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.Originally Posted by Rex
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shucks. Ferrero had two match points against Roger F'n Federer and lost the match.
Poor JCF
Hantuchova beats out Martinez for a spot in the semis.
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.
Correction, anyone but Maria.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Last edited by Yoel; February 26th, 2005 at 1:12 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!
Roger wins 6-3 6-1!
Maria Sharapova, World #3.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.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 (
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.
Davis Cup Week.
Without Federer, the Switzerland team looks just "Meh".
Syliva Farina Elia def Venus Williams 7-5 7-6(6)
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.
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
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.
Last edited by Yoel; March 1st, 2005 at 5:44 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.
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.
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?
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.
Sania Mirza is going all right as of late. A semifinal in Dubai would do wonders for her.
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.
Last edited by Yoel; March 3rd, 2005 at 10:16 AM.
Jankovic def Mirza 6-2 6-2
Serena def Hantuchova 6-4 6-3
Shnyder vs Davenport and Serena vs Jankovic
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
The men's draw is out.
Expected Quarters, due to seeding (stealing from Yoel, but)
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
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.
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
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.
Kiefer crushes Gaston Gaudio 6-3 6-1....
Gaudio's just horrible besides clay. Just horrible.
Coria's still in though, so that's nice.
Gaudio has had some decent showings off clay. He stretched Fedex to three sets in an exhibition on hard courts earlier this year.
Why'd they take away our "official".
Poor Muller, the qualifier. Federer should eat him alive. Marat Safin vs. Taylor Dent tonight should rule.
Oohh, the Round of 16... This is when things can get really exciting. Hopefully the wind dies down a bit. I was watching the Nalbandian/Bjorkman match yesterday.... Honest to God, I was seeing serves that match that of Dementieva's. Davenport wanted to apologize to the fans because it's so unpredictable out there.
Anyways, here we go...
Hantuchova's lost to Zuluaga. Boo. I was really expecting Daniela to get the win here considering (a) her recent play and (b)Zuluaga's recent play. Oh well...
Davenport/Kutuzova - Kutuzova's the WC with some upsets this tournament - Pennetta (who had been playing well, winning back-to-back tournaments) and Frazier. Davenport shouldn't have a problem closing out this one in two sets, though.
Kirkland/Dechy - Dechy's had a pretty good year thus far. She struggled against Stosur (then again, Stosur's had a good year too, though). Ultimately, this is Dechy's to win or lose, though it was a nice run for Kirkland.
Sharapova/Zuluaga - Sharapova crushed Safina yesterday. Her serve is on, and her groundstrokes are absolutely blistering. Safina (whose biggest asset is her power) was forced behind the baseline and could rarely take control and dictate any points. Add to that the fact that Sharapova has begun to add volleying to her game, and this girl will be No. 1 by the the end of the clay court circuit.
Pierce/Petrova - Pierce has a good shot of reaching the QFs here, if she can out-power the Russian and dictate some points. If she does that, her weakness--her mobility--won't be taken advantage of. It's going to be close, but I'll give the nod to Petrova, just because she's due for a good run sooner rather than later.
Kuznetsova/Fujiwara - Kuzzy's regained focus after losing to Mirza last week. Look for her to win in straight sets. Though I love the name Fujiwara.
Golovin/Dementieva - This could go the distance, where Dementieva's serve and fitness could be tested. Yesterday her forehand was just awful, and considering her groundstrokes and volleys are the only things going for her, she can't risk it against an ambitious young player like Golovin. If Dementieva doesn't step up but still wins in three tight sets, then she doesn't have the game THIS WEEK to beat Kuzzy in the QFs.
Kirilenko/Martinez - This is good. A ressurgent Martinez could pull off the victory if Kirilenko plays mind games with herself. The better player with more talent right now is Kirilenko, but experience does wonders, and that will take Martinez to the QFs.
