Australian Open 2020

elmolesto · 29-01-2020 1:44am

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Cannot understand why halep isnt bookies favourite to win this out. Looking in imperious form, have to put her ahead of barty from what I've seen.

She is really impressive but so is Muguruza. I think Barty will choke.

RobertKK · 29-01-2020 1:51am

Halep is just getting better in this tournament, I hope she wins it outright, make up for 2018.

Joe_ Public · 29-01-2020 1:51am

elmolesto wrote: »

She is really impressive but so is Muguruza. I think Barty will choke.

Mug has done great for a player who was bagled in first set of opening round! Just dont see her beating halep but could be tough match. Feel sorry for kontaveit here, she's not actually playing badly, just encountered the wall.

elmolesto · 29-01-2020 2:00am

The Cahill-Halep reunion is working well. I agree I too feel sorry for Kontaveit, but Halep always put one more ball back in the court.

NoviGlitzko · 29-01-2020 2:07am

Would love to see Gabby win after her recent struggles and to me she has the most attractive game. The women's side is up in the air.

Joe_ Public · 29-01-2020 2:17am

Have seen much more of halep than mug so probably biased in favour of the former. Beating svitolina and bertens handily shows she's obviously hitting well, but halep would be up another level again. Halep looks like she has put an extra 5-10% on her serve which is always a help. Kenin looks in the halep mould too, definitely no back number here.

29-01-2020 8:33am

Zverev finally gets a GS semi.

Stan was not the man.

Now what can Thiem do against scraggly hair Nadal?

EagererBeaver · 29-01-2020 10:16am

Thiem doing a Nadal and standing an absolute mile behind the baseline on the Nadal serve. Easiest hold to love Nadal has had all tournament to go up 4-3 there. I know Nadal's serve was great at times against Kyrgios but it's hardly Karlovic-esque.

elmolesto · 29-01-2020 10:30am

It’s a brutal match.

NoviGlitzko · 29-01-2020 10:41am

elmolesto wrote: »

It’s a brutal match.

Most Nadal matches are, aren't they. Whatever about his game he's a wall first and foremost and Theim seems to be just as quick.

29-01-2020 10:54am

Thiem very very impressive in the tie-break to take it.

Hector Savage · 29-01-2020 10:56am

glasso wrote: »

Thiem very very impressive in the tie-break to take it.

Indeed, I am slightly more positive about his chances now ....

from Nadal 100% certain to win this match, he is now only 99.999999% certain :P

EagererBeaver · 29-01-2020 11:01am

Nadal faltering again when serving for the set/match. If he gets through this and makes it to a final against Djokovic he can't afford to miss those opportunities.

dominatinMC · 29-01-2020 11:12am

EagererBeaver wrote: »

Nadal faltering again when serving for the set/match. If he gets through this and makes it to a final against Djokovic he can't afford to miss those opportunities.

I think Zverev will take either of these two. And who knows from there, he certainly has the weapons to beat Djokovic..

29-01-2020 11:18am

Thiem's service not up to scratch right now.

Will cost him the match if he can't get back into his rhythm.

Hector Savage · 29-01-2020 11:18am

ah thats it, Nadal a break up .... all over ....
another 4 set win for Nadal, new guys continue to dissapoint

lostcat · 29-01-2020 11:18am

Thiem fairly swinging for the fences here so far. If he can keep it up (and they keep landing in) he has every chance. Some power in those shots.
He has a better chance of beating a Djokovic in the final if they both get there than Nadal also, bu ti'm getting ahead of myself...

Hector Savage · 29-01-2020 11:21am

glasso wrote: »

Thiem's service not up to scratch right now.

Will cost him the match if he can't get back into his rhythm.

It's over ..

Floppybits · 29-01-2020 11:35am

Nadal's serve has gone to pot. 4 each now. I think Hector was getting a bit carried away.

lostcat · 29-01-2020 11:39am

Floppybits wrote: »

Nadal's serve has gone to pot. 4 each now. I think Hector was getting a bit carried away.

thats not like him....

Floppybits · 29-01-2020 12:03pm

Hector Savage wrote: »

ah thats it, Nadal a break up .... all over ....
another 4 set win for Nadal, new guys continue to dissapoint

2-0 to Thiem.

29-01-2020 12:05pm

don't see Nadal coming back to take the match barring major nerves from Thiem - Thiem looks a man on a mission and Nadal not good enough today.

there will be at least one new finalist in Melbourne

EagererBeaver · 29-01-2020 12:10pm

I disagree that Thiem looks like a man on a mission completely. Nadal has been up a break in each set and has contrived to throw it away. Thiem has taken advantage of those but two 7-6 sets having been a break down is not the performance from someone who has gone out there and grabbed it by the balls, so to speak, for me.

Floppybits · 29-01-2020 12:10pm

Unreal stuff from Thiem.

29-01-2020 12:14pm

EagererBeaver wrote: »

I disagree that Thiem looks like a man on a mission completely. Nadal has been up a break in each set and has contrived to throw it away. Thiem has taken advantage of those but two 7-6 sets having been a break down is not the performance from someone who has gone out there and grabbed it by the balls, so to speak, for me.

