa, who he has never beaten in his professional career. And this match proved to be no different as Gasquet had real answer for Rafa in the first set as he went a break down straight away and before we knew Rafa served it out to take the lead. In the 2nd however, there were more glimmers of hope for Gasquet as he broke Rafa's serve for the first time in the whole tournament, after going a break down himself. And play in the 2nd set went to a tiebreak, but in the breaker, Rafa took full control again and Gasquet choked on serve to hand a two set lead to the Spaniard after serving a double fault. In the 3rd set Gasquet looked like a spent man and there was no way back for him against Rafa's might who took the break, and the match came to a tame end when Gasquet capitulated on serve with a double fault to hand Rafa a place in his 3rd US Open final, with a comfortable 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 victory.
Well this match doesn't really do Novak Djokovic any favours (who claimed after his match he would watch from his hotel room with a bowl of popcorn!) as it sees Rafa in unstoppable form, and while he had one minor blip on serve, he never looked in any danger at all from the Frenchman. Rafa's form in his comeback this year has be absolutely exceptional and so far with the exception of Wimbledon, he has reached the final of every tournament he has played in, having lost only two. And given those stats it would be hard not to see him as the favourite for the final. As for Gasquet, well he looked a spent man by the end of this match, however he also did really well in reaching the last four at the US Open, and he too this year has shown some great form, which should stead him well in the future.
Sooooo that's the US Open final set between yet again, like the ladies, the world's top two players, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. And the question must be asked: who will win the title?????? This one is really tough to call, as they have both played each other more times any other two players have on the tour (this being their 37th encounter) and they both know each others games so well. Rafa has the advantage of having spent less time on court than Nole (at least I think so!) and with a comfortable win over Gasquet he will far more left in the tank for the final on Monday. And just like Juan Martin Del Potro did against Nole at Wimbledon, he might have left Djokovic tired out enough for Rafa to deliver the knock out blow or at least slow him down enough to eventually overpower him. But if Djokovic's fitness and form at the Australian open last year was anything to go by this won't be a factor (and possibly not one at Wimbledon either) and he will try and give his all in this match. But for me I'd pick Rafa to win the title in five hard fought sets, and although I don't know if they can eclipse their amazing 2011 final, I think it will come real close to match it in quality, particularly if it goes to five, it could well be one of the all time great finals.
So that's it for now, we have two potentially great US Open finals ahead of us in the men's and ladies events, which are both rematches of previous finals, and I will report back once we know who the champions are.
Until then by for now!
So to start as usual with the ladies we first up had Victoria Azarenk, last year's finalist, take on Flavia Pennetta, which turned out to be an error strewn but entertaining encounter, which had a real topsy turvey opening set with both players struggling on serve. However it was Vika that finally moved ahead to go 5-4 to then close out the first set, but in the 2nd Pennetta made too many errors, and she struggled to deal with Vika's searing baseline exchanges. And despite a last ditch effort at pushing Vika to 40-30 on her serve, Vika closed it out to reach her 2nd US Open final with a 6-4, 6-2 win. Vika's lack of form at the US Open it has to be said has been a bit troubling and in this match it continued as she really struggled on serve in this match, and that is something cannot afford to do against the likes of Serena Williams in the final. But we will just have to see how Azarenka will cope in the final and with two major titles already in the cabinet she is sure to raise her game. For Flavia Pennetta however despite her loss, she has had a great tournament and its great once again to see someone different in the last four in a slam in the ladies game, which is always a welcome change up, and her ranking will no doubt sky rocket after this.
Next up we had Serena Williams, the defending champion, who played against Li Na for a place in the final and this promise to be a cracker. However it wasn't really to be in the end and Serena was way too good for Li Na as she handed her a bagel in the first (she seems to have been doing that alot in this tournament!). In the 2nd set things started to look a bit more encouraging for Li Na as she managed to break Serena's serve early on, but ultimately it was to no avail as the American broke straight back and she went on to nab a break herself to go 4-2 up. And from here it was easy street with Serena closing it out with no real problems to reach yet another US Open final with a very convincing 6-0, 6-3 scoreline. Well there isn't a great deal to say about this match other than it highlights just how far ahead of the competition Serena is, and to say she isn't the favourite to lift the title on Sunday would be mad. As for Li Na well its a shame she was able to get more involved in the match as she is more than capable of it, but it just didn't materialise on the day.
