On the women's draw Justine Henin is back and definitely a welcome return. Henin should be fine in this top section, Akgul Amanmuradova may be an interesting opponent because whilst looking back on previous draws she seems to have done OK. Kirilenko on the other hand has had a very bad season but her opponents should be OK. Razzano had a good last year but I haven't seen anything being put into 2008, whilst Harkleroad has been doing OK. Szavay on the other hand has been unpredictable so I conclude that Henin should sail to the 4th round.
Schnyder being a veteran should do fine until her meeting with Williams unless Bondarenko could perform to take down the Swiss. Williams should do fine in her draw even though I would like Pennetta to do well she really wouldn't take Williams down, but Casey Dellacqua seems to be improving so I don't know whether Pennetta will be fine.
It's refreshing to see Kuznetsova in the top half of the draw because for such a long time she has been a dreadnought in the bottom half. Personally I don't like her so don't know much about her but I think Azarenka could have a scrape at her. I also hope Dulko does well. Peer on the other hand has not been proving her worsth so Radwanska who is seed 17th may take her down. It would be really interesting if Azarenka and Radwanska play because that is definitely unexpected in such a prestigious event.
Bartoli I don't like so won't comment but Wozniacki seems to be improving but Srebotnik seems to have lost her touch recently.
Seeing Venus in the top half is also heart breaking as that means the possibility of a very top heavy draw for me as the Williams sisters and Henin are both here (annoyed that Serena is drawn with Justine again - remember last year in the Grand Slams, looked like a fix to me!)
Though I would like to say Krajicek has a chance she has not been doing well recently so I am sad to say if that Williams will possibly have to face Bartoli (which should not be seeded so high).
The seeds in the third section are very dissapointing, Venus or Serena could have improved this so much. The thing is Chakvetadze is in this and at 5th (so sad Maria couldn't make it or she'll be there) Tamira Paszek (if she finds form) could be a tough opponent for someone that hasn't been doing well recently. Dementieva being unpredictable for me may fall to Schiavone but I don't think this will happen unless she musters up the force that defeat Henin with.
Petrova and Mauresmo are two falling players so I have to say it is a weak draw which serves well for Jankovic as there is no particular threat here. It would be interesting to see Petrova Vs. Mauresmo and see who is still playing well! Then we have Hantuchova and Ivanovic which is dissapointing as well because Ivanovic may have a chance to reach the finals (Yes she is a good player but she doesn't deserve to play in so many finals as she isn't good enough to be there consistently. Looking at the first half of this section hopefully Nicole will lift my mood up though Zvonareva has been an undying force recently, hopefully Nicole will play well seeing she has a lot of rest. Other than that Hantuchova will probably be her next opponent and with determination to get through she would be fine (this is an opportunity not to be mist Nicole)
Dinara and Sybille haven't been doing so well lately but their are no other threats in their part then we have Davenport who will be my only hope to oust Ivanovic. Hopefully Davenport still has the strength to destroy Ivanovic.
There's not much point in me saying my fourth round predictions as normally in the WTA they are all seeds!
Tuesday 25 March 2008
Sony Ericsson Open Men's Draw
Well it's the "Fifth Grand Slam" this week and the draws being compulsory are really strong.
Federer headlines Section 1, this event will be his saving grace as if he doesn't win this one I don't see him improving on his current performance. His half of the section is generally OK but seeing how Fish put him aside so easily I think I'll have to look at any possibilites. Gael Monfils or John Isner should be OK seeing one has doesn't so well this year and one is still largelya youngster in the senior tour. I don't see a threat from any of the possible third round opponents either. Lleyton Hewitt and Tommy Robredo should be able to meet each other in the third round. At that point I think Hewitt would win and if he does I think he'll pose as a greater challenge to Federer than Robredo will.
Tsonga and Roddick then fire up the bottom half of section 1. If Tsonga can keep on his form being only beaten by Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells then he should be fine if not he may find Michael Llodra an unpleasant suprise to his campaign. Unless their are any amazing qualifiers to be drawn in this section I think Roddick should be fine, the next seed their is Chela but Roddick has a strong 6-2 record against him having beaten him 6 times on Hard courts already.
The second section is headed by Nikolay Davydenko. I do not know whether Nikolay Davydenko will make this easy for himself as he is quite unpredictable for me, I can see the threat from Kohlschreiber as he has lost to him twice though he did beat him on their only hard court meeting. To put salt into the wound Davydenko's Masters record is not great and the Miami Masters are one on his worst achieveing ones, having played six times and not got further than the 4th round. As well as that Kohlschreiber hasn't been doing that badly. If he does survive Murray may be a possible opponent which could be difficult seeing their all time head to head is 3-3 all on hard courts. Seeing Davydenko's bad record and Murray's determination I think Davydenko has a tough job on his hands. Murray however does have to go through some possibly difficult matches. Juan Monaco, Mario Ancic or Gilles Simon could be a test, hopefully Murray could do well in these matches as his Masters Series records are not great.
The bottom half of section 2 hopefully should be a nice comeback for Marat Safin seeing that he has a qualifier to beat. I really hope Safin gets back to his best form, if this is possible he will meet Youzhny which he has never lost to (But if his form continues to drop he may be a nemesis seeing Youzhny has been doing quite well this year). From his inspired run in Indian Wells Fish may also pose a threat unless Clement has anything to say about that. Other than that Ferrer should cope well with his opponents unles Tipsaveric also has an inspired run. Overall this should be a good draw for Murray as there isn't anyone too strong in his group unless he does face one of his nemesis - quoted by Murray as Arnaud Clement, however that looks unlikely.
Section 3 includes two of my favourite players Novak Djokovic and Richard Gasquet. Gasquet is slightly unpredictable so if Feliciano Lopez does well he could be a threat. Hopefully Dmitry Tursunov can do well as well. Kei Nishikori the wonder kid is also in this draw however I don't think that would continue, but he has a chance to get to the fourth round as his draw is not threatening with Ferrero and Berdych who both aren't doing too well.
