Thursday, June 30, 2011

A Spaniard, Frenchman, Serb, and a Scot Walk into a Bar: Previewing the Gentlemen's Semifinals

Tomorrow the All England Club will play host to the two best players in the world, the best Brit in the world who's the world number three, and arguably the hottest player in this tournament. Needless to say, it will be a great day of tennis. First up on Centre Court, the player who knocked out six time champion Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tosnga plays Novak Djokovic, world number two who is 42-1 for the year. After that, in the main event, world number one and defending champion Rafael Nadal plays top ranked Brit Andy Murray, who is having a great tournament. With the roof, there is no chance that any of these matches will be delayed,and thus, we are guaranteed an amazing day of tennis. After the jump, we'll look at each match and give predictions.

Semis Completed: Sharapova vs. Kvitova in Final

I like women's tennis. I really do. But today's semifinals were, to no one's fault in particular, for lack of a better term, flat. We'll have a post up later that will talk about that more in depth, but the final for the Ladies' Singles Championship is set. Petra Kvitova will face 2004 champion and 3 time major winner Maria Sharapova on Saturday. After the jump, we'll look at each match individually.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Tsonga Shocks Federer in Historic Upset; Semifinals Set

178-0. That was Roger Federer's record coming into today when he has won the first two sets in a major. For two sets, it looked as if he would have no troubles with Jo Wilfried Tsonga, the talented Frenchman who has shown amazing talent but has come up short due to injuries and not quite using the immense talent he has. Federer broke in Tsonga's first service game and won the first set comfortably. The second set proceeded without any breaks, and while Federer won the tiebreak handily, 7-3, the pattern for the rest of the match was set. Tsonga elevated his game while Federer's evened out. Tsonga began to hit the ball much harder, while Federer wasn't matching his increase in intensity. The final three sets were oddly similar, and anti-climactic. Tsonga broke early in all of the three final sets, and Federer never could even get a whiff on the Tsonga serve. For context, Federer had only one break point the entire match, and that was in the first set where he broke Tsonga. In the final four sets, Federer had zero break points, and only a couple of times did he reach 30-all. It was by far the biggest win in Tsonga's career. That wasn't the only exciting match today. After the break, we'll look at the other three quarterfinal matches.


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Previewing the Gentlemen's Quarterfinals

After a Maniac Monday that saw dramatic tennis all over the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, eight gentlemen are left, and after tomorrow the final four will be set. The Big 4, Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray are all left, and they are joined by a cast of characters in their respective quarterfinal berths. The big storyline going into the quarterfinals is whether or not there will be a repeat of Paris, where Nadal played Murray and Federer snapped Djokovic's insane win streak. Also, in Melbourne, 3 out of the four made it to the semifinals and back at last year's US Open, where 3 out of the 4 made it. Joining them are the American Mardy Fish, Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and the most surprising out of all of them, 18 year old Australian Bernard Tomic. After the jump, we'll preview each quarterfinal.

Blow it Up: The Ladies Draw is Wide Open after Deluge of Upsets

For the second straight major tournament, there are none of the top three seeds on the ladies side in the quarterfinals. Not only that, but today, both of the Williams sisters were knocked out today as well. Serena Williams was defeated in two very tight sets 6-3, 7-6 (7) by 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli. Immediately afterwards, her sister Venus was trounced by Tsvetana Pironkova, who defeated her last year as well. To blow the draw up further, Caroline Wozniacki lost to Dominka Cibulkova 7-5 in the third after winning the first 6-1 but losing the second set tiebreaker 7-5. It was a heartbreaking loss for the number one ranked woman. After the jump, we'll look at what else happened today on the ladies side and preview the quarterfinals, which will take place tomorrow.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Big Monday is Upon Us: The Second Best Day in Tennis

The two best days in tennis are by far are Super Saturday at the United States Open with the two men's semifinals and the women's final and Big Monday at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. On this day, all of the gentlemen's and ladies' 4th Round matches. 8 matches are played on the gentlemen's side, 8 on the ladies. It is a tennis fan's dream, with great matches taking place everywhere in the complex. After the jump, we'll look at four matches on each side to watch. We'll also have predictions at the end of the article.

