Australian Open 2011

RosyLily

Happy 2011 people!
Australian Open kicks off Monday 17th January and the question on some people's lips is will Nadal win the title and hold all four Grand Slams at the same time; the last person to do that was Rod Laver in 1969.

The Men's Singles is the talk at the moment with Federer winning Doha, del Potro being back and Nadal hoping to regain the title. The draw is looking mighty interesting, with the possibility of good matches. Roddick is in Federer's quarter of the draw; Murray's in Soderling's quarter and Berdych and Djokovic could meet in the QF. The male seeds seem to have decent opening matches- shouldn't cause too much hassle. Lots of dangerous opponents in every part (Fish, Baghdatis, Gasquet, Tsonga, Davydenko).

The Women's Singles is very open this year. With Serena Williams ruled out due to injury, Caroline Wozniacki is seeded 1st; she gets a tough opener in the form of Gisela Dulko- with Justine Henin, Wickmayer and Schiavone as possible opponents. A few people have tipped Maria Sharapova to win this year. She faces Tamarine Tanasugaran in the 1st round with Venus as a potential 4th round opponent. Clijsters is drawn against former No. 1 Dinara Safina...Safina hasn't been at her best for over a year and this match could show if she's improving.

Looking at both men and women's draws there is loads of potential great matches to look forward to...I hope!

Unfortunately, this year, there's no Irish to represent. Conor Niland was knocked out of the 1st round of Qualifying. Maybe next year.

frostie500

The womens draw definitly looks to offer the potential for some upsets doesnt it! With no Serena there is the potential for anyone to come in and win. It really will be a case of whoever peaks at the right time.

Good opening set of matches tonight so should be worth watching the Sharapova, Wozniacki and Roddick games (I think these are the games Eurosport want to feature)

Not sure what the protocol is here in the Racquet Sports forums but I've a preview of the tournement online for anyone interested. It's the first tennis piece I've done so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

RosyLily

Good preview frostie500. Interesting read.

Australian Open kicks off midnight on Eurosport. For anyone without this channel, like myself, some matches are on http://atdhe.net/index.html .....they showed some US Open matches last year anyway!

Loomis

Well, Davydenko out in the first round so any possibly upset he coulda caused the top guys won't be happening.
Federer was in brilliant form in his win but could face Simon in the second round. That could be very tough-Simon is normally a top ten player but is on his way back fron injury. He can play with no pressure and confidence knowing he's beaten Federer before.

The women's game is really boring lately. Henin in trouble at the moment against Mirza. Went a set down and struggled all through the second despite just pulling it back. She's a set all but is struggling on serve practically every time cause Mirza is absolutely crushing her returns. Haven't seen Henin be overpowered like this in a long time. Pity that Mirza can't show this form more consistently cause she definitely has the game/talent to be much higher in the rankings.

Rob2D

I'll be watching my games on BBC with the red button.

Surprised about Davydenko, especially after Doha, but thats tennis I guess. I must say it'd be nice to see Maria come back a bit this year. And its good that Justine is still in it, I could watch her all day.

Its looking like an interesting start to the year. Now I just want Tommy Haas to make his return and I'll be happy out:D

frostie500

Pretty good opening day with Federer, Djokovic, Berdech and Roddick all quite impressive. As a few other posters have said Davydenko was a bit of a shock! Seems like his pre tournie form deserted him. Good to see Sharapova back on the courts but she was pretty inconsistent and had a lot of double faults(10 or 11 I think)

Rjd2

Davydenko has been dire for a while so I don't understand why people are so shocked he went out last night.

http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/activity.asp?player=10024044

Thats a rubbish few months really, people over reacted because he had one good week in Doha:pac::rolleyes:

frostie500

Rjd2 wrote: »

Davydenko has been dire for a while so I don't understand why people are so shocked he went out last night.

http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/activity.asp?player=10024044

Thats a rubbish few months really, people over reacted because he had one good week in Doha:pac::rolleyes:

Being beaten by a player that has never got past the third round of a Grand Slam though makes it a bit of a shocker!

RosyLily

Ana Ivanovic got beaten by Ekaterina Makarova in 3 sets- 3-6, 6-4, 10-8. Cracker of a match. Ivanovic was looking really good at the end of last year, probably will take her a while to get back into the swing of things.
Hewitt-Nalbandian match was fantastic...you wouldn't think these guys were pushing 30. Excellent play with David winning 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 9-7.
Safina was absolutely blasted off the court by Clijsters!! She lost 6-0, 6-0 -the 6th person Cjisters has double-bageled at a Grand Slam. Clijsters was unbelievable during the match, nailing 17 winners and only 4 unforced errors. Safina becomes the first former Number 1 in the Open Era to suffer a double bagel defeat in a Grand Slam.
After this performance, Kim is probably many people's favourite for the title.

