US Open 2011 Day 4 Open Thread

Order of Play for Thursday, September 1, 2011 - Singles Only



Arthur Ashe Stadium 11:00



Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Mirjana Lucic(CRO) vs. Francesca Schiavone(ITA)[7]

Not Before:13:00

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Roger Federer(SUI)[3] vs. Dudi Sela(ISR)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Michaella Krajicek(NED) vs. Serena Williams(USA)[28]



Schiavone almost double faulted her way out of the tournament in the first round. Will the comeback Croat find a say to finish her off? Let's see if the streaky Israeli has anything to challenge Federer with and I'm happy to see that the Dutch woman has won another Slam match. She'll win some points on her first serve, but I can't imagine Serena will be troubled.



Arthur Ashe Stadium 19:00



Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[1] vs. Arantxa Rus(NED)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Novak Djokovic(SRB)[1] vs. Carlos Berlocq(ARG)



If this young Dutch woman can hit Kim Clijsters off the court in a Slam, surely she can do the same to Wozniacki, no? I guess we'll find out. Djokovic cruises.



Louis Armstrong Stadium 11:00



Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[11] vs. Jelena Dokic(AUS)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Juan Carlos Ferrero(ESP) vs. Gael Monfils(FRA)[7]

Not Before:15:00

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Malek Jaziri(TUN) vs. Mardy Fish(USA)[8]

Not Before:17:00

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[4] vs. Gisela Dulko(ARG)



The battle of the Jelenas could get entangled. Happy to see Mr. Ferrero win a match and will Dulko's counterpunching trouble Azarenka's one dimension? Fish may have to play four.



Grandstand 11:00



Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Tomas Berdych(CZE)[9] vs. Fabio Fognini(ITA)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Andrea Petkovic(GER)[10] vs. Jie Zheng(CHN)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(FRA)[11] vs. Sergei Bubka(UKR)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Shahar Peer(ISR)[23] vs. Sloane Stephens(USA)



What kind of drama will Fognini bring today or will Berdych blast the crap out of him? Stephens has a chance against Pe'er, but she can't get nervous at all. Tsonga and Petkovic should cruise.



Court 17 11:00



Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Radek Stepanek(CZE)[23] vs. Juan Monaco(ARG)

Not Before:13:00

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Petra Cetkovska(CZE) vs. Ana Ivanovic(SRB)[16]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Bernard Tomic(AUS) vs. Marin Cilic(CRO)[27]

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Vania King(USA) vs. Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS)[29]



Stepanek might be the only comfortable winner on this court. I'd like to see Cetkovska and Tomic pull off the upsets and while I'm not sure where her form is at the moment, King does have a way of deconstructing the games of big, hard-hitting Aussies. We'll see.

Court 13 11:00



Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Alize Cornet(FRA) vs. Roberta Vinci(ITA)[18]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Tommy Haas(GER) vs. Alejandro Falla(COL)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Pauline Parmentier(FRA) vs. Akgul Amanmuradova(UZB)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Marsel Ilhan(TUR) vs. Fernando Verdasco(ESP)[19]



Haas is in the draw? Who knew?



Court 11 11:00



Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Philipp Petzschner(GER) vs. Janko Tipsarevic(SRB)[20]

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Mona Barthel(GER) vs. Chanelle Scheepers(RSA)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Elena Baltacha(GBR) vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova(RUS)[15]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Ivo Karlovic(CRO) vs. Richard Gasquet(FRA)[13]



Pertzschner could more than trouble Tipsarevic and if Karlovic has one more win in him, Gasquet better look out.



Court 4 11:00



Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP) vs. Simona Halep(ROU)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Petra Martic(CRO) vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)[17]

Not Before:13:00

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Marcel Granollers(ESP)[31] vs. Mikhail Kukushkin(KAZ)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Potito Starace(ITA) vs. Nikolay Davydenko(RUS)



Can Halep follow-up?



Court 6 11:00



Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Michael Llodra(FRA)[29] vs. Kevin Anderson(RSA)



Could be a long match, but Llorda should come out on top.



Court 7 11:00



Women's Singles - 2nd Round

Kaia Kanepi(EST)[31] vs. Silvia Soler-Espinosa(ESP)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Alexandr Dolgopolov(UKR)[22] vs. Flavio Cipolla(ITA)



Whatever will be will be.

Wimbledon 2011 Day 1 Open Thread

by Craig Hickman



A tennis fans reads a newspaper as they wait outside the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 20, 2011 in London, England.

::

I'm doing my Wimbledon happy dance right now. I've harvested some sweet strawberries and drenched them in fresh goat cream (delish), and I'm simply delighted that the Crown Jewel of tennis is upon us.

Already, Venus Williams' seeding and assignment to Court 2 are being criticized by Chris Evert, Brad Gilbert and Chris Fowler from ESPN's studio. The 5-time champion is about to take the court.

As per tradition, the defending champion Rafael Nadal is up first on Centre Court against American veteran Micheal Russell.

I'm thinking Jelena Dokic upends Francesca Schiavone today.

The Championships 2011

Intended Order of Play for Monday 20 June 2011

CENTRE - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs Michael Russell (USA)
2. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) [6] vs Jelena Dokic (AUS)
3. Andy Murray (GBR) [4] vs Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP)

COURT 1 - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Alison Riske (USA) vs Vera Zvonareva (RUS) [2]
2. Filippo Volandri (ITA) vs Tomas Berdych (CZE) [6] .
3. Andreas Beck (GER) vs Andy Roddick (USA) [8]

COURT 2 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) vs Venus Williams (USA) [23]
2. Gael Monfils (FRA) [9] vs Matthias Bachinger (GER)
3. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) vs Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [4]
4. Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs Fernando Verdasco (ESP) [21]

COURT 3 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Katie O'Brien (GBR) vs Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN)
2. Potito Starace (ITA) vs Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [14]
3. Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) vs Marin Cilic (CRO) [27]
4. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [15] vs Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)

COURT 12 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Mardy Fish (USA) [10] vs Marcel Granollers (ESP)
2. Shuai Zhang (CHN) vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [12}
3. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) [23]
4. Naomi Broady (GBR) vs Anne Keothavong (GBR)