Clijsters/Linetskaya - Clijsters takes it, and should have a clear path into the SFs, potentially even the finals. I think right now the power-hitters are going to hurt her more than smart players/fast players, etc. And she won't run into a power-hitter until the SFs.
Men's will be up later... I've got to go watch Days of Our Lives and some tennis.
Dementieva def Golovin 2-6 6-4 6-4
Clijsters def Linetskaya 6-2 6-1
Zuluaga up on Sharapova 6-4 1-1
Come on Fabiola!
Sharapova came back to win in the third set 7-5.
Okay, so, here are the QFs for the women's draw... With Martinez, Pierce and Davenport... allow us to go back to '96 for a couple of minutes:
Kuzzy/Dementieva - Elena's been playing crappy all week, and Kuzzy's been the complete opposite. It might go to three sets, but regardless, I still think Svetlana will pull out the somewhat easy (or at least easier than expected) win.
Martinez/Clijsters - Martinez has got the confidence and the experience, so she could pull off the 'upset.' But Clijsters has to be driven to score more wins, get her ranking back up and prove that she's back to stay. That will take her to the Semis in three tight sets.
Davenport/Dechy - Dechy might cause some problems for Davenport, but she's bound to push through in two tights sets.
Pierce/Sharapova - Maria isn't even at the top of her game, yet it can be argued that she's playing at the highest level out of all of the women currently playing. Pierce doesn't even hold the advantage of experience here. Sharapova will hit Pierce off the court in two sets.
So, Federer will meet Ivan Ljubicic again. The way Ljubicic and Federer have been playing so far this week suggests that this match is very threatening for Roger, but I feel that Roger has been coasting so far. Roger Federer starts playing tennis today, and beats Ljubicic in two tough sets, I think.
David Nalbandian and Nicholas Kiefer is an interesting match. Neither of them is quite where they should be in the rankings. I look for Nalbandian to be a little more in control in this match, and Nalbandian should advance to the quarters.
Taylor Dent, if he plays at or near the level he played against Safin, should beat Canas.
I'm not a fan of Robredo or Henman, in all honesty. Henman wins this one, though.
Carlos Moya, I think, should defeat Fabrice Santoro in straight sets, even though it would make me very happy to see Santoro pull this one out.
Even now, as at the beginning, I'm still on the fence on the Fernando Gonzalez/Andy Roddick match. Roddick tore through Jiri Novak almost effortlessly, but Fernando Gonzalez poses more of a threat. I'm going for Roddick in three, but I don't want to.
Guillermo Coria and Andre Agassi...I can't wait. I think Agassi will move Coria around enough to defeat him, but I sincerely hope I'm wrong and that Coria can pull this one out.
And lastly, Hewitt won't have much trouble with a relatively tired Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Elena Dementieva def Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6 6-3 7-5. Kuzzy double faulted match point after having saved 4.
Moya def Santoro 7-5 6-2.
Hewitt up over Matheiu 6-1 1-0
Kiefer stuns Nalbandian 6-1 6-3
Don't underestimate Mary Pierce. She ousted Maria in the US Open.
Whoa! Agassi walks over. Hewitt vs. Roddick Moya in the second semifinal.
Kim Clijsters is on her way to proving she wants to move up, moving into the final at Pacific Life.
Good God. I'm a Maria Sharapova fan, but DAMN!, Lindsay drilled her with a double bagel. 6-0, 6-0. I never expected that sort of match from Maria Sharapova OR Lindsay Davenport. Just shocking.
What... happened? They only showed (or I only saw) the Dementieva/Clijsters match... How did Sharapova get beaten 6-0, 6-0?
I'm so scared and confused...
As for the Dementieva/Clisters match - too bad for Dementieva. Her groundstrokes were brilliant, though. I think it's a testament to her character and talent.
Awesome results for Clijsters, but I'm pulling for Davenport in the finals.
The men's - Roddick plays well in the U.S., so I'll go with Roddick vs. Federer in the finals, with Fed coming out on top.
