|
Post by raliverpool on Jul 4, 2015 21:05:59 GMT 1
Amazing Murray performance, what a match that was. I hope his shoulder is alright for the next match. I think it is fair to say that Wimbledon physio could beat Novak Djokovic as he was arguably responsible for 12 games being won in a row without reply!
|
|
|
Post by rubcale on Jul 5, 2015 17:26:45 GMT 1
Very disappointed at James Ward - he really could have won that match. Poor shot selection towards the end.
Really annoyed that Federer is on Centre tomorrow again - only player to have EVERY match there - they should be a bit more even-handed.
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 5, 2015 20:32:22 GMT 1
Forgot about Liam Broady on Day 3 Lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 6-1 to the 16th seed David Goffin. Started really brightly before fading. Still, reasonably ok and he had a great week which will take him to a new career high, in the 160s I think. Not sure he'll finish the year that high but if he was to win a Challenger title during the summer or qualify for the US Open I may well change my mind... Was I the only one one who watched the last half of the match this evening when Heather Watson gave top seed Serena Williams an almighty scare, and could very well have knocked her out in the third round. If our British #1 can play like that all the time she could easily become a Top 16 player. No, you weren't. It was a captivating match, and both players should take credit for terrific tennis and making some splendid shots. A great pity Heather couldn't see it through from such a strong position, but Serena is a force of nature. I agree, Heather should be aiming for the Top 16 on that performance. Saw the whole match give or take the odd point. Especially when the BBC changed channel at 2-2 deuce in the second set - I followed their advice only to find that the game had finished and for a second or two had no idea who had won it. Given that Heather broke in that game I wasn't best pleased. Sometimes I think it's better to just watch online, saves you missing anything or trying to second guess what the BBC are going to do when looking to record a match. Luckily the latter has worked out ok this week, but can't see myself doing it anymore when the online coverage allows you to see all the matches from a given court that day, (including rewinding right back to the start if you wish). Haven't been so lucky in the past, one or two occasions spring to mind, can certainly see why it's something that's p*ssed people off when recording matches, Murray being a prime example, in the past.
Anyway rant/ramble over, after allowing the disappointment to pass 24 hours later I just felt proud of Heather's performance and it turned out I was right to initially think after her Hantuchova performance she could make it close against Serena. The only thing is, she played slightly better this time! When Heather plays like she did in those last two matches she really is a joy to watch. I've said for a few years since her first WTA title that she's got Top 20 potential, but must admit haven't always totally believed it. But her week showed that she can definitely do it, hopefully she uses it as a springboard over the next few years. It was frustrating to hear Sam Smith say afterwards that that performance would probably have been good enough to beat anyone else in the draw as my overriding feeling beforehand was it was a shame she had to draw Serena at this stage. She deserved to reach the 2nd week this year.
Heather did incredibly well to come back to being able to serve for the match from losing the first set 6-2 - such a pity she couldn't finish it, but when your opponent is arguably the greatest player the women's game has ever seen, you can't really complain! The key game was at 3-0 final set when she was serving to consolidate her double break. I wouldn't say I was confident if she went 4-0 up she would have won but definitely felt she had a real chance had it happened. But when she broke to love for 5-4 I thought she was going to do it as she'd regained her composure in her previous service game, so much so that when composing herself before serving in that game I just knew that the first serve was going in. But stupid me, I started thinking what my reaction would be on Facebook after she won
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 6, 2015 8:12:25 GMT 1
Very disappointed at James Ward - he really could have won that match. Poor shot selection towards the end. Very disappointing first and last sets but I think overall that's very harsh. Yes, it was a winnable match but Pospisil was a step up from his first two opponents, having his best Wimbledon run and with a serve/volley game that is more suited to the surface. Also the current holder of the Wimbledon men's doubles title with Jack Sock beating the Bryans in the final, i'm surprised he's not done better at Wimbledon in the past. There was that great rally in the second set, and a breathtaking one in the third which was also later shown on the highlights, doubt i'll see a better one in the whole tournament. Thought overall he may not have played as well as earlier in the tournament but it wasn't far off. As Pablo said, been a great week for him but not getting carried away. He's got a heck of a lot to do to finish the year inside the Top 100, the amount of points he's got to defend scares me.