COURT 18 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) [19] vs Varvara Lepchenko (USA)
2. Richard Gasquet (FRA) [17] vs Santiago Giraldo (COL)
3. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) [24] vs Flavio Cipolla (ITA)
4. LL Stephanie Foretz Gacon (FRA) vs Andrea Petkovic (GER) [11]

COURT 4 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs Michael Berrer (GER)
2. Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs Gilles Simon (FRA) [15]
3. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) [14] vs Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)

COURT 5 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Pablo Andujar (ESP) vs Ryan Sweeting (USA)
2. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) vs Alize Cornet (FRA)
3. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) vs Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN)
4. Irina Falconi (USA) vs Stephanie Dubois (CAN)

COURT 6 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Grega Zemlja (SLO) vs Lukas Lacko (SVK)
2. Tobias Kamke (GER) vs Blaz Kavcic (SLO)
3. Rebecca Marino (CAN) vs Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT)

COURT 7 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Elena Vesnina (RUS) vs Laura Pous-Tio (ESP)
2. Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) vs Julien Benneteau (FRA)
3. Sandra Zahlavova (CZE) vs Iveta Benesova (CZE)
4. Kai-Chen Chang (TPE) vs Marina Erakovic (NZL)

COURT 8 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Shahar Peer (ISR) [22]vs Ksenia Pervak (RUS)
2. Frederico Gil (POR) vs Dudi Sela (ISR)
3. Olivier Rochus (BEL) vs Kenny De Schepper (FRA)

COURT 9 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Anastasia Pivovarova (RUS) 1vs Anna Tatishvili (GEO)
2. Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) vs Igor Sijsling (NED)
3. Jaroslav Pospisil (CZE) vs Victor Hanescu (ROU)

COURT 10 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) vs Pauline Parmentier (FRA)
2. Martin Fischer (AUT) vs Simone Bolelli (ITA)
3. Monica Niculescu (ROU) vs Sybille Bammer (AUT)

COURT 14 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs Milos Raonic (CAN) [31]
2. Christina McHale (USA) vs Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) [28]
3. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) vs Daniel Cox (GBR)
4. Vera Dushevina (RUS) vs Roberta Vinci (ITA) [29]

COURT 15 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs Denis Istomin (UZB)
2. Sara Errani (ITA) vs Kaia Kanepi (EST) [17]
3. Arnaud Clement (FRA) vs Lukasz Kubot (POL)

COURT 16 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) [30] vs Rainer Schuettler (GER)
2. Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) [25] vs Marinko Matosevic (AUS)
3. Vania King (USA) vs Petra Martic (CRO)

COURT 17 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Donald Young (USA) vs Alex Bogomolov Jr (USA)
2. Ayumi Morita (JPN) vs Tamira Paszek (AUT)
3. Vesna Dolonts (RUS) vs Nadia Petrova (RUS)
4. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) [25] vs Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS)

COURT 19 - 12.00 NOON START

Gilles Muller (LUX) vs Tommy Haas (GER)
Jill Craybas (USA) 1vs Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU)
Robin Haase (NED) vs Pere Riba (ESP)

MATCHES TO BE ARRANGED - NOT BEFORE 5.00 PM
Petra Kvitova (CZE) [8] vs Alexa Glatch (USA)
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) [32]vs Camila Giorgi (ITA)

GENTLEMEN AND LADIES SINGLES LUCKY LOSER SIGN-INS CLOSE AT 11:30 AM

The Committee, while adhering as closely as possible to the order of play given, is unable to guarantee that it will be maintained in its entirety. This may result in matches being moved from one court to another. Andrew Jarrett - Referee

Roland Garros 2011 Day 9 Open Thread

Getty

Fans try to obtain autographs at the French Open tennis championship at the Roland Garros stadium, on May 29, 2011, in Paris.

::

More round of 16 matches on the schedule for today.

Li Na will face Petra Kvitova for the second time this season on clay. The result should be the same with the Madrid champion advancing to her first Roland Garros quarterfinal.

Maria Sharapova is going to have to work to beat back Agnieszka Radwanska, but I think she'll ultimately overpower her. Unless, of course, the Rome champion won't reach all those drop shots the one some call the Polish Ninja is sure to shoot her way.

Victoria Azarenka is favored to reach another Slam quarterfinal here, but Ekaterina Makarova has a tendency to upset favored players in Slams.

Maria Kirilenko is quietly doing her thing and now she gets to face one of the tour's most entertaining players in Andrea Petkovic. I have a feeling....

::

Rafael Nadal won't be troubled at all by Ivan Ljubicic, despite looking as though the defending champ is short on confidence.

The way Gilles Simon is playing, I won't be at all shocked if he sends the two-time runner-up home early this year. Yes, Robin Söderling's got all that power, but Simon has the perfect game to use it against him. Both of Simon's victories have come against the Swede in France. Can he make it three?

In the battle of South Americans, I believe Alejandro Falla will dismiss Juan Ignacio Chela. Five sets, no?

If Andy Murray can't run and Viktor Troicki doesn't choke, the Serbian makes his first Slam quarterfinal. That might happen even if Murray is fast as a gazelle, despite their lopsided 3-0 head-to-head. Troicki just seems inspired to me.

Who you got?

Madrid Semifinals Preview

Getty

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates match point over Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic during day seven of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open Tennis on May 6, 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

::

I offer up this drive by before heading out to the field.

Today, we've got a maturing Vika against a red-hot Julia Goerges, who disposed again of the computer's world No. 1 in three sets en route to this semifinal. I'm calling this a toss up, though a Goerges win would be the most exciting. Then we've got a bouncing-back Li Na facing off against a bouncing-back Petra Kvitova. Both these women have struggled since Melbourne, with the younger getting some of her fire back with Fed Cup victories. Both my head and my heart say Petra. I hope her head and heart say the same.