Up tonight: Henin (vs. Baltacha), Wozniacki, Sharapova, Roddick, Venus, Federer (vs. Simon), Djokovic and many many more.
Schedule: http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/schedule8.html

frostie500

RosyLily wrote: »

Ana Ivanovic got beaten by Ekaterina Makarova in 3 sets- 3-6, 6-4, 10-8. Cracker of a match. Ivanovic was looking really good at the end of last year, probably will take her a while to get back into the swing of things.
Hewitt-Nalbandian match was fantastic...you wouldn't think these guys were pushing 30. Excellent play with David winning 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 9-7.
Safina was absolutely blasted off the court by Clijsters!! She lost 6-0, 6-0 -the 6th person Cjisters has double-bageled at a Grand Slam. Clijsters was unbelievable during the match, nailing 17 winners and only 4 unforced errors. Safina becomes the first former Number 1 in the Open Era to suffer a double bagel defeat in a Grand Slam.
After this performance, Kim is probably many people's favourite for the title.

Up tonight: Henin (vs. Baltacha), Wozniacki, Sharapova, Roddick, Venus, Federer (vs. Simon), Djokovic and many many more.
Schedule: http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/schedule8.html

It was a great day two wasnt it! Ivanovic played well and couldn't really blame her stomach injury(it hurt her prep but she played well) ultimately Markova just kept playing aggressivly.

Nalbandian and Hewitt was a cracking match! Reminded me of their 2005 quarter final that seemed to go on and on(and on and on....)

Clijsters looked great but it's hard not to ask just how far Safina has fallen. Tonights line up looks pretty good too!

Rjd2

frostie500 wrote: »

Being beaten by a player that has never got past the third round of a Grand Slam though makes it a bit of a shocker!

A little but not that much, Mayer has always been talented and Davydenko has turned up to Slams in much better form and bombed.

The matches that catch my eye for later would be Verdasco v Tipsarvic, Tipsy can be awesome on his day and Verdasco has been even more erratic than Davydenko recently.

Berdych has a horrible second round match with Kohlschriber a player with much more ability than his modest CV would suggest.

Curious to see how Dimitrov will do tonight. He smashed Golubev in the first round which was impressive and his opponent Wawrinka is prone to an upset.


Del Potro showed signs of his old self last night against the very useful Sela, his serve and forehand at times were monstrous and he did well to stay in the tie break when his opponent had the ascendancy.

He is scheduled to meet Melzer in the third round and that's a problem, the Austrian is always dangerous and has taken some huge scalps in the last few years, he may have to much for Del Potro at this moment.

Baghdatis however needs to be conquered before Del Potro has to worry about Melzer. The Cypriot is a little past it these days but he still has his moments and this is a Slam he should never be underestimated in.

Then Murray in the last 16, if he gets past both, not a nice draw really!

RosyLily

I agree, del Potro is looking like he's getting back to his best. Looking forward to seeing how he progressing at Aussie and other tournaments. I really like his style of play- great serve with some deep groundstrokes. He could possibly win another G.S., maybe not this year but in the future. He's got a good few years left in him!
Putting a lot of pressure on Grigor by comparing his game to Federer...a LOT to live up to then! But I'll definitely keep an eye on him!

Play begins at midnight.

Rob2D

Federer V Simon was very exciting! How about that failed drop shot off the net cord at the end?! You've got to hand it to Simon, he just would not go away.

the_monkey

Surprised Federer was pushed to 5 sets in the 2nd round, will be interesting to see how he does in the next few matches.


Nadal has it sown up though - done deal.

RosyLily

the_monkey wrote: »

Surprised Federer was pushed to 5 sets in the 2nd round, will be interesting to see how he does in the next few matches.


Nadal has it sown up though - done deal.

Yeah, was surprised Federer was taken to five, although it is usually good to be challenged early and learn from mistakes made in the match.

Tonight's matches should be good. Carla Suarez Navarro v. Clijsters is up first on Rod Laver Arena. Nadal, Murray, Soderling, Stosur, Jankovic, Radwanska, Cilic and Ferrer are also in action.

