Now! Wild Card Playoffs -- Go geezers!

[janie]

some early scores from the first day of the RR phase of the playoff:

Olivia Rogowska d Tyra Calderwood 6-3 6-1
Brittany Sheed d Australia's great hope Jessica Moore 6-2 6-3
Brydan Klein d Greg Jones 7-6 6-1
Peter Luczak d Brendan McKenzie 6-2 6-3
Jelena Dokic d Sophie Letcher 6-3 6-0

In progress:

Monika Wejnert v Marija Mirkovic 6-4
Bernard Tomic v Colin Ebelthite 6-3

[DBBN]

Moore is guaranteed a MD WC anyway so I'm sure she gave about 2% effort.

[janie]

Fellow Aussie takes down Tomic at Open

December 15, 2008

Australian star junior Bernard Tomic has lost a hard-fought opening match in the Australian Open wildcard playoff tournament in Melbourne.

The 16-year-old, who is the reigning Australian Open junior champion, went down in three sets to South Australian Colin Ebelthite 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6).

Tomic fought off two match points before his 24-year-old opponent clinched the match.

A journeyman on the challenger circuit, Ebelthite is a former semi-finalist at the wildcard tournament, and has a win over former Australian Davis Cup player Wayne Arthurs to his credit.

Tomic, who will play again on Tuesday in the round robin event, said he still had hopes of reaching Sunday's final.

The Queenslander said he felt weary during the match, but had not felt any pressure after he was involved in a controversial walk-off in a match in Perth recently for which he apologised.

[janie]

WC rr day 2:

Bernard Tomic d Dane Propoggia 6-7 6-4 3-0 ret
Joseph Sirianni d Colin Ebelthite 7-5 7-6
Monika Wejnert d Jelena Dokic 4-6 6-3 6-4
Sophie Letcher d Marija Mirkovic 7-6 6-4
Jessica Moore d Tyra Calderwood 6-3 6-1
Brittany Sheed d Olivia Rogowska 6-1 6-4
Peter Luczak d Brydan Klein 6-2 6-4
Brendan Mckenzie d Greg Jones 7-5 7-6(4)
Anna Wishink d Emelyn Starr 7-5 6-3
Carsten Ball d Mark Verryth 6-3 6-1
Mia Vriens d Jade Hopper 6-4 6-4
Sam Groth d Dayne Kelly 6-4 6-4
Marinko Matosevic d Robert Smeets 4-6 6-2 6-1
Matt Ebden v John Millman 6-1 (?)
Sophie Ferguson d Isabella Holland 6-3 6-2
Shannon Golds d Alison Bai 6-4 6-4

[Brinyi]

Dorkic
Go Carsten!

[Brinyi]

Jelena Dokic and Bernard Tomic to face crucial matches

...
Dokic must now beat Victorian Marija Mirkovic to progress to Friday's quarter-finals.

Star junior Bernard Tomic also lines up in a crucial clash after losing his opening match on Monday.
...
He has a tough assignment on Wednesday against the undefeated defending champion Joe Sirianni.

[leelee]

Why is there round robin for this. If you lose a match and still advance against these scrubs, you probably don't deserve to be in the main draw anyway.

[janie]

Yes, but Australia wants some Aussies in the AO draw, no matter how bad they are!

rr day 3:

Anna Wishink d Jade Hopper 6-4 6-0
Emelyn Starr d Mia Vriens 6-2 7-6(2)
Sam Groth d Carsten Ball 6-4 5-7 7-6(3)
Andrew Gregory d Dayne Kelly 3-6 6-3 6-1
Sophie Ferguson d Shannon Golds 6-4 6-2

Isabella Holland d Alison Bai 4-6 6-3 6-3
Robert Smeets d John Millman 7-6 6-7 5-3
Matt Ebden d Marinko Matosevic 6-7 6-2 6-2
Jelena Dokic d Marija Mirkovic 6-4 6-2

Monika Wejnert d Sophie Letcher 7-5 6-3
Joseph Sirianni d Bernard Tomic 6-3 6-1 :lmao:
Andrew Thomas d Colin Ebelthite 5-7 2-1 retired
Peter Luczak d Stephen Hoh 7-5 6-2

Brendan McKenzie v Brydan Klein 3-6 7-6(2) 1-1 (progress)
Jessica Moore v Olivia Rogowska 2-6 6-4 0-3 (in progress)
Brittany Sheed d Tyra Calderwood 6-3 6-2

So this Brittany girl who clobbered Jessica Moore the other day is for real, then. At least, for real Aussie-girl style, that is, with hard work she could be top 250 one day!

[janie]

"Junior champion Bernard Tomic lost his second match of the tournament, going down to veteran Joe Sirianni 6-3 6-1 having previously lost to Colin Ebelthite, but he may yet qualify for the quarter-finals.

"Tomic will claim a quarter-final spot if Ebelthite is unable to gain a medical clearance for a rib injury by Friday."

Goooooo Colin's ribs!

[janie]

follow-up:

Olivia Rogowska d Jessica Moore 6-2 4-6 6-2

Don't know what happened in that creepy "Brendan vs Brydan" match , and I don't care.

[janie]

"I thought I started well but didn't have the strength to match his game," Tomic said. "The last few days I have been really tired. The other matches took their toll, especially the first one. But he's a great player. Hopefully, one day I can get him."

Sirianni said his opponent's leg-weariness was understandable after two testing matches, including a taxing opener against Ebelthite, but warned that lack of conditioning was no excuse. "He's only a young guy, but being young, he still has to be fit. That's a part of tennis," Sirianni said.

[janie]

I've heard of players dreaming of beating Federer one day, but that's the first time I've ever heard of someone dreaming of the day they might beat the "great" Joe Sirianni!

[janie]

QFs:

Tomic did not get to play after all; Colin E. was deemed play-worthy and commenced to beat 29-y.o. Luczak 64 62.

Dokic shoed away Sheed 2 & 2.

Hurley-fave and perennial AO WC queen Sophie Ferguson looks to be heading for a 3rd set.

[janie]

Completed QFs:

Colin Ebelthite d Peter Luczak 6-4 6-2
Marinko Matosevic d Carsten Ball 6-3 6-7(7) