Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cilic Outlasts Roddick 7/6 6/3 3/6 2/6 6/3
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Roddick tops Gonzalez; del Potro falls
"I got a little lucky tonight, but sometimes it's better to be lucky than good," said Roddick, who is hoping to end a Grand Slam title drought that dates back to the 2003 U.S. Open.
Gonzalez saved four set points in the 10th game of the fourth set before Roddick finally prevailed in the 12th game on a contentious call.
A line umpire initially ruled that the ball had gone out, and Gonzalez claimed he had stopped when he heard the call.
Roddick asked for a video replay. It showed the ball hit the line, giving Roddick the point and the fourth set.
Complete results
Need the scores from any match played in today's Australian Open? Results
Roddick, who won on his third match point when Gonzalez double-faulted, will next play Marin Cilic, who beat U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
"When Fernando gets hot, you know that a lot of the match is out of your control," Roddick said. "I think the thing that helped me was being able to serve through."
Roddick said the knee problem that sidelined him at the end of last season was bothering him a bit, but it didn't affect the game.
Del Potro had an upset win over top-ranked Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final last September, ending the Swiss star's streak of five straight titles in New York.
The 21-year-old Argentine was the first man since Novak Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open to interrupt the Federer-Rafael Nadal domination of men's Grand Slam titles, and started the season's first major with the No. 4 seeding and among the favorites.
The four other leading men are still here.
Defending champion Nadal and Andy Murray held off two of the tallest men and biggest servers in tennis on Sunday to set up a quarterfinal meeting.
Nadal had a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over 6-foot-10 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, the tallest man on the tour.
In the previous match at Rod Laver Arena, No. 5 Murray overcame 6-foot-9 American John Isner 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2. Murray hasn't dropped a set in four matches.
Del Potro struggled most of the way through the 4-hour, 38-minute match against Cilic, who exacted a measure of revenge with the victory. The 21-year-old Croat lost to del Potro in the fourth round here last year and in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Del Potro had been bothered by right wrist pain that forced him out of a warmup tournament and was undoubtedly weary from a five-set, second round win over James Blake -- the longest of the tournament in terms of total games at 62.
He said the wrist and the foot were only part of the problem. What hurt? "The whole body."
The increased expectations on him weren't a bother, he said.
"No, I really enjoyed that pressure. The crowd is unbelievable with me. They support me every match, every point," said del Potro, who plans to go home and recover. "I was down in every match, and they help me to keep fighting, like today. I really like it, that pressure."
When del Potro hit his last backhand long, Cilic sank to both knees, arms in the air. He volleyed the ball high into the stands, where his most vocal supporters were madly cheering.
"Today was my best so far," said Cilic, who converted four of his 16 break-point chances. "Physically I think [del Potro] was tired and he struggled, but I was feeling really good ... and I had some crazy fans."
Nadal only dropped serve once against Karlovic, to surrender the second set. In the third and fourth sets, he broke the Croat in the third games.
He showed plenty of emotion after earning a breakpoint in the third set, screaming out "Vamos!" and spinning around as he ripped his left elbow back and raised his left knee.
"I just wait my chance. Be focused on my serve ... and wait the chance on the return," Nadal said. "I was returning really well when I had the chance to touch the ball."
Murray lost to Federer in the 2008 U.S. Open in his only Grand Slam final to date. He knows he'll probably have to beat Nadal and Federer to claim his first major here. So far, so good.
"I moved really well since the start," Murray said. "I didn't drop a set yet ... not too much to complain about."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/aus10/news/story?id=4853029
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Del Potro edges Blake in classic
Del Potro edges Blake in classic
By Matt Cronin
US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is determined to put in a much better performance than he did at last year’s Australian Open, when he was buried by Roger Federer. He may have gained a new legion of fans after his dramatic 6-4 6-7(3) 5-7 6-3 10-8 victory over James Blake on Wednesday at Hisense Arena.
In the best match on the men’s side to date, del Potro had to come up with every shot in the book to repel the veteran American, who fought off one break point after another late in the fifth set in an attempt to pull off what could have been one of the most critical victories of his career.
But in the end, it was the fourth-seeded del Potro who triumphed. The Argentine managed to come with series of huge serves and blinding groundstrokes in the clutch during the latter stages of the four hour and 17 minute contest, which saw both men call the trainer in to treat leg ailments.
“As soon as I let any ball sit up a little, he was taking it to me,” Blake said. “That’s my goal too, and I had chances at them and made some mistakes. That's the difference. You miss a couple balls and he’s moving on, and I'm not. But that’s why he won the US Open and is No. 4 in the world.”
Del Potro finished with 205 total points to 200 from Blake, both men finished with 60 unforced errors and amazingly, Blake had 19 more winners. But it was del Potro who knew when to seize the day, while Blake was forced to face another disappointing five-set loss at a Grand Slam.
He’s had way too many close calls that have gone his opponents’ way.