Speaking of Radwanska, she lost her raquet head during her match with Kimiko Date-Krumm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMIlavtzPII Her reaction is priceless!

del Potro v. Baghdatis should be on early morning. Looking forward to this one in particular!!:)

Rob2D

RosyLily wrote: »

Speaking of Radwanska, she lost her raquet head during her match

Babolat, they're only cowboys! Shoddy shoddy shoddy! :pac:

cfitz

the_monkey wrote: »

Surprised Federer was pushed to 5 sets in the 2nd round, will be interesting to see how he does in the next few matches.

It's not that long since Gilles Simon was in the top 10 in the world so maybe/hopefully he's coming back to his best. On one hand it seems a shame that he had to meet someone so could as Federer in the 2nd round if he is back near his best, but on the other hand maybe it took someone like Federer to draw his best tennis out of him.

the_monkey

Rob2D wrote: »

Babolat, they're only cowboys! Shoddy shoddy shoddy! :pac:

!!!

Cowboys Ted !!! there a bunch of COWBOYS!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcvamtIO8w

frostie500

Some pretty interesting games overnight. Nadal and Clijsters were particularly impressive once again but Jankovic's defeat is a surprise at this stage of the competition, shes not the player she used to be but throwing away a 5-2 lead in the opening set doesnt bode well for her confidence going forward.

RosyLily

Disappointed with Jankovic's progress these days. She was fantastic circa '07-'08, winning matches and challenging the top players. Even since then it seems that she has been on a slow downhill slope. Although there have been signs of a resurgence every so often. At 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, she thrashed Venus Williams 6-0, 6-1 in the QF then went on to beat Serena in 3 sets, saving a match point in the process. She was the first player to beat the sisters at the same tournament in about 24 hours. Then she goes and loses to Martinez Sanchez in straight sets. Ah, she's so frustrating to watch sometimes!!

Was quite surprised with Bernard Tomic beating Feliciano Lopez in straight sets. Good young player who could have a bright future in tennis. He plays Nadal in the 3rd Round.

Johnmb

RosyLily wrote: »

Was quite surprised with Bernard Tomic beating Feliciano Lopez in straight sets. Good young player who could have a bright future in tennis. He plays Nadal in the 3rd Round.

So much for his bright future so

(or at least, his bright immediate future)

Rob2D

So much for Del Potro, but he did ok in fairness to him. I can see him coming back. A mate of mine is at Rod Laver arena today, I'm so very jealous!

the_monkey

Federer breezed past Malisse, you all know i dont like Nadal much , but
it would be amazing if (when) he wins it , to hold all 4 slams at once in todays unbelievably skilled game would be an INCREDIBLE achievement.


If Federer wins it , 17th slam, will be amazing record too, hard even for Nadal to catch it, how many slams has nadal now ? 9 ?

Djokovic I like so be good to see him winning it .


Murray - well better him then Henman winning a slam!

RosyLily

Venus had to retire from her 3rd round match against Andrea Petkovic. She retired after the second game- about 7 minutes in. She injured her pelvic muscle in her 2nd round match against Sandra Zahlavova.
Even when she was warming up you could see she was uncomfortable and in pain. Disappointing for her. It's the first time ever she retired from a GS singles match. Which is impressive considering her long career.
Petkovic will now play Maria Sharapova for a place in the QFs.

Some great matches scheduled for tonight. Zvonareva starts on Rod Laver against Lucie Safarova. Clijsters plays Cornet, whereas Nadal plays the Australian hope Bernard Tomic.

Really looking forward to Isner-Cilic on Margaret Court. Cilic reached the SFs last year and will be aiming high this time around. Isner is looking good this year. His game has improved and he's not just got a great serve. If Cilic can return the Isner serve and they get into a rally, it could be a great match!

Johnmb

With Williams gone, that really opens up Sharapova's half of the draw. She'd definitely fancy herself against Wozniacki or Kuznetsova, and the biggest threat to her would probably be Clijsters who is in the other half of the draw. Although, I think Zvonareva will reach the final from the bottom half, but given her track record the winner could very easily come from the top half.

cfitz

Johnmb wrote: »

With Williams gone, that really opens up Sharapova's half of the draw. She'd definitely fancy herself against Wozniacki or Kuznetsova, and the biggest threat to her would probably be Clijsters who is in the other half of the draw. Although, I think Zvonareva will reach the final from the bottom half, but given her track record the winner could very easily come from the top half.