Pospisil plays Troicki next and having seen both of them against Brits in the tournament that looks an interesting match which could be very close.
As for Murray, checked the score sporadically until watching it from the treatment onwards. Maybe I was a lucky charm? I didn't see him lose a game, and he barely made a mistake in those 6 games, definitely was amazing! But I wouldn't say overall it was an amazing performance. Perfectly happy with him not peaking in the first week, I thought the first 4 matches last year were probably the best first 4 rounds he's had at Wimbledon, and we all know what happened next. I remember rubcale saying last year she thought he hadn't been tested enough and that proved to be spot on.
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 6, 2015 9:26:13 GMT 1
Part 3 The seeds knocked out in Week 1, to lower ranked players. May as well make a start on this, to save myself falling further behind. Day 1 Men 19th seed Robredo 6-2 6-3 6-4 to qualifier Millman (AKA The Milkman) I saw Millman in a challenger against Liam Broady last autumn and he was very solid, his unforced errors count must have been in single figures. Didn't know what his grass pedigree was but can't say I was surprised that he made it through qualifying, think he was the best player on the American challenger circuit during that period last autumn. That is still a stunning upset though. I did notice before the second round matches that he could potentially meet Broady in the third round so i'm thankful that didn't materialise, it was a bit of a nightmare for Broady who at one point described his performance as shocking. 28th seed Cuevas 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 to Kudla. Found this one interesting with Kudla getting his wildcard for his exploits in the grass challenger events. Hewitt also lost his final Wimbledon match in 5 sets to Nieminen, 11-9 in the final set. Wouldn't say I've ever been that fussed about Hewitt but that defeat did leave me feeling quite sad and I can't help feeling that if his form had been better coming into the grass season he would have beaten Anderson at Queens and won this match too. Just don't think he'd played enough matches. Women 24th seed Pennetta lost to Diyas 6-3 2-6 6-4. Diyas I think reached the second week last year so not sure how much of a surprise this was. 27th seed Strycova lost 6-4 6-2 to Sloane Stephens Day 2 Men 31st seed Sock lost to Groth 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-3 - I think the main surprise for me there was how comfortable it was for Groth. 29th seed Garcia-Lopez lost 3-6 6-4 3-6 7-5 6-4 to Andujar. Women 32nd seed Garcia lost to Heather Watson 1-6 6-3 8-6 over 2 days 12th seed Bouchard lost to Duan the world no 117 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 - the first time in 21 years that anybody who has reached the final has lost in the Wimbledon 1st round. Her bad run continues. Not only would a meeting with Robson have been spicy but Laura might have stood a chance! She said she's got a grade 2 abdominal tear which forced her to withdraw from Eastbourne (when it seemed she was playing much better) and admitted it probably wasn't smart to play but she couldn't miss Wimbledon. Hadn't practised that much so timing was very off. Didn't even know who her opponent was, her coach just talked to her a bit before the match about her. Was obviously having a cynical moment yesterday as I suddenly thought that was code for, "I've got loads of points to defend at Wimbledon and i'm worried about dropping down the rankings so can't just drop out. It doesn't matter who I play first round, I should win anyway". 3rd seed Halep lost 5-7 6-4 6-3 to Cepelova the world no 106 A double shock considering she won the first set.
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 6, 2015 13:31:46 GMT 1
^ Somehow managed to miss the biggest shock of all from the first couple of days..
Day 1 Women 9th seed Suarez Navarro lost to Ostapenko the reigning girls champion 6-2 6-0 That must be the best Wimbledon debut by a current Wimbledon junior champion ever!