Canas and Gonzalez then continue on the draw though I don't think they will make it any further with Djokovic on the other side. Djokovic should find it easy to get to the Quaters seeing Canas as his strongest opponent.
Nalbandian should be able to get to his fourth round match unless Kuerten and Grosjean can do some damage. The other side will see Ljubicic and Blake try to get to the fourth round, Blake is the stronger player but both are slightly unpredictable.
Then we have Mathieu which I don't know what to think about especially when he's ranked in the top 16 with Moya as his other opponent. Cilic or Vliegen may be a test for Mathieu but I think Moya will succeed here.
Then we have Nieminen and Nadal with Kiefer and Haas lurking beneath. Nieminen could see his Miami Masters shattered if either one of them can perform well, hopefully they will form as good opposition to Rafael Nadal.
So to summarize
Federer Vs. Hewitt
Tsonga (if good form) Vs. Roddick
Davydenko/Kohlschreiber Vs. Murray (Ancic or Monaco may be difficult)
Youzhny (unless Fish can perform) Vs. Ferrer
Gasquet (Feliciano) Vs. Berdych/Ferrero
Canas Vs. Djokovic
Nalbandian Vs. Blake/Ljubicic
Moya (Unless any others can perform) Vs. Nadal
of course this being ATP means that a few more seeds will probably drop.
Federer headlines Section 1, this event will be his saving grace as if he doesn't win this one I don't see him improving on his current performance. His half of the section is generally OK but seeing how Fish put him aside so easily I think I'll have to look at any possibilites. Gael Monfils or John Isner should be OK seeing one has doesn't so well this year and one is still largelya youngster in the senior tour. I don't see a threat from any of the possible third round opponents either. Lleyton Hewitt and Tommy Robredo should be able to meet each other in the third round. At that point I think Hewitt would win and if he does I think he'll pose as a greater challenge to Federer than Robredo will.
Tsonga and Roddick then fire up the bottom half of section 1. If Tsonga can keep on his form being only beaten by Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells then he should be fine if not he may find Michael Llodra an unpleasant suprise to his campaign. Unless their are any amazing qualifiers to be drawn in this section I think Roddick should be fine, the next seed their is Chela but Roddick has a strong 6-2 record against him having beaten him 6 times on Hard courts already.
The second section is headed by Nikolay Davydenko. I do not know whether Nikolay Davydenko will make this easy for himself as he is quite unpredictable for me, I can see the threat from Kohlschreiber as he has lost to him twice though he did beat him on their only hard court meeting. To put salt into the wound Davydenko's Masters record is not great and the Miami Masters are one on his worst achieveing ones, having played six times and not got further than the 4th round. As well as that Kohlschreiber hasn't been doing that badly. If he does survive Murray may be a possible opponent which could be difficult seeing their all time head to head is 3-3 all on hard courts. Seeing Davydenko's bad record and Murray's determination I think Davydenko has a tough job on his hands. Murray however does have to go through some possibly difficult matches. Juan Monaco, Mario Ancic or Gilles Simon could be a test, hopefully Murray could do well in these matches as his Masters Series records are not great.
The bottom half of section 2 hopefully should be a nice comeback for Marat Safin seeing that he has a qualifier to beat. I really hope Safin gets back to his best form, if this is possible he will meet Youzhny which he has never lost to (But if his form continues to drop he may be a nemesis seeing Youzhny has been doing quite well this year). From his inspired run in Indian Wells Fish may also pose a threat unless Clement has anything to say about that. Other than that Ferrer should cope well with his opponents unles Tipsaveric also has an inspired run. Overall this should be a good draw for Murray as there isn't anyone too strong in his group unless he does face one of his nemesis - quoted by Murray as Arnaud Clement, however that looks unlikely.
Section 3 includes two of my favourite players Novak Djokovic and Richard Gasquet. Gasquet is slightly unpredictable so if Feliciano Lopez does well he could be a threat. Hopefully Dmitry Tursunov can do well as well. Kei Nishikori the wonder kid is also in this draw however I don't think that would continue, but he has a chance to get to the fourth round as his draw is not threatening with Ferrero and Berdych who both aren't doing too well.
Canas and Gonzalez then continue on the draw though I don't think they will make it any further with Djokovic on the other side. Djokovic should find it easy to get to the Quaters seeing Canas as his strongest opponent.
Nalbandian should be able to get to his fourth round match unless Kuerten and Grosjean can do some damage. The other side will see Ljubicic and Blake try to get to the fourth round, Blake is the stronger player but both are slightly unpredictable.
Then we have Mathieu which I don't know what to think about especially when he's ranked in the top 16 with Moya as his other opponent. Cilic or Vliegen may be a test for Mathieu but I think Moya will succeed here.
Then we have Nieminen and Nadal with Kiefer and Haas lurking beneath. Nieminen could see his Miami Masters shattered if either one of them can perform well, hopefully they will form as good opposition to Rafael Nadal.
So to summarize
Federer Vs. Hewitt
Tsonga (if good form) Vs. Roddick
Davydenko/Kohlschreiber Vs. Murray (Ancic or Monaco may be difficult)
Youzhny (unless Fish can perform) Vs. Ferrer
Gasquet (Feliciano) Vs. Berdych/Ferrero
Canas Vs. Djokovic
Nalbandian Vs. Blake/Ljubicic
Moya (Unless any others can perform) Vs. Nadal
of course this being ATP means that a few more seeds will probably drop.