They only showed the first three games when I watched, right before Roddick and Moya.
From what I hear, Davenport's consistency was just too much. I don't think Sharapova played bad, just Davenport played better. Not WAY better, just consistently a little better than Sharapova the whole time.
My predictions have been pretty shit this tournament, eh
The final for the men's: I don't know where I stand. Obviously Federer is still at a whole other level in comparison to most other players. I liked Hewitt, but he really rubbed me the wrong way during the Australian Open a little too many times (especially that one time where he was called for a foot fault, and won the point off his second serve and badgered the line judge over it). At the same time, beating Federer causes a spectacle, stirs things up a little, etc.
I don't think Hewitt can do it, though. Federer in three sets.
Federer won 6-2 6-4 6-4
Loved seeing Sharapova bageled live. Whole thing was enjoyable. May posts more when it isn't so late.
Well, draws are out for the NASDAQ-100--a Masters Series event for the men and a Tier 1 for the women. 18 of the Top 20 women, and the only noticeable name missing form the men is Hewitt.
Here's my usual breakdown, based on QF matches providing the seeds win:
ATP:
Federer vs. Henman:
Any normal player would see that Federer has a tough road to the Quarter's that would wear down any "average" top player. He could be facing Srichipan and Ancic or Haas. It's also a difficult draw for those three seeds, as two are trying to comeback and one is a young upcoming player.
Henman's biggest challenge will come from J. Johansson in R4 who's been playing great tennis this year. His big serve and excellent hardcourt play could lead to the 'upset.'
Coria vs. Gaudio:
Hmm, interesting. Neither player is suited to the court, but Coria's stronger all around. With that being said, Coria will have to fend off players who are playing confidently right now - Dent in R2, and one of Kiefer or Gonzalez in R4. An upset could happen with the best chance coming from Kiefer, I think.
Gaudio - well, he plays Agassi in R4. Enough said. Even if he makes it to R4, Agassi's the one who'll advance in QF action.
Nalbandian vs. Safin:
Nalbandian's been playing well but he could meet Canas in R4. I think he has the game to pull out into the Quarter's, though.
Safin hasn't been playing well, so an upset by Davydenko in R4 could happen. Ultimately, he's really gotta piece something together to follow up the Aus. Open, though
Moya vs. Roddick:
Ohhh, Ljubicic vs. Roddick in R4. This could easily be the upset, as Ljubicic is playing phenomenal tennis and beat Roddick two or three weeks ago in Davis Cup action (and it can be argued that Roddick plays his best tennis in Davis Cup!).
Moya has a fairly easy path to the Quarter's, if he's playing his best. Robredo could stir things up, but I really think Moya has the easiest draw the the Quarter's.
So here are my projected quarters:
Federer vs. J. Johansson ---> Federer
Coria vs. Agassi -----------> Agassi
Nalbandian vs. Safin -------> Safin... I hope
Ljubicic vs. Moya ----------> Ljubicic
For semi's, then:
Federer vs. Agassi -----> Federer
Ljubicic vs. Safin ------> Ljubicic
With Federer taking it all... There actually a pretty strong probability of it being the case, too.
Last edited by Yoel; March 22nd, 2005 at 3:19 PM.
I had a long post like Yoel's, but I"m not typing it again, at least not now.
I had:
Roger Federer vs. Joachim Johansson
Nicholas Kiefer vs. Andre Agassi
David Nalbandian vs. Marat Safin
Max Mirnyi vs. Ivan Ljubicic
Max got beat yesterday by Bjorkman 2-6 6-4 6-1.
Gael Monfils upset Michael Llodra 2-6 6-4 6-3
Juan Carlos Ferrero def Brendon Evans 6-2 6-4
James Blake def Kenneth Carlson 6-3 6-2
Those are the notables. Good to see these guys (especially the lower two) are playing well.