Doubles wins on Day 3 Konta/Sanchez beat Doi/Vogt 6-3 7-6 (7-5) One for Shireblogger Rae/Smith beat Cepelova/Voegele 6-2 6-1 - Impressive win! Marray/Nielsen beat Martin/Raja 6-1 6-4 4-6 (from a break up) 7-6 (9-7) - Not quite as impressive as I first thought...they served 15 double-faults to their opponents 3. Fleming/Butorac beat Cermak/Oswald 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 7-5 3-2 retired.
That should be all of them.
|
|
|
Post by rubcale on Jul 6, 2015 17:59:32 GMT 1
AnyM through in 4 but again he is having lapses in his serve - will not suffice against higher ranked opponents.
Will be very disappointed if he doesn't win his quarter final against Ward's conqueror.
Lot of cr*p being written about Heather Watson. Typical British media. Yes it was a brilliant performance and hopefully it will give her self-confidence but there were a lot of unique factors in play. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here.
I still think she is a to 20 player at best.
Serena made an unusual number of unforced errors and was definitely affected by the crowd.
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 6, 2015 20:36:11 GMT 1
AnyM through in 4 but again he is having lapses in his serve - will not suffice against higher ranked opponents. Will be very disappointed if he doesn't win his quarter final against Ward's conqueror. Lot of cr*p being written about Heather Watson. Typical British media. Yes it was a brilliant performance and hopefully it will give her self-confidence but there were a lot of unique factors in play. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. I still think she is a to 20 player at best. Serena made an unusual number of unforced errors and was definitely affected by the crowd. I think it's a case of expectations with Heather. I don't know about the media or anyone else but if she reaches the Top 20 I will say she has truly maximised her ability. If the Top 20 is Laura's peak I think it will create debate. I'm not sure I see Laura going higher than that, but I get the feeling that people are hoping she will be challenging for grand slam titles in the future. Pre-injury I would have included myself in that, sometime in her mid 20s, but not sure at all I see it happening now.
In other news, I've just seen that Djokovic is 2 sets to 1 down to Kevin Anderson!
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Jul 6, 2015 21:17:18 GMT 1
Djokovic has taken the 4th set to take the match to tomorrow.
I'd love to see Anderson come out guns a blazing, like he did in the first two sets, but somehow I cannot see the Serb play that flat again.
|
|
Pablo
Member
*With Great Power comes Great Responsibilty*
Posts: 8,110
ONLINE
|
Post by Pablo on Jul 6, 2015 22:32:00 GMT 1
AnyM through in 4 but again he is having lapses in his serve - will not suffice against higher ranked opponents. Will be very disappointed if he doesn't win his quarter final against Ward's conqueror. Lot of cr*p being written about Heather Watson. Typical British media. Yes it was a brilliant performance and hopefully it will give her self-confidence but there were a lot of unique factors in play. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. I still think she is a to 20 player at best. Serena made an unusual number of unforced errors and was definitely affected by the crowd. I think it's a case of expectations with Heather. I don't know about the media or anyone else but if she reaches the Top 20 I will say she has truly maximised her ability. If the Top 20 is Laura's peak I think it will create debate. I'm not sure I see Laura going higher than that, but I get the feeling that people are hoping she will be challenging for grand slam titles in the future. Pre-injury I would have included myself in that, sometime in her mid 20s, but not sure at all I see it happening now.
In other news, I've just seen that Djokovic is 2 sets to 1 down to Kevin Anderson!