Americans at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships

The absence of Serena and Venus Williams from tennis for the past several months have had a large effect on American tennis, both for the men and the women. It has left this country without any legitimate title contenders in either draw at every major championship. Andy Roddick, the highest-ranked American man, has been able to successfully disappoint all American tennis fans with early exits at the last several majors. This year's Wimbledon was no different, as he bowed out to Feliciano Lopez in the third round in straight sets. Even with this loss, American tennis fans still have hope at this year's Wimbledon: the Williams sisters and Mardy Fish, who are both into the fourth round. This shows the ups and downs of American tennis in a nutshell.

However, there have been other positives at this Wimbledon for American tennis that do not involve the Williams sisters and Mardy Fish. Ryan Harrison, the 19 year-old who is known for his competitiveness on the court, made it through to the second round, only to lose a tough five-set match to the seventh-seeded David Ferrer. 28 year-old Alex Bogomolov Jr. made it throught to the third round, only to lose to Thomas Berdych, Mardy Fish's next opponent. The positives were not as easy to find on the women's side, where no American made it past the second round with the exception of Venus and Serena Williams.

The negatives for American tennis at this year's Championships have centered around Andy Roddick. The three-time Wimbledon finalist looked extremely solid in his first two wins. Knowing that his third-round opponent was Feliciano Lopez, Roddick knew he would have to play really well to advance. He played well enough to push each of the first two sets to tie-breaks, both of which he lost. With the match just about over, Roddick was broken late in the third set, and Lopez held serve to win the match 7-6 7-6 6-4. This was not the first disappointment Roddick has had since his last trip to the final at Wimbledon, which was two years ago. He has failed to make it past the quaterfinals at any major since he lost to Roger Federer in the 2009 final.

Now that we approach the second week at this year's Wimbledon Championships, it is not a surprise that the only Americans left are the Williams sisters and Mardy Fish. Both Serena and Venus are likely to at least reach the semifinals, which would put them both one win away from facing each other in the final. Fish, however, is set to face sixth-seeded Thomas Berdych, last year's finalist, in the fourth round on Monday. The tenth-seeded American knows what he has to do to win, but knows that it will be no easy task. Meanwhile, all American tennis fans are hoping Fish, Serena, and Venus all something left to make deep runs in the second week of this tournament, which would no doubt make most fans forget about the otherwise-disappointing first week at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships for American tennis players.

Comparing the Championships and Roland Garros

Every year on the tennis calender, after Roland Garros, the players make a radical shift away from the dirt of Spain, Italy, and France and onto the regal lawns of England. A comparison between the two seasons and the two major events that cap off the respective seasons naturally arises. The differences are striking. The red clay and the green grass. The striking colors of the players' attire matched against the deep red of the court and the simple, all-white dress code that blend in with the green grass. All of these are magnified in each of their respective majors. Roland Garros and the Championships at Wimbledon. After the jump, we'll compare the two majors.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Previewing the 3rd Round: Matches to Watch

The second round of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships was much more exciting than expected, and a few matches are left to be decided. However, with the third round beginning tomorrow, here are three matches on both the ladies and gentlemen's sides that are very much worth watching.

Day 4 Recap: A Day Full of Surprises

When most fans saw the schedule for Day 4 of the Championships at Wimbledon, they were surprised to see that the first match on Centre Court would not be Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams, or Roger Federer. Instead, it would be Robin Soderling, the very engimatic top-5 player who seems to struggle on grass, versus Lleyton Hewitt, the wily veteran who won the Wimbledon Championship in 2002. Many fans still questioned whether this match deserved to be played on Centre Court. The two players quickly silenced the doubters. Throughout the first two sets, Hewitt looked like the top-5 player, as he simply took the Swede out of his game. Soderling would not go down without a fight, as he came back to win the 4-hour match 6-4 in the fifth set. Many wonder if this was the 30 year-old Aussie's last Wimbledon, but with the show he put on today, let us hope that it was not.

