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Tennis - General Discussion
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perfectchaos007
Member
I'm gonna be disappointed in DelPo if he loses this third set. You gotta back up those big wins
Fret not
Lone_Prodigy
Member
Bouchard out but Pospisil and Nestor are through to the quarters.
perfectchaos007
Member
That has been his plan all along, but I thought maybe since he lost early at the Olympics he would consider playing. That's the only title, other than the Olympics, he hasn't won I'm surprised he's not at least trying
And she's out! What a wonderfully surprising Olympics this has been.
Speaking of upsets, what in the hell happened to the Mug today? I mean, I know Puig can play when she's firing on all cylinders, but let's be honest--that almost never happens. Was today just a perfect storm for her?
Anyway, here's hoping someone fun wins the gold for the ladies. Actually, I'd be happy for any of the remaining women if they took the top spot--even Kvitova.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
azarenka chose the wrong time to get knocked up.
Nah, she and her feet/legs clearly needed some time off. Plus, this way we get to see someone like Kerber shine!
Kotetsu534
Member
Haha, thank you. I don't, but I do enjoy reading good writing. I earn a wage working as a cashier.
I didn't see it, but by all accounts it was similar to her quick loss to Cepelova at Wimbledon (and Strycova at the Australian). She didn't move properly at all, looked uninterested and made error after error, while her opponent sensed the chance, raised their game and put the pressure on. I would assume there's something physical there as well as mental, because defeats like that in important matches when she's clearly capable of winning are simply bizarre. It's not as if she can't fight - during last year's Asian tournaments and this year's French Open she was relentlessly intense and controlled.
I saw Serena spinning in her first serves while she and Venus were losing in the Doubles and suspected something wasn't right. Last night, there was a moment where she tried to move into top gear, at 1-3 in the second set, and for a while the engine seemed to respond. I was listening to one commentator who wanted to see the upset, and one (American) who didn't think Svitolina was up to much and was waiting for Serena to do what she's done so many times before - raise her game and power through an opponent just as the winning line comes tantalisingly into view for them. Both thought it was about to happen. She struck a forehand so hard the audience gasped as Svitolina defended it back, the serve cranked up, her opponent tightened up, and it was 3-3. Svitolina answered the charge by raising her intensity, and on a humid, slow court they ran and chased and brought the contest to its climax. It is in these conditions that you remember how complete a player Serena is, as she turned defense into offense with high defensive balls and unleashed running backhands down the line. Suddenly her feet were fleet, and when she unleashed a huge serve down the T in the deuce court to edge ahead, over 180kmph, the inevitable looked to be happening.
Improbably, incredibly, after a superb drive volley put her Ad up at 3-3, Serena would not win another point until she was scrambling to stay in the match. She double faulted, not once, not twice, but thrice consecutively and she had stalled out just as she was starting to pull away. After cranking her serve to full power it had broken down, and she wasn't even screaming in frustration. Svitolina had begun the match playing consistent, defensive tennis, relying on her main assets, her speed, fitness and hand skills, but as she had grown more comfortable, more aware that the upset was on, as Williams' movement was stilted and slow, her serve hampered, she had carefully added more power to her groundstrokes. Now she powered for the line and Serena shrugged her shoulders. Svitolina had a wide, disbelieving smile in victory but she did not play as if victory was impossible, remaining intense and willing to attack when necessary, striking her best shots when it mattered. To her credit, she looked Williams in the eye and tapped her on the back at the net, and to Williams', she acknowledged the better player had won, letting everyone draw their own conclusions. Make no mistake - most players would have been beaten last night, even by a struggling Serena with an average serve.
You can make a good argument that for the eight remaining players in the Women's Singles draw, for 6 of them (Elina Svitolina, Monica Puig, Laura Siegemund, Madison Keys, Daria Kasatkina, Johanna Konta) this is now the biggest opportunity of their careers. Apart from Siegemund, none of them are hardened veterans, all in their early years on tour. For Petra Kvitova it's the first time she's been anywhere near a significant win since last year's tour finals, and Angie Kerber has to deal with the pressure of being the clear favourite. When the big names exit early, the lesser lights have to handle pressure the likes of which they've never felt before, knowing victory is no longer beyond them if they can only find their best. The glamour may have left the draw yesterday, but the intrigue hasn't.
perfectchaos007
Member
The women's quarterfinals at the olympics were ridiculously lopsided.
Keys def. Kasatkina 6-3, 6-1
Kerber def. Konta 6-1, 6-2
Kvitova def. Svitolina 6-2, 6-0
Puig def. Siegemund 6-1, 6-1
Keys def. Kasatkina 6-3, 6-1
Kerber def. Konta 6-1, 6-2
Kvitova def. Svitolina 6-2, 6-0
Puig def. Siegemund 6-1, 6-1
perfectchaos007
Member
I would love to see Puig win too but she's the underdog.
My prediction for the semis
Gold: Kerber
Silver: Kvitova
Bronze: Keys
4th: Puig
The 3 K's
My prediction for the semis
Gold: Kerber
Silver: Kvitova
Bronze: Keys
4th: Puig
The 3 K's
Thats my prediction too.
Lone_Prodigy
Member
Nadal and Lopez beat Pospisil and Nestor in the semifinals. They'll play Sock and Johnson (US) for bronze.
Nadal/Muguruza withdrew from Mixed (can't blame Nadal for that) and there were no alternatives on site so Stepanek/Hradecka got a walkover in the first round (and can now get a medal winning two matches). A few days ago teams like Ivanovic/Zimonjic and Bouchard/Posipil couldn't get in the draw.
ITF should change the rules for the Mixed competition in 2020 to make it less random. Either limit players to max. 2 events or start Mixed on the first weekend too. Or both.
