wow, going down to the wire. go Italy!
― charlie h, Sunday, 6 April 2014 12:34 (ten years ago) link
Sure enough, Stan has lost the first set vs Kukushkin.
Ward was extraordinary in the last round vs Querrey but I don't expect him to take more than a set off Seppi.
― Michael Jones, Sunday, 6 April 2014 12:42 (ten years ago) link
To be fair, I think ITA/SUI is the real dream SF and we've got it. (Some bias due to desire to see if court can withstand combined hottttness of Wawrinka and Fognini, suspect it may not.)
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Sunday, 6 April 2014 20:55 (ten years ago) link
Lovely to see Petkovic win her biggest title after everything she'd been through. Experience decided it, for a spell in the first set Cepelova was all over her but once Petko toughed out the set, Cepelova's mental and physical reserves seemed empty apart from the somewhat predictable finishing line wobble/fight. Really a breakthrough week for Cepelova though, she'd broken the top 100 without much hype but even aside from the Serena win, her results this week were a huge step up. Funny to think that last week she lost in an ITF SF (albeit to top seed Erakovic, who isn't a pushover).
― lex pretend, Monday, 7 April 2014 08:04 (ten years ago) link
Cepelova played in that tournament with zero people in her entourage, no guests no coach no trainer.
Looking back it seems like she missed a ton of time last year with injury? Only her second tourney this year.
― Matt Armstrong, Monday, 7 April 2014 11:03 (ten years ago) link
Yeah apparently her coach flew home after Miami to save on expenses.
She was on the Tour fringes last year though didn't miss any time as far as I can tell. Broke through at Wimbledon 2012 (qualified, made R3), ended the year just outside the top 100. 2013 was consolidation mostly, only one Tour QF (Florianopolis) but stayed in the top 100 thanks to a few Slam wins and ITF runs. Charleston was her eighth tournament of 2014 (she already reached the QF in Shenzhen).
I can't believe the Bogota event is still going, it was The Worst WTA Tournament every year for so long, I remember the days when there'd barely be enough top 100 players to fill the seeds. And now, after 16 years, they finally get two top 20 players in Jankovic and Stephens.
― lex pretend, Monday, 7 April 2014 13:37 (ten years ago) link
Yulia Putintseva and Michelle Larcher de Brito are playing each other RIGHT NOW in the QF of a US $25K challenger. And it's not being streamed ;_; ;_; ;_; ;_;
― lex pretend, Friday, 11 April 2014 15:38 (ten years ago) link
Giorgi beats CSN to reach the Katowice final, cool. Pretty consistently good year she's having. Has started playing with slightly more control and it has made a huge difference
― cerealbar, Saturday, 12 April 2014 18:15 (ten years ago) link
Lol
― Matt Armstrong, Sunday, 13 April 2014 00:08 (ten years ago) link
Only saw the last few games of Cornet v Giorgi, they were hilarious enough for the contrast between Cornet's theatrics versus the most expressionless player on tour. So typical of Cornet to win a title having gotten bagelled twice en route (and WTF @ Aga losing that SF)
― lex pretend, Sunday, 13 April 2014 16:47 (ten years ago) link
missed return on MP was pretty heartbreaking. entertaining match though
― cerealbar, Sunday, 13 April 2014 17:08 (ten years ago) link
I see Garcia beat JaJa in Bogota! Truly the week of...one over-achieving and one under-achieving Frenchwoman
― lex pretend, Sunday, 13 April 2014 18:13 (ten years ago) link
Fognini is just the kind of player to bring out Tsonga's inner moron on clay, his touch is so wonderful
― lex pretend, Thursday, 17 April 2014 09:53 (ten years ago) link
Fognini in full rant mode <3 Unfortunately in Italian.
― lex pretend, Thursday, 17 April 2014 10:17 (ten years ago) link
meanwhile in KL, Cagla Buyukakcay has become the first Turkish woman to make a WTA QF. Hilarious moonballing by Majeric in the closing two games to attempt to stave off defeat.
― lex pretend, Thursday, 17 April 2014 10:31 (ten years ago) link
lol, and I turn back to Fognini/Tsonga to find Fognini tanking and getting booed in the third set
― lex pretend, Thursday, 17 April 2014 10:33 (ten years ago) link
great win for ferrer but a pretty awful match
― groovemaaan, Friday, 18 April 2014 12:54 (ten years ago) link
First set of Stan v Raonic was pretty good until halfway through the tie-break in the first when Raonic decided just to hand Stan the set. Rafa v Ferrer was hilariously entertainingly unforced-error central.
― ailsa, Friday, 18 April 2014 13:30 (ten years ago) link
what's up with Djokovic? Fed winning his first Monte Carlo title at 32 would be kind of cool
― cerealbar, Friday, 18 April 2014 17:19 (ten years ago) link
yay all swiss final
― cerealbar, Saturday, 19 April 2014 15:08 (ten years ago) link
Djoker's dealing with a wrist injury. Probably shouldn't have played. Didn't seem to affect him in the first set tho.
― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 19 April 2014 15:53 (ten years ago) link
he was barely competitive in the second set, astonishing that the first set was as high quality as it was given how serious it looked
not really here for Olderer nostalgia
v excited that at 17, Donna Vekic has now made three WTA finals! please win this one, it'll be an uphill battle vs Domi though.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 19 April 2014 16:23 (ten years ago) link
LOL what PR advisor is telling Bouchard that being an awful person will win her fans https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/genie-bouchard-gives-opposing-slovak-fed-cup-bulletin-022356714.html
― lex pretend, Saturday, 19 April 2014 16:40 (ten years ago) link
that is pretty annoying.I like Cirstea's attempt at a mean face here:https://24.media.tumblr.com/29b51e5f0cf1e886422dadcf3c0d3ca5/tumblr_n49jblLeGz1sllw2oo2_500.png
― cerealbar, Saturday, 19 April 2014 17:05 (ten years ago) link
I guess Bouchard is just weird. Better than being fake I guess.
― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 19 April 2014 17:07 (ten years ago) link
it seems fake to me, never heard of her doing it before and it's just the sort of thing some clueless PR would tell her to do - "be MEAN and BAD-ASS like Sharapova and Serena!" or something. Except obv a terrible way to do that.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 19 April 2014 17:10 (ten years ago) link
Sounds like Djokovic will have to miss Madrid
― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 19 April 2014 17:36 (ten years ago) link
At least he doesn't need surgery.
― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 19 April 2014 19:04 (ten years ago) link
Stanimal is all the way back. Had maybe one bad set in the whole tournament. Making it to number 1 isn't out of the question.
― Matt Armstrong, Sunday, 20 April 2014 19:33 (ten years ago) link
Him & Vekic winning titles at the same time made me smile
― cerealbar, Sunday, 20 April 2014 20:23 (ten years ago) link
Felt so appropriate given that they're BFFs <3
The KL final was very high quality, and Vekic displayed mental strength I didn't know she had to take it despite nearly choking that 5-1 lead.
― lex pretend, Sunday, 20 April 2014 21:58 (ten years ago) link
definitely still on the Thiem team, impressive win over Granollers today. Epic game to hold for 1-1 in the decider and then steamrolled. He has such a versatile game, almost Djokovician.
never mind "time to retire", watching Fran these days she's all but already retired. woeful to lose to Beatriz Garcia Vidagany as defending champ in Marrakech. BGV (career high rank 146, current rank 248) now owns two career victories over Slam champions (she beat Clijsters in Marbella 2010). Which is only one fewer than Sloane Stephens.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 April 2014 17:59 (ten years ago) link
nicest story of the day: Kleybanova's win over Tomljanovic today brings her back inside the top 100. Amazing comeback after cancer, hope there's much more of it to come!
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 April 2014 18:03 (ten years ago) link
First triple tie-breaker three-setter in years with Safarova and SHarapova right now. Despite the massive choke in the third set before she got her head back on in the TB the match was pretty fun with positive W/UE stats for both and solid serving.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 22 April 2014 20:45 (ten years ago) link
I don't like to make many BOLD PREDIX with tennis but if Thiem gets a little better on serve I think he's a top 5 player.
― Matt Armstrong, Tuesday, 22 April 2014 20:52 (ten years ago) link
*stares at the shots Barthel tried to hit on MPs*
*gives up*
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 April 2014 22:07 (ten years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bl7sm3wCMAE9TXK.jpg
― Matt Armstrong, Wednesday, 23 April 2014 20:23 (ten years ago) link
That outfit is probably a bigger concern than her loss to Kleybanova. No, it totally is, I mean I love Petra, but why would anyone support someone so talented but so lazy against someone who wants AND deserves success?
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Wednesday, 23 April 2014 23:09 (ten years ago) link
Pavs vs Ma$ha is a pretty awful match
― lex pretend, Thursday, 24 April 2014 13:07 (ten years ago) link
Literally no idea what just happened in the Sweta/Simona match. Halep was basically dominant and hitting all her spots really well until 5-2 up. And then lost 21 of 22 points and the set *blinks*
― lex pretend, Thursday, 24 April 2014 19:25 (ten years ago) link
Almagro about to serve for the match vs Nadal, he's probably not going to win another point now.
― groovemaaan, Friday, 25 April 2014 16:55 (ten years ago) link
well, he was up a break a minute ago and that went quickly
as is this too, it seems
― lex pretend, Friday, 25 April 2014 16:57 (ten years ago) link
i can't believe Almagro shanked two FHs that landed in the service box and Rafa netted that
― lex pretend, Friday, 25 April 2014 16:58 (ten years ago) link
!!!!!!!!
― lex pretend, Friday, 25 April 2014 17:02 (ten years ago) link
wow. first win in 11 attempts
― groovemaaan, Friday, 25 April 2014 17:03 (ten years ago) link
is it foolish to get excited about RG now?
― groovemaaan, Friday, 25 April 2014 17:04 (ten years ago) link
i'm not doing that just yet, 5 sets is a different beast, but...maybe MORE excited than at any point in the past half decade?
― lex pretend, Friday, 25 April 2014 17:06 (ten years ago) link
meanwhile, PEAK SWETA FH!!
― lex pretend, Friday, 25 April 2014 17:54 (ten years ago) link
aside from what it means for Rafa, very happy for Almagro. He has a beautiful game and I hope it helps him perform on the bigger stages.
1-25 vs. Ferrer and Nadal now!
― Matt Armstrong, Friday, 25 April 2014 22:37 (ten years ago) link
Nishikori has played SO WELL this week and it's continuing vs Gulbis now
― lex pretend, Saturday, 26 April 2014 12:08 (ten years ago) link