Sunday 23 March 2008
Insert
This is going to be an article about the No.1 spot on the ATP. Many say that Federer is only in a phase but after losing to Djokovic, Murray and Fish he hasn't actually won a tournament this year and each loss is worse than the last. Since last year I knew that Federer was in decline but I thought it would in 2009. We can see last year at the Masters Series he had a bad record generally with 4 times losing before the Quarters which is not like Federer. His current win loss is 8-3, which is appalling for him considering his 2005 was 81-4 and 2006 was 92-5. If he doesn't quickly improve I don't see his chances at Roland Garros though he will still be a big name in Wimbledon. I really don't think Federer is actually going to get back to his top form as the game is developing quick. He was never a childhood wonder so I think he has passed his sell by date. I do think next year he will lose his No.1, this year he may swap places with Nadal but next year will be when Nadal solidfies this. Djokovic will also be coming up and quickly Federer will get to third.
Nadal is not looking much better having a 12-4 record and not winning a single title yet. At all the Masters last year Nadal actually did better than Federer by winning three and only losing before the Quarters once and that was in one of his worst ones being Cincinnati. The thing is I think Nadal is not improving in actual fact I think he's hit his limit. He will take No.1 for some time maybe a year in total or so but trying to take over Federer has worn him down and except for the Clay courts he isn't fantastic at the other surfaces. In the end it is not going well for the top 2 and I don't think it is going to get any better. I think things will slightly improve for them when it gets to their best surface but after that I don't see tha holding their dominance. Both have funnily enough lost to Djokovic this year which shows how he is taking them down. He no longer thinks he is the underdog, he is right in this competition.
If we look at it this way Djokovic only rose to prominence about this time last year but in a year he is already in contention for top. This year would be difficult for him to continue what he did last year but it is possible as he is a better player than last year. If he can just get to the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon we will already know he is the best player currently without him actually winning any of the others. What I see is that currently he is close to Nadal in what he is achieving but he has more potential as he is more of an all court player like Federer. The thing is as long as he improves on some of his Masters then he will be on top of the game. He is currently at 8-2 which is great for him as that's 80% the highest he has had. You may say that is not much better than Federer and Nadal but it is when you have won a title unlike the other two. Actually looking at Djokovic's Masters 2005 looks like his demon as Masters he's player in 2005 he has not done well in!
Let me summarize this basically Federer is slumping (he was never a young prodigy but Nadal and Djokovic were) what we are now seeing is the eventual dominance of Nadal and Djokovic next year or in 2010 as come 2012 Federer would drop out of the top 10. The thing is Djokovic has much more talent than Nadal and Nadal has hit a peak! What will happen eventually is the Djokovic era, which would probably begin in 2010 and would last a few years looking at the competition currently.
Others who will grace the scenes later are:
Gasquet - when some of the golden oldies go (I don't actually mean the really old but mid and late 20's) he will probably reach a peak of third but that will probably be as far as he goes, he will take the place of people like Davydenko, Ferrer etc. (you know what I mean) This is because he isn't consistent enough and he isn't exactly 18.
Murray - He is improving, but not quick enough. He has the ability to take No.1 at some point but he hasn't been as explosive as Djokovic has, they came out about the same point but Djokovic has overshadowed him.
Berdych - is a good player but his potential is running out, I think he will at best reach top 5 but no further as he just isn't a good enough player.
Tsonga - is not at the moment in contention, he will be a late developer like Federer was but I don't see him reaching No.1 in the next 4 years. He will probably do a Nadal but by the time he has a chance he will be too old to take it.
Juan Monaco - An Interesting guy but he will not be as good as the others in the future probably taking a top 10 spot.
Gael Monfils - He is a guy that will do something in the future but not the near future meaning probably when he's 24 or so therefore that is too late and he will miss out on a top 5.
There are others but currently they aren't worth mentioning as they won't get to the top in the next two years.
few years time the top 5 will probably look like
Djokovic
Nadal
Murray
Gasquet
Berdych/Tsonga
But at the moment it is looking more promising than a dominance from Federer and Nadal!
Nadal is not looking much better having a 12-4 record and not winning a single title yet. At all the Masters last year Nadal actually did better than Federer by winning three and only losing before the Quarters once and that was in one of his worst ones being Cincinnati. The thing is I think Nadal is not improving in actual fact I think he's hit his limit. He will take No.1 for some time maybe a year in total or so but trying to take over Federer has worn him down and except for the Clay courts he isn't fantastic at the other surfaces. In the end it is not going well for the top 2 and I don't think it is going to get any better. I think things will slightly improve for them when it gets to their best surface but after that I don't see tha holding their dominance. Both have funnily enough lost to Djokovic this year which shows how he is taking them down. He no longer thinks he is the underdog, he is right in this competition.
If we look at it this way Djokovic only rose to prominence about this time last year but in a year he is already in contention for top. This year would be difficult for him to continue what he did last year but it is possible as he is a better player than last year. If he can just get to the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon we will already know he is the best player currently without him actually winning any of the others. What I see is that currently he is close to Nadal in what he is achieving but he has more potential as he is more of an all court player like Federer. The thing is as long as he improves on some of his Masters then he will be on top of the game. He is currently at 8-2 which is great for him as that's 80% the highest he has had. You may say that is not much better than Federer and Nadal but it is when you have won a title unlike the other two. Actually looking at Djokovic's Masters 2005 looks like his demon as Masters he's player in 2005 he has not done well in!
Let me summarize this basically Federer is slumping (he was never a young prodigy but Nadal and Djokovic were) what we are now seeing is the eventual dominance of Nadal and Djokovic next year or in 2010 as come 2012 Federer would drop out of the top 10. The thing is Djokovic has much more talent than Nadal and Nadal has hit a peak! What will happen eventually is the Djokovic era, which would probably begin in 2010 and would last a few years looking at the competition currently.
Others who will grace the scenes later are:
Gasquet - when some of the golden oldies go (I don't actually mean the really old but mid and late 20's) he will probably reach a peak of third but that will probably be as far as he goes, he will take the place of people like Davydenko, Ferrer etc. (you know what I mean) This is because he isn't consistent enough and he isn't exactly 18.
Murray - He is improving, but not quick enough. He has the ability to take No.1 at some point but he hasn't been as explosive as Djokovic has, they came out about the same point but Djokovic has overshadowed him.
