You Just Had To See It! Nadal-Verdasco
January 31, 2009
Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco ran themselves into the ground on the way to the longest match in history at the Australian Open. Five hours 14 minutes later a Verdasco double fault handed the victory to Nadal. Both players fell to the ground…
This was a match that had it all, booming serves, delicate shots, pounding winners, relentless chasing of the ball… The final score was 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 in favour of the number one seed against the 14th seed Verdasco.
After Verdasco helped Spain take the 2008 Davis Cup title against Argentina he has almost become superman on the tennis court. He reached the final at the Brisbane event and after that said he was feeling confident for the Australian Open. He sure backed that up at the Australian Open. Verdasco had knocked out the highly fancied Andy Murray and last years sensation, Jo-Wifried Tsonga.
In the match against Nadal, Verdasco has played a blinder and somehow lost. He was pounding winners against the best player in tennis. Overall Verdasco hit an amazing 95 winners. He had 76 unforced errors to go with the winners. Nadal on the other hand hit 52 winners to 25 unforced errors.
Before coming to Australia, Verdasco spent time with Gil Reyes. He is the trainer for Andre Agassi. The time spent with him has done wonders as Verdasco was able to play at such a high intensity for so long against one of the best hustlers in the game. Also a chat with his boyhood idol, Andre Agassi has given Verdasco a boost in confidence.
This match is one of the best I have ever seen. Perhaps the best ever semi-final. It will go down as the longest in the history of the Australian Open, surpassing the Boris Becker-Omar Camporese match which went for 5 hours 11 minutes at the 1991 Australian Open.
In the end the match was decided thanks to a few unforced errors in the closing game. Nadal had battled to a 5-4 lead when Verdasco was serving. He threw in a double-fault, just his third of the game. This gave Nadal a sniff. Nadal had then earnt a match point and unfortunately double-fault no. 4 was served.
Both players fell to the ground. It was the end of a classic match. Words cannot describe it as some of the shot making left the crowd breatheless. At one stage both players got a standing ovation such was the quallity of their play.
Verdasco has now sent a signal to the rest of the tennis world. His big task is to build on the form shown at the Open and continue to move up in the rankings. Nadal now has to rest and recover the best he can for yet another showdown with Roger Federer.
I can’t wait until the big one on Sunday night Australian time. Bring it on!!
Federer Cruises To Record 19th Straight Grand Slam Semi
January 28, 2009
Roger Federer nearly did not make it out of the fourth round as he struggled to get past Tomas Berdych in five sets after coming from two sets to love. In the quarter final against Argentina’s Juan Del Potro he had no such troubles.
Federer was at his best as he moved into his 19th consecutive Grand Slam Grand semi-final. He won 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 to set up a meeting with Andy Roddick. Federer was simply too good, what was more impressive is that he was playing a top ten player.
Roddick had advanced to the semi final earlier in the day after the defending champion Novak Djokovic could not handle the heat and was forced to retire from the match in the fourth set.
In Wednesday action we will see Fernando Verdasco take on last years runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an afternoon match. In the night session Rafael Nadal faces Gilles Simon. With the temperature forecast to go over 40 degrees celcius in Melbourne we could again see the heat rather than the tennis players skill decide a match.
Safina Ends Dokic Run At Australian Open
January 27, 2009
The Jelena Dokic – Dinara Safina match was the big event for the night in Australia. It had tennis fans waiting in anticipation to see if the magical run of Dokic would continue. This was a match that could easily fizzle out with a one sided win to Safina.
Dokic did not let us down as she put on another fantastic performance. Unfortunately tonight she came up just short losing to the world no. 3 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Dokic started this match slowly and Safina broke in the opening game. Safina held serve to go out to an early lead. Dokic came back to get a break in the sixth game and level the match at 3-3. For Dokic she was not playing at the top of her game and Safina broke yet again to take a 5-4 lead. Safina served out the next game to love to take the first set.
Going into the second set you had to wonder if Dokic had another comeback left in her. The answer was yes. Dokic got an early break and was 3-0 up. Safina fought her way back after another break. The set saw five break of serve in total. Dokic with three took the set at 6-4. Amazingly Safina served four double faults in one game to hand Dokic the set.
