US OPEN 2011: Men's Semifinals Preview

The Fabulous Four meet again:
Djokovic (1) v Federer (3), Nadal (2) v Murray (4)

by Mad Professah, contributing writer

This year I correctly predicted 3 of 4 men's quarterfinals and 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals. Last year I correctly predicted 2 of 2 women's semifinals and 2 of 2 men's semifinals.

Here are my predictions for the men's semifinals, with the women's semifinals preview also available.


Novak Djokovic SRB (1) v. Roger Federer SUI (3). This is of course a repeat of last year's instant classic Men's semifinal won by Djokovic after saving 2 consecutive match points in the 5th set. The question is, will this year's result be the same as last year's? Arguably, Djokovic is playing much better now than he did then, but so is Federer. (But clearly Djokovic's improvement over 2010 is larger than Federer's.) Is the fact that Federer is one year older (and now over 30, playing someone who is 24) more significant than the fact that he is the only player to have beaten Djokovic in a best of 5 set match all year? Or is the Serb's juggernaut record of 62-2 for the year more salient? Amazingly, Federer and Djokovic have met during the last weekend of the US Open for the last 5 years and Federer is 3-1 so far (including one final, in 2007). In fact, the Swiss great leads their career head-to-head 14-9, but has lost three times to Djokovic on hard courts this year (including the 2011 Australian Open semifinal where Federer was defending champion). In New York, Federer has actually had the toughest draw of the Top 4 players, facing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (11) and Marin Cilic (27). Djokovic has had a much easier time with two retirements in his first 5 rounds and a double-bagel match.  Djokovic's competition has been Nikolay Davydenko, Aleksandr Dolgopolov and an inspired Janko Tipsarevic. Interestingly, his matches have gotten tighter (in the score) as the tournament progresses, while Federer has basically played at the level he needs to win, relative to whoever is on the other side of the net. As most readers know, I am a decided Federer fan and when I started this write-up I intended to make a clear call for The Greatest Of All Time. I'm convinced he can win this match, but I am unsure as to whether he will. Doing the research for this piece has shown me that Djokovic is more likely to win this match, and the title. However, if Federer comes out early playing the kind of tennis he played against Tsonga and Juan Monaco I believe he can win in straight sets. Regardless, I doubt it will match last year's semifinal's shot-making and drama. MadProfessah's pick: Federer in 3 sets OR Djokovic in 4 or 5.

 Andy Murray GBR (4) v. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). Nadal holds a significant 12-4 career head-to-head over Murray, including a slight 4-3 edge on hard courts. However, their more recent matches on hard courts have been very close, with the most famous being their electric 3-set thriller at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in 2010, won by Nadal. In matches at the majors, Nadal leads 5-2 but at the 2010 Australian Open Murray was beating the Spaniard like a drum in the quarters when Nadal pulled the ripcord and retired from the match. However, I think what matters most is the match-up today and how they have been playing to date in New York. Nadal has had to get through Andy Roddick (21), David Nalbandian and Gilles Muller. Murray has had to get past John Isner (28), Donald Young and Feliciano Lopez (25). Really both players have had a relatively easy path to the semifinals, although Murray had to survive a 5-set scare against talented Robin Haase in the second round. The Brit is clearly starting to cement his "Fab 4" status, by making the semifinals or better of every major played in 2011(something Djokovic has also managed for the first time this year while Nadal has only done it once, in 2008 and Federer did for five consecutive years in a row from 2005 and 2009). He is showing his consistency and letting his innate talent shine through. Murray also has confidence, being one of two players to have defeated Djokovic in 2011, something Nadal hasn't done. I believe Murray is going to do something he hasn't done before (and which a lot of people don't expect him to do), and beat Nadal in a major semifinal. MadProfessah's pick: Murray in 3 or 4 sets OR Nadal in 5.

US OPEN 2011: Men's Quarterfinals and R16 Preview

BY MAD PROFESSAH


Due to a complete rain out of play on Tuesday September 7 the men's draw has been thrown into disarray. Because the US Open is the only major which does not have a day off between the semifinals and final, losing a day in which quarterfinals were supposed to be played complicates things dramatically.

Last year I correctly predicted 4 of 4 2010 men's quarterfinals and 4 of 4 2010 women's quarterfinals.
My predictions for the 2011 women's quarterfinals are also available. Below are my predictions for the two of the 2011 men's quarterfinals hat are set (and four of the Round of 16 matches).

The plan for today, Day 10 of the 2011 US Open, is to both finish off playing the last four round of 16 matches (which just happens to feature three American players: John Isner, Donald Young and Andy Roddick) AND the first two men's quarterfinals, on the same day.

Novak Djokovic SRB (1) v. Janko Tipsarevic SRB (20). The World #1 has only lost two matches all year long, and is having one of the all-time great seasons, with a record of 61 win, 9 tournament titles (including 2 majors). It's true that Djokovic almost lost his first set of the tournament in difficult conditions against the funky game of Aleksandr Dologopolov but that does not reflect any diminution in his powers. Tipsarevic is a player whose game Djokovic knows well, since they are from the same country and are fellow Davis Cup team members. Tipsarevic is a very smart player and knows how to be dangerous but it is very doubtful he can end Djokovic's streak in his very first major quarterfinal appearance unless Novak is having a very very bad day. PREDICTION: Djokovic.


 Roger Federer SUI (3) v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (11). This is the best potential quarterfinal match up and should probably be the best match of this action-packed day. Federer is in his jaw-dropping 30th consecutive major quarterfinal while Tsonga is in his 6th quarterfinal of his career, and his first in New York City, a major which Federer has won more times (5) than Tsonga has been in the draw (4). Because of his injuries and absences from the sport Federer and Tsonga have only met 7 times, 4 of which have come this year, with 2 wins each. However, Tsonga has won the last two times they played, including an amazing result at Wimbledon where he came from 2-sets down to beat Roger in 5, the first time ANYONE had ever done that at a major tournament, let alone on Roger's best surface of grass (which is probably also Tsonga's best surface). So clearly Tsonga now does have the game to beat Roger and can do it if he is playing his best while Roger is not. Happily for Federer, the Swiss showed that he still has some of his best tennis left in him when he dismantled Juan Monaco 6-1 6-2 6-0 in a late-night match prior to Tuesday's deluge. Federer also enjoys a challenge, as evidenced by his glee in handling Djokovic his first loss of the year in Paris to end the Serb's undefeated season. I believe tonight's match will be very close, almost definitely 4 or 5 sets, with Federer coming through for a rematch with Djokovic in the semifinals on Saturday. PREDICTION: Federer.


The following fourth round matches are also being completed today.

Gilles Simon FRA (12) v. John Isner USA (28). For the second round in a row French counterpuncher Simon is taking on a giant, huge serving player. Simon was able to dismiss 6'6" 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in four sets on Sunday (which I watched from the fourth row courside in Armstrong) while 6'9" John Isner was able to overcome stiff resistance from speedy Alex Bogomolov, Jr. Simon is a much better player than Bogomolov and unless Isner plays very well, he will face the same fate as Del Potro.This is the match where Isner needs to prove he is not just (in the words of Roger Federer, about another huge-serving American) "a great server" but a great player. Having also seen Isner play close up (from first row courtside in Armstrong) I would say he is not yet a great player, though he is a great competitor. That might be enough against the Frenchman, but I doubt it. PREDICTION: Simon.


Donald Young USA v. Andy Murray GBR (4). Amazingly, the young African American phenom has a win this year over a player named Andy Murray. However, that Andy Murray was recovering from his 3rd consecutive major final loss and is not the same player who handed new World #1 Novak Djokovic only his second loss of the season a few short weeks ago in Cincinnati. Young has finally lived up to his potential to reach the last 16 of a major tournament for the first time, beating 2 seeded players Juan Ignacio Chela (24) and Stanislas Wawrinka (14). By reaching the 4th round Young will receive the largest paycheck of his career. Hopefully he uses it wisely to invest in his game so that his 2011 US Open results are just the beginning of good results and not a fluke. PREDICTION: Murray.