Berdych - is a good player but his potential is running out, I think he will at best reach top 5 but no further as he just isn't a good enough player.
Tsonga - is not at the moment in contention, he will be a late developer like Federer was but I don't see him reaching No.1 in the next 4 years. He will probably do a Nadal but by the time he has a chance he will be too old to take it.
Juan Monaco - An Interesting guy but he will not be as good as the others in the future probably taking a top 10 spot.
Gael Monfils - He is a guy that will do something in the future but not the near future meaning probably when he's 24 or so therefore that is too late and he will miss out on a top 5.
There are others but currently they aren't worth mentioning as they won't get to the top in the next two years.
few years time the top 5 will probably look like
Djokovic
Nadal
Murray
Gasquet
Berdych/Tsonga
But at the moment it is looking more promising than a dominance from Federer and Nadal!
Indian Wells Masters
Well Section 1 was normal as Federer won again, we finally thought he was coming back and on the road to his first title this year, but think again! Safin loses again which was sad aswell as Roddick! Great job to Haas though he really deserved getting to the Quarters in such a prestigious competition. Good job to Murray also. Well on Section three both Hewitt and Youzhny did well but Fish outshined all of them by getting to the finals (let me talk about Federer against Fish a bit later). Well done to Ancic aswell for doing so well again!
Section 5 was wierdly weak but anyway good that Baghdatis lost. Congrats to Djokovic in Section 6 though I expected it from the start. Section 7 was good that Gasquet and Blake got to the 4th round but sadly Tursunov lost to Chela though he played well. Tsonga did well to get to Nadal and played really well. Congrats also to Young and Lopez who are beginning to become some of my favourite players. Well anyway Federer was given a walkover from Haas which was dissapointing and Fish played well to get to play Roger. Novak and Nadal filled the second semis.
The best match was how Mardy beat Federer. It was more of a thrash! I do think that Federer's dominance is wearing. It's already about April and Federer hasn't won a tournament yet and peple still say he is dominant! Anyway congrats to Djokovic as I think this is his year, I think by the end of this year he would have taken over 2nd spot at one point and been close to No.1. I think Djokovic will win this anyway but what a shock it would be if Fish won this!
In the womens Ivanovic has had an easy draw to get to the Quarters, but sadly Pennetta lost to Schiavone, anyway he will improve on this!
Section 2 was anoying as Vaidisova lost!!!!!! I really hope Vaidisova improves quickly or Ivanovic would be head and shoulders above her before she knows it. Also sad how Krajicek lost.
Section 3 was weak and Jankovic won that.
Section 4 was nice as Davenport won but I think it was weak, Bammer and Bartoli. Bammer currently on the verge of demise after a brilliant 2007 whilst Bartoli never deserved her rank, 6th seed what a joke!
Section 5 was won by Hantuchova but congrats to Zheng!
Section 6 was won by Sharapova and actually well done to Mauresmo for actually getting to 3rd round but still bye bye!
Section 7 was weak being Safina and Radwanska but congrats to Harkleroad, I've always liked you and Peng.
Section 8 was annoying as Kuznetsova won! and Kirilenko lost!
Anyway Ivanovic against Jankovic hmmm. and Sharapova against Kuznetsova hmmm. Just wasn't too interested but anyway good that someone finally stopped Sharapova or this year would be hers. Anyway annoyed that Ivanovic and Kuznetsova got to the finals! Anyway this semis definitely shows how new everything looks without Henin and the Williams! Anyway Ivanovic is eclipsing Jankovics successes. I don't think Jankovic would get further than she has, she has reached her limit but Ivanovic is improving! Similarly with Kuznetsova, she will never ne No.1 and if she does a very disliked No.1. Anyway lets hope in a few years time Vaidisova would join the elite as after Henin and the Williams go the future looks bleak as it would be dominated by Sharapova and Ivanovic would have some good times!
Section 5 was wierdly weak but anyway good that Baghdatis lost. Congrats to Djokovic in Section 6 though I expected it from the start. Section 7 was good that Gasquet and Blake got to the 4th round but sadly Tursunov lost to Chela though he played well. Tsonga did well to get to Nadal and played really well. Congrats also to Young and Lopez who are beginning to become some of my favourite players. Well anyway Federer was given a walkover from Haas which was dissapointing and Fish played well to get to play Roger. Novak and Nadal filled the second semis.
The best match was how Mardy beat Federer. It was more of a thrash! I do think that Federer's dominance is wearing. It's already about April and Federer hasn't won a tournament yet and peple still say he is dominant! Anyway congrats to Djokovic as I think this is his year, I think by the end of this year he would have taken over 2nd spot at one point and been close to No.1. I think Djokovic will win this anyway but what a shock it would be if Fish won this!
In the womens Ivanovic has had an easy draw to get to the Quarters, but sadly Pennetta lost to Schiavone, anyway he will improve on this!
Section 2 was anoying as Vaidisova lost!!!!!! I really hope Vaidisova improves quickly or Ivanovic would be head and shoulders above her before she knows it. Also sad how Krajicek lost.
Section 3 was weak and Jankovic won that.
Section 4 was nice as Davenport won but I think it was weak, Bammer and Bartoli. Bammer currently on the verge of demise after a brilliant 2007 whilst Bartoli never deserved her rank, 6th seed what a joke!
Section 5 was won by Hantuchova but congrats to Zheng!
Section 6 was won by Sharapova and actually well done to Mauresmo for actually getting to 3rd round but still bye bye!
Section 7 was weak being Safina and Radwanska but congrats to Harkleroad, I've always liked you and Peng.
Section 8 was annoying as Kuznetsova won! and Kirilenko lost!