As for the rest of the gentlemen's field, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic easily moved on to the third round, as did Juan Martin del Potro, Marcos Baghdatis, David Nalbandian, Mikhail Youzhny, Michael Llodra, and Fernando Gonzalez. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nicolas Almagro also advanced in tough 4-set matches. Three seeds went down, as number 26 seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, number 20 seed Florian Mayer, and number 13 seed Victor Troicki all lost.

The second match on Centre Court today was Li Na, the number 3 seed, and Sabine Lisicki, the 21 year-old German with tremendous upside who is trying to fight back after major and scary injuries. Na took the first set but the hard-serving German would just not go away, taking the second set. After twice failing to serve out the match, the French Open Champion was broken and Lisicki held to take the match. Lisicki let her emotions flow after the victory, the biggest of her career. As for the rest of the ladies' field, Serena Williams survived a tough 3-set match, her second in a row at Wimbledon. Among others, seeds Ana Ivanovic, Francesca Schiavone, Svetlana Kiznetsova, Julia Georges, Maria Kirilenko, and Yanina Wickmayer also reached the third round. Li Na was the victim of the biggest upset of the day, but number 31 seed Lucie Safarova, number 14 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and number 13 seed Agnieszka Radwanska also fell to un-seeded opponents.

As for a quick American update, John Isner and Christina McHale went down, as Serena Williams moved on to the third round. 19 year-old Ryan Harrison was also on the court today, as he took a 2 set to 1 lead against number 7 seed David Ferrer. Ferrer broke early in the fourth set, but the match was postponed due to darkness as the Spainard was up 4-2 in the fourth set, down a set to the young American.

In conclusion, day 4 at Wimbledon proved to be one of the more exciting days of the tournament so far. With that being said, the next few days are sure to be filled with even more fantastic tennis.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Previewing the Gentlemen's Second Round

The first round is just a few matches short of being complete, and now the second round will begin. For the top seeds, there aren't too many possible upsets that look plausible, but looking past them there are a few intriguing match-ups. After the jump, we'll look at four matches to watch on the gentlemen's side.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Looking at Round One

128 men and women started play on Monday at the 125th edition of the Championships, and now only 64 of each remain. Well, a bit more than that are left, because of rain on Monday, but the second round will begin tomorrow, and all of the key first round matches are finished. It was a rather uneventful first round on the gentlemen's side, with all of the top seeds advancing rather easily. The only slight hiccup was Robin Soderling, the 5th seed, needing four sets to defeat Halle runner-up Phillip Petzschner and Andy Murray losing the first set before taking the next three 6-4, 6-0, 6-0. On the ladies's side, there was much more drama. Serena Williams, defending champion here, and Vera Zvonareva, the second seed, both needed three sets to advance into the second round. Francesca Schiavone also needed three sets to advance. There were no memorable matches like last year's 70-68 match, and the weather made it difficult for the best tennis to come through, but things are set up nicely for the second round, which we'll preview in a later post.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Big 3 and the Brit: The Preview of the 2011 Gentleman Singles Championships at Wimbledon

All eyes at Wimbledon will be on the top 4 seeds, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Rafael Nadal is the defending champion at SW19, and him and Roger Federer have combined to win all of the titles since Federer won in 2003. Those two have to be the clear favorites, especially because they both reached the final at Roland Garros. The two other contenders are very fascinating, with Novak Djokovic being the hottest player on tour, beating Nadal four times this spring and beating Federer twice. He was felled by Federer in French Open semifinals, but he's still incredibly dangerous. Finally, the fourth seed, Andy Murray, is the highest ranked player from Great Britain and by far the best chance to win a major on either side. He is carrying the flag, so to speak and for further analysis of Murray, check out this post. Nevertheless, it should be a fantastic Championships, with many other dangerous top players lurking right below the top 4 seeds. Tomas Berdych, who is the defending champion, Robin Soderling, former quarterfinalist here, and Andy Roddick, three time finalist are all players who have the pedigree to make a run and potentially give a huge scare to the top guys. After the jump, we'll look at the draw, quarter by quarter, and we'll have predictions.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

