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Rex
January 8th, 2005, 1:25 PM
For most of the Grand Slams someone makes a thread, and I know there's an review/preview thread around here, but why not have an official thread? There's more tennis than just the slams and other sports have it so why not?

2005 seems destined for injuries.

Three men were injured at the Hopman Cup this week, Mark Philliposous (spelling) and Tommy Haas both pulled their groin muscle and Coria strained his back.

Henin-Hardenne withdrew from the OZ open earlier today and we all know the deal with Clijsters.

Match results for today
Dementieva def V. Williams 6-3 6-2 in the final of the champion's exhibition (other players in the draw including Sharapova, Zvonareva and Kutznetsova. It was round robin style, Venus beating Kuzzy and Z in three sets and Dementieva taking out Sharapova in three sets.) Dementieva's serve seems to be getting better from the clips I saw, if she can get it under control, she'll be a serious force. Venus had a lot of doubles this week which is cause for concern.

Paradorn Srichaphan def Tomas Zib 7-6(5) 6-3 and
Carlos Moya def Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2) to reach the final of the Chennai Open.

Taylor Dent def Juan Ignacio Chela 6-1 6-1 and
Joachim Johannson def Oliver Rochus 6-1 7-6(5) to reach the final of the Adelaide tournament

Shinobu Asagoe def Amy Frazier 76(4) 64
Katarina Srebotnik def Marion Bartoli 75 26 75

Final
Katarina Srebotnik def Shinobu Asagoe 57 75 64 to win the ASB Classic

Patty Schnyder def Samantha Stosur 16 63 75 to win the Uncle Toby Hardcourts tournament.

Roger Federer def Ivan Ljubicic, 6-3, 6-1 to win the Qatar Open.

Hantuchova def Gisela Dulko 1-6 6-4 6-4 to give Slovokia first blood in the Hopman Cup final
Dominik Hrbaty def Guillermo Coria 6-4, 6-1
And Hantuchova & Hrabty had a walk over in the mixed double as Coria strained his back during his singles match.
This means Slovokia are the 2005 Hopman Cup champions.

mj the kid
January 10th, 2005, 4:59 AM
I wouldnt count Phillipousis as an injury - He is just a big cat.

Rex
January 12th, 2005, 9:50 PM
I dunno, he pulled out of the rest of the tournament forcing Alicia to play with someone ranked even lower.

In other news, Jennifer Capriati has officially withdrawn from the OZ open. Shame but she won't lose any points over it sicne she didn't play last year.


On an interesting note, with Henin and Cap gone, that puts 6 Russians seeded in the top ten. #3 Myskina, #4 Sharapova, #5 Kutznetsova, #6 Dementieva # 9 Zvonareva and #10 Petrova.

The only two who I feel can truly challenge the might of the Russians for the championship are Davenport and Serena. Venus, while she could upset one of them, isn't a true contender for a Grand Slam right now. If a Russian does win it, I'd hope for Dementieva or Myskina. As long as Sharapova doesn't win I'll be happy, and she won't. She's never beaten a top 20 player on a hard court.

Beforehand
January 13th, 2005, 1:39 PM
I'd talk a lot more, but nothing's happened yet. I'm all over during the Australian Open.

The men's rankings look funny during the first week. Joachim Johansson ranked #2...Heh.

Rex
January 14th, 2005, 12:51 AM
the official draw for Australia has been made. you can find it at Australianopen.com

Assuming the top 8 all get to the quarter's we're looking at
Federer vs Agassi
Safin vs Moya

Hewitt vs Coria
Roddick vs Henman

On the women's side we have
Davenport vs Venus
Myskina vs Dementieva

Mauresmo vs Serena
Sharapova vs Kutznetsova

Other matches to look for are Molik vs Venus in 4th round, Zvonareva vs Kutznetsova in the 4th round as well as Ferrero vs Coria in the 3rd round. I just hope everyone is playing well and is healthy.

mj the kid
January 14th, 2005, 1:58 AM
Hewitt into the Sydney the final.

Tough draw in Aus Open but for Lleyton.

Beforehand
January 14th, 2005, 2:45 PM
Assuming the top 8 all get to the quarter's we're looking at
Federer vs Agassi
Safin vs Moya

Hewitt vs Coria
Roddick vs Henman

I'd be shocked to see Guillermo Coria in the quarterfinals of any Major other than Roland Garros this year. Everyone else has a nice shot. I doubt Moya makes it that far either.

Federer/Agassi should be a classic. Agassi had Federer on his heels in the U.S. Open before that delay.

Rex
January 14th, 2005, 4:46 PM
I'd be shocked to see Guillermo Coria in the quarterfinals of any Major other than Roland Garros this year. Everyone else has a nice shot. I doubt Moya makes it that far either.

Federer/Agassi should be a classic. Agassi had Federer on his heels in the U.S. Open before that delay.

Coria made it to the quarters of the US Open in 03, and he gave Andy a run for his money in Miami last year. He'll have to be healthy and playing well to do it, but his draw isn't terribly tough so me may pull it off. Lleyton vs Guillermo would be great.

I agree Agassi/Fed could be great, but there's some talk of Andre's hip being injured, an injured Andre would be devoured by Roger.

Interesting note is that Hewitt has never made it past the 4th round of Australia.

Beforehand
January 14th, 2005, 9:17 PM
Coria made it to the quarters of the US Open in 03, and he gave Andy a run for his money in Miami last year. He'll have to be healthy and playing well to do it, but his draw isn't terribly tough so me may pull it off. Lleyton vs Guillermo would be great.

I agree Agassi/Fed could be great, but there's some talk of Andre's hip being injured, an injured Andre would be devoured by Roger.

Interesting note is that Hewitt has never made it past the 4th round of Australia.
I mean, Guillermo Coria circa Tennis Masters Cup, and thus, circa now...I could even see Tomas Berdych giving Coria an early exit. Is Coria 100%?

Yeah, I just read about Agassi's injury, but let's face it, if they play, Roger will be the one moving around the court, not Andre.

Rex
January 14th, 2005, 9:23 PM
Coria played pretty well at the Hopman Cup earlier, but Oliver Rochus beat him this week.

And I agree that even a game Andre won't take down Roger. Andre has been beaten easily by Roger in the past as much as the other players. I really don't see Andre playing any better than he did that match and he ultimately lost.

I hope Ferrero does well, his 2004 was plagued by injury and illness.

mj the kid
January 14th, 2005, 11:38 PM
Hewitt wins Sydney.

Stosur - Molik final aint bad - Guaranteed Aussie double in the tournament for the 1st time in 29yrs..

Beforehand
January 15th, 2005, 1:52 AM
Coria played pretty well at the Hopman Cup earlier, but Oliver Rochus beat him this week.

I hope Ferrero does well, his 2004 was plagued by injury and illness.
Olivier Rochus seems to be making the move everybody reserved for Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych this year, but then again, we are only two weeks in.

For some reason, I like Juan Carlos Ferrero, and I can never figure out why. It must be the three name thing.

QuietStorm
January 15th, 2005, 4:09 AM
Hehe. Be. Forehand.



My 5000th post. Dedicated to you.

Beforehand
January 15th, 2005, 10:23 PM
Hehe. Be. Forehand.



My 5000th post. Dedicated to you.
:p

So, one day to the Australian Open...

Rex
January 16th, 2005, 12:04 PM
ESPN something or other is showing classic finals from the OZ open.

Graf vs Evert is on now
Sampras vs Aggasi later
Capriati vs Hingis later

And there's one more I can't remember

Beforehand
January 16th, 2005, 1:09 PM
Yeah, no action from this year until tonight..:\

Serena Williams Vs. Camille Pin! How exciting.

Rex
January 16th, 2005, 2:34 PM
Maria vs Sesil should be good, hopefully it gets shown. She was the one who at Indian Wells said "I can kick Maria Sharapova's ass" She didn't beat Maria but did take her to three sets.

She's said to be a good player, and I'd love to see Maria ousted in round 1.

Beforehand
January 17th, 2005, 12:09 AM
I like Maria Sharapova. I'd love to see her...I don't know, it just doesn't seem as though she's fully come through yet.

Rex
January 17th, 2005, 2:03 AM
I just see Maria as a younger Serena, which is a definate down for me. She's already started taking credit from her opponants when she lost. Case in point, Elena beat Maria at the Watson's Challenge, Maria went on to say she played about a 3 out of 10. A little humbleness goes a long way in my book.

That's what I love about Myskina. Afte defeating Venus at RG, she said something along the lines of "She hasn't been playing as much and has had injuries. That probably had a lot to do with it. And if someone can beat her, it's going to be here."


Federer crushed Santoro tonight. It was almost painful to watch. Santoro's a good player too. He beat Hewitt last summer.

I kinda thought Pin might give Serena a little more trouble, especially after the first couple games, but Serena's groundies and returns were just too much.

Sugiyama was upset. Moya is currently down 2 sets but looks ready to take the third. Agassi advanced. Zvonareva advanced. Pierce was upset by Choen-Aloro....

mj the kid
January 17th, 2005, 2:56 AM
Federer just blew Santoro off the court earliar today.

Moya is out.

Who is playing in the night session?

Rex
January 17th, 2005, 1:58 PM
Sharapova and Amelie both played as well as Marat Safin.

For live results, you can go to livescore.com

It's useful since they dont have time to show most of the results on TV.

Beforehand
January 17th, 2005, 2:09 PM
Who do you guys think benefits the most from Carlos Moya's loss? At first, I was thinking Thomas Johansson, but as I look a little further in the bracket, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez might just have paved Dominik Hrbaty's way into the quarterfinals, at least.

JP
January 18th, 2005, 3:41 PM
Both Greg and Tim through to the next round.

mj the kid
January 19th, 2005, 12:51 AM
If my Maria loses this match I wont be too happy.

Fucking come on you gorgeous 17yr old russian :heart:

Rex
January 19th, 2005, 2:13 AM
Maria pulled it out.

Lee-Waters gave Sharapova all she wanted and then some. She did exactly what I've been saying people need to do against Sharapova.

Give her the angle.

It sounds odd. You think Sharapova would eat it up because she loves creating angles. But that's the problem. She creates them. She doesn't hit a good ball from the angle, and when she does, it's back cross-court 90% the time.

Her footwork is the worst of the top ten also. Sharapova is good, but will not live up to her hype. She'll be halted by Kuzzy in the quarters if she makes it there.

Scare also for Amelie Mauresmo tonight. Marat's kid sister thrashed through her in the first set, but just ran out of gas and only won one more game after that.

Sharapova will not win this tournament.

Myskina on the other hand. Now that's an Ozzy player. If she can get through Lisa Raymond in the third round, which may be tough as Raymond is excellent here, she should make it to at least the semis, and if Davenport is anything under 100%, Myskina could pass through.

Dementieva, can't take the heat of Australia. I'll be surprised if she's able to hold up to the quarters, but if she does Myskina should await.

Davenport should beat Venus. Venus played only alright against Eleni, her footwork was notch above last year I though.

Mauresmo, if hey body holds up likely faces Serena Williams, who's she's 1-8 against. Amelie has the game to beat Rena, but won't let herself do it. I foresee a great match if they both hold through, but Rena will come on top.

As I said Kuzzy will make it through Sharapova. She's playing amazingly, has dropped just four games in two matches. The controversy is having what appears to be a reverse effect of what we expected. It's making her play better and she's a threat to anyone.

