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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 25, 2005 19:11:42 GMT -5
Baghdatis, hope he keeps smiling all the way to the top ten. ;D He has a good attitude and he can do it. He needs to rest now, then start the increase of physical conditioning.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 25, 2005 19:47:27 GMT -5
Saturday
There were 60 000 people at this day, but only a percentage of those were watching tennis.
Actually I only really watched 2 matches and snippets of others.
Cañas vs Stepanek. This match I expected to be closer, but Radek was having a shocker, though as I have said many times before his girlfriend is absolutely gorgeous and that made up for his display.
Willy was solid, but Radek kept missing his forehand and when he tried to serve/volley Cañas had drilled returns right at his feet and wasn't able to make too many telling volleys at all. Radek was just out of his depth in this match and when they had baseline rallies it was in Cañas's favour, then when he tried to change it up, he would miss the opportunity to put the ball away, just that Cañas was too tough. Sidenote Radek was good enough to sign some autographs after that performance.
Gonzales vs Nalbandian. This I thought would be a good match for Nalle as he has a very good record over Gonzo and the best thing about this match it was the one after the Cañas mauling, so I didn't have to move too far and the court was packed as well. The Chilean fans definitely outnumbered the Argentines and luckily it wasn't football and there was some good singing going on which is always good. That's the thing with the Chilean players as there are so many Chileans around the world, they can always get big support.
The match started out in the usual pattern Gonzo trying to dominate with the big forehands and Nalle using his Gonzo's power to change the direction of the ball on his strokes. Nalle got a lead and was playing well better than he was against Ventura and he had to go against a better opponent. Then the evil Nalle service let him down, please could you get some kick to that serve and better length, Coria has a serve that doesn't get broken as often and he can do better than that. As he was serving for the 1st set then Gonzo started being more aggressive and the winners were flowing and he broke the back, then got some momentum from the Chilean fans and took the 1st set.
As to be sure whether he was going to continue on that vein I wasn't sure and felt that Nalle would be able to prevail in the end as Gonzo had some problems with his feet and the shoulder, so the pattern was that Nalle would hit some short angles and then just step up his game and he saw that Gonzo was struggling and the match totally changed when Nalle won the 2nd set 7-5, which he should have won the 1st set, but after that Gonzo was getting treated and not very happy with the situation and Nalle just ground him out and took the last 2 sets easily and it was a very good performance and he does have quite a lot of fans here, more than what some people would expect and the Chileans gave him a good ovation as well.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 25, 2005 20:10:56 GMT -5
Federer vs Baghdatis, well I felt for Marcos he was very nervous and he had won 6 matches already, so with his elbow problem and the fact that he was playing the # 1 in the world contributed to the horrible start he made. I was sincerely hoping that he wouldn't get bagelled and be able to show some of his talent to the masses at some point.
The first 2 sets I really can't say that much about them, Roger was doing what he needed to do and was playing within himself and Marcos had a few shots, but a few too many errors.
At least in the 3rd set Marcos strated to relax and was able to move better and then showed some of his form and personality on the court. The Greek fans stood by him, even though they knew before the match that he didn't have much of a chance. With this he was able to take it to Federer and make Roger win it in a breaker, he has left a good impression here during his time and barring injuries he could do very well.
A tip to the local crowds, it was a bit late to start cheering Marcos when he is in a tiebreaker. The guy was a massive underdog and then they decide to cheer him when the match is over, it's not like Federer has a shortage of fans.
Hrbaty vs Johansson. This match I thought Hrbaty would win quite handily before that, though this result wasn't the one I expected. The 1st set was competitive and there were plenty of hard and flat groundstrokes traded, but once Hrbaty got the 1st set it really wasn't much of a match as Johansson went for the trainer early in the 2nd set and then the build up of 5 setters with Luczak, Calleri and Kim started to effect him and then Hrbaty saw that and raised the game and just kept punishing him as he should have.
I was surprised that Kim and Luczak were able to make Tojo go 5 sets especially Kim since ordinary is the nicest thing I can say about him, though that is better than that fool Reynolds who somehow managed to make the 3rd round.
It was an easy run for Hrbaty in the last 2 sets and this has been a good tournament for him so far.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 25, 2005 20:32:46 GMT -5
Monday was the day that really pissed me off results wise for obvious reasons.
Cañas vs Davydenko, well I had a good feeling when I saw this one and thought Cañas has the record on him and if he played to his capacity then he should get through. How wrong I was about that.