David Ferrer ESP (5) v. Andy Roddick USA (21). This is the toughest match for me to predict in this round. I have not been that impressed with Roddick'splay and I haven't seen a single point of Ferrer's. But I know the Spaniard is always a rough customer, and against Roddick he leads their career head-to-head 5-3 including two crucial Davis Cup wins for Spain over USA (one from 2011). Presumably, Roddick will try and turn this encounter into a home court advantage Davis Cup match as well, but can his 29-year-old game match up to Ferrer's feistiness? PREDICTION: Ferrer.


Gilles Muller LUX v. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). Nadal will be interested in making a statement about his fitness after the world saw him cramping up after a press conference after his last match. Muller will be lucky to win a handful of games in each of the three sets played. PREDICTION: Nadal.

Memphis Tennis

AP

Andy Roddick of the United States returns a shot to Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships tennis tournament February 17, 2011.

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Can't get a feed to work to watch any of the matches at this event. Maybe next year, I'll go down to my father's old stomping ground and check out the tournament live.

Men's Singles - Second Round
[1] A Roddick (USA) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 61 76(8)
[5] S Querrey (USA) d B Dabul (ARG) 63 76(3)
L Hewitt (AUS) d A Mannarino (FRA) 67(9) 75 60
[Q] M Russell (USA) d F Serra (FRA) 64 64
[WC] J Del Potro (ARG) d I Dodig (CRO) 64 64
[WC] M Raonic (CAN) d R Stepanek (CZE) 64 67(10) 76(1)

Wonder how many match points Raonic had in the second set tiebreak?

Good day at the office for American men.

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Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
(6) Rebecca Marino (CAN) d. Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 61 76(6)
Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) d. (Q) Heather Watson (GBR) 63 64
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) d. Ksenia Pervak (RUS) 64 63
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. (Q) Alexa Glatch (USA) 63 62

American women can't even win events at this level.

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Doubles - Quarterfinals
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) d [WC] R Harrison (USA) / A Roddick (USA) 75 76(5)
[3] M Knowles (BAH) / M Mertinak (SVK) d M Melo (BRA) / B Soares (BRA) 36 63 14-12
[4] E Butorac (USA) / J Rojer (AHO) d J Del Potro (ARG) / R Stepanek (CZE) 64 62
K Anderson (RSA) / A Fisher (AUS) d J Isner (USA) / S Querrey (USA) 62 75

Not a good day for American men's doubles teams.

::

Women's Doubles - Quarterfinals
Pervak/Senoglu (RUS/TUR) d. (1) Voracova/Zahlavova Strycova (CZE/CZE) 60 63
(4) Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) d. (WC) Hampton/Oudin (USA/USA) 61 61

Drive By

Tennis in 2011 feels hot.

Rafa is apparently playing sick. Makes you wonder what for. Raja is licking his chops.

Djoke and AnaI are tearing up the Hopman Cup.

Kevin Anderson is in an ATP semifinal. Raise your hand if you remember who he is and when he was last this far. AndyR next.

Is Tipsy about to win something?

And why is Maria losing to Greta Arn?

Serbia Wins Davis Cup, Makes History

by Craig Hickman


Reuters

Serbia's team captain Bogdan Obradovic and members Nenad Zimonjic, Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki (L-R) raise up the Davis Cup trophy in Belgrade December 5, 2010.

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Relative to other tennis powerhouses, Serbian tennis remains underfunded. Still, the nation just won its first Davis Cup on the strings of unheralded Viktor Troicki.