I haven't got to watch any of the women's matches yet coz of the time difference, but based on 2010 I would predict Sharapova to be beaten by either Li Na or Azarenka if she beats Petkovic.

Johnmb

cfitz wrote: »

I haven't got to watch any of the women's matches yet coz of the time difference, but based on 2010 I would predict Sharapova to be beaten by either Li Na or Azarenka if she beats Petkovic.

I think mentally Sharapova is too strong for those two at the moment. Wozniacki is probably the only player up that half of the draw who can match her in that aspect right now, it's just a question of whether or not she could stand up to the power. Kuznetsova can handle the power, but isn't as strong mentally. I don't think Li or Azarenka can match any of those three players the way things have been going so far (so it's probably a safe bet now that one of those two will win the whole thing!). It is nice though that the thing is so open. I do think that there are five players who are slight favorites (Wozniacki, Kuznetsova, Sharapova, Clijsters, Zvonareva), but it wouldn't be a huge upset if someone else won it, and even to have five realistic contenders is a pretty big number. (And Stosur would probably consider herself one of the favorites too)

cfitz

Johnmb wrote: »

I think mentally Sharapova is too strong for those two at the moment. Wozniacki is probably the only player up that half of the draw who can match her in that aspect right now, it's just a question of whether or not she could stand up to the power. Kuznetsova can handle the power, but isn't as strong mentally. I don't think Li or Azarenka can match any of those three players the way things have been going so far (so it's probably a safe bet now that one of those two will win the whole thing!). It is nice though that the thing is so open. I do think that there are five players who are slight favorites (Wozniacki, Kuznetsova, Sharapova, Clijsters, Zvonareva), but it wouldn't be a huge upset if someone else won it, and even to have five realistic contenders is a pretty big number. (And Stosur would probably consider herself one of the favorites too)

Interesting. We'll see over the next few days! My picks for the title would be:

1. Clijsters (experience tells in the womens game)
2. Zvonareva (following on from a great 2010)

Azarenka (outside chance, has the game but lacks experience in the later stages and her temperament can be a bit volatile)
Kuznetsova (outside chance if she hits form)
Stosur (outside chance if she hits form)
Schiavone (unlikely, but has the game to do it if she put it together)
Wozniacki (lacks the mental strength to win a grand slam)
Li Na (too inexperienced in the later stages)
Sharapova (can't see it happening)

Agree that it's great it's so open. Things have got much more interesting in the last 2 years. The most frustrating thing about the womens game now is the lack of variety - of the 9 players I've listed, Schiavone is the only one that doesn't fit the into the baseline power player category (make that 11 when you add back in Venus and Serena).

frostie500

Johnmb wrote: »

I think mentally Sharapova is too strong for those two at the moment. Wozniacki is probably the only player up that half of the draw who can match her in that aspect right now, it's just a question of whether or not she could stand up to the power. Kuznetsova can handle the power, but isn't as strong mentally. I don't think Li or Azarenka can match any of those three players the way things have been going so far

I think Sharapova was mentally stronger than the other players in her draw but not any longer. She has had too many injuries to maintain that confidence and it has shown in the AO thus far. Her serving has been poor and while she looks a lot better this week than I can remember for a long time she is still not the player she was a few years ago.

Sharapova is definitely getting better but I would be surprised to see her able to match the likes of Azarenka if they were to meet. I really think this could be a huge year for Azarenka and the draw is wide open in Australia. Maybe it is the lack of Serena(actually its almost certainly the lack of Serena!) but you can look at any of the players named in the above quote and they could, on their day, beat anyone else on tour.

In relation to Kuznetsova one think I would like to point that from when she won her first major she struggled to build on her success and took four years to win another slam. Since then she has struggled again. I think that her plight is not so much mental, it could be motivation. We see it time and time again in tennis, golf and any other individual sport; players are motivated to win a major. When they win one it takes time to readjust their mentality. I think when Kuznetsova won the US Open she went through a period where she thought "I've won one...now what?" and it took her a few years before she realised that she needed to win more of them. She has proven she has the game to win majors, if she is motivated to win this one she is very dangerous.

Johnmb wrote: »

It is nice though that the thing is so open. I do think that there are five players who are slight favorites (Wozniacki, Kuznetsova, Sharapova, Clijsters, Zvonareva), but it wouldn't be a huge upset if someone else won it, and even to have five realistic contenders is a pretty big number. (And Stosur would probably consider herself one of the favorites too)

I would say that Sharapova needs to serve better if she is to contend for this title. I'd also love to see some variety in her game, she has a new coach yet still just blasts from the baseline hoping that her power will win the point.

