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Australian Open 2020

  • 16-01-2020 9:36am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    The draw is just out

    Men’s draw

    Some interesting first round including Djokovic Struff

    Women’s draw

    The women’s draw is absolutely brutal, a lot of potential upset, Pliskova has by far the worse quarter in my opinion.


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,910 ✭✭✭Gwynplaine


    This is Rafa's year. He will win 3 of the 4.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    Gwynplaine wrote: »
    This is Rafa's year. He will win 3 of the 4.

    As Rafan, I would be very happy if your prediction came true but Djokovic, Thiem and Federer will have something to say.

    For starter his draw is not the best.
    Here are his potential opponents

    First round: Hugo Dellien (world No 72)
    Second round: Federico Delbonis (73)
    Third round: Pablo Carreno Busta (30)
    Fourth round: Karen Khachanov (16)/Nick Kyrgios (26)
    Quarter-final: Dominic Thiem (5)
    Semi-final: Daniil Medvedev (4)

    I can see a few land mines he would rather not step on.

    I will be very happy if he wins 2.

    Federer has by far the easiest quarter.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,810 ✭✭✭Hector Savage


    Think of this , this will be the first year in Nadal's career he has won multiple slams in consecutive years .....

    incredible ...... in the year he turns 34 ....





    yeah


  • Registered Users Posts: 842 ✭✭✭Hego Damask


    Nonsense, he dominated from 2008-2010, in those 3 seasons he won multiple slams every year, he won 3 alone in 2010 I think


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,910 ✭✭✭Gwynplaine


    Nonsense, he dominated from 2008-2010, in those 3 seasons he won multiple slams every year, he won 3 alone in 2010 I think

    Hector is right. 'Multiple slams in consecutive years'.

    Well spotted Hector.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 54,495 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    If any of the big three win this, the rest of these numpties can just eff off!!! Permanently...


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,306 Mod ✭✭✭✭mzungu


    The V. Williams and Gauff match should be a good watch.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭jr86


    Nonsense, he dominated from 2008-2010, in those 3 seasons he won multiple slams every year, he won 3 alone in 2010 I think

    He won one slam in 2009

    Well spotted Hector, that's actually a very interesting stat.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    elmolesto wrote: »
    The draw is just out

    Men’s draw

    Some interesting first round including Djokovic Struff

    Women’s draw

    The women’s draw is absolutely brutal, a lot of potential upset, Pliskova has by far the worse quarter in my opinion.

    Looks like pliskova has the plum draw to me and this is her chance if she's ever going to do it. Anythings possible but i dont see who she should be losing to in her quarter. Plus, the 3 players ahead of her in the betting are all in other half of draw. Osaka has the worst of it imo.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    Looks like pliskova has the plum draw to me and this is her chance if she's ever going to do it. Anythings possible but i dont see who she should be losing to in her quarter. Plus, the 3 players ahead of her in the betting are all in other half of draw. Osaka has the worst of it imo.

    Mladenovic in the first round is not an easy opponent, then Vandeweghe, Pavlyuchenkova, Kerber in the fourth round.
    Svitolina in the quarter.
    Anisimova and Mugaraza are also in that quarter. Not an easy path if you ask me.

    The Bencic/Halep quarter seems easy. I have Bencic to win at 25/1 each way.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    elmolesto wrote: »
    Mladenovic in the first round is not an easy opponent, then Vandeweghe, Pavlyuchenkova, Kerber in the fourth round.
    Svitolina in the quarter.
    Anisimova and Mugaraza are also in that quarter. Not an easy path if you ask me.

    The Bencic/Halep quarter seems easy. I have Bencic to win at 25/1 each way.

    Its debatable i think. Mladenovic looked ok a couple of years ago, but only really a power in doubles now. Possible but pliskova isnt at much if she has trouble there i think. Townsend rather than pav, perhaps? Kerber is carrying an injury and poorish form. Svitolina decent but very beatable. Vondrousova could be tricky, animisova too.

    I dont think its too bad. Consider Osakas potential path:

    Bouzkova, Zheng, Gauff, Kenin, Serena, Barty.

    Now, to me thats a whole lot tougher. But i agree on bencic, i like her and thats not a bad quarter. By far the bottom half of draw is place to be. In that quarter I'll be keeping an eye on Sabalenka to see if she's maturing into a proper slam player.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    Its debatable i think. Mladenovic looked ok a couple of years ago, but only really a power in doubles now. Possible but pliskova isnt at much if she has trouble there i think. Townsend rather than pav, perhaps? Kerber is carrying an injury and poorish form. Svitolina decent but very beatable. Vondrousova could be tricky, animisova too.

    I dont think its too bad. Consider Osakas potential path:

    Bouzkova, Zheng, Gauff, Kenin, Serena, Barty.

    Now, to me thats a whole lot tougher. But i agree on bencic, i like her and thats not a bad quarter. By far the bottom half of draw is place to be. In that quarter I'll be keeping an eye on Sabalenka to see if she's maturing into a proper slam player.