Fucking Davydenko I doubt whether he will play that well again he was on fire for the whole match. The pattern of the match was set early, by some very bad line calls in the 1st set when Cañas lost his serve at 30-30 there was a ridiculous out ball missed by the linesperson that led to 30-40 and then from there it began.
In the 1st set Kolya was serving well and attacking a lot and it was coming off, he didn't want to grind with Cañas, but he was hitting winners and then moving forward and hitting some great dropshots which fooled Cañas and was leaving him in not a good mood at all.
Seriously I couldn't believe the amount of shocking linecalls in this match they missed at least 5 against Cañas and 1 against Kolya. One or two can happen, but from what I remember on the line is in and these were at vital points when Cañas had 30-30 or 30-40 on Kolya's serve.
The attacking pattern continued and he was even hitting cold winners on his backhand side now and then, when I saw this Kolya "The poor mans Kafelnikov" was going to win and this would be his day.
Cañas didn't hit with enough length and also missed a few too many forehands and he wasn't in position to hit them very well, this plus "PMK's" good play with the volleys and the winners led to this result. The worst thing is that I believe that "PMK" will lose like 6-0, 6-1 6-1 to Duckboy and he allegedly has problems with breathing which can't help him at all.
Nadal vs Hewitt. Well the kid you blew it that is the honest assessment of this match. It's funny that Hewitt is bitching about the surface, yet there are more fastcourt players in the finals than previous. The kid and Potato were going at it right away with the heavy forehand of Nadal troubling Hewitt and Hewitt's will to hang in there were all to see. Nadal played a sloppy game to lose the 1st set 7-5.
Nadal then afterwards he concentrated well and then was just dominant and didn't make that many unforced errors and Hewitt couldn't attack his shots as they had too much depth and was able to move him well out of position.
The 4th set this was tough and I thought if Nadal didn't win that, then I thought the Potato would be too strong in the 5th set. Nadal had enough chances to put him away, but lost the 4th, then he was wallowing in his missed chances that he lost 2 breaks against Hewitt, once he decided to fight on it was too late for him and the Potato showed his mental strength this plus experience is what got him through this match.
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Post by Choupi on Jan 26, 2005 2:51:38 GMT -5
Wow, all those reports in so little time...I'm impressed! But thank you anyway...always pleasant to read...
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Post by freudo on Jan 26, 2005 10:39:38 GMT -5
and the Pulitzer goes to GWH, or whatever thanks thanks thanks...
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Rosie
New Member
Posts: 20
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Post by Rosie on Jan 27, 2005 6:02:57 GMT -5
Thanks for the David/Gonzalez report GWH. And of course he has lots of fans - where I lead - the others follow
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Post by The Chloe on Jan 27, 2005 16:02:47 GMT -5
I disagree that Nadal "blew it", but thanks for the reports anyways. He'll beat Hewitt one of these days His aftermatch assessment of himself was quite honest and realistic, I thought.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 27, 2005 20:48:00 GMT -5
Nadal had his chances and it wasn't a choke at all, but he got very despondent after he couldn't close out the match and if you have chances to take advantage of the situation in a match then the opportunity is blown.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 27, 2005 22:02:11 GMT -5
Now I have a lot of matches to write about, so I better start now.
Safin vs Hrbaty. When I heard the roof was going to be closed for this match. One I was pissed off because they played with it open for the previous 2 matches and should have kept it open. The second reason was that the match was played indoors which would totally benefit Marat and the advantages of superior conditioning and fitness that Hrbaty has were taken away because of a decision from above.
They measure it by 36 degrees air temperature and 30 per cent humidity and if it reaches this then the roof will be closed. As the roof was closed this match wasn't really a contest as the conditions which could effect Marat's game weren't apparent and then he really went on to show why he is one of the premier players indoors.
Once he got into the groove on serve he just dominated the match and Hrbaty sadly wasn't in it at all. Dominik had flashes, but it was only small glimpses and I do think he was upset that the roof was closed and had a right to be, at the same time he had to adjust to the conditions and wasn't able to as Marat was better in every form in the game. It was an awesome performance from the big man and I am happy that he is coached by Lundgren as they seem to work together very well. Hrbaty congrats on a fine tournament and even taking out Gaudio in that manner still deserves applause.
