The Tennis (ATP and WTA) Thread

[Master Xander]

Yeah, probably a little late in its creation, with the WTA done with its year-end tournament and the ATP year-end tournament underway, but here it is. A thread about tennis.

Anyone else who watches, or plays? Any favorite players? Discuss.

[scotpgot]

I LOVE tennis. I wish I could play. I do take lessons sporadically.

Roger Federer is a God among men.

[STEVE_HOLT]

I play recreationally, and I used to play competatively back in college. As far as favorite players and how often I watch? hmmm, I watch the tournies once they get past the first few rounds. I liked John Macenroe back in the day... also Michael Chang was always fun to watch. I rooted for Aggasi for a little while, but then he became a media whore and let his tennis slide, but got good again and I jumped back on the band wagon. I guess the one constant with me, is I've always been a fan of the underdogs and Malavia Washington comes to mind.

[scotpgot]

Wow.

1992 called. It wants its tennis players back. ;)

[LPU]

I thought Agassi started off as a media whore and grew into his tennis. Eh...

Where are the Maria Sharapova pics?

[scotpgot]

He was good, then became a long-haired media-whore, then dropped to something like 188 in the world, then shaved his head, married Steffi, then got good again.

[Warthawg1]

I really don't know how much discussion we will have, but yay.

I'm an avid tennis player, and I play in both USTA, and ALTA leagues (The two largest amateur tennis organizations in the country). I encourage you to keep trying. It's not that hard to learn to play at a decently competitive level. Just takes practice. Organizations like the USTA and ALTA offer many levels of play, from beginners all the way up to almost pros.

I'm actually not the biggest fan of the current mens product. Racquet technology has changed to where good players are now deemed great. There is almost too much power in the mens game, with most matches on hard courts coming down to which player will screw up one single service game.
I find that the most fun tennis to watch is often played on clay, because it negates the huge power and really makes strategy come to the forefront. Now don't get me wrong... I love mens tennis, just not as much as I did before racquet technology gave just about all pro men the ability to crank out 125+ mph serves. I enjoy mens tennis more on clay, and I really enjoy womens tennis as well. Womens tennis has really cranked up the power game as well, but not to the degree of the mens game. I can learn things from watching the womens game, but not so much from watching players like Roddick and Federer.

As far as Mr. Federer goes.... he is a freaking machine. His last Open match with Roddick really showed a lot. Andy played the very best he could (not always the case when he's faced Federer), and he still couldn't beat him. If you really want to understand what I mean about the power game, go watch a top mens player in person. Television doesn't come close to doing it justice.
You really can't pick up on just what a tennis ball coming at you at 130mph actually looks like until you've seen it in person. I serve the ball really hard, and I might hit my best hard flat serve in the low 100's. These guys bring it at you at 130-140, with sharp movement. It's mind boggling.

[STEVE_HOLT]

Wow.

1992 called. It wants its tennis players back. ;)

Oh this wasn't the "what got you interested in playing tennis thread"? My bad.

I'll keep this post time-sensitive then, and say, in a concise manner why I enjoy watching tennis now. 2 words: Maria Sharapova.

[Warthawg1]

Wow.

1992 called. It wants its tennis players back. ;)

That's funny.

I thought Agassi started off as a media whore and grew into his tennis. Eh...

Where are the Maria Sharapova pics?

Another reason to like womens tennis :Cheers:

He was good, then became a long-haired media-whore, then dropped to something like 188 in the world, then shaved his head, married Steffi, then got good again.

I hated young Agassi. Old shaved head Agassi was a class act.

[scotpgot]

Sorry, STEVE, I'm in snark mode today. It's that damn game being over. ;)

As far as technology goes, I see what you're saying. The one year I was in Jersey I deeply regret not going to Flushing in August.

That Federer/Roddick match was classic, CLASSIC. And I remember the debates the next day: Imagine yourself Roddick. You've played you're VERY BEST against the VERY BEST player in the world. Ya gotta feel good about that.

But you still lost.

And technology just isn't racquet technology. Compare the physical specimens of Roddick/Federer and others versus McEnroe, Connors, Lendl. I really do believe that Federer v. McEnroe using the same technology, at their primes, Federer's got it in straight sets.

Now - Federer v. Sampras? Who knows...


ETA: I wonder how many of those names I spelled right...

[Warthawg1]

It's really impossible to know who would win from different era's... It's such a different game. The main difference for me between the McEnroe era, and now is personalities.

McEnroe, Lendl, Connors, Borg... these guys had huge personalities that went beyond just the game. As great as Federer is, it's hard for me to really root for him... it's like rooting for a computer program. There was something more personal involved back then.

[scotpgot]

I respectfully disagree. I think Federer lets his game do the talking. And I *like* that. I suppose you're right, though, they took it more personally back then. But that's the same for EVERY SPORT ON THE PLANET.

If you can still make 3/4 of a million dollars with SECOND place, you're just not gonna take it that personally.

But back to Federer, to me he has a "I'm here to take care of business and not care about any of that other b.s." personality. I admire that.

[LPU]

You rooted for Deep Blue, didn't you?

[Master Xander]

Federer is like a machine, so I'm enjoying the few losses he's had this year. I wonder if it's fatigue... then again, if you're looking at fatigue, look at Djokovic's performance in Shanghai. Two straight-set losses against two players ranked below him... and his last match is against Nadal.

Sharapova needs a little more consistency, but she's talented enough.

[Warthawg1]

I respectfully disagree. I think Federer lets his game do the talking. And I *like* that. I suppose you're right, though, they took it more personally back then. But that's the same for EVERY SPORT ON THE PLANET.

If you can still make 3/4 of a million dollars with SECOND place, you're just not gonna take it that personally.

But back to Federer, to me he has a "I'm here to take care of business and not care about any of that other b.s." personality. I admire that.

I think you totally misunderstood what I meant.

What I meant was comparing the game back then, versus the game now as a spectator. Back in the McEnroe era, I really loved some of the men players, and really hated some of the men players... mainly because of their over the top personalities. I don't feel as strongly about a lot of the men players these days, because they don't seem to have those same over the top personalities that really get me riled up one way or another.

But now you did bring up an interesting subject, and one I do disagree with...

Not the point I was making earlier, but since you bring it up... yeah, I DO think it was a more personal thing between the players back then as well. There are very few rivalries these days where the players genuinely don't like one another.

[Master Xander]

Yeah, everyone seems so nice these days, and nice to each other, too. Not that it's a bad thing. Heh.

What's sad is the press trying to drum up a rivalry, then at the next press conference, the two players have nothing but positive words for each other.

[ozanna]

Master Xander - thanks so much for starting this thread. Tennis is not so far away, its only a little over 2 months until the Oz Open starts here in Melbourne - my favourite time of the year !

Federer is a machine but a very likeable one - I remember the year he was beaten by Roddick at the Kooyong Open (one of the warmups for the Oz Open) and I cheered the house down. I love Roddick but I don't know if he'll ever beat Federer again. The best match I ever saw was Roddick playing Younes el aynoui at the 2003 Oz Open - it went until 2.00 a.m. and the final set score was l8-l6 (I think) to Roddick and it was a hot night and they literally fell into each others arms at the end.

Pat Rafter was one of the good guys, I think he won the US Open twice. Unfortunately he retired before he won the Oz Open, but at least now we get to see him on TV advertising underwear ! Leyton Hewitt is a spoilt brat with a bad attitude (and thats coming from an Aussie !)

[scotpgot]

You rooted for Deep Blue, didn't you?I DID! And when the robot revolution comes, I'll be ready... :D

I think you totally misunderstood what I meant.

What I meant was comparing the game back then, versus the game now as a spectator. Back in the McEnroe era, I really loved some of the men players, and really hated some of the men players... mainly because of their over the top personalities. I don't feel as strongly about a lot of the men players these days, because they don't seem to have those same over the top personalities that really get me riled up one way or another.

But now you did bring up an interesting subject, and one I do disagree with...

Not the point I was making earlier, but since you bring it up... yeah, I DO think it was a more personal thing between the players back then as well. There are very few rivalries these days where the players genuinely don't like one another.

Ah, yes. I did completely misunderstand. But I STILL blame money. If you're a bad guy, you're not gonna get the ads. And the top "personalities" (weak as they may be) bring in as much or more income from their whoring as they do from their play. It doesn't pay to be the guy nobody likes.

And you're totally right - Borg, McEnroe, Connors, and to a lesser extent (IMO) Lendl and Becker (who IIRC were "bad guys")...nobody's ever gonna be able to compete with their personalities these days. Wonder why that is...

[island_maverick]

You really can't pick up on just what a tennis ball coming at you at 130mph actually looks like until you've seen it in person. I serve the ball really hard, and I might hit my best hard flat serve in the low 100's. These guys bring it at you at 130-140, with sharp movement. It's mind boggling.It is fascinating how fast the pro circuit can serve at. At my friend's tennis club a while back they had a charity day where they offered the use of a speed measuring device for a donation.

I was still recovering from a broken wrist so was unable to have a go, but my friend lined up and sent down three serves in the 105-110 region. He's one of the fastest servers I've played against. To think that there are a huge number of pros out there serving in excess of 130 is, indeed, mind boggling.

