Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Wear any colour you want, as long as it’s predominantly white

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #51
    It means "god's gift" in Slavic languages, as with Theodore in Greek.

    Comment


      #52
      .. which in turn reminds me of the first few seconds of this funk classic of the early 80s:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?edufil...&v=H7hqbLxWlPg

      Comment


        #53
        Also on the topic of names, Sharapova is currently playing a Frenchwoman called Parmentier, whose name I find strangely suggestive of someone who runs a delicatessen. Probably my subconscious picking up the sound "parm" from parma ham and parmesan. Anyway, hope she wins the final set.

        Comment


          #54
          On a more serious on-topic note, great first round overall for British tennis. Jay Clarke and Harriet Dart in particular performing above expectations, and no surprise early exits.

          Comment


            #55
            Clarke was actually ranked above his opponent. So just in line with expectations rather than ahead of them.

            Sharapova has jacked her match in when trailing 5-0 in the deciding set. Which shows an entirely typical lack of class. If you get to that point, just phone in the last four points and give your opponent her moment.

            Comment


              #56
              Serena is having a slightly less straightforward day against Gatto-Monticone than might have been expected. She raced into a 5-0 lead in set one but then not only saw a set point for the bagel saved but lost her own service game at 5-1 (she broke in the next to wrap things up). And now in set two, Serena served for the match at 5-3 and Gatto-Monticone broke again. This time she backed it up with a hold. It's currently on serve at 6-5 to Serena, with the Italian trying to force a tie-break.

              Comment


                #57
                Serena breaks in that game to get the win. I think the word for Gatto-Monticone is 'pesky'.

                Comment


                  #58
                  Originally posted by Evariste Euler Gauss View Post
                  On a more serious on-topic note, great first round overall for British tennis. Jay Clarke and Harriet Dart in particular performing above expectations, and no surprise early exits.
                  The Duchess of Cambridge watched the first set of the Dart match, which she lost 4-6. The Duchess left at the end of the set. She subsequently won the next two sets 6-4, 6-4. Dart will play Haddas Maia, who knocked out the seeded (and 2017 champion) Muguruza in straight sets.

                  I'm currently watching Paul Jubb, a 19 year Brit who is ranked four hundred and something against top 100 player, Joao Sousa. First Wimbledon for Jubb and it's been a struggle so far. 0-6 first set but he's now just won his first game so it's 1-1 in the second set.

                  Comment


                    #59
                    That Gauff win yesterday. What an amazing story.

                    Comment


                      #60
                      I saw the last set of the Nadal match. A straightforward win, but Nadal making quite a lot of unforced errors. He'll need to raise his game if Kyrgios is in a positive mood.

                      Comment


                        #61
                        My work local had the tennis on on silent, but with subtitles. It reported how many "miles per hour" Serena Williams was serving at at as "moss fever", but helpfully came back to correct it, noting that it should have said "mouse forever".

                        Sorry, but it made me laugh anyway.

                        Comment


                          #62
                          Originally posted by Jon View Post
                          The Duchess of Cambridge watched the first set of the Dart match, which she lost 4-6. The Duchess left at the end of the set. She subsequently won the next two sets 6-4, 6-4. Dart will play Haddas Maia, who knocked out the seeded (and 2017 champion) Muguruza in straight sets.
                          Dart said after the match that the Umpire had told her about the VIP spectator. And that it made her nervous knowing she was there. There genuinely is something in the correlation, then.

                          The court 1 roof is getting its first use in anger for Vekic vs Riske, which is living up to my expectations (5-5 in the deciding set during the pause for it to close). Gives me a chance to check the Football that the rest of you are watching... oh.

                          Comment


                            #63
                            So the Aussie blokes, then. Nick Kyrgios should be at risk of getting fined for 'not giving best efforts at all times' as he zoned out clearly on a number of occasions against Jordan Thompson. The nadir was an underarm serve at 6-5 40-15 up in the third set, i.e. on set point on his own serve! He eventually won that set about 20 minutes later in the tie-break I mention up thread. He can't afford to do that against Nadal. He probably won't if it's close. And almost certainly will if he is being comfortably beaten.