Federer vs Agassi. The hype around the grounds was huge for sure, but I was quite content in watching the match in the garden on the big screen as I don't care too much about Agassi. In addition to this it was next to impossible to get a ticket as the line waiting on returns and cancellations was huge and not moving, so I took the easy option.
Found a seat and then what can I say about this match is a summary really. Federer treated Baldy with contempt, he broke serve when he wanted to do and just held the advantage as he had plenty in reserve. Roger was hitting some great shots and in reality he was making Agassi look like an old guy. I have to say I found it amusing to say the least to see Roger kill him the score might have looked alright, but it's not like Roger was ever troubled and he will need to be on his game for the next matches.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 28, 2005 1:09:29 GMT -5
Australia Day wasn't a great day for me, then again it's national day with quite a few drunken fools around and that isn't surprising.
It was cool to see Fromberg/Wilander playing doubles, though I find it hard to see how can Richard Fromberg be a legend, he only won Båstad once, then again he is Tasmania's best ever player and that's good enough. These guys were playing well and they had fun which is important and they made the oldies doubles.
I saw David practicing with Eduardo in the evening, Eduardo doesn't have a bad backhand and it was only a short session and his brother was there. I had never seen him, but the eyes were too similar then I looked at the badge and yes they are brothers. There were some pissed clowns from the top walkway screaming "you're going down Nalbandian", it's alright he didn't take any notice at all.
This match was very difficult to be a Nalbandian fan as it was national day with a bunch of Aussies and I didn't get a ticket, but the square was packed for sure. Hewitt got out early and was playing very well and Nalle seemed a bit out of sorts and was making some errors that he normally wouldn't. I just hoped that the nerves would settle down eventually and then he would be able to show some of his talents.
Hewitt settled quicker and took the 1st set easily, then Nalle had 15-40 in the 2nd set and to me he had to win this game and get some momentum, but sadly he blew it and then Hewitt was able to refocus on the job at hand and was playing solidly and won the 2nd set to 2.
Lucky the fireworks which were very good, lod and spectacular well as much as I like fireworks anyway. This helped Nalle as he tightened up and wasn't making as many errors on that backhand as he was spraying them everywhere. Then Nalle was able to move Hewitt around the court and when he is playing well I love how he uses the court with angles and his ability to manouever the opponent out of court. He is improving and finally gets a break and takes the 3rd set.
The 4th set Nalle continues on the same vein and is hitting some good winners and it seems that Hewitt has gone off to the races for a while, but if it got to a 5th I doubt that the Potato will always be around at the end sadly. I thought Nalle had the chance for a bagel and I was chanting bagel, bagel and all the Aussies were so quiet during this time of the match and then Dave takes it for 6-1.
Here comes the business end now and knowing that Hewitt doesn't give away any presents. I was worried about Nalle's serve as everyone knows what a liability it can be at times. He is serving well by his standards and the thing that really frustrated me about this match was the amount of times that he had 30 all on Hewitt's serve and didn't make the return into play either into the net or just long on the backhand, then later he came out with great winners.
I was cheering on as best as I could, but Hewitt kept holding serve and I thought the longer he couldn't break Hewitt, the closer it was to Nalle losing his serve and at 8-8 the 15-40 and the head went down and he lost serve.
Hewitt then served it out and he was too good in the vital moments. Nalle played very well at the end and it was very close and in the future he can win those matches, but I am proud of the way he played.
The funny thing was the guys who were going for Nalle could see me walking away dejectedly as all the Aussies were celebrating, the thought of having to go for Hewitt was fresh in my mind and the head shaking was constant for at least 30 mins, but a good performance by both.
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Post by Lee on Jan 28, 2005 1:13:22 GMT -5
It was cool to see Fromberg/Wilander playing doubles, though I find it hard to see how can Richard Fromberg be a legend, he only won Båstad once, then again he is Tasmania's best ever player and that's good enough. These guys were playing well and they had fun which is important and they made the oldies doubles. Being a Tasmania devil is legend enough
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 28, 2005 1:19:21 GMT -5
Maybe Lee, I just need to write the Federer/Safin one now.