It can thank Guy Forget, the coach of France's team, for a bit assist. Not that I didn't think Michael Llodra wouldn't make an intriguing choice in the final rubber. But his 30-year-old body didn't recover from yesterday's doubles marathon, and that was clear from the first point.

As someone tweeted, this tie was ultimately decided in the locker room this morning.

Amélie Mauresmo was not pleased.


Getty

But make no mistake. Troicki earned his nation's victory with remarkable returns of serve, and viciously dipping passing shots that simply defied logic.

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He got the chance to secure victory on the strength of Novak Djokovic's play against Gael Monfils in the day's first match. (Monfils needs to rein in himself. He has zero on-court discipline. And I mean zero.)


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In the end, it was too easy. I had hoped for a more competitive final match of 2010, and perhaps with Gilles Simon, a counterpuncher who fights to the finish, the match may have featured a more compelling scoreline even if the result remained the same.

We'll never know.

What we do know is that Serbia becomes the 13th nation to win the Davis Cup and only the second in history to prevail in its final debut. Interestingly, Croatia was the first back in 2005.

::

Getty

Serbian President Boris Tadic gestures.


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Quote For The Day

“I am jealous of Novak. I hate him, but in a positive way. Why is he better than me? At the end of the day I come to my room and say to myself that if he can do it, be the No. 3 in the world, I can be No. 10.” --Janko Tipsarevic

(Thanks, Moose)

Day 6: Dutch Weather

Not the climate, but the tennis reminded me of the cool, damp, soggy, drizzly, overcast, gloomy weather so often present in the Netherlands, a friend of mine said the whole country should be covered. Like a greenhouse. Or the newly-designed Centre Court at SW19. (I can hardly wait!)

The Dutch call such weather kut weer (pronounced something like "koot veer" in English). I'm not going to translate cut (it's not nice), but weer means weather.

Not nice weather.

Between Janko Tipsarevic's frailty, Venus Williams' lethargy, Dinara Safina's mediocrity, Rafael Nadal's predictability, and Maria Sharapova and Michelle Larcher de Brito's cacophony, there was no sun on the court, even though it shone brightly in the sky.

I hear Carla Suarez Navarro's backhand was giving a petulant Victoria Azarenka fits before the Belarusian-American was coached from the stands to hit drop shots, but I didn't get to see any of that because I don't get ESPN360 in Maine and ESPN2 refuses to show live tennis on TV after a certain hour.

I hope the sun will come out tomorrow.

Spain 2, Serbia 1

Sergio Carmona

Their matches were delayed until today by windstorms. David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal picked up where the wind left off and stormed through Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, respectively, without dropping a set. The world No. 1 only spent 96 minutes and dropped a mere three games to put Spain in a commanding position.

Davis Cup Day 1 Doldrums

Serbia was supposed to be competitive with Russia. But Serbia's top two players, Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, pulled out of Day 1 action with flu-like symptons. Djoke pulled out 45 minutes before he was scheduled to start play looking pale and tired. Apparently, he was fine at his press conference. Doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic subbed for Djoke and lost the first rubber in four sets to Mikhail Youhzny. As I write this, Victor Troicki is about to make his Davis Cup debut against Nikolay Davydenko. So much for a competitive tie.

Things that make you go, "Hmmmm...."



And then there are the things that make you spit bullets. The defending Davis Cup champions are playing in Austria and there is no live television coverage in the States. Versus will air the rubbers each day at noon EST on tape delay, TC will repeat them at 8:00pm. Andy Roddick takes on Jurgen Melzer, followed by James Blake against Stefan Koubek.

Alas, I'll wait till noon because scoreboard watching just isn't how I want to watch the defending champs play their first tie since bringing the cup back to the USA.

Insulting.