“It’s tough to rank the [five set losses] but right now it hurts pretty bad,” said Blake. “I had plenty of messages from people back home who were up until 5am watching me, and I don’t even want to respond to many. I just feel bad that they were up watching and are probably going to sleep a little disappointed. Luckily for me they will all be my friends tomorrow, which will help me get through after I stop beating myself up for a few hours or few days.”
Del Potro will now face Florian Mayer of Germany, who upset 29th seed Viktor Troicki of Serbia 4-6 6-4 7-6(2) 6-1.
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2010-01-20/201001201263989032062.html?promo=hp_topcomments
The 2010 Australian Open
With the 2010 tennis season beginning to start in full swing, there has been a great deal of speculation amongst avid tennis fans of what this season has in store. With the first Grand Slam of the year being scheduled to open with the Australian Open, there is no telling what 2010 has in store. In the latest news which has been circulating on the World's Number One Player, Roger Federer, news channels have reported him to be fit to challenge the 2010 Australian Open Grand Slam. With the players management committee and the Australian board of tennis denies any such rumors, only time will tell of what is true and false.
In the warm up stages that lead to the finale, Andy Roddick seems to be in excellent form as he defeated Stepanek to win the pre-qualifiers at the Brisbane Warm Up Sessions. This year at the Brisbane Park, it remains to be seen who will walk away with the first Grand Slam of the season. The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slams held every year which add credit to a players performance levels.
Based on their international ratings which are directly affected by the tournament results, players are invited to participate in the many other tournaments held around the world. There is no news yet of Rafael Nadal coming back to defend his title that he won with great pride last year. However, we all know Rafael to be an avid sport star who never fails to disappoint. Truly, this 2010 at the Australian Open will be one to remember for a lifetime
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Players to Watch in 2010
One of the surprising features of the tour in 2009 was that only five players recorded a maiden tour win during the season.
Thomaz Bellucci (Gstaad), Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Kitzbuhel), Jeremy Chardy (Stuttgart), Rajeev Ram (Newport) and Benjamin Becker (s'Hertogenbosch) were the only guys who tasted ATP Tour success for the first time in 2009.
That figure (5) was the joint lowest total during the past decade. Along with 2009, there were also only 5 first-time winners in 2007 - whereas seasons such as 2001 (10), 2006 & 2008 (11), 2002 (12) and 2004 (13) saw many more players breaking through.
A sign of times maybe but also a fact which highlights the need to be extra vigilant when it comes to spotting previous non-winners destined to lift their first title in 2010.
These are the guys who can win at big prices!
The 'top ten' below are all aged 24 or below and all have the ability to record a first tournament win in 2010. Players to follow and ones to put in your notebook as the coming season progresses.
Pablo Cuevas (2009 best performance - SF Hamburg, Vina Del Mar)
Cuevas considers clay to be his best surface and his record thus far certainly bears that out - with five Challenger Tour titles to date (two in 2009) and a distinct preference for dirt in the main ATP Tour events he played in 2009. He turns 24 on January 1st which means that the clock is ticking on the Uruguayan's career but there is no doubt the 5'11" right-hander has the ability to win an event, on clay, whether that be in his native South America or in Europe.
John Isner (SF Washington, Indianapolis)
You might expect a guy who is 6'9" tall to be good at tennis. Well, Isner is good but aged 24 he needs to start winning tournaments - a prodigious server, the North Carolinan is sadly let down by weaknesses in other areas of his game. However, this one-time tour finalist (Washington 2007) has the potential to win, he's won three times on the Challenger Tour (latest Tallahassee 2009), with his best bet looking like being a low-key hard court event, probably in his native USA.
Andreas Beck (RU Gstaad)
The 23-year-old German made a first ATP Tour final this year and after a steady rise up the rankings in 2009 can progress still further in 2010. That final was played on clay where Beck has won once before on the Challenger Tour, and five times on the Futures Tour, and the 6'3" left-hander may find 'the dirt' providing his best chance of a first success. Hard to see him becoming a regular winner on the circuit but he's shown the ability to take any opportunity which presents itself.
Ernests Gulbis (QF St. Petersburg, Tokyo)
Not a good year for the Latvian. A very moderate 20:26 record meant his world ranking headed due South (from 53 down to 90 at the year end) suggesting that all the belief in his early potential was possibly misplaced. However, looking at the matches he lost, very few were against 'no-hopers' with well over half those defeats coming against players inside the top 50. Still only 21, time is on the side of Gulbis and a hard court success, most likely, in 2010 would be no great surprise.
Leonardo Mayer (SF Los Angeles)
The 22-year-old resident of Buenos Aires is a player who could make an impact on both clay as well as hard courts - like so many of his compatriots. On the Challenger Tour his preference appeared to be clay (55:42) as opposed to hard (34:20) but he's prefered the quicker surfaces thus far on the main tour. To date his achievements have been modest but, then again, just enough to go into the notebook as 'one to follow' and it is quite possible that the Argentine could land a first title in 2010.