Anyway Ivanovic against Jankovic hmmm. and Sharapova against Kuznetsova hmmm. Just wasn't too interested but anyway good that someone finally stopped Sharapova or this year would be hers. Anyway annoyed that Ivanovic and Kuznetsova got to the finals! Anyway this semis definitely shows how new everything looks without Henin and the Williams! Anyway Ivanovic is eclipsing Jankovics successes. I don't think Jankovic would get further than she has, she has reached her limit but Ivanovic is improving! Similarly with Kuznetsova, she will never ne No.1 and if she does a very disliked No.1. Anyway lets hope in a few years time Vaidisova would join the elite as after Henin and the Williams go the future looks bleak as it would be dominated by Sharapova and Ivanovic would have some good times!
Tennis Channel Open
And finally i get to the Tennis Channel Open. Good job to Isner and great that Baghdatis lost yeah yeah yeah! I haven't seen Canas recently but he did well here. Sadly Safin lost but to a Hewitt but then Hewitt lost aswell!!!! In the end it was quite a wierd tournament as the top seeds generally all went out before the Quarters, good job to Querrey though. It teaches some of the top players that just because you are playing a worse tournament compared to the other one (here being the Dubai Tennis Championships) doesn't mean you'll win.
Dubai Tennis Champsionships
This was a nice tournament as it wasn't the major three who won, it was Roddick!
Anyway Federer losing to Murray definitely showed that he is dropping and how anyone is saying oh he's only losing one or two matches doesn't make it better as he is still losing. Well Great for Murray but dissapointed that Davydenko won as I thought he could have beaten him. Anyway sad that Haas loses again in such an early round. But I like Feliciano Lopez and great that he got to the finals of such a prestigious event. Anyway where is Monfils lately, he isn't doing well! Berdych also is doing badly! Gasquet also lost to Andreev which was unexpected but Gasquet needs to perform to get to the top (he hasn't been doing as well as his match against Roddick in Wimbledon (which I thought was amazing)). Youzhny lost which was also sad. I;m happy that Roddick beat Nadal and Djokovic as it shows he still has it in him, if he could have beaten Federer that would have bosst his confidence even more. Anyway so happy that Roddick won with Lopez in the finals. I would have liked Murray to get to the Semis though and Haas, Monfils, Gasquet, Tursunov, Youzhny to have got further (though Tursunov played Gasquet in the first round).
Anyway Federer losing to Murray definitely showed that he is dropping and how anyone is saying oh he's only losing one or two matches doesn't make it better as he is still losing. Well Great for Murray but dissapointed that Davydenko won as I thought he could have beaten him. Anyway sad that Haas loses again in such an early round. But I like Feliciano Lopez and great that he got to the finals of such a prestigious event. Anyway where is Monfils lately, he isn't doing well! Berdych also is doing badly! Gasquet also lost to Andreev which was unexpected but Gasquet needs to perform to get to the top (he hasn't been doing as well as his match against Roddick in Wimbledon (which I thought was amazing)). Youzhny lost which was also sad. I;m happy that Roddick beat Nadal and Djokovic as it shows he still has it in him, if he could have beaten Federer that would have bosst his confidence even more. Anyway so happy that Roddick won with Lopez in the finals. I would have liked Murray to get to the Semis though and Haas, Monfils, Gasquet, Tursunov, Youzhny to have got further (though Tursunov played Gasquet in the first round).
PBZ Zagreb Indoors
Conrats to Ancic who is finally coming back but who the hell is Sergiy Stakhovsky!
Regions Morgan Keegan Championships
Roddick lost sob! Mardy is doing well though! Anyway the same names seem to be cropping up recently. Anyway I am sad that Safin lost again. I really want him to do well again!
Young did well and this was what I was expecting from Isner and Young seeing them last year. Haas also lost out which was sad. Overall sad sad sad.
Young did well and this was what I was expecting from Isner and Young seeing them last year. Haas also lost out which was sad. Overall sad sad sad.
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Thought Nalbandian would win but anyway not too interested in this tournament.
SAP Open
Congrats to Roddick and Nishikori having another attempt at American glory.
Fish also did well (seeing how well he has been doing recently) Haas sadly left but Isner did quite well which finally shows his capability. Also well done to Blake, in the end this was heavily dominated by Americans. Anyway Congrats to Roddick!
Fish also did well (seeing how well he has been doing recently) Haas sadly left but Isner did quite well which finally shows his capability. Also well done to Blake, in the end this was heavily dominated by Americans. Anyway Congrats to Roddick!
World Tennis Tournament
Firstly well done to Tomas Berdych and Tursunov for winning the doubles. This was a shock tournament as all the top 8 seeds went before the Quarters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Firstly Nadal lost to Seppi! Hewitt also lost to him!!!!!
Baghdatis lost to Sodeling yeah yeah yeah!
Youzhny lost to Tipsaveric - wasn't as much of a shock.
Ferrero lost to Gabashvili and that meant only Nadal was a seed in the top half for round two.
Berdych lost to Karlovic, Ferrer lost to Zverev then Murray lost to Haase!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
finally Davydenko lost to Llodra. In the end Llodra won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Definitely shocks all round, one Nadal lost two. all the other seeds went and three Llodra won!
Firstly Nadal lost to Seppi! Hewitt also lost to him!!!!!
Baghdatis lost to Sodeling yeah yeah yeah!
Youzhny lost to Tipsaveric - wasn't as much of a shock.
Ferrero lost to Gabashvili and that meant only Nadal was a seed in the top half for round two.
Berdych lost to Karlovic, Ferrer lost to Zverev then Murray lost to Haase!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
finally Davydenko lost to Llodra. In the end Llodra won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Definitely shocks all round, one Nadal lost two. all the other seeds went and three Llodra won!
Open 13
This tournament had some of my favourite players, being Djokovic, Gasquet, Youzhny and Ancic! I was grief stricken by Djokovic's loss againt Simon and that was a huge shock! Though Murray's win did seal my wound! I didn't like how Baghdatis got to the Semis but bravo to Ancic for beating him, sadly Gasquet lost against Soderling and Tsonga losing in round 1 shows that the Australian Open final was definitely going to be his best by a long margin for a long time! However congrast to Murray winning, it just about healed my wound for so many early losses for some of my other favourites.