10 Things We Learned From The 2008 Australian Open

Has there been a wackier Slam in recent memory? It all began on Day 1 with a great women's match, the rarest of rarities. A match that deteriorated into a never-ending farce when Tamira Paszek served for the match against Jelena Jankovic. Five times. Wasted three match points before the Serbian backboard outlasted the trembling teen to advance to the second round. Days later, the backboard upset a lethargic and seemingly uninterested defending champion to make her first semifinal Down Under, only to succumb, finally, to a slew of injuries(?) and a relentless onslaught by the eventual champion. Surely, the One-Flew-Over-the Cuckoo's-Nest match set the tone for the fortnight. As I go through Slam withdrawal, a few lessons from Melbourne are making themselves known.

1. Maria Sharapova is streaky. For all of the commentators' opinions that Maria has added to her game and that she's moving better than she ever has, I simply point to the 2006 US Open final. Her demolition of Justine Henin wasn't as close as the 6-4, 6-4 score suggests. Maria defended well, transitioned well, volleyed well and never game Justine a chance to dictate from anywhere on the court. Fastforward to Melbourne 2008, and it's a virtual repeat. (We were reminded that Justine can still be hit off the court. ) As it is, Maria won the third Slam of 2004, the last Slam of 2006, and the first Slam of 2008. If her streakiness continues on schedule, she's set to win the second Slam of 2010. That would be Roland Garros where she would complete the career Slam. And then I woke up.

2. Novak Djokovic is the new Bad Boy of tennis. And he loves it. I suppose I ought to have learned that already, but it became more clear in his round of 16 match against Lleyton Hewitt when he mimicked the Aussie's lawn mower celebrations and even the "C'mon!" with the hand pointed toward the forehead. So much for Lleyton's trademark. Djoke (and his family) feeds off the me-against-the-world mindset. If he can antagonize the crowd, all the better. He relishes mocking them with a scowl after saving a break point. Winning a crucial game. All of it a big FU to those who would cheer for somebody else. How dare they. Add that to his phantom injury timeouts, his bush-league set tanks, his abject narcissism and his overbearing parents and he makes other bad boys look like angels.

3. Serena Williams plays Slam-winning tennis when she's unfit and unprepared. At least in the past three years. Or maybe she just can't stand the pressure of defending a Slam title. In her eight trips to the winner's circle, she's only defended a title once: Wimbledon 2003. But wait, this was an even year. With her Melbourne titles coming in 2003, 2005, and 2007, only a fool woulda thunk she'd take it 2008. Foolish me.

4. The King is dead. If you believe Djoke's big-mouthed mother, that is. But as I said before the event began, change is in the air. The closer Raja gets to Slam 14, the more difficult winning will become. When did he start having so much trouble closing out sets? He failed to serve out a set against Janko Tipsarevic and lost it. Had to go overtime in the fifth. He failed to serve out a set against Djoke and lost the match in straights. Raja didn't use his illness and lack of preparation as an excuse. And after having his way with Fabrice Santoro, many of his fans foresaw another run to the title. I was most surprised by Raja's lack of fight in the face of defeat against an opponent he doesn't like. (Does he like anyone? Really?) It was eerily reminiscent to Serena's lack of fight against another Serb.

5. Ana Ivanovic has become Lleyton Hewitt. I know they call her Aussie Ana and all that, but still. Forget about Squeakyshoegate, which came to a head in her semifinal against Daniela Hantuchova. (Yup. That's right. Daniela Hantuchova, Grand Slam semifinalist! Jon Wertheim's out-of-the-box pick finally delivered.) Reflect on the "C'mons!", the fist pumps in her opponents' faces, especially on their errors, and the protracted theatrics after winning the big points. Hell, after winning any point. What's with the Serbs and Lleyton? Speaking of which...

6. Lleyton Hewitt is done. No matter how fit he is, no matter how legendary his coach, Rusty's biggest weapon just doesn't cut it anymore. What is speed without a knock-out punch? Nothing at all. Not in the men's game anyway. I'd like to say he could find more Davis Cup glory, but then I got real and realized he has no team to back him up. Oh well. Perhaps he might want to consider that sports management company he thought about this time last year.