Still, I'm somewhat ambivalent about the technology aspect. I can't decide if it is a chicken and egg thing. I have an idea that there are characters out there, desperate to play at the top, but don't quite have the talent to break through in today's ultra competitive environment.

Is the technology affecting this in some way, is it allowing less acutely talented players to shine and therefore swamps the pool of pros with more technology-reliant average joes? I always assume that there will only ever be a certain number of characters per generation, and prior to technology the ratio always meant at least one or two got through to the top level.

Also, in a general sense (technology issue aside), I wonder if the demands of the current game requires a level of training and professionalism that now precludes the type of people who would be 'characters'.

[King of Snake]

Federer is a machine and IMHO the best player ever. However, until he wins The French Open, most people wont recognise him as the best. At the moment, it seems like his powers are on the wane. He better watch out,because Andy Murray is only gonna get better. I think he's gonna be a top 3 player in the very near future

[Master Xander]

Federer is a machine and IMHO the best player ever. However, until he wins The French Open, most people wont recognise him as the best.

But Sampras never won the French Open either, and Federer has at least reached the Finals. Pete's best performance at the French was the semis.

[King of Snake]

But Sampras never won the French Open either, and Federer has at least reached the Finals. Pete's best performance at the French was the semis.

Ah, but the same has been said about Sampras. That's why a lot of people recoginse Laver or Borg as the best

[scotpgot]

It is fascinating how fast the pro circuit can serve at. At my friend's tennis club a while back they had a charity day where they offered the use of a speed measuring device for a donation.

I was still recovering from a broken wrist so was unable to have a go, but my friend lined up and sent down three serves in the 105-110 region. He's one of the fastest servers I've played against. To think that there are a huge number of pros out there serving in excess of 130 is, indeed, mind boggling.

Still, I'm somewhat ambivalent about the technology aspect. I can't decide if it is a chicken and egg thing. I have an idea that there are characters out there, desperate to play at the top, but don't quite have the talent to break through in today's ultra competitive environment.

Is the technology affecting this in some way, is it allowing less acutely talented players to shine and therefore swamps the pool of pros with more technology-reliant average joes? I always assume that there will only ever be a certain number of characters per generation, and prior to technology the ratio always meant at least one or two got through to the top level.

Also, in a general sense (technology issue aside), I wonder if the demands of the current game requires a level of training and professionalism that now precludes the type of people who would be 'characters'.

When I was in Jersey I took a few tennis lessons from a guy who, apparently, used to be semi-pro. He encouraged me to go watch the qualifying round for the U.S. Open. He said (and I have no way of knowing for sure) that the difference between a top 10 player and a top 100 player is almost exclusively mental.

[Master Xander]

As an aside, I used to take tennis lessons. My forehand was either too weak or just uncoordinated, my backhand was too strong, and my serve was non-existent. My volleys kicked ass, though.

[Warthawg1]

Still, I'm somewhat ambivalent about the technology aspect. I can't decide if it is a chicken and egg thing. I have an idea that there are characters out there, desperate to play at the top, but don't quite have the talent to break through in today's ultra competitive environment.

Is the technology affecting this in some way, is it allowing less acutely talented players to shine and therefore swamps the pool of pros with more technology-reliant average joes? I always assume that there will only ever be a certain number of characters per generation, and prior to technology the ratio always meant at least one or two got through to the top level.

Also, in a general sense (technology issue aside), I wonder if the demands of the current game requires a level of training and professionalism that now precludes the type of people who would be 'characters'.

When I spoke of technology, I didn't mean to say that it has allowed average tennis players who in past years wouldn't be able to cut it to all of sudden now be top pro players. I was referring specifically to what technology has done to the mens game, especially on surfaces other than clay. Service speeds are so high now, (yes..due to the racquets moreso than strength) that the top men rarely lose a game where they are serving. As soon as that first serve cranked up at 140mph lands in, the receiver is back on his heels and at a serious disadvantage. The server has always had some sort of advantage over the receiver, but these days that advantage is greater than it was back in McEnroe's era.

Back in the day of wooden and aluminum racquets, no amount of strength would enable anyone to serve that hard, and servers won a lower percentage of games. In short.. people broke the opponents serve more often, and matches tended to go back and forth with momentum changes based on strategies. Looking at matches between people like Federer and Roddick, they lose their service games rarely. As soon as a player does end up losing a single service game, then it's usually set over at that point. At least moreso than it was when lets say McEnroe lost a single service game to Borg.

[scotpgot]

I think it's definitely a combination of racquet technology and stronger/faster athletes. If you put wood/aluminum racquets in THESE guys' hands, the points would last friggin' for EVER. They'd be getting to every ball.

[Master Xander]

Yeah, watching these guys scrambling for every possible shot... it's wonderful.

[Master Xander]

A little late (heck, we're on Week Two), but the Australian Open is now winding down...

Here are the semifinal match-ups.

Men's Singles
1-Roger Federer, Switzerland vs. 3-Novak Djokovic, Serbia
2-Rafael Nadal, Spain vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France

Women's Singles
5-Maria Sharapova, Russia vs. 3-Jelena Jankovic, Serbia
4-Ana Ivanovic, Serbia vs. 9-Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia

[LPU]

Four uber-hotties in the women's semis.

[King of Snake]

Ah, I was just thinking about bumping this thread.

After an excellent start to the year, I was expecting great things from Britains only decent player, Andy Murray. Needless to say, I was bitterly disappointed to see him knocked out in the 1st round. I do, however, take solice in the fact that his conquerer, Jo-Wilfied Tsonga, has made it to the semi's.

As for the tournament, I just cant' see past Federer. He's too good on this surface

[Master Xander]

I was just thinking the same about Andy Murray. I was worried he'd be a victim of losing against a guy who gets beaten by another no-name in the next round, but Tsonga has really come into his own in this tournament. If he manages to upset Nadal...

...well, we'd probably be up for an even more lopsided men's final. :p You're right, Federer is just too strong. I think Djokovic can put up a fight but he'll ultimately fall short.

Oh, and women's semis results:
Maria Sharapova (5) def. Jelena Jankovic (3), 6-3, 6-1
Ana Ivanovic (4) def. Daniela Hantuchova (9), 0-6, 6-3, 6-4

So it's Sharapova vs. Ivanovic in the women's final.

[King of Snake]

Well, young Tsonga has just finished giving Nadal the spanking of his life (6-2, 6-3, 6-2) to reach the final. I'm glad it's not Nadal there, because we all know Nadal can only beat Federer on clay.

As much as I love Federer, I'm hoping that Tsonga will win, as it would be nice to have someone else win a major

[Master Xander]

But first Federer has to get past Djokovic. :p

[Lawboy]

Oh, and women's semis results:
Maria Sharapova (5) def. Jelena Jankovic (3), 6-3, 6-1
Ana Ivanovic (4) def. Daniela Hantuchova (9), 0-6, 6-3, 6-4

So it's Sharapova vs. Ivanovic in the women's final.

Two hotties, although I personally prefer Hantuchova to Ivanvic. But either way, it is tennis eye candy.

[Master Xander]

Y'know, after the Anna Kournikova debacle, it's nice to know that the pretty young things are good tennis players, too. :p

[Master Xander]

Touche.

I was going to complain about the lack of skin in the men's game, until I remembered Nadal and Moya's sleeveless shirts.

[Master Xander]

I'm not a leg man myself.... more of an arms guy. ;)

[ozanna]

I always look forward to the Oz Open - its only a hop, skip and a jump from my home ! And this year has sure been an eye opener ! Tsonga last night was brilliant - Nadal just looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him ! It was good to see Tsonga held off his jubilation until Raffa had left the court - and then he exploded ! It wouldn't surprise me if Djokovic beat Federer - he certainly didn't have much trouble with lil' Leyton ! OK I'm a very unpatriotic Aussie because I really don't like Leyton Hewitt !

I was laughing at memories of Anna Kornikova, and how many times she served balls that didn't even make it over the net - happy days !

[Master Xander]

What's funny is that Elena Dementieva probably has a more pathetic serve, but she still has a better over-all game so she can still win matches and challenge for titles.

Oh, and tatgrrl24, I suddenly remember that old ATP ad campaign... New Balls Please.

[ozanna]

What's funny is that Elena Dementieva probably has a more pathetic serve, but she still has a better over-all game so she can still win matches and challenge for titles.

Oh, and tatgrrl24, I suddenly remember that old ATP ad campaign... New Balls Please.

When I was watching a Serena game last week she was standing waiting to serve and the little sign came up beside her "New Balls" ! No comment !

[King of Snake]

Well can you Adam & Eve it? Djokovic has just beaten Federer in straight set, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) to reach the final. Not fot the first time, I was wrong.

What's that whistling? It sound like the winds of change

[LPU]

He isn't going to win every match, but he's young enough that he still has a few years of dominance left in him, m'thinks.

[King of Snake]

He isn't going to win every match, but he's young enough that he still has a few years of dominance left in him, m'thinks.

I get the impression that onces he's broken the record for Grand Slam wins, and if he finally gets a French Open under his belt, he will pack it in.

[Master Xander]

I find it funny (in an ironic way) that, after all that hubbub starting late last year that this is the year of the Golden Slam (winning all four Grand Slam tournaments plus the Olympic gold medal) for both Federer and Henin, that neither player even made it to the Final of the first Grand Slam of the year.

