From 6-3, 5-3, Hsieh lost seven straight games, and has now won four straight games.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 22 September 2012 09:58 (twelve years ago) link
Hsieh wins 6-3 5-7 6-4. Second title of the year. Thrilled for her! At points in that match you could see why she was touted as the Next Hingis back in 2001...
― lex pretend, Saturday, 22 September 2012 10:14 (twelve years ago) link
Aw well done! Tough break for Robson, but she'll get there soon I think.
― Roz, Saturday, 22 September 2012 10:28 (twelve years ago) link
Aaaaaand we have the second British/Taiwanese final in 3 weeks in Osaka. Kai-Chen Chang showed up Stosur as the Worst Slam Champion Ever again (in over a decade Stosur has only won three titles, and none since the USO), having already ended the Robson hype in the QF - both in third set TBs. (She also beat McHale in R1, though I believe McHale is still recovering from mono.) Watson, OTOH, has cruised through a cushy draw without needing to beat anyone of particular note. Watson is much more the favourite than Robson was three weeks ago and won't give Chang as much pace to feed off. If Watson wins, she leapfrogs Robson to retake the GBR #1 spot, and also becomes the first British woman in the top 50 for probably like 93489392 years.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 13 October 2012 08:18 (eleven years ago) link
Also, I watched the end of Flipkens beating Ivanovic 6-4 6-0 in Linz yesterday. As hilarious as you'd expect. Ana literally couldn't even sustain a simple rally - against Flipkens! - let alone come close to winning games.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 13 October 2012 08:19 (eleven years ago) link
Any day Ivanovic loses is a good day!
Though Majoli was the far more likeable and interesting player (even if I hate her for beating Hingis), she trails Stosur in achievements imo (5 extra titles and her F wins were over some good players) - I'd take Stosur's three extra slam SFs.
Peak Errorer has come out v Murray. Quality shanking!
― neil young & crazy town (edwardo), Saturday, 13 October 2012 12:41 (eleven years ago) link
pretty amazing match already
― groovemaaan, Sunday, 14 October 2012 09:18 (eleven years ago) link
The Fed/Murray match yesterday was pretty much decided by two games - the terrible one where Fed DFed three times, and the AMAZING one where Murray came back from 40/0 with five scorching returns.
That game just there at 3-3 is the same thing, though more slice than accustomed to seeing maybe?
― neil young & crazy town (edwardo), Sunday, 14 October 2012 09:29 (eleven years ago) link
Oh, so much for my guess that this would lead to an easy hold.
― neil young & crazy town (edwardo), Sunday, 14 October 2012 09:33 (eleven years ago) link
So much crazy crazy forehand errors, and Djoko going ham on a racquet!
― neil young & crazy town (edwardo), Sunday, 14 October 2012 09:50 (eleven years ago) link
Djoko saves match point and now its momentum shift in the 2nd!
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 14 October 2012 10:49 (eleven years ago) link
Few unforced errors from Djoko: tie break now
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 14 October 2012 10:55 (eleven years ago) link
This is an epic!
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 14 October 2012 11:16 (eleven years ago) link
Incredible: 13-11 Djoko
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 14 October 2012 11:18 (eleven years ago) link
unbelievable
― groovemaaan, Sunday, 14 October 2012 11:18 (eleven years ago) link
The FH from Djoko when facing his first match point during the breaker was really godlike.
Djoko wins in the end...can't wait till the Aus Open, these guys will have some titanic battles in the coming year.
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 14 October 2012 12:16 (eleven years ago) link
From what I watched (and had to switch off after the 2nd set) I felt there was more outpouring of emotion from Andy almost everytime he hit the net. Needs to perhaps re-assert a bit more control in future but I didn't see Lendl about (?)
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 14 October 2012 12:20 (eleven years ago) link
Saw the end of the second set. Murray served for it at 5-4 and was 30-0 up when Nole played a completely ridiculously great point including a mid-rally tweener and finishing with a dropshot winner, and that inspired him to take it into a TB. The TB itself was kinda chokey, Andy was stupidly passive and Nole should have finished it off much sooner but kept letting Andy back in. Left for brunch after that. Oh well, makes a change to see Andy choke the Masters finals and win the big ones lately.
― lex pretend, Sunday, 14 October 2012 12:54 (eleven years ago) link
Watson won her final though! Saving four MPs! The true British talent this week.
I'm quite glad she's keeping her nose in front of Robson and grabbing all the milestones first - Laura's hype outweighs Heather's by so much, it can't be easy being permanently in someone else's shadow.
― lex pretend, Sunday, 14 October 2012 12:55 (eleven years ago) link
I didn't mean accomplishment-wise re: Stosur (I think Myskina and Schiavone probably battle for least accomplished Slam champ). I meant in terms of game.
― lex pretend, Sunday, 14 October 2012 12:56 (eleven years ago) link
congrats Heather Watson!
