2011 Australian Open

[Matra1]

Roger Federer is the defending champion (he beat Murray in the final) and on a bit of a high after beating Rafa Nadal in London last month. On the women's side defending champion Serena Williams is not playing.

Caroline Wozniacki is the #1 seed but is yet to win a grand slam.

Already in the first couple of hours of action American Sam Querrey has been eliminated after having a two sets to love lead against Pole Lukasz Kubot. Another American Mardy Fish is in a five set battle as is "the greatest pure athlete in tennis" Gael Monfils.

Edited by: Matra1

 

[Matra1]

Monfils went through despite losing the first two sets to an unknown Dutchman - De Bakker - who had a complete meltdown late in the third set.

Federer and Roddick seem to be cruising in their first round matches. Wozniacki and Sharapova won as well.

 

[Matra1]

Donald Young knocked out 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 by Marin Cilic of Croatia in the first round. Patrick McEnroe said he was disappointed in Young while Aussie Darren Cahill said he'd thought there'd be a chance for an upset in that match. Although Cilic has had a bad year - dropping to #15 in the world - I found that to be an odd statement for Cahill to make. Cilic was a semi-finalist last year and has been top 20 for a few years now whereas Young is ranked #129 in the world and has never made any impact in a grand slam. Unless Cilic was suspected of having an injury or illness of some kind there was nothing about the match-up pointing to a potential upset.Edited by: Matra1

 

[j41181]

My 2000th post!

Lauren Davis, CoCo Vandeweghe, and Melanie Oudin, have all bowed out in the 1st round. There doesn't appear to be a promising White American Female player in the horizon. CoCo is clearly the most intriguing of these 3, since she's got the height (6'1) and build (155 lbs), but she's incredibly raw at the same time. Barring injuries and off court issues, I'd give her 3-5 years to emerge as a top 10 level player.Edited by: j41181

 

[Matra1]

Venus Williams wearing an outfit as trashy as the ones her sister wears.

 

[Matra1]

Wow! Venus just lost the first set to some young girl from the Czech Republic who is ranked, I think, #95 in the world. In the lopsided women's game where even players in the top 20 lose 6-1, 6-1 to top 10 players that is extremely rare.

 

[Matra1]

After losing the first set Venus went off on a medical time out. She came back on limping with a bandage around her leg. Immediately, I smelled a rat. Sure enough, Zahlalova's game dropped while Venus has been playing well since taking the break, winning the next set 6-0. Now she is serving for the match in the third set.

Dick Enberg is all amazed: "Venus is playing better tennis injured than she did before". I think it is called gamesmanship, Dick. She holds her leg and winces when she loses a point yet runs as well as usual during the points.Edited by: Matra1

 

[guest301]

After losing the first set Venus went off on a medical time out. She came back on limping with a bandage around her leg. Immediately, I smelled a rat. Sure enough, Zahlalova's game dropped while Venus has been playing well since taking the break, winning the next set 6-0. Now she is serving for the match in the third set.

Dick Enberg is all amazed: "Venus is playing better tennis injured than she did before". I think it is called gamesmanship, Dick. She holds her leg and winces when she loses a point yet runs as well as usual during the points.

Did Dick Enberg use his famous "oh my" expression at the "miracle" comeback by Venus from her alleged injury? I am rooting for one of the Andy's, Murray or Roddick to win the Open with Murray obviously having the better chance to do so, Roddick seems destined to never win another slam but I am hoping to be proved wrong.

 

[Matra1]

Did Dick Enberg use his famous "oh my" expression at the "miracle" comeback by Venus from her alleged injury?

No, he just said his admiration for her is even greater now than before.

The last three sets of the Federer-Gilles Simon match were fantastic. (Fed advanced...of course). It must have been one of the toughest 2nd round matches Federer has ever had to play. The depth of the men's game is incredible especially when compared to the sorry state of the women's game. Edited by: Matra1

 

[j41181]

The men's game is truly competitive, both Federer and Nadal are beatable if they don't bring their A-game. I don't expect a black player (much less an Asian one) to dominate men's tennis for like ages.

As for women's side, simply pathetic. You'd think with both Williams sisters now in their 30's, (Venus is 31 in June 17, while Serena is 30 in Sept. 26) the younger white generation would quickly overtake them, the opposite was true.

Only the Belgian girls (Clijsters and Henin) have a fair chance of beating these two. Sharapova, despite having 3 Grand Slams, hasn't fared well against the Williams' in recent times. Wozniacki? Won't believe until she beats either Williams in a Grand Slam.

