Official Australian Open thread - Page 2

Golias · #11 01-25-2009, 06:27 AM

Sorry to hear Leo got eliminated so early. Now I suppose he will go back to his day job translating and editing TNF and his four other poetry sites.

Actually, I didn't know he was expected to win at the Australian Open. Did you go to see him lose, Janet? How about you, Henry? Mark?

G/W

Chris Childers · #12 01-25-2009, 09:44 AM

Great stuff on the men's side. I just watched Djokovic close out Baghdatis; fun match, good tennis. All the men have been playing at such a high level. I watched Fed's first set last night; he was way off. He won because he's Fed, but now he has Del Potro coming up next, who's going to make him work. Talk about playing with confidence; DP's got this big, brutal aura that will not be easy for Fed to break down. Meanwhile Nadal and Murray are just stomping on people; Nadal will run over Gonzo today, no problems there, & Verdasco isn't likely to challenge Murray. In other words, I'm not too optimistic about a Federer championship, which of course is what I'm hoping for. The good news is that Nadal & Murray are on the same side of the draw, and Djokovic is not looking unbeatable.

Jelena Dokic is making the tournament on the women's side, which is pretty thin soup otherwise. None of the top players are really playing all that well; Jankovic & Ivanovic are gone, Serena is sluggish, Dementieva as the "in form" player is looking pretty lackluster, and Safina was really working hard to lose to Cornet & just missed out at the end. It's sort of exciting when top players lose early but it makes for lame stuff later on. But man, Dokic! I might be falling in love. She has gravitas.

Chris

Diane Dees · #13 01-25-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

He won because he's Fed

I thought he won because Berdych is Berdych. If one of the major chokers in tennis hadn't blown those three easy volleys at 3-all in the third, I'm pretty sure he would have taken the match in straight sets.

The women's side will get more interesting. Serena always plays her way into majors, using just enough energy to defeat each opponent. This method has served her well for a long time. Safina simply loves to come from behind, and is damned good at it, though I don't blame her for wanting to find another method for winning. Dementieva is playing the best tennis of her life, and remains a top contender. The only thing that will mess her up is if she has a mental slip. She used to have more mental toughness than almost anyone on the tour, but now she goes back and forth between tough and not-so.

But two players who could definitely spoil the party--Bartoli and Azarenka.

And Jelena Dokic has just stunned everyone in this tournament. I thought she would never, ever be able to get into form again, and just look at her.

Cally, here are my thoughts about JJ.

Chris Childers · #14 01-25-2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diane Dees

I thought he won because Berdych is Berdych. If one of the major chokers in tennis hadn't blown those three easy volleys at 3-all in the third, I'm pretty sure he would have taken the match in straight sets.

There's truth to that. Federer expected to win when he was down; Berdych expected to lose when he was up. That was because each of them is who he is. After the match Federer said he had a five set feeling when he stepped on the court; it was self-fulfilling. But he didn't play well at all and will have to be better to beat Del Potro.

Chris

Cally Conan-Davies · #15 01-25-2009, 03:08 PM

On the other hand, Rafa is on fire. I think he'll win the thing.

Diane, I headed for the blog as soon as I recovered from the shock!

But Dokic is all over this town! There is something about her -- always has been. But now she is a real story. I do understand what you might be falling in love with Chris! She has a quality - a slow burning fire that can blaze, both fragile and frightening - and she has beautiful skin!

The weather for the final week is going to be evil - unrelenting heat - 40C by mid-week. No cool change or rain predicted for the rest of the tournament.

Cally

Go, Fed! Go, Dok!

Chris Childers · #16 01-26-2009, 06:43 AM

Can I just say Wow to what's happening in the men's tournament? All the top 8 seeds through, except Andy Murray. And Fernando Verdasco? Wow. New body, new brain, new game. That game at 3-3 in the fifth, when Verdasco faced break points, especially the last break point, where he bludgeoned about 15 forehands in a row before he could put the ball away? WOW.

Diane Dees · #17 01-26-2009, 10:01 AM

I stayed up and watched that, Chris. Verdasco's serve has improved so much. When I saw him in the Davis Cup final, I thought--finally. Very impressive.

Diane Dees · #18 01-26-2009, 09:54 PM

So did anyone see that doubles match?! Hantuchova/Sugiyama def. Black/Huber--one of the most thrilling doubles matches I've ever seen. H/S down 2-5 in the third, then down 2-6 in the tiebreak. Def. B/H 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.

Chris Hanson · #19 01-27-2009, 08:42 AM

And now Dokic is out, in an ineptly played match against Safina (I mean, inept on both sides--so many double faults).
Djokovic is also out, a victim of heat and his "Phar Lap heart".
Federer was unchallenged against Del Potro.

(edit: The Sydney Morning Herald's online headline read: "Barve Dokic's Open fairytale ends."
I had to laugh. And this was honestly a straight copy-paste.)

Diane Dees · #20 01-27-2009, 09:14 AM

By now, Dokic must have hit herself on the head with a hammer. She only had a hundred chances to totally wipe Safina off the map.

I'll cut Jelena some slack, though--she hasn't really played on the tour for years, and she hasn't played in a major for 5 1/2 years. I cut no slack for Dinara, though--that was pitiful.