I mean man on a mission in terms of his focus and resilience - this is evidenced even more so in coming back from breaks to take both sets

i.e. he is not going to let this slip barring something exceptional from Nadal

Nadal off his game at the key points where you'd expect a proven champion to be at their best - that time violation may have been the last straw to his OCD brain workings and he has been totally distracted since.

Floppybits · 29-01-2020 12:18pm

Nadal having a go at everyone there at the last change over. Never seen him like that. Thiems backhand is a thing of beauty.

Hector Savage · 29-01-2020 12:39pm

https://twitter.com/DaniilMedwed/status/1222481517839937537?s=20

He's a handsome divil ...

lostcat · 29-01-2020 12:44pm

Nadal back in business

Hector Savage · 29-01-2020 12:47pm

and thats it .....

such a pity

elmolesto · 29-01-2020 12:47pm

I’m on the edge of my seat for the past 2 hours!

Vamos!

I wonder how much of a toll it with take on Nadal’s body I’d he can pull this one off.

Floppybits · 29-01-2020 12:51pm

Thiem missing too many shots. He has been doing it all match.

josip · 29-01-2020 12:51pm

elmolesto wrote: »

I wonder how much of a toll it with take on Nadal’s body I’d he can pull this one off.

Hector is the best one to answer that...

lostcat · 29-01-2020 12:55pm

josip wrote: »

Hector is the best one to answer that...

he was gettin distracted on twitter there for a while..

Thiem is going to have to refocus here, hes getting a bit wild as he tires

Hector Savage · 29-01-2020 12:58pm

elmolesto wrote: »

I’m on the edge of my seat for the past 2 hours!

Vamos!

I wonder how much of a toll it with take on Nadal’s body I’d he can pull this one off.

None.

He has been pounding his body since he was a young player, the tennis world expected him to be done by his late twenties ... now at 34 (next June) he is still getting stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger .......

I expect this will do nothing either, and he will be fighting fit for Sundays final.

elmolesto · 29-01-2020 1:02pm

Hector Savage wrote: »

None.

He has been pounding his body since he was a young player, the tennis world expected him to be done by his late twenties ... now at 34 (next June) he is still getting stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger .......

I expect this will do nothing either, and he will be fighting fit for Sundays final.

Remember USO 2018 or AO 2018?

Floppybits · 29-01-2020 1:02pm

Writing could be on the wall now.

29-01-2020 1:15pm

I didn't see Thiem passing this chance up after taking the first 2 sets and he's not going to.

Despite some blips he has been hitting the ball very very well and is determined.

Thiem seems to know how to make it difficult for Nadal in baseline rallies and Nadal hasn't been able to get his usual depth on shots hit from the baseline.

He will a favourite against Zverev (who I haven't seen play yet) and has had the best of recent encounters.

walshb · 29-01-2020 1:17pm

No real surprise here. These young players have been slowly taking over, albeit not winning slams.....it's about effing time a young talent beats an aging great...

walshb · 29-01-2020 1:18pm

Hector Savage wrote: »

None.

He has been pounding his body since he was a young player, the tennis world expected him to be done by his late twenties ... now at 34 (next June) he is still getting stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger .......

I expect this will do nothing either, and he will be fighting fit for Sundays final.

Hector, give it a bleedin' rest...:pac:

29-01-2020 1:33pm

nerves... double fault and stupid last shot to give Nadal the break.

dominatinMC · 29-01-2020 1:39pm

Christ, Thiem absolutely soiled himself there with the finish line in sight

EagererBeaver · 29-01-2020 1:40pm

Yeah, some really wild shots in that game from Thiem. The double fault was insane how much he missed it by.

Doing well to hold his nerve so far in this game though when serving to stay in the set.

EagererBeaver · 29-01-2020 1:45pm

Jesus two really awful shots from Thiem there at the start of the breaker having gone up the mini-break.

Joe_ Public · 29-01-2020 1:54pm

Jesus that was heart stopping. Thought that was in!

Floppybits · 29-01-2020 1:57pm

Finally Thiem does it.

EagererBeaver · 29-01-2020 1:58pm

Congrats to Thiem, pulled it out when it mattered.

Rafa hauled himself back into that tie break and then chucked it again. Should never have lost either of those last two points.

Thiem-Zverev will be interesting but the only question remaining is how quickly djokovic can win the final.

Hector Savage · 29-01-2020 1:59pm

YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally a new slam finalist at least!!!

Royale with Cheese · 29-01-2020 1:59pm

Djokovic back to no. 1 again now if (when) he wins the final.

lostcat · 29-01-2020 2:00pm

And Nadals mission to win a second AO stumbles yet again. Thiem played very well in patches, but Nadal had plenty of chances to grab it by the short and curlies and couldn't get it done.

Winning 3 tiebreaks in a row is statistically unlikely so Thiem had a bit of luck there. He will be a handful for anyone left in the tournament, there is a bit of the Stanimal about him when he puts his back into it...

yerwanthere123 · 29-01-2020 2:04pm

Phew! If this went to a 5th set after Thiem failed to serve it out and then missed two match points there would've been no way back. That match point he missed on his own serve, where all he had to do was go inside out with the forehand was painful to watch. Glad it's done now, hope he has something left in the tank for Zverev and probably Djokovic if he gets there. I actually think Zverev now probably has the best shot at stopping Djokovic.

Australian Open 2020

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