In between Grand Slams tennis thread

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Depends on what happens this week in Shanghai. Federer won most of his points last season in this last stretch, Djokovic won very few. I'd put money on Djokovic for year end #1 anyway.

This is the only time of year I even look at the rankings as the Masters Cup obviously depends on it but it does make it pretty exciting!

cgpg5

Shanghai will be interesting. Fed and Murray will be in one of the semis bar a miracle. Hard to call that one, depends on the mindset of the two players and all that, if Murray brings his A game and shows no sign of fatigue/hangover from US I'd be more than confident.

Berdych/Tsonga is the pick of the quarters. Berdych is marginally better on his day imo but his head can be all over the place at times, whereas Tsonga is usually dead solid. Impossible to call but I'll go Berdych... Just. Djok will beat the winner either way imo. Could well be looking at a rematch of US open final

Scanlas The 2nd

Murray ranting to himself once again.

Scanlas The 2nd

Murray ranting to himself once again.

cgpg5

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Murray ranting to himself once again.

The usual

Already two breaks in the match in 3 games and Fed saved break points in the third. Looking like it'll be a ding dong battle

Watson is through to her first WTA final, in Osaka. She plays Chang from Chinese Taipei, the world's number 134, who amazingly beat Robson and Stosur!

cgpg5

Did anyone else see that???

3 double faults in a row by Federer :eek: Surely this is a dream? :pac:

cgpg5

Amazing scenes. Murray takes the first, and in the first game of the second Fed had saved something like 6 break points, when two spots of rain appeared on the court and he actually asked play to stop. Murray was furious. The worst part was the umpire obliged and it led to a 6 minute rain delay, with no rain. Farcical. Could be a real turning point. No-one except Federer would get away with such gamesmanship :mad:

cgpg5

GET IN!!

Murray through 6-4, 6-4. He was inspired today and was frankly about 3 levels above Fed. That's 5 sets in a row for the Scot v Fed since W'don final.

Murray, Djokovic final will be interesting indeed Expect to see plenty of finals between these two over the coming year no doubt

Tox56

Well done Murray, 10 wins over one of the best players of all time

cgpg5

Tox56 wrote: »

Well done Murray, 10 wins over one of the best players of all time

That's twice in a row he's comprehensively beaten him. Federer has been so on/off since Wimbledon you'd have to wonder is he really on the way down this time?

Hard to call Murray/Djok. Andy was really up for it today but Novak was sublime v Berdych. Could go the distance!

RosyLily

Tasty stuff from Murray! Looking forward to the final tomorrow; hoping for a good one!:)

Delighted for Watson. She's in the doubles final with Kimiko Date-Krumm as well. About 20 years between them....mad!!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Well done Heather Watson. Won her first WTA title in Osaka. Made hard work of it in the end, but don't they all. First British woman to win a title since 1988. Overtakes Robson in the rankings again, is somewhere top 50 ish now.

Murray v Djokovic is half brilliant half hilarious. Djokovic saved 5 MP's in the 2nd set, won the TB 13-11. Racquet smashes, tweeners, crazy bouncing off the net and posts and all sorts of things.

cgpg5

Novak and Andy are really serving up some top quality tennis. Into a decider, Murray has missed 5 champ points. Unbelievable effort from both players. Think this is indeed the dawn of the Nole/Andy era

cgpg5

Djokovic wins! Everything was going grand till 3-3 in the last but then Andy suddenly stopped playing. His first serve disappeared and started making a spate of UE's. 5 missed champ points in the second set ultimately cost him

Ah well fair play to Nole. Look forward to plenty of cracking matches between these two in the coming year!

mike65

Heather Watson wins Japan Open, first win for female British player on WTA since dawn of time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/oct/14/heather-watson-wins-japan-open-tennis

cgpg5

mike65 wrote: »

Heather Watson wins Japan Open, first win for female British player on WTA since dawn of time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/oct/14/heather-watson-wins-japan-open-tennis

That's great, fair play to her.

Tox56

Didn't see the match and wasn't too disappointed 'till I saw he squandered so many match points.. frustrating

cgpg5

Tox56 wrote: »

Didn't see the match and wasn't too disappointed 'till I saw he squandered so many match points.. frustrating

Indeed. I suppose it was good that he got match points to squander :pac:

Would have been disappointing to say the least if he got beaten handy. Very little separates the two players and that again showed today.

Murray's legs seemed to just go in the last and Djok took full advantage fair play to him.

If things keep going the way they are very difficult to imagine anyone else winning AO bar one of these

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Tox56 wrote: »

Didn't see the match and wasn't too disappointed 'till I saw he squandered so many match points.. frustrating

It's probably still frustrating if you're a Murray fan but you can't really be that annoyed when it's Djokovic. He's made a career of saving MP's. Why he doesn't play with that intensity on all his shots I don't know, but he's seriously a cut above when he's MP down, weird.

cgpg5

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

It's probably still frustrating if you're a Murray fan but you can't really be that annoyed when it's Djokovic. He's made a career of saving MP's. Why he doesn't play with that intensity on all his shots I don't know, but he's seriously a cut above when he's MP down, weird.