Wozniacki-its all about how she handles the pressure. Her press conference was good because it did deflect attention from the usual questions.

Clijsters has been without question, in my view, the best player so far. She has been awesome and looks to be totally focused on court, just like she is at Flushing Meadows. She'll be very tough to beat

Personally I'd love to see Zvonareva rewarded with a major. Similar to Wozniacki she is plauged by a high ranking without a major title. She has gotten to finals though and it will be interesting to see if she freezes up during her next slam final.

RosyLily

Good match between Nadal-Tomic. Great 2nd set from the Aussie, pity he could win it though. After seeing him play I think he could be a force in the mens game in the future. He has to work on a few things first though.....not the fastest of players on the court. He looked a bit uncomfortable scampering around- needs to work on speed. Mental strength could be worked on, as well as his backhand. Bernard has got a great forehand and strong serve. Watch this space!

Another marathon match for Isner, although this one didn't go on as long as the last...and he lost this time. Cilic will now face Nadal for a place in the QFs.

Stosur is also gone from the tournament...beaten by Petra Kvitova in straight sets. A shame for her as she was many people's pick as the dark horse.

Good matches starting tonight:
Rod Laver Arena
Wozniacki v. Sevastova
Li v. Azarenka
Robredo v. Federer
Petkovic v. Sharapova
Roddick v. Wawrinka

Hisense Arena
Bryan/Bryan v. Becker/Kohlmann
Almagro v. Djokovic
Kuznetsova v. Schiavone

Margaret Court (Not Before 3.30 am GMT)
Berdych v. Verdasco

Juniors and Mixed Doubles are also beginning today!

Johnmb

RosyLily wrote: »

Good match between Nadal-Tomic. Great 2nd set from the Aussie, pity he could win it though. After seeing him play I think he could be a force in the mens game in the future. He has to work on a few things first though.....not the fastest of players on the court. He looked a bit uncomfortable scampering around- needs to work on speed. Mental strength could be worked on, as well as his backhand. Bernard has got a great forehand and strong serve. Watch this space!

Commitment could be a problem for him. He pulled out of the pre Australian Open tournament to get a wildcard, and didn't enter the qualifiers, instead relying on being handed a free wildcard by Tennis Australia. You'd have to question just how much work he is willing to do when he would make a decision like that. TA were quite annoyed with him over it, and it would not have been a huge shock if they had decided to not give him one to make an example of him and let their other players know "if you're not willing to make a bit of an effort, we're not willing to give you a free ride".

Rjd2

I expected Murray to win last night, but wow Garcia - Lopez was dirt. Murray has a very tricky match with Melzer on the horizon. The Austrian is very dangerous when he clicks and he has claimed some very impressive scalps in the last year, the most notable would be defeating Novak when 2-0 down in the French. Murray has stumbled in this stage before so I may be tempted to have a few pound on Melzer.


Good result for Dopologopov earlier, the lad is a definite top ten player in the next few years,,. Soderling next which should be interesting. Robin has coasted through the draw but this is his first real test, if the Russian gets off to a flyer, it could be a corker.

Rafa got the job done today, I can't get on the Tomic bandwagon yet, he has talent but their is tons of young players on the circuit with ability and few really push through and challenge the top guys. Ernest Guilbis and Richard Gasquest would be examples of this sadly.
Cilic is a step up for Rafa but I expect the Spaniard to get through and then he should annihilate Ferrer in the quarter finals.

Two men’s games stick out later, the first is Wawrinka v Roddick. The American was totally outclassed by another boy wonder Haase for the first set of their encounter last night, but once Roddick got it level, his experience got the job done. Wawrinka is someone I have opposed all competition, I backed Gabishvilli, Dimitrov and Monfils to beat him and neither could win a set! I don’t know if I can oppose him again!


The other game is Berdych v Verdasco. Berdych has been very poor since Wimbledon and he is someone I expected to go out early, but he has been superb so far. He was class against the dangerous Kohlschriber when he went a set down and some of his hitting against Gasquet was absolutely terrifying. I haven’t seen any of Verdaso yet but his results have been impressive. Its hard to call it as both can be flaky and can implode when the pressure is on, but if I had to bet it would be Verdasco because his betting odds are bigger :pac:

RosyLily

Johnmb wrote: »

Commitment could be a problem for him. He pulled out of the pre Australian Open tournament to get a wildcard, and didn't enter the qualifiers, instead relying on being handed a free wildcard by Tennis Australia. You'd have to question just how much work he is willing to do when he would make a decision like that. TA were quite annoyed with him over it, and it would not have been a huge shock if they had decided to not give him one to make an example of him and let their other players know "if you're not willing to make a bit of an effort, we're not willing to give you a free ride".

Yes, that decision was foolish and presumptuous of him. Although, it might not have been his decision to pull of the pre-tournament and bypass qualifiers....or was it? I'm not really sure of the specifics of the issue. Either way- it was reckless. Maybe he'll learn from this.

Johnmb

RosyLily wrote: »

Yes, that decision was foolish and presumptuous of him. Although, it might not have been his decision to pull of the pre-tournament and bypass qualifiers....or was it? I'm not really sure of the specifics of the issue. Either way- it was reckless. Maybe he'll learn from this.

It was because he pulled out citing an "illness" and then showed up in Brisbane the next day playing a practice with nothing wrong with him at all. He got the last wildcard place (well, one of the last two, they were both announced at the same time), and it was made clear that he was only getting it because he did so well in Sydney. Had he gone out in the first round there, like he did in Brisbane, they wouldn't have given him the wildcard. Even getting as far as he did in Sydney wasn't enough, TA said it was because of the high ranking of the people he beat that convinced them to give him the wildcard, so if he'd come up against lower ranking players in the draw he'd never have got to play Nadal in the AO.

bing3

Great match between Schiavone and Kuzi. Quality tennis in the third.

RosyLily

Really wish I got to see the entire Schiavone-Kuznetsova match!! Damn time difference!!! Is there anywhere online I could watch highlights of it??

Wawrinka just beat Roddick in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Great match from Stan, returned well against the Andy serve. He plays Federer next!

Rob2D

RosyLily wrote: »

Is there anywhere online I could watch highlights of it??

I'm sure there'll be something up on youtube in a while.

Poor old Roddick's time is up though, and has been for a while. Shame, I do like him. Even if he won there was no way he'd beat Federer anyway.

Should be an interesting match between the Swiss. You'd have to go with Federer but Stan is on quite the tear at the moment.

I was glad to hear Petrovic got through, I have a bit of a soft spot for her!

RosyLily

Djokovic played a great game against Berdych. Returned serve really well and groundstrokes were solid. His SF against Federer should be a good one!
Kinda disappointed Petkovic didn't get through to SFs. Really like her game and think she can do well in the future.
Wozniacki still on track for maiden GS title. She plays Na Li in SF. Think she could win this and reach the final.

Tonight matches- the last of the men and women QFs.

Alexandr Dolgopolov v. Andy Murray
This could be a good one. Dolgopolov is looking great this tournament. Really made Soderling look average at times during the match. Murray is in top form- looking dangerous.
Murray in 4 sets

Rafael Nadal v. David Ferrer
Nadal leads this head-to-head. Ferrer has moved silently through the draw. Quite likely that Nadal will win this one.
Nadal in 4

Petra Kvitova v. Vera Zvonareva
This is interesting. They have only met once before back in 2009 and both players have matured significantly since then. The way they are playing this time- the match could very well be a cracker.
Zvonareva in 3

Agnieszka Radwanska v. Kim Clijsters
Radwanska has been in great form during the tournament. Clijsters has also been crashing her way through the womens draw. It will be intriguig to see how Radwanska copes in the spotlight.
Clijsters in 3

cfitz

RosyLily wrote: »

Djokovic played a great game against Berdych. Returned serve really well and groundstrokes were solid. His SF against Federer should be a good one!
Kinda disappointed Petkovic didn't get through to SFs. Really like her game and think she can do well in the future.
Wozniacki still on track for maiden GS title. She plays Na Li in SF. Think she could win this and reach the final.

Tonight matches- the last of the men and women QFs.

