Hello, prospective readers,
Before launching into discussion of current events, I will launder out a brief list of excuses for my recent substantial absence from posting on this blog:
1. The outcome of the Cincinnati semifinals was crushing enough (both of my rooting interests falling, with Roddick losing from a set-and-break up after serving for the match) that I felt more inclined to sulk than to write further updates on the tournament at the time.
2. The start of my fall schooling shortly thereafter, along with a job interview with the Lewiston Tribune, served to divert my attention such that I continually failed to get another good update together.
3. Further disappointment, with both Baghdatis and Roddick falling in the first two rounds of the US Open, left me once more inclined to sulk rather than write.
However, more exciting developments have roused me from my proverbial slumber, as the US Open semifinals prepare to commence. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have each put forward a tremendous showing thus far in the event, neither man dropping a set and both compiling highlight reels worthy of many a player's full season. A Nadal-Federer US Open final, the historical significance of which would be mind-blowing, now appears probable, though both men have sturdy hurdles to overcome today, in the form of Mikhail Youzhny and Novak Djokovic respectively.
I will admit that I have, for most of this US hard-court swing, been a skeptic of the media narrative which cast Nadal as favorite for the Open, given his relatively unimpressive record therein and less-than-astonishing showings in the lead-up events, but Nadal has changed the equation this year in dramatic fashion through a serving display of the kind few would have thought him capable. Prior to this tournament, I do not believe I had ever seen Nadal's serve break 130 miles per hour on a speed gun; this US Open, he has regularly exceeded that benchmark, topping out at around 135. Of all the strokes in Nadal's repertoire, the serve has historically been his least impressive, perhaps the only one which was subpar for an elite-level player. Now, it appears, that one chink in his armor has been erased. Nadal is faced with a historically difficult foe in Youzhny, who has beaten him four times in their eleven previous meetings, including once at this tournament, and holds a 4-3 edge on hard-courts, but I feel confident nevertheless in predicting a Nadal victory in three or four sets.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer's run to this year's US Open semifinals has hearkened back to his peak heyday moreso than any he has put together in quite some time. He has played clean, confident and assertive tennis set-in and set-out through four consecutive matches to reach the semifinals of a Slam without dropping a set for the first time since Wimbledon 2008. He faces a familiar foe in Djokovic, who he has defeated in the finals or semifinals of the last three US Opens. Djokovic was extremely lucky this year to escape defeat in the opening round, rallying from a deficit of two sets to one and a break in the fourth against compatriot Viktor Troicki, but he has since found his own form and confidence and has looked very impressive in his last two matches, dispatching Mardy Fish and Gael Monfils in one-sided three-set affairs. Of the two semifinal underdogs, I would give Djokovic a stronger chance at upsetting the applecart that is the anticipated Federer-Nadal Sunday clash, but this, too, must be seen as doubtful.
Showing posts with label US Open. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Open. Show all posts
September 11, 2010
August 10, 2010
Rogers Masters First Big US Open Lead-up Event
Hello, any readers,
Apologies for the nine-day silence, attributable in part to my having set out on vacation Saturday morning to a place with no internet access (I write to you now from a public library in Manzanita, Oregon). In the meantime, the Legg Mason Classic proved a tournament of upsets, well-represented in its surprise final between darkhorses David Nalbandian and Marcos Baghdatis. Tomas Berdych failed to impress, and the likes of Andy Roddick and Marin Cilic continued recent runs of dismal form. All-in-all, no clear frontrunner for the US Open Series and the Open itself has emerged as of yet.
That situation is likely to change this week, however, as we enter our first ATP Masters event of the summer in Canada. These next few days will see the full roll-call of top players reemerge at the same tournament for the first time since Wimbledon and offer the first major preview for the US Open, to be followed later by the Cincinnati Masters and then the Open itself. World's number one Rafael Nadal enters as top seed, though I would hesitate to name him a clear favorite to win the title in light of his relatively unimpressive hardcourt results thus far in 2010, while Roger Federer will be playing his first tournament seeded outside the top two in around seven years.
Early headlines have focused on the novel appearance of a Nadal/Djokovic doubles team, which will be the first such pairing of the world's first and second ranked singles players in over 20 years. The singles draw contains an exciting second-round clash between Robin Soderling and Ernests Gulbis, which is in progress as I write, a chance for Andy Roddick to avenge his latest Wimbledon heartbreaker when he faces Yen-Tsun Lu in his opener, and the potentially electrifying possibility of a Federer-Berdych Wimbledon rematch in the quarterfinals.
I'm off to follow the action now, but hope I can get back to you in the next couple days.
Stay well,
Cody Wendt.
Apologies for the nine-day silence, attributable in part to my having set out on vacation Saturday morning to a place with no internet access (I write to you now from a public library in Manzanita, Oregon). In the meantime, the Legg Mason Classic proved a tournament of upsets, well-represented in its surprise final between darkhorses David Nalbandian and Marcos Baghdatis. Tomas Berdych failed to impress, and the likes of Andy Roddick and Marin Cilic continued recent runs of dismal form. All-in-all, no clear frontrunner for the US Open Series and the Open itself has emerged as of yet.