                            Bernard Tomic, though. If Anna Tatishvili gets fined her entire purse for performing below professional standards, christ knows what Tomic will be levied for getting beaten in a best-of-five match in just 58 minutes. The lowlights make it look genuinely horrendous.

                            Oh, and in other news, the worst kept secret is confirmed. Andy Murray's Mixed Doubles partner will be Serena Williams. That will be a scary prospect for whoever they draw.

                            Comment


                              #64
                              What has gone wrong for Muguruza?

                              Comment


                                #65
                                Late again! Matches already underway. It’s busy this week. Anyway.

                                Day 3 picks

                                Men’s

                                #19 Auger-Aliassime vs Moutet [Q] – 3rd on #3
                                #30 Edmund vs Verdasco – 2nd on Centre
                                #22 Wawrinka vs Opelka – 1st on #2
                                #10 Khachanov vs Lopez [WC] – 2nd on #1
                                #28 Paire vs Kecmanovic – 1st on #15

                                The most exciting youngster on the ATP tour at the moment is definitely Felix Auger-Aliassime. However, the Canadian is not the only U21 making waves, far from it. And part of that crowd is Corentin Moutet. The Frenchman only made the step up from the Juniors at the end of 2017, but he is already inside the top 100. He only had to go through Wimbledon qualifying as his R3 run at Roland Garros, which propelled him to that point, is yet to come into effect for entry lists. He has also taken to Slam Tennis like a duck to water with worthy showings in 2018 and then the run this year in Paris, downing a seed (Pella) before losing in five to Londero in R3. He has also past form on grass, with a Boys Singles Semi in 2017 and putting aside a Q1 scare (8-6 in the third) to qualify without dropping another set. And then in R1 of this he beat Grigor Dimitrov from two sets down! Grigor looked forlorn by the end. In general terms, Auger-Aliassime is the more experienced player with his three ATP Tour finals and Miami Open Semi showing. However Moutet has played more slam main draw matches previously, this will be his 9th to Auger-Aliassime’s 3rd (R1 vs Pospisil was his first ever win at this level). As a glimpse of the future it should be valuable. And for today, Auger-Aliassime if it’s a sprint, Moutet if he can turn it into a marathon.
                                The battle of the forehands! Both Kyle Edmund and Fernando Verdsaco have that as a complete signature shot. They also have big serves. And, if we are truthful, something of a discomfort with a grass court. Edmund played OK against Munar in R1, but there were some wobbles. As John McEnroe said on commentary, the pressure on him to be the next Andy Murray is unrealistic. Edmund is a good player, a very good one, but he is not another Muzza, neither in skill and certainly not in style. Good enough to go a few rounds further in Wimbledon and improve of his previous best of R3 (last year)? Yes, he is that. He might even match Verdasco in making a QF once. Given the similarity in styles, and the previous meetings of the two both being three-setters, it probably comes down to who executes on the day. And that is unpredictable. It is match of the day on the Men’s side of the draw though, and not just because one of the players is a Brit. The Centre Court billing is reasonable.
                                Stan Wawrinka hasn’t had a good record at Wimbledon over the years. Grass is not his surface for reasons I stated above. He takes such a massive hit at the ball that any fractional deviation from expected position leads to mishits and also the skiddier bounce gives more limited time to set up. All these issue come into play against Reilly Opelka, who absolutely fits the template of a modern American male Tennis player – a huge guy (at 2m11, the tallest in the top 100) with a massive first serve. Opelka is a former Wimbledon Boys Singles champion who has struggled so far to translate that to the Seniors. He does, however, have a top 10 win in a Slam, beating John Isner in R1 in Melbourne earlier this year in four sets. Four tie-break sets, 7-6 7-6 6-7 7-6…
                                Karen Khachanov has won his only two previous meetings with Feliciano Lopez, but notably none of them was on grass. And Lopez did get a set in Indian Wells earlier this year. But it’s the surface that makes this one catch the eye as a very possible upset. Lopez is a superb grass court player, not only because of the lefty serve and net rushing but also because he understands the value of spin and position in creating angles. Khachanov has a tendency to drop way back to give himself time, but against the Spaniard that won’t work – the ball will only reach the backstop via the sideboards. The big Russian will have to force himself forwards to areas where he is very uncomfortable. That means taking the ball off his ankles, and he struggles to execute his top-spin shots at that height. For Lopez this is a major opportunity. He is in an open looking quarter of the draw. If he can topple Khachanov, then Quarters or even Semis open themselves up as tantalising possibilities. With the effectiveness of both Men’s serves, pure power for Karen, and power and placement combined for Feliciano, do not expect many breaks. But when they coming, I think they go the Spaniard’s way.
                                Benoit Paire against Miomir Kecmanovic is a generational clash. Paire is 30 and has been playing Slams for a decade. Kecmanovic is 19 and only left the Juniors a couple of years ago (he was the no.1 in 2016). Kecmanovic also comes in off the back of his first ATP Tour level final just a few days ago in Antalya, made the QFS in Indian Wells earlier in the year and won a round at Roland Garros as well as his first-round win here. He is a talent worth watching, but will have his hands full with the Frenchman, who is a talented if mercurial player with a penchant for drop shots, flair and general inconsistency. Possessed of a good serve, much feel and a withering double-handed backhand he probably ought to have done better over the years than his best of R4. Whether he feels up for the challenge may determine the outcome of this match.
                                Last edited by Janik; 03-07-2019, 16:45.