Evgeny Korolev (RU Delray Beach)
Wild expectation might well have superceded natural development with Korolev to a point where, still only 21, he's being unfairly labelled as something of a disappointment. For sure, the very best players have won events by this age but the Russian has shown enough already (including five Challenger Tour wins) to demonstrate his readiness to win on tour when the right opportunity presents itself. A hard court event looks the best way for the 6'1" Muscovite to gain a maiden win.
Horacio Zeballos (RU St. Petersburg)
This 6'2" lefty has been very successful on the Challenger Tour. Zeballos ran up a 30:9 record in 2009 winning no less than five times (Buenos Aires, Campos Do Jordao, Manta, Bogota, Bucaramanga) before going on to make a first ATP Tour final in his penultimate start of the year. Question is, can he start the new season where he left off in 2010, as soon to turn 25 the chance to make a mark at the highest level is fast fading. Expect the Argentine to notch a first win in 2010.
Somdev Devvarman (RU Chennai)
The 24-year-old from Assam may have made a first tour final in his native India but don't be fooled into thinking he just got lucky on home soil. A back-to-back NCAA champion in the States (beat Isner in 2007) Devvarman has the ability to beat quality opponents (e.g. Marin Cilic in 2009) and mount a serious challenge in tournaments. His age and lack of success to date give the game away as to his overall career potential but a moderate hard-court event is certainly within his reach.
Eduardo Schwank (-)
With a 3:14 record on the main ATP Tour Schwank has to show he can transfer his ability on the Challenger Tour (six titles) onto where it really matters. Wins in Lima and Santiago late in 2009 showcase the Argentine's prowess, notably on clay, but the 23-year-old needs to improve a current singles mark of 113 back to a career high of 50 (February 2009) during the coming year. A match history heavily biased towards clay means Schwank must find success that elusive first win on dirt.
Grigor Dimitrov (-)
One for the future. The Bulgarian is only 18 years old but as a Wimbledon and US Open junior champion in 2008 he has the potential, and time, to make a very big impact in the game. More than a little optimistic to expect a main tour success in 2010 but from a current mark of 287 in the world it would be no surprise to see him break the top 100 in the next 12 months under the tutelage of Peter Lundgren. Make a note of the name and watch out for this player.
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Will Roger Federer Win Another Grand Slam?
Let's look at the players below him. At 28 years old, Federer is close to or more than five years older than the four players ranked directly below him. He won two titles last year, but also showed vulnerability against Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal when in Grand Slam final losses. As those four enter the primes of their careers, how will Federer compete?
One thing he has always benefited from is lack of injuries. However, there is only so much abuse a body can take playing tennis non-stop at the highest level. His body will eventually break down, and if it is as serious as say, Lleyton Hewitt's hip injury, it could prevent him from ever returning properly.
Another thing that could be going against Federer is his new outlook on life. Does he have the hunger like he did before? He's a father now, with six month old twins. He already has the Grand Slam record and career Grand Slam thanks to last year's showing. Lost in all that though is the fact Federer has not won a title since August 2009. That's an eternity in Fedland.
There seems to be a lot of interesting paths for Federer to take in this new year. It's 2010. Many wrote him off at the beginning of last year, but he battled back. Will Federer find a way to add to his 15 Grand Slam titles, or will he be happy with just making deep runs and playing more sparingly? How long will he stay #1?
So many questions, but if you ask Roger Federer, he'll probably tell you he feels as good as ever and will be disappointed if he doesn't win all four Grand Slams.
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Who Will Be the World's Top Ranked Tennis Player at the End of 2010?
With the Australian Open kicking off the new 2010 tennis year, the action is officially back. There are many players rounding out a field that finds itself more competitive than it's been in quite a few years.
Gone are the days of Federer and Nadal dominating every tournament. There are some other players on the tour with legitimate chances every time a tournament begins.
Though Federer and Nadal occupy the top two spots in the world, there are a few players who could end up the year ranked at number one. Let's take a look at the most likely finishers now.
Obviously, there's Roger Federer. He should always be considered the favorite to finish at the top of the rankings, as he's done so nearly every year during the course of the last decade. Still, his age of 29 means he's getting up there in years.
If Rafael Nadal can stay healthy, there's no reason to believe that he can't finish there. In fact, many believe that he would have finished there in 2009 had he not been forced to miss Wimbledon due to his knee injury.
On the rise is the young 20 year old Juan Martin Del Potro, whose incredible win at the US Open shocked many tennis fans. To knowledgeable ones, the Argentine's emergence wasn't such a surprise. The kid is incredibly talented and has what it takes to capture the world's top ranking this year.
Rounding out the field are two more potential players. Let's take a look at them both.
Novak Djokovic is one of those guys who everyone thought would be number one at some point, yet he hasn't quite gotten there yet. He's more mature at the age of 23, and could finally have both the physical and mental game to get there.
Then, there's Andy Murray. At 22 years old, this British talent is on the rise and peaked as high as number two last year. With some big wins in 2010, he could be this year's dark horse.
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