Here are my predictions/wishes
4th rounds
Federer vs Mario Ancic (Haas isn't playing too well, I think he'll upset)-Federer
J. Johannsson vs Tim Henman--Johannson(I think his returns will be too much for Tim to handle consistantly at net.)
Guillermo Coria vs Nicolas Kiefer-Coria (It'll be tough but don't forget, Coria got to the finals here last year)
Andre Agassi vs Karol Beck-Agassi (Stretch here. If Beck can't get through to the 3rd round against Gaudio, I think he'll win)
David Nalbandian vs Juan Carlos Ferrero-Ferrero (Wishful thinking, but I think Ferrero can beat Canas. I'm just praying he does. David hasn't liked Miami in the past so I think Juan can win. Again, wishful thinking)
Mikhail Youzhny vs Marat Safin-Safin (Davydenko is too flaky, either way, this one should be all Russian. Safin can outpower Youzhny so I pick him)
James Blake vs Tommy Robredo-Blake (Moya and Robredo not playing well and James is tough in America.)
Ljubicic vs Roddick-Ljubicic(Andy will try to show off to much in this and it will cost him the match.)
Federer vs Johansson-Federer(Joachim will be a test, Federer will prevail in three sets, easily winning the third)
Coria vs Agassi-Agassi(Love Coria to pull it out, but even I know he won't. Never beat Agassi on hardcourt and got spanked by him last week.)
Ferrero vs Safin-Safin(Can't keep expecting Ferrero to win, Safin will want to prove himself after two early exits. Safin wins in three)
Blake vs Ljubicic-Ljubicic (Good run flor Blake but Ivan wins in straights)
Federer vs Agassi-Federer(NEXT)
Safiin vs Ljubicic(Ljubicic in straights. Safin can't keep his head together long enough, those a Safin vs Federer final would be interesting.)
Federer vs Ljubicic-Federer (In three and ending in a third set breaker.)
Won't go quite as detailed but will highlight some big matches for the ladies.
3rd Round
Petrova vs Jankovic
Myskina vs Mirza
Henin-Hardenne vs Zvonareva
4th Round
Henin-Hardenne vs Sharapova
Myskina vs Clijsters
Hantuchova vs Mauresmo
Petrova vs Kuznetsova
Quarters
Molik vs Sharapova/Henin
Venus vs Serena
Elena D. vs Clijsters/Myskina
Mauresmo vs Kuznetsova
My predictions
Henin-Hardenne vs Serena
Clijsters(
Serena vs Clijsters-No way will Kim have enough left to battle Serena. Too much tennis recently for her. Either way a good run for her.
Guess I need to modify my predictions
Youzhny and Beck got dominated today...
Blake is 1-1 with Moya in the third.
Zvonareva and Vives about to start a third set
Monfils leads Davydenko 2-1
If Marat makes it to the semifinals, and Andy Roddick gets eliminated by Ljubicic or earlier, I think Marat passes Andy in the rankings. That might be something to keep an eye on.
Andy retired in his first match
VAMOS!
Ferrero def Canas 6-4 2-6 6-4!
Hell yeah!
Does Safin even have to win a match to pass Andy now?
If I'm doing the numbers right (there's no guarantee that I am), Safin ties Andy with a quarterfinal birth and passes him with a semifinal birth and beyond.
VAMOS!
Ferrero def Canas 6-4 2-6 6-4!
Hell yeah!
Does Safin even have to win a match to pass Andy now?
That's surprising. Andy won this last year so I thought it would take much, if anything to pass him.
Speaking of Safin he lost the first set to Hrabty in a tiebreaker.
and Ferrero won again!
3 in a row!
Revenge against Andreev, who ousted him in Roland Garros last year...
Safin ousted 7-6 6-1....