It will be an interesting hard court season for Heather and to some extent, Laura. I wasn't convinced she has the high level of consistency after the first match to start thinking top 20-30 ranking and I'm still on the fence. So Nick Kyrgios then, last year I tweeted that he'll be the next big thing after beating Nadal. After seeing his last few matches, I still thinks he's got talent but he does need to curb his attitude towards the officials. He's young though and doesn't help him that the media see him as a mini panto villain
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 7, 2015 7:55:08 GMT 1
Can't see Djokovic losing today either, but hopefully it's a long set. There's a chance it could get hit by the weather, not even sure it will start on time, and if its a long set they may not finish until mid-late afternoon. I think it's a case of expectations with Heather. I don't know about the media or anyone else but if she reaches the Top 20 I will say she has truly maximised her ability. If the Top 20 is Laura's peak I think it will create debate. I'm not sure I see Laura going higher than that, but I get the feeling that people are hoping she will be challenging for grand slam titles in the future. Pre-injury I would have included myself in that, sometime in her mid 20s, but not sure at all I see it happening now.
In other news, I've just seen that Djokovic is 2 sets to 1 down to Kevin Anderson!
It will be an interesting hard court season for Heather and to some extent, Laura. I wasn't convinced she has the high level of consistency after the first match to start thinking top 20-30 ranking and I'm still on the fence. So Nick Kyrgios then, last year I tweeted that he'll be the next big thing after beating Nadal. After seeing his last few matches, I still thinks he's got talent but he does need to curb his attitude towards the officials. He's young though and doesn't help him that the media see him as a mini panto villain I think it will take 4-6 years for Laura to get back into the Top 30, think I've seen one suggestion that she'll be back in the Top 50 by the end of next year which I can't see happening at all! She's not going to be playing that many bigger events for a while. She's confirmed US Open if all goes according to plan and she may be able to use her protected ranking for the Australian Open next year, but after that unless she gets wildcards I can't see her playing any slam other than Wimbledon for a while. She's talked about being willing to work hard to get back so hopefully it will be sooner rather than later that she's back at that level. It's good to hear as i'm not convinced that she's worked hard in the past, so as I hoped maybe the time away from the game has given her a different perspective. She already seems more mature to me, both in her interviews and in the stuff she did for the BBC during the grass season last year.
I've thought since last Wimbledon that Kyrgios will be a Top 10 player and haven't changed my mind. If he doesn't, assuming he doesn't pick up a major injury, he will have only himself to blame.
|
|
|
Post by rubcale on Jul 7, 2015 11:16:44 GMT 1
Don't want to jinx AndyM but if he loses to Pospisil tha will be the upset of the year.
Still not happy about his serve - he was very lucky to hold on yeterday after getting the break in the 4th set.
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 8, 2015 13:00:31 GMT 1
Notable British results I've noticed in the last couple of days.
Men's Doubles 3rd round Monday (13) Jamie Murray and John Peers beat (3) Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 3-6 8-6 Saw from 4-4 in the final set. Wasn't surprised about this at all after Pospisil had played a 5 set singles earlier in the day but Pospisil/Sock were the holders and this took Jamie into his first Wimbledon quarter-final so a big achievement. I can't remember Judy's reaction from when Jamie won the mixed doubles with Jankovic in 2007, a competition it was interesting to discover Jamie has decided to skip this year, but other than Andy winning Wimbledon I can't remember ever seeing her as pleased at a win for either of them. It wasn't as emotional as Wimbledon but she couldn't contain her delight.
Men's Doubles QF Tuesday (13) Jamie Murray and John Peers beat (8) Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 I thought this was winnable, but David Mercer said in commentary that the head-to-head was 3-0 to Peya/Soares with all the matches going the distance. I certainly didn't expect it to be straight sets! An excellent performance, Peya/Soares were improving as the match went on until being broken in the third (the first set flattered Peya/Soares, Peya was 0-40 down on his serve at one point and thanks to errors from Peers returns got away with it) so winning the tiebreak and then saving a couple of break points at the start of the third proved pivotal. The win takes the pair into their first grand slam semi final.