In the third set it was another tough battle. Both players were not giving this one up without a fight. Safina again got an early break to take the upper hand. Dokic would get one back to make the score 4-4. Dokic fought off break points in the ninth game and then held game points but a wild Dokic forehand which went wide saw Safina break to lead 5-4.
The match was now on the line with Safina serving. In years gone by Safina would more often than not let the pressure get to her and was a good bet to drop serve again. Those days have gone and she is now one of the top players in the game.
Dokic was looking good to break back as she smacked a weak second serve down the line for a winner. A shot into the net by Safina saw her fall behind 0-30. The key moment came when a Dokic slice was called out. Safina had missed the shot as it actually skidded off the line. Dokic should have won the point. She successfully challenged the call but that meant a replay.
It could have been 0-40 but instead Safina won the next point to make it 15-30. Dokic did bring up two break points but a penetrating down the line shot by Safina saved one. The next one was saved when Dokic guessed Safina would serve to her forehand. Instead it went to the backhand for a big ace. Another Dokic error brought up match point for the no. 3 seed. That was all it took and the fairytale was over for Dokic as she hit the ball into the net.
Her fantastic run had come to an end. All credit to Safina for fighting to the end. She was not only battling Dokic but the 15 000 strong crowd in the Rod Laver Arena.
What a difference a year makes! Safina was knocked out in the first round of the 2008 Australian Open, now she is just one match from the final. Safina will now face Vera Zvonareva who is the no. 7 seed. She easily defeated Marion Bartoli, 6-3, 6-0. Bartoli was not impressed with having to play in the heat of the day when the other quarterfinal was played in more pleasant conditions at 7.30pm
I now look forward to seeing what Jelena Dokic can follow up with in future tournaments. She will be ranked in the top 100 after her fantastic run at the Australian Open. Can she get back into the top ten? If she continues to play like she did at the Open there is no doubt that she will. A tough ask I know.
Thanks Jelena for the thrilling matches.
Tough day at the office for three Australian Open players
January 26, 2009
Monday at the Australian Open has not been kind to Gael Monfils, Zheng Jie and Victoria Azarenka. The first two were forced to withdraw from the Open due to wrist injuries while Azarenka after feeling dizzy pulled out of her match against Serena Williams.
Men’s no. 12 seed Gael Monfils, who was down 6-4, 2-6, 1-6 to no. 6 seed Gilles Simon decided to withdraw due to a right wrist problem. This gifted Simon a spot in the quarterfinals at a major for the first time.
China’s Zheng Jie who was the no. 22 seed fell backwards during a point in the third game. As she was going to ground she put out her hand and damaged her left wrist. She received treatment but decided two games later to withdraw.
Victoria Azarenka from Belarus. Azarenka was playing the highest remaining seed, no. 2 Serena Williams. The 19-year-old who a few weeks ago won the Brisbane title was giving Williams a run for her money. She took the first set 6-3 but was trailing 2-4 in the second when she succumbed to dizzyness. It was not that hot so perhaps she went into the match with an illness.
The final match to complete the women’s quarterfinal saw a win for Carla Suarez Navarro over fellow Spaniard Anabel Medina Garriques. The girl who made a name for herself by eliminating Venus Williams won 6-3, 6-2.
Now that all eight women are known for the quarter finals it is interesting to see that there are four Russian players left in the draw. Australia, France, Spain and the USA each have one representative. If results go their way we could witness an all Russian semi final lineup.
Australia Loves Jelena Even More!
January 25, 2009
Jelena Dokic continues to delight her Australian fans, or converts more over to her side with each match she plays.
In another thrilling night match on Rod Laver Arena Dokic has pulled off a gutsy 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 victory over Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova. Jokic who went into the tournament after winning the Australian wild-card playoff said after the match that she would be happy to win just her first round match. She did that and a whole lot more.
Dokic has now booked a spot in the quarter-finals. She has not been that far in a grand slam since the 2002 French Open. Dinara Safina is the opponent in Dokic’s next match. Safina is lucky to still be in the tournament after escaping from a 5-2 defecit in the third set against Alize Cornet.