    You are right, Osaka’s quarter is probably the worse. Both Kenin and Osaka looks confortable at the moment, they both just won their first set 6-2.

    The problem with Pliskova is she is really good outside the slams when she has on court coaching. As soon as she has to face a bit of adversity on her own, she tends to lose her confidence. Mladenovic even though she hasn’t performed in singles in a long time, could easily take her out.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    Shapovalov is playing some awful tennis, lost the first 6-3. 24 unforced errors and 6 double faults for el shapo!


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,780 Mod ✭✭✭✭whiterebel


    Shapovalov gone 1st hurdle.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    Djokovic loses a set against Struff.

    Stephens loses first four games of third set to love against Zhang. No fight in her at all.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Nonsense, he dominated from 2008-2010, in those 3 seasons he won multiple slams every year, he won 3 alone in 2010 I think

    reading comprehension was never a strong suit?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭jr86


    Djokovic loses a set against Struff.

    Stephens loses first four games of third set to love against Zhang. No fight in her at all.

    He's now blowing him away in the 4th set

    These first round games are usually such a procession for the big guns, must be very hard for them to keep their focus throughout


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,780 Mod ✭✭✭✭whiterebel


    Strange one from ND. Let Struff back in to the first set, then the first set tie break and gave him a sniff with the 3rd set.


  • Site Banned Posts: 22 Guava Juice


    Nonsense, he dominated from 2008-2010, in those 3 seasons he won multiple slams every year, he won 3 alone in 2010 I think

    He won one slam in 2009, and didn't win the French Open in 2009, Federer won it that year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,727 ✭✭✭✭Inquitus


    Gauff beats Williams again in a 1st Round Grand Slam match. 7-6, 6-3!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 695 ✭✭✭lostcat


    jr86 wrote: »
    He's now blowing him away in the 4th set

    These first round games are usually such a procession for the big guns, must be very hard for them to keep their focus throughout

    Djokovic in particular tends to mope around till the quarters, maybe even more so this time due to an intense week last week.

    Nadal and Federer have knifed through a lot of GS early rounds in the past few years in fairness to them.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    whiterebel wrote: »
    Strange one from ND. Let Struff back in to the first set, then the first set tie break and gave him a sniff with the 3rd set.

    Not really, I think it was a good game tactics from Djokovic not to let Struff and his powerful baseline game dictate the play. Sure, it wasn’t the best match from Djoker, he hit a lot of unforced errors ( 28 ), a good chunk of them were in the first set but he hit more winners.

    The tactics reminded me the way he played against Nadal at the atp cup, especially in the first set, were he absolutely refused to let Nadal get confortable and dictate play. He was going for broke, making lots of mistakes but hitting more winners and keeping Rafa on the back foot.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,780 Mod ✭✭✭✭whiterebel


    Ok, so you reckon it was tactics to let Struff catch him in the first set, then nearly blow his tiebreak lead and then give away the 3rd set? Right........


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    whiterebel wrote: »
    Ok, so you reckon it was tactics to let Struff catch him in the first set, then nearly blow his tiebreak lead and then give away the 3rd set? Right........

    No, it was just his super aggressive strategy that cost him to
    lose his lead in the first set. Struff is not the type of player you want to feel comfortable from the baseline, he will put you on the run.
    Djokovic did check out the third set and went in energy saving mode, then blew Struff away in the fourth. Federer did the same against Nadal in Wimbledon last year.

    I thought his strategy was really good.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,575 ✭✭✭✭josip


    Konta out


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    Good match from Hurkacz, he came back from 2 sets down to win it against Novak. He is another player to watch this year, he was very impressive in the atp cup and went undefeated.


  • Registered Users, Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,259 Mod ✭✭✭✭yerwanthere123


    Sharapova loses to Vekic and now out of the top 350, the end is nigh methinks. Rennae Stubbs saying she thinks this was Sharapova's last time playing in Australia, but I think nothing is certain until after the clay season at least.

    Hugely impressed Ostapenko is playing in Melbourne, her father only died inside the last couple of weeks.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,467 ✭✭✭Floppybits


    Kyrgios looking good. I know I have said this before but if he can keep his head together then he could go far in this tournament. I think he meets Nadal in either the 4th round or quarter final, if he is on form he could give Nadal a problem. Then in saying all that he could have meltdown in the next 5 minutes and lose this match. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭elmolesto


    Medvedev just lost the second set, Tiafoe is going to give everything in this match as he have a lot at stakes, about a third of his ranking points come from his run to the quarter here last year.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭jr86


    Sharapova loses to Vekic and now out of the top 350, the end is nigh methinks. Rennae Stubbs saying she thinks this was Sharapova's last time playing in Australia, but I think nothing is certain until after the clay season at least.

    Hugely impressed Ostapenko is playing in Melbourne, her father only died inside the last couple of weeks.

    Very surprised that Sharapova is still an active player, she could have comfortably retired a decade ago at this stage

    Perhaps she's still clinging on to one last 'fairytale' major win given as it stands her career will predominantly be remembered for the wrong reasons


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