3rd Round Up

So staying up until 1.30am to watch Britains Elana Baltacha get creamed by Dinara Safina 6-1 6-2 may not be everyones idea of fun, certainly not if youre Baltacha (although actually it was a perfectly sensible time in Melbourne).
Shame for Elana that once you fall behind in a match against someone like Safina (who can be amazingly clinical, with superfast ground strokes when she is not being challeneged, somewhat more nervy and tense when she is) its extremely difficult to get back, and extremely easy to slip further.
Baltacha did get broken in the first game but broke back straight away showing it is possible to take advantage of D's errors.  She spoke of Dinara having some wobbles in her matches (if its not shocks its wobbles).  However, Safina spent most of the off season recovering from a back injury and its not surprising that shes not back at her best (well until last night).  Baltacha suggested she could take advantage of this but failed to recognise that D needs to be pushed before she wobbles (generally).   One point in the second set Baltacha played beautifully and strategically and led to Safina double faulting.  Dinara won that game but it showed that she could be rattled.
Anyhow this is the ist time in the third round of a Grand Slam for Elana and only the second time shes played a top ten player (no I dont know who the other one is).

Nadal agaist Kohlschrieber
Nadal up 2 sets to one
3-3 30-30 in the fourth set, and Nadal does one of his bendy shots which I like to get break point.  Nadal up 4-3
-Nadal serves and Kohly does an awesome little backhand return winner 0-15
-Nadal serves and Kohly hits up and out 15-15
-Nadal faults, second serve- few ups and down the court, few cros court, drop shot from kohl and Rafa cant reach it (well he can obviously hes made of lightning but its too low)15-30
-Ace 30-30
-Kohl tried another volley but Rafa gets around him again 40-30
-Give him credit he keeps going in, Kohl at the net and wins the point 40-40
-fault, challenge, ooooh, in by a mm- another first serve- Kohl hits into corner and Rafa into the net (John Lloyd says it was a passive forehand from Rafa) Ad
-back at the baseline, Nadal hits long and wide- Kohl breaks back
4-4
Kohly holds his serve with new balls (actually), despite one bad volley that John Lloyd suggested we should pretend we didnt see (it made me feel like part of the gang)
on serve at 5-4 John Lloyd says Rafa is breakable- he holds to 5-5

Oh dear Kohl what happened, bad game Rafa breaks 6-5
I dont like Rafa's hair this length but he holds his serve and wins.

Andy Murray won (fairly) comfortably over Serra.  Serra took a medical time out for a scratch on his arm, which made him look quite silly.  Especially as he came back at two break points down and lost his serve.
John Lloyd says Andy Muray has lots of young fans (indeed there are some young men wearing t-shirts with andymurray spelled out on them) apparently playing on his x-box has made andy relatable to the current generation.  John then told an amusing anecdote about Prince William who has been visiting Australia and went to a school in Victoria to hear children sing.  He was asked what kind of music he liked, and youd think hed like some Michael Bolton or Celine Dion but no he like 50 cent and Limp Biscuit.  So all learned something about Prince William and not judging people before we get to know them. (nope I dont know why Prince W would like Celine Dion...or any of them actually...but I thought Id share.)

Jankovic is out, also Clijsters, I hope Safina and Henin do well or itll be all Williams on the womens side again.