I guess that takes the pressure off them for the next three Slams and the Olympics, but still, that's gotta sting.

Oh, and Maria Sharapova beat Ana Ivanovic to take the women's singles title.

[Master Xander]

...and Djokovic has won his first Grand Slam tournament. :)

[LuLuLemon]

Am I the only one that watches Tennis? I hope not. I really want to watch a match tonight, but I don't think it is airing here. It makes me so mad! They are actually playing in the same state I am in, too! The coverage of this Open sucks. Roger Federer is only #1 in the world. No need to show his match. BOOOO!!!

Thanks for moving this. I couldn't find a tennis thread.

[scotpgot]

You are not.

I myself, LOVE tennis but rarely get the chance to watch. :(

For now, I'll merge this with the Tennis thread (which admittedly was a little buried). :D

[LuLuLemon]

You are not.

I myself, LOVE tennis but rarely get the chance to watch. :(

For now, I'll merge this with the Tennis thread (which admittedly was a little buried). :D

Thanks! It didn't even come up when I searched! Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones that have it on tv tonight.:)

[LuLuLemon]

I am glad that Roger is better. I hope he wins this one or at least final two.

[King of Snake]

Na, Andy Murray has got this one in the bag

[island_maverick]

Na, Andy Murray's Mum is an old bagfixed it for you.

Er, yeah. Andy's gonna win.

[LuLuLemon]

Andy's out!

[island_maverick]

That's what I predicted.

Ahem.

[LuLuLemon]

Roger in!

[LuLuLemon]

Haas left because of a sinus infection. Tomorrow will be exciting!

[Tater]

I was watching Sportscenter and they were showing Serena Williams highlights... whoever was calling it slipped up and referred to her as "his first win of the year" :rotfl:

[TheBigCat]

Someone needs new glasses badly. ;)

[ozanna]

I was watching Sportscenter and they were showing Serena Williams highlights... whoever was calling it slipped up and referred to her as "his first win of the year" :rotfl:

That little"New Balls" sign that popped up beside her in the OZ Open must have been true then ! :D

[scotpgot]

The French started this week. Will this be Federer's year???

(Doubt it). :D

[strandediniowa]

The French started this week. Will this be Federer's year???

(Doubt it). :D

I doubt it as well. Even in his best years he has been unable to get there - and Nadal is looking as tough as ever on the red clay. I have been trying to watch us much as possible but there have been so many rain delays that I turn the tv on and am watching a match that I have already seen.

Good news for Americans today is that Robby Ginepri (can't remember how to spell that) won, bad news is that James Blake was dismissed. I will miss watching him.

Rafa has got to be the favorite for the men, but I think the womens' bracket looks more wide open.

[LuLuLemon]

I'm hoping for a miracle for Federer. haha

[Master Xander]

Wimbledon's first week is done.

Wow, quite a string of upsets there.

Though it really just seems to be paving the way for a Federer-Nadal Men's Final, and a Williams-Williams Ladies' Final.

[strandediniowa]

I think I've watched every match possible. It started with Nalbandian, and just went from there. The American men disappoint again, the women doing better than at the French at least. I am kind of bored with Federer and Nadal, but if they are the two that get to the final it will be interesting to see how Rafa's improved grass game measures up. He has had some problems thus far compared to Federer. My least favorite player in the mens' draw continues to be Andy Murray. I hope he loses soon.

[island_maverick]

Ha. I don't know if you're from the UK, strandediniowa, but Andy Murray is hardly getting a great press. Sure, as his performances continue to grow he is beginning to get a slightly better press but initially it has often been about his sour attitude and 'hatred' of the English (comments attributed to him before Wimbledon).

As for Nadal-Federer...hmm..I kinda see your point about being bored of them. But in a way, on grass, we're seeing different aspects of their respective games (well, certainly Nadal anyway) and if they do come head to head then it will be faster and less chess-like compared to the clay court matches they've traded in the past.

[strandediniowa]

Not from the UK, Mav, I'm from Iowa (go figure). I have never liked Andy Murray specifically because of his sour attitude. He has always presented to me as a hang-dog, mopey guy. He has beefed up physically and is playing better, but I still hope he loses next round. (must check to see who he plays next)

I agree that if it comes down to Federer and Nadal that it should be a different match this year- I would love to see it go five sets. I can't say that I would have a favorite though. I do think that he will win Wimbledon before Roger wins the French. The womens' draw continues to be interesting. The match tomorrow between Serena and the newer US girl will be fun - I imagine Serena will kill her. I'm going to try to watch the Williams sisters play their doubles match too - I imagine that they'll lose soon but I like watching them play. They're pretty intense about their doubles.

[LuLuLemon]

Rafa should even out his muscles and lift some weights with his right arm. It's all I look at. And him picking out wedgies every serve.

[strandediniowa]

LOL that is one of his more distinctive mannerisms . . .

[Master Xander]

It's still looking like Federer-Nadal for the Men's Final, as they both won in straight-sets, Federer beating Hewitt and Nadal beating Youzhny.

Andy Murray dropped the first two sets against Richard Gasquet.

Tipsarevic - who beat Roddick - lost to Schuettler.

Safin took the first two sets against Wawrinka.

Among the women, it's really looking more like a Venus-Serena final. Jankovic lost to Tamarine Tanasugarn (she's still playing? really? and where's Paradorn Srichipan?)... which means the highest seed remaining is Elena Dementieva (seeded 5th).

Oh, and Jie Zheng, who upset Ivanovic, is through to the quarters.

[strandediniowa]

And Andy Murray pulled it out. *sigh* He did show some heart today and darn near broke out a smile.

I love that Rainer Schuettler is still in the tournament. Who would have thought he and Arnold Clement would be playing in the quarters?

The Williams' sisters look incredibly tough in both singles and doubles.

I think it's been a fun tournament thus far - lot of upsets, and hardly any rain delays.

[Master Xander]

Yeah, it's been quite an unpredictable tournament, though the likely finalists do seem predictable at this point. Still, it'd be fun if, say, Safin made it all the way to the Final.

[strandediniowa]

Marat has not played this well in a long time - it's nice to see him do well and not let his mind or temper get in the way. I think he only threw his racket once in his last match! I would love to see him move forward - anyone but Murray at this point.

[Master Xander]

I've always been a Safin fan, both because of and despite his temper. He's very inconsistent; when he's in-form, he's brilliant, but when he's off, he's off.

[Master Xander]

Here are the upcoming quarterfinals matches:

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Mario Ancic CRO
I'm picking Federer in 3, though Ancic may take a set.

Marat Safin RUS vs. Feliciano Lopez ESP (31)
This is a tough one. Lopez in 5.

Rainer Schuettler GER vs. Arnaud Clement FRA
An unseeded semifinalist is guaranteed. Schuettler in 4.

Andy Murray GBR (12) vs. Rafael Nadal ESP (2)
Nadal in 4.

...and these are the women's matches:

Jie Zheng CHN vs. Nicole Vaidisova CZE (18)
Vaidisova in 2.

Agnieszka Radwanska POL (14) vs. Serena Williams USA (6)
Williams in 2.

Elena Dementieva RUS (5) vs. Nadia Petrova RUS (21)
Dementieva in 3.

Venus Williams USA (7) vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn THA
Williams in 2.

I stand by my Federer-Nadal and Williams-Williams finals.

[vincentstuntdbl#23]

I haven't followed tennis much in years. It always seems that the biggest names are the ones I hate the most. So a Williams sister finale would be must miss TV for me.

*longs for the days of Evert/Navratilova*

[strandediniowa]

Those look like pretty good picks to me - although I would like to see Safin win, it doesn't seem likely. Who are you picking between Roger and Rafa? I will pick Roger in five sets. . .

[TheBigCat]

It always seems that the biggest names are the ones I hate the most.

Yeah....I still hate McEnroe.

[Master Xander]

I'm going for Federer in 5 as well.

In an all-Williams situation... I couldn't care less who won, but my guess is it's gonna be a lopsided two-set blowout that impresses nobody.

[Master Xander]

Jie Zheng CHN vs. Nicole Vaidisova CZE (18)
Vaidisova in 2.

Agnieszka Radwanska POL (14) vs. Serena Williams USA (6)
Williams in 2.

Elena Dementieva RUS (5) vs. Nadia Petrova RUS (21)
Dementieva in 3.

Venus Williams USA (7) vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn THA
Williams in 2.

I stand by my Federer-Nadal and Williams-Williams finals.

No big surprises... amazingly, I got three out of four correct, including Dementieva winning in three sets. I didn't expect Jie Zheng to win, though... She beat Vaidisova in three sets.

So for the semis:

Jie Zheng CHN vs. Serena Williams USA (6)
Elena Dementieva RUS (5) vs. Venus Williams USA (7)

For someone with a crappy serve, Dementieva's been doing well. Anyhoo, both Williams sisters will win in straight sets. Sigh. Despite the upsets, this is still becoming a boring draw. I'm hoping for a Jie Zheng upset now.

[vincentstuntdbl#23]

I didn't care much one way or other for McEnro.
Here's a quik list of one's I couldn't stand:
Williams sisters, Stefi Graf, Sampras, Lendl.

[strandediniowa]

Lots of different opinions in here! :)

I always adored McEnroe, but also never really cared for Sampras. He was a great player but I found him to be boring.