That situation is likely to change this week, however, as we enter our first ATP Masters event of the summer in Canada. These next few days will see the full roll-call of top players reemerge at the same tournament for the first time since Wimbledon and offer the first major preview for the US Open, to be followed later by the Cincinnati Masters and then the Open itself. World's number one Rafael Nadal enters as top seed, though I would hesitate to name him a clear favorite to win the title in light of his relatively unimpressive hardcourt results thus far in 2010, while Roger Federer will be playing his first tournament seeded outside the top two in around seven years.
Early headlines have focused on the novel appearance of a Nadal/Djokovic doubles team, which will be the first such pairing of the world's first and second ranked singles players in over 20 years. The singles draw contains an exciting second-round clash between Robin Soderling and Ernests Gulbis, which is in progress as I write, a chance for Andy Roddick to avenge his latest Wimbledon heartbreaker when he faces Yen-Tsun Lu in his opener, and the potentially electrifying possibility of a Federer-Berdych Wimbledon rematch in the quarterfinals.
I'm off to follow the action now, but hope I can get back to you in the next couple days.
Stay well,
Cody Wendt.
July 28, 2010
Atlanta Wrap-up, LA Ramp-up, and Early Thoughts on the US Open
Mardy Fish completed his first career run of back-to-back ATP Tour-level titles Sunday in Atlanta, upsetting top seed Andy Roddick in the semifinals to set up a dramatic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 title-clinching victory over towering marathon man John Isner. Fish has revitalized his game in recent months, slimming down substantially and performing with renewed belief and self-confidence. Meanwhile, American number one Roddick remains entrenched in the patch of subpar form which has persisted since his return from a two-month post-Miami hiatus; in particular, Roddick's return game has been in the gutter these last couple months, something nowhere better illustrated than in this last defeat, wherein Fish posted a paltry 40% of first serves in, yet Roddick was unable to capitalize with even a single service break. Isner was none too convincing either, narrowly escaping a potential early exit to Gilles Muller and then struggling mightily to edge out Kevin Anderson in the semifinals.
Nevertheless, I remain doubtful of Fish's status as a serious contender at the fourth major of 2010, as it must be pointed out that, spectacular as he may have appeared on a given streak, Fish has never truly delivered in the Grand Slam events, reaching only two quarterfinals in his decade-long professional career, both of which saw him beaten convincingly. As of the present time, I would still rate both Roddick (who, in spite of his lackluster showings of late, is still likely in my estimation to pick up steam as the US Open series progresses, and can generally be relied upon to deliver at the Open) and Isner (admittedly even less accomplished at Slams than Fish is, but through only three years of play) as better prospects to make waves in New York.
In the meantime, the US Open Series has moved to L.A. for the oddly-titled "Farmers Classic," where the fiery Scot Andy Murray enters as top seed, followed by the likes of lanky young American Sam Querrey, likeable Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, and the talented, unpredictable Latvian upstart Ernests Gulbis. Murray is a former US Open runner-up, and would place within my top five contenders for this year's event. That said, however, Murray has been utterly abysmal in non-Grand Slam tournaments this season; he has reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semis, yet failed to win so much as one small tournament all year.
Murray is in line for a potential third-round meeting with the very dangerous Gulbis, in which I would have reservations about forecasting victory. If he should avoid or get past the Latvian, however, it looks like relatively clear sailing to the final, which could represent an intriguing showdown with Querrey.
More to come soon, as I engage in more in-depth US Open speculation, and, introducing you to another of my major sporting interests, chronicle my personal experiences with boxing greats Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
Nevertheless, I remain doubtful of Fish's status as a serious contender at the fourth major of 2010, as it must be pointed out that, spectacular as he may have appeared on a given streak, Fish has never truly delivered in the Grand Slam events, reaching only two quarterfinals in his decade-long professional career, both of which saw him beaten convincingly. As of the present time, I would still rate both Roddick (who, in spite of his lackluster showings of late, is still likely in my estimation to pick up steam as the US Open series progresses, and can generally be relied upon to deliver at the Open) and Isner (admittedly even less accomplished at Slams than Fish is, but through only three years of play) as better prospects to make waves in New York.
In the meantime, the US Open Series has moved to L.A. for the oddly-titled "Farmers Classic," where the fiery Scot Andy Murray enters as top seed, followed by the likes of lanky young American Sam Querrey, likeable Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, and the talented, unpredictable Latvian upstart Ernests Gulbis. Murray is a former US Open runner-up, and would place within my top five contenders for this year's event. That said, however, Murray has been utterly abysmal in non-Grand Slam tournaments this season; he has reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semis, yet failed to win so much as one small tournament all year.
Murray is in line for a potential third-round meeting with the very dangerous Gulbis, in which I would have reservations about forecasting victory. If he should avoid or get past the Latvian, however, it looks like relatively clear sailing to the final, which could represent an intriguing showdown with Querrey.
More to come soon, as I engage in more in-depth US Open speculation, and, introducing you to another of my major sporting interests, chronicle my personal experiences with boxing greats Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
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