For the men, Rafael Nadal will do what he almost always does to Roger Federer. If it goes three sets, I'll be shocked. And Novak Djokovic should have his way with surprise semifinalist Thomaz "I Can Beat Anybody" Bellucci.

What say you?

Masharenka In Miami

JD Blom

Back in 2009 when Victoria Azarenka defeated a one-legged Serena Williams in the Sony Ericsson Open final, the Belarusian was hailed as the next Maria Sharapova. The 3-time Slam champion and former World No. 1 was struggling with injury and ennui and the WTA seemed to want another ball-bashing, blue-eyed blonde to rule the day.

Didn't quite work out. Azarenka didn't follow her Miami crown with any title of import (despite their premier designation, Stanford and Moscow only have 28 players in the draw so they don't count as big titles in my eyes), never even contesting a Slam semifinal. She's got weapons off the ground, to be sure, but has seemed frail on the biggest stages. Now, she's back in the finals of the fifth Slam and if she takes the title, she'll be back on track, at least in the minds of her fans, to do great things.


JD Blom

But she's got to get through the woman she was supposed to replace. Sharapova is fighting to return to the form that made her a force. Her Australian Open victory in 2008 remains one of the most dominating Slam performances I've ever witnessed from start to finish. Unfortunately, it was the last time we saw Maria at her best. Now, while her fight remains, her serve causes heartburn. She told me in Miami that her shoulder wasn't completely healed, but stable. Stable enough to return here for the first time in three years, and if she can win the fifth Slam, a title she's never won before, her long and arduous comeback will be fully realized.

While both women can struggle on serve, their returns are world-class. Azarenka moves better, Masha's tougher. I suspect there will be a ton of breaks so holds of serve will prove decisive. It will be most interesting to see whom the crowd gets behind, the former champion or the Floridian?

Who's going to take it?

::

Watch the final in the United States on CBS at 12:30 EDT.

Miami Marquee Match Monday: Sony Ericsson Open 2011 Day 7 Open Thread

by Craig Hickman


JD Blom for Tennis Panorama News

Samantha Stosur at the Sony Ericsson Open WTA Roundtable on March 22, 2011 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

::

Day 7 at the Sony Ericsson Open features both world No. 1's Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki, major champions and former world No. 1's Maria Sharapova, on court against Stosur (most engaging player I met in Miami, but more on that some other time) right now, Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic, Kim Clijsters, and the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. Neil Harman tells us storms are in the forecast. Let's hope they blow over.

I, for one, am most interested in Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Happy to see it open the night session on Stadium.

ORDER OF PLAY - MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

STADIUM start 11:00 am
[4] S Stosur (AUS) vs [16] M Sharapova (RUS) - WTA
[1] C Wozniacki (DEN) vs [21] A Petkovic (GER) - WTA

Not Before 2:00 PM
[3] R Federer (SUI) vs [32] J Monaco (ARG) - ATP
[1] R Nadal (ESP) vs F Lopez (ESP) - ATP

Not Before 7:30 PM
[21] A Dolgopolov (UKR) vs [15] J Tsonga (FRA) - ATP

Not Before 9:00 PM
[19] A Ivanovic (SRB) vs [2] K Clijsters (BEL) - WTA

GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
C Berlocq (ARG) vs [7] T Berdych (CZE) - ATP
[Q] O Rochus (BEL) vs [13] M Youzhny (RUS) - ATP
A Medina Garrigues (ESP) vs [6] J Jankovic (SRB) - WTA

Not Before 4:30 PM
[5] F Schiavone (ITA) vs [9] A Radwanska (POL) - WTA
[25] G Simon (FRA) vs P Cuevas (URU) - ATP

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
[WC] S Stephens (USA) / Y Wickmayer (BEL) vs [7] B Mattek-Sands (USA) / M Shaughnessy (USA) - WTA
M Mertinak (SVK) / D Norman (BEL) vs [7] R Bopanna (IND) / A Qureshi (PAK) - ATP
[8] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) vs J Isner (USA) / S Querrey (USA) - ATP
S Stakhovsky (UKR) / M Youzhny (RUS) vs [2] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) - ATP
- WTA

COURT 2 start 11:00 am
S Peng (CHN) vs [26] A Dulgheru (ROU) - WTA
P Petzschner (GER) vs J Tipsarevic (SRB) - ATP
[11] N Almagro (ESP) vs F Mayer (GER) - ATP
[15] M Bartoli (FRA) vs [3] V Zvonareva (RUS) - WTA

Not Before 5:00 PM
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs O Marach (AUT) / J Tipsarevic (SRB) - ATP

COURT 3 start 3:00 pm
A Kleybanova (RUS) / Z Yan (CHN) vs S Peer (ISR) / S Peng (CHN) - WTA
L Dlouhy (CZE) / P Hanley (AUS) vs [4] J Melzer (AUT) / P Petzschner (GER) - ATP

Slideshow: Roger Federer Practice Session

Roger Federer practices with Andy Murray on March 22. Didn't seem to do Murray a whole lot of good. I'm sure Federer won't have much difficulty with Radek Stepanek later today, though the Czech does enjoy playing the world No. 3.

::

Video of practice session

Indian Wells 2011 Finals Preview

It's the computer's World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki against the unconventional No. 15 seed Marion Bartoli in the women's final. The Frenchwoman has kicked the Dane in her teeth before. And vice versa. You would expect the steady pusher to simply outlast the flat hitter who doesn't get around the court so well in straight sets with the loss of just a few games. But never underestimate a flat hitter on a hardcourt who takes the ball earlier than anyone on the tour. If Bartoli plays as well as she did to dismantle Yanina Wickmayer in the semifinals, she can win the title. Will she?

On the men's side, it's Nadjoke XXIV. The World No. 1 vs. the Undefeated One. The way Rafael Nadal turned around his semifinal against Juan Martin del Potro was nothing short of stunning. The way Novak Djokovic defended the court against Roger Federer was nothing short of riveting. Rafa has the head-to-head advantage, Djoke has the most confidence right now. The slow sometimes windy conditions work for both. Rafa's got the vicious topspin, Djoke's got the compact strokes. Will the World No. 1 show who's boss, or will the new World No. 2 remain without loss?