Ohhh, Safin. We all had such high hopes for him after the Oz Open.. Beyond his run there, which was phenomenal, he's done not much else. This is a great chance for Monfils to possibly make it into the QFs against Ljubicic. Ljubicic would win, but what a great run for Monfils that would be. He's gotten into a lot of main draws this year, but he's yet to have a nice, solid run, so this should give him some more confidence.
Edit - Messed up the draw a little. Monfils, if he makes it to the QFs, could face Ferrero or Nalbandian. Regardless, a R4 appearance is even a good one for him.
On the women's side - after playing well the past several weeks, Hantuchova seems to have run out of steam, losing in straight sets to Cohen something-or-other. The top quarter of this draw though for the women's showcases a lot of young talent and huge potential - Vaidisova, Jankovic, Sprem and Ivanovic to name just a few.
Henin-Hardenne vs. Molik should be interesting. I think it'll be a test for both of them - Henin-Hardenne against a top player, and a top player against arguably a future great. We'll see how well today's Top 10 holds up against last year's Top 10.
Last edited by Yoel; March 27th, 2005 at 4:51 PM.
Myskina better beat Penneta. Tied 4-4 in the first.
Nadal won! That's cool.
And Juan Carlos Ferrero through to the R16...My goodness.
Myskina def Pennata 6-4 6-0.
Some big matches tommorrow.
Myskina vs Clijsters
Henin-Hardenne vs Molik
Serena vs Venus is all but set for the quarters. I'd be shocked if Castano (a clay courter who I'm shocked to see this far on a hard court) or the old Elena offer too much resistance. They both have games that don't bother the sisters.
Clijsters def Myskina 6-3 6-4
and Justine Henin-Hardenne def Alicia Molik 6-4 2-6 6-2
! Rex, Beforehand... we have a fourth!
Anyways - ya, shitty for Myskina, good for Clijsters. This could have been easily predicted based on how both have been playing. Tough loss for Molik, but I think it proves to us all that Henin-Hardenne is planning on taking the same route as Clijsters back to the top - straight and quickly. I just hope it doesn't become Clijsters vs. Henin-Hardenne, a la Williams vs. Williams. But alas, far too early to make such predictions.
As for Women's QF predictions:
Ivanovic vs. Mauresmo: For starters, Ivanovic is... attractive. She still looks too young to say "hot." But anyways; Mauresmo SHOULD out-hit this young girl, but with Ivanovic beating out Petrova and Kuznetsova, two things have happened: (a) Ivanovic has HUGE confidence going into the match and (b) Mauresmo has probably scared herself shitless already. If Mauresmo doesn't win this match, I would want to go spit in her face. So, I'd love to see Ivanovic pull this one out.
Dementieva vs. Clijsters: Rematch of last week... Clijsters beat Elena in straight sets in that match. I think this one could be extended into three sets, but Dem's mental fortitude could be her downfall, especially in relation to Clijsters abundance of it with her making her comeback. I'd like to see Dementieva pull this one out, but I think Clijster's has the game to pull it out. The winner of this match should get to the finals, but could run out of steam there. I think Dementieva has something to prove in this one, and Clijster's may burn out. So ultimately, I'll say Dem in three tight sets.
Venus vs. Serena: If Daddy has anything to say about it, Venus will win. Otherwise, Serena. I'd LIKE to see Venus pull something together, though and boost her confidence (and ranking) up a little. Serena in three, though.
Henin-Hardenne vs. Sharapova: Henin hasn;t made a blistering return to her game, a la Clijsters, whereas Sharapova has easily rebounded from her bagel-ed loss to Davenport last week. Sharapova's wits and strategies are the weakness here, but Henin-Hardenne won't be able to handle the best player in the world's (
Few, quick predictions for the men:
Federer/Ancic ---> Federer
Stepanek/Henman ---> Henman
Dent/Mayer ---> Dent
Agassi/Guadio ---> Agassi
Ferrer/Ferrero ---> Ferrero
Monfils/Hrbaty ---> Hrbaty (rooting for Monfils, though)
T. Johansson/Novak ---> Johansson
Ljubicic/Nadal ---> Ljubicic
Winners of the QFs, then:
Federer
Agassi
Ferrero
Ljubicic
With Ljubicic vs. Federer in the finals, Federer taking it once again... poor Ivan
Federer vs. Zabaleta was AWESOME.