Delray Beach Interntaion Tennis Championships
This was shocking, very very shocking. Kei Nishikori won! Some may say who is he, like I did!
Section 1 was won by Blake which was expected, one thing this tournmanet was heavily dominated by Americans. 6 in the Quarters and non of them won. Anyway Haas dissapointed by losing in the first round, but congreats to Kei Nishikori for winning his maiden tournament against some high rankers.
Section 1 was won by Blake which was expected, one thing this tournmanet was heavily dominated by Americans. 6 in the Quarters and non of them won. Anyway Haas dissapointed by losing in the first round, but congreats to Kei Nishikori for winning his maiden tournament against some high rankers.
Movistar Open
Wasn't too interested here but well done to Gonzalez but you did get a walkover to win the title (I still don't like you though) However Monaco looks like he's doing well!
Australian Open
... and finally Djokovic wins his maiden Slam! I really think that Federer and Nadal are losing their dominance to Djokovic. Now Djokovic has made his mark and the next big fight would come in the US as Nadal is about 85% on Roland Garros whilst Federer about 90& on Wimbledon.
Section1 of the Grand Slam was definitely exciting, didn't expect that though. OK Federer was doing what he normally does and that was sweep away the first opponents and looking at the other matches it didn't look like anyone was a threat early on, but here come Tipsaveric who took Feder to 5 sets! I saw the ending of that match and boy was it exciting, I was on edge for a long time a lot of the times I really thought Federer was going to lose! On the other side Juan Monaco played some exciting matches aswell. In the end bravo to Berdych for taking Federer to 7-6 but I thought with a better player Federer may have suffered! Well after that shock Federer still gets to the Quaters, though uncomfortably!
Blake does well here and I was happy for him, though it was king of scary against Grosjean! Gonzalez also leaves (did he play before this!).
Well Djokovic is the only one from the top half that looks in pristine (unsure of spelling) condition. Sadly Tursunov left us aswell as Safin! However Safin did make it hard for Baghdatis and I thought he could have got it. Hewitt made it even more difficult for Baghatis but it was sad that they had to play for so long, but all the better for Djokovic.
Nalbandian shockingly went quietly to Ferrero whilst this section didn't give many interesting games to be honest!
The 5th Section was unexpected. Before this I thought Ok Murray has an OK draw as long as he takes Tsonga and Gasquet, but Tsonga broke that and won! He then went on to beat Gasquet and into further glory (which I'll mention later) sad for Murray though!
Youzhny did well here taking out Davydenko and overall this was a nice section though relatively weak.
Section 7 was aweful. Roddick was beaten in five sets to Kohlschreiber and in the end left two very low seeded players to compete for a Quaters place.
Wierdly enough Young and Isner didn't do well in this Slam!
The next was also slightly boring however I did watch Mathieu and Nadal's match and it definitely looked like that Mathieu gave up!
Well the QF's were intersting(actually not really) All expected! But the Semis were great. Finally Federer loses yeah yeah yeah! and Nadal got thrashed yeah yeah yeah!
The finals were so good I watched all of it and bravo to Novak Djokovic, it solidfies his top three status. For Tsonga this is a good start but to be honest I don't think he'll match this in any other slam this year or the year after, maybe in 2010!
Section1 of the Grand Slam was definitely exciting, didn't expect that though. OK Federer was doing what he normally does and that was sweep away the first opponents and looking at the other matches it didn't look like anyone was a threat early on, but here come Tipsaveric who took Feder to 5 sets! I saw the ending of that match and boy was it exciting, I was on edge for a long time a lot of the times I really thought Federer was going to lose! On the other side Juan Monaco played some exciting matches aswell. In the end bravo to Berdych for taking Federer to 7-6 but I thought with a better player Federer may have suffered! Well after that shock Federer still gets to the Quaters, though uncomfortably!
Blake does well here and I was happy for him, though it was king of scary against Grosjean! Gonzalez also leaves (did he play before this!).
Well Djokovic is the only one from the top half that looks in pristine (unsure of spelling) condition. Sadly Tursunov left us aswell as Safin! However Safin did make it hard for Baghdatis and I thought he could have got it. Hewitt made it even more difficult for Baghatis but it was sad that they had to play for so long, but all the better for Djokovic.
Nalbandian shockingly went quietly to Ferrero whilst this section didn't give many interesting games to be honest!
The 5th Section was unexpected. Before this I thought Ok Murray has an OK draw as long as he takes Tsonga and Gasquet, but Tsonga broke that and won! He then went on to beat Gasquet and into further glory (which I'll mention later) sad for Murray though!
Youzhny did well here taking out Davydenko and overall this was a nice section though relatively weak.
Section 7 was aweful. Roddick was beaten in five sets to Kohlschreiber and in the end left two very low seeded players to compete for a Quaters place.
Wierdly enough Young and Isner didn't do well in this Slam!
The next was also slightly boring however I did watch Mathieu and Nadal's match and it definitely looked like that Mathieu gave up!
Well the QF's were intersting(actually not really) All expected! But the Semis were great. Finally Federer loses yeah yeah yeah! and Nadal got thrashed yeah yeah yeah!
The finals were so good I watched all of it and bravo to Novak Djokovic, it solidfies his top three status. For Tsonga this is a good start but to be honest I don't think he'll match this in any other slam this year or the year after, maybe in 2010!
Medibank International
All I can say is wow! Gasquet, Blake and Hewitt my favourite lost so early, I thought there was no hope how wrong I was. Firstly well done to Dmitry and how many French did he beat! Sadly Blake, Gasquet and Hewitt had to go and that was aweful. Well done to Guccione though he did really well! and what happened to Tsonga! (seeing his few performance). At one point though it did look like Guccione was going to win it for Australia though!
Qatar ExxonMobil Open
This was a nice tournnament as Murray won. Also congrats to Tursunov and one thing is that why is Davydenko so high up when he doesn't really do many great things. But Anyway it was so nice that Murray won!