I may not get to watch either match live for I'm in Miami. More about that later.

Enjoy the finals.

Indian Wells 2011 Semifinals Preview

by Craig Hickman

Well, here we are. The ATP is calling it Super Saturday. I'm calling it the BNP Paribas Open semifinals.


Reuters

The most intriguing match is the first semi between reigning World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and comeback giant Juan Martín del Potro, two great players both on the mend from recent injuries. The Argentinean has a tournament win under his belt this year and with that jolt of confidence is playing freer with every match. He bettered Philipp Kohlschrieber in two intense tiebreak sets in the quarters. That kind of clutch tennis will be required if he is to win his first Masters Shield in the desert. (Trivia: can you name any active players who've won Slams before Masters?)

Rafa, on the other hand, who saw his chance at history slip away in the quarterfinals of Melbourne when he fell to compatriot David Ferrer is struggling with confidence. His first serve has deserted him in two high-pressure games this week, the final set breaker against Ivo Karlovic where he needed 4 match points to finally prevail, and serving to stay in the first set with doubles partner Marc Lopez against reigning Olympic Gold Medalists Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka. In the latter, he doubled faulted twice in the game to drop the set.

While the World No. 1 holds a slim 4-3 edge in their head-to-head, the slender giant with the missile forehand has won their last three meetings, all on hardcourts, all in North America. Will Rafa get revenge or will history repeat?

Reuters

Reuters

In the second semifinal, Novak Djokovic, who hasn't lost a match in 2011, faces the World No. 2, who's only won one title in 2011. Head-to-head is 13-8, advantage Raja, though they've split their last 8 meetings, with Djoke winning the last two, both this year. Until struggling to find his rhythm against the looping forehands of Richard Gasquet, Djoke had barely lost any games to advance to the quarters.

Raja's been relatively efficient in his draw as well, but was tested by young American Ryan Harrison in the first set of the 16's to set up a date with his whipping boy doubles partner in the quarters. Simply put, whoever prevails, this match is squarely on Djoke's racquet.

Oh, yeah. And the No. 2 ranking is on the line.

Getty

Indian Wells 2011 Quarterfinals Open Thread

Haven't watched tennis in a few days but I suspect you have. Fill us in.

The quarterfinals are set, and unless MadProfessah gives us one of his great predictions posts, I'll have to wing it.

Nadal over Karlovic
Del Potro over Robredo
Djokovic over Gasquet
Federer over Wawrinka

What say you?

Australian Open 2011 Day 9 Open Thread

Reuters

Fans of Rafael Nadal of Spain cheer during his match against Marin Cilic of Croatia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 24, 2011.

::

If you're a Roger Federer fan, you might want to avert your eyes, for what I'm about to say may cause a mild case of heartburn.

Before the Roddick-Wawrinka match, Raja told the ESPN studio commentators that Wawrinka would have the advantage over Roddick because he had already played a night match while Roddick hadn't.

On another episode, the same commentators declared that the all-Swiss quarterfinal which resulted would obviously be the featured night match, while the all-Eastern-European affair would be contested during the day.

So, using Raja's own thinking, it would seem that a day match for the all-Swiss affair would be an advantage to the defending champion because his compatriot has played his last two matches at night and therefore is playing well within 48 hours of his last match.

I won't even begin to suggest that the organizers asked Raja what he preferred, thereby allowing him to actually choose this advantageous scheduling. Nope. Not at all. Not even for a second.

But he receives the advantage anyway.

Humph.

I hope Peter Lungren has his charge ready to produce an upset in broad daylight.

Order Of Play For Tuesday, 25 January, 2011

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Andrea Petkovic (GER)[30] v. Na Li (CHN)[9]

Not Before:12:30 PM

2. Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)[19] v. Roger Federer (SUI)[2]
3. Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[1] v. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)[6]

Rod Laver Arena 7:30 PM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Tomas Berdych (CZE)[6] v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3]

Australian Open 2011 Day 7 Open Thread

by Craig Hickman


Getty

A fan has his face painted like Shrek in the crowd third round match between Mikhail Youzhny of Russia and Milos Raonic of Canada during day six of the 2011 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia.

::

I've always believed that the fourth round is one of the most difficult rounds to notch a Slam victory, especially if you haven't been this way before, as it is for the Latvian and the German.

You've made it to the second week, a victory automatically makes you a contender for the title, and you'll always be referred to as a Grand Slam quarterfinalist. Kind of like being nominated for an Academy Award.

I'm rooting for three upsets, although I think we might see six. Yesterday seeping into today.

What do you see?

Order Of Play For Sunday, 23 January 2011

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[1] v. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)
2. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Na Li (CHN)[9] v. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[8]
3. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Tommy Robredo (ESP) v. Roger Federer (SUI)[2]

Rod Laver Arena 7:00 PM Start Time
1. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Andrea Petkovic (GER)[30] v. Maria Sharapova (RUS)[14]
2. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Andy Roddick (USA)[8] v. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)[19]

Hisense Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

Not Before:1:00 PM
2. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Nicolas Almagro (ESP)[14] v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3]
3. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[23] v. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)[6]

Margaret Court Arena Not Before 2:30 PM

3. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Tomas Berdych (CZE)[6] v. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)[9]

Australian Open 2011 Day 6 Open Thread

Reuters

The crowd at the Hisense Arena is reflected on the sunglasses of a spectator during the match between Maria Sharapova of Russia and Julia Goerges of Germany at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 21, 2011.

::

On the page, there's only one match I really want to see: the Brisbane Champion vs. the Brisbane Daughter. It better be good.

The rest look like blow outs and boredom. Let's see who can surprise.