My final? Myskina vs Kuznetsova.

From what I recall their last meeting was at Roland Garros last year. Myskina won 1-6 6-4 8-6. It should be a good one if it comes down to that, and a Russian four in a row.

For the men, Federer and Roddick.

I'd like to say Lleyton but really, he has too much pressure he. He's never even made the quarters. Too bad as he's so close to passing Roddick. But he can still do it.

I'll be torn if Coria and Ferrero duel in the 3rd round. I don't want either out that early, but I'll root Ferrero as he has more to lose.

Edit: Forgot to say, Sharapova better not take Na Li lightly. She's one of the leading ladies of the emerging Chinese who will ruffle some skorts this year.

mj the kid
January 19th, 2005, 2:21 AM
Hewitt will make the final. He thrives off the pressure, and to be honest there isnt much pressure on him this year. Most of the media are just getting behind him and hoping that he can go as far as possible, where in the past they have expected him to win it.

:heart: Maria

Beforehand
January 19th, 2005, 12:03 PM
Just some thoughts, looking at the men's draw...

If Hewitt's going to win the final, he's got to hope Federer won't be there. I don't think Hewitt can do it against Federer.

What I think will be an interesting test for Federer will be a potential U.S. Open rematch with Marcos Baghdatis, the kid who has the same kind of all around game, just at a lower level. He's like 18, but he even managed to take a set from Roger at the U.S. Open last year.

I'm interested in a Joachim Johansson/Andre Agassi matchup too. After seeing Joachim overpower Andy Roddick last year at the U.S. Open, it will be interesting to see if Andre can play his "testing your fitness" style.

Olivier Rochus! Look at him go! Marat Safin awaits if Rochus gets past Karol Beck, and Mario Ancic can't pull the upset.

I hope to God that Gaston Gaudio doesn't make it to the quarterfinals. I don't think he can beat Dominik Hrbaty, though, truth be told. I'm so sick of Gaudio in the top ten!

Like Rex, I like the thought of Guillermo Coria taking on Juan Carlos Ferrero. I like both of them, and I hope they show it here on American TV, but alas, probably not.

About Ferrero, did anybody hear the announcers on ESPN2 speculating about Ferrero and Sharapova's relationship?

I'm interested in Rafael Nadal. If he can keep winning, he could meet up with Hewitt in a couple rounds. And it would do Hewitt well to remember that Nadal is one of the lucky people to beat Federer last year...

Beforehand
January 19th, 2005, 12:04 PM
:heart: Maria
:yesyes:

I had to go to bed after the second set against Lee-Waters. :nono:

Yoel
January 19th, 2005, 5:07 PM
Her footwork is the worst of the top ten also. Sharapova is good, but will not live up to her hype. She'll be halted by Kuzzy in the quarters if she makes it there.

If Sharapova wants to beat Kuznetsova, she has to start playing with the same intensity and and a mixture of relentless violence/brutality in her ground strokes that she played with at Wimbledon. Sharapova will need her emotions to take her all the way in this tourney, let alone past Kuznetsova. Even if she can get into the semis, I can't see her winning it all.


Scare also for Amelie Mauresmo tonight. Marat's kid sister thrashed through her in the first set, but just ran out of gas and only won one more game after that.

I personally still can't see Mauresmo winning a slam - not yet, and not with this field. Oddly enough, this is the year to do it for Mauresmo, as next year, it will be the same group, as well as possible potential contenders that will have blossomed this year (i.e. Molik, Vaidisova, Jankovic, etc.), and the return of notable former No. 1's Capriati, Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters. I see Mauresmo possibly finally winning one at the US Open, where a similar power gamer's technique won her the US Open - Kuznetsova. But on top of that, Mauresmo has a good serve-and-volley game, another added bonus that helped Rafter in his prime.


Myskina on the other hand. Now that's an Ozzy player. If she can get through Lisa Raymond in the third round, which may be tough as Raymond is excellent here, she should make it to at least the semis, and if Davenport is anything under 100%, Myskina could pass through.

I've got respect for Myskina - she's totally disciplined-textbook character, and these characteristics WILL lead her to another Slam victory sometime in the future.


Dementieva, can't take the heat of Australia. I'll be surprised if she's able to hold up to the quarters, but if she does Myskina should await.

I completely agree. Dementieva has worked her ass off, and I'd love to see her win a Slam this year, but I can;t see it being the Oz Open.


Davenport should beat Venus. Venus played only alright against Eleni, her footwork was notch above last year I though.

Hmm... Venus has to get through a girl on a roll in the 4th Round first, who's on her way up. Alicia Molik could score an upset over Venus. If Molik can fluster Venus or even add a little bit of pressure, Venus will beat herself, much like what has been seen in the past two years from Venus. I'd personally love to see Molik advance into the Quarter's. If Molik plays consistently this year, and plays a lot of tournaments, she could pull a Zvonerava and qualify for the year-ending championships. She's won something like three of her last 5 tournaments entered and jumped up the ranking by about 20+ positions since her bronze-medal performance at Athens (I think it was bronze, anyways...).



For the men, Federer and Roddick.

I'd like to say Lleyton but really, he has too much pressure he. He's never even made the quarters. Too bad as he's so close to passing Roddick. But he can still do it.

For the fan's sake, I hope it's not Roddick. He's plateau-ed, and he needs to change something (admittedly, he does have a new coach, but the effects of this won;t be felt for a while). I ultimately think only 2 people can challenge Federer in this tournament, if they're playing their best games - Safin and Hewitt. Hewitt has bulked up, and added some power to his game, and I know in my year-end review, I said Hewitt had the least chance out of Roddick/Safin/Hewitt of beating Federer, but I've changed my mind, obviously. I'm hoping for a Hewitt/Federer final. Safin is too emotional still, though I don;t think that may ever change, and he won;t have the consistency to pull off beating Federer. So I'm calling a Hewitt vs. Federer final, but Federer still winning.


I'll be torn if Coria and Ferrero duel in the 3rd round. I don't want either out that early, but I'll root Ferrero as he has more to lose.


I just want Ferrero of '03 back :cry:... I'd love to see his A-game match up with Federer's, especially on clay.

Rex
January 19th, 2005, 6:42 PM
I agree with you, Roddick vs Federer is boring to me. I'd love to see Lleyton do well, I just don't see him making it to the final. Even when he was the number one in the world, he only made it to the round of 16 here.

Suzuki tested Federer a bit. Even broke him. Roger seemed to enjoy the challenge too. His disection of Santoro must not have been much more fun for him than it was to watch.

Venus takes on Peng tonight. Could be an upset for the Chinese upstart. She beat Myskina and Petrova (To be fair, Myskina was injured and didn't want to be there and Petrova retired towards the end of the second set) but I've heard good things about her. Asian Seles. Uses both hands on both sides.

If Amelie wins a slam, I think it will be here, maybe not this year, but at OZ. Her game suits the courts well and if she makes it past Serena, she'll have confidence maybe? Wishful thinking I know.

I agree Molik should have a break-through year as well as Jankovic (though it could be argued last year was) I don't see Vadisova doing it though. Couple years. Another 15 year who will be big in a few years is Sesil.

I love Oliver Rochus. He's such a tough little guy. It'd be entertaining to see him play Safin, there would be about a foot height difference.

Interesting last night that both the #2 and #4 seed dropped the opening set of their matches.

Blake taking on Hewitt tonight. That should be very interesting indeed.

mj the kid
January 19th, 2005, 7:45 PM
Blake and Hewitt will be good later this afternoon.

Federer is simply a freak - Some of his shots last night were just ridiculous.

JP
January 19th, 2005, 10:31 PM
Forget the final, the second round contains a cracker -

Roddick vs Rusedski

We all know how good Roddick is but a lot of people under-estimate Rusedski. This is his favourite surfice to play on and he has pedigree in being a former US Open finalist. If he's on form this one could go to five.

mj the kid
January 19th, 2005, 11:34 PM
Youzhny :rofl:

Nadal will win the 5th set now I think ;)

mj the kid
January 20th, 2005, 2:38 AM
Hewitt is playing like shite!

Fucking hell Lleyton lift your game quick!

Grimario
January 20th, 2005, 5:27 AM
The 2nd set tie breaker did it for him... played some strong points and came back from a set point down to win it 7-6 then cruised home in the last two. Tops work Lleyton! :yes:

JP
January 20th, 2005, 10:24 AM
After watching Roddick - Rusedski anyone betting against Roddick needs some attention.

First set he played perfect Tennis. Perfect.

Beforehand
January 20th, 2005, 2:07 PM
Coria's never beaten Ferrero...:chin:

mj the kid
January 21st, 2005, 12:08 AM
Safin is injured.

Maria :heart: tonight followed by Agassi and Dent

Rex
January 21st, 2005, 6:37 PM
Safin has had ankle problems for a while. He said it was no biggie.

Impressive 2 and 0 win for Maria. Na Li is a coming up in the rankings after being away for a few years.

play starts in 1 1/2 hrs.

Is anyone else annoyed by the coverage? All we've really seen are Williamses, Sharapova, Roger, Andy, Lleyton and and Andre.

And they wonder why ratings are low for finals sometimes?

Why would anyone care about a say, Dementieva vs Kuznetsova final at this point. Dementieva hasn't even existed on television except in an interview saying she didn't want to talk to Sveta.

Myskina and Amelie are world number 3 and 2, and have had a combined coverage time of maybe 5 minutes in 20 some hours. We've seen 3 Sharapova matches, 3 Serena matches, 3 Andre matches and 3 Roger matches.

Nothing from Coria. Little from Safin. Nothing from Henman. Little from Nalbandian. Nothing from Myskina. Nothing from Mauresmo. Nothing from Dementieva. Nothing from Kuznetsova. Nothing from Molik.

Someone who doesn't really follow tennis won't even know who Molik is, and what if she makes it to the quarters or semis? She'll be a virtual unknown while they could be using this time to build her up.

American's can care about Foreigners. Martina Hingis, Federer, Hewitt, Justine and many more can testify.

Beforehand
January 21st, 2005, 9:03 PM
I'm excited for Roger Federer against Baghdatis. As a Federer fan though (his semifinal match at Wimbledon last year was the first match I watched EVER.), I worry that Baghdatis might be able to take a set off of Roger, and with Andre Agassi looming, I want Roger to be off of the court as quickly as possible.

mj the kid
January 22nd, 2005, 1:48 AM
Is anyone else annoyed by the coverage? All we've really seen are Williamses, Sharapova, Roger, Andy, Lleyton and and Andre.

And they wonder why ratings are low for finals sometimes?

Why would anyone care about a say, Dementieva vs Kuznetsova final at this point. Dementieva hasn't even existed on television except in an interview saying she didn't want to talk to Sveta.

Myskina and Amelie are world number 3 and 2, and have had a combined coverage time of maybe 5 minutes in 20 some hours. We've seen 3 Sharapova matches, 3 Serena matches, 3 Andre matches and 3 Roger matches.

Nothing from Coria. Little from Safin. Nothing from Henman. Little from Nalbandian. Nothing from Myskina. Nothing from Mauresmo. Nothing from Dementieva. Nothing from Kuznetsova. Nothing from Molik.

Someone who doesn't really follow tennis won't even know who Molik is, and what if she makes it to the quarters or semis? She'll be a virtual unknown while they could be using this time to build her up.


Interesting - The coverage here has been superb een if the commentators are terrible. Obviously Molik has had every game televised, Mauresmo has been on a bit. Safin has had all his covered.

Thanks to Foxtel digital we get a choice of 3 courts at an time :yesyes:

Cmon Lleyton tonight!

mj the kid
January 22nd, 2005, 1:57 AM
Jim Courier is the exception - he is a great commentator.

Spooney
January 22nd, 2005, 3:30 AM
Henman = Poor. Totally out played today.

Molik through to thr 4th round but will need to play a LOT better to beat Venus.

Her last game to tie it up was bloody excellent though, 3 aces and one unreturnable serve.

mj the kid
January 22nd, 2005, 7:20 AM
Spitting isnt cool.

Glad Lleyton got through.

Big day of tennis tomorrow - Agassi/Johansson and Federer/Baghdatis on centre court.

mj the kid
January 22nd, 2005, 7:22 AM
Coria's never beaten Ferrero...:chin:
He thrashed him :)

Spooney
January 22nd, 2005, 7:26 AM
I am about to make a bold prediction. The men's final will be between Agassi and Hewitt.

I actually think agassi is the only person with a real show of beating federer.

I think Hewitt can beat agassi though :)

Rex
January 22nd, 2005, 3:27 PM
Interesting - The coverage here has been superb een if the commentators are terrible. Obviously Molik has had every game televised, Mauresmo has been on a bit. Safin has had all his covered.

Thanks to Foxtel digital we get a choice of 3 courts at an time :yesyes:

Cmon Lleyton tonight!

Argh, ours in the states is terrible.

They chose to show Roddick/Melzer AGAIN instead of televising Hewitt/Chela! It wasn't even a good match and they show it twice.

The men's coverage has been alright, not good but alright, it's just the women's that's driving me nuts. The top three seeds have only gotten maybe an hour, with the final set of Davenport's 2nd round being shown.

All they've been doing is wondering if the Williams' can win another major. If it's Mauresmo vs Myskina in example, no one in the States has a reason to care because they haven't even seen these two the whole tournament. I think tonight we're getting another Serena match, at least it's against a decent player though (Petrova)

Rex
January 23rd, 2005, 2:26 AM
Couple quarters set now

Kuznetsova vs Sharapova

and

Federer vs Agassi

Joachim sure gave Agassi all he wanted, nice test for his match against Federer and since the points were short, he shouldn't be too tired.

Spooney
January 23rd, 2005, 6:51 AM
Federer v Agassi is definitely the match of the tournament so far, and could well be the best of the whole damn thing.

mj the kid
January 23rd, 2005, 7:15 AM
Joachim sure gave Agassi all he wanted, nice test for his match against Federer and since the points were short, he shouldn't be too tired.
51 aces :eek:

Agassi - Federer will be on Tuesday night I imagine.

Hewitt - Nadal isnt the night game :wtf:
Will be on late tomorrow afternoon.

Spooney
January 23rd, 2005, 7:33 AM
51 aces is enough to win over 2 sets alone. He must have had a lot of unforced errors. I was flicking but generally watching the cricket.

Rex
January 23rd, 2005, 12:55 PM
He did have a lot of unforced. I believe it was around 50 unforced but 90 some winners.

Normally I don't like watching the big sluggers, but this was entertaining.

Safin pulled it out against Rochus

4-6 7-6 7-6 7-6

I though Oliver might come through but the big Russian was too much for the tiny Belgian

Rex
January 23rd, 2005, 8:05 PM
Ahhhhhh

Dementieva vs Shynder and Myskina vs Dechy on and what do they show?

Roddick vs Koelshreiber.

What the fuck.

Beforehand
January 23rd, 2005, 11:18 PM
The worst thing about American coverage is yet to come.

I want to watch Guillermo Coria Vs. David Nalbandian, but alas....No luck!

mj the kid
January 23rd, 2005, 11:27 PM
Hewitt Vs Nadal on in 30mins - Should be a cracker.

Beforehand
January 24th, 2005, 12:03 AM
It's getting a bit late, I might not be able to catch much of Nadal/Hewitt.

I'd love to see Nadal Vs. Coria/Nalbandian next round.

Rex
January 24th, 2005, 12:23 AM
Myskina is down 4-6 2-5! FUCK!

mj the kid
January 24th, 2005, 12:29 AM
Myskina gone.

Time for Nadal to get bitchslapped by Lleyton.

CMONNNNNNNNNNNN

Rex
January 24th, 2005, 12:32 AM
http://www.anastasia-myskina.com/main/gallery/offcourt/Nastya_Off162.jpg

Goodbye my beautiful Natya. The tournament won't be the same without you.

mj the kid
January 24th, 2005, 12:54 AM
She has a horrible mouth. I wouldnt say no but :dunno:

Nadal breaks in opening game - I think his backhand is going to get really worked over here.

mj the kid
January 24th, 2005, 6:07 AM
Wooooooooooooooooooooo

What a win for Lleyton.

:D :D :D :D :D

mj the kid
January 24th, 2005, 7:25 AM
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Molik knocks out Venus.

Wednesday is Australia day - Hopefully both Lleyton and Molik continue their runs.

Spooney
January 24th, 2005, 7:41 AM
Molik was bloody outstanding, she played so much better than when she beat Panova. Taking V Williams out in straight sets is no easy thing. GO MOLIK!!!

She really beat williams at her own game which was awesome.

Brilliant fightback from Lleyton as well but Aussie performance of the day goes to Molik for mine :)

mj the kid
January 24th, 2005, 7:51 AM
For sure.

Lleyton was awful - Over 60 unforced errors!

Beforehand
January 24th, 2005, 8:13 AM
Did anyone see where Davenport said after her match that "Venus is too strong on both sides for Molik."? Now, it looks like Davenport is going to have to try to eliminate Molik herself.

Spooney
January 24th, 2005, 8:14 AM
Lleyton should be able to beat whoever wins out of Nalbandian and Coria but he had better be on his guard for (I assume) Roddick.

I think molik can beat Davenport. I really think she can stick it up her if she plays as well as she did tonight.

Spooney
January 24th, 2005, 8:16 AM
Did anyone see where Davenport said after her match that "Venus is too strong on both sides for Molik."? Now, it looks like Davenport is going to have to try to eliminate Molik herself.

I didn't hear that no, but that comment would provide just the mental firepower Molik would want facing the #1 seed. She should keep her mouth shut if she doesn't want 20 aces flying past her nose at 200km/h

Beforehand
January 24th, 2005, 9:15 AM
Yeah, the Molik/Davenport match could be interesting.

I think that Hewitt should be OK, but Coria stands more of a chance if he can finish of Nalbandian in straights here, obviously.

Man, Roddick hasn't had to do much of anything to get to the quarters, and I think he should probably beat Nikolay Davydenko pretty easily too.

Beforehand
January 24th, 2005, 1:51 PM
I'm really anxious to see what happens with the Lleyton Hewitt/David Nalbandian matchup. I think Hewitt is prone to upset in this one, as is Marat Safin, for that matter, against Dominik Hrbaty.

I think Alicia Molik's run is just about up, and probably Maria Sharapova's too, even though I like her, and hope she takes the title.

Zefflin
January 24th, 2005, 8:24 PM
Hewitt Vs Nadal was awesome. I hate Nadal though.

Spooney
January 24th, 2005, 9:40 PM
I definitely think Molik is capable of beating davenport.

I also think Davydenko can beat Safin, he totally crushed Henman.

Really looking forward to Agassi -v- Federer though :)

mj the kid
January 24th, 2005, 10:24 PM
Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


:heart:

Yoel
January 25th, 2005, 12:57 AM
Hmmm... I'll start with the women's side.

First of all, I called Molik upsetting Williams, because I am a tennis god. I have the match recorded, but I've only watched the first few games... The stats don;t look too appealling for either of them, but the fact that she did it in straight sets is a testament to her skills.

As for Venus, Mary Joe Fernandez, ESPN announcer, called it pretty clearly when she said that this would crush Venus in any attempt to really come back... I have to agree, the psychological toll on Williams may be really hard to handle.

I AM surprised, however, that Sharapova beat Kuznetsova, just when I was ready to call a Davenport/Kuznetsova final, too... Nobody had played better than these two, and though I haven't seen the match, I am still quite anxious to watch it.

S. Williams and Mauresmo were a toss up... I dunno about Mauresmo, though... Maybe she'll pull a Novotna and win her first Slam relatively late in her career. But I still can;t see her competing at Wimbledon, and especially not at Roland Garros, considering she cracks uner the littlest amount of pressure, and she's FROM France. She may still have a shot at the US Open, but a slim one if everybody's healthy by then.

Molik CAN beat Davenport, but I don;t think she will... The more and more I think about it, it may be a Davenport vs. Williams final, which I may actually WANT to see... If Molik beats Davenport, the semi's of that top half will be very interesting, with a great opportunity for Schnyder/Dechy/Molik to get into the finals. But again, Davenport has been playing the best women's tennis in this tournament so far, so I can't see that happening.

As for the men's side...

I don;t think Agassi can give Federer much trouble, not with the way both of them have played for the past year and a half. I saw some Hewitt matches, and he looks built and more powerful... They've yet to show any Safin matches in Canada (through ESPN2), and they've shown Roddick far too many times... But, from what I can see, Roddick has done nothing spectacular, but he hasn;t really had to do anything at such a level. This may ultimately hurt him more than help him.

Beyond that, there hasn;t been that much men's coverage... Hewitt vs. Nadal was an awesome match, though.

In the end, I'd love to see both Aussies walk away with the title. Failing that, Sharapova, Davenport and Safin are other favourites. And Federer, but that should jsut be assumed by now.

mj the kid
January 25th, 2005, 2:52 AM
In the end, I'd love to see both Aussies walk away with the title. Failing that, Sharapova, .


:heart:

Navratilova is still amazing - What is she 48 now?

Spooney
January 25th, 2005, 8:27 AM
yes but she makes some funny quotes..

Martina Navratilova on the Rod Laver Arena "When this place fills up there won't be an empty seat in the house"

Beforehand
January 25th, 2005, 11:07 AM
Unless Marat Safin can come up big, I think the last obstacle for Roger Federer has just been removed. Simply awesome looking against Agassi, he doesn't look as though he has much to worry about form Lleyton Hewitt or Andy Roddick.

I hope that the winner of Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams (hopefully Maria) wins this tournament. The other side of the draw does very little for me, especially Nathalie Dechy.

Yoel
January 25th, 2005, 1:30 PM
I think this tournament has been great so far for both sides of the tournament. You have the top-ranked men playing the best tennis, as they should (Roddick, Hewitt, Safin and Federer) and on the women's side, Despite there only being 3 of the top 10 seeds remaining (excluding Molik), the finals will still be "main-event material."

Anyways, Williams seems to be playing too well for Sharapova this time around, but I'd love to see this rivalry get really heated. I'd like to see Sharapova advance to the finals. If nothing else, I hope she will prove by year's end that she wasnt just a flash in the pan.

As for the men's side, I still think Safin and Hewitt have the best games to match Federer, and hopefully he will at least be TESTED and have to show off some beautiful tennis in the semi's against Safin and in the finals against, hopefully, Hewitt.

Either way, I'm sensing more and more hype toward the Australian Open this year than in past years, though this may just be because I'm hardcore... :\.