Tonight Dokic played like a top twenty player. Her most important quality was that she never gave in. If she got down a break she fought back to get the break back. She chased ball after ball and threw in a few winners much to the delight of the Aussie crowd.
Kleybanova was equally as determined as Dokic. The 19-year-old Russian kept pounding ball at Dokic, or chased hard when the ball was hit out of reach.
In the end it came down to a few great shots that made the difference.
After looking down and out in the third set Dokic had fought back and had the end in sight when she stumbled after twisting her ankle. After staying down for a short while Dokic was up again to fight for another day.
Playing with clear discomfort this seemed to inspire Dokic and she managed to close out the match. Another fantastic win for the Aussie darling.
Federer Escapes From Berdych at Aussie Open
January 25, 2009
Roger Federer came from 2-0 down against 20th seed Tomas Berdych to move into the quarter finals at the Australian Open. Federer took the match 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Berdych was hitting the ball too heavy and with good placement for Federer early in the match as he exploded out of the blocks.
When Berdych got within sight of a huge upset he choked. He had an easy volley and overhead that he missed by miles at a crucial point in the third set. This gave Federer the break he needed to go on and record a famous victory.
Federer was glad to escape from this match. At the US Open at the same stage he also went to five sets before going on to win the title. Is that a good omen for Federer?
If Federer went out today it would have been the first time since the French Open in 2004 that he had not at least made it to a semi-final.
Next up for Federer is Juan Martin Del Potro who defeated Marin Cilic 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Today has been an interesting day at the Australian Open. First we saw Jelena Jankovic lose to Marion Bartoli, next we saw Dinara Safina come from 5-2 down in the third set to defeat Alize Cornet and then the Federer match.
Slipping quietly into the quarters was Andy Roddick. He advanced by defeating Tommy Robredo in straight sets.
Jankovic goes down to Bartoli at Australian Open
January 25, 2009
The world no. 1 female tennis player Jelena Jankovic has been sent packing at the Australian Open. Her conquerer was no. 17 ranked French woman Marion Bartoli. This is not the first time that Bartoli has upstaged her higher ranked opponent in a round of 16 match at a Grand Slam.
Back in the Wimbledon tournament of 2007 Bartoli made a charge to the final after having defeated Jankovic.
Bartoli came to the Australian Open in good form after having reached the final in Brisbane. In todays match she was also playing at the top of her game. Bartoli would go on to defeat the top seed 6-1, 6-4.
Bortoli hit 34 winners to Jankovic’s 17. She had 20 unforced errors so was way out in front in the winners to errors ratio.
Jankovic just could not hold serve in this match. She lost serve 5 times and was able to break Bartoli just two times in the match. Jankovic had the chance to get back into the match but just could not stop the run of winners coming from the Bartoli racquet.
This was a great win for the French women. Bartoli advances to play the winner of the all Russian match between the 7th seed Vera Zvonareva and the 10th seed Nadia Petrova.
In the final 16 at the Australian Open women’s draw there are 6 players from Russia. France and Spain with two are the next best represented countries.
FA Cup fourth round results
January 25, 2009
FA Cup holders Portsmouth have been stunned following their two-nil loss to Championship club Swansea. Aston Villa were also embarrassed as they were held to a 0-0 draw against Doncaster. The big two of English football, Chelsea and Man Utd both advanced.
Liverpool and Arsenal play on Sunday. The results from Saturday are below:
Chelsea 3-1 Ipswich
Derby County 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Doncaster 0-0 Aston Villa
Hartlepool 0-2 West Ham United
Hull City 2-0 Millwall
Kettering 2-4 Fulham
Portsmouth 0-2 Swansea
Sheff United 2-1 Charlton
Sunderland 0-0 Blackburn
Torquay 0-1 Coventry
Watford 4-3 Crystal Palace
West Brom 2-2 Burnley
Wolves 1-2 Middlesbrough
Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Dementieva brick wall too much for Stosur
January 25, 2009
Sam Stosur knew she had a tough task when facing the Olympic singles gold medallist Elena Dementieva in last nights Rod Laver Arena match at the Australia Open.
Stosur started well and had an early break to lead 3-1. As turned out to be a pattern for the match everytime she did get a break Dementieva would break back. The made the score 3-2 back on serve.
