Off-topic chat. May contain offensive language or images.
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By MK Chris
#371946
I'm watching bits of Venus Williams' match and I'm very impressed with the inexperienced Carla Suarez Navarro, who isn't playing as though she's inexperienced at all - gorgeous backhand she's got too. Most enjoyable woman I've seen playing for a while actually, hope she can do it against Venus - she's just broken back, though it's looking like Venus may break to take the match.
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By MK Chris
#371948
Nope... level at 5-5. This woman has balls (figuratively speaking) and I predict will be a grand slam winner in the not-too-distant future.
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By MK Chris
#371949
Wow, that was awesome - well done Navarro! (I'll stop triple posting now, I started doing that when I got excited in Wimbledon too, sorry.)
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By Munki Bhoy
#371958
I watched the first set of Baltacha's match last night. She looked like she was probably good enough to beat a poor Mauresmo, but wasn't consistent enough to do it. When I left it last night Mauresmo has already broken her in the second set, and I wasn't surprised to see she'd made it through anyway. Don't see Mauresmo lasting too long in that form though.
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By MK Chris
#371961
Murray's walking this, as he should do really, although you can't help but think that Granollers should be putting up a bit more of a fight.

I'm still dead chuffed about Venus going out and about the fact that women's tennis may just be on the verge of having a very good, skillful player again. She could be top 10 by early next year and could be seeded as early as Wimbledon this year. Venus in her interview, once again showed that she's the likable Williams.
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By MK Chris
#372054
It's good that the tennis players can embrace despite the differences of their countries. The fans are quite shameful though.
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By MK Chris
#372075
Topher wrote:Quarters
Rafael Nadal to beat Fernando Gonzalez in four
Andrew Murray to beat Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in four
Novak Djokovic to beat Andy Roddick in three
Roger Federer to beat Juan Martin Del Potro in five

Semis
Andrew Murray to beat Rafael Nadal in five
Novak Djokovic to beat Roger Federer in four

Final
Novak Djokovic to beat Anrew Murray in five

Feel free to quote me when it goes spectacularly wrong...

I obviously didn't study the draw that well.... Nadal meets Gonzalez in the last 16 if both get through... so change that one to Rafael Nadal to beat Gilles Simon in four.
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By pjordan2000
#372244
Well Murray's Aussie Open is over for another year although the future looks promising after some of his performances, maybe it's his year to win the US Open?
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By MK Chris
#372246
He's capable of winning it, but he needs to play better than that.

Nadal v Djokovic is now my tip for the final - if I was Nadal, I'd be relieved I don't have to play Murray now, but that doesn't mean it's a foregone conclusion he'll get there.... Tsonga could beat him in the semi, though he won't hammer him like he did last year.

Not Nadal's surface, but it would be immense for him if he wins this - if he does, the elusive Calendar Slam wouldn't at all be out of the question for him.
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By Munki Bhoy
#372251
Roddick v Djokovic could be interesting. Andy's found his form of a few years ago from what I've seen. But I must admit, I fancy Nadal to win now. His surface or not, he's looked awesome.
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By MK Chris
#372252
I may see what the odds are at the bookies for Nadal winning all the slams this year.

I wouldn't normally give Roddick a chance against Djokovic, but I do think he has every chance of winning now, after the farce of Djokovic's match finishing at 2.30am. They really shouldn't do that - why would they even need a night session if they do their scheduling properly? None of the other slams do it.
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By Munki Bhoy
#372347
That's not quite what I had in mind when I thought Roddick could beat Djokovic.

Still, at least it's not Federer v Del Potro. Del Plantpot more like.
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By MK Chris
#372358
Actually, Del Potro is quite a good player when he plays well, but his temperament is bad and that showed today. He gave up very quickly, which he needs to stop if he wants to become a top class player.

Dokic out as well, not without a fight though... again, women's tennis is poor, but I hope she gets back on top of her game. Suarez Navarro gets a chance to continue her giant killing tomorrow with Elena Dementieva, which she has every chance of winning... after that, Serena Williams will be more of a challenge, but she's beaten one Williams already, so who knows...
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By Munki Bhoy
#372359
I watch Del Potro a few days ago and he looked pretty good, but by all reports he took the huff today out of frustration at Federer being better than him. Nothing a good boot up the arse wouldn't solve though.