They're Back! The Williams Sisters Return to Wimbledon: Looking at the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles Draw

The 2011 Championships start on Monday, and all eyes on the Ladies' side will be focused on Serena and Venus Williams. Combined winners of 9 of the last 11 Championships played, they by far have the most pedigree of any women's player on tour by a large margin. However, big questions are lingering over them entering this tournament. Serena is playing her second tournament since winning last year, and the first one was last week in Eastbourne, where she lost to last year's finalist Vera Zvonareva in a tight 3 set match in which she was serving for the match in the second set. Venus is only playing her second tournament since she had to withdraw from the third round of the 2011 Australian Open. Their history tells us a run is possible, but their lack of match play due to injury suggests they will have to struggle to make it through this tournament. Either way, they will command all of the attention on the ladies' side, and this overshadows the fact that this is a wide open draw. As many as 8 ladies have a legitimate shot at winning, and, in direct comparison to 2011 Roland Garros, no one is talking about the world's number one, Caroline Wozniacki. After the jump, we'll have the full preview of the draw, quarter by quarter.

Friday, June 17, 2011

The Supremacy of Grass

Next Monday, the 125th edition of the Championships at Wimbledon will begin. It is a tournament unlike any other on the tennis calendar. There are currently six grass court sanctioned tournaments on the ATP and WTA circuit, and they all fall within a five week period, starting with the end of the French Open and concluding with the Cambell's Hall of Fame Championships, a low level event held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island. The biggest, the oldest, and of course, the grandest one is held at Wimbledon. The "Big W" is the one tournament that most players dream of winning. After the jump, we'll look at three reasons why grass courts, and specifically those at Wimbledon are the best surface for playing tennis.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

England's Last Hope?

Andy Murray does not need anyone to remind him that every time he steps onto Centre Court at Wimbledon, he is carrying the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders. It has been 75 years since an Englishman last won Wimbledon, and ever since Andy Murray broke into the Top-10 in the world, he has been pinned as the next great chance for England. Everytime he walks out on Centre Court at Wimbledon, Andy Murray is not just playing for himself; he is playing for the entire country of England, which has been let down year after year for 75 years. Murray would be the first to tell you that he does not feel any extra pressure playing in front of his home crowd at Wimbledon. However, if you were to somehow go inside his brain, there is no doubt in my mind that Andy Murray feels the weight of the entire country of England on his shoulders everytime he plays a match at Wimbledon.

Most people would say that Andy Murray has a great chance to make a deep run at Wimbledon this year. I completely agree. After winning a grass-court tournament at Queen's Club last week, Murray's confidence on grass has got to be at an all-time high. Even with his recent successes on grass, I would have to put Murray as the 4th favorite at Wimbledon, behind Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer. While that definitely does not mean Murray cannot win, it will not be easy. The best case for the Scot would be to cruise throught the first couple of rounds, both gaining confidence and support from the home crowd. This should be a real advantage for Murray if he makes it to the quarterfinals or beyond. The support of everyone in the crowd is always a positive thing, especially for a player like Murray. However, if Murray fails to win Wimbledon this year, it will cause a familiar feeling throughout the country of England: the feeling of disappointment and being let down. We can only hope that England has to deal with these feelings for only a few more years.

Friday, June 10, 2011

The Transformation of Grass Courts

Once upon a time, grass courts, which used to be the fastest courts used on the pro circuit, were where serve-and-volley players flourished. A typical point by a dominant grass court player used to be a slice serve, followed by a sprint to the net to put away a volley to end the point. This is how players like John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova were so successful on the surface. Recently, however, grass courts have become a entirely new surface, especially at Wimbledon, the most famous grass-court tournament in the world. Due to the changes made to the grass and soil at Wimbledon in the year 2001, grass courts now play like a whole new surface. The ball bounces higher and the courts have become a lot slower. These changes have led to grass courts favoring dominant base-line players like Roger Federer and the Williams sisters. This dramatic change in grass courts have been met with mixed responses. Players like Tim Henman, who was one of the few 21st century serve-and-volley players, did not react favorably to this grass-court transformation, while players like Roger Federer have seen the former haven for serve-and-volley players become their favorite surface.