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Post by Lee on Jan 28, 2005 1:23:38 GMT -5
Maybe Lee, I just need to write the Federer/Safin one now. Can't wait to see it as I believed I killed my tape recording by accident
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 28, 2005 2:16:24 GMT -5
Yesterday was a fun day a bit warm, but good. I was walking around and then I saw the Fromberg/Wilander match vs Cash/Warwick. I felt very confident about the Tassie/Swede combo winning the title and they did win easily. The irony of it Mats was better than Cash in 1988 and he was better than him in 2005, ah the joys it was fun to see him again play. I ended up getting a great ticket for the Federer/Safin match it was in the lower level in the players section, I have to say I was fortunate. There were some interesting characters there. They included Eduardo Infantino, Javier Nalbandian, Joakim Nyström, Mats Wilander ( he still loves Marat), Evonne Cawley with family, Kyle VanDerKuyp (twice finalist in the 110m hurdles) and some others as well. What to expect from this match I wasn't sure and I am very happy that they were met. I didn't use notes for this one as I wouldn't have been able to write things down for this one, so this comes straight from the memory. The first thing I noticed was that Lundgren and the Marat camp were sitting elsewhere from the players camp and the Federer camp was there and Mirka was looking quite good and there was a full camp there. Marat had started well and in the 1st set it was close but Roger always seemed to be just ahead and that was reflected in the play. The quality wasn't the greatest, but I was very happy about how it was going and I wasn't sure who to go for in this match, so I clapped both of them. The guy next to me was this funny Serbian guy who was a big Marat fan and he was saying he had to watch his temper and I was worried that the volcano could explode. Then at 6-5 I hope that Marat wouldn't do the OAF thing, but in a way he really didn't oaf too much, it was more that Federer was returning well and placing them deep in the court, he just didn't serve well with enough 1st serves in. The 2nd set well in my eyes that Marat had to win it as if he went 2 sets down I didn't think he could win the match otherwise. Safin concentrated to the ask and was hitting very well and Federer returning the ball back with interest, you could tell that these guys know each other very well on court and Federer's anticipation helped him get back shots that would have been winners against most players. The 2nd set is going the pattern of the 1st, but Marat breaks late in the set and is able to hold onto the advantage to take the 2nd. One set all the first thing I said was we have "game-on" and all things are equal, but the feeling in myself was that Roger while a little bit down would triumph again. The quality of play was quite good without being outstanding as they are both playing below their peak, but not so bad that it was village tennis and the scores were close so that made it intriguing to say the least. Safin was serving well and had a higher percentage of 1st serves, but Federer's returns are classy as these big bombs kept coming back very deep in the corners with pace or underspin. Federer was doing the one topspin, one slice backhand to Safin trying to break his rhythm and Safin was hitting well, but not really trashing the ball as he was concentrating on getting better length without masses of power. We have come back to the same stage 6-5 in the 3rd and if Marat lost his serve, I think there could be some racquet damage. Yes, he played a sloppy game and Federer was able to break and afterwards Marat hit the ball out of the stadium as the 1st time he almost hit it out, but Molina didn't bother to warn him for either ball abuse or racquet abuse, he used a bit of commonsense in this sense. 2-1 to Federer does he run away with the 4th or does Marat hang like a man and take it to the 5th. The thing with Federer's serve seeing it has so much variation and that is how he manages to keep Safin off his balance and it was frustrating Marat as he had some half chances, but couldn't exploit them and the thing I am impressed about is that Marat is moving forward well and executing some good volleys. The play is still at a good standard and we are in the breaker. The crowd was definitely on Marat's side and they really love him here and not just the ladies, most of the guys think he is a dude. I am of the opinion if Marat stole my girlfriend I wouldn't be pissed off about it. Federer is playing the solid breaker and leads 5-2 and here we go he'll win it, but he manages to lose 4 points in a row and Marat has set point which is saved. Then Feds gets to match point and the crowd are getting very loud for Safin and what a point it is too. They rally and then Feds hits a drop volley of sorts, then Marat who was moving so well it was great to see manages to hit a lob on the run which landed just inside the line and Federer couldn't do much with it, and then this gave him confidence and he was able to take it to a 5th. Interesting as Federer pulled up and asked for a timeout, but I don't think it was too serious. I wasn't sure about Roger's fitness and he hasn't been pushed for a while in 5 sets and his 5 set record isn't great, whereas Marat has a very good 5 set record so that could help him in theory. Marat is returning serve a lot better and he has belief that he can do things in this match. Roger doesn't seem to be flustered and they are not giving much away at all, the crowd is getting even louder than before. Federer is volleying well, but funnily enough Marat has had more net approaches at this stage and he hasn't had many foibles when he was there. It was very tense and not clear as to who would win, though Marat was continuing to make deeper inroads into Roger's game than vice versa but I still thought Federer will come through. It's on serve and the guys start lifting their game and using the whole of the court and when Marat is playing well it's amazing that a guy that big can move so well and Federer is still trying to work his way to solve the problems from the big enigma. Marat breaks and then is serving for the match at 5-3, but he falters under the pressure and I thought for sure the volcano was going to burst. Feds gets it back on serve and they continue on and Marat is going for his shots and wasn't passive, but not reckless he manages to find the right balance and he reaches match points but a combo of errors and the fact that Federer is refusing to give up means that these were saved and the match continues. Then we are at 8-7 and Feds is serving and Marat hits some great returns and reaches his 7 match point. They rally and then Marat stretches Federer wide and he falls, then there was the open court and I am not sure whether Marat would hit the top of the net and miss the open court. After that the ball isn't coming back and then all of a sudden the words game, set and match Safin and the crowd gives both a standing ovation for at least 6 mins and both players got a great reception and deserved it too for the match they put on. In my eyes this match should have been the final and I was happy to have witnessed it. Federer can be beaten what a shock. Marat held his nerve and wasn't passive or lose his cool when it could have easily happened. Now come on Oaf, enigma now do the right thing and win the title and Lundgren get him focused for the final that he must win.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 28, 2005 2:18:20 GMT -5
Can't wait to see it as I believed I killed my tape recording by accident Done.
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Post by Lee on Jan 28, 2005 2:53:44 GMT -5
That's quite a match. Thanks again, GWH! Will this be your last report or there will be more coming?
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 28, 2005 2:54:47 GMT -5
That's quite a match. Thanks again, GWH! Will this be your last report or there will be more coming? Maybe though I might write a final report I have other things to do.
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Post by Choupi on Jan 28, 2005 5:35:32 GMT -5
Can't wait to see it as I believed I killed my tape recording by accident Lee, I have the match on tape if you're interested...now you know I can copy on dvd...
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Post by Choupi on Jan 28, 2005 5:36:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the reports...hope you keep on having fun there George!
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Post by Lee on Jan 28, 2005 9:55:20 GMT -5
Lee, I have the match on tape if you're interested...now you know I can copy on dvd... Thanks They are not my very fav so I can live without it.
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Post by freudo on Jan 28, 2005 11:12:14 GMT -5
"I am of the opinion if Marat stole my girlfriend I wouldn't be pissed off about it." LOL!!! thanks, loved all your reports. Glad you got such a good seat for this one
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Post by taysbest on Jan 28, 2005 12:40:18 GMT -5
Thanks for all of your reports. I told you on MTF how much I liked them.. Shame you can go to all of the tournaments and report back!
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Rosie
New Member
Posts: 20
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Post by Rosie on Jan 28, 2005 13:23:09 GMT -5
Thanks for all of your reports. I told you on MTF how much I liked them.. Shame you can go to all of the tournaments and report back! Same for me. Thanks for the David/Hewitt report - even though I know I have thanked you elsewhere - why not do it again? I still shed the occasional tear over that match but I'll get over it in time - we all do. Enjoy the rest of your time in Melbourne and safe journey home. Hope I get a chance to catch up with you properly before I leave for Marseille next weekend.
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 29, 2005 3:55:52 GMT -5
I think I won't be doing any more reports as I figured the Federer/Safin one is a good one to finish on.
I'll be a minority wanted to see Marat win, well think where I am and I think he will but I just have to think about the rest of 2005 and the clay events will take up my time.
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Post by Choupi on Jan 29, 2005 8:15:04 GMT -5
I'll be a minority wanted to see Marat win, well think where I am and I think he will but I just have to think about the rest of 2005 and the clay events will take up my time. Count me in the minority... ;D
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Post by TennisHack on Jan 29, 2005 15:23:54 GMT -5
I'll be a minority wanted to see Marat win, well think where I am and I think he will Perhaps the minority in Australia but definitely not on this board. Thanks for all the reports!
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Post by Choupi on Jan 30, 2005 13:28:27 GMT -5
Well done Marat Thanks for all your reports. I agree with Taysbest and Rosie. Too sad you can't attend every tournament and report back...
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Post by Patrik Sjöberg on Jan 31, 2005 23:29:41 GMT -5
Great result and I enjoyed writing the reports, now it's time for the clay season to begin.
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