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    There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

    US Open tennis thread, obviously. Good luck to Mr McGee. He plays Nedovyesov in R1. This is as winnable a draw as he could have got, as Nedovyesov only just scrapped above the main draw cut line. That is even better than a qualifier or wild card, as qualifier are in form (like McGee himself) having won three straight matches, whilst wild cards will generally have local crowd backing. Most pressing concern for the Irshman is the news that he was cramping up in the deciding set of his final round of qualifying. And US Open qualies are played over best-of-three rather than best-of-five...

    Of possibly longer term concern, when seeds collide it is meant to look something like this

    Men's Singles Nominal Round 3

    Novak Djokovic Srb [1] vs Guillermo Garcia-Lopez Esp [28]
    Phillip Kohlscreiber Ger [22] vs John Isner USA [13]
    Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Fra [9] vs Julien Benneteau Fra [24]
    Fernando Verdasco Esp [31] vs Andy Murray GBr [8]

    Stan Wawrinka Sui [3] vs Jeremy Chardy Fra [30]
    Mikhail Youzhny Rus [21] vs Tommy Robredo Esp [16]
    Kei Nishikori Jpn [10] vs Leonardo Mayer Arg [23]
    Lukas Rosol Cze [29] vs Milos Ranoic Can [5]

    Tomas Berdych Cze [6] vs Santiago Giraldo Col [27]
    Feliciano Lopez Esp [19] vs Ernests Gulbis Lat [11]
    Marin Cilic Cro [14] vs Kevin Anderson RSA [18]
    Gilles Simon Fra [26] vs David Ferrer Esp [4]

    Grigor Dimitrov Bul [7] vs Joao Sousa Por [32]
    Gael Monfils Fra [20] vs Richard Gasquet Fra [12]
    Fabio Fognini Ita [15] vs Roberto Bautista Agut Esp [17]
    Ivo Karlovic Cro [25] vs Roger Federer Sui [2]

    Women's Singles Nominal Round 3

    Serena Williams USA [1] vs Zhang Shaui Chn [32]
    Samantha Stosur Aus [24] vs Carla Suarez Navarro Esp [15]
    Flavia Pennetta Ita [11] vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Rus [23]
    Casey Dellacqua Aus [29] vs Ana Ivanovic Srb [8]

    Petra Kvitova Cze [3] vs Madison Keys USA [27]
    Svetlana Kuznetsova Rus [20] vs Victoria Azarenka Blr [16]
    Dominika Cibulkova Svk [12] vs Ekaterina Makarova Rus [17]
    Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova Cze [30] vs Eugenie Bouchard Can [7]

    Angelique Kerber Ger [6] vs Kurumi Nara Jpn [31]
    Sloane Stehpens USA [21] vs Jelena Jankovic Srb [9]
    Lucie Safarova Cze [14] vs Alize Cornet Fra [22]
    Roberta Vinci Ita [28] vs Agnieszka Radwanska [4]

    Marai Sharapova Rus [5] vs Sabine Lisicki Ger [26]
    Andrea Petkovic Ger [18] vs Caroline Woznaicki Den [10]
    Sara Errani Ita [13] vs Venus Williams USA [19]
    Garbine Muguruza Esp [25] vs Simona Halep Rou [2]

    #2
    There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

    Thoughts on potential winners, anyone?

    Comment


      #3
      There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

      Can't see beyond Djokovic for the men's, really, if he can beat Fed on grass he should also beat him on cement or whatever they call it now. Although it'll probably be a 5-setter (does the US Open still go straight to tie-break in 5th set)?

      Irish tennis players is an interesting aside. Presumably both McEnroe and Connors were sons of first-or-second generation Irish grandads and could have played for Ireland under FIFA rules? And McNamara and McNamee couldn't have sounded more Irish if they'd tried ...

      Comment


        #4
        There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

        Interesting point about the 5th set at New York. I wonder how that would alter Federer psychologically v DJokovic in the final. Instead of feeling that he has got to find a break to win against a guy playing solid he might think all he has to do is get to 6-6 and take his chances.

        Djokovic has much the tougher route to the final so if the two make it then Federer will hope he can benefit from that. I think Federer is going to win this title. He is playing great and i think something will happen to Djokovic along the way to either take his energy or knock him out.

