Monday 30 August 2010

What an eventful day

Well, first of all Jamie Murray is apparently engaged and getting married in October, Im not going to see the ATP Tour Finals until November and therefore won't have any chance to meet him, seduce him, and break up the relationship before they get hitched.  I'm heartbroken, natch, but I console myself that young marriages break up all the time...

In other news- I'm going to see the ATP Tour Finals (which you may have gathered) with my friend Emily.  Which is very exciting, the top 8 men in singles and doubles will be there so youre almost guaranteed good tennis but we wont find out who well be seeing until a few days before. Emily hopes for Nadal, I hope Jamie Murray races up the rankings from 90 ish to 8th in two months and plays the doubles, but he'll probs be honeymooning anyway :(

Anyway, in actual tennising news: the US Open has started!!! woo.  I do like it as a tournament, makes me think of the 90's when New York was this foreign, magical, sophisticated place that existing in a parallel universe set five hours behind but lightyears ahead of us.  I think for me, winning away from home would be better than winning at home- if you win the US Open you know it, all the lights, the music, the atmosphere, the crowds.  Good news, some wins Im pleased about so not too much griping today.  Elena Baltacha (British number one, ranked 57) won her first round match 6-2 6-2 by beating Martic who beat her at wimbledon, but shell play Kvitova who got to the wimby semis in round two.  Andy Roddick won his match against some french guy (its not Mahut, I dont care) on his 28th birthday, isnt he old now? 6-3 6-2 6-2, quite comfortable it seems.  Davydenko won easily, but Soderling (got to French Open final 2009) took 5 sets, as did Monfils against Robert Kendrick (whose American and good looking, very Californian surfer looks if you like that kind of thing, and has a habit of occasionally playing really well against top players, like taking Nadal to 5 sets a few years back).   On the womens side Schiavone (won French Open this year, and about one match since) won her match, as did 24th seed Hantuchova who beat Dinara Safina :(  Super sad for Saffy, dropped down to 70, now up to 50 and today swaeted out a straight sets loss (about 35degrees C), putting in maximum effort for minimum reward she looked to be having a total melt down (unintentional puns aplenty), shouting and screaming after every point.  And the new noise she makes on serve sounds painful, no wonder she was off for so long with a poorly back.  Sam Stosur (who lost the French Open final) is currently struggling against Vesnina, despite playing excellently for most of the first set, but lost 6-3. Turned it around in the second set but let Vesnina back in. On serve at 6-5....

Anne Koethoathong plays tomorrow, while Murray Junior (Big J not playing, off in a tournament in Italy according to his incoherent twitter ramblings) doesnt play until Wednesday.  Thats how they do it New York style, theyll be playing first rounds two weeks from now but somehow manage to fit it all in.

Sunday 22 August 2010

Rain, rain GO AWAY

Well firstly I must apologise, I assumed (wrongly) that Nadal had got through the semi but he was actually beaten by Bagdhatis (you remember him he got to the Aussie Open final that time), but he was beaten by Federer (you remember him from beating Bagdhatis in that Aussie Open final that time).  In the other semi Mardy Fish took on Andy Roddick and going by the live text updates I was following (which told me the score and little else) Roddick was in controlled and cruising to a 6-4 6-4 victory before he was broken back, and lost the second set in a tie break.  There were a few rain breaks and the one after the second set must have done something to Andy cos he went down 0-5 in the third set.  But he held his serve and was he about to stage an amazin come back... erm no. He lost 6-4 7-6 6-1.  Go Mardy.  Delight short lived however, as Federer won his 17th Masters, and 63rd overall, title today by beating Mardy in the final- tough one though two tie breaks and then 6-4 in the third. 

And I'd update you on the Women in Montreal but it rained.. And rained and rained. Well Wozniaki won 2 games against Kuznetsova in the ten minutes they played on Saturday, so thats my update- the semis will now be played on Monday, and then the final.  Lucky Wozniaki has a bye in the first round of Newport next week and wont be playing there until wednesday.  Feel sorry for the players though, who will have got up trained and prepared on saturday and sunday and then spent all day sat around.  Not great.  Hope for good Monday weather. 
p.s shout out to my d-dog.  hee hee

Saturday 21 August 2010

Cinncinatti Sun and Montreal M...sun

Well my two day headache is over hurrah, but my cramps have started boo.  But it gives me the opportunity to write up my blog as two big tournaments take place: Cinncinatti for the Men and Montreal for the Ladies.  Its all part of the US Open Series which takes place before the US Open (where the name came from I expect) wins in the series gives you points, and the most points wins, and the winner of the Series gets double the prize money at the US Open.  Clijsters and Murray lead the way atm, which means if Clijsters retains her US Open title this year shell get over $2 million for the US Open, as well as the money she won in the Series.  Not bad huh?