7. Amélie Mauresmo is done. I wish it weren't so. I love her. But it is what it is. There simply is no excuse for a two-time Slam champion to succumb to her nerves the way she did this fortnight. She wasn't defending a title or even a runner-up result. But the Amélie of old has returned to competition and it ain't pretty. If she crashes out of Wimbledon again...

8. Andy Roddick is done. He doesn't have to be, but since he keeps his sharpest knives in the drawer.... Oh, I'll remain a fan. And I'll hope that I'm wrong. That he can still achieve all his career goals and nab a Wimbledon title. If he does, it will be a Goran Ivanisevic-type run, years from now, after he's fallen out of the top 100. He'll get a wildcard, blast his way through the draw, and defeat another player who covets a Wimbledon trophy above all others in a Monday final that goes triple overtime in the fifth. Till then, A-Rod is A-WOL (thanks, Drop-shot) and that's that.

9. France picked the wrong guy. Richard Gasquet was the phenom with the ferocious backhand. He was anointed the Next Big Thing and became the hope of a nation. But Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the unheralded, has more guts. Not to mention a bigger game. A more complete game. Not by much, of course, given how the French learn tennis. But Tsonga became the first Frenchman to make a Slam singles final in seven years, and he beat the anointed one along the way. If Jo-W can remain fit and injury free, I see no reason why he can't win Wimbledon. And the US Open. And the Australian Open. And Roland Garros. Quiet as it's kept, you can blow people away on clay. Just because we haven't seen it in awhile, doesn't mean it can't happen. Speaking of France, with all the focus on Serbia, did anyone notice France also had three players in the finals? Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra lost the men's doubles final, but there they were, losing the men's doubles final. Allez!

10. Martina Navratilova is the best American commentator. By several country miles. Virginia Wade is my favorite, but Martina exhibits the best of Wade: impartiality, insight, and wisdom. When a commentator can focus on the players' tennis, keeping their back-stories on the back burner, a viewer can actually learn something worthwhile. Can actually see why and how a player changed tactics to turnaround a losing effort. Thanks to Tennis Channel's inaugural Australian Open coverage, I got to hear Martina call a complete match for the first time. How refreshing.

TheTruth About The 2008 Australian Open

As many of you know, I often quote TheTruth, a tennis enthusiast who graces a few forums with her eloquent voice. She allows me to repeat her best stuff right here. Without further ado, here is TheTruth's review of this past forthnight:

This Australian Open was the most meaningful Grand Slam on the men's side in recent years. It should live in history for being the year the competition came back. After four years of listening to pundits describe one player as the only one to have game, and there was nothing others could do about it, one player stood up. No, not Rafa, he has always stood in the face of such foolishness and played his game. This time, a mouse entered the den of the lion and said, "I will not surrender without a fight." Thank you, Janko Tipsarevic, for bringing your attitude and willingness to fight on a Grand Slam stage. Thank you for not believing the hype and knowing that tennis is about competing, not about pretty shots. Hats off to you for knowing that all are human and no man is a god. Your presence was felt long after you left.

Thank you Jo-Willie for reminding us what a complete game really is. That serve-and- volley tennis comes in on its terms, and delivers points with deft volleys at the right time. You used everything in your arsenal to produce stellar results, and left us with our mouths gaping wide. This wasn't your time, but it may soon be, if you take advantage of your many gifts.

And Rafa, a young man, who despite your age, was the proud papa who ushered in the entire spirit of competition. Who never cried through your loss, knowing that getting pushed will only make you better, more complete, as has been your wish all along. Smiling, with relief that you no longer had to shoulder the burden of competition all by yourself any more.

Now folks, we have tennis. Not the insidious idolatry of the past, but warriors coming out competing for hardware, eager to have it on their own shelf. Unwilling to allow the voices of the commentators and other competitors to seduce them into giving up before the first ball is struck. This is the way the sport of tennis should be played. Not the sickening fawning of the recent past. Now we should be able to watch a tournament with butterflies in our stomachs, wondering who shall become the victor. Having all of the Grand Slams predicted beforehand was a blight on the sport, but now order has been restored.