Order Of Play For Saturday, 22 January 2011

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Lucie Safarova (CZE)[31] v. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)[2]
2. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP)[32] v. Andy Murray (GBR)[5]
3. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Alize Cornet (FRA) v. Kim Clijsters (BEL)[3]

Rod Laver Arena 7:00 PM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Samantha Stosur (AUS)[5] v. Petra Kvitova (CZE)[25]
2. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Rafael Nadal (ESP)[1] v. Bernard Tomic (AUS)

Hisense Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Robin Soderling (SWE)[4] v. Jan Hernych (CZE)
2. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)[16] v. Iveta Benesova (CZE)
3. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Flavia Pennetta (ITA)[22] v. Shahar Peer (ISR)[10]

Hisense Arena 7:00 PM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Jurgen Melzer (AUT)[11] v. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)[21]

Margaret Court Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Simona Halep (ROU) v. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)[12]
2. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[13]
3. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
John Isner (USA)[20] v. Marin Cilic (CRO)[15]

Show Court 2 11:00 AM Start Time

2. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Richard Berankis (LTU) v. David Ferrer (ESP)[7]
3. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Nadia Petrova (RUS)[13] v. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)

Show Court 3 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)[10] v. Milos Raonic (CAN)
2. Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Shuai Peng (CHN) v. Ayumi Morita (JPN)

Australian Open 2011 Day 4 Open Thread

Reuters

Feliciano Lopez of Spain gets shaved old school by a barber during the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne January 19, 2011.

::

Again, I've highlighted the matches I'd like to see.

Yesterday, kraa was right about the number of upsets among the top 16 seeds. I'll let kraa make the same predictions today.

What say you?

Order Of Play for Thursday, January 20, 2011

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) v. Kim Clijsters (BEL)[3]
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Rafael Nadal (ESP)[1] v. Ryan Sweeting (USA)
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Nadia Petrova (RUS)[13] v. Alicia Molik (AUS)

Rod Laver Arena 7:00 PM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Samantha Stosur (AUS)[5] v. Vera Dushevina (RUS)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) v. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)[21]

Hisense Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Jelena Jankovic (SRB)[7] v. Shuai Peng (CHN)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Bernard Tomic (AUS) v. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)[31]
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) v. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)[2]
4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Robin Soderling (SWE)[4] v. Gilles Muller (LUX)

Margaret Court Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v. Shahar Peer (ISR)[10]
2. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Iveta Benesova (CZE) v. Maria Kirilenko (RUS)[18]
3. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Andreas Seppi (ITA) v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[13]
4. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Lucie Safarova (CZE)[31] v. Klara Zakopalova (CZE)
Not Before:7:00 PM
5. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Illya Marchenko (UKR) v. Andy Murray (GBR)[5]

Show Court 2 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Flavia Pennetta (ITA)[22] v. Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP)
2. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Petra Martic (CRO) v. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)[12]
3. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Santiago Giraldo (COL) v. Marin Cilic (CRO)[15]
4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Michael Russell (USA) v. David Ferrer (ESP)[7]

Show Court 3 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Milos Raonic (CAN) v. Michael Llodra (FRA)[22]
2. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)[26] v. Alize Cornet (FRA)
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)[16] v. Kristina Barrois (GER)
4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
John Isner (USA)[20] v. Radek Stepanek (CZE)

Court 6 11:00 AM Start Time

[B]1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round[/B]
Caroline Garcia (FRA) v. Ayumi Morita (JPN)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)[10] v. Blaz Kavcic (SLO)
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) v. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
David Nalbandian (ARG)[27] v. Richard Berankis (LTU)

Court 7 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Benjamin Becker (GER) v. Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR)

Court 8 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)[24] v. Simona Halep (ROU)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP)[32] v. Eduardo Schwank (ARG)
4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Jurgen Melzer (AUT)[11] v. Pere Riba (ESP)


Court 18 11:00 AM Start Time

2. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) v. Petra Kvitova (CZE)[25]
3. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Jan Hernych (CZE) v. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)[30]

Australian Open 2011 Day 3 Open Thread

by Craig Hickman


Reuters

Spectators watch the match between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Philipp Petzschner of Germany at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 18, 2011. For the first time in his career, the Frenchman won a match down two sets to love.

::

Round two begins.

I've highlighted the matches I'm most interested in seeing, not all for the same reasons. Among them, I see five upsets. At least.

What do you see?

Order Of Play For Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Justine Henin (BEL)[11] v. Elena Baltacha (GBR)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Andy Roddick (USA)[8] v. Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Venus Williams (USA)[4] v. Sandra Zahlavova (CZE)

Rod Laver Arena 7:00 PM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Jelena Dokic (AUS) v. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Gilles Simon (FRA) v. Roger Federer (SUI)[2]

Hisense Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[1] v. Vania King (USA)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) v. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)[9]
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Virginie Razzano (FRA) v. Maria Sharapova (RUS)[14]
4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Ivan Dodig (CRO) v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3]

Margaret Court Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Tomas Berdych (CZE)[6] v. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)
2. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) v. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[8]
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Rebecca Marino (CAN) v. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)[6]
4. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Na Li (CHN)[9] v. Evgeniya Rodina (RUS)

Not Before 7:00 PM

5. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Frederico Gil (POR) v. Gael Monfils (FRA)[12]

Show Court 2 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Arantxa Rus (NED) v. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[23]
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Benoit Paire (FRA) v. Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)[17]
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Vesna Manasieva (RUS) v. Marion Bartoli (FRA)[15]
4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)[19] v. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)

Show Court 3 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Mardy Fish (USA)[16] v. Tommy Robredo (ESP)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Nicolas Almagro (ESP)[14] v. Igor Andreev (RUS)
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)[21] v. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)
4. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Anne Keothavong (GBR) v. Andrea Petkovic (GER)[30]

Court 6 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Florian Mayer (GER) v. Kei Nishikori (JPN)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Robin Haase (NED) v. Juan Monaco (ARG)[26]
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL)[32] v. Monica Niculescu (ROU)

Court 7 11:00 AM Start Time

4. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Albert Montanes (ESP)[25] v. Xavier Malisse (BEL)

Court 8 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) v. Lukasz Kubot (POL)
2. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) v. Richard Gasquet (FRA)[28]
3. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Kaia Kanepi (EST)[20] v. Julia Goerges (GER)

Court 18 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Regina Kulikova (RUS) v. Chanelle Scheepers (RSA)
2. Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Alberta Brianti (ITA) v. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)[29]
3. Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Viktor Troicki (SRB)[29] v. Nicolas Mahut (FRA)

Australian Open 2011 Day 1 Open Thread

Getty


A worker drives a mobile lawnmower past a sign for the Australian Open tennis tournament outside the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on January 16, 2011.