So this sets up yet another mouth watering final against the world's two best players, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. And who will win it?????? Well its hard to bet against Serena, however Vika has managed score up two wins this year against her, both of them on hard courts and it would be silly to dismiss Vika's chances of causing an upset. Also Vika is the only player that can really go toe to toe with Serena just now as no one else is capable of it, and she is also the only player that can get into her head. However it also has to be said that Azarenka has not been serving that well in this tournament so far and she will need to against Serena otherwise the match will be over real fast. But given their past two matches and last year's final, I think this will be another belter and Azarenka will push Serena hard, and just maybe if she does serve well, she will have a chance to beat her rival and clinch her first US Open title. So despite Serena being overall favourite, and given their last two matches I'm going to be bold and go with Azarenka in three tough sets, but it will depend purely on how well she plays, if she doesn't well its going to be a straight set drubbing with Serena lifting the title once again. But whatever happens I think the match if its anything like their previous Cincinnati final then it will be a real classic and one of the great US open finals.
Right so onto the men's semis starting with the first one (and why not) which was a rematch of the Australian open 4th round match between Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka, which was easily one of the best matches of the year, so this one had quite alot to live up to. And it sure did that as both men produced yet another thrilling epic battle, which saw Stan start off where he finished against Andy Murray, by playing some magnificent tennis against a very flustered World No.1 in Nole. The Swiss's power and precision once again left Djokovic speechless and without answers in the first set, which Stan took with a double break. In the 2nd set Stan continued his dominance over the Serb with another break, however the tide soon turned as Nole broke back and play went on serve into a tiebreak, which Nole take int 7-4 to level the match. In the 3rd set however, Stan was far from done as Nole once again played a sloppy service, allowing Stan to break and go 5-3 up and he went on to serve out for a two sets to one lead. In the 4th set however Nole was not done yet as he fought back and broke Stan to level the match at two sets all. And in the 5th we were treated to a thrilling contest, especially in an epic 21 minute game on Stan's serve, as he battled to hold onto his serve to go 2-1 up. But in the end against all the odds it was Djokovic that made the final break and managed to serve out the match with an ace to reach his 4th consecutive US Open final after a monumental epic 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
There is no doubt this was one of the best if not the best match of the tournament so far, and it was yet another epic clash between two great players, which saw Stan Wawrinka throw everything at the World No.1, yet he still came up short. And I think in the end it was testament to Djokovic's sheer belief, will, and incredible fitness that got him over the finish line. But Stan once again deserve tremendous credit for putting up yet another great fight against the world's best player, and there were several moments in the match where it looked like he had Nole's number. And his performance at this tournament has shown what a great player he has become and just maybe he himself could one day become a contender for a slam, not only that he will no replace Roger Federer in the rankings as the Swiss No.1. Now who would have thought that! Anyway so well done to Nole as he has shown once again that really is the world's best player, or at least for now he is, as there is one man who might just have his number...
And that man was in the second semi final, Rafael Nadal who took on the talented Frenchman, Richard Gasquet for a place in the final. This was only Gasquet's second major semi final (the last being at Wimbledon six years ago) and he had a mammoth task ahead of him in trying to beat Rafa, who he has never beaten in his professional career. And this match proved to be no different as Gasquet had real answer for Rafa in the first set as he went a break down straight away and before we knew Rafa served it out to take the lead. In the 2nd however, there were more glimmers of hope for Gasquet as he broke Rafa's serve for the first time in the whole tournament, after going a break down himself. And play in the 2nd set went to a tiebreak, but in the breaker, Rafa took full control again and Gasquet choked on serve to hand a two set lead to the Spaniard after serving a double fault. In the 3rd set Gasquet looked like a spent man and there was no way back for him against Rafa's might who took the break, and the match came to a tame end when Gasquet capitulated on serve with a double fault to hand Rafa a place in his 3rd US Open final, with a comfortable 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 victory.
Well this match doesn't really do Novak Djokovic any favours (who claimed after his match he would watch from his hotel room with a bowl of popcorn!) as it sees Rafa in unstoppable form, and while he had one minor blip on serve, he never looked in any danger at all from the Frenchman. Rafa's form in his comeback this year has be absolutely exceptional and so far with the exception of Wimbledon, he has reached the final of every tournament he has played in, having lost only two. And given those stats it would be hard not to see him as the favourite for the final. As for Gasquet, well he looked a spent man by the end of this match, however he also did really well in reaching the last four at the US Open, and he too this year has shown some great form, which should stead him well in the future.