While we cannot go back and time and undo the changes done to grass courts, we can dwell on what might of been if grass courts were still the fastest courts on the pro circuit. Would players like Venus Williams and Roger Federer, who have owned Wimbledon for the past 7-8 years, have recorded the same successes? Nobody knows. Who would be winning all the grass court titles if this service still played faster than hard court and clay? While it is impossible not to think about what could have been if not for this massive transformation, all we can really do is look forward to the grass court season of 2011, which is sure to bring plenty of drama and memorable moments.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The King of Clay Reigns Again: Looking at Rafael Nadal's 6th French Open Title

In the best match these two all time greats have played at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-1. Roger Federer played the best he has ever played against Nadal at Paris, but Nadal proved again why he is the King Of Clay. This is Nadal's 10 major title and increases his head to head against Federer to 17-8. After the jump, we'll look at the match, set by set

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Previewing Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal: The Men's Final

It's finally here. When Roland Garros started, there were two finals that everyone was looking forward to. It was either Nadal-Djokovic or Nadal-Federer. Well, the latter is here, after Roger Federer's dramatic 4 set win over Djokovic that many consider to be the best match since the 2008 Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer. This is the fifth match at Roland Garros between the two of them, with Nadal winning all four. This is their first meeting at a major since the 2009 Australian Open final, with Nadal winning an epic 5 set match. Federer is coming into this match at a much different point than all of his previous French Open finals, beating Djokovic in the aforementioned instant classic. After the jump, we'll look at each area of this match.

Previewing the Women's Final: Li Na vs. Francesca Schiavone

126 women have been eliminated, and only two remain. Li Na and Francesca Schiavone have each won six matches, but they both are looking to make that seven and claim the title. Schiavone has been here before, winning last year, while Li Na is playing in her second straight Major final, having lost to Kim Clijsters in the 2011 Australian Open Final. After the jump, we'll break down each aspect of each player's game.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Men's Semifinals Recap: Nadal wins, Federer beats Djokovic in instant classic

The men's semifinals are finished, and wow, what a day of tennis. Fortunately, after much doubt, it was completed today, and the final is set. Rafael Nadal will meet Roger Federer for the fifth time here in Paris, the fourth in the final. We'll have the women's preview up later, but after the jump we'll take an in depth look at each match.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Men's Semifinals Preview

It's finally time. The four men remaining in the tournament will be whittled down to two. These are two dream semis, with the top 4 seeds being in the final four. This is only the 12th time in history this has happened at a major. First up on Phillip Chatrier, Rafael Nadal plays Andy Murray, and the second match up is Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer. After the jump we'll take a look at each match-up and give predictions.

Women's Semifinal Recap

The semifinals are completed on the women's side and the two finalists are set. Na Li will play Francesca Schiavone for the Women's Championship.

Semifinal Number One
What Happened: Na Li def. Maria Sharapova 6-4. 7-5 to reach her second Major final, both in 2011.

Why it Happened: Sharapova's serve completely failed her today, getting broken at 4-3 in the second set with a double fault and later at match point down. She had 10 double faults for the match. Li also played very well, using her defense to blunt Sharapova's attacks. Her return game was also on, and that put more pressure on Sharapova's already struggling service game. The gusty conditions also helped Li, as she had much more margin on her shots.

What's Next: After already becoming the first Chinese woman to make it into the finals of a major at the 2011 Australian Open, Li is looking to become the first to win one.

Semifinal Number Two
What Happened: Francesca Schiavone def. Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-3

Why it Happened: Schiavone beat Bartoli in every aspect of this game. Her serve, forehand, and backhand were simply better. It also appeared that Schiavone handled the wind much better, putting much more margin on her shots. Bartoli did have a 2-0 lead in the second, but she was quickly broken.

What's Next: Schiavone will attempt to defend her title on Saturday.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Women's Semifinal Preview

The women's semifinals are here. In the absence of the top three seeds, one might fear that the semifinals would be lacking in drama, but the four women who remain all have compelling stories and any one of them can win it. After the jump, we'll preview each match.