This might be another Grand Slam year for Williams sisters.

I like to be wrong on that one.

 

[Don Wassall]

I turned on ESPN last night, just as Tsonga wasfinishing offsome unranked white player. It was the usual scene -- Tsonga pumping a clenched fist in the air while skipping all over the court like a 6-year-old after winning match point, virtually all the fans standing and also holding their fists high in the air, the announcers repeatedly praising Tsonga for the "joy" he brings to the sport, blah, blah, blah. It was nothing but a perfunctory early round win but one would think Tsonga had just advanced to the finals or even won the tournament.

Tsonga is the 13th seed, hopefully the final 8 men and women will be bereft of "charismatic, super-athletic" types with "room brightening smiles" for the media and DWFs to gush over.

 

[Deadlift]

GO Wawrinka!

 

[j41181]

GO Wawrinka!

7-6, 6-2, 6-3

That was a tennis clinic by Wawrinka, he practically demoralized Monfiels!

It's now business as usual on the men's side!

 

[Deadlift]

Venus RETIRED!!!!!!

 

[j41181]

Venus Williams retires vs. Andrea Pertovic, after injuring her upper thigh. With no Serena also, it's now business as usual for women's tennis!

Score was 1-0 for Petrovic.

 

[Matra1]

GO Wawrinka!

7-6, 6-2, 6-3

That was a tennis clinic by Wawrinka, he practically demoralized Monfiels!

It's now business as usual on the men's side!

It was a very competitive first set which Wawrinka won in a tough tie break that seemed to demoralise Monfiels as he fell apart in the second set. He was run ragged by Wawrinka. Brad Gilbert pointed out that Monfiels had done a lot more running than Wawrinka in the first set and was sucking air early in the second set. I guess even "the greatest pure athlete in tennis" can run out of steam!

 

[Matra1]

As for Venus I guess she really was hurt during the last match. That's her first retirement in over 250 Grand Slam matches. I wonder if her refusal to play any tournaments between Grand Slams led to her injury - ie due to lack of match fitness. Petkovic now plays Sharapova in the fourth round.Edited by: Matra1

 

[Deadlift]

Tsonga is GONE.. upset by a Ukrainian!!

In other news, Cilic defeated Isner in 5 sets. I just watched bits of it.

 

[SeaJim]

Did James Blake show up or did he get knocked out early as well? Wow, seems like all the "affletes" had been defeated. Wish the same were true for football.

 

[Matra1]

The last I heard of Blake he had pulled out of some exhibition match in Australia earlier this month due to an injury. I'm guessing whatever that injury was it kept him out of the Aussie Open. He usually gets eliminated by the 3rd round of slams anyway.

Justine Henin was eliminated the other night by Kuznetsova. Henin's comeback hasn't been as successful as that of Clijsters.

 

[Don Wassall]

No affletes left in the tournament. Fewer upsets than usual so far; Monfils and Tsonga losing are two of the biggest ones, so this has been a blessed tournament so far as ESPN's crew of PC brown-nosers don't have anyone to salivate over for the second half of the tournament.



I'd like to see Clijsters win, and Nadal against Federer would be an epic final as Rafa goes for his fourth straight slam win.

 

[Thrashen]

No affletes left in the tournament.  Fewer upsets than usual so far; Monfils and Tsonga losing are two of the biggest ones, so this has been a blessed tournament so far as ESPN's crew of PC brown-nosers don't have anyone to salivate over for the second half of the tournament.
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<div>I'd like to see Clijsters win, and Nadal against Federer would be an epic final as Rafa goes for his fourth straight slam win.</div>

Clijsters seems like a wonderful woman. She is married to an all-American-type white man, former Villanova basketball player, Brian Lynch. Despite the burden of being one of the best professional tennis players on earth, Clijsters already has one daughter with Lynch and will likely retire and have more children in the near future. I wish her the very best in Australia.

 

[j41181]

Li Na beats Azarenka 6-3, 6-3

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing her win it all. It be nice to see some Asians, regardless of nationality (like Michael Chang) win.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I don't follow tennis closely, but it is nice to see the blacks get eliminated early this year! I agree with Thrashen about Kim Clijsters. I hope she wins it all.

 

[SeaJim]

Li Na beats Azarenka 6-3, 6-3

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing her win it all. It be nice to see some Asians, regardless of nationality (like Michael Chang) win.

Li Na actually looked good, and believe she would have matched up against Venus at some point. But unfortunately that won't happen.

I am rooting for Clisters and Nadal!