I'm surprised Dokic could play on. I saw her in the previous round and just before she won through she took a nasty fall over her ankle. It looked horrible - one of those 90 degree angle the wrong way numbers. She played on but I expected it to be gubbed the following day.
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By MK Chris
#372360
I saw that too, it was a nasty fall and she already had the ankle taped up. They showed the replay a couple of times, then played another point, then played it from the opposite angle and Sam Smith (who never really had much of a career as a tennis player, so * knows why she's commentating) seemed a bit upset that she had to watch it again.
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By Munki Bhoy
#372362
It was the fact they played it to the crowd at the end of that game that got me. There was a very loud "ooooh" as we were watching the reply on Eurosport.
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By MK Chris
#372434
Not the best display from Nadal, but in fairness to Simon, who is a very good player, he played extremely well in parts.

Well, the semis are looking quite different to how I predicted, surprise surprise! Nadal v Verdasco - one out of two ain't too bad I guess; and Federer v Roddick - again, one out of two. Can't see either of the top seeds being knocked out by either Roddick or Verdasco to be honest, but either game could go to four I imagine. Roddick has a bad record against Federer, though he won their last match I believe.

Good to see Laura Robson and Heather Watson through to the quarters of the girls' singles - both could do well in the seniors in a couple of years - they're in opposite sides of the draw, so could conceivably (as unlikely as it may be) meet in the final. Robson, should she win her quarter-final match, is likely to have to get past world junior number one Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (spell checked, but I was only one letter out - not bad!) in the semis first, who she beat in the Wimbledon junior final. Could be different away from a home crowd though, she's not bad the Thai girl (I'm not attempting to type that again).
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By MK Chris
#372498
Wow, that was drama in Laura Robson's match; she was a set up, but 5-2 down in the second and her opponent, Romanian Elena Bogdan, apparently turned her ankle and couldn't put any weight on it. She had a load of physio and there was a massive delay and then played four more points, but the doctor basically forced her to retire... so through to the semi, though it could have been a totally different story if it had gone to a third set (even if the Romanian girl had managed to force a third on her bad ankle, they were about to take them off for the extreme heat anyway), and she's got the world number one Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (copy and pasted from above) next.

Today I can't see Roddick beating Federer, but you never know. He may force a set if he's lucky.
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By Yudster
#372509
I like Andy Roddick, he's one of the few top players that seems to actually like tennis.
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By MK Chris
#372511
I also like him and I would also place Nadal in that category of top players who like tennis.

He has a sense of humour when being interviewed and is generally very likable (and honest.) In a lot of ways it's a shame for him that he happens to be around at the same time as arguably two of the greatest players the sport has ever seen, but at least he won a slam before Federer and Nadal monopolised them.

He was very funny in his interview the other day. Serena Williams had claimed that she used to beat Roddick when they were kids, in response to which Roddick said "yeah well, when I was 10 I was so small I had to run around in the shower to get wet and she was already bench pressing dump trucks." Made me laugh anyway.
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By Yudster
#372512
I was impressed by Nadal's personality at Wimbledon, I have changed my opinion of him as a result. Roddick has always been a giggle.
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By MK Chris
#372618
Wow, Laura Robson has beaten top seed and world number one junior Noppawan Lertcheewakarn in straight sets, 6-4 6-3 in the semi. I thought they would have made two great finalists again, but they were in the same half of the draw, so obviously that couldn't happen.

Laura was the lowest seed in the semis; now she's got a final against third seed Ksenia Pervak, who beat our other potential for the future, Heather Watson, in the quarters. I think she has every chance, but it's by no means a foregone conclusion. It is, however, quite incredible to think that she's beating these people who are all older than her - in Lertcheewakarn's case by just over two years. She's one of only two people in the world top 40 born in 1994 (the other one is number 40) and four in the top 100.

She has a lot of potential.

Nadal's match in half an hour... on this surface, Verdasco (who is a very good player and a potential future slam winner in my opinion - Wimbledon possibly) has a chance of troubling Nadal with his big flat forehand. I do think Nadal will win, but it won't be easy for him.
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By Yudster
#372631
Apparently Pervak is a couple of years older than Laura, and was in the quialifiers for the senior event (she didn't qualify). Laura Robson is looking like a real prospect. How tall is she? With all the talent in the world she won't have a chance on the senior circuit unless she's a giant, not these days. Even Justine Henin, who was a bit more normal sized, had to beef herself up massively to actually win anything, and it really wasn't sustainable for her - one of the reasons she retired so ridiculously early in my belief.
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By MK Chris
#372633
Henin was very, very good - the undisputable best at one point, it was a shame she did retire early.

I'm not sure how tall Laura is, her ITF Profile doesn't say, but she doesn't look particularly big. Pervak is on the senior women's tour, currently ranked a career-high 154 - pretty good for her age. It'll be a tough match.

This Nadal match looks ridiculously tense and exciting. No one could break at first, now it's a break a minute in this third set.
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By Munki Bhoy
#372645
All the good games have been on while I've been at work. They're level in the final set at the moment.
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