Juniors R1 Monday 17 yr old Anna Brogan beat (1) Marketa Vondrousoya 6-1 6-2 - a stunning upset! Anna is an unusual case. She's barely ranked at all in juniors but her WTA ranking is in the 500s and isn't a long way off the top seeds' WTA rankings and that presumably has helped her get in here assuming she hasn't got a wildcard.
17 yr old Maia Lumsden beat (3) Dalma Galfi 7-5 6-3 - I don't even rate Maia! (5) 16 yr old Katie Swan beat Seone Mendez 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 - She should have won the first set, she was 5-2 up in the tiebreak, but a really good battling effort from following it on the live score helped by great serving with a net +10 (16 aces and 6 double faults).
R2 Tuesday Anna Brogan beat Zavatska 6-1 6-3 This was on a televised court and I was catching up with it until the stream coverage ended at 9pm Really liked Anna's first set performance, solid from the baseline using slices and spin but aggressive when necessary, and also good drop shots and volleys. The second set was disappointing quality from what little I saw of it but it was getting very breezy and both players seemed to struggle at times. It was only a few games later that the rain came with Anna 3-1 up. Fortunately it didn't halt her momentum and she was able to complete the win in straight sets in 1 hr 25.
(5) Katie Swan beat Nur Haliza 6-1 6-2 - A good win and with the shocks mentioned above and other results she is now the highest seed remaining.
Tornado Alicia Black beat Maia Lumsden 6-1 6-1 TAB presumably gets in on her WTA ranking which is in the low 400s and she must have the highest WTA ranking of anyone in the draw, she's a fair bit higher than the top seeds mentioned above, Galfi is 469 and Vondrousoya is 478. On top of that she easily beat Katie Boulter (the Brit No 1 junior girl then) at junior Wimbledon last year and also beat Naomi Broady in US Open qualifying later in the year, so this was always going to be really tough, but still quite a disappointing score line.
Anna and Katie both on Court 18 today so hoping to catch up with them later. I'll fill in the other gaps in the British results another time. Forgot to add, both Anna and Maia have done some work in Florida recently, with Anna being coached by Laura Robson’s coach, Mauricio Haddad.
|
|
|
Post by Shireblogger on Jul 9, 2015 7:41:15 GMT 1
Murray vs Federer = the real final. Unfortunately, it might take so much out of them that Djokovic wins the final.
Looking forward to Jamie Murray's doubles semi-final. 3rd on Centre Court today.
|
|
|
Post by rubcale on Jul 9, 2015 9:10:16 GMT 1
Great performance from Jamie Murray n th doubkes but tbh I cqn't get edxcited about the format.
Don't know about the Murray/Federer match.
I have a bad feeling about it but it could just be nerves because I always get nervous before he has a big match and I'm generally a glass half-empty person.
His serve worries me but on the other hand while undoubtedly Federer has been playing well I have the same feeling as I did about Andy last year that he hasn't really been tested.
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 9, 2015 11:03:21 GMT 1
Great performance from Jamie Murray n th doubkes but tbh I cqn't get edxcited about the format. Don't know about the Murray/Federer match. I have a bad feeling about it but it could just be nerves because I always get nervous before he has a big match and I'm generally a glass half-empty person. His serve worries me but on the other hand while undoubtedly Federer has been playing well I have the same feeling as I did about Andy last year that he hasn't really been tested. Interesting you say that about the doubles as I like that Wimbledon still has best of 5 sets. It can cause problems if the weather isn't good and players are in multiple events but they have changed to best of 3 sets when necessary. I certainly prefer it to the tour format which is MTBs and my main bugbear deciding points at deuce. It feels too much luck involved to win a game from deuce with the lack of ad points, i'm not surprised there are so many close matches. I too am looking forward to Jamie's doubles today. Great opportunity against unseeded opponents. I'm tempted to say his best chance of reaching a Wimbledon men's doubles final but he's 29 and the top players tend to be in their 30s, or 40 plus if you're Daniel Nestor, so time is on his side you would think.