I am enjoying seeing the Williams sisters play well again. I liked them when they first arrived, then got a little bored with them winning everything. They must have been bored by that too because they then went through the strange period of odd clothes and not much good play. I am happy to see them looking business-like again, and taking the tennis seriously.

The men's matches tomorrow should be great - wish I could stay home to watch them live!

[vincentstuntdbl#23]

I used to luv watching Navratilova play. She'd always come up and play the net. Fun stuff.

[TheBigCat]

I didn't care much one way or other for McEnro.
Here's a quik list of one's I couldn't stand:
Williams sisters, Stefi Graf, Sampras, Lendl.

Ever see the commercial where the dude is getting his butt whipped on the tennis court by a 5 year old and when the little tyke's parents come to pick him up it's Andre and Steffi?

Nadal bores me to death. Makes me wish they would lay some asphault down at Roland Garros.

[strandediniowa]

Ever see the commercial where the dude is getting his butt whipped on the tennis court by a 5 year old and when the little tyke's parents come to pick him up it's Andre and Steffi?

Nadal bores me to death. Makes me wish they would lay some asphault down at Roland Garros.

That's a great commercial. Cute kid, cute concept. The dude is Taylor Dent I think . . . what has happened to him?

I'm actually pretty bored by both Rafa and Roger. I would like to see someone else get through, but I don't think that's very likely. Rainer S. would be my favorite - now that would be a shocker. I think I just like saying his very German name out loud.

[strandediniowa]

My man Rainer Schuettler beats Arnold Clement! YAY!

The men's matches weren't huge surprises yesterday. I was happy to see Murray soundly spanked, and happy to see Safin continue to play well and not let his head get in the way of his game.

Venus is currently playing Dementieva - who screeches like a banchee periodically. First set was 6-1 Venus, but Elena giving her a better fight in the second.

ETA: premature post!!!! I thought I saw final score between Schuettler and Clement. They're still in the fourth. Nevermind.

Venus trying to choke in the second set tiebreaker. Dementieva may get her to a third.

[strandediniowa]

Okay - Venus pulled it together and won in two sets. Maybe they'll show some of the men's match before Serena starts.

[strandediniowa]

Dang - rain again. Clement and Schuettler tied up at 2 sets each. I haven't paid enough attention to know if they think the rain will end soon. Will check back later . . .

[Master Xander]

Nice to see Safin continue his winning ways. Safin-Federer should be interesting, if Safin keeps his form (and his cool).

Still hoping for a Jie Zheng upset, but whatever. I'm resigned to an all-Williams final and - shocker - I don't care.

[strandediniowa]

Zheng gave it a great fight in the second set - but we are now on for Venus v. Serena on Saturday morning. I'll watch it but have not prediction. Poor Clement and Schuettler still aren't done as far as I can tell . . .

[Master Xander]

I say Serena in two highly disappointing sets.

So it's Federer-Safin and Nadal-Schuettler. I'm picking Federer in 4 and Nadal in 3, though I'm hoping Safin has the mental and psychological fortitude to beat Federer.

[strandediniowa]

Hmmm. . . I just don't know what will happen with Williams sisters. They have played some great matches and I hope they do again, because I'll be watching regardless. I'll call three sets and Venus just to play foiler.

I would love to see a Safin-Schuettler final. I am afraid that Nadal will blow my German guy off the court, but I think Safin has a legitimate chance at Federer. Relying on his mental fortitude is always risky, but he seems to have it together and it would be great to see Federer lose. Not that I don't like him, but I'd like to see the upset.

My main hope is for no more rain delays.

[Master Xander]

I'm honestly hoping for one upset on the men's side, and just because I fear Federer would dominate Schuettler, I'm hoping it's Safin over Federer.

If it's a Federer-Nadal final, I'd love to see Nadal win, if only to see what the press will say about that. ;)

[TheBigCat]

Heck, I'd just like to see Nadal win on something besides clay.

[Master Xander]

He did win that grass court tournament a couple of weeks ago. (Queens Club, I think?).

[TheBigCat]

Yeah, but nobody saw it.

[LuLuLemon]

Federer's been upset enough this year. I want to see him win again. Plus I really want him to break that grand slam record. After that, upset him all you want.

[strandediniowa]

Yeah, but nobody saw it.

*I saw it*

Point taken that it was not a major tournament, but it was one of the major warm-ups leading to Wimbledon. Clearly Rafa's grass game has improved, and Federer is more vulnerable than he has been in years. This should give us a competitive match at least. I want to see them work their butts off for the title.

TV coverage is confusing me this morning. I woke up expecting to see the Nadal-Schuettler match on ESPN2, instead I find rerun of women's matches. I guess Safin and Federer are already playing but they won't broadcast the match til this afternoon on NBC. I think the Nadal match is next on ESPN2??

[Master Xander]

Federer beat Safin in straight sets. Phooey. :(

Nadal and Schuettler are up.

[strandediniowa]

Dang - I had some hope for Safin.

Schuettler a mess in the first set - but breaks Rafa in the second! Felt this merited a posting as it may be Rainer's high point in the match. I've got to run to store, hopefully they'll still be playing when I get back.

[LuLuLemon]

I woke up to watch, too! grrrr

[Master Xander]

Well, I'm rooting for Rafa to win, only because a Federer-Nadal match should be more exciting, at least.

[strandediniowa]

Well, I'm rooting for Rafa to win, only because a Federer-Nadal match should be more exciting, at least.

Schuettler is at least making this competitive! But I have to agree at this point that the best match will be Federer-Nadal. If by some miracle Schuettler beats Rafa he'll be too exhausted to do anything much against Roger.

[Master Xander]

So Nadal beats Schuettler in straight sets.

As expected, it's Williams-Williams and Federer-Nadal. At least the latter should be interesting...

[strandediniowa]

Venus beats Serena in two hard-fought sets. I enjoyed the match enough to keep me inside so far on a beautiful day - they are both amazing players. I wasn't at all bored by the two of them playing each other. I don't think anyone can credibly argue that each did not try their hardest to win. I hope they can win the doubles this afternoon - but I'll have to watch the replay on that one.

[vincentstuntdbl#23]

Venus wins over Serena. :whoopdeedo:

[strandediniowa]

Venus wins over Serena. :whoopdeedo:

:thwak: I LIKED IT!!!! :)

[strandediniowa]

Wimbledon Finals - Wow! I watched the first two sets then had to leave for awhile right when the first rain delay hit. I get home and Federer has come back and they are tied at two sets each. Sounds like Rafa had a couple of championship points in the fourth but coughed it up.

I'm all set to watch a great fifth set, and now another rain delay at 2-2 in the fifth. I can't imagine that either player is thrilled about it, but I think it works more to Rafa's advantage as Federer has momentum on his side. I really hope they get this match in tonight . . .

And no tie-breaker in the fifth at Wimbledon - we could still have a spectacular ending.

[Master Xander]

Looks like we called the five-setter, though the winner is still up for grabs (erm).

[Tater]

I've been pulling for Nadal all the way...

...but after the way he choked away 4th set I somehow doubt he'll be able to win it now.

[King of Snake]

They had better finish it tonight. Then again, looking out my window, it seems pretty dark

[strandediniowa]

They had better finish it tonight. Then again, looking out my window, it seems pretty dark

Keep us posted on the weather reports!!

[Tater]

Well it's about damned time! WTG NADAL! :celebrate

[strandediniowa]

What a spectacular match! I wish it would have gone on longer - they both showed great talent and a lot of class.

I guess we can now end the conversation about whether Roger will win on clay first or Rafa wins on grass first. . .

The Olympics are next "major", and then on to the Open. Hopefully the rain will stay away there (for the most part) too.

[scotpgot]

Will Federer still be number one, then?

[strandediniowa]

No I think that gives Rafa the #1 ranking. Could be wrong . . . but I thought that's what I had heard earlier. It would make sense that he now is top-ranked with his record this year, but the rankings don't always make sense.

ETA: Rafa just said Roger is still number one, but I don't know whether he was speaking figuratively or not.

[Tater]

Is this 2008 or 1908? Can someone please explain to me why they don't have lights at Wimbeldon? I bet it's some stupid tradition... :rolleyez:

[LuLuLemon]

OMG I really wanted Roger to win. He definitely didn't make it easy, though. I can't even hate Rafa cause he's so humble. Geez. I think Roger is still #1 for now. I think earlier they said if he doesn't win this, then he is on his way to losing the ranking.

[Leia Amos]

Wow :swoon: ...I was supposed to be cleaning and stuff today, but I turned on the tv and got engrossed in mah Wimbledon as usual. What an awesome final! They both played their hearts out, almost literally. When Federer teared up, so did I. Haveta say I was rooting for Nadal though and when he fell, lol, great. :D

[Master Xander]

That should stop all the naysayers from harping on about how Nadal only wins on clay. Kudos!

[King of Snake]

I really wanted Federer to win, but credit to Rafa, he deserved it in the end

[TheBigCat]

That should stop all the naysayers from harping on about how Nadal only wins on clay. Kudos!

Those weren't technically naysayers, Xan. They were merely people stating fact. Now that it's no longer a fact they should stop saying it, right?

