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Amazon-ing Disgrace: US Open (tennis) 2018

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    Amazon-ing Disgrace: US Open (tennis) 2018

    OK, so Janik has declined the opportunity to start his usual event-specific thread for this event. As time is running out, I'm starting one now. I hope my presumption doesn't offend any of the other (i.e. other than Janik) tennis experts on here.

    I dare say this might be a thinner thread than the usual tennis slam thread, even after allowing the for absence of Janik's usual Rolls-Royce standard contributions, because I'm guessing fewer of us will actually see any footage due to the bastards' decision to sell the UK rights to ****ing Amazon.

    Apart from the shitty Amazon rights thing, it's also a slightly dispiriting outlook for British fans: Murray not looking likely to match his form of earlier years, Konta (despite some recent improvement) not the player she was 18 months ago, Evans still not far enough back up the rankings after his recreational drugs disaster to be involved, the up and coming young British women all out in qualifying. Maybe Watson will go from zero US main draw career wins to a hatful, but I'm not holding my breath. Edmund and Norrie might cheer us up maybe.

    My pre-tournament guesses for the singles winners: Halep and Djokovic. I very much doubt that the Flushing Meadows crowd will get to see their long hoped-for first meeting of Federer and Nadal, though I expect Nadal will make the final.

    The higher-ranked players with frontline responsibility, if results follow seeding, for halting any further progress of Drugscheat would be Ostapenko (R3) and if she fails then Garcia (R4) - the latter of course being Konta's R1 opponent.

    We won't see a Mertens-Bertens clash this event unless it's the final.

    #2
    Yeah, can't see beyond Djokovic, who I honestly think could sneak the year end number one from under Nadal's nose. And I'll go for Serena Williams in the women's.

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      #3
      Zverev has added serial winner, Ivan Lendl, to his coaching team. I think he will go close to his maiden Slam here.

      Stephens to retain the ladies event.

      I think Murray will get to round 2 and then lose to a Spaniard.

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        #4
        I think Zverev needs to go close and lose before he can go on and win one.

        Djokovic must be the favourite, but he's still not as consistent as he was, and that counts in a slam.
        If he's fully fit, then del Potro has a shot here, it's his favourite slam.

        The women's is, as usual, pretty open.

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          #5
          Simona spends a month making it seem like she actually deserves to be world number one, winning in Montreal and finishing runners-up in Cincinatti. And then loses in straight sets in the opening round of the US open. Bollocks

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            #6
            She did exactly what she needed to do to defend her 2017 points!

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              #7
              kaia Kanepi is one of those players that seeds really don't want to draw. She is very injury-prone but if fit she is well capable of playing top 10 standard Tennis.

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                #8
                Edmund and Watson both out.

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                  #9
                  Murray through!

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                    #10
                    First time Murray's played 4 sets since last year's Wimbledon so will be interesting to see how his body and mind react to that. Fingers crossed for him.

                    Norrie went through. Venus defeated Kuznetsova 6-3 in the third.
                    Last edited by Satchmo Distel; 28-08-2018, 00:05.

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                      #11
                      Going by the reviews on Amazon, which average 1.5 out of 5 stars from a self-selecting group of those who were willing to pay to be members (a likely positive for the voting score) and were motivated to comment (a likely negative), Day 1 of their coverage went rather poorly. Example quote "Why would you only have the show courts and a 'selection' of matches? Why can't I choose what I want to watch? Why, if I have missed a match, can't I watch the whole match on catch up and not just the highlights? Why have you done this so badly? It is a disgrace and bad broadcasting. I am a very, very disappointed tennis fan"

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                        #12
                        It's still on Eurosport sur le continent. Vive le special relationship, eh?

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                          #13
                          Good news for me, as I'll be in Italy during the second week. Talking of which, I've got something for the mundane thread.

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                            #14
                            Murray out 6-4 in the fourth to Verdasco after an extended game with multiple deuces. And about two minutes later Norrie also goes out 6-4 in the fourth to Lajovic after an extended game with multiple deuces.

                            With Konta's straightforward elimination at the hands of Garcia yesterday (2&2) that is British singles representation over before the middle of the first week.

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                              #15
                              Well, if British representation had to cease on the first Wednesday of any slam, I'd have asked for it to be the slam for which the UK TV rights had been sold to Amazon, so there's a big silver lining there. Bad luck Amazon, eh, choosing the UK specifically for this event.

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                                #16
                                I saw the first set of the Murray match and he was clearly struggling to find his game. IIRC he had a set point on Verdasco's serve in the first set but then, after failing to take it, dropped his own serve straight after. It will be a very long road back for him, if it is going to happen for him at all. He looks older than his years. Yesterday it was immediately noticeable that there was a drop in the pace of his shots (marginal for most players but fatal for him), combined with more frequent loss of footwork leading to unforced errors. I'm not sure how much of that he can reverse. When the editor showed snippets of the Del Potro game, being played at the same time, the gap between Murray now and where he needs to be was even more stark.

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                                  #17
                                  We won't see a Mertens-Bertens clash this event unless it's the final.
                                  I'm getting a feeling about this. I wnnder if there are any betting websites offering decent odds on random final pairings at this stage. There should be pretty good odds on the Benelux rhyming special, and it might just happen.

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                                    #18
                                    I don't think there's been an interesting Williams Williams match for about 12 years. It was only ever interesting when Venus was number 1 and Serena was challenging. Since then Venus has played as a sacrificial, passive lump. They know where the money is.

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                                      #19
                                      We won't see a Mertens-Bertens clash this event unless it's the final.
                                      I'm getting a feeling about this. I wnnder if there are any betting websites offering decent odds on random final pairings at this stage. There should be pretty good odds on the Benelux rhyming special, and it might just happen.
                                      Well, fortunately I was too busy to go to the bookies, either online or physically, so I was spared any loss from my dodgy hunch, as Kiki is kicked out.

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                                        #20
                                        I'm really puzzled by the expressions of awe at Federer's round-the-post shot, including the admiration expressed by his opponent Kyrgios.

                                        Clip here on the US Open's twitter feed:

                                        https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1036070617089548288

                                        I mean, I'm stunned when players pull off difficult shots from difficult angles etc. but this one strikes me as, in a way, the most undeserving of praise. One of the main constraints in returning a ball in a tennis rally is to get the ball over the net and back down again within the court - that vertical up and down aspect massively restricts the range of possible shots. But here, where the ball has gone wide enough to be hit round the post instead of over the net, the vertical challenge disappears. It's an unusual gift of an opportunity created by the fact that the net isn't wide enough. Colour me bewildered by the excitement.

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                                          #21
                                          I think it's the speed of thought required to realise that a shot that wouldn't normally be possible is, and is the best shot, and then to execute it.

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                                            #22
                                            I just put £10 on Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open. What do we think, am i wasting my money?

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                                              #23
                                              She's probably playing better than any woman in the world right now. But it takes more than that to win a Slam, and we've no idea if she has the other factors. She's got a chance though.

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                                                #24
                                                Sabalenka's toughest test may be her next, given that Osaka seems to be on great form. Two future stars.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Osaka is one of my favourite players but i have wasted my dough on her too many times. I wouldn't be surprised if she costs me again, this time by winning.

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