Sooooo that's the US Open final set between yet again, like the ladies, the world's top two players, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. And the question must be asked: who will win the title?????? This one is really tough to call, as they have both played each other more times any other two players have on the tour (this being their 37th encounter) and they both know each others games so well. Rafa has the advantage of having spent less time on court than Nole (at least I think so!) and with a comfortable win over Gasquet he will far more left in the tank for the final on Monday. And just like Juan Martin Del Potro did against Nole at Wimbledon, he might have left Djokovic tired out enough for Rafa to deliver the knock out blow or at least slow him down enough to eventually overpower him. But if Djokovic's fitness and form at the Australian open last year was anything to go by this won't be a factor (and possibly not one at Wimbledon either) and he will try and give his all in this match. But for me I'd pick Rafa to win the title in five hard fought sets, and although I don't know if they can eclipse their amazing 2011 final, I think it will come real close to match it in quality, particularly if it goes to five, it could well be one of the all time great finals.
So that's it for now, we have two potentially great US Open finals ahead of us in the men's and ladies events, which are both rematches of previous finals, and I will report back once we know who the champions are.
Until then by for now!
Friday, 6 September 2013
2013 Flushing Meadows Part 5: Stan the man
Right ok now we go onto the next part of my posts on the 2013 US Open from Flushing Meadows Billie Jean King tennis complex in New York city. This post will cover the men's quarter final matches and the ladies remaining quarter finals also, so let's get started.
Right starting with Day 10 for the ladies quarter finals we had an all Italian clash first up between Flavia Pannetta, who has recently got back in form and Roberta Vinci. Despite Vinci being higher ranked player it was actually Flavia that took control of the match by breaking in the first set to take it and in the 2nd set she broke Vinci twice to win the match and seal her place in her first ever US Open semi final. Given that Pannetta had been out of the game for quite a while with a wrist injury she has come back strong and is now inside the top 40 and with her progress here she will go even higher before long. Next up we had Victoria Azarenka who had to come through two previous tough rounds to make it to the quarters, but in this match she was up against Daniella Hantuchova, and it proved to be a much easier encounter. And Vika found the form that has been missing so far in the latter stages as she broke Daniella twice in the first set and once in the second to close out an impressive win in 6-2, 6-3.
So this completes the ladies semi finals set up as we will have Victoria Azarenka take on Flavia Pennetta, which could promise to be quite a tough encounter given Pennett's form, but I can't quite see the Italian overcoming the former World No.1 and I think Vika will ultimately take this one in two tight sets to reach her 2nd consecutive US Open final. Next there will be a clash between Serena Williams and Li Na, which promises to be another tight match as despite Serena's emphatic lead in their head to head of 8-1, they still have had some tough scraps in the past, so I think this could be a possible three setter with Serena emerging victorious once again. This will also amazingly enough be Serena's first test in the tournament as she has steamrolled past everyone in her way so far, so it will make for an interesting one. But I think both matches will results in the match up we will expect of Serena vs Vika once more, although anything is possible so we will wait and see.
Now onto the men's quarter final matches on Day 10 starting with Rafa Nadal who played the night match on Arthur Ashe against Tommy Robredo who stunned Roger Federer in the previous round. However Robredo wasn't so lucky in this one as he has never beaten Rafa and this time he wasn't even close as Rafa dominated play right from the start as he made an amazing start by flattening his Spanish compatriot handing him a bagel set. In the 2nd and 3rd sets, Robredo at least managed to get on the scoreboard but again Rafa overwhelmed Robredo by a double break in both sets to nab his semi final place with great ease in an emphatic 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 thrashing. Well Rafa just goes from strength to strength this season and this match showed him get that bit even better which is a scary thought. Not only that Rafa has improved his serve as well as he still hasn't been broken on serve in the whole tournament (if only Andy Murray able to do that!). So knocking Rafa off will take one hell of an effort and there only probably one or two guys that can do that if at all.