Beforehand
January 25th, 2005, 2:23 PM
For some reason, I just cannot buy Hewitt as a legitimate challenger to Roger Federer. I don't know why, but I just can't.

Zefflin
January 25th, 2005, 2:51 PM
That's because he isn't.

Beforehand
January 25th, 2005, 2:56 PM
:yesyes:

I thought so.

Yoel
January 25th, 2005, 3:39 PM
After Federer, Hewitt has been playing the best tennis in the past 6 months, and this new power approach has really been beneficial. He's adopted more power, but at the same time, has certainly remained true to his true talent - the return/scrapper game.

Let me ask you, if not Hewitt, who?

Safin's game can match it, as I've made clear, though his inconsistency and mental game will haunt him. Roddick's plateaued and with a 1-8 record against Federer, Roger knows just how to outplay Roddick and handle his game. Other big name players, such as Moya, or Coria or Henman just don't have a big enough, all-around game, and Agassi was schooled last night.

N.E.R.F.
January 25th, 2005, 3:58 PM
Other big name players, such as ... Henman

:rofl:

Henman would get mauled.

Yoel
January 25th, 2005, 4:06 PM
Henman was actually one of only a handful of players to beat Federer last year.

In today's world, yes, he would get mauled. I don't think Henman is a good tennis player at all... Anybody who reads my posts around Wimbledon-time (from previous years) knows this.

N.E.R.F.
January 25th, 2005, 4:12 PM
The population of Britain minus those with a brain cell (so about 50 million or so) will disagree with you. :)

He's terrible.

JIJ
January 25th, 2005, 4:12 PM
Henman is vastly underrated.

N.E.R.F.
January 25th, 2005, 4:15 PM
*overrated

Yoel
January 25th, 2005, 5:38 PM
Henman is vastly underrated.

You can't be serious. I mean, I'm all for cheering on your favourite players or going for whoever's from your country, but there still has to be SOME level of obectivity.

I'm just going to cringe when Henman calls it a career and all of you Brits piss and moan about how he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Rex
January 25th, 2005, 8:05 PM
Henman is the last top ranked player to beat Federer. I don't see how he would get mauled over anyone else.

Spooney
January 25th, 2005, 8:06 PM
Henman was terrible against Davydenko. Apart from that one second of brilliance (the behind the back shot) he was diabolical. He will never match it with those who play the power game. There isn't much to smile about in British Tennis right now, Rusedski is a totally spent force and I have no idea if there is any british women in the top 50.

Spooney
January 26th, 2005, 7:09 AM
Today Davenport may have beaten Molik, but Molik definitely won her way into the group of serious contenders for this year's major tournaments.

Beforehand
January 26th, 2005, 2:52 PM
Damn! I was hoping big time that Nalbandian would pull off the victory. Oh well, at least Lleyton's worn down for Andy Roddick now.

I REALLY don't want to see a Federer-Hewitt final after the U.S. Open. I don't particularly want a Federer-Roddick final either, but I'd rather have the latter.

:fingersx: Here's to Lindsay Davenport Vs. Maria Sharapova in the women's final.

Spooney
January 26th, 2005, 10:22 PM
As much as I am a hewitt fan, I don't think he can beat roddick after these two five setters. He looks buggered.

mj the kid
January 26th, 2005, 10:31 PM
What an epic game that was last night. The whole club pretty much stopped and watched LLeyton on the big screen. That man has some guts.

Roddick isnt actually such a bad game for Hewitt now. The points wont be as long so hopefully the injury wont flare up. Still its going to be bloody tough backing up for it.

COME ONNNNNNNNN

Maria on now against Serena - I fear for Maria here, Williams has been pretty good whilst Maria has been patchy.

Spooney
January 26th, 2005, 10:47 PM
Lleyton has defeated roddick the last couple of times they have played, but roddick is yet to play a match over 2 hours so far. Fatigue must be a factor here.

mj the kid
January 26th, 2005, 11:10 PM
The crowd will also play a big factor I hope.

Mariaaaaaaaa dominating :heart:

Rex
January 27th, 2005, 12:22 AM
Serena rallying back. Second set 7-5.

Love her or hate her, Serena is Queen of comebacks.

Beforehand
January 27th, 2005, 12:24 AM
Ugh. Come on Maria!

And for some reason still, I'm hoping Lleyton bites the big one against Andy tonight.

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 12:40 AM
Lleyton is going to rape him I hope.

CMON MARIAAAAAAA

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 12:43 AM
Oh and Serena really needs to cover that ass up :dead:

Wee Gooner
January 27th, 2005, 1:22 AM
I never realised Serena's arse was so big :cry:.

2 match points now.

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 1:27 AM
:cry:

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 8:10 AM
Safin and Federer are into the 5th set :D

Federer showing his temper, Unbelievable tennis from both, Safin all but gone in the last tie break and there is still a set to go!

How good has the tennis been so far?

All of Hewitts games been awesome to watch. Federer has been putting on a show, especially against Agassi. The semi tonight has been awesome.
On the girls side Maria against Kuznetsova, Moliks run and game against Davenport then the 2 semis today both going the distance. Hewitt vs Roddick should be a ball tearer as well.

Best major in a long time :yes:

N.E.R.F.
January 27th, 2005, 8:51 AM
Safin's had match point :eek:

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 9:00 AM
Safin has had 3, Federer had 1 in 4th set.

5-5 now.

N.E.R.F.
January 27th, 2005, 9:01 AM
I'm using an IBM scoreboard on t'internet :$

Sounds like a great game though.

lies about
January 27th, 2005, 9:02 AM
Its live on the BBC radio site :yes:

N.E.R.F.
January 27th, 2005, 9:04 AM
Tennis on the radio?

Cricket's bad enough that way.

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 9:09 AM
Tennis on the radio is crazy.

Dunno how the commentators keep up.

Past midnight know - Federer with a break point!!!!!

N.E.R.F.
January 27th, 2005, 9:13 AM
Yeah just seen the time in Oz. Crazy shit. 7-6 Safin.

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 9:16 AM
Ridiculous tennis now.

Safin blows 2 match points.

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 9:18 AM
7-7

Im exhausted just watching.

Wanna go to bed :nono:

N.E.R.F.
January 27th, 2005, 9:22 AM
Will it get to a certain point where they'll call it a day and finish tomorrow? Like 1am or something?

Aussie_Outlaw
January 27th, 2005, 9:22 AM
Tennis on the radio?

Cricket's bad enough that way.

Cricket on the radio is fine.

There's a selection of shots, plus the commentators just talk bullshit analogies which is entertaining. It's not like tennis where you can barely describe what they're doing as its happening so fast and there's barely any court size to describe.

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 9:23 AM
Will go all night.

2 more match points to Safin

N.E.R.F.
January 27th, 2005, 9:25 AM
He's done it :D

I do admire Federer but his hegemony was getting a bit boring. Nice to know someone can bring him down :)

mj the kid
January 27th, 2005, 9:26 AM
Finalllllly Safin wins.

Both players are exhausted - Give each other a big hug at the net.

Federer was literally lying on the ground on Match point.

Terrific game :yes:

lies about
January 27th, 2005, 9:26 AM
oh, bollocks. Hope Safin goes all the way after that and doesnt suffer from fatigue as he did last year in the final

Beforehand
January 27th, 2005, 1:29 PM
Maria and Roger down in one day. :cry:

This is just awful.

Spooney
January 28th, 2005, 8:15 AM
Hewitt has just played the most complete match of his career, aside maybe from the US Open final he won against Sampras.

I couldn't believe he even got to some of those balls let alone hit them for winners. The 3rd set tie break was the key, I don't know what Roddick was doing serving and volleying all the time, he chose his shots pretty badly. When hewitt got the ball back into play he could pretty much continue to hit from the baseline until roddick made a mistake. 31 aces for roddick (including some ridiculously fast 2nd serve aces down the T) but he continuted to put more and more pressure on his own serve as he knew that if Hewitt got the return in he would invariably win the point. It worked for a while for Roddick but when he started serving double faults it was all over.

If Hewitt can play like he did tonight on Sunday I believe he will win in style.

Aussie_Outlaw
January 28th, 2005, 10:16 AM
Hewitt has played some immense tennis considering the amount of time he's spend on the court (approx 17hrs 30min) compared to how much Roddick had played (10hrs). I'm not sure how much federer has played but still if Hewitt wins I'd like to see the longest time for a winner at the Aussie Open (& in a Grand Slam).

Beforehand
January 28th, 2005, 1:32 PM
For the women, it appears that the pressure is on Lindsay Davenport more than it is on Serena Williams. It seems like all is forgiven for Serena just making the final. I look for her to take out Lindsay tonight in 3 sets.

Lleyton Hewitt seems to be in just about the same position found himself in last year. Hewitt has spent an insane amount of time on the court, fighting through two four-setters, and two five-setters. Plus, Safin's playing great yesterday, and looks to be riding an emotional high (imagine that for Marat Safin!) after beating Roger Federer, who wasn't even really playing bad tennis. I think Hewitt has the game and instinct to beat Marat Safin, but I think Safin wins this one in 4 sets due to Hewitt's exhaustion, Marat actually being mentally fit, and the fact that I think Safin just has a little more raw talent.

Yoel
January 28th, 2005, 9:22 PM
I think the finals are matches for Safin and Williams to win or lose. They way Serena has played this Slam is as good as Kuznetsova was playing before she was eliminated and as good as Davenport was playing before exhausting all of her game on Molik and Dechy.

That being said, the finals still could go either way. I think Safin will finally win the Australian Open after two Runner-Up finishes. I also think this will be the start of what could be a great year in tennis for Safin. A lot of commentators/retired pros/fans in general are saying that Safin is the only one with enough pure raw talent to challenge Federer's, and if he were to ever smooth out the mental inconsistencies, Federer/Safin could become a great rivalry. But only time shall see, I'm certainly looking forward to it. One thing certainly helping Hewitt in this final is that he can easily agitate his opponents easily by just playing the scrapper role. This could frustrate Safin and once Safin loses focus, Hewitt shouldn;t let the opportunity to take advantage of it slip by.

As for the women, Williams has played the most complete, best tournament on the women's side and that Sharapova/Williams match was nothing short of a classic. Davenport has proven that wear and tear isn;t really an issue with her, and if she really thought it was, she should've pulled out of the doubles final. Davenport needs her first serve to be on and try to make sure Serena doesn;t move her around to much. At the same time, Davenport I don't think can overpower Serena from the baseline. I'd like to see her approach the net a bit. She has net-play experience with all of her doubles' play so she can certainly rely on it. If Serena gets Davenport moving, I donlt know how long she can last. Davenport has been moving as good as she ever has in the past four years... I don't mean to be giving the complete advantage to Serena here. I WANT Davenport to win, and I think she can, but only under the most disciplined, best game she can bring to the table.

mj the kid
January 28th, 2005, 10:00 PM
I cant see Safin stopping Hewitt from here. Hewitt last night just dismantled Roddicks game all over the court, Hewitts game last night was simply unbelievable.

I dont care how stable Safin has been so far. A big final against an in-form Lleyton Hewitt in front of 17 thousand Australians, He is prone to crack. If Hewitt as much as gets a sniff of winning then he will run through him.