And even Novak, of whom I am not a fan, but can say that I respect his game. Kudos to you for joining the short list of competitors who have enough respect for themselves and their game to believe you have a shot. Who together with Rafa, Tsonga, Canas, Nalbandian, Volandri, and Tipsarevic have vowed to come on court with everything you've got and give Roger a run for his money, rather than a waltz to an unheard of twenty Slams.

Yes, this Australian Open has been the best of them yet. It brought the game back to tennis enthusiasts worldwide!

Related Article: Savannah's Review

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2008: Men's semifinals

by MadProfessah

I previewed the 2008 Australian Open Men's quarterfinals a few days ago. Here are my thoughts on the semifinals.

Roger Federer SUI (1) versus Novak Djokovic SRB (3). This mouthwatering match is a reprise of the 2007 U.S. Open final which somehow Federer won in straight sets despite being outplayed by the Serbian youngster for the first two. I predicted that David Ferrer would continue his scintillating play from the end of last year and stop Djokovic, whose personality and demeanor I'm not a fan of, but whose games never fails to impress. Instead, Djokovic stuffed a pastele in the mouth of Ferrer and dispatched him in straight sets 6-0, 6-3, 7-5. Much has been made of Federer's near-death experience with a far less heralded Serbian player Janko Tipsarevic who, on a Federer off-night, took Federer to 5 sets and nearly sent him packing from the tournament in the 3rd round. However, Federer is well aware that Djokovic is his heir apparent and looks forward to the task of demonstrating that "he's not dead, yet." After a comfortable evening workout of excellent tennis against his personal manservant James Blake where the Swiss World #1 improved his career lifetime record over the American to 8-0 and insured he would reach his record 15th conscutive Grand Slam semifinal and 209th consecutive week at No. 1. It's true that the only time Federer has lost in Melbourne in the last 5 years was in the 2005 semifinals to Marat Safin--and he was up match point and lost in 5 sets. I suspect Federer will want to send a distinct message to Novak and the rest of the young guns and raise his intensity a notch. Djokovic has not lost a set in his path to the semifinals and if he can find another gear he may be able to show Federer that youth is always served, in the end. PREDICTION: Federer, in four sets.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA vs. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). Tsonga is the great story of the 2008 Australian Open. He is an unseeded player who has made it as far as the final 4 players and is within one match of a historic Grand Slam final. Just by being in the semi-final, Tsonga makes history as the first Black male player to be in the semi-final of a major since American MaliVai Washington did it at Wimbledon in 1996.
Tsonga dispatched the very hot (in multiple senses of the word) Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets in the quarterfinals while Nadal took out fellow leftie Jarkko Nieminen pretty easily. The two have played each other only once (fairly recently) in the 3rd round of the 2007 US Open, and Nadal won fairly easily 7-6(3) 6-2 6-1. Since Tsonga was not overwhelmed by making his first Grand Slam quarterfinal somehow I don't think he'll be overwhelmed by his first major semi and so the match may be decided by what happens on court instead of what's happening inside smoeone's head. This is a good thing. Does Tsonga have the game to defeat Nadal? Definitely. Will he? It's doubtful. All the intangibles go the Spaniard's way. Nadal usually has a problem with people who hit very flat, very hard, limited spin strokes on both wings, like a Blake, a Youzhny or last year's finalist Fernando Gonzalez. PREDICTION: Nadal, in five sets.

Say It Again!

"You have to believe that you're going to beat Roger Federer when you go on court, as stupid as it might sound.

"If you go out there thinking I'm going to play a good match, make him sweat for his money or something like that, it's not going to work. Because then when the chances are given to you, and even Roger Federer is giving chances, you're not going to use them because you're going to be too afraid for victory. So I went on court with the idea that I can win. I was close."