Chennai Open
I don't think I finished this so I'll talk about but what a final!
Firstly I was so happy baghdatis lost in the first round!
Secondly what a final, Youzhny overpowered (!) Nadal, a thrashing beating him 6-0,6-1. It definitely shows Nadal isn't at top (well he did play long against Moya but if it was any other day he would have won that without taking so long).
Firstly I was so happy baghdatis lost in the first round!
Secondly what a final, Youzhny overpowered (!) Nadal, a thrashing beating him 6-0,6-1. It definitely shows Nadal isn't at top (well he did play long against Moya but if it was any other day he would have won that without taking so long).
Small Insert
It's nice to know that Flavia Pennetta is one of only four players to have currently won 2 titles this year, others being greats like Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin and Mara Sharapova
Bangalore Open
Wow I've finally made it to the Bangalore Open! This was interesting. Firstly Zi Yan's amazing performance here shocked me because from what she did it looked more like she was Na Li! But anyway I feel sorry for Kirilenko! Also this Amanmuradova girl is doing well in the things I see her in whilst Szavay, the girl who everyone thought was the next big thing is losing early! Zvonareva is also annoying me by how well she is doing recently but finally we see the Williams sisters playing each other again which is so nice. In the end they both did well. Also great that Jankovic didn't get far but I'd rather she did than Schnyder!
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Yeah Flavia wins another title! She is coming back! Other than that non of the others interested me much compared to Flavia which is doing awesome!
Cellular South Cup
Venus losing in the first round to a qualifier was a big blow to me. I don't think I'll ever recover from that. Lindsay however capitalized on this and played a relatively easy draw, playing only one threat to be honest. Golovin yet again lost in the first and I don't know how Tatiana and Marion are still near the top 10 after all of this! Anyway congrats to Davenport.
Dubai Tennis Champsionships
It was sad to see Justine lose her title, being beaten by Schiavone!
I was also pain stricken when Vaidisova lost so easily to Ivanovic. I have to admit that Ivanovic deserves top 10 compared to Nicole but I thought that she was closer to her than this!
Sadly Kirilenko lost again which is heart breaking! But one thing that raised my mood was Bartoli losing her first match again! France definitely doesn't have much to boast on the women's field anymore after Mauresmo and Pierce have gone. Her current win loss is 5-6 (woah! Top 10 and has only played 11 matches! and hasn't won a tournament since Nov 2006 (let me just stress look at her dreadful Grand Slam results and Tier 1's. Wimbledon final was definitely a fluke! - Get her out of the top 10 girls) The bottom half wasn't interesting to me at all as Jankovic and Kuznetsova was in the semis! But well done Elena for winning as it shows you still have that something to make it back to the top 10 (she didn't face a really easy draw to be honest)
I was also pain stricken when Vaidisova lost so easily to Ivanovic. I have to admit that Ivanovic deserves top 10 compared to Nicole but I thought that she was closer to her than this!
Sadly Kirilenko lost again which is heart breaking! But one thing that raised my mood was Bartoli losing her first match again! France definitely doesn't have much to boast on the women's field anymore after Mauresmo and Pierce have gone. Her current win loss is 5-6 (woah! Top 10 and has only played 11 matches! and hasn't won a tournament since Nov 2006 (let me just stress look at her dreadful Grand Slam results and Tier 1's. Wimbledon final was definitely a fluke! - Get her out of the top 10 girls) The bottom half wasn't interesting to me at all as Jankovic and Kuznetsova was in the semis! But well done Elena for winning as it shows you still have that something to make it back to the top 10 (she didn't face a really easy draw to be honest)
Copa Colsanitas
Only a few words here: shock that Flavia lost in the first round in such a low ranking field. Congrats to the Semifinalists as most of them were qualifiers!
Qatar Total Open
I didn't like how Ivanovic was No.1 seed it just looked wrong to me without Justine, it looks like Justine is trying to avoid the top seeds currently. It was sad in the end that Venus lost out to Cibulkova. I also have to say that Safarova has definitely gone she won't be getting back up the rankings! Amelie further solidfied her losing streak and yet again Bartoli lost in her first match! YEAH!. Sadly Kirilenko also dropped. Though Sharapova started off shaky she was well into her game later on. Na Li also did me proud by beating out Jankovic. One thing that annoys me now is that Zvonareva looks like she is coming back! Bammer finally showed her presence by beating Kuznetsova and I feel sad for Peng. In the end I really though Li could get to the finals but sadly she fell short. Anyway good going to Sharapova, she is definitely showing that she is back in the tour!
Cachantun Cup
The only thing that kept me interested in this open/cup was that Flavia and Dulko were top two seeds. Sadly Dulko lot early but Flavia made it up for her by making this tournament look to easy for her beating all opponents in 26 games out of 6 matches about a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2 each game.
Proximus Diamond Games
This was won by Justine which I always knew would happen, but at times she did make it look hazardous. In the end the two players I was looking for were Na Li and Justine. Na Li did well but I thought she was definitely good enough for Finals. Yet Again Chakvetadze lost in the first match whilst Bammer is showing that her demise is close!
Pattaya Women's Open
Yet another seed 1 winner here but the contest was week to be honest. In the end Craybas got in the finals which was different and some girl I think from Uzbekistan got into the finals! The seeds were awefully low down in the rankings it was definitely a gift to Agnieszka.
Open Gaz de France
The Open Faz de France wasn't one of my favourite opnes as their wasn't a large number of my favourite players. In the end it was heart breaking that Marion Bartoli got to the Semis (for all who don't know she is my new hated player). It definitely looked very French at one point (I mean the draw). In the end it was not great as Anna Chakvetadze won. It's great that Nadia lost in the first round though and this tournament has really sealed the fate of Amelie Mauresmo - Goodbye to the Frenchwoman.
Australian Open
The Grand an illustrious first Grand Slam, I feel sad that I couldn't follow it through by blogging but here's a short insert of the Women's Event.