Agree completely. Even when Murray was serving for match at 5-4 ahead you just knew well Djok would break him

Just ask poor JW Tsonga!

Was a crazy first set today though. 7 breaks of serve!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

cgpg5 wrote: »

Agree completely. Even when Murray was serving for match at 5-4 ahead you just knew well Djok would break him

Just ask poor JW Tsonga!

Was a crazy first set today though. 7 breaks of serve!

I'm still not over that

The 1st set I thought was pretty poor from both of them, but the 2nd set and the TB they both played amazingly. How I'd love for a match where they both played superbly for they entire 3 sets.

cgpg5

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I'm still not over that

The 1st set I thought was pretty poor from both of them, but the 2nd set and the TB they both played amazingly. How I'd love for a match where they both played superbly for they entire 3 sets.

Exactly.

The first set was very similar to the US one where neither could hold serve efficiently. Agree, the 2nd set Tb was insane! 13-11.

Perhaps a lack of a real challenge thus far in the tournament led to them being so laboured in the first? Even against Federer, Murray had it way easier than he should. Grand he dropped the first v Stepanek but it was a walk in the park in the next 2. Djok barely broke a sweat up until the final and maybe found it hard to step up that level?

Either way, bar the first, there was some great tennis in the 2nd, the TB and the first half of the third. The rivalry between these 2 is becoming interesting! I think it really kickstarted at AO last year

the_monkey

Good to see Novak beating the fat farmer today, I think he'll be #1 tomorrow again.

Good stuff.

cgpg5

the_monkey wrote: »

Good to see Novak beating the fat farmer today, I think he'll be #1 tomorrow again.

Good stuff.

I've heard Murray being called many things but what the hell is that..? :P

And no he won't be number one tomorrow

the_monkey

Strange, I don't see how Fed is still no. 1, I suppose its about the defense of points .... Fed didn't have that much to defend from 2011..

cgpg5

the_monkey wrote: »

Strange, I don't see how Fed is still no. 1, I suppose its about the defense of points .... Fed didn't have that much to defend from 2011..

The rankings can be funny. At the end of the day it's all about winning slams and once Nole is either 1 or 2 seeded it's no difference. On current form Rog isn't top 2 but its the way the cookie crumbles I guess :P

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

the_monkey wrote: »

Strange, I don't see how Fed is still no. 1, I suppose its about the defense of points .... Fed didn't have that much to defend from 2011..

That's exactly why he's still #1. Djokovic had one hell of a year in 2011 up to the US Open. Was always going to be incredibly hard to defend all of that. Federer on the other hand didn't have that much to defend until after the US Open, which is why now I think Djokovic really only has to match him in Paris and the YEC's to be year end #1.

walshb

Sad for Murray yesterday. I watched it just before Murray got the crucial second set break. Serves for the match and blows it. Has 2-3, maybe more championship points and blows it. That should have been his 3rd Shanghai Masters on the trot! Novak is a hell of a competitor. So cool under pressure.

cgpg5

walshb wrote: »

Sad for Murray yesterday. I watched it just before Murray got the crucial second set break. Serves for the match and blows it. Has 2-3, maybe more championship points and blows it. That should have been his 3rd Shanghai Masters on the trot! Novak is a hell of a competitor. So cool under pressure.

Nearly sure Andy only had one champ point in the game he was serving for match. Was 40-30 then Nole got next 3 points iirc.

The tie-breaker was a bad one to let go alright but he was playing Nole at the end of the day

Was very similar to the TB in the first set at US. I know which one I'm glad that Murray won

At least Andy hasn't gotten too down about it. Nole summed it up well himself saying it was a completely 50/50 game in the overall scheme of things. Bar the olympics funnily enough, these two players have been having insanely close encounters of recent. Hope at AO they're separated as it would be a shame if they had to meet in a semi rather than final!

EDIT- or are you talking about overall match points? That was actually 5 which doesn't make for pleasant reading but tbf Andy didn't actually blow any of them it was insanely brave shooting from Novak! I know it's disappointing Murray didn't win the title and all that but he won 5 titles last year I think but who even remembers that? He has been an infintely better player this year, yet has 3. The slams are the name of the game and I wouldn't really care if Murray never won another non-GS title again as long as he starts winning numerous slams :P Although yes, it's nice to win titles and all that

walshb

Yes, I meant 2-3 and maybe more in the second set, including at 6-4 in the tie break. Yes, Novak hung in well, but Andy's service game to win the match really cost him. Cannot recall, but was he 30-0 in that game?