[Master Xander]

I'm interested to read how various pundits will "spin" this win. We'll probably get a lot of articles about how Federer's reign at Number One is under threat, and more pressure on Federer to win the French. Tsk.

[LuLuLemon]

What the hell was with McEnroe trying to hug Federer and saying "thank you" to him. That was all kinds of awkward.

[strandediniowa]

I'm interested to read how various pundits will "spin" this win. We'll probably get a lot of articles about how Federer's reign at Number One is under threat, and more pressure on Federer to win the French. Tsk.

Pundits have to keep themselves in business somehow. The next few months should be interesting. Federer has been one of the game's greatest, but I like the fact that others are now playing at a level where he can be challenged. I have much respect for Federer, but as I've said before, get bored with him winning everything.

What the hell was with McEnroe trying to hug Federer and saying "thank you" to him. That was all kinds of awkward.

John gets a bit, um, emotional at times. ;)

[Zaphod of Whiskers]

McEnroe emotional?!? Never......

Great matchup. I was rooting for Federer but Nadal stepped it up fantastically. This was great tennis. I am inspired to bust out my racket now and my awe-inspiring 42 mph serve.

[Master Xander]

So... another tournament, another upset loss for Federer.

[strandediniowa]

And Roddick is out early as well. Blake had a nice three-set win. He was favored according to the seeds, but he has not lived up to his seeds lately. I need to look at the brackets to see if Nadal and Djokovic are in the same half of the draw - but if they aren't that could easily be our final. If so, it could be a great semi-final match.

[Master Xander]

Cillic and Simon - who beat Roddick and Federer, respectively - are gonna meet in the next round. Should be intriguing, at least.

Djokovic gets tested by Murray next.

[strandediniowa]

And as usual I'll have to cheer against the young Scot. I'll admit he's playing well lately, and is not quite so pouty about things - but I just don't care for him.

[Master Xander]

I'm standing by my man Novak as well.

[LuLuLemon]

I didn't even know this tournament was going on and Roger had already lost. Poor guy. #1 will most likely be Nadal's after this tournament, huh?

[strandediniowa]

I have given up trying to figure out the rankings however it does seem that this tournament should put Rafa in the number one slot. Thank goodness he beat Murray yesterday. Wouldn't it be fun if Nicholas Kiefer (sorry too lazy to look up how to spell that correctly) beat Rafa in the final today? I fear that it won't be much a match to watch. . . but I'll watch the replay tonight anyway.

Marat's sister continues to play better than ever - she will face the tenth seed (Peretta??) in the final of the East-West Bank Classic today.

Does anyone know how the US determines who will play tennis on the Olympic squad?

[strandediniowa]

I just turned on the Tennis Channel to watch what I thought would be a replay of the men's final, only to find the doubles final! Dang. So I looked up the score and see that Nadal had an easy time with Kiefer. No big surprise there. I am still hoping to catch the ladies' match later this evening.

I'd still like to know about the Olympics squad if anyone has a clue!

[scotpgot]

I know they have trouble getting people to play. McEnroe goes on and on and on and on and on about it...

[strandediniowa]

John has the ability to go and on about just about anything - but I have missed those discussions. I knew that Roddick had opted out but at this point that doesn't seem like a great loss - I like him but he has been so disappointing lately. I'll have to go search around to see what I can find. Mardy Fish was playing well earlier this year, and I haven't heard about James Blake. Hopefully the Bryan brothers will play doubles.

There doesn't seem to be much interest in the Olympics on the board, maybe that will change once the games start. I enjoy watching them and will be distressed if the US can't field a decent tennis team.

[Master Xander]

It doesn't look like Nadal took #1 with his victory, else it'd be top news. But he's definitely gunning for it. With the year he's having, he probably deserves it.

[TheBigCat]

It doesn't look like Nadal took #1 with his victory

How can he not have? He's won 5 straight tournaments, beating Federer in the finals of three of them.

Um...when is the US Open?

[Master Xander]

Don't ask me about the rankings... they confuse the heck out of me. Nadal probably has the most "points" for the year, but for whatever reason, over-all, he's still not number one.

The US Open is towards the end of August.

[island_maverick]

I seem to be one of the few people who understands the ranking system.

The reason Nadal isn't No.1 yet is because he doesn't have as many ranking points as Federer.

See. It's quite simple. (Nadal is still 300 points behind Federer. But that will change on 18 August.)

:p


Ranking points are earned based on the player's finishing position in a tournament. The further you go the more points you earn. The more tournaments you compete in the more points you accrue.

In 12 months time when a tournament comes around again the points earned in that tournament from the previous year get erased. To maintain the same level of accrued points in the rankings, the player must now do at least as well in that tournament again.

In the Nadal-Federer race, Nadal will definitely become No.1 if he wins the upcoming Cincinnati title and Federer loses before the semi-finals because Nadal would overhaul Federer's accrued ranking points. Nadal is only 300 points behind Federer now.

Having said that, even if this doesn't happen Federer will still drop from his No.1 spot on 18 August because, along the lines of the explanation above, he will lose the 850 points he gained for reaching last year's Toronto final and winning in Cincinnati. Nadal, by contrast, will only lose 230 points.

In simplistic terms, think of it as lots of 12-monthly league tables. Each time a tournament comes around a new league table is generated based on the complete previous 12 months tennis up to that point. The person at the top of the table at the time is ranked No.1. The points you earn in the tournament then replace the points you earned in the same tournament 12 months before. In Federer's case, he is not doing as well as last year so he's starting to replace his high points with less points as each tournament comes around.

Nadal is now finishing higher than Federer on a regular basis so at some point (18 August at the latest) he will overtake Federer when the monthly league table is recalculated taking into account current tournament performance and not last year's results, the points awarded this year being replaced with those earned at the same point in time last year.

Has that helped? :D

[TheBigCat]

Thanks for the explanation Mav. Makes perfect sense to me.

[Master Xander]

I've always more-or-less known that this was the case, but it still boggles the heck out of me. I think it got even more confusing for me when they came up with that ATP Champions Race thing (or whatever the heck it's called).

[strandediniowa]

And now the Master's series race is going on too . . . I think Cilic now leads that. Go figure.

[strandediniowa]

Cincinnati has started . . .

Tursunov took out Safin and we were treated to a mini-tantrum, at least by Marat's standards. Monfils and Young are starting to play right now. It would be lovely to see Young get a win but I'm not betting on it.

I got an email notification that Warty had posted a pretty funny picture blaming Kyle Busch for Federer's problems. But it's not here! I thought it was entertaining although I fear it may not have been offered in that spirit. :)

[Warthawg1]

Make no assumptions about the spirit with which I posted something. There are many reasons behind my decisions to temporarily remove a post from time to time, and most of the time those reasons are quite mundane.

Reposted....

The truth behind Federer's recent downturn....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/Warthawg1/610x1.jpg

[strandediniowa]

Absolutely no assumptions made about motivation - as I said, just a concern on my part as things can take wrongs turns here.

I still think the picture is great!

[Warthawg1]

The hatred of Kyle Busch transcends just the opinions on this website.

He's pretty much universally hated by most, and I think the photochopping of him into pics like this is hilarious. Heck.. last week here at my office I blamed Kyle Busch for a copier failure!

[strandediniowa]

I had never thought to blame anything on Kyle until the lovely article in the NASCAR thread - except for the fact that he is whiney and I just don't like him - mostly an irrational basis really - but there it is. But I see beautiful potential here for blame - I am having a helluva time transferring audio files at this point - and now can set blame squarely upon Kyle's shoulders. :)

Monfils beat down poor Donald Young yesterday badly. I am getting ready to watch Ginepri and Federer now. I like Ginepri, so with my luck today will probably be the day that Roger finally kicks back in to gear. I will blame Kyle.

[TheBigCat]

Maybe Kyle Busch will have a really really bad string of results and we can blame TPTP?

[strandediniowa]

Maybe Kyle Busch will have a really really bad string of results and we can blame TPTP?

That would be spectacular!!!

Ginepri takes the first set against Federer . . .

[Warthawg1]

I had never thought to blame anything on Kyle until the lovely article in the NASCAR thread - except for the fact that he is whiney and I just don't like him - mostly an irrational basis really - but there it is. But I see beautiful potential here for blame - I am having a helluva time transferring audio files at this point - and now can set blame squarely upon Kyle's shoulders. :)

Monfils beat down poor Donald Young yesterday badly. I am getting ready to watch Ginepri and Federer now. I like Ginepri, so with my luck today will probably be the day that Roger finally kicks back in to gear. I will blame Kyle.

That's the spirit! ..and I am fairly sure that via the 6 degrees rule, we can legitimately make these KB blame associations.

Maybe Kyle Busch will have a really really bad string of results and we can blame TPTP?

Actually Simba... I blame Kyle Busch for the existence of TPTP, so ultimately all blame is his.

[strandediniowa]

I was wrong about Cilic leading the Master's Cup race - it's Simon! Like that makes a big difference . . .

Roddick pulled out of Cincinnati yesterday with a shoulder injury. I blame Kyle. Blake beat Simon today - it's nice to see him win every once in awhile. Ginepri served for the match yesterday against Federer but choked it up and lost the third set 6-0.

I swear I posted all of this yesterday but must have screwed it up. . . if Federer makes it to the semifinals here at Cincinnati then he maintains his number one status regardless of what Nadal does. If Federer does not make it to the semis and Nadal wins the tourney he'll be the new number one.