::

The first Slam of the season is here.

A few first-round matches I'd like to see: Tamirine Tanasugarn vs. Maria Sharapova; Janina Wickmayer vs. Jarmila Groth; Fabio Fognini vs. Kei Nishikori; and Frank Dancevic vs. Richard Gasquet.

Anybody sense any upsets, big or small, on the horizon?

Order Of Play For January 17, 2011

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) v. Maria Sharapova (RUS)[14]
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[1] v. Gisela Dulko (ARG)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Lukas Lacko (SVK) v. Roger Federer (SUI)[2]

Rod Laver Arena 7:00 PM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)[21] v. Jarmila Groth (AUS)
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Marcel Granollers (ESP) v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3]

Hisense Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Thiemo de Bakker (NED) v. Gael Monfils (FRA)[12]
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Andy Roddick (USA)[8] v. Jan Hajek (CZE)
3. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Venus Williams (USA)[4] v. Sara Errani (ITA)
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Justine Henin (BEL)[11] v. Sania Mirza (IND)

Margaret Court Arena 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Arantxa Parra Santonja (ESP) v. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)[6]
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)[28] v. Regina Kulikova (RUS)
3. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Zuzana Ondraskova (CZE) v. Jelena Dokic (AUS)
4. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Peter Luczak (AUS) v. Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)[17]

Margaret Court Arena 7:00 PM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Rainer Schuettler (GER) v. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)[9]

Show Court 2 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Lukasz Kubot (POL) v. Sam Querrey (USA)[18]
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Na Li (CHN)[9] v. Sofia Arvidsson (SWE)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Tomas Berdych (CZE)[6] v. Marco Crugnola (ITA)
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Kathrin Woerle (GER) v. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[8]

Show Court 3 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) v. Olivia Rogowska (AUS)
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Mardy Fish (USA)[16] v. Victor Hanescu (ROU)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)[19] v. Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS)
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Alison Riske (USA) v. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[23]

Court 5 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) v. Alberta Brianti (ITA)
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Ryan Harrison (USA) v. Adrian Mannarino (FRA)
3. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Jill Craybas (USA) v. Andrea Petkovic (GER)[30]
4. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Nicolas Almagro (ESP)[14] v. Stephane Robert (FRA)

Court 6 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Julien Benneteau (FRA) v. Juan Monaco (ARG)[26]
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Rebecca Marino (CAN) v. Junri Namigata (JPN)
3. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Tathiana Garbin (ITA) v. Marion Bartoli (FRA)[15]
4. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) v. Gilles Simon (FRA)

Court 7 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) v. Monica Niculescu (ROU)
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)[23] v. Florian Mayer (GER)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Tommy Robredo (ESP) v. Somdev Devvarman (IND)
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Anne Keothavong (GBR) v. Arina Rodionova (RUS)

Court 8 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Fabio Fognini (ITA) v. Kei Nishikori (JPN)
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Elena Vesnina (RUS) v. Virginie Razzano (FRA)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Frank Dancevic (CAN) v. Richard Gasquet (FRA)[28]
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v. Arantxa Rus (NED)

Court 10 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Julia Goerges (GER) v. Edina Gallovits - Hall (ROU)
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Pablo Andujar (ESP) v. Xavier Malisse (BEL)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) v. Andrey Golubev (KAZ)
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Jamie Hampton (USA) v. Elena Baltacha (GBR)

Court 11 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Frederico Gil (POR) v. Pablo Cuevas (URU)
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Tamira Paszek (AUT) v. Vania King (USA)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Flavio Cipolla (ITA) v. Benoit Paire (FRA)
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Polona Hercog (SLO) v. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)

Court 13 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Angelique Kerber (GER) v. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)[29]
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) v. Tobias Kamke (GER)
3. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) v. Aravane Rezai (FRA)[17]
4. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v. Ivan Dodig (CRO)

Court 14 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) v. Daniel Brands (GER)
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Karolina Sprem (CRO) v. Chanelle Scheepers (RSA)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Brian Dabul (ARG) v. Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
4. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Vesna Manasieva (RUS) v. Laura Pous-Tio (ESP)

Court 18 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Kaia Kanepi (EST)[20] v. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK)
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL)[32] v. Pauline Parmentier (FRA)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Viktor Troicki (SRB)[29] v. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)
4. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Mischa Zverev (GER) v. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)

Court 19 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Carlos Berlocq (ARG) v. Robin Haase (NED)
2. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Sandra Zahlavova (CZE) v. Renata Voracova (CZE)
3. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Igor Andreev (RUS) v. Filippo Volandri (ITA)

Court 21 11:00 AM Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Michal Przysiezny (POL) v. Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)
2. Men's Singles - 1st Round
Albert Montanes (ESP)[25] v. Dustin Brown (GER)
3. Women's Singles - 1st Round
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) v. Andrea Hlavackova (CZE)

The Best Organic Surface Player

by peytonallen


Getty

The Joker was overcome by nerves. He rarely went for his shots which was surprising. He seemed content to just get balls back in play and hope Tomas [Berdych] missed. [Novak Djokovic] seemed swallowed whole by the occasion. Hats off to Berdych. Nice to see a new face in a slam final.

AP

Not sure how much of a chance he has Sunday. I said earlier this year [Rafael] Nadal's comeback wouldn't start until he got back onto the salt of the Earth. He seems poised to take the Euro double again and as Craig said he's hands down the best organic surface player, maybe since Borg. It's stunning to think about the '07 Wimby final, or even the '06. He's a few points away from going for his 3rd or 4th title right now.

For as much talk about the future of tennis being giant men flinging new age rackets with ease, there's a great percentage the first three slams of the year will still be won by Nadal and Roger Federer.