        As for Murray, if he gets one big win (Djokovic in quarters perhaps) then i would pick him to win it. He is there physically, he just needs one win to get the mental side back on track. Unfortunately i don't think his recovery will fully materialise until 2015.

        How about Venus to roll back the years in the womens?

        Comment


          #5
          There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

          Venus definitely looked like she was playing well enough in Montreal, and seems more on top of the disease than in recent years. It's not a bad shout.

          Djokovic has been really out of sorts in the US hard court season, he didn't make the Quarters of either Masters event. That is really not like him at all, it appears that getting married has been pretty distracting. As a result, the Men's looks the most open it has in yonks. The obvious favourite is Federer, after being runner-up in Toronto and champion in Cincy.

          Tasty looking R1 match ups include;

          Men's
          Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Juan Monaco
          Andy Murray vs Robin Haase
          Mikhail Youzhny vs Nick Kyrgios
          Tomas Berdych vs Lleyton Hewitt
          Marin Cilic vs Marcos Baghdatis

          Monaco has enough game and nous to shock Tsonga, who is so up-and-down.
          As noted by others, Haase has given Murray trouble enough before and it means he will have to hit the ground running. Which hasn’t exactly been the norm this season.
          Kyrgios’ first serious outing after his breakthrough at Wimbledon will give some indication about whether he is a serious player, or was a bit of a flash-in-the-pan.
          Berdych is thoroughly out of sorts at the moment, having won just two matches since Wimbledon spread across three events. Hewitt was about the worst possible draw he could have received.
          Cilic really ought to have far too much for Baghdatis, but Marcos is the sort of guy who thrives on returning to the big stage.

          Women’s

          Serena Williams vs Taylor Townsend
          Sam Stosur vs Lauren Davis
          Ana Ivanovic vs Alison Riske
          Petra Kvitova vs Kiki Mladenovic
          Maria Sharapova vs Maria Kirilenko
          Caroline Woznaicki vs Magdalean Rybarikova
          Venus Williams vs Kimiko Date-Krumm

          Townsend is another of the new generation of young American players, and has had significant results in the Juniors (Champion in Singles in Australia and in Doubles at Wimbledon and also runner-up in Singles at Wimbledon). She made an impact at Roland Garros, where she got in as a wild card, knocking out Alize Cornet to reach R3. She will relish a shot at Serena. And if there is a time to catch Serena in slams, it’s early.
          Stosur suffered to horror loss to Victoria Duval last year, and won’t want to repeat that against another diminutive young American in Lauren Davis, who is much more established than Duval was. Speaking of Duval, she will be missed as she is absent battling cancer.
          Riske was the breakout star in NY last year. Since getting that first win somewhere other than Edgbaston Priory at Wimbledon last year, she has made great strides; the earliest she has departed a slam is R2, and that once. A real, live threat to Ivanovic.
          Mladenovic is better known for doubles than singles, but she is handy and Kvitova is always vulnerable early in slams.
          The clash of the Maria’s should draw the crowds. Particularly that section of male Tennis fans who are attracted by leggy blonde women. Tough draw for Sharapova to get early on, the only reason that Kirilenko isn’t seeded, and that fairly highly, is a injury ravaged season.
          Rybarikova is in form, as shown by her run to the Final in New Haven last week. The main issue for her is whether this took too much out of her legs.
          Williams vs Date is a match from another era completely. It must be up there as having one of the highest combined ages, 77 (78 if one includes fractions of years), of any main draw singles match in Slam history. Date-Krumm’s 44th birthday is on Thursday!

          Comment


            #6
            There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

            My pick for the Men’s champion is that it will be someone new. I’ll go with Milos Ranoic. Flushing Meadow seems to work for players with a big game and a lack of subtlety, so that figures for me.

            Going down the Men’s seeds in order;
            #1 Djokovic – a very odd summer by his standards. Two scrappy wins over Monfils and Simon and two straight sets defeats to Tsonga and Robredo are not really in keeping. Needs to play his way in to form, but fortunately for him has the draw to do it (give him Murray’s path and it would be nearly a write off)
            #2 Federer – the form guy, for sure. Last four tournament results:- won, runner-up, runner-up, won. Six top ten wins included along the way. Plus the relative quickness of the Flushing Meadow hard courts suits him (c.f. five consecutive titles in the past). The bookies have him as very marginally the second favourite to Djokovic, but more likely than Novak to reach the Final. There is a very long gap between the top two and the rest in the betting. But, I dunno, something about it doesn’t convince. A hunch, no more, but I look elsewhere.
            #3 Wawrinka – last few months have been very, very disappointing. The clay season was a disaster after winning the title in Monte Carlo, winning just one match combined in Madrid, Rome and Paris. Had a better time on grass, but got some fortune with his draws; Lopez in R4 at Wimbledon was the only top 40 player he beat (but it should be noted that that, on grass, is a very good victory). Has pulled up few trees since Wimbledon, either. Looks well undercooked.
            #4 Ferrer – out there, grinding away. Only Federer stopped him in Toronto and Cincinnati, and it took three sets both times. Should reach deep, but the feeling will always persist that he can’t quite win a biggie.
            #5 Raonic – coming on strong. Won Washington, QFs in Toronto, SFs in Cincy, heads the US Open Series standings (albeit because of a spurious doubling thing to take him ahead of Federer), and I think will take advantage of the opportunity that this particular slam presents. As long as he avoids Federer, who appears to completely have his number. Fortunately the Swiss, or at least that particular Swiss, is on the other side of the draw.
            #6 Berdych – see above. Has barely won a Tennis match in recent months and faces a tough start. Could easily be gone before he has really settled in. Even if he survives Hewitt in R1, then Klizan looms in R2. Hard to see much from him in this one.
            #7 Dimitrov – decent showing in Toronto, disappoint in Cincy but one bad event doesn’t turn him into a bad player. Live threat for the title, for sure. Very little stands in his way prior to R4, and there he should have enough to deal with Monfils or Gasquet. Potentially mouth-watering QF with Federer in the offing. Win that, and he could well be on his way to his first of a number of Slam titles.
            #8 Murray – has made two just Semi-Finals this year, one on a hard court in Acapulco and the other somewhat surprisingly at Roland Garros. That particular run shows the talent is still there, and it could all come together. But if it did, it would be a pretty left-field happening given his form. I’m not convinced at all that spinning a web is the way to go, as has been recently suggested.
            #9 Tsonga – showed just how good he can be in Toronto. Beating Djokovic, Murray, Dimitrov and Federer back-to-back-to-back-to-back is serious stuff, especially if only dropping one set (to Murray) along the way. The problem was displayed the following week, when he won just five games against Mikhail Youzhny. Form is just much too patchy to be taken seriously for a slam.
            #10 Nishikori – the promise of the clay court campaign has rather dissipated in all the injuries. Missed the Masters Series events with a severely infect big toe, which also put his participation in NY in doubt. Hasn’t withdrawn as yet, so probably will play because it’s a slam, but I’m not expecting much more than what happened when he tried similar in Paris; will go early.
            #11 Gulbis – results since that run at Roland Garros. Queens: l to de Schepper (#66). Wimbledon: b Zopp (#272), l to Stakhovskiy (#90). Toronto: b Sousa (#40), l to Benneteau (#47). Cincinatti: b Dodig (#54), l to Johnson (#55). Chances of doing much here? Slim. Plays de Schepper in R1, with Johnson also in his sector of the draw.
            #12 Gasquet – Semi-Finalist last year, so has good memories of the place and also lots of points to defend. But hasn’t had much of a year, partly because of injuries. Which struck again in Toronto. Also hard to see him achieving much.

            Others?
            Well, lots of opportunities as so many of the top guys are unconvincing. Of the other seeds, Lukas Rosol (#29) is coming in off the back of a tournament victory in Winston-Salem. He should make it to R3, but he has been a little unfortunate in his draw there as Raonic is the scheduled opponent . That would be a big hitting contest. Feliciano Lopez (#19) made the Semis in Toronto, and quick courts should aid his attacking style.
            In terms of non-seeds, Vasek Pospisil is in decent form (runner-up in Washington) after the back injury he picked up at the Aussie Open put a stop to his rise up the rankings. No-one terribly scary is on his near radar. If Nick Kyrgios plays like he did at Wimbledon, he’ll be too good for Youzhny and well on the path. Steve Johnson is coming rapidly up the rankings, is a tough competitor as befits someone with a significant college career and will enjoy playing with home crowds behind him. But in general the Men’s game is looking rather uninteresting at the moment.

            Comment


              #7
              There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

              Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: Can't see beyond Djokovic for the men's, really, if he can beat Fed on grass he should also beat him on cement or whatever they call it now. Although it'll probably be a 5-setter (does the US Open still go straight to tie-break in 5th set)?

              Irish tennis players is an interesting aside. Presumably both McEnroe and Connors were sons of first-or-second generation Irish grandads and could have played for Ireland under FIFA rules? And McNamara and McNamee couldn't have sounded more Irish if they'd tried ...
              There was Matt Doyle in the Eighties, thanks to whom Ireland were briefly in the Davis Cup World Division.

              Comment


                #8
                There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                Pick for the Women? Serena needs a title to validate her year, has been back on form, and when everything is in place is simply better than the competition. So her.

                In a little more details
                #1 S.Williams – double defending champion. She has lost just twice in NY in the past six years, in 2009 in the Semis to Clijsters (the infamous ‘force feeding’ match) and the 2011 Final to Stosur. That makes the US, rather than Wimbledon, her go to Slam of the last half decade. Needs a decent showing, as her record in Slams so far this year is a highly disappointing 6-3. I don’t see anything much to give her concern prior to a potential QF with Ivanovic, in which she will be gunning for revenge after Melbourne. Also in hot form going in (she is miles ahead in the US Open Series standings), winning Stanford and Cincy, with the only blot a defeat in Montreal in a psychologically difficult match against big sis. This run has closed the gap in the YTD rankings on Sharapova and means she cn genuinely think about retaining her #1 status for the season. The overwhelming favourite.
                #2 Halep – has reached #2 in the rankings and stands a genuine chance of going top if, once again, Serena loses unexpectedly early. Has settled into her new status as one of the World’s leading players well, with Slam results so far this year of QF, R-Up, SF. However, hasn’t won as much this year, which might affect confidence. Though she did player her home event in Bucharest last month and lived up to the billing and pressure by winning that. Hard court warm-up results have been underwhelming, with just a couple of wins in Cincinatti over Flipkens and Safarova to show. Clay will always work better for her.
                #3 Kvitova – the other, alongside Halep, who might take over at the top if Serena departs early. Arguably the only player capable of playing at the same level as Serena, albeit Petra can’t do it consistently. The display of power and accuracy she put on in the Wimbledon final was jaw-dropping. Appeared to be having something of a hangover from that, as she fell early in Montreal (R3, l to Makarova) and Cincinatti (R2 l to Svitolina), but then won the title in New Haven playing tennis similar to that of SW19. However, Petra always plays well at Wimbledon and the same in New Haven. She generally plays poorly in NY, she has never been beyond R4 and has a career record there of 10-6. Is just too streaky and too in need of feeling comfortable to seriously consider as a title winner. Good easily depart to Mladenovic in R1.
                #4 A.Radwanska – won Montreal, QFs in Cincy. Playing well. But like Kvitova, she has never previously performed in NY. Hard courts are generally not for her, they give too consistent a bounce which means power players overwhelm her. May have her best result in NY this time, though, as the draw has been kind. A SF defeat to Sharapova looks a possibility.
                #5 Sharapova – was the player of the year up to Wimbledon, leading the YTD standings by a distance. But then suffered a shock defeat to Angie Kerber on the grass and her season has slightly stuttered. Decent run to the SFs in Cincy (in terms of results, lots of controversy was generated), but a little disappointing to lose in early in Montreal. Providing she survives a nasty opener she will go close.
                #6 Kerber – finalist in Stanford but since then a bit non-descript. Hasn’t lost to weak players, Venus took her down in R3 of Montreal and Wozniacki in R3 of Cincinatti, but therein lies the problem. She beats who she is meant to beat, and loses to her peers. Draw has been kind. She has a nice clear run to the later stages, where she could face two similar players in Jankovic (R4) and Radwanska (QF). Could make her second US Open semi, but further than that looks highly unlikely.
                #7 Bouchard – three second round exits in the warm-up events suggest she is struggling to process the discovery that her best might not always be good enough. Maybe the Wimbledon Final is a painful place to be finding this out? Will come good again, and generally enjoys the big stage. The debacle in Montreal (her home event, given a bye to R2 and then beaten 6-0 2-6 6-0 by a qualifier) suggests some major work is needed to right the ship. This will happen, but it feels like NY has come around a bit soon.
                #8 Ivanovic – having her best season since she was no.1 and a slam champion. She is back into the top ten, and playing at a level to deserve the honour. Two recent defeats to Serena in the QFs of Stanford and Final of Cincinatti can be brushed over, especially as she pushed her all the way to 7-5 in the decider in California. Beating Sharapova 7-5 in a highly controversial semi in Cincy will give a huge amount of belief [Maria, laughably, was chosing to complain about toilet breaks and medical timeouts she felt were tactical]. Has a risky opening round draw. *kaboom tish*. Get past that, and things open up well.
                #9 Jankovic – decentish enough form, but not really at her best on hard courts. As with Kerber and Radwanska, with whom she shares a quadrant, she lacks the power in her shots to really make a serious impact. The US was once her favourite slam, it remains the only one she has made the Final of, but since doing that in 2008 she has only made it past R3 once. Shouldn’t go out too early, but hard to see her making the very latter stages.
                #10 Wozniacki – and again, another player who is better in defensive than attack. Has had a thoroughly decent warm-up though with the only player to beat her being Serena. The pair met in both Premier 5 events, on both occasions Wozniacki won the opening set and in Montreal she was a break up in set two before Serena came back. Wasn’t overwhelmed in either decider as well, so confidence must be very high. Has a potentially challenging opening round match against another player high on confidence, Rybarikova, and in general has a tough looking sector with Petkovic and Sharapova also around. Will genuinely believe those players ought to be just as worried by her presence as vice versa. As with Jankovic, the US has been her best slam previously though with a bit of a recent slump. She should put that record straight and get back to at least R4.
                #11 Pennetta – that odd bird, a US Open specialist. Hard courts are MOR, so how does one go about being a specialist on them? Like others, I’m not exactly sure. Maybe it’s got something to do with being a shot-maker so needing a reliable bounce? The specialism manifests itself as has three QF appearances and a SF last year in her last five attempts at the event. She has limited form coming in from the warm-ups, and obviously a certain amount of pressure as there are lots of points to defend. But the comfort the venue must bring will help enormously. She has a tough opener against Julia Goerges.
                #12 Cibulkova – tough as (a small bag of) nails. Good on everything. Almost completely out of form. Has one win in her four warm-up events, and that was against a wild card ranked outside the top 200. And she even managed to lose a set against her. The last two defeats, to Payluchenkova and Petkovic were in straight sets. She is fortunate that her opening two rounds don’t look that tough, though Zarina Diyas might prove hard to handle in R2. R3 against Makarova or Svitolina looks intimindating.

                Lower seeds to note;
                Victoria Azarenka (#16) has been runner-up to Serena for the past two years, but she simply can’t be match fit and match sharp at the moment. Venus Williams (#19) is playing well enough to win the tournament. Her ranking, as always, under presents the danger she poses. There will be lots of expectations on the shoulders of young American seeds Sloane Stephens (#21) and Madison Keys (#27), which might be rather hard to live up to; both girls play the game on the edge of control, physical in Keys case, mental with Stephens.
                Outside the seeds, Elina Svitolina is young, confident and dangerous. And (whisper it), Heather Watson is ever improving and might make a senior Slam breakthrough at the event she once won the junior title of.

                Comment


                  #9
                  There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                  And with that, the players should just about be due on court. Assuming it isn't raining...

                  Comment


                    #10
                    There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                    Great stuff Janik as always. I can't go with you on Raonic though. Like you have a hunch with Federer, i have a hunch he will never win the big one. I am probably being biased as i find him nearly as boring as Ferrer but i sense he is not mentally strong enough to beat the big guys on the big stage.

                    You say that Raonic has to avoid Federer. I take it that you are expecting Roger to lose to Dimitrov. Do you feel that it will be a Dimitrov v Raonic final? If it was Raonic v Ferrer i think i would fall asleep.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                      Ultonia's top player of recent years

                      Comment


                        #12
                        There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                        Murray two sets up on Haase.

                        Venus came out absolutely pulverising the ball against Date-Krumm, but Kimiko is too experienced to get flustered and now leads 3-1.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                          Haase is after Murray here but you have to fancy the Scot to progress. Stepanek being crushed so far in his match so it is possible that Murray's projected route will change already.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                            McGee is on court. Broke his Kazakh/Ukrainian opponent in the opening game of the match.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                              Murray looks unwell. He hardly wants to move and he is just spraying errors all over the place.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                Murray really struggling physically. He is not moving for much here. I am waiting for the classic Murray turnaround though. Suddenly his body will feel better and he will go on a tear.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                  Yup, if Murray looks like he can't run, get your money on him to win. How he dug that out i am not sure but credit to him. Why he was cramping so much and so early is a mystery. Stepanek is gone too. Bachinger next. Is he decent?

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                    It suppose to be pretty warm out there today, but not exceptionally so or noticeably humid. So no idea why he was struggling physically so early in the piece. It isn't an encouraging sign, that is for sure.

                                    Talking of cramping, McGee has just gone two sets down to Nedovyesov. Now I'm not watching, but the set scores (6-4 2-6 1-6) might suggest a similar problem to final round qualifying/what Murray experienced.

                                    Also out and about at the moment are Jo Konta, who has just drawn back to being on serve early in her first set, and Jo-Willy Tsonga who is just starting on a key tie-breaker at one set all.

                                    Oh, and Venus righted the ship against Date-Krumm and won 2-6 6-3 6-3. High quality match for a R1 encounter.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                      Shocks so far?

                                      Kyrgios did for Youzhny in four sets, which adds further weight to the idea he is the real deal. The other seed to fall is Benneteau, beaten in five by Benoit Paire. Neither counts as seismic, as both Kyrgios and Paire have obvious talent, and their opponents were the sort of solid veterans one hopes younger players will see off.

                                      In the Women's, there were some nascent shocks that didn't pan out. Simona Halep was given a real fright by NCAA champion Daniella Rose Collins (playing her first ever tour level match), who took their opening set on a breaker and apparently deserved to do so, bossing Halep around the court. Simona eventually realised she couldn't win this one on cruise, she had to play full out, and this proved enough. Apparently Collins hasn't yet decided if she wants to be a pro Tennis player, and is definitely going back to college for her final two years first, whatever she does. She is clearly good enough to make it a a pro.
                                      Kerber and Petkovic were also taken the distance, Kerber going as far as 7-5 in the decider against Pervak. And of course Venus went three as well. And Murray needed four to beat Haase.

                                      In all non-seeded matches, Belinda Bencic put up an eye-catchingly comprehensive performance against former Semi-Finalist Yanina Wickmayer; three and two. Monica Puig did for Tereza Smitkova in three in the meeting of two young guns of the WTA.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                        Tsonga has won his third set breaker with Monaco, btw.

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                          Tsonga and Verdasco hardly convincing either. It was nearly a very good day for Murray despite all his physical issues. I am assuming that Murray must have made a mistake in preparation for his match as cramping that early is unusual for anyone.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                            Early random selection (well, not entirely random): Kvitova and Federer. Granted the Kvitova call is based a little upon recent very good showings at tournaments she generally does well at anyway; but I'll stick with it.

                                            With Nadal out, it's got to be Djokovic or Federer, really.

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                              Pospisil out in R1. So much for him as an outsider tip. Wawrinka past Vesely after a bit of a struggle, three sets but two on tie-breaks.

                                              Muguruza the first Women's seed to fall, beaten in straights by veteran Lucic-Baroni. Which would open up the draw nicely for Johanna Konta... if Konta hadn't been beaten two and three by Shahar Pe'er.

                                              McGee also out.

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                                Watson was crushed today. I never saw the match but apparently her opponent played to a very high standard.

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  There were the Irish. Back over to Swiss, Serbs...

                                                  Not according the Guardian's live report, they said Cirstea didn't need to be at her best, Watson was just to passive, and was horrible on her second serve. Very disappointing.

                                                  Comment

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