--Janko Tipsaveric, aka The Man

It doesn't sound stupid at all, Mr. Man. I've been saying it forever. It's nice to see a you believe it, show it, and almost make it happen. Thumbs up indeed.

Day 6: Dog Fight

ESPN's Darren Cahill calls him a bull terrier. He'll grab hold of your leg and never let it go. Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic took hold of two-time defending champion Roger Federer in a third-round match and didn't let go till Federer prevailed 10-8 in the final set. The drama equalled that in the Andy Roddick - Philipp Kohlschreiber epic that finished earlier in the morning.

The Australian Open is officially awake.

I don't know how anyone really thought Janko was going to win the match. But he didn't let Raja go till 10-8 in the fifth set by playing exquisite, courageous tennis.

And he didn't choke.

Roger showed why he's a 12-time Slam champion. The way he played his returns at 8-8 was nothing short of brilliant. The way he served it out was worthy (almost) of all the praise he gets. I wish I could be a fan.

But I got what I wanted. Finally. A player not named Rafael Nadal played Raja on a big stage, latched onto his leg and bullied him all the way to the wall.

And he didn't choke.

Tipsy, baby, you the man.



No Country For Old Men



Who's that bald guy running around like he was born to win five-set matches? James Blake made his own personal history today. He beat Sebastien Grosjean for the first time in four tries, and he rallied from a two-set deficit for the first time in his career to bring his five-set record to 2-10. But wait, there's more. He was also down a double break in the fourth set and 1-4 in the tiebreak. Clutch.

Grosjean, a 29-year-old tour veteran and father, was worn out from his five-set win over qualifier Robin Haase in the previous round. But he had such a huge lead in the fourth set, physical exhaustion isn't the main reason he wasn't able to hold on.

Blake simply refused to lose. A controlled, composed performance was just what the situation required and that's exactly what James gave. With Sam Querrey's loss to Novak Djokovic, if Vince Spadea loses his rain-delayed third-round match against David Ferrer tomorrow, James will be the last American man standing at a Slam for the first time in his entire career. His own personal history.

Upset Specials



Maria Kirilenko and Anna Chakvetadze can both be described as Martina Hingis with a serve. Both take the ball early to make up for the lack of pace on their groundies, both change direction of the ball with ease, both play tennis like chess. But on this day, MariaK was too tough to take, even after dropping the first set in a tiebreak. Tough to be the No. 6 seed in the third round. Just ask Roddick. MariaK advances to the first round of 16 at a Slam in her career.



Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off the No. 2 seed at the US Open. She did the same at the Australian Open today, this time in the form of one Svetlana Kuznetsova. I guess the Polish girl has become the bane of Russians in the early rounds of Slams. For Sveta's part, she was simply terrible. Aggie will play yet another Russian in the next round after Nadia Petrova and Ekaterina Makarova's rain-delayed match is completed tomorrow.



Marin Cilic had his knee tightly wrapped, but his game flowed freely. Discovered by Goran Ivanisevic, the Bosnian-born giant has officially announced his arrival. No. 7 seed Fernando Gonzalez, last year's runner-up, had few replies to the questions the Croat asked. Late in the match, Gonzo's shoulder gave out and Marin munched on serves slow as molasses in January. With this upset, the Chilean's ranking will fall out of the Top 10 into the mid-20s.

Midnight Madness

Hometown hopeful Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis coudn't start their match till just before midnight. The dog fight extended the day session into night and with Venus Williams' quick dismissal of Sania Mirza, Tennis Australia broke its own rule of not beginning a match after 11:00PM.

So despite dozing in and out for most of the middle of the night here in the States, the morning sun is shining brightly on the snow and ice outside, and I'm watching extended live coverage of tennis on cable television. Going on eleven straight hours. Freshly brewed, strong coffee in hand. Credit where credit is due: ESPN has finally put the tennis fan first.

I'll drink to that. Let's all drink to that.

Photo of the Day


Click to enlarge. (AFP/Getty Images)