So now we get onto the match of the day which was a very entertaining encounter between David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet, who were embroiled in a real battle on Arthur Ashe for a place in the semi final. And despite Ferrer's big lead in their head to head (i.e. Gasquet has only beaten him once going into this match!) it was Gasquet that made the more impressive start as he played some dazzling tennis for the crowd with his beautiful backhand he he fired off winners left, right and centre, which left Ferrer dazed and confused and two sets down. However Ferrer being who he is wasn't about to surrender as he fought back to level the match at two sets all taking the match into a decider. And despite Ferrer's record against Gasquet, it did nothing to prevent Gasquet from making the crucial break and he went on to hold his nerve and serve out the match to take his first semi final place in the US Open, and his second career semi final in the slams.
There is no doubt this was a very entertaining match and it was great to see Gasquet, who is a very talented player and great shotmaker reach his first grand slam semi final in six years. However Gasquet will his work cut out as next up he will face Rafa, whom he has never beaten in his professional career, and he joked on court after the match how he had only beaten when they were juniors and he was 13! But hopefully when they meet it will make for an entertaining semi final, but ultimately Rafa will win it I think in straight sets, although hopefully it will be tight.
So this brings me onto day 11 for the men's remaining quarter final matches, which in reverse order saw Novak Djokovic take on Mikhail Youzhny to reach the last four. This match was not one I expected to be much of a challenge for Djokovic, but in actual fact it turned out to be his first test of the tournament with Nole dropping his first set of the tournament, after taking a two set lead, the Russian fought back to grab the 3rd set, pushing it to a fourth. However in the fourth, Nole re-asserted himself and shut down the Russian as he sped to victory and handing Youzhny a bagel to finish off a tricky encounter in 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Despite a dip in the 3rd set, Nole never really looked to be in trouble in this match and it sees him firmly on course for potentially winning his 2nd US Open title, but before he can he will need to first face his next opponent, which will be the winner of the next match I will cover.
And this next match maybe last but in its own way is certainly not least, not so much for its quality or intensity but morely because of the tremendous upset it caused. And this match featured the defending champ Andy Murray take on the in form Stanislas Wawrinka, so this promised to be a real mouth watering clash and it was one, which against all odds Andy was expected to win. However Stan had other ideas, as after a tight first set, with Stan constantly putting pressure on Andy's serve, he finally broke Andy at 5-4 after an epic game, which saw Stan seal it with a winner. And from here Stan didn't look back and he played the match of his career against Andy, who had no answers for the Swiss's power, precision who painted the lines with incredible backhand winners and with an impressive display serving put Andy in a world of trouble. And after going two sets to love down, while you think with Andy's impressive record at coming back from the dead in match situations like this, Stan was having none of it and Andy capitulated on serve twice, as he made a series of unforced errors to hand a double break to Stan. So with that Stan had no trouble in serving out the biggest win of his career so far as he beat the defending champion in an emphatic fashion with a huge upset score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Even though I was aware of Wawrinka's ability to upset Andy in this event I would never have predicted the manner in which it happened and that Stan could beat Andy so convincingly. However it has to be said that in this tournament Andy just hasn't looked sharp and in fact he was quite rusty especially in his previous round against Istomin as well in his 2nd match with Mayer. Andy after the match also admitted that he felt he was still feeling the effects of a comedown from his Wimbledon triumph and that he has found it difficult to fire himself up 100% after working so hard to achieve his dream of winning his home slam. But I was still surprised at how quickly Andy gave up the ghost in this match and as usual his serve proved to be the culprit in letting him down, and if it wasn't for that just maybe it could be him in the semi finals just now.
However such as it is the credit fully deserves to go to Wawrinka for putting in a spectacular performance to sweep aside Andy in order to reach his first grand slam semi final. And next up Stan will face Nole for a place in the final and if the match is anything like their phenomenal match earlier this year in Melbourne, then I think we are in for a real treat. And can Stan pull off an upset? It certainly is possible as Nole hasn't really been tested yet and he hasn't looked as match sharp since the French Open, and Stan is in the form of his life right now. However I still think the outcome will be the same as no matter what Stan will throw at the World No.1, I think Nole will still come through, but I think hopefully it will be another epic match and for me it has to be Nole in five, however I could be wrong, but we'll wait and see.