Lots of people write off Hewitt is being behind Safin and Roddick. He wins on Sunday he has 3 slams, only 1 behind Federer. People think he hasnt got the game to match these guys but he has shown he can. He outplayed him all over the court. He won moe points than Roddick did on his first serve. He made less unforced errors. He has the game to beat Safin, espicially if he plays like he did last night.

Hewitt is the 2nd best in the world behind Federer. CMONNNNNNNN

Rex
January 28th, 2005, 10:12 PM
Just thought I'd point out what the rankings are shifting too.

#1 Davenport, this isn't in question anymore.
#2 Serena or Mauresmo. If Williams wins tonight, she takes it. If not Mauresmo holds.
#3 Whoever falters out of #2
#4 Sharapova
#5 Myskina, tough fall for her, she wasn't prepared for Dechy.
#6. Kuznetsova, If she'd beaten Sharapova then lost to Serena, she'd have been #4 I believe.
#7. Dementieva, she makes her best run at OZ but drops down...
#8 Venus Williams, improved last years showing by a round.
#9 Unsure if this is going to Molik or Capriati. Jen doesn't lose anything here since she didn't play in 04.
#10 Molik/Cap

Clijsters will fall to #50ish while Justine falls to 14ish

Wee Gooner
January 28th, 2005, 11:12 PM
Clijsters at 50 :eek:

Rex
January 28th, 2005, 11:32 PM
Oh poor Serena, she's having a uh....rib disfunction.

Bull fucking shit.

She's being outplayed and outclassed.

Tim
January 28th, 2005, 11:50 PM
I watched Roddick vs Hewitt last night, it was the first time I watched Tennis, it wasn't as boring as I thought it'd be. But I have to admit, I didn't understand one thing that was going on.

mj the kid
January 29th, 2005, 12:09 AM
Serena destroyed her.

Wee Gooner
January 29th, 2005, 12:14 AM
shit

Rex
January 29th, 2005, 1:28 AM
Serena was miraculously healed! Praise god! After the miracle hands of the trainer rub and taped Serena's ribs after their "malfunction" she was moving at 100% mobility! Even jumping up and down!

Please. Serena, you're a hell of a fighter, but quite the antics.

JIJ
January 29th, 2005, 8:18 AM
I can't believe Serena won.

I got in at 3:00 this morning and watched up until she was 0-4 in the first set and went to bed. She looked awful and I assumed Davenport would win.

She deserves a lot of credit.

Spooney
January 29th, 2005, 9:16 AM
I hate Serena Williams, I hate that she has a big cry when thing don't go her way, I HATE HER!!!! actually I don't really but I was hoping that Davenport would win. She could have too, if she had stepped up a gear 1/2 way through the 2nd set.

Wee Gooner
January 29th, 2005, 10:05 AM
Remember that time one of the Williams lost at the US (i think) open and had a big cry because everyone was going for the other bird?

Spooney
January 29th, 2005, 10:26 AM
yes yes, so much fun. I am surprised Venus didn't cry when Molik beat her, though I think she has grown up a bit, serena is still a little kid sometimes.

JIJ
January 29th, 2005, 12:11 PM
I get annoyed sometimes by the fact that whenever Serena is losing at a Slam she seems to be "carrying an injury".

Rex
January 29th, 2005, 2:05 PM
Here's a list of Hewitt and Safin's past meetings. They are tied 5-5

2004 Paris AMS, Carpet, Q
France Carpet Q Safin 4 6 6 7

2004 Cincinnati AMS, Hard, Q
Ohio, USA Hard Q Hewitt 6 4 6 4

2002 Tennis Masters Cup, Hard, RR
Shanghai, China Hard RR Hewitt 6 4 2 6 6 4

2002 Paris TMS, Carpet, F
France Carpet F Safin 6 7 0 6 4 6

2002 Hamburg TMS, Clay, Q
Germany Clay Q Safin 3 6 1 6

2002 Miami TMS, Hard, Q
FL, U.S.A. Hard Q Hewitt 2 6 6 2 7 6

2001 World Team Cup, Clay, F
Dusseldorf, Germany Clay F Hewitt 6 3 6 4

2000 Tennis Masters Cup, Hard, RR
Lisbon, Portugal Hard RR Safin 4 6 4 6

1999 Stuttgart Indoor, Hard, R64
Germany Hard R64 Safin 6 7 6 3 2 6

1999 AUS v RUS SF, Grass, RR
Brisbane, Australia Grass RR Hewitt 7 6 6 2 4 6 6 3

mj the kid
January 29th, 2005, 10:48 PM
C'MONNNNNNNNN

6hrs to go

Ive got a work party later this afternoon, then watching Lleyton the brave tearing Safin a new one tonight.

Destiny baby :D :D :D :D

Yoel
January 29th, 2005, 11:07 PM
God I've been flip-flopping on this match for the past day and a half... I think I'm gonna settle on Safin though. You could make the destiny argument for him too - it's been 5 years since his one and only Slam, he's been a runner-up twice, and now it's 'his time.'

Rundowner
January 30th, 2005, 6:24 AM
I root for Hewitt...it's been so long an Australian won "his" Tournament. He deserves it, although Safin deserves it too, but i go with the Local Hero this Time. C'MON LLEYTON! :cool:

Wee Gooner
January 30th, 2005, 6:49 AM
Lleyton just had a go at the linesman after he foot faulted him then Lleyton won the point.

Code violation

Wee Gooner
January 30th, 2005, 6:53 AM
Hewitt's doing his best to lose this third set

Rundowner
January 30th, 2005, 7:25 AM
Hewitt's doing his best to lose this third set


...and the 4th :rolleyes:

Congrats to Safin, i don't see Hewitt making a Comeback :$

Wee Gooner
January 30th, 2005, 7:27 AM
He did something similar against Nadal/Nalbandian (not sure which) and came back.

Rundowner
January 30th, 2005, 7:30 AM
Safin seems to be mentally stronger than Nadal or Nalbandian :$

Wee Gooner
January 30th, 2005, 7:46 AM
Doesn't particularly matter now.

mj the kid
January 30th, 2005, 7:58 AM
Safin just served too good.

Hewitt serve was absoulute shit tonight. You can win win a grand slam final serving so fucking shit.

Fair play to Lleyton for holding himself together.

Great tournament - Well played Marat.

goldbird
January 30th, 2005, 8:07 AM
:lol: Safin's speech was mad funny

Beforehand
January 30th, 2005, 7:45 PM
Well, on the good side for Hewitt, he IS the world's #2 now.

Is Safin still #4 though?

mj the kid
January 31st, 2005, 3:08 AM
Well, on the good side for Hewitt, he IS the world's #2 now.

In even better news for Lleyton - He got engaged to this

http://www.spockman.com/images/CartwrightBec1a.jpg

Spooney
January 31st, 2005, 4:53 AM
although I wanted Hewitt to win, it left a really bad taste in my mouth after he had a go at the linesman, the guy was right and he didn't deserve that abise. I know it was a tense moment and everything, but I would have much preferred if he didn't do it, particularly as he won the point.

He went some way to making up for it with his congratulations of Safin and his post match specches but it was still unsavoury

Beforehand
January 31st, 2005, 11:15 AM
Not a great amount of change in rankings for the men at the top after the AO.

Only things I saw were Hewitt's now 2, Roddick's now 3, Coria's now 5, and Moya's 6.

Gaudio ( :mad: ) is #8, and Agassi's down to 10. And Davydenko surged from #26 to #15.

Rex
January 31st, 2005, 7:46 PM
Biggest news this weak is Martina Hingis is playing!

:rockon:

Beforehand
January 31st, 2005, 11:32 PM
You think Hingis will be able to get her game up in time for a slight (I wouldn't expect anything big) run at Roland Garros?

mj the kid
January 31st, 2005, 11:41 PM
I dont think she will be able to handle it.

The russians will crush her these days.

Beforehand
February 1st, 2005, 11:04 AM
What about the men?

Still Federer's to lose?

Rex
February 1st, 2005, 7:41 PM
She got beat in the first round 1-6 6-2 6-2.

She was said to look real sluggish.

Rex
February 3rd, 2005, 1:11 AM
On wednesday, Shamil Tarpishchev, the Russia Fed Cup captain and the president of the Russian Tennis Federation said at a press-conference that both Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova are ready to play on this year´s Fed Cup team.

"We have talked it over with Maria Sharapova's father. We solved this problem last December," said Mr. Tarpishchev. "There is no conflict between Myskina and Sharapova, Anastasia is ready to be on the same team with Maria."

So, it seems like all problems are solved and we are pretty sure that Russia will be as successful as last year.

The first Fed Cup-tie will be played 23rd - 24th April with Italy being the first round opponent.

Russia will be kicking ass now.

Spooney
February 3rd, 2005, 5:15 AM
Hingis looked like crap on the highlights I saw. I loved the way she played, but she will never match it with the big serves and groundstrokes of the american's and russians.

Rex
February 3rd, 2005, 8:44 PM
where did you see highlights?

Spooney
February 4th, 2005, 7:59 AM
They had a little bit on it on sports tonight on Ten. Only a minute or so

Rex
February 4th, 2005, 7:45 PM
In others news, Davenport will meet Kuznetsova in the semi-final of Tokyo while Sharapova battles Shinobu Asagoe (who just upset Elena D)

Beforehand
February 5th, 2005, 11:55 PM
Davenport Vs. Sharapova in that final.

Both on the rebound.

Rex
February 6th, 2005, 3:34 AM
Sharapova takes it 6-1 3-6 7-6

Yoel
February 7th, 2005, 11:58 PM
If Sharapova can advance farther than Serena in the Open de Gaz, she'll move into #2. One thing's for certain - the girl has the motivation for it, and it's only a matter of time before she overtakes Davenport.

In other news from last week, Martinez won her first title in something like 3 years. It's great for her, especially since her absolutely horrible 1st round loss as the Australian Open to Davenport, something like 6-1, 6-0. Though, I have a feeling this might be her last year.

As for the men, unfortunately Gaudio won the tournament he was in last week. Ugh... I thought I was the only one who was really truly bothered by the fact that he's in the Top 10, but I guess not.

Rex
February 8th, 2005, 12:05 AM
I've always liked Gaudio somewhat. Certainly more than our Americans. Sharapova has to make the semi-finals this week or she won't gain any points. Thus the problem with playing all those tourneys. She and Serena are to play in the semis if they meet, so that could detemine #2

Beforehand
February 9th, 2005, 11:02 AM
I really, really, really dislike Gaston Gaudio, but I can't help but agree that he's tearing up on clay.

The French Open looks to be really interesting, with Gaudio's streak, and the rise of Rafael Nadal and the attempt of Roger Federer to make up for losing the Australian Open.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Marcos Baghdatis make another big move either.

Rex
February 9th, 2005, 5:54 PM
Not to mention Coria's going to really be gunning for it, and Ferrero needs something.

Beforehand
February 10th, 2005, 1:38 PM
Not to mention Coria's going to really be gunning for it, and Ferrero needs something.
Ferrero is way out of his A-game, though. Coria's still got a little bit to go too.

I'd love to see them make a small run.

Nalbandian might make a move too, after a nice Australian Open.

Beforehand
February 12th, 2005, 11:17 PM
:nono:

Gaudio is on his way to winning another tournament. God, I hope he's nowhere near moving up to World #7 or so.

mj the kid
February 13th, 2005, 12:17 AM
Davis Cup coming up soon.