Alexandr Dolgopolov v. Andy Murray
This could be a good one. Dolgopolov is looking great this tournament. Really made Soderling look average at times during the match. Murray is in top form- looking dangerous.
Murray in 4 sets

Rafael Nadal v. David Ferrer
Nadal leads this head-to-head. Ferrer has moved silently through the draw. Quite likely that Nadal will win this one.
Nadal in 4

Petra Kvitova v. Vera Zvonareva
This is interesting. They have only met once before back in 2009 and both players have matured significantly since then. The way they are playing this time- the match could very well be a cracker.
Zvonareva in 3

Agnieszka Radwanska v. Kim Clijsters
Radwanska has been in great form during the tournament. Clijsters has also been crashing her way through the womens draw. It will be intriguig to see how Radwanska copes in the spotlight.
Clijsters in 3

Nice preview. Murray and Dolgopolov is an interesting one - Dolgopolov looks like he could almost beat anyone at the moment but I wouldn't be shocked if Murray comes out with a straight sets victory either. Ferrer seems to keep a lower profile than he deserves but can't see him stopping Nadal. I didn't rate Kvitova at all last year, so unless she's improved a lot, I hope Zvonareva makes short work of her. I don't think Radwanska will put it up to Clijsters, even if it goes to 3 sets I reckon Clijsters will take the final set easily.

Loomis

The last of the 1/4 finals on now; Nadal v Ferrer.

Ferrer held serve easily to open and then broke Nadal in a game lasting near 30 minutes. Nadal asked the umpire to call for the trainer before breaking back.
He actually left the court to receive the medical timeout which lasted a considerable time.
Since returning to court he's looked very uncomfortable despite not showing any obvious signs of an injury. It's written all over his face that he's struggling with something and it's clearly distracting him - constantly looking to his coach etc
Ferrer broke back then and consolidated the break for a 4-1 lead.

This is gonna be interesting.

Loomis

Ferrer served for the set at 5-3 but lost serve quite easily. Serving at 4-5 Nadal saved two set points but was unable to save a third and Ferrer takes the opening set 6-4.
Despite being injured Nadal is still giving a good account of himself. Ferrer while playing well certainly isn't running away with it. The thing that now becomes the main factor I think is having lost the set Nadal has to play another 3 sets minimum. And that can only be advantageous to Ferrer given Nadal's injury.

The injury still isn't obvious but appears to be his left leg from what I can tell - he isn't fully extending himself on the backhand side. Doesn't seem to be his knee this time cause there's no tape or strapping so I'd go for his thigh or hip being the problem.

We shall see after the match I guess.

Loomis

Nadal looked bright at the start of the second breaking Ferrer to go 2-1 up. Ferrer broke back and broke a further two more times to take the second set 6-2.

I'm a Federer fan but you have to feel for Nadal. Poor guy.

Loomis

Ferrer finished the match off winning 6-4 6-2 6-3. Was quite gracious in his comments during his on court interview with Jim Courier.

I know it's not the way you'd wanna win but Ferrer must be buzzing with confidence now heading into the semi-final with Murray.

RosyLily

Mr. Anderson wrote: »

Ferrer finished the match off winning 6-4 6-2 6-3. Was quite gracious in his comments during his on court interview with Jim Courier.

I know it's not the way you'd wanna win but Ferrer must be buzzing with confidence now heading into the semi-final with Murray.

I was actually shocked when I read Ferrer beat Nadal in straight sets...no offence to Ferrer!!

Any word on what injury Nadal has? Is it the tendinitis again?

MisterAnarchy

RosyLily wrote: »

I was actually shocked when I read Ferrer beat Nadal in straight sets...no offence to Ferrer!!

Any word on what injury Nadal has? Is it the tendinitis again?

Its a hamstring injury ,so he could be out for a few months.

missingtime

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/8283218/Australian-Open-2011-Rafael-Nadal-denied-Rafa-Slam-dream-by-injury-and-David-Ferrer-at-Melbourne-Park.html

The world No 1 suffered a straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 defeat to David Ferrer in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park after sustaining a hamstring injury in the second game of the opening set.

Nadal left the court during the first set so that his left thigh could be treated and continued to have medical time-outs throughout his defeat.

Despite battling on through the pain, Nadal's movement was visibly hampered and he was not able to mount a comeback against his compatriot.

A knee injury forced Nadal to retire during his quarter-final clash with Andy Murray at two sets and a break down at last year's Australian Open.

Victory over Ferrer today would have set-up a rematch with the British No 1 who earlier today defeated Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov to book his place in the last four.

Ferrer said afterwards that it was not the way he wanted to progress and that it was unlikely he would have won so easily had it not been for the Spaniard's injury.

"Rafa is a gentleman and played on after being injured in the first set," he said.

"I fought a lot and it was still not easy. I played aggressively and tried to go to the net but if Rafael was not injured I would not have won in three sets. It is a win but not how I wanted to win."

Nadal, meanwhile, did not want to discuss his injury out of respect for his friend Ferrer and believes he has a good chance of upsetting Murray in Friday's semi-final.