[TheBigCat]

Actually Simba... I blame Kyle Busch for the existence of TPTP, so ultimately all blame is his.


WIN!

[Master Xander]

I am so tempted to get a ticket to Macau for the Federer/Borg doubles thing, but I wonder just how expensive the tickets will be for the actual match... I mean, Macau is just about two hours away from the Philippines, and there are some pretty cheap flights out... and I don't need a visa... but I bet the actual match will be pricey. Meh.

[strandediniowa]

I would be thrilled to see either Federer or Borg in person . . .

In Cincinnati today Federer loses again to a very mentally tough (and very tall!) Ivo Karlovic. Roger lost tiebreakers in the first and third sets. Blake lost to Gulbis. Andy Murray still in the mix. Dammit.

If Rafa wins the tourney he will be the new number one after around three years in the second spot.

[TheBigCat]

If Rafa wins the tourney he will be the new number one after around three years in the second spot.


He has the table set. Let's see if he can do it.

[Master Xander]

...this really isn't Federer's year, is it?

[strandediniowa]

I don't know how you cope with such a bad year when you have been mostly unbeatable for over three years. He is a pretty together guy - but the events of late have got to be messing with his head. I wonder if he'll ponder hiring a coach again?

[vincentstuntdbl#23]

Tennis needs a boost in interest - ok well maybe just mine. :rolleyez:

[island_maverick]

I wonder if he's been badly affected by the level of defeat he suffered against Nadal in the French final. He took a real beating that day.

[strandediniowa]

I wonder if he's been badly affected by the level of defeat he suffered against Nadal in the French final. He took a real beating that day.

And he has had a couple of very surprising losses since then. His confidence level can't be good at this point. I am kind of pulling for him again.

I got home in time to see Rafa win his match this evening. He looked a little nervous until the first set tie-breaker, and then won that and dominated the second set. The semi-final against Djokovic tomorrow should be fantastic!

[strandediniowa]

The Nadal-Djokovic match just ended and it was not really even close. Djokovic took the match in two sets 6-1, 7-5. Nadal didn't really play badly, but Djokovic was very aggressive and of course served well. He looked fantastice.

Rafa will still take over the number one rank on August 18 - according to the ESPN2 crew.

Murray v. Djokovic tomorrow. Murray handled Ivo's serves pretty well so he will be a threat to attack Djokovic's hard serves. I hope that Djokovic wins - but would like to see a more competitive match than we had tonight.

[island_maverick]

Could be an interesting match. Considering Murray clawed back from two down in the first set he deserves credit for getting past Karlovic. I think the final will be closer than people are expecting, but it probably depends on which Murray persona turns up on the day.

[strandediniowa]

I'm watching it right now. Murray won first set tie break. Djokovic looked tired and out of it - but came back. Murray had the match on his racket but could not convert and we are now in the second set tie break. It has been a decent match . . .

[island_maverick]

Oops! I didn't realise it was on yet. So much for me hoping to catch it. lol.

[strandediniowa]

Yes, I think you have officially missed it! :) The second set tiebreaker was fantastic, but much to my distress, Murray ended up winning it. It was his first Open Masters Series him. He didn't irritate me nearly as much today - he does seem to be less mopey.

The finals of the women's Master Series is going to be on next - Dinara Safina v. someone I can't remember!

[King of Snake]

Murray was superb last night. He showed great character; after blowing 4 championship points on his serve; to come back and win the tie-break

[Master Xander]

I think Murray's starting to come into his own as a real contender, but let's see how consistent he is as far as performance goes.

Nice to see Safina in another final. Did she win? I didn't check.

[strandediniowa]

The thing that has made me dislike Murray in the past primarily has been his mopey, hang dog attitude. This year he has presented himself more mentally and physically fit - and I agree that his ability to win the tie break after failing to take the match on his own serve is good evidence of that. The Olympics and the US Open will be interesting - in my mind the field is wide open.

Dinara Safina did win her match against the girl whose name I still cannot recall! That's her second victory in a row and I believe makes her the winner of the Open Masters Series for the women. I enjoy watching her - she has her brother's temper but for the most part she manages it well. I think the women's brackets are fairly unpredictable as well.

[island_maverick]

Agreed about Murray. He's not exactly dripping with good PR. But he's Scottish so he's entitled to be moody. lol. It was a great victory though. It was always going to take it for him to get himself stronger and fitter because his ground strokes and returns are top class but were often let down by things like fitness.

[Master Xander]

After Andy Murray's amazing run last week, he crashes out in the first round of the Olympics, losing in straight sets to Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei.

[King of Snake]

Yeah, really disappointed about that. Hopefully it will leave him fresh for the US Open though

[strandediniowa]

Yeah, really disappointed about that. Hopefully it will leave him fresh for the US Open though

Way to look on the bright side KOS!

I have been having a hard time finding legible results for the Olympic matches . . . so far I think Murray is the biggest upset. Rafa did drop a set to an Italian guy, but ended up winning. He looked nervous!

[Master Xander]

Paul-Henri Mathieu beat 4th seed Nikolai Davydenko in straight sets.

Nadal blew past Hewitt, 1 and 2.

[King of Snake]

I honestly don't know how Davydenko is so highly ranked. He's always losing

[Master Xander]

He's very erratic.

Oh, one of the high-ranking Spaniards lost yesterday as well... I forgot who... David Ferrer, I think?

[TheBigCat]

Do the Olympics count in the rankings?

[strandediniowa]

Do the Olympics count in the rankings?

I don't think so - but the only reason I say that is because of listening to the announcers talk about the rankings during the Cincinnati tournament. The Olympics were never mentioned in the mix . . .

I want to go check tennis scores from today but am afraid I'll get spoiled for other events - I'll wait until the prime time show is over tonight. I'm hoping that Blake, the Williams sisters and the Bryans are all still in contention.

[Master Xander]

I read somewhere that the ATP is handing out ranking points for the Olympics, for the first time ever. I forget where I saw that, though...

[Master Xander]

Federer's Very Bad Year continues: He lost in straight sets to James Blake in the quarters.

Also, Serena Williams was defeated by Elena Dementieva in three sets.

[King of Snake]

To be fair, Blake raised his game to a level that I haven't seen him play at before

[Master Xander]

I'm not sure how this works, but if Blake is through to the semis, does this mean he's assured of at least a bronze medal now? Or do the losing semifinalists play a match to determine the bronze?

[strandediniowa]

Xander - I don't have any idea how the bronze is awarded either - but it does seem like safe speculation that the semifinal losers play for bronze.

Serena and Venus both lost singles matches today - but are still in the doubles competition.

I am happy for Blake - it's his first win ever over Roger. Does he play Gonzo in the next match? I've gotta go check that . . .

[Master Xander]

Blake lost to Fernando Gonzales in the semis, which means the Chilean is assured of at least a silver medal. Blake plays the loser of the Djokovic-Nadal match Djokovic for the bronze.

Nadal beat Djokovic in three sets. It's now Nadal vs. Gonzales for the gold, and Djokovic vs. Blake for the bronze.

Safina continues her good runs in tournaments so far. She beat top second seed Jankovic to enter the semis. :)

[strandediniowa]

*sigh*

Poor James . . .

I'll be rooting for him to beat Djokovic and for Rafa to absolutely kill Gonzo in the finals for the gold.

[Master Xander]

I so totally want Rafa to win gold.

I'm torn between Djoko and Blake, though.

[Master Xander]

Novak Djokovic takes the bronze medal.

And the Russians are threatening to sweep the medals in the women's event. Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva are battling for the gold, while the one person standing in the way of a Russian sweep is China's Na Li, who'll be facing Russian Vera Zvonareva for the bronze. (And is it just me, or is that quite the unlikely Final Four?)

[strandediniowa]

Rafael Nadal takes the gold medal - thank goodness.

Venus and Serena won the women's doubles, and the Bryan brothers took bronze for the US. I really thought they would take the gold . . .

[Master Xander]

At least both Federer and Nadal now have gold medals. ;) Though I'm sure Federer would have liked to get one for singles. Still. :)

The top three in the world actually all got medals, with Djokovic's bronze rounding out the trifecta.

Meanwhile, the Russian gals have swept the medals, with G-S-B going to Dementieva (who also has a silver from Sydney, I believe), Safina, and Zvonareva, respectively.

And emerging women's tennis power China took the doubles bronze.

[strandediniowa]

I am already experiencing viewing withdrawal from the Olympics, so thankfully early rounds of the US Open begin tomorrow. USA Network will have extended coverage. This will be Roger Federer's chance to show that he has not lost it completely, and Rafa's chance to consolidate his number one ranking. It seems as if the last few tournaments have been kind of a fruit basket upset both with the men's and women's brackets, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens over the next two weeks.

I'm hoping Roddick, Blake and Fish can make it past the first week at least!

[ozanna]

I am already experiencing viewing withdrawal from the Olympics
Sad but true, strandediniowa ! This is how I usually feel at the finish of the Oz Open Tennis ! Which is in my home town so I actually get to go sometimes, but its generally really hot and much more comfortable at home on TV with the AC !