If Aussies and Argies both win, we will play those horrible bastards in Sydney :yesyes:

Beforehand
February 13th, 2005, 1:16 PM
:eek:

The Argentines are LOADED.

Rex
February 13th, 2005, 1:24 PM
Safina def Mauresmo 6-4 2-6 6-3 to win Paris.

Big win for Safin's little sister. Nice month for them.

Beforehand
February 13th, 2005, 3:31 PM
Dinara is going to jump from #47 in the world to #24 with that win, so I hear.

I hope she's got a good clay game.

mj the kid
February 13th, 2005, 6:33 PM
:eek:

The Argentines are DIRTY SPITTING CHEATS.

:cool:

Beforehand
February 13th, 2005, 6:42 PM
:cool:
Who's even playing for the Argentines?

mj the kid
February 13th, 2005, 6:46 PM
Not sure.
Papers down here talked it up a bit due to Hewitt having fiery matches with Nalbandian and Chela. They dont like Lleyton, and the feeling is pretty much mutual.

Beforehand
February 13th, 2005, 6:48 PM
With Guillermo Coria, Gaston Gaudio, David Nalbandian, and Guillermo Canas, I don't see how the Argentines can compile anything short of an awesome team.

Although Gaudio is very short of amazing off of clay.

mj the kid
February 13th, 2005, 7:57 PM
They aint going to like grass.

Hewitt and the big cat Phillipoussis should get us through.

Rex
February 13th, 2005, 8:30 PM
Mark Philly won't get anyone through.

mj the kid
February 13th, 2005, 9:00 PM
Just needs to win 1 game against the spazzers on grass. If he serves half decent it would be enough almost.

Beforehand
February 13th, 2005, 11:06 PM
Australia's Davis Cup plays on grass.

Oh, that DOES suck for the Argentines.

Rex
February 14th, 2005, 12:14 AM
Nalbandian isn't bad on grass at all.

And I think if Mark is playing a bit off, Coria could give him some fits.

And with those players they should make something decent on doubles.

How humiliating would it be for Australia to lose to Argentina on their home grass?

Beforehand
February 14th, 2005, 12:21 AM
Better Argentina than most.

Beforehand
February 14th, 2005, 2:53 PM
Roger Federer's back on court this week, attempting to win in Rotterdam, which he's never won.

And Juan Carlos Ferrero is serving at 1-2 in the first set against Rainer Schuettler. I'd like to see Ferrero start doing SOMETHING.

Coria's already through to round two, against Paradorn Srichaphan.

Rex
February 14th, 2005, 6:19 PM
Yeah! Ferrero wins 6-4 6-2! Vamos Ferrero!

Kim Clijsters is back this week, her first match is tomorrow.

Beforehand
February 14th, 2005, 10:11 PM
Unless there is an upset, Juan Carlos Ferrero will be against Nalbandian. That's should be a nice challenge for Mr. Ferrero.

Rex
February 15th, 2005, 5:50 PM
Clijsters wins today 6-2 6-3! YAY

And Nalbandian was in fact upset.

That's two first round exits for him isnt' it? That's too bad.

Beforehand
February 15th, 2005, 7:09 PM
I think Juan Carlos Ferrero can beat Radek Stepanek. I looked to see who would probably be next after that, but truthfully, I forgot.

Beforehand
February 16th, 2005, 6:20 PM
Kim Clijsters, after dropping a set to Nadia Petrova, wins the third set 6-1. Venus Williams up next.

:headbang: Federer bounces back after AO. No surprise, but I love anytime he wins. He's up against a qualifier next...

Rex
February 17th, 2005, 12:20 AM
Ferrero lost today. Lost the first, one second in a tiebreak, but then lost the third.

Venus vs Kim tommorow should rock!

Rex
February 19th, 2005, 8:15 PM
Mauresmo def Molik 6-3 7-6

V. Williams def Myskina 6-3 3-6 6-3

Beforehand
February 20th, 2005, 2:11 AM
It's about that time for Amelie Mauresmo to go insane and flop against Venus.

Federer. :headbang: One to go.

Rafael Nadal wins Brasil Open. Nice little rankings bump to come probably. I'd like to see him make some noise in the French Open.

Rex
February 20th, 2005, 9:59 PM
Mauresmo def Venus 4-6 7-5 6-4

Mauresmo fought!

Federder won 5-7 7-5 7-6.

Beforehand
February 21st, 2005, 1:26 AM
The thought of Amelie Mauresmo being #1...:ugh:.

:headbang: Roger Federer is great. We've got a chance for another Federer Vs. Safin if they can both make it to the final in Dubai.

Yoel
February 21st, 2005, 12:35 PM
It's about that time for Amelie Mauresmo to go insane and flop against Venus.

Federer. :headbang: One to go.

Rafael Nadal wins Brasil Open. Nice little rankings bump to come probably. I'd like to see him make some noise in the French Open.

Good for Nadal, but Ferrero drops to 98 in the world... :(.

Molik is now inside the top 10, as she's moved up to No. 9.

And it was nice to see Myskina put together at least some kind of run, after struggling for this first month of the year.

I still think Sharapova will get to No. 1 shortly, and I think it should be before Mauresmo gets to No. 1.

Lastly, Vaidisova (the 15 year-old Czech) had a nice run to the semis in Memphis and she's at a career-high No. 54 in the world now.

As a sidenote, who do you guys think the most talented player is right now to have not won a Slam yet, on both sides?

For women, the obvious answer would have to be Clijsters. I guess there could be some argument for Dementieva, and another name, that I couldn't quite agree with, at least not yet, would be Molik, as she needs more big-match experience, I think, before we can really gage where she's at in her career. The weakness in Dementieva is her service game, but despite that, she still managed to reach two Slam finals last year, so that speaks volumes to the rest of her game (specifically her groundstrokes).

As for the men... Coria could be an option, but his only chance is the French Open, I believe... Saying that, I'd have to go with Haas, maybe, who can compete with the rest of the big players and is on his way back from injury. Again, he does have a weakness, and that's that his performances in the Slams have left something to be desired, with only two Semi appearances even in his pre-injury time.

Rex
February 21st, 2005, 3:31 PM
For the women, Mauresmo, Clijsters and Dementieva are the obvious choices. Perhaps Petrova and Zvonareva(ok she has sucked in slams, but she is talented)

For the men, Nalbandian comes to mind. Henman to an extent. And of course Coria.

Beforehand
February 22nd, 2005, 2:39 PM
:nono:

Marat Safin with a bigtime letdown, losing in Dubai in the first round to Nicholas Kiefer 7-6, 6-4.

That clears the way for Federer. 2 wins in Dubai and he moves to #1 in not only the computers, but the Indesit 2005 Race too.

Rex
February 22nd, 2005, 7:46 PM
That's our Safin.

Loses all the in Hopman, then wins Oz, then loses first round in Dubai.

Yoel
February 22nd, 2005, 8:14 PM
:nono:

Marat Safin with a bigtime letdown, losing in Dubai in the first round to Nicholas Kiefer 7-6, 6-4.

I wouldn't say it's a bigtime letdown, as that c ertainly takes away from Keifer's game... He's No. 30 in the world after a not-so-good season last year, and he's been as high as No. 4 in the world before, and he's always performed well at Dubai (with QF and RU positions, and even winning it, in previous years). Now, clearly Safin is the better player, but this could've been a competitive 4th Round match in a Slam. It was more to do with the bad luck of the draw than anything else, I think.

And as a sidenote... 7 of the top 10 women's players are Slam winners, and 5 of the 10 are former No. 1's, and that's not even including Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters... On top of the top 10, there's dangerous 'fringe' players - Americans Shaugnessy and Frazier, much younger players that ensure the future of the game, like Vaidisova, Safina and Douchevina, as well as the Russians Bovina, Zvonereva, etc... I'm just saying it's an exciting time to be watching women's tennis and this year is probably going to be even more unpredicatable than last year.

Right now, the competition just seems better on the women's side... So on top of the proposed best player to not yet win a Slam, which tour is the more exciting to watch right now? WTA or ATP?

Beforehand
February 22nd, 2005, 8:39 PM
I'd say ATP just because the level is higher more than anything else.

Rex
February 22nd, 2005, 9:34 PM
ATP matches are decided more on the winners where as WTA matches are decided on mistakes.

I generally prefer the ladies matches, they just seem to show more character than the men, but that's changing. There's so many chokers among the top ladies, it's hard to get into it.

Yoel
February 22nd, 2005, 10:07 PM
ATP matches are decided more on the winners where as WTA matches are decided on mistakes.

I generally prefer the ladies matches, they just seem to show more character than the men, but that's changing. There's so many chokers among the top ladies, it's hard to get into it.

I think your first statement had more validity about 5 years ago. But now, we're seeing women (especially the Russians) just becoming absolutely relentless in painting the lines with some of their groundstrokes down the line, or with the angles they create. At the end, though, I'd still agree with you, though to a lesser degree.

The only thing I have with the men's is that the top 4 men, are the top 4 men. With me, the only TV coverage I get is with the slams, so I'll repeatedly see these 4 men in action. I obviously follow all of the other tournaments via the Internet, but I guess I just don't get the same sort of feel from that sort of experience. So, when I'm looking at results, and I see that Hanutchova just beat Maleeva, I think, all right, that's a good win for her... But I don;t really get that feeling in regards to struggling men's seeds beating the 'fringe' players on their side of the tour.

Beforehand
February 23rd, 2005, 1:29 PM
Federer seems to be having trouble as of late. He was not that awesome in Rotterdam. He was taken to three sets by Minar. Ferrero might have the biggest opening that he's had on Federer in a long time.

Yoel
February 23rd, 2005, 3:17 PM
In Dubai, with Safin gone, Ljubicic could have anotehr good run this week, having to potentially face only Henman in the Quarter's and Robredo or Keifer in the semi's. Since he's had some great results recently (3 finals and a semi appearance in only 5 tournaments!), he could pull off a runner-up position.

On the women's side, there were some big wins and upsets today - Conchita Martinez beat Myskina in Doha 2nd round action, and Hantuchova (whoo!) beat out Bovina, also in Doha, 2nd round. Molik and Sharapova seemed to be the only seeds who didn't struggle all too much (No. 5 Schnyder has lost, and Mauresmo was taken to 3 sets). Hantuchova and Martinez now face off in the quarter's, so this will be a great result for whoever wins.

Rex
February 23rd, 2005, 5:44 PM
Damn it Myskina. What is the matter with you. You're playing like a top 50 player, not a top 5!

Argh! You were so close to number one last year and you're blowing everything.

Rex
February 24th, 2005, 5:45 PM
Shucks. Ferrero had two match points against Roger F'n Federer and lost the match.

Poor JCF

Yoel
February 24th, 2005, 7:22 PM
Hantuchova beats out Martinez for a spot in the semis :D.

I'd love to see her make the finals, but I'd also like to see Sharapova, her SF opponent, win it too... And I want Molik to win too, who meets Mauresmo in the semis...

So, basically, anybody but Mauresmo for Doha.

Rex
February 24th, 2005, 7:25 PM
Correction, anyone but Maria.

Yoel
February 24th, 2005, 7:36 PM
You can't be serious!

Mauresmo has proven far too many times that she just completely buckles under pressure, whereas Sharapova has proven that, if anything, she thrives under it. Sharapova brings her A-game to every match she plays, whether it be in the 1st round or in a championship match. Mauresmo, who I used to like until she fucked up so many times, looks unpolished and lacklustre in a lot of her matches.