I can't believe that Zabaleta hit that forehand on the Federer backhand going out. Unbelievable.
I'd say Mauresmo, and Sharapova very slightly. However, I think Clijsters will beat Dementieva again. She's really playing good tennis now.
Ivanovic vs. Mauresmo: For starters, Ivanovic is... attractive. She still looks too young to say "hot." But anyways; Mauresmo SHOULD out-hit this young girl, but with Ivanovic beating out Petrova and Kuznetsova, two things have happened: (a) Ivanovic has HUGE confidence going into the match and (b) Mauresmo has probably scared herself shitless already. If Mauresmo doesn't win this match, I would want to go spit in her face. So, I'd love to see Ivanovic pull this one out.
Dementieva vs. Clijsters: Rematch of last week... Clijsters beat Elena in straight sets in that match. I think this one could be extended into three sets, but Dem's mental fortitude could be her downfall, especially in relation to Clijsters abundance of it with her making her comeback. I'd like to see Dementieva pull this one out, but I think Clijster's has the game to pull it out. The winner of this match should get to the finals, but could run out of steam there. I think Dementieva has something to prove in this one, and Clijster's may burn out. So ultimately, I'll say Dem in three tight sets.
Venus vs. Serena: If Daddy has anything to say about it, Venus will win. Otherwise, Serena. I'd LIKE to see Venus pull something together, though and boost her confidence (and ranking) up a little. Serena in three, though.
Henin-Hardenne vs. Sharapova: Henin hasn;t made a blistering return to her game, a la Clijsters, whereas Sharapova has easily rebounded from her bagel-ed loss to Davenport last week. Sharapova's wits and strategies are the weakness here, but Henin-Hardenne won't be able to handle the best player in the world's (
I wish that Serena and Venus would play each other with all of their abilities. That would be a wonderful match, but I see either A.) Serena giving this one to Venus to help boost her, but more likely B.) Venus helping Serena move toward 4 straight titles in Miami, plus the allure of Sharapova/Serena as a possibility might be too much.
Man, I'm still trying to recover from yesterday. Zabaleta nearly gave me a heart attack.
I bet on Henin-HardOn at +140. And Lubejobicicic at -160.
I forgot about Ljubicic/Nadal today. w00t!
Should go to Ivan, but still.
Henin-Hardenne went from awful to spectacular fairly quickly.
Ferrer def Ferrero 6-7 6-3 7-5...
No more Vamos for me.
Nadal is up a break in the third!
Gaudio and Agassi neck and neck...
Justine nearly gave me a heart attack, as did Federer dropping a set AGAIN. Come on Roger.
Rafael Nadal has a nice path to the final, with only Johansson and probably Hrbaty in the way. That will be a nice rankings jump for him.
Serena down 5-0 in the first set. What a shock!
I've heard people online accusing Federer of dropping sets to boost interest and media attention to his matches. I don't think that's the case.
I was thinking of good reasons that anyone, especially Federer, would intentionally drop sets, and I couldn't come up with anything except when I thought. "Well, the clay court season is coming up, and Lord knows a staple of clay tennis is fitness, fitness, fitness!" With Federer's fitness not being the world's greatest, do any of you think it would be smart of him to drop sets after playing well until the end just to get longer matches and become more match fit before heading to the clay season, where he can pick up a fair amount of points?
Clijsters def Dementieva 6-2 6-1
Really a poor showing from Dementieva.