As for Andy Murray its probably just as well he has lost at this stage as he has been struggling for form since the beginning of the hard court swing and a break from the tour before the Shanghai masters will do him good. However first up he will have the Davis cup GB world group play off with Croatia next week in an away tie as they will fight it out with Croatia to seal a place back in the world group. And hopefully with Andy they can win the tie, although it is on clay, which is Andy's weakest surface and the Croatian team will have home advantage so it won't be easy that's for sure, so we will see what happens next. But I'm sure Andy will soon bounce back from his defeat at the US Open and he will be back on form before long. Oh and another thing that is long overdue is a match with Rafa and Andy, as it has now been two years since they last played! When will it happen????? Who knows?? But I hope it isn't too long and maybe they could meet in the Shanghai or Paris masters, or failing that it will be at the ATP world tour finals but that will depend on what team they are drawn in.
Anyway that's all a way off yet, so in the meantime that's me for now and I will report back with the results of the men's and ladies semi finals and who will reach the final, and I'm sure no doubt they will be an absolute treat.
So I will leave it there.
Right starting with Day 10 for the ladies quarter finals we had an all Italian clash first up between Flavia Pannetta, who has recently got back in form and Roberta Vinci. Despite Vinci being higher ranked player it was actually Flavia that took control of the match by breaking in the first set to take it and in the 2nd set she broke Vinci twice to win the match and seal her place in her first ever US Open semi final. Given that Pannetta had been out of the game for quite a while with a wrist injury she has come back strong and is now inside the top 40 and with her progress here she will go even higher before long. Next up we had Victoria Azarenka who had to come through two previous tough rounds to make it to the quarters, but in this match she was up against Daniella Hantuchova, and it proved to be a much easier encounter. And Vika found the form that has been missing so far in the latter stages as she broke Daniella twice in the first set and once in the second to close out an impressive win in 6-2, 6-3.
So this completes the ladies semi finals set up as we will have Victoria Azarenka take on Flavia Pennetta, which could promise to be quite a tough encounter given Pennett's form, but I can't quite see the Italian overcoming the former World No.1 and I think Vika will ultimately take this one in two tight sets to reach her 2nd consecutive US Open final. Next there will be a clash between Serena Williams and Li Na, which promises to be another tight match as despite Serena's emphatic lead in their head to head of 8-1, they still have had some tough scraps in the past, so I think this could be a possible three setter with Serena emerging victorious once again. This will also amazingly enough be Serena's first test in the tournament as she has steamrolled past everyone in her way so far, so it will make for an interesting one. But I think both matches will results in the match up we will expect of Serena vs Vika once more, although anything is possible so we will wait and see.
Now onto the men's quarter final matches on Day 10 starting with Rafa Nadal who played the night match on Arthur Ashe against Tommy Robredo who stunned Roger Federer in the previous round. However Robredo wasn't so lucky in this one as he has never beaten Rafa and this time he wasn't even close as Rafa dominated play right from the start as he made an amazing start by flattening his Spanish compatriot handing him a bagel set. In the 2nd and 3rd sets, Robredo at least managed to get on the scoreboard but again Rafa overwhelmed Robredo by a double break in both sets to nab his semi final place with great ease in an emphatic 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 thrashing. Well Rafa just goes from strength to strength this season and this match showed him get that bit even better which is a scary thought. Not only that Rafa has improved his serve as well as he still hasn't been broken on serve in the whole tournament (if only Andy Murray able to do that!). So knocking Rafa off will take one hell of an effort and there only probably one or two guys that can do that if at all.
So now we get onto the match of the day which was a very entertaining encounter between David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet, who were embroiled in a real battle on Arthur Ashe for a place in the semi final. And despite Ferrer's big lead in their head to head (i.e. Gasquet has only beaten him once going into this match!) it was Gasquet that made the more impressive start as he played some dazzling tennis for the crowd with his beautiful backhand he he fired off winners left, right and centre, which left Ferrer dazed and confused and two sets down. However Ferrer being who he is wasn't about to surrender as he fought back to level the match at two sets all taking the match into a decider. And despite Ferrer's record against Gasquet, it did nothing to prevent Gasquet from making the crucial break and he went on to hold his nerve and serve out the match to take his first semi final place in the US Open, and his second career semi final in the slams.
There is no doubt this was a very entertaining match and it was great to see Gasquet, who is a very talented player and great shotmaker reach his first grand slam semi final in six years. However Gasquet will his work cut out as next up he will face Rafa, whom he has never beaten in his professional career, and he joked on court after the match how he had only beaten when they were juniors and he was 13! But hopefully when they meet it will make for an entertaining semi final, but ultimately Rafa will win it I think in straight sets, although hopefully it will be tight.