Section 1 was expected even though it was unexpected in certain ways. Justine was definitely expected to get through but it was slightly unexpected that she would find it so difficult in some of the sets. Su-Wei Hsieh was definitely an unexpected Fourth Rounder even though I expected Tatiana (13th Seed) to drop as she is never good in Grand Slams. I did think that Sybille would therefore have the chance but she fell easily!
Dementieva and Sharapova then round up the second section. Sharapova winning out here was a sign she was back as she beat Lindsay Davenport easily along the way, it was definitely a start to what was to come and who would have thought out of the first four matches her worst score was against her first round opponent!
Section three was headlined by Jelena Jankovic and she was so up and down that I actually thought she was going to drop all the time. She didn't make it easy for herself and I thought in the end Casey Dellacqua should have capitalized on it. If Amelie was there I think she could have done it. But another unexpected fourth rounder here. Sadly Flavia Pennetta had to go, it would have been interesting her playing Jelena.
Section 4 was my death section as Nicole and Serena were both in their and they were my semi final hopefuls. Nicole played well but in the end was beaten by the one and only Serena Williams.
Another unexpected 4th rounder came out of the 5th section and that was Marta Domachowska. I really thought Na Li was destined to be in that fourth round seeing her previous performances. It was sad in the end but I always knew that Venus would win even if she makes it look hard. I knew Marion was never going to get there as she is only a one hit wonder.
Section 6 was weak in my opinion and I don't like how Slams have recently been top heavy, allowing players like Ivanovic to consistently get to the semis and finals.
But Section 7 was even weaker with Anna Chakvetadze and Daniela Hantuchova (by weak I am talking about whether they could make a semi finalist and personally this wasn't going to get one! But I commend Hantuchova and Kirilenko for doing so well and commisarations for Peng,Krajicek, Safarova and King. Section 8 was one that I didn't like at all but in the end I was happy with the winner. Both Petrova and Kuznetsova lost out which was refreshing as Radwanska got through, Sadly Szavay who I put hopes on lost out in the 1st round.
In the end it was massively top heavy as their were in my opinion three possible winners in the top and one at the bottom. Justine against Maria was painful for me as Justine lost out badly,
4-6,0-6. Sadly Serena also lost out to Jelena which I thought wouldn't happen as Jelena looked so weak coming into the Quaters. Venus then rubbed salt in the wound by losing to Ana! In the end the Semifinals was a very new affair with all from the former USSR. I thought it was aweful that Ana Ivanovic was going to get to the Finals again as I think she doesn't deserve to be in two finals already. In the end Sharapova outshined all the rest and has definitely put her mark down.
Section 1 was expected even though it was unexpected in certain ways. Justine was definitely expected to get through but it was slightly unexpected that she would find it so difficult in some of the sets. Su-Wei Hsieh was definitely an unexpected Fourth Rounder even though I expected Tatiana (13th Seed) to drop as she is never good in Grand Slams. I did think that Sybille would therefore have the chance but she fell easily!
Dementieva and Sharapova then round up the second section. Sharapova winning out here was a sign she was back as she beat Lindsay Davenport easily along the way, it was definitely a start to what was to come and who would have thought out of the first four matches her worst score was against her first round opponent!
Section three was headlined by Jelena Jankovic and she was so up and down that I actually thought she was going to drop all the time. She didn't make it easy for herself and I thought in the end Casey Dellacqua should have capitalized on it. If Amelie was there I think she could have done it. But another unexpected fourth rounder here. Sadly Flavia Pennetta had to go, it would have been interesting her playing Jelena.
Section 4 was my death section as Nicole and Serena were both in their and they were my semi final hopefuls. Nicole played well but in the end was beaten by the one and only Serena Williams.
Another unexpected 4th rounder came out of the 5th section and that was Marta Domachowska. I really thought Na Li was destined to be in that fourth round seeing her previous performances. It was sad in the end but I always knew that Venus would win even if she makes it look hard. I knew Marion was never going to get there as she is only a one hit wonder.
Section 6 was weak in my opinion and I don't like how Slams have recently been top heavy, allowing players like Ivanovic to consistently get to the semis and finals.
But Section 7 was even weaker with Anna Chakvetadze and Daniela Hantuchova (by weak I am talking about whether they could make a semi finalist and personally this wasn't going to get one! But I commend Hantuchova and Kirilenko for doing so well and commisarations for Peng,Krajicek, Safarova and King. Section 8 was one that I didn't like at all but in the end I was happy with the winner. Both Petrova and Kuznetsova lost out which was refreshing as Radwanska got through, Sadly Szavay who I put hopes on lost out in the 1st round.
In the end it was massively top heavy as their were in my opinion three possible winners in the top and one at the bottom. Justine against Maria was painful for me as Justine lost out badly,
4-6,0-6. Sadly Serena also lost out to Jelena which I thought wouldn't happen as Jelena looked so weak coming into the Quaters. Venus then rubbed salt in the wound by losing to Ana! In the end the Semifinals was a very new affair with all from the former USSR. I thought it was aweful that Ana Ivanovic was going to get to the Finals again as I think she doesn't deserve to be in two finals already. In the end Sharapova outshined all the rest and has definitely put her mark down.
Moorila Hobart International - Review
Well I was really dissapointed with the Semis as Ashley lost quite badly to Vera and Flavia lost to Eleni. In the end this tournament lacked as Eleni was given a walkover to win the title! (Sometimes I think if you are going to retire then you shouldn't retire in the finals).
Medibank International - TIER II - HARD - Review
Well after the Quatrefinals I was so happy that Nicole played well against Svetlana because it shows that she is quickly improving and I hope next year would be her breakthrough (she's still young) Justine has a more difficult task which I wasn't expecting but in the end I'm happy that Justine beat Svetlana.
Finally Back!
I haven't been able to blog for quite a time due to internet failure but now I'm back so I'll have to whizz through my thoughts on the past few months of tournaments...
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