ITF should change the rules for the Mixed competition in 2020 to make it less random. Either limit players to max. 2 events or start Mixed on the first weekend too. Or both.
perfectchaos007
Member
Already a Puerto Rican legend
perfectchaos007
Member
Murray is about to win his QF in a third set tiebreak. Props to Johnson for taking him the distance after getting bageled in the first set.
perfectchaos007
Member
Keys needs to develop an all around game if she wants to be successful. Just hitting the ball hard isn't enough considering almost every player in the womens game has a male hitting partner so they are used to fast pace.
She needs to be more aggressive. Getting into long rallies with Kerber is a loser's game.
I agree. When she got up 0-40, she played every point after that way too defensively. Basically got the serve in and retreated back behind the baseline.
perfectchaos007
Member
I hope Puig upsets Kerber in the finals. That would be glorious
Lone_Prodigy
Member
Pospisil/Nestor getting destroyed by Sock/Johnson. 
Kotetsu534
Member
I think Keys is fine smashing the hell out of the ball, but she needs to vary her direction up more. Those Kerber forehand/Keys backhand exchanges were incredible to watch, but Kerber was cheating wide throughout them and would never be punished for it because Keys doesn't have confidence in her ability to change direction and go line. I also wonder if her fitness is quite where it needs to be to cope with incredible defenders like her on slow courts.
I'd also like to know what percentage of returns Kerber was getting in during the last third of that match - it felt like every single point, regardless of who was serving, was won from the baseline one way or another, which shouldn't be the case in a Keys match given her serving power.
I'd also like to know what percentage of returns Kerber was getting in during the last third of that match - it felt like every single point, regardless of who was serving, was won from the baseline one way or another, which shouldn't be the case in a Keys match given her serving power.
perfectchaos007
Member
DelPo v. Murray for gold. Should be a good one
Also, DelPo will have to rely on a wildcard to play in the US Open, and the USTA rarely gives their wildcards to non-Americans other than the required reciprocal wildcards to the French Open and Australian Open
Also, DelPo will have to rely on a wildcard to play in the US Open, and the USTA rarely gives their wildcards to non-Americans other than the required reciprocal wildcards to the French Open and Australian Open
Is the final BO5?
Yeah.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
doesn't his protected ranking get him in?
perfectchaos007
Member
I thought it would too but the commentators didn't seem to mention that. I believe PR's are only good for 1 year of absence and Del Po has been essentially absent for like 3 years so PR may not be in play
John Dunbar
correct about everything
he got into wimbledon with his protected ranking, though.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
yep. they have 2 silvers and 6 bronzes before this.
perfectchaos007
Member
Puig takes the first set :O
Kotetsu534
Member
The underdog performance of the year from Monica Puig. She had lost at most 5 games in a match en route to the semi-finals, but her best was still to come. She played the match of her life in the final, her unerring groundstrokes from both wings bemusing the strongest defender in women's tennis. Kerber attempted to use the same tactic from yesterday to break down her opponent - pin her opponent down in the backhand corner until they miss or allow her to attack their forehand - but Puig, unlike Keys, had no difficulty switching the attack up the line at will. The medal podium evidenced the clean technique she must possess to play her hard, direct strikes - Kvitova stood equal height with her from the Bronze step.
I became a fan of Monica Puig when she played Naomi Broady at Eastbourne, in truly awful conditions - a rough, cold day on the British coast, replete with high winds, and a low, thick mist making the ball tough to see. Broady simply checked out, while Puig, after thrashing her, said she enjoyed the challenge of playing in such unusual surrounds, about as far removed from her own climate as possible.
I said before that the QF line up presented most of the players with the best opportunity of their careers to achieve something major. Four of them fell meekly, one gave it all she had but lost two tough matches, Kvitova and Kerber, the veterans, got the lesser medals, but Monica Puig changed her life forever.
I became a fan of Monica Puig when she played Naomi Broady at Eastbourne, in truly awful conditions - a rough, cold day on the British coast, replete with high winds, and a low, thick mist making the ball tough to see. Broady simply checked out, while Puig, after thrashing her, said she enjoyed the challenge of playing in such unusual surrounds, about as far removed from her own climate as possible.
I said before that the QF line up presented most of the players with the best opportunity of their careers to achieve something major. Four of them fell meekly, one gave it all she had but lost two tough matches, Kvitova and Kerber, the veterans, got the lesser medals, but Monica Puig changed her life forever.
Kotetsu534
Member
I didn't. But I did think the slow surface made it very tough for her to take time away from Puig, and she had difficulty reading her groundstrokes (esp. backhand). She did take an MTO after the first set, after she hurt her back during a squat shot, but she did several of them after it and didn't look to be hindered. One thing to remember is that most top players are always playing through pain of one sort or another, especially at the end of their second intense match in hardly 24 hours. Kvitova's pulled out of Cincy for recovery, and Halep's hand was covered in blisters at the end of her final against Keys in Toronto. The adrenaline will usually keep them going at the time unless it's serious.
The contrast between Kerber's perfunct handshake and Nadal going round to Del Potro earlier was marked. Not having a go here, losing big matches is hard, but being a good loser in those situations earns a lot of respect (see Djokovic).
Also, check out this ridiculous point from Murray/Nishikori, the second last of the match (poor video quality, IOC being copyright hounds):
https://mobile.twitter.com/beaniash/status/764503235436707840/video/1
The contrast between Kerber's perfunct handshake and Nadal going round to Del Potro earlier was marked. Not having a go here, losing big matches is hard, but being a good loser in those situations earns a lot of respect (see Djokovic).
Also, check out this ridiculous point from Murray/Nishikori, the second last of the match (poor video quality, IOC being copyright hounds):
https://mobile.twitter.com/beaniash/status/764503235436707840/video/1
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