"I can say nothing about the injury. Seriously, I would prefer that I don't talk a lot about the injury. In respect to the winner and to a friend, I prefer to talk about the match.

"I think he played at a very high level. I congratulate him and wish him all the best for the semi-final. I think he's having a fantastic tournament.

"If he keeps playing like this, he is going to have a good chance."

Sickened for Rafael.

the_monkey

Amazingly I feel really bad for Nadal, It's a shame, I wanted records to be set ...

Loomis

It's unusual to have someone at the top of a sport, or any discipline really, who soar so far above the rest of the pigeons yet exude so much class, respect and humility. And in tennis there's two; Federer and Nadal.

Federer would be my favoured player but it's impossible not to like this guy and respect how he carries himself.

Nadal refuses to make excuses for defeat

Rafael Nadal had already broken every tennis heart around the world when he soldiered through his quarterfinal match against David Ferrer, clearly injured, clearly in pain, but refusing to do himself or his opponent the ignominy of retiring. And the Spaniard clambered even further into the public's affections when he sat in front of the world's tennis media to explain the reasons behind that decision.

"I had a problem during the match, in the very beginning," said Nadal. "After that, the match was almost over. So that's what I can say. But you know what, for me is difficult come here and speak about. In Doha I wasn't healthy. Today I have another problem. Seems like I always have problems when I lose, and I don't want to have this image, no? I prefer don't talk about that today. If you can respect that, will be a very nice thing for me. Thank you."

Refusing to make excuses for the loss, and heaping praise on friend and compatriot Ferrer, Nadal explained that in his mind the nature of tennis is that there are positive and negative moments, and today's defeat, although devastating, was one of the many peaks and troughs that go hand in hand with being a professional tennis player.

"The tennis career, you have higher moments and lower moments. I had almost all the time very, very happy moments and very nice moments in my career. That's part of the sport. Last year I was very lucky. I was healthy most of the year. I was playing unbelievable during all the year. This year I did I think all the right things to start the season playing really well. And, seriously, I was playing like this in the first exhibition in Abu Dhabi. After that starts the problem. Was a difficult month for me, no? That's part of the sport. Accept; keep working; try my best in the next tournament. That's what I can do."

The cruel irony is that Nadal had finally recovered from the virus that cut short his season opener in Doha, and was feeling better than he had done since arriving in Melbourne. But the after-effects of that virus, the weakening of his body, no doubt played a part in the injury he sustained in the opening games of the match against Ferrer.

"I felt fantastic the last couple days. I practiced very good yesterday. I had a fantastic warmup today before the match. Only feeling that I can say was very positive. I started the second week, and when the second week started, everything was better and better for me: the health, sweat, the level of tennis. Everything was better and better."

"The only problem was a little bit of unlucky. In general, I had a virus. When you have a virus, your body goes down and you have more risk of everything. That's probably what happened. That's the simple thing."

But Nadal was adamant that at no point did he consider retiring from the match, having been forced into that situation against Andy Murray at the same juncture at Australian Open 2010.

"I hate the retirements, so this wasn't the day. I did last year. I hate that moment. I didn't want to repeat that."

Nadal will fully assess his injury, believed to be to his left thigh, over the coming weeks before deciding when he will be able to return to the court.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2011-01-26/201101261296046008378.html

RosyLily

Mr. Anderson wrote: »

It's unusual to have someone at the top of a sport, or any discipline really, who soar so far above the rest of the pigeons yet exude so much class, respect and humility. And in tennis there's two; Federer and Nadal.

Federer would be my favoured player but it's impossible not to like this guy and respect how he carries himself.

Same here. Find it so hard to dislike Nadal these days; the guy is a class act and a great role model for everyone- as is Federer. Being the fierce competitor that he is, I'm sure Nadal is gutted that he lost but is probably relieved that he hasn't injured his knees.

I expect him to come out in the clay season, esp. Roland Garros, all guns blazing.

frostie500

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Its a hamstring injury ,so he could be out for a few months.

Not the end of the world if he misses a few months with the injury. The tennis season is so long that some solid rest will do him well before the French Open.

Rjd2

Impressed with Nadal's courage today, but something has to be done about him having full blown conversations with his uncle on the court all the bloody time. Rafa does get away with quite a bit on the court these days.

Murray has to be pleased to avoid Soderling and Rafa now.

He was patchy against the Dopologopov and was lucky his opponent was very erratic all match. I can't see him beating either Roger or Novak with such a negative game.