But Clijsters hurt her hip the other day in her match, and couldnt beat Zvonerava yesterday (the Russian with crazy blue eyes who got the Wimbledon final this year).   Wozniaki (lost to Clijsters in the US Open final last year), Kuznetsova, and Azarenka are through to the semis. Pleased for Zvonerava, but shame for Jankovic who lost in the first round and Safina who lost in the third to Schiavone (remember the French Open winner).  But for Safina it was a mini rivival from horrid back injury and this was the first time she had won back to back matches since February; last week her ranking was 35 now its 70 (big drop) so its a good thing of sorts.  Shes taken a wildcard into next weeks New Haven Pilot Pen Tournament (sigh, so many corporate sponsors its really hard to know what all these tournaments are about, but makes me think of Pigpen in Peanuts).

Murray also lost yesterday to mardy Fish (who beat him at Queens Club) which made me very happy, he complained about the heat ( got up to 38 degrees) and asked to play later in the day.  This was denied because Mardy is still playing in the doubles, Murray a bit peeved said 'matches shouldnt be scheduled around the doubles, singles are on tv, Im an idiot'- ok not that last part but dumb to suggest that tv schedules should determine order of play and not the fact that your opponent has another match to play.  And pretty odd when your brothers a professional doubles specialist too.  He had to have the trainer and doctor on in the match owing to the heat (not saying he had it easy) and lost the second set 6-1, and everyone keeps going on that hes played his last 7 matches in the hot sun BUT 5 of those were in another tournament.  Not saying the organisers should be heartless but equally why should they change his schedule because of matches in an entirely different tournament? 

Anyway Mardy (whose playing super well this year, lost 2 stone apparently, and his ranking is up to 36) beat Gasquet prior to Murray and will take on Andy Roddick (who got the dreaded mono and dropped to 13 in the rankings, a long tims since he was that low, but who's started to play well again) in the semi final.  Mardy beat Roddick recently, first time for everything, a combo of Mardys goodness and Roddicks illness.  But Roddick beat Soderling (the Swedish one that beat Nadal in the French Open a couple of years ago but lost to him in this years Wimbledon), then Djockovic (who has won about 2/3 the titles Roddick has but earmed almost the same prize money, I noticed the other day) to get to the Semi.  Seems likely Nadal and Federer will be in the other semi - yawn, but at least theyll be someone interesting in the final.

US Open starts 30th August, see you there.

Friday 13 August 2010

Good ol' eurosport

The tennis world is gearing up for the US Open, and tournaments atm are part of the US Open series.  Makes sense.  The women are in Cinncinati- poor Dinara Safina who came so close to winning 3 grand slams (nerves got her) before taking ages off witha a back injury thats pushed her from 1 to 35 in the rankings, she won her first match, but lost the second to Clijsters. 

Clijsters somehow managed to beat Flavia Pannetta (who I was hoping would win because I followed her a while back when she was playing super well and got to 11 in the world, and would have been the first Italian women in the top ten but slipped down and will now drop out of the top 20.  Schiovone, of course, became the first Italian women in the top ten when she won the French Open this year (hasnt done much since though)) today despite incredible heat (36 degree c plus) and squandering numerous set points along the way. 

She'll take on Ana Invanovic,another one who was on top of the world after winning the French Open in 2008 before suffering a severe tennis breakdown (pressure got her) and slipping to outside the top 60, who played well today against someone Ive never heard of and whose name I cant remember, but who took out Jankovic in the last round.  (Jankovic also, was ranked number one in the world end of 2008 was defo gonna win a GS in 2009, but didnt, and is starting to put it together this year, slow going though).

Sharapova on the slow road to recovery beat Radwanska (who was beated by Kusnetsova in the final of the tournament I watched last week), and takes on girl whos name I dont know who beat Wickmayer (who I sort of remember from wimbledon, do i? do i?)  Anyway, 3 out 4 in the semis are people Ive heard of- not bad.

And Murray, A is gonna meet Nadal in the semi of Toronto, and Federer is up against the guy who beat him at wimbledon; Berdych.  Oooh Ive heard of all 4 of them.  Ah boys win.  But lose several points for not being on tv.

Monday 2 August 2010

Not techincally tennis



Badminton in the park

In tennising news, Andy Murray played truly awfully in LA but still managed to get to the final, although beaten by Sam Querry, whos a tall american (becoming a theme over there).