I don't think the second semifinal was as close as the score indicated. [Andy] Murray served out of his head to keep both sets close. But really for three sets once the rally was even it was all Nadal all day. He brutalized Murray with that lefty forehand. Down the line, hooked cross-court, the depth, the power, the sheer confidence the stroke was hit with today was stunning.

Nobody moves as well on grass as Nadal does right now, and maybe nobody volleys as well. From ball one he was the aggressor.

AP

Andy did not play poorly, but its clear he doesn't have a weapon off the baseline. I agree with [graf_sampras], it's a great crowd and they deserve to have a champion and one day Andy will take home a Major title, but right now he's simply not in the same grass court league as Rafa is in.

I don't think a lot of pundits really realize how great Nadal is on this surface. The crew, sans Bee Jay [Brad Gilbert] (quiet Craig), all went with Murray. And I don't see NBC pushing the story of Rafa engaging in a true defense of his title. What if he played last year? What if they had a roof in '07? I know tennis can write a different history with 'what if's' but Rafa has been the best player at this event for some time now. If he wins Sunday will people finally admit as much?

Berdych has a puncher's chance, but Rafa has improved with every match, and when he unleashed the running, leaping fist pump in round 2 I knew he was locked in mentally. He wants this title and Sunday he gets it.


AP

Wimbledon 2010 Middle Sunday Tirade

by Craig Hickman


Getty

Not a tirade at all. Just a bit of melodrama to perk up your ears. Not as though I have a whole lot to say, mind you. But it's Wimbledon. My favorite tournament. I ought to, no?

It was an eventful week. The Queen of England made a rare appearance. Defending champion Roger Federer almost lost in the first round. (Lleyton Hewitt had to be praying.) Victoria Azarenka keeps proving me right. Andy Roddick keeps proving me wrong. Victor Hanescu was defaulted after losing his mind because a fan was allowed to keep insulting his sick mother and he wasn't having it. Svetlana Kuznetsova's slide continues. Unheralded 29-year-old Jurgen Melzer is into the second week of a Slam for the second consecutive Slam for the first two times is his career. Unheralded 23-year-old Jarmila Groth is into the second week of a Slam for the second consecutive Slam for the first two times in her career. And John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played such a legendary match that it ended up as the No. 1 segment on Countdown with Keith Olbermann after it finally finished 70-68 in the final set. 70-68.

I still can't wrap my mind around that.


I can wrap my mind around this, though: the round of 16 match between Tsvetana Pironkova and Marion Bartoli steals the show for the most anticipated round of 16 match in either draw.

I'm serious.

See, Pironkova is a pit bull who can hit the cover off the ball as well as anyone. But she's frail. Unless she's not. Then, she'll kick you in your teeth no matter what your name. Love. That.

Getty

Bartoli is, well, Bartoli. Grass is her favorite surface. When's she's firing on all cylinders, well. I will never forget the way she tore apart Justine Henin the last time Henin played this event back in oh-seven. I'll never forget the extended ovation the fans extended to a player who put on one of the best grass-court displays for the better part of two sets that the stadium had ever seen. I'll never forget how I felt that I'd just seen something utterly remarkable.
,
I'm serious.

Not because I think it takes some superhuman feat to beat Henin on grass. It doesn't. But the way Bartoli went about it can only be appreciated for its remarkability in the witnessing. I really can't begin to describe it.

I understood the fan's extended ovation.

So.

If both of these players bring their A-games and compete as though their egos depend upon it, then we're in for something special. Remarkable. Unpredictable.

If I had to pick a match on the men's side that had the potential to produce the kind of fireworks mentioned above, I would pick, half-halfheartedly, the tussle between Paul-Henri Mathieu and Rafael Nadal. Though I do find it intriguing that Federer and Melzer have never played before....

This is your Wimbledon 2010 Day 7 Open Thread.

Getty

Order of Play for Monday 28 June 2010

CENTRE - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Roger Federer (SUI) [1] vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT) [16]
2. Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [16]
3. Sam Querrey (USA) [18] vs Andy Murray (GBR) [4]

COURT 1 - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Kim Clijsters (BEL) [8] vs Justine Henin (BEL) [17]
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) [3] vs Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) [15]
3. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) vs Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2]

COURT 2 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Jarmila Groth (AUS) vs Venus Williams (USA) [2]
2. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [3] vs Petra Kvitova (CZE)
3. Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) vs Andy Roddick (USA) [5]

COURT 12 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Vera Zvonareva (RUS) [21] vs Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [4]
2. Julien Benneteau (FRA) [32] vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [10]
3. Robin Soderling (SWE) [6] vs David Ferrer (ESP) [9]

COURT 18 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Na Li (CHN) [9] vs Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [7]
2. Tomas Berdych (CZE) [12] vs Daniel Brands (GER)

COURT 5 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) vs Marion Bartoli (FRA) [11]
2. Klara Zakopalova (CZE) vs Kaia Kanepi (EST)

Roland Garros 2010 Day 10 Order Of Play

Getty

Spain's Nicolas Almagro eyes the ball after hitting a forehand to Spain's Fernando Verdasco during their men's fourth round match in the French Open tennis championship at the Roland Garros stadium, on May 31, 2010, in Paris.

::

We have arrived at the final eight. MadProfessah has posted his predictions and we'll talk about them here as the action unfolds.

Conventional wisdom states that Elena Dementieva is the best active player on the WTA never to have won a slam. I reject that. That honor goes to Miss Nadia Petrova. No, she's never been to a Slam final, never won an Olympic Gold, but she has the most talent and most complete game of the non-Slam winners in the women's field. And she can serve. We know what her deadliest weakness is and I, for one, am hoping she can smother it this week and make her first Slam final.

I'm also rooting for Francesca Schiavone, one of the most imaginative players on the tour who fights to the bigger end. She'll have her work cut out for her against the backboard that his Caroline Wozniacki, but if the veteran can frustrate the youngster enough, she'll advance to her first Slam semifinal in the latter days of her career. What a story that would be.