On top of it all, I'd love to see Sharapova move to No. 1, or at least ahed of Mauresmo, in the rankings because, simply put - she deserves it more (uhh, Wimbledon and WTA Tour Championships, anybody?). Sharapova's a lot younger, but her resume is already a lot better than Mauresmo's.

Beforehand
February 24th, 2005, 10:16 PM
An interesting point that I've seen people making: Do you guys think that Roger Federer's apparent "decline" as of late is a matter of him losing control? He used to have trouble when he had a coach, then he lost him and did wonderful. Now that he has a coach, he seems to be having a little more difficulty than he should be.

Rex
February 24th, 2005, 11:12 PM
I think Fed's supposed, "lack of dominance" stems from a few things.

1) His ego. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the nicest guys on tour, but don't think for a second he doesn't have the go of the world number one. He had a match point against Safin and he tried to hit a tweener. He didn't take Marat seriously enough.

2) Last year, all of Roger's losses in tournaments came in early rounds (except a quarterfinal loss to Henman). He doesn't bring his A game to the matches that he should win easily, and sometimes suffers from it.

3) The guy has to be tired. Even though we don't see him in the US a ton, he's all over Europe and other parts of the world I'm told. He played a ton of tournaments last year and got far in most of them. And this is already his 4th tournament of 2005 and it's on February.

That said, you know a guy is great when him slipping is not destroying his oppononts thoroughly.

Beforehand
February 25th, 2005, 1:28 PM
He joked that someone offered him ten bucks for every time he won 7-6 in the third set, and he wouldn't do it. Then, someone offered him twenty, and he did it.

He said "I hope to win 7-6 in the third tomorrow."

Yoel
February 25th, 2005, 4:17 PM
Haha... Yes. Molik beats Mauresmo 7-6, 6-1. If she's not crumbling under the pressure of a Slam match, she's doing it under the pressure of regaining the No. 1 ranking (which she would have done, if she had beaten Molik).

As far as I'm concerned, this week has been a good one for the WTA.

Rex
February 25th, 2005, 6:13 PM
Never! Any week Anastasia gets beat is not a good week!

As for the Fed comments, he's either funny or arrogant, I prefer funny.

Yoel
February 26th, 2005, 1:08 PM
Sharapova comes from a set behind to take the Doha championships. I'm interested to see what this will do in terms of the rankings.

And on the men's side, the Croats continue to play some of their best tennis. Ljubicic and Ancic both reached the semis in the respective tournaments they're playing in. Actually, I just checked and Ljubicic is now into the finals in Dubai. This is his fourth final of the year! That's very impressive.

And Nadal's into his second consecutive final of the year. I can't imagine him losing to Montanes in the finals, so he should pick up another win and another championship. This'll be good as he'll boost his ranking in time for Roland Garros, so he can hopefully get a better draw and an easier route into the 4th Round or Quarter's.

Lastly, I wish I could watch this Federer/Agassi match in Dubai... Winner meets Ljubicic.

Rex
February 26th, 2005, 2:19 PM
Maria will go up to three, passing Serena Williams.

Alicia goes up to eight, passing Venus.

I don't really like Ivan, but if he keeps this up, he'll soon find himself in the top ten. Which is odd considering how old he is.

I think Fed will beat Andre in straights.

Next week is a big one for the ladies. Williams sisters, Davenport, Myskina, Kuznetsova and Molik all in one tournament. Oh my!

Rex
February 26th, 2005, 2:42 PM
Roger wins 6-3 6-1!

Beforehand
February 26th, 2005, 2:55 PM
:heart: Maria Sharapova, World #3.

:heart: Roger Federer. He sure kicked all the decline talk in the face, with two relatively easy wins against worthy opponents. 6-3, 6-1 over Agassi. It's hard for anyone in a decline to do that to Andre.

I just decided that I like Alicia Molik...

And Rafael Nadal makes himself more of a legitimate threat for the championship at Roland Garros every passing week. I'd love to see a Gaudio/Nadal matchup in Paris.

Yoel
February 27th, 2005, 11:40 AM
And Rafael Nadal makes himself more of a legitimate threat for the championship at Roland Garros every passing week. I'd love to see a Gaudio/Nadal matchup in Paris.

Even moreso now that he's just won his second consecutive title - Acapulco on clay. What's great about Nadal right now, is that he's becoming consistent on all surfaces (as proven by reaching the 4th Round of the Aus Open and stretching Hewitt to 5 sets, and a Quarter's appearance at Doha) while at the same time, he knows that his specialty is clay. People say last year was a breakout year for him, but it's this year that could probably vault him into the Top 15/20.

Beforehand
February 27th, 2005, 2:39 PM
Ljubicic is really moving towards the top 10 too. If he can get high enough, he'll have an excellent shot to shock someone at Wimbledon.

In the Dubai final, they are currently at a set a piece. Federer wins the first set 6-1, and Ljubicic the second set 7-6.

Gaudio's currently injured. Will he be better in time for the French Open? That would DEFINITELY open up the draw if he won't be.

Rex
February 27th, 2005, 5:15 PM
From what I read, Gadio's injury won't keep him out of action that long, he'll miss Davis Cup though.

Fedexpress won the third set 6-3.

Loaded tournament in Dubai next week. Possible quarters we're looking at are.

Davenport vs Dechy
Myskina vs Shnyder
V. Williams vs Kuznetsova
S. Williams vs Molik

Yup. Venus and Serena in the same half of the draw. I'd like to see them clash again, that or Molik of Kuzzy beats both of them :)

Yoel
February 27th, 2005, 6:42 PM
Hate to say it, Rex, but the way Myskina's been playing, coupled with the way Schnyder has been playing, an 'upset' could be very likely.

That being said, the bottom half of the draw looks to be really tight. Kuznetsova/V. Williams could go either way, but I'll give the nod to Venus. Molik's in top-form, but so is Serena. I can see Molik pulling off an upset, if Serena's lack of play hurts her at all. But, unfortunately, I think it more likely that Serena will win this one.

It's too bad Hantuchova drew Molik in the first round. She reaches the semis this week to raise her ranking, but then she'll just fall behind again if (read: once) she loses. Luckily for her, this is the only tournament this week.

Davenport should be able to knock off Dechy easily and if Myskina can advance into the quarter's (;)), it's a toss-up. I'll go with Myskina, just because I'd like to see some Russian revitilization and life beyond Sharapova.

Rex
February 27th, 2005, 7:53 PM
Hate to say it, Rex, but the way Myskina's been playing, coupled with the way Schnyder has been playing, an 'upset' could be very likely.

That being said, the bottom half of the draw looks to be really tight. Kuznetsova/V. Williams could go either way, but I'll give the nod to Venus. Molik's in top-form, but so is Serena. I can see Molik pulling off an upset, if Serena's lack of play hurts her at all. But, unfortunately, I think it more likely that Serena will win this one.

It's too bad Hantuchova drew Molik in the first round. She reaches the semis this week to raise her ranking, but then she'll just fall behind again if (read: once) she loses. Luckily for her, this is the only tournament this week.

Davenport should be able to knock off Dechy easily and if Myskina can advance into the quarter's (;)), it's a toss-up. I'll go with Myskina, just because I'd like to see some Russian revitilization and life beyond Sharapova.

I dunno, Nathalie gave Lindsay all she wanted at Oz. She was two points from winning the match up 5-2 in a a second set tiebreak.

Myskina beat Davenport the past two times they played, so she should at least be confident.

I'd like to see Kuzzy or Molik knock out both sisters. That would make me happy. The Williams lovers would hate them forever.

Beforehand
February 28th, 2005, 1:29 PM
Davis Cup Week.

Without Federer, the Switzerland team looks just "Meh".

Rex
February 28th, 2005, 6:30 PM
Syliva Farina Elia def Venus Williams 7-5 7-6(6)

Yoel
February 28th, 2005, 7:10 PM
That's a good win for Farina-Elia, and I'm not as surprised as I should be. That speaks volumes to Venus' demise over the past two years. She blamed it on her injuries after the match, though. Same ol' personality :rolleyes:.

Anybody else been to atptennis.com and wtatour.com to vote for the fan favourite award, being presented at the Nasdaq-100? I put in my vote for Safin and Sharapova respectively... And you should do the same ;).

Yoel
March 1st, 2005, 1:35 PM
Davenport vs Dechy
Myskina vs Shnyder
V. Williams vs Kuznetsova
S. Williams vs Molik


Venus, gone.
Kuzzy, gone.
Molik, gone.

O_o.

Good play on behalf of Farina Elia, Mirza and Hantuchova. I'd like to see Hantuchova back in the Top 10.

Tough loss for Molik, but luckily for her, this won't effect her rankings - Venus lost in the first round too, and she's still quite a ways away from the Top 7, who have all gained so many points from winning Slams or getting into the semis/finals of the Slams.

And Martinez also continues her good start to the year.

There's so many good players right now on the women's side, I can't get over it! It's awesome.

Rex
March 1st, 2005, 5:59 PM
I'm pretty shocked right now. Great win for Na Li over Ai Sugiyama also. She faces Shnyder next.

Venus' stopper was halted by Jelena Jankovic in three sets.

So much for the bottom draw being heavy. I don't know what to say.

Except for let's go Myskina.

Yoel
March 1st, 2005, 6:03 PM
Sugiyama's been shit all year. If she keeps this up, she'll have to start going through Qualifying rounds by the US Open.

If nothing else, it certainly opens the door WIDE open for Serena to get into the finals - I think her biggest challenge on her way to the finals will be her next match against Bovina, possibly some challenge from Hantuchova, who's been playing well.

Rex
March 1st, 2005, 7:36 PM
Sugiyama had ankle surgery last November. Her biggest asset has been her speed, if that's been taken from her, then she is seriously in trouble. If she falls out of the top hundred, I'd be surprised if she sticks around, she's got to be close to retirement.

Bovina beat Venus in Moscow last year, can she do the same to Serena? Not likely but who knows?

Rex
March 2nd, 2005, 6:34 PM
Serena def Bovina 1-6 6-1 6-4

Davenport def Jie Zheng 6-2 7-5

Myskina def Bartoli 4-2(retired)

Conchita Martinez def Dechy 6-2 6-1

So the quarters look something lik

Davenport vs Martinez
Myskina vs Shnyder
Mirza vs Jankovic
Serena vs Hantuchova

Seems totally bizarre that what could have been Kuzzy vs Venus is Mirza vs Jankovic.

Beforehand
March 2nd, 2005, 8:47 PM
Sania Mirza is going all right as of late. A semifinal in Dubai would do wonders for her.

Yoel
March 3rd, 2005, 10:14 AM
Myskina falls to Schnyder in three sets, even holding match point. Her record falls to 5-5 on the season :\. She's really got to piece something together, and quickly, before her confidence gets completely blown away for Roland Garros. Luckily for her, the rest of the Top 10, bar Molik, Davenport, Sharapova and Serena, are not doing so well either. In fact, not even the Top 20 are performing the best. Instead, we're seeing resurgences from the likes of Hantuchova and Martinez (who lost to Davenport in the Quarter's) and great clay-courters like Pennetta. Ultimately, this will protect Myskina's ranking, not her ability, at least not her ability at this point in time.

Did that make sense?