Clijsters def Mauresmo 6-1 6-0
Nadal def Ferrer 6-4 6-3
Sharapova def Venus 6-4 6-3
It's difficult to say. I HOPE that that would not be the case, but at the same time, he has the ability to do it. If he is doing it, he'd run into problems facing somebody like an Agassi, Roddick, etc. - the big ones, because once they have the mental edge and start thinking they can beat him, they MIGHT be able to pull it off.
I think it's unsportmanlike conduct and a slap to the face of the players he's playing against - there's ways of getting match tough and ways of working yourself into fitness and I sincerely hope for his own character's sake that it's not the case.
In other news... Clijsters won the Nasdaq-100 Open today, beating Sharapova in two sets in what I thought was an entertaining match - not a classic, or a great one, but entertaining nonetheless. Sharapova's footwork was sloppy, and it was really windy today, so that was possibly her biggest letdown. It also almost looked like she had convinced herself that she was beaten halfway through the second set and decided to go with the attitude of "if I'm going down, you're coming down with me." It's nearly impossible to read Sharapova on-court, though, so maybe it was just me.
Federer vs. Nadal should be a good one, with Nadal playing so well and playing a completely different style than anything Fed has faced the past three weeks. The biggest story here is that Nadal beat Fed last year at the same event in Round 3. I think it would be... neat (for lack of a better word) for Nadal to pull it out, with some good groundstrokes that pop right up at Fed. But ultimately, Nadal's second serve will haunt him and Federer's experience and sheer brilliance will lead him to victory in, I hope, three exciting sets.
As a sidenote/discussion: Women's Top 10... Who are they? The real Top 10, the best 10 women's players right now, or at least by year's end? In no certain order (other than 'top-five spectrum'/'bottom five spectrum' that you'll probably get a sense of), here's who I think:
Davenport
Sharapova
Clijsters
Henin-Hardenne
Serena
Myskina
Mauresmo
Dementieva
... Kuznetsova
... Molik
... See, it's great... There's still Venus and Capriati, possibly a returning Seles, slim chance of a returning Hingis, and dangerous, young Top 15/20 players, like Hantuchova, Petrova, Bovina, Golovin, etc.
So who would you rank in the Top 10, in no certain order unless you can figure it out with ease (I would debate with myself for hours if I tried to rank those Top 10 in order).
My year end predictions/hopes
1. Clijsters
2. Davenport
3. Sharapova
4. Serena
5. Mauresmo
6. Myskina
7. Henin-Hardenne
8. Dementieva
9. Molik
10. Venus
Nadal leading 6-2 7-6 4-1!
Hot damn. I thought we were gonna see a double March double.
And Federer manages to win the match, 2-6 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-1
Guga upset Rochus
Juan Carlos Ferrero drew Rafael Nadal in Valencia.
If Juan Carlos doesn't reach the semifinals, he loses points.
Damn you, you 18-year-old bastard!
Nadal spanked Juan Carlos 6-1 6-2.
Damn it. I thought he mighr be getting back on track after a decent run in Miami.
Myskina got taken to three sets by Peer but pulled through.
Zvonareva also taken to three sets by Shuai Peng, and won in a tiebreak.
Nothing else unsual yet.
I don't know that Juan Carlos Ferrero's loss to Rafael Nadal suggests that he isn't getting back on track. I mean, Nadal is simply on fire. He's a favorite to win the French Open without having played there, and he's a clay court specialist, who can win and test people like Federer on hardcourt.
On an interesting note while Ferrero struggles, Gustavo Kuerten isn't doing so bad for himself. We all remember that he was the only person to eliminate Roger Federer from a major last year, and he did it in straight sets.
Overall, this isn't a wonderful tennis week though. I'm excited for Masters Monte Carlo next week, though.
Amelia Island has a decent amount of star power. Though one just went down in flames as Alicia Molik went out in straight sets.
Martin humbles Guga 2 and 0.
Wonder if Guga's win was just because Rochus is shite on clay.
Silvia takes out Serena 5-7 7-6 ret.
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