Stosur would again break. Dementieva was have trouble getting used to the pace and spin coming from Stosur. Another break came Stosur’s way and she found herself up 5-2 after holding serve.
Dementieva managed to hold serve to love to make the match 5-3 with Stosur serving for the first set. Stosur started with a loose shot that sent a forehand well wide. This was followed by a double-fault. Her first serve then gave her an easy point but she threw in another double-fault to make it 15-40. Stosure won the next point at the end of a long rally to give her another chance to try to win the set. It was not to be as Dementieva got the break after a down the line passing shot just dropped in.
Dementieva was on a roll. She was a lot more consistent at this point and ran off three straight games to make the score 5-5. Stosur held after a tough battle to go up 6-5. The next game went to Dementieva and the players headed to a tie-break.
The breaker was neck and neck. Dementieva had a set point at 6-5 on Stosur’s serve but a powerful forehand winner saved that. Dementieva brought up another set point after a fantastic forehand from way behind the baseline as she hit an outright winner. The next point was hers and the first set went to Dementieva 7-6(6).
The second set opened with a pair of breaks. Both girls were having more success returning then serving. More breaks came Stosur got it back to 3-2 with her serving, but guess what another break came.
From here Dementieva slowly pulled away to lead 5-2. She had a match point but could not convert. Stosur held and then broke again to have some hope. In the end Dementieva was too tough and she took the match 7-6(6), 6-4.
The two double-faults when serving for the set from Stosur were crucial in the match. If she took the first set who knows how it would have gone. That is all speculation now and Dementieva is the winner.
In the other night session match on centre court Rafael Nadal was too good for Tommy Haas. He took the match 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Haas started well and was up 2-0 early but that was as good as it got for the German.
Red Hot Roger Romps Home Against Marat
January 24, 2009
The last time Roger Federer faced Marat Safin at the Australian Open was in 2005. On that occasion they played a classic semifinal encounter. Safin took out Federer in five sets and went on to defeat Hewitt in the final.
Four years later the pair met in the third round. Safin has announced this season is to be his last on tour so he was keen to have a good result at the open. Federer is hungry for more grand slams, and the number one ranking in tennis.
Last night on Rod Laver Arena Federer was at his best. He moved like a cat and hit with great power and accuracy. This was classic Federer. He took the match 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(5) to move into the fourth round for the eighth straight time.
Federer did not offer a single break point opportunity in a night of dominance. This compared with Safin giving up four of which Federer converted on three.
The match was one of high quality with both players hitting the ball with great power. In the end Federer was just too good. He looked a bit tense when serving at 5-5 in the third set. Some big serving quickly eased any tension for him.
Looking at the stats for the match there was not much in it in terms of winners compared with unforced errors. The key stat was receiving points won where Federer was 35 of 90, while Safin managed 21 from 89. The points from return of serve made the difference on the night.
The only concern for Federer was a string of unforced errors in the tie-break as he appeared to show signs of tension. In his hey day you would not see this form him. To his credit he still pulled off some serves to help take the breaker.
A big serve wide to Safin’s forehand brought up a cry of “come on” as Safin missed the return to bring up match point. On Safin’s serve at 5-6 a superb backhand down the line from Federer ended the match in classic Federer style.
When Safin was asked if he would play again at the Open he said “I doubt it. I really doubt it. I really doubt it.” He was also asked about how he feels when saying good-bye to Grand Slam events. “I don’t like this bye?bye part. It’s just a sad story. It’s not for me. I prefer to leave this way, quietly, nice, with a great match. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do better than that, three sets. But anyway, I lost today probably to the better player, one of the greatest ones in the history of tennis. I really hope for him to be so I can tell the story to my kids that I played with him. I think it’s a nice story,” said the 2005 Champion.
When asked about how he feels this year compared to last this is what Federer had to say, “Just feel better overall. I’m more secure and I know with where my game is at. Physically and mentally I’m fresh, whereas last year I came in kind of tired. This year around I was just come out of a rough five?setter. This time it’s different.”
Federer now advances to play Tomas Berdych in the fourth round. The pair met at the same stage in the 2008 Open. On that occasion Federer won in straight sets.
What are your memories of Marat Safin? Leave a comment below.