As for the men, it probably goes without saying but I'll say it anyway: I wanna see Robin Söderling play Tomas Berdych in the semifinals. Let it be, let it be.

Schedule for Day 10: Tuesday, 1 June 2010

Court Philippe Chatrier 14:00 Start Time
1. Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Francesca Schiavone (ITA)[17] v. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[3]
2. Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Robin Soderling (SWE)[5]
3. Men's Doubles - Fourth Round
Marc Lopez (ESP)/Pere Riba (ESP) v. Wesley Moodie (RSA)/Dick Norman (BEL)[4]

Court Suzanne Lenglen 14:00 Start Time
1. Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Elena Dementieva (RUS)[5] v. Nadia Petrova (RUS)[19]
2. Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Tomas Berdych (CZE)[15] v. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)[11]
3. Men's Doubles - Fourth Round
Lukasz Kubot (POL)/Oliver Marach (AUT)[6] v. Daniel Nestor (CAN)/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)[2]

Court 1 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Doubles - Fourth Round
Lukas Dlouhy (CZE)/Leander Paes (IND)[3] v. Mariusz Fyrstenberg (POL)/Marcin Matkowski (POL)[8]
2. Women's Doubles - Fourth Round
Monica Niculescu (ROU)/Shahar Peer (ISR) v. Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)[2]
3. Mixed Doubles - Third Round
Vania King (USA)/Christopher Kas (GER) v. Tathiana Garbin (ITA)/Marcin Matkowski (POL)
4. Women's Doubles - Fourth Round
Kveta Peschke (CZE)/Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)[12] v. Alona Bondarenko (UKR)/Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR)

Court 2 11:00 Start Time
1. Men's Doubles - Fourth Round
Marcelo Melo (BRA)/Bruno Soares (BRA) v. Julian Knowle (AUT)/Andy Ram (ISR)[10]
2. Girls' Singles - Second Round
Nastja Kolar (SLO)[4] v. Charlene Seateun (FRA)
3. Mixed Doubles - Third Round
Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)/Julian Knowle (AUT) v. Cara Black (ZIM)/Leander Paes (IND)[2]

Roland Garros 2010 Women's Quarterfinals

By MadProfessah

Here are my predictions for the women's quarterfinals at Roland Garros this year.

Serena Williams USA (1) vs. Samantha Stosur AUS (7) Justine Henin BEL (22). For the second year in a row, the winner of the tournament will be decided in the quarterfinal in which Serena Williams competes. Last year, Serena lost a nervy, tension-filled (frankly, ugly) quarterfinal match to eventual champion, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. This year instead of playing the 4-time Roland Garros champion Henin (who had a 24-match winning streak since Tathiana Garbin beat the 2003 defending champion in the second round at this tournament in 2004) Serena will face last year's semifinalist Samantha Stosur. The Serena-Justine showdown had been the most anticipated match on either side of the draw, even in a section of the draw called the "quarter of death" by Brad Gilbert. However, thanks to the hard-hitting, brilliant-serving Sam Stosur, that storyline is now dismissed from the tournament. Serena and Sam have only played four times (all on hard courts) with Stosur winning once, in Stanford last year. Serena is a woman on a mission, and will not be denied her chance to reach another Roland Garros final. PREDICTION: Serena in 3 sets.

Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ vs. Jelena Jankovic SRB (4). Surely Jelena Jankovic is too strong a defensive player to go through her entire career without winning a major? She made it to the 2008 U.S. Open final (losing to Serena in two close sets) but I believe that it is clay where her particular skills should be rewarded the most. Following that first major final Jankovic fell into a major downward spiral (although not as precipitous a decline as her Serbian countrywoman Ana Ivanovic, who although she possesses the 2008 French Open title still does not own a reliable second (or first) serve.) Jankovic has played well on clay this year, having beaten both Williams sisters on her way to the Rome final (which she lost). She should seize on the good fortune of not being in the "quarter of death" and sneak into her second major final. PREDICTION: Jankovic in 2 sets.

Francesca Schiavone ITA (17) vs. Caroline Wozniacki DEN (3). Wozniacki can regain the World #2 ranking by getting to the final, although I suspect her current Italian opponent and future Russian opponent will do their best to help maintain Venus Williams' hold on that position. This is the veteran Schiavone's 4th career quarterfinal, her second in Paris since reaching that lofty height in her debut at the tournament in 2001. The young Dane had never been past the 4th round of a major despite being on the tour for 3 years until her major breakthrough in New York (over Svetlana Kuznetsova in one of the very best matches of 2009) last year, where she lost the final to Kim Clijsters. In these clashes between wily veteran and talented youngster it is often the older player who comes out the loser because they more viscerally understand the significance (and rarity) of the moment and I expect this case to be no different. Youth will be served, again. PREDICTION:Wozniacki in 2 sets.

Elena Dementieva RUS (5) vs. Nadia Petrova RUS (19) Venus Williams USA (2). Oh, Venus! After getting past her 3rd Round Roland Garros jinx easily she meekly went out to the hard-hitting, mentally fragile Petrova on a cold wet day in straight sets, losing to someone she had never lost to on any surface. Sigh. Soon to turn 30 years-old, and for once blessed with a draw that had all the deadliest players in the other half for once, Venus couldn't keep it together long enough to make another deep run at the clay major, despite having amassed a very good record on clay this year. Petrova has always done well in Paris, first breaking through here at age 17 into the semifinals in 2003. Her opponent, Elena Dementieva, has quietly snuck through the draw, losing only one set in a tiebreak to Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, with almost no one discussing her chances despite being a finalist here in 2004 and having played the best women's match on tour last year. Matches between the Russians are very often hideous, tight affairs with one player losing worse than the other instead of one player winning decisively. That's what I expect to see in this match. Head-to-head there's not much between these two, they are tied 7-7 in career matches, 2-2 in clay court matches and 1-1 in grand slam matches. Petrova has won exactly 2 major quarterfinal matches before, here in Paris, while the 6-month-older Dementieva has won 8 major quarterfinals, although only one in Paris. PREDICTION: Dementieva in 3 sets.