(btw lex, now I know why I thought you hated Robson; you like Watson more and I misread your posts comparing them)
― The Owls of Ja Rule (DJP), Monday, 15 October 2012 13:44 (eleven years ago) link
yeah, Robson's got the strokes but I'm just less drawn to players who can't run. I like them both though, they've got got v appealing personalities (which is a relief tbh, given how much the British media will go on about them).
Just watched 18-yr-old Margarita Gasparyan give Safarova hell in the Moscow 1R - she's def a name to look out for. 1) Single-handed BH klaxon, 2) a Russian who can somewhat serve shock, 3) SHE HAS BEPA'S HOTT EX-MODEL COACH!
― lex pretend, Monday, 15 October 2012 13:56 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Gtq-TaX1Y
― lex pretend, Sunday, 21 October 2012 10:23 (eleven years ago) link
how she actually won this tournament is beyond me, given that her semifinal against arvidsson (!) was probably the worst match i've ever seen.
hideous outfit, too:
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/dam/assets/121019022329-caroline-wozniacki-epa298-story-body.jpg
― groovemaaan, Sunday, 21 October 2012 11:38 (eleven years ago) link
She looks like an upside-down cupcake.
Stosur is now 3-12 in career finals.
― lex pretend, Sunday, 21 October 2012 12:28 (eleven years ago) link
I can't even imagine what it must be like to be a Stosur fanatic given how many winnable matches she chucks away. I mean, it almost makes me glad that I choose to split my affections between Kvitova and Li who are only morons sometimes.
― neil young & crazy town (edwardo), Sunday, 21 October 2012 13:35 (eleven years ago) link
Also the skirt = Neapolitan ice-cream. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
― neil young & crazy town (edwardo), Sunday, 21 October 2012 13:36 (eleven years ago) link
Yay Venus
Now is a good time to retire btw
― The Owls of Ja Rule (DJP), Sunday, 21 October 2012 15:26 (eleven years ago) link
kmt Tsonga
― lex pretend, Sunday, 21 October 2012 16:06 (eleven years ago) link
serving at *4-5 in the third, you've just saved two MPs like a boss with big serves, and then what do you do? why a FH of stupidity into the tramlines and then a DF on MP, of course
Petra's gonna go 0-3 y'all
I think her fists might actually be made of ham
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 23 October 2012 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
Margarita Gasparyan
Master of the duduk! Right, I'm going to look out for this one.
― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 23 October 2012 16:15 (eleven years ago) link
I took another look at Petra's group and I think lex is OTM
when Petra loses to Errani, I will lol and cheer
― The Owls of Ja Rule (DJP), Tuesday, 23 October 2012 16:21 (eleven years ago) link
Good opening set - Serena opened in shock'n'awe mode, Kerber clawed her way back in, then it was pretty level until Serena broke for the match
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 23 October 2012 16:46 (eleven years ago) link
Ben Rothenberg @BenRothenbergSign in Istanbul: "Serena the Best...since Steffi." Always nice to keep players grounded in historical context with your signs, I guess...
:D
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 23 October 2012 17:03 (eleven years ago) link
lol I just looked at the score, what happened in the second set of Williams-Kerber? Did Serena go "oh FUCK NO" and hulk out or did Kerber fall apart/get unlucky for a very long stretch of time?
― Gandalf’s Gobble Melt (DJP), Tuesday, 23 October 2012 17:37 (eleven years ago) link
there was an amazing game at 1-1 where Kerber went all out on Serena's serve but missed two of her trademark FH DTLs on crucial deuce points (both would have been winners), then she subsided (kept persisting with stupid dropshots). Serena was pretty impenetrable throughout the match - her defence really helped Kerber miss those FHs and continued to be so right until she nearly got broken to love serving for it (but came back to win the game).
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 23 October 2012 17:40 (eleven years ago) link
shot of the year?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2v7e1_sOyE&list=FLDyFht6g9fJa0451t3HYWOw&index=1&feature=plpp_video
― Matt Armstrong, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 08:15 (eleven years ago) link
wow, that tiebreak was insane. kerber wins 13-11!
― groovemaaan, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:37 (eleven years ago) link
lol Petra withdrew? and Stosur took her place?
bring on the 0-3
― Gandalf’s Gobble Melt (DJP), Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:41 (eleven years ago) link
WHY DID I MISS THAT SET
Tuned in just in time to see Vika being her usual classy self
Insane point from Dimitrov in that video btw
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:45 (eleven years ago) link
lulz and in Basel, Bellucci has just taken Federer to a third set
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:46 (eleven years ago) link
kerber is serving so well under pressure
― groovemaaan, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:21 (eleven years ago) link
yessssssss that epic hold. one game away
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:28 (eleven years ago) link
this Wozniacki advert over and over again when the girl isn't even here ;_;
I think you meant "lol"
― Gandalf’s Gobble Melt (DJP), Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:30 (eleven years ago) link
LOLOLOLOLOL @ Azarenka's petulance
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:30 (eleven years ago) link
xp tears of laughter!
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:31 (eleven years ago) link
NOOOOOOO that dropshot nooooo
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:34 (eleven years ago) link