Atm i'm 50/50 about Murray-Federer, I think the crowd could be an important factor. He had all the crowd on his side for the Olympic final but that hasn't normally been the case when they've met in this country and he hasn't tended to do that well in those matches. Whatever happens I hope the winner takes the title.
I think Murray was tested when a break down in the 4th set against Seppi, and also against Karlovic when winning points on the Karlovic serve is so difficult. I'm not sure how much Federer has been tested himself, although when he's on form he makes everything look easy so it's hard to tell!
One surprise yesterday in the quarter finals (21) Gasquet beating (4) Wawrinka 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-4 11-9. I think a Djokovic-Wawrinka semi-final would have made for a better match. I can't see Gasquet causing Djokovic too many problems.
|
|
Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
|
Post by Tom on Jul 9, 2015 13:05:02 GMT 1
Anna and Katie both on Court 18 today so hoping to catch up with them later. 1st up Anna Brogan lost to Potapova 6-4 6-4 Disappointing, I thought this was winnable. I actually thought she played pretty well in the first set but her opponent was just too good with her powerful winners all over the court. On losing the set Anna then berated herself throwing in a bit of swearing for good measure. This continued at times during the second set. There was no commentary despite there being full TV coverage, not just from a fixed camera like you get on streams, couldn't help wondering what commentators would have made of it, it was Murray-esque. Not just based on this match but also her previous match when it was used more positively, like it was on the odd occasion here. This isn't really a surprise, she's Scottish, has worked with Judy Murray and looks up to Andy as a role model. I thought she was shocking in that second set, failing to break from 0-40 in the first game being the moment that stands out, if she'd gone a break up early I did wonder how Potapova would have coped. As it is she helped to make the set as close as it was, still found it hard to believe she was only 14 though given her height and her powerful groundstrokes. Thought there was a bit of a look of a young Anna Kournikova there but her cap made it hard to tell, it wasn't my impression when I saw a picture of her when looking up her details.
2nd up (5) Katie Swan beat (9) Sofia Kenin USA 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 Kenin actually has a higher WTA ranking so whilst this was winnable I wouldn't say Katie was the favourite, though I didn't consider there to be that much difference between them either, maybe marginally in Kenin's favour. The first time I've seen Katie play and it was definitely worth the wait, I absolutely loved watching this match Couple of rain breaks in there, the first at *2-4 15-30 first set helped her, the second at *3-0 advantage point up second set certainly didn't. Just a great performance and not even helped by her serving, only 47% first serves in and more double faults than aces (6 to 4). She's got a massive serve, one was clocked at 115mph - not bad for a 16 year old! But it was her forehand that impressed here. Good to see she's been promoted to No 3 Court for her match today but surprised it's not one of the first two matches (3rd on) - on the televised courts they normally stick the British junior matches on as early as possible. I'm guessing with Katie not playing in the doubles this week that may have been a factor though.
|
|
Pablo
Member
*With Great Power comes Great Responsibilty*
Posts: 8,110
ONLINE
|
Post by Pablo on Jul 9, 2015 21:54:23 GMT 1
Good win for Jamie Murray and John Peers and into their first men's double final.
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Jul 10, 2015 0:55:27 GMT 1
Great result for Jamie - I confess I haven't been watching the doubles this year, but I shall be sure to watch the final Only managed to catch the second set of Sharapova-Williams this afternoon and almost wish I hadn't bothered. It's hard to believe that Sharapova was ever capable of beating Serena, much less a younger and less experienced Sharapova. She's far from unbeatable though, and from what I've seen of Muguruza's performances so far I think she's in a with a real chance. Fingers crossed for a really entertaining match!
|
|
madmurray
Member
I Am A Lizard King
Posts: 16,846
|
Post by madmurray on Jul 10, 2015 9:27:51 GMT 1
Hoping Murray gets to the final like his brother. A great achievement, but I think Andy will struggle.
|
|