                                Comment


                                  #66
                                  Overran the character limit, so split in two.

                                  Women’s

                                  Collins vs #12 Sevastova – 4th on #12
                                  #28 Hsieh vs Flipkens – 1st on #18
                                  Puig vs #3 Ka.Pliskova – 1st on Centre
                                  Gauff [Q] vs Rybarikova – 4th on #2
                                  #27 Kenin vs Yastremska – 3rd on #18

                                  Danielle Collins and Anastasija Sevastova could be a feisty late evening encounter. Collins very in-your-face attitude was well demonstrated in her Aussie Open Semi-Final run earlier this year and if Sevastova is nowhere near as irritating she is no wallflower either. The Latvian will fight her corner passionately. What she lacks is any kind of Wimbledon form, having only won one match in six previous visits. That is all the more remarkable as her varied, all-round game with slice, drops and angles ought to be effective on a surface that is respective and low bouncing to such things. And indeed it has been in Mallorca, where her results run R-Up, Won, R-Up, SF. It just hasn’t translated to SW19. Yet. But this one should help to build that first deep run, as Collins is too hard-court based to really succeed on grass, however determined she may be. Whaling away from the baseline will just allow Sevastova’s other strength, her scrambling, to come into play. And then she will ask tricky questions in return that Collins won’t have the resources to answer.
                                  Hsieh Su-wei against Kirsten Flipkens promises to be a treat for anyone a bit jaded by the power baseline game. Because these two absolutely do not play that way. The match will be like a throwback to the 1980s when many players employed the respective styles, slice and angles from Hsieh and serve-and-volley from Flipkens. The Taiwanese will be looking to match of better her R4 run last year, whilst for Flipkens Wimbledon is always going to hold great memories of her 2013 Semi-Final run. Overall I would have to give the edge to Hsieh based on current form – she is a seed and used to winning games, whereas Flipkens has bounced around from 50-100 for the last few seasons. Also, the last thing a net rusher wants is the ball dropping into tricky positions with tricky spins. And it’s a given that Flipper will have to deal with those today.
                                  Reigning Olympic Champion Monica Puig (good one to win that, the appellation stays true for four years) made R4 at Wimbledon on her debut back in 2013. She hadn’t won a match here since prior to toppling Schmiedlova in R1. And that was only just, 7-5 in the third. In fact, that R4 showing is something Puig hasn’t matched anywhere since, which is underselling her talent. But not as much as Karolina Pliskova having only an 8-7 career record at Wimbledon prior to this year. R2 has been the big Czech’s nemesis, going out at that stage on five successive occasions from 2013-17. If she is tight because of the expectation to win the title that she is under, as looked to be the case in R1 against Zhu, then she is very vulnerable. Because for Puig, this is a shot to nothing really. Pliskova is the obvious favourite, with her serve and her glorious form from Eastbourne. Monica knows how to battle, and if Karolina’s serve isn’t firing then Puig could buck a bad h2h record (0-4) and another major name could well depart the Women’s draw early.
                                  OK, so we now know how good Cori Gauff is – she is really, really good – but now it’s how consistent can she be and how ready to handle an intense spotlight. And also, how adaptable her Tennis is because Magdalena Rybarikova will bring a slicing, net-rushing style that Gauff is highly unlikely to have come up against on the Juniors circuit. She will have to deal with low bouncing balls and being put under pressure to make the passing shots. Based on the Venus match, pressure really does not faze the youngster, though. Venus was up at the net at times, and Gauff’s reaction seemed to be ‘a challenge, cool!’. And let’s not leave the issues Rybarikova has to one side here. And that isn’t just because she is on a hiding to nothing. Gauff showed against Venus that is a superb athlete, and a superb defender as well as having a thundering serve and powerful ground strokes. If Gauff plays like Monday again, she will blow the Slovak away. I don’t see any reason why not.
                                  A clash of the youngsters to end this preview with out on court 18, as 20 year-old Sofia Kenin faces off with Dayana Yastremska, 19. Kenin is a competitive player, a hard worker around the court who asks players to make another ball. And another. And another. She isn’t completely one-dimensional in her play either with drop shots featuring. However her youth on hard courts is very evident in her style. Yastremska is more of the European type of power baseliner. However, she has both form on grass having made the Girls Singles final in 2016 and WTA titles to her name, three of them with two coming this year. Kenin may be the seed, but I think this one depends on how the Ukrainian plays. If she connects hard enough, she can hit through the American to win. I’m tipping a shock.

                                  Comment


                                    #67
                                    Elina Svitolina's luck may be changing. But not Margarita Gasparyan's. The later was two points from victory at a set, 5-4 and deuce. However a few points later she was reportedly clutching her leg and wincing in pain. It must be serious as she retired hurt at the next change of ends when still only a handful of points from victory. Gasparyan has had major injury troubles in the recent past, so this is hard to stomach.

                                    Comment


                                      #68
                                      In rather less forlorn news, Stan Wawrinka and Reilly Opelka are locked at 3-3 in a deciding set. Are we going to get our first 12-all breaker here...?

                                      Comment


                                        #69
                                        Nope, 8-6 to Opelka.


                                        We didn't do a full round up of the British results in R1, did we? So let's have the lot, seeing as it's a good collection. First the Men

                                        #30 Kyle Edmund bt Jaume Munar 3-0
                                        Paul Jubb [WC] l to Joao Sousa 1-3
                                        Dan Evans bt Federcio Delbonis 3-0
                                        James Ward [WC] l to #18 Nikoloz Basilashvili 2-3
                                        Cameron Norrie bt Denis Istomin 3-0
                                        Jay Clarke [WC] bt Noah Rubin [Q] 3-1

                                        Edmund is playing Fernando Verdasco currently (he leads by a set to love), Evans faces Basilashvili tomorrow, Norrie takes on #8 Kei Nishikori and Clarke plays... #2 Roger Federer (enjoy Centre, Jay)!

                                        And then the Women

                                        Heather Watson bt Caty McNally 2-0
                                        Harriet Dart [WC] by Christina McHale [LL] 2-1
                                        Katie Swan [WC] l to Laura Siegemund 0-2
                                        Jo Konta [19] bt Ana Bogdan 2-0

                                        Watson played #20 Anett Kontaveit today in R2, and lost in two. Dart faces Beatriz Haddad Maia [Q] and Konta plays Kateryna Siniakova tomorrow.

                                        Sad that Heather has lost, but R1 was excellent. 7 wins from 10, and of the three defeats only one in straight sets.


                                        Whilst on the Brits front, here are the various doubles pairings R1 draws:

                                        Men's
                                        Mahut/Roger-Vasselin Fra [11] vs L.Broady/Clayton Gbr [WC]
                                        Evans/Glasspool GBr [WC] vs Mayer/Sousa Arg/Por
                                        Munar/Norrie Esp/GBr vs [b]Inglot/Krajicek Gbr/USA [15] – currently in progress, Munar/Norrie a break up in the fifth set
                                        J.Murray/N.Skupski GBr [10] vs Dodig/Polasek Cro/Svk
                                        Andujar/Verdasco Esp vs Hoyt/Johnson GBr [WC]
                                        Copil/Humbert Rou/Fra vs Herbert/A.Murray Fra/GBr [PR]
                                        Albot/Jaziri Mol/Tun vs Ram/Salisbury USA/GBr [12] – Ram/Salisbury have won this already (in three)
                                        K.Skupski/Smith GBr/Aus vs Clarke/Ward GRb [WC]
                                        Bambridge/O’Mara GBr vs Klaasen/Venus RSA/NZe [3]
                                        Draper/Jubb GBr [WC] vs Cabal/Farah Col [2]

                                        Murray/Skupski and Murray/Herbert could meet in R3, but that is a long way off as yet.

                                        Women’s
                                        Cirstea/Voskoboeva Rou/Kaz vs Grey/Silva GBr [WC] – played and lost already by the Brits
                                        Hc.Chan/L.Chan Tpe [9] vs [b]Dart/Dunne GBr [WC] – played and lost already by the Brits
                                        Christie/Swan GBr [WC] vs Minnen/Van Uytvanck Bel [Alt] – played and lost already by the Brits
                                        Atawo/L.Kichenok USA/Ukr [16] vs Minella/Watson Lux/GBr
                                        Bains/N.Broady GBr [WC] vs Krejcikova/Siniakove Cze [2] – played and lost already by the Brits

                                        Mixed
                                        S.Williams/A.Murray USA/GBr [PR] vs Guarachi/Mies Chi/Ger
                                        N.Broady/O’Mara GBr [WC] vs Zhang/Middelkoop Chn/Ned
                                        Hc.Chan/N.Skupski Tpe/GBr [9] to play winners of above tie.
                                        Spears/Demoliner USA/Bra vs Watson/Kontinen GBr/Fin
                                        Ostapenko/Lindstedt Lat/Swe vs Gauff/Clarke USA/GBr [WC]
                                        Grey/Clayton GBr vs V.Williams/Tiafoe USA
                                        Siegemund/Sitak vs Jurak/K.Skupski Cro/GBr
                                        Mattek-Sands/J.Murray USA/GBr vs Dunne/Salisbury Gbr [WC]
                                        Riske/Ram USA vs Muhammad/Bambridge USA/GBr
                                        Stosur/Paes Aus/Ind vs Silva/Hoyt GBr [WC]

                                        Lots of British boys have found themselves American girls to play with. In some cases rather notable ones (Serena W, Coco G)…

                                        Comment


                                          #70
                                          Originally posted by Sporting View Post
                                          What has gone wrong for Muguruza?
                                          You are not the only one asking that. Though Tennis.com provides no hint of an answer.

                                          My take is that the confidence has gone, which is a vicious circle very similar to the mither than Konta found herself in 12 months ago and that Osaka, Ostapenko and Sabalenka are also experiencing. All of these players games are founded on bashing from the baseline. But if the confidence is fragile all it takes is one shank, overhit of misdirection for the demons to pipe up 'oh no, it's happening again!'.

                                          Comment


                                            #71
                                            I should have read Janik's preview before starting to watch Alliasime against Moutet. I assumed that Moutet was some veteran who'd cracked the top 100 late in his career. Then they refer to him as a 20 year old (as Janik details above). All I can say is he doesn't look it!

                                            Comment


                                              #72
                                              A late night treat - Gauff vs Rybarikova begins at 8:05pm under a closed court 1 roof.

                                              Comment


                                                #73
                                                Nearly everything about Cory Gauff says it's going to take a very good player in excellent form to beat her. Nearly. The only worry is she does serve a higher proportion of double faults than is comfortable.

                                                Comment


                                                  #74
                                                  Gauff is so going to win this. She is on a different level to her opponent here.

                                                  Comment


                                                    #75
                                                    Rybarikova goes long with a forehand to concede a set two break, and then shrugs her shoulders in a 'what can I do?' manner. Don't blame her. Gauff is just making no errors, less than 10 unforced in the match to date. Which given how hard she is hitting many of her shots (quickest serve 117mph) is yet another remarkable thing about her.

                                                    Comment

                                                    Working...
                                                    X