And I'm predicting a Mirza/Hantuchova semi-final, with Hantuchova getting to the finals. Likely? No, but definitely a possibility. Bovina, who's been injured on-and-off and hasn't found her stride yet this season, took a set off of Serena. Hantuchova, who is playing great tennis right now, could take off more, possibly even the upset.

Rex
March 3rd, 2005, 7:09 PM
Jankovic def Mirza 6-2 6-2

Serena def Hantuchova 6-4 6-3

Shnyder vs Davenport and Serena vs Jankovic

Beforehand
March 3rd, 2005, 8:55 PM
Davis Cup started.

Hewitt vs. Peya is the first match. Hewitt won the first set 6-2, and was down 0-2 in the second, but now it's 2-2.

Beforehand
March 4th, 2005, 2:09 PM
A lot of the ties are at 1-1 right now.

The Argentinian team is STACKED. Nalbandian wins in 4 sets, and Coria has taken the first set off of Tomas Berdych.

Yoel
March 4th, 2005, 5:49 PM
For the men, USA vs. Croatia should be a great battle, as should Slovak vs. defending champions Spain - they've already taken the 2 first singles matches.

As for women, Jankovic advances into the finals after Serena retired in the 2nd set. Credit to Jankovic, though - she was up 6-0, 4-3 when Serena retired. Thing is, the finals appearance in this Tier II event won't even put Jankovic into the Top20. She hasn't had much exposure over here in Canada, same can likely be said for the States. But she's supposedly a rising star, so she's one to watch. Ultimately, I think Davenport, who beat out a Schnyder in a close 3-setter, will pull off her first championship of the year and further cement herself at the top of the women's game.

Rex
March 5th, 2005, 12:27 AM
If Jankovic upsets Davenport, she'll earn a hundred quality points, plus her win over Serena today.

Who would have thought that the bottom half featuring 4 top 10 players would have Jankovic enter the final?

Rex
March 5th, 2005, 7:00 PM
Davenport def Jankovic 6-4 3-6 6-4

Jelena was up a break in the third for a little bit and had 2 break points at 4 all but couldn't convert.

Rex
March 6th, 2005, 11:01 AM
Jankovic is now #20 in the world.

Elena Dementieva rose to #5 in the world.

Mirza rose to #77

Henin-Hardenne fell to #21

Na Li rose to #39. The Chinese are getting closer and closer to the top. By the French Open, 3 of them could be seeded. Peng Shuai and Na Li very likely and Jie Zheng with a chance.

Beforehand
March 8th, 2005, 12:04 PM
It's Masters time!

Indian Wells coming up. I see a repeat for Federer, but we'll HAVE to have a new female champion. What's everyone think?

Yoel
March 8th, 2005, 1:50 PM
Gah... the Men's Draw still hasn't been released, so until then, I'll just go with the WTA;

Expected Quarter's are:

Davenport/Dechy
Sharapova/Petrova
Kuznetsova/Dementieva
Bovina/Mauresmo

Those players should coast to their 4th Round matches, but there, some interesting match-ups and possible upsets will be listed later.

With the way Dechy and Davenport have been playing, as well as the quarter they've drawn, they should easily reach the Quarter's.

In the Sharapova/Petrova quarter: Sharapova/Hantuchova could be an upset (I wish they'd stop meeting each other in tournaments... I think they're my two of my three fave players right now, with Molik).

Petrova's spot sure isn;t a guaranteed one - any of the 4 seeds coming from her quarter could make it to the QF - Pierce, Raymond and Sprem... Well, maybe not Sprem, not with the way she's been playing. Vaidisova could score an upset over Sprem in 2nd round action.

Kuznetsova and Dementieva shouldn;t have a problem reaching the QFs. I can only possibly see Golovin giving Dementieva some problems, but it shouldn't be an upset.

Lastly, and perhaps the most interesting - Mauresmo could face Clijsters in the 4th Round, and Conchita, if she can continue her strong play as of late, can beat Bovina, who's had a rough start to the season.

Ultimately, I think whoever comes out of the top half between Davenport and Sharapova will win it all, and a strong return from Clijsters could take her to the finals. If it's not Clijsters, I think it'll be the winner of Kuzzy/Dementieva, and Mauresmo will buckle under pressure... again.

But after last week, I don't think anybody can predict anything.

Beforehand
March 8th, 2005, 11:28 PM
The men's draw is out.

Expected Quarters, due to seeding (stealing from Yoel, but :dunno: )

Federer/Gaudio
Safin/Henman
Moya/Roddick
Coria/Hewitt

In Federer's quarter, the man to watch besides Federer is obviously Ivan Ljubicic. I look for him to move to Federer, unless he's surprised by his countryman Ancic, or Tomas Berdych shows up looking for a shock again. I don't realistically see any of them besides maybe Ljubicic defeating Federer.

Gaudio's draw is like a landmine, just because Gaudio is not near the 8th best player in the world when it comes to playing on hardcourts. Any match is conceivably losable for Gaudio in this draw. Xavier Malisse, Nicholas Kiefer, Thomas Johansson, David Nalbandian. I think Gaudio falls relatively quickly in this tournament, and I expect Nalbandian to survive this quarter, although Johansson and Kiefer are both distinct possiblilities.

Marat Safin's draw looks to be the most sure, with the only threat being the chip-and-charge style of Taylor Dent. I think Taylor is the most apt to upset Marat in this quarter, but once again, I just can't see it happening. I see Marat Safin moving through pretty safely.

Henman's draw is one that could go to anyone, but I think as weak as Henman can often come off, he should move through to the quarters. I would definitely watch for Karol Beck to make a move in this draw, even though it's quite possible that he could falter as early as Round 2 against Mikhail Youzhny. I look for the winner of that match to fall to Henman in three tight sets.

Carlos Moya, again, like Henman, seems to just...fall apart at times. In this draw, I see a handful of players that have a chance at breaking out. Juan Carlos Ferrero seems to be one big win away from gaining his confidence. The problem seems to be getting that one win. Igor Andreev and David Ferrer could surprise someone. It's literally an endless possibility of quarterfinalists here. I think this will come down to the winner of a matchup between Feliciano Lopez and Joachim Johansson. I see the winner of that match moving to the quarterfinals.

Andy Roddick doesn't have a terribly difficult draw. I see Fernando Gonzalez and Olivier Rochus sneaking around, but I think Roddick can just blindly power Rochus off of the court. And as far as Gonzalez goes, I think that's Roddick's biggest threat. I think Roddick has a tough time finding focus, but in the end, gets the better of his draw, and moves to the quarters.

In Guillermo Coria's section of the draw lies Andre Agassi, a legitimate threat on hardcourt when he's playing the game he wants to play. Coria, in my opinion, is not quite ready to return to the big time. Agassi will upend him and play into the quarters.

Finally, in the bottom most quarter of the draw, lies Lleyton Hewitt. I don't see anyone who can match Lleyton's speed on the bottom. Hrbaty may give Lleyton a match, but overall, the quarter is most certainly Hewitt's to lose.

**sighs**

Different than the expected quarters slightly, I see...
Federer/Nalbandian
Safin/Henman
J. Johansson/Roddick (I might pull out of this and put Gonzalez in later, though)
Agassi/Hewitt

Yoel
March 9th, 2005, 12:55 PM
There's even some potential good first-round matches. Take a look;

Fish/Gambill
Arazi/Berdych
Mirnyi/Malisse
Monfils (the 16 yr old)/Morrisson
Beck/Enqvist


And that's just the top half. But I too will just go straight to R16/QF match-ups;

Ljubicic, especially after just beating Agassi AND Roddick, has such high confidence, and needless to say - he's gotten to know Federer's game very well so far this season (something like 3 finals against each other now?). With that being said, he should have no difficulty at all reaching the 4th Round. I feel bad for the guy, since he's met Federer SO many times by now, but it'll ultimately be another loss for him by the hands of Federer in the 4th Round.

So, Federer is into the Quarters, where he will meet... Nalbandian. David has the game for hard courts, whereas Gaudio sucks on anything other than clay--providing Gaudio can even reach the R16. If it's not Malisse that beats him in the 2nd Round, then Kiefer will in the 3rd. Gaudio just doesn't have the game for anything other than clay...

Safin shouldn't have a problem getting past Dent - Dent will most likely beat himself. I think Canas can cause a little more problems than Dent, if anybody. Ultimately, this is Safin's Quarter to win or lose.

If Youzhny is playing well, I can see a possible QF run for him, before being stopped by Safin. Henman has played well in the past here before, though, so I'll give the nod to him for a QF run.

For the bottom half - I think J. Johansson has a great chance if he catches either Ferrero or Moya playing below average. Johansson would meet one of them in the 4th Round. I'd like to see Fererro put in a good run... I think everybody would, so let's hope for the best.

Roddick and Hewitt have the easiest draws, I think. Hewitt might have troubles with Haas is he's playing well, but right now, Hewitt is too hot to be stopped by a returning-to-in-form Haas.

Agassi should also advance into the Quarter's to meet Hewitt. Srichapan hasn;t been playing well, and Coria's strength lies on clay.

So, here are the QF's I THINK will happen, not necessarily based on seedings:

Federer/Nalbandian -----> Federer
Safin/Henman ----------> Safin
J. Johansson/Roddick ---> Roddick (though Johansson beat him at the US Open... This could be very close)
Agassi/Hewitt ----------> Hewitt.

So, even though the QF matches are a little off based on seedings, the SF's are still 1, 2, 3 and 4. I can't see many people matching these 4 players and the level that they're playing at right now. The only possible upst I could see is Roddick falling to Johansson.

Rex
March 9th, 2005, 3:53 PM
I'm actually going to Indian Wells this year. I will see the men's from the quarters and on and the women's semis and on.

Coria and Agassi should be interesting. I saw them in this tournament in the quarters last year and Agassi won it in straights (6-4 7-5 I think)

The big thing is Agassi's confidence has to be running low. Beat in straights by Ivan, whipped by Fed twice and lost to Melzer. If Coria can take advantage of this, he'll get through. Coria can play hardcourts too, he got to the final of Miami last year.

It seems totally unfair for Lubby/Fed to be a fourth rounder. For both men.

My money says Gaudio falls to Kiefer.

I think it's risky saying with any confidence that Safin will do anything. He just got taken out in the first round of Dubai. Joachim vs Andy should be good, I'm disliking Andy right now and he's fresh off a loss to Ivan. (Seems to be a recurring theme) He got taken out by Henman here last year.

I just hope I get some good tennis. No Myskina though :(

Beforehand
March 14th, 2005, 1:42 PM
Federer ran through fish with little trouble. And now he's got "Qualifier X" coming up.

Looks like a showdown with Ljubicic is very soon, but Ivan needs to watch dangerous Tomas Berdych.

Maria's got Ms. Safina today. :nono:

Rex
March 14th, 2005, 10:28 PM
Kiefer crushes Gaston Gaudio 6-3 6-1....

Beforehand
March 14th, 2005, 11:12 PM
Gaudio's just horrible besides clay. Just horrible.

Coria's still in though, so that's nice.

Rex
March 15th, 2005, 10:29 AM
Gaudio has had some decent showings off clay. He stretched Fedex to three sets in an exhibition on hard courts earlier this year.

Beforehand
March 15th, 2005, 10:45 AM
Why'd they take away our "official".

Poor Muller, the qualifier. Federer should eat him alive. Marat Safin vs. Taylor Dent tonight should rule.