So this brings me onto day 11 for the men's remaining quarter final matches, which in reverse order saw Novak Djokovic take on Mikhail Youzhny to reach the last four. This match was not one I expected to be much of a challenge for Djokovic, but in actual fact it turned out to be his first test of the tournament with Nole dropping his first set of the tournament, after taking a two set lead, the Russian fought back to grab the 3rd set, pushing it to a fourth. However in the fourth, Nole re-asserted himself and shut down the Russian as he sped to victory and handing Youzhny a bagel to finish off a tricky encounter in 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Despite a dip in the 3rd set, Nole never really looked to be in trouble in this match and it sees him firmly on course for potentially winning his 2nd US Open title, but before he can he will need to first face his next opponent, which will be the winner of the next match I will cover.
And this next match maybe last but in its own way is certainly not least, not so much for its quality or intensity but morely because of the tremendous upset it caused. And this match featured the defending champ Andy Murray take on the in form Stanislas Wawrinka, so this promised to be a real mouth watering clash and it was one, which against all odds Andy was expected to win. However Stan had other ideas, as after a tight first set, with Stan constantly putting pressure on Andy's serve, he finally broke Andy at 5-4 after an epic game, which saw Stan seal it with a winner. And from here Stan didn't look back and he played the match of his career against Andy, who had no answers for the Swiss's power, precision who painted the lines with incredible backhand winners and with an impressive display serving put Andy in a world of trouble. And after going two sets to love down, while you think with Andy's impressive record at coming back from the dead in match situations like this, Stan was having none of it and Andy capitulated on serve twice, as he made a series of unforced errors to hand a double break to Stan. So with that Stan had no trouble in serving out the biggest win of his career so far as he beat the defending champion in an emphatic fashion with a huge upset score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Even though I was aware of Wawrinka's ability to upset Andy in this event I would never have predicted the manner in which it happened and that Stan could beat Andy so convincingly. However it has to be said that in this tournament Andy just hasn't looked sharp and in fact he was quite rusty especially in his previous round against Istomin as well in his 2nd match with Mayer. Andy after the match also admitted that he felt he was still feeling the effects of a comedown from his Wimbledon triumph and that he has found it difficult to fire himself up 100% after working so hard to achieve his dream of winning his home slam. But I was still surprised at how quickly Andy gave up the ghost in this match and as usual his serve proved to be the culprit in letting him down, and if it wasn't for that just maybe it could be him in the semi finals just now.
However such as it is the credit fully deserves to go to Wawrinka for putting in a spectacular performance to sweep aside Andy in order to reach his first grand slam semi final. And next up Stan will face Nole for a place in the final and if the match is anything like their phenomenal match earlier this year in Melbourne, then I think we are in for a real treat. And can Stan pull off an upset? It certainly is possible as Nole hasn't really been tested yet and he hasn't looked as match sharp since the French Open, and Stan is in the form of his life right now. However I still think the outcome will be the same as no matter what Stan will throw at the World No.1, I think Nole will still come through, but I think hopefully it will be another epic match and for me it has to be Nole in five, however I could be wrong, but we'll wait and see.
As for Andy Murray its probably just as well he has lost at this stage as he has been struggling for form since the beginning of the hard court swing and a break from the tour before the Shanghai masters will do him good. However first up he will have the Davis cup GB world group play off with Croatia next week in an away tie as they will fight it out with Croatia to seal a place back in the world group. And hopefully with Andy they can win the tie, although it is on clay, which is Andy's weakest surface and the Croatian team will have home advantage so it won't be easy that's for sure, so we will see what happens next. But I'm sure Andy will soon bounce back from his defeat at the US Open and he will be back on form before long. Oh and another thing that is long overdue is a match with Rafa and Andy, as it has now been two years since they last played! When will it happen????? Who knows?? But I hope it isn't too long and maybe they could meet in the Shanghai or Paris masters, or failing that it will be at the ATP world tour finals but that will depend on what team they are drawn in.
Anyway that's all a way off yet, so in the meantime that's me for now and I will report back with the results of the men's and ladies semi finals and who will reach the final, and I'm sure no doubt they will be an absolute treat.
So I will leave it there.
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