So bring on the US Open, and Blake & Co. And please (by next year) can Australia find a really good young player to redeem us ! We've had a few promising ones but they disappeared ! I still love Blake and Roddick !

[Master Xander]

I'm actually hoping for another Federer-Nadal marathon final. :)

Whose half of the draw is Djokovic in?

I'm also rooting for Ginepri, Fish, and Safin. :)

[strandediniowa]

I'm actually hoping for another Federer-Nadal marathon final. :)

Whose half of the draw is Djokovic in?

I'm also rooting for Ginepri, Fish, and Safin. :)

I can root for all of them too. Look like Djokovic is in Federer's half of the draw.

[TheBigCat]

I'm rooting for Marat and Dinara to both take their draws.

[strandediniowa]

I'm watching the opening ceremonies for the Open - for the most part boring - but very fun for me to see many of the past champions. Matts Wilander has aged beautifully! I think Earth, Wind and Fire were lip-synching . . .

The only true upset I have noticed today is #10 Anna Chakvetadze (or something close to that) losing to an unseeded player. I was worried about Lindsey Davenport's match as Canadian Elaine Wozniak has been playing well but Lindsey had no problems with her - and the knee looked to be just fine.

I would like to see Dinara Safina do well too - but she is in the top half of the draw and that looks like a much harder bracket to me.

James Blake plays Donald Young in the feature match tonight - a shame that they have to play each other in the first round.

[ozanna]

So glad to see Lindsey Davenport through - she has always been my number one female player, and I was sad when she "retired" but really glad when she came back ! She won me over 100% a few years ago in New York, when the Russian blondes were all turning up in limos and Lindsey rode her bike !

[strandediniowa]

Lindsey is so unassuming and "normal" - she has a decent looking bracket so maybe she make a good showing. Here's hoping . . .

My disappointment of the day is that Al Trautwig is doing commentary for USA for the day programming. He drove me crazy during the gymnastics competition at the Olympics and I have had enough of him for one month.

The women's match tonight is Jankovic versus 16 year-old American Coco Vandeweghe. She got a wild card because of reaching the finals in the junior tournament, I think. She has quite a family behind her - an NBA player, an Olympic swimmer and Miss America all in her immediate family. She looks nervous, but at least won her first service game, which is better than the qualifiers often do.

[strandediniowa]

What a fun night last night - Donald Young forced Blake to five sets and kept me up far too late last night.

Great matches this afternoon. Tommy Haas beat Gasquet in five sets and Vince Spadea played a great match against Marat Safin, forcing him to five sets as well before losing. There was a bit of a rules controversy during that one - Marat's interview afterwards was hysterical. He is just such a character.

I don't think there were any huge surprises on the women's side, except that Hantchukova lost.

Venus and Roger are the featured matches tonight. . .

[Master Xander]

Roger and Venus won easily.

And Safina won. So yay!

[LuLuLemon]

Go Roger!... again. I'm beginning to think I'm a curse to Roger. Maybe if I hope for him to lose, he'll win!

[strandediniowa]

Go Roger!... again. I'm beginning to think I'm a curse to Roger. Maybe if I hope for him to lose, he'll win!

Roger looked just fine last night - I hope he has a good tournament. Lindsey Davenport won another match tonight fairly easily against a rather, um, large player that I had not heard of. Andy Roddick is finally playing his first match and is not having any problems thus far with the Magician, Fabrice Santoro. You never know what Fabrice will do, especially when he's so far behind - so something interesting may happen yet.

[ozanna]

Go Andy !

And "Yay" for Lindsey !

[strandediniowa]

(Hi Anna!)

Great tennis this afternoon - probably better matches than we'll see tonight. Ana Ivanovic lost in a three-set stunner to a French lady named Coin - ranked something like 150th. Blake lost the first set in his match but his opponent ended up withdrawing with an injury of some sort. Mardy Fish had a great win - his first time this far in the Open - but unfortunately he has to play Blake in the next round. Andy Murray also had a five setter and ended up winning - but it was sure close. Safina had a good win today as well - she's sure looking tough.

Serena and Rafa play in tonight's matches. . .

[Master Xander]

And looking at the other matches, it's nice to see Carlos Moya winning again. :) He's made it to the third round.

[strandediniowa]

I've always had a crush on Moya. . .:D

Serena's match was a big snooze - she won with no problems.

I want Rafa to win his match but I hope it's a better match than the one I just watched!

[Master Xander]

I've always liked Moya, too... :D

[Master Xander]

Davenport and Safin both lost. :(

[strandediniowa]

Davenport and Safin both lost. :(

That was a blow for sure. Lindsay looked awful for the first set and much of the second - she used to get kind of an Andy Murray hang-dog thing going on - but I hadn't seen that from her in a few years. She was really looking like that for much of the match last night. Poor thing wouldn't even talk to the tv guys afterwards.

Safin just kind of threw in the towel for his last set . . .

The Roddick match was scary/excellent. He was down a set and 5-3 when he kicked in and Gulbis choked up. Gulbis got better again - I think he has a promising future - but Andy got better too and won the match in four sets.

I think Blake and Fish play each other tonight - which is distressing because I would like to see them both go further.

BTW - I love the Williams sisters versus the Manning brothers commercials!

[strandediniowa]

Wow - Sam Querry just beat Ivo Karlovic in three sets!!!! :yayconfet

[ozanna]

Wow, great news about Roddick ! Not so good for Lindsey, sadly. And Safin is a real enigma - some days its almost as if he's not really there - the lights are on but nobody's home ! Maybe it was the "Bad Marat" playing.

[strandediniowa]

Blake and Fish are in progress - I am really torn and I guess not cheering for either one of them. Whoever wins will be fine with me and I'll feel badly for the loser.

Some great tennis today from players that I have rarely seen play. Nalbandian lost to Monfils and #4 Ferrer lost to the first Japanese player ever to reach the round of 16 - Nishikori. (Two more hotties out of the tournament. . . sigh) Murray got by Melzer in a tight five setter. My favorite win of the day continues to be Sam Querry.

Dinara Safina looked rough today - I don't know if it was nerves - but she looked in danger for about a set and a half. Her opponent kind of lost it during the third set and now Safina's through to the next round. Both of the Williams sisters had easy matches.

Fish is up a break in the first set . . .

[strandediniowa]

Fish-Blake was a tough match to watch. Fish looked great and Blake did not play at all well - at least he got to a tie-breaker in the third set. They are such close friends and you could kinda see that dynamic going on. It gives me more appreciation for what Venus and Serena must feel when they play each other. It sucks that they will most likely have to play each other in the quarters . . .

[island_maverick]

Great comeback from Murray.

He's starting to demonstrate a battling quality (through to a successful conclusion) that other British players in the past have not had.

[strandediniowa]

Murray is certainly outwardly more intense than Henman. I get a kick out of his new muscle man gesture after big victories. He worked hard to get that new bicep so I don't begrudge him. He always looks vaguely grubby to me - I don't know whether it's his hair or the fuzz on his face and neck. I can't figure out whether he's trying to grow a beard, or whatever, or whether he just rolled out of bed and went straight to the courts. He is on track to have a great year regardless.

[island_maverick]

lol. Yeah, he does come across as a bit grubby. I think it's the designer stubble attempt gone wrong, it just comes out all clumpy and patchy.

I saw some highlights this evening of Federer v Stepathingies. Some extraordinary shots by Roger. One in particular, where he looked dead and buried out wide, and he raced back across at full stretch and hit a killer backhand up the line. It was remarkable he even got to the ball let alone put it past his opponent for a winner. Perhaps Roger's on his way 'back'...?

[strandediniowa]

I wasn't able to watch Federer's match, but have seen highlights and there were flashes of brilliance. Roddick looked good this afternoon too - I'm happy to see him finally get deep into one of the majors again. Dementieva and Djokovic play tonight. Dementieva should have the advantage if her serve holds up. The Djokovic match has potential to go five sets I think.

Any predictions out there for our winners?

[strandediniowa]

No big surprises in my mind today - although I was pleasantly, moderately surprised to see Mardy Fish take out Monfils so easily. The Williams sisters blew through their opponents and now have to face each other in the quarterfinals. As Serena said, that kinda sucks.

Sam Querry gave Nadal a great match today. Took a set from him, which is the first set Rafa has dropped thus far in the tournament. He got the third set to a tiebreaker too, but then lost in four sets. He and Fish meet in the next round.

Murray is playing Stan the Man from Switzerland (Federer's partner for gold in doubles at Beijing) - and is beating him fairly easily - I hope it gets a little more competitive or I may fall asleep.

The second week starts tomorrow - should be a great week of tennis. Go Andy!

[Master Xander]

If this (http://nickspicks1.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/_p7j0353.jpg) is Nishikori, then I'm sad he lost to Del Potro today. He's a cutie!

[island_maverick]

I'll take your word for it, Xan.

However, his victor, Del Potro, now has the chance to face-off against Andy Murray (who looked rather impressive against Warinka) in the last eight.

[Master Xander]

Women's Quarterfinals are as follows:

Flavia Pennetta ITA (16) v Dinara Safina RUS (6)
Serena Williams USA (4) v Venus Williams USA (7)
Elena Dementieva RUS (5) v Patty Schnyder SUI (15)
Sybille Bammer AUT (29) v Jelena Jankovic SRB (2)

I'm guessing Safina, Serena, Dementieva, and Jankovic will win, and we'll probably see a Serena-Jankovic final.

[TheBigCat]

I'm still rooting for Dinara to win it all, even though her brother lost out.

[King of Snake]

I think Muzza will get through, but there's absolutely no way he's going to beat Rafa in the semi's. Still, he's done well to get this far

[strandediniowa]

Dinara vs. one of the Williams in a semi should be a fantastic match. I suppose that Serena has an edge over Venus on this surface . . . just not sure who'll win that one.

My son and the other teenage monsters that hand here made a sign - "MARY IS A TENNIS GEEK" and stuck it on my back door. I don't know whether to be insulted or proud. I don't get any problems from them at all about football at least!

[Master Xander]

Never mind what I said about Nishikori. I didn't know Del Potro could look like this:

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20080902/capt.cps.nlv97.020908152138.photo00.photo.default-341x512.jpg

[strandediniowa]

And I think he has won 22 matches in a row! I still prefer Moya, but that may be my age showing! :)

Dementieva is winning her match thus far . . .

[island_maverick]

Xan, so fickle. :p

I take it that the whispy bum-fluff look that Andy Murray is sporting is not doing it for you?

His match v del Potro could be a real humdinger. One hasn't lost in 20+ consecutive matches (= 4 tournament titles) and the other is stepping up his game just at the right time. I may have to stay up lextra late to catch the match.

[strandediniowa]

LOL @ Xan being fickle! :) Del Potro definitely has a better look than Murray. That has potential to be a great match. As you all know, Murray is not my favorite but he is playing very, very well and I think should be considered the favorite.

Djokovic won his match this afternoon against Tommy Robredo. Another great match. Djokovic was his usual drama queen self (I love him) - stomach ache, bad hip, respiratory problems - but he shouldered through to take the match in five sets.

Last I looked Davydenko was tied at one set with Mulder, and Federer's match against Andreev has just started.

Roddick and Gonzo play tonight. That makes me nervous - Andy seems to be in his top form right now - will that be enough to get him through? If he gets through another round or so then his coach for the week (Patrick McEnroe) is going to look like a hero!

[ozanna]

Oh dear, Mary - Roddick and Gonzo makes me nervous too ! Roddick has the ability, but he seems to lose the plot sometimes. I always think he is older than he is because he seems to have been around for so long ! I will never forget a match he played against Younis el Annoui (I think!) at the Oz Open a few years ago in which the final set went to 19 - 17 at 2.00 a.m. Roddick won and they fell into each others arms at the end, exhausted. And then he lost his next match. Oh well, fingers crossed.

[strandediniowa]

Anna - I remember that match between Andy and Younis - it was one of the best ever. I remember the soccer chant that the crowd had going for Younis. They both handled it beautifully and I remember being really charmed by Younis.

Davydenko just lost to Muller!

Looks like we'll be going late again tonight - they are still on the final afternoon match - Federer v. Andreev. Federer dropped the first set, but won the second and is up a break in the third.

[strandediniowa]

The afternoon session has finally ended at 7:35 pm central time! Roger beat Andreev in five sets - another awesome match. Roger was very happy to win - it was so cute to see his post-match interview because he was giddy as a school girl about it.

The women's match has already started so hopefully they'll show some of that soon - then on to the Roddick - Gonzo match. Because they switched the women's match to Armstrong the men's match in Ashe will not go quite so late. There is some hope that I'll be able to stay up to watch the whole thing!

*fingers crossed for Andy*

[Master Xander]

Muller is having a fantastic tournament, isn't he? I was headed to bed and watching the pre-game chatter, and the commentator said that this should be the end of Muller's run... and I chuckled thinking to myself that he just might upset Davydenko... and he did! (Then again, we are talking about Davydenko. How is he up so high on the ranking list, anyway?)

Meanwhile, as expected, Jankovic and Dementieva made it to the semis. The other half of the draw should be interesting.

[strandediniowa]

I like Davydenko - but I don't think he's quite recovered from the gambling scandal. The ratings system continues to mystify me - it's especially confusing on the women's side.

Andy just made very quick work of Gonzales. Easy three set win. I was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. He has only dropped one set this tournament. Djokovic is next.

I think every match is now worth watching! Of course, I watch them all anyway :D

[Master Xander]

So I'm guessing this means it's Federer-Muller in the other quarter, right?

That half of the draw looks interesting, and we could be in for a humdinger of a semi.

[ozanna]

Good news - thanks Mary ! Djokovic should be interesting.

[Master Xander]

FYI, Safina won in straight sets, as expected. :)

[strandediniowa]

Safina didn't get much of a match from Penetta - but Safina looked great. I think that she will give one of the Williams sisters a great fight. It really feels like that should be a final though, instead of a semi.

More kudos for Andy Murray. He won in four sets over Del Povro and continued to look very physically and mentally tough. It's his first time in a major semi-final, and I must begrudgingly say that he deserves it.

Venus v. Serena next, which will be dramatic if nothing else. I can't imagine how tough it must be to play each other. (LOL Tracy Austin just said the exact same thing).

After the Williams are done is Mardy Fish v. Rafa. I will be up late to watch that one . . . I don't know if Mardy can beat him but here's hoping! :Cheers:

[strandediniowa]

Venus and Serena's match just ended at 10:00 pm central. Serena won in two sets, both going to tiebreakers. Venus had 10 set points in the second set and just couldn't pull it off. They are both just amazing athletes - it was the best women's match of the tournament thus far, no question.

Mardy and Rafa are next - I am not going to get enough sleep tonight.

[Master Xander]

Yay, I called the quarterfinal winners... do I get a cookie? :p

[strandediniowa]

*passes TWO cookies to Xan*

I'm turning off computer and watching the Nadal-Fish match. Enjoy the cookies! Night :)

[Master Xander]

nom nom nom nom nom

[Master Xander]

Checked out the scoreboard... looks like Fish took a set off Nadal, though Nadal took back the set and they're even at one set apiece. :)

[Master Xander]

...and Nadal took the next two sets to take the match. :)

[King of Snake]

Murray really struggled against Del Potro. I really thought Del Potro might win after Murray blew the 3rd set.

He will be up to no 4 in the world whatever happens from now on

[strandediniowa]

Women's draw:

Serena v. Dinara
Dementieva v. Jankovic

Men's draw:

Murray v. Nadal
Federer v. Djokovic or Roddick

Roddick is playing Djokovic tonight. It should be a great match - wonder how many times Djokovic will call for the trainer?? :)

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Andy . . .

[strandediniowa]

Dammit. Djokovic just beat Roddick in four sets. Andy looked asleep for the first two sets, great in the third set, and was up a break in the fourth. McEnroe jinxed it by saying we were going to a fifth set. Instead, Novak broke back and won the tiebreaker in the fourth. He was a pretty poor loser about it too in the interview.

*sigh*

[Master Xander]

Those are some stellar Final Fours on both draws. It should be a spectacular final on both sides, either way. :)

[strandediniowa]

I know, I know. I'm just still deflated. Now I really really hope that Federer kicks Djokovic's butt. Even though he was not a gracious winner today, I think that if he's playing well he could easily take Roger out.

On to the women's matches tomorrow. . . now I have to root for Serena.

There is rain predicted in NY on Saturday - that could screw the scheduling up pretty dramatically. When is that roof going over Ashe?

*goes off to pout* (I'll be over it by tomorrow)

[ozanna]

We actually got to see that match today Mary - I so got my hopes up ! Andy really looked P.O'd at himself, and I was too. Djokovic is an arrogant little twerp, but he plays amazing tennis when he is not playing mind games. Oh well, bring on the Oz Open ! I love the warm up matches before hand - the Kooyong Classic and the one in Sydney. Andy beat Federer in the Kooyong a couple of years ago, so it is possible !

Go Roger ! And I actually wouldn't be too upset if Murray beat Nadal - Nadal is going to be around for years. Murray just needs a bit of a charisma make-over !

[Master Xander]

I'm hoping for a Federer-Nadal final again. :D

As for the women, as expected, we have a Serena-Jankovic final, with both women beating their Russian opponents in straight sets. Plus, the winner of that match becomes World Number One. Talk about a high-stakes match!

[strandediniowa]

Okay I'm almost over the Roddick loss. . .

Anna I'm glad you got to see the match but wish you could have seen a better result. I don't know whether we'll get to see tennis tomorrow with the rain that's predicted in NYC. Serena v. Jankovic in the women's final is tomorrow night. The men's matches truly could be spectacular. I think I'm now back to pulling for Federer, just because he is a bit of an underdog at this point. Who'd have thought I'd be writing that about him??

[strandediniowa]

I'm hoping for a Federer-Nadal final again. :D

As for the women, as expected, we have a Serena-Jankovic final, with both women beating their Russian opponents in straight sets. Plus, the winner of that match becomes World Number One. Talk about a high-stakes match!

Serena has looked almost indestructible - and Jankovic has struggled some - but obviously always pulled it out. I think (hope) Serena will win, but would enjoy a three setter.

[Master Xander]

Serena has looked almost indestructible - and Jankovic has struggled some - but obviously always pulled it out. I think (hope) Venus will win, but would enjoy a three setter.

I don't know how Venus Williams can win the Serena-Jankovic final, but okayyyy...

:nanabobo: