hahaha yeah - hearing lex and roz talking like fed is vulnerable im like... COLON LEFT BRACKET
Oh well, Rafa would've crushed Fed anyway, this is a much better matchup.
this is what i get for sleeping the eoy tournaments! last time i saw footage of nadal he was still very tentative and nowhere near his 08 level.
― Lamp, Friday, 8 January 2010 21:32 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah i dunno guys, Haas came so close to beating Fed at RG last year, and Soderling nearly pushed him to a fifth set at the USO QFs, and this was with Fed playing better than he has been in the past week and throughout the indoor season. i feel like an upset could def happen if he ran into someone with a habit of suddenly getting on fire, like a tsonga or a gonzo in say, the fourth round or the QFs.
but of course, the tough part is that anyone who wants to beat Fed probably needs to do it in straights because you just know the longer a match goes on, the higher the odds favour Fed.
re Nadal: yep playing much better. should've really beaten troicki 6-1 6-1 today - got a little ahead of himself serving out the match but it was still very much a one-sided affair. he's remembered how to play on hard court and i think the davis cup win at the end of last year did wonders for his confidence.
― Roz, Friday, 8 January 2010 21:51 (fourteen years ago) link
Is Laura Robson is getting more out of the Hopman Cup experience than Andy Murray? Murray supposedly skipped a defence in Doha to get three guaranteed matches in Perth but he's won them all so easily it's barely been a workout. Robson's lost hers, as expected, but it'll be a while before she plays people of this calibre again. They've won all their mixed and they're in the final!
― Michael Jones, Friday, 8 January 2010 22:54 (fourteen years ago) link
It'll prob be useful for her when she plays the AO qualies next. she beat MJMS today while Andy lost his singles match in three against Robredo, and now Andy's continuing to be useless while Robson's outhitting Robredo from the baseline! I think I love her.
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 07:40 (fourteen years ago) link
Kim vs Justine is on. Hurrah. First impression after five games is that Clijsters is playing a bit better but is chucking in a few errors that is making the games go closer than they need to and robbed her of a break.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 09:33 (fourteen years ago) link
Oh Justine, double faults.. less good.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 09:36 (fourteen years ago) link
oh dear down a set and two breaks.
looking up at Carlos. just like old times...
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 10:14 (fourteen years ago) link
Now zero breaks. What a terrible run of games from Clijsters. As if she's forgotten the ball needs to land inside the lines.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 10:23 (fourteen years ago) link
looooool 4-1 up to lose it 4-6. Epic choking Kim.
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 10:35 (fourteen years ago) link
Lololol, that was practically a 0-6 set with a brief introduction on it.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 10:37 (fourteen years ago) link
Women's tennis, eh.
like nothing's changed. :')
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 10:40 (fourteen years ago) link
terrible officiating in this match - why hasn't brisbane splashed out some dough for hawkeye yet?
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 10:55 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah, definitely. Even the commentators are pointing it out (correctly). Shame, as the game has just re-sprung into life. as a result!
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:00 (fourteen years ago) link
the momentum swings in this match is ridiculous - clijsters wins her first game out of 8 and suddenly she's broken back and leveled up.
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:02 (fourteen years ago) link
Zomg wtf, Clijsters was just hiting the ball so ridiculously hard and then flubbed the smash on the tape.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:07 (fourteen years ago) link
And that was to go down a (presumably decisive) break.
or not...
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:10 (fourteen years ago) link
Wow. This is ridiculous now. Henin is probably wishing she hadn't stood so close to the net there.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:11 (fourteen years ago) link
WOMEN'S. TENNIS.
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:12 (fourteen years ago) link
It's a small tournament, something like $200k total prize money. Presumably Hawkeye would have wiped that out.
― () |\| | |\/| () (onimo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:12 (fourteen years ago) link
Two match points saved! Maybe I've watched too much men's tennis which is filled with players who take an eternity to serve the bloody ball, but I think Kim's charging through the points a little quickly.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:15 (fourteen years ago) link
5-5! I need to find a stream of this...
― Michael Jones, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:16 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.atdhe.net/7635/watch-wta-brisbane
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:17 (fourteen years ago) link
You've just missed a love service game from Henin which included Clijsters doing the splits as she often does.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:18 (fourteen years ago) link
xposts things like hawkeye are what sponsors are for. I worked at the even smaller tournament in KL and we had hawkeye. it's the tournament director's job to secure enough funding for the best tourney possible.
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:19 (fourteen years ago) link
Four backhand errors that game. Atypical for Justine. And this is a tie-break.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:22 (fourteen years ago) link
Mini-break to Kim. But not over yet, there's a little part of me that kind of expects one of them to reveal that they're actually Elena Dementieva wearing a mask.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:24 (fourteen years ago) link
Gah, can't get any feeds to work. Looks like this is all over... 2nd-serve ace for 5-1 for KC?
― Michael Jones, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:28 (fourteen years ago) link
Not yet. But probably. 5-3 now.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:29 (fourteen years ago) link
6-3.
6-4...
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:30 (fourteen years ago) link
looked in
― () |\| | |\/| () (onimo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:31 (fourteen years ago) link
Oh drama! Clijsters thought she'd won but her ball which was very close got called out at the last minute. Very very close.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:31 (fourteen years ago) link
zomg wtf drop shot!
6-6!
― Michael Jones, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:32 (fourteen years ago) link
And a good one too but Henin hit an awesome angle there.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:32 (fourteen years ago) link
Oh dear, a double fault from Justine - she's been hitting those on all the wrong points.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:33 (fourteen years ago) link
wow
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:34 (fourteen years ago) link
Wow, that was kinda epic. I mean it was junk from 4-1 in the second set, but then back to life and it's a shame that some of the dodgiest calling came during some of the best play. I loved the look of Kim's game when she was just smacking the shit out of the ball.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:34 (fourteen years ago) link
Ah, that's that. Well, I didn't see any of it but I suspect we'll get a few all-Belgian finals this year.
― Michael Jones, Saturday, 9 January 2010 11:34 (fourteen years ago) link
that was an enjoyable match! apart from, like, the ending. kim's epic choke was hilarious after she completely dominated the first half of the match, some of justine's play in the third set was exhilarating but not her inability to execute when trying to close it out. her closing has been rather unimpressive this week actually, hopefully that's something she'll get back into the swing of. those double faults ughhh.
v likely serena/justine match as early as the second round next week! if justine gets past martinez sanchez...
eh, winning doha didn't do murray much good when it came to the AO last year - may as well try switching his preparation up, with less pressure but still guaranteed multiple matches.
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Saturday, 9 January 2010 12:01 (fourteen years ago) link
so Rafa would've just crushed anyone then. has just bageled Kolya. O_O
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 16:25 (fourteen years ago) link
ok scratch that - pretend that first set didn't exist and this was basically the best men's match i've seen since... Kolya-Djokovic in Shanghai? Just beautiful angles and shotmaking.
And KOLYA! Amazing comeback. *in awe*
Two tournaments in a row now where he's beaten both Nadal and Fed on the way to the title.
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 18:37 (fourteen years ago) link
how did u guyz watch this stuff - is it broadcast in the uk?
― Lamp, Saturday, 9 January 2010 20:10 (fourteen years ago) link
it's broadcast here in malaysia, but you can always try atdhe.net, livescorehunter.com or fromsport.com - these places usually have loads of live streams.
― Roz, Saturday, 9 January 2010 20:27 (fourteen years ago) link
Pretty bleak day in Sydney and I was too pov to get tickets to centre court (well, I could have but I didn't really care who was on, my friend I went with IS broke..) so just got a ground pass. Gasquet v POTITO STARACE was good fun! Starace was hitting some gorgeous backhand passing shorts but Gasquet served really well and looked really calm - whereas Starace was a veritable "La Linea" by comparison (and with white lines on a blue court, kind of looked like it too) yelling out oaths left right and centre, especially because he blew the second set tie-break and he knew it.
Then saw Benneteau vs Leonardo Mayer, a new name to me, and one I don't know that we'll be hearing again. Terrible match, really, Mayer has a crap serve and no real weapons at all and Benneteau charged out to a big lead, surrendered a break but was in control for most of the first set, then had two lapses - going down a break, then getting it back in fine style, then playing an iffy tie-breaker to lose before realising that he's not completely rubbish and bagelled in the last set.
Then some fun doubles, tho less so because Aspeli, one of the players, was clearly being carried by Paul Hanley, his partner whereas Huss and Ball were a much better and slightly more even team - Huss hit some sweet angles with the volleys and overall this was great fun to watch, though not as fun as last year, and srsly the no-deuce thing is totally shit.
The umpire in the Mayer/Benneteau match was great, though I can't explain why, it was just the way he said the scores, he was really getting into it... like 00-15 was like "Whoa, you're gonna break serve", such was the enthusiasm.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Thursday, 14 January 2010 07:38 (fourteen years ago) link
In honour of the vanquished:
http://www.furanes.net/images/potito.jpg
And Gasquet, teasing me with his ass:
http://www.furanes.net/images/gasquet.jpg
(cropped to hide the fact that my action shots were shit)
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Thursday, 14 January 2010 10:48 (fourteen years ago) link
shame that mayer's no good - he's had some interesting results over the past year.
silliams/caravane sounded like a good match! have high hopes that caravane may be coming into her own this year. she's not the fastest player, but her ballstriking ability is fearsome.
i also find it hilarious that 39-year-old mrs. krumm managed to beat petrova and take azarenka to a 7-5 final set.
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 14 January 2010 11:00 (fourteen years ago) link
Diva vs Silliams is on now. Diva is UP A BREAK! Let's get excited and pretend that a) such things are significant in women's tennsi, and b) Diva is someone else entirely.
― i left my hat in tokyo (edwardo), Friday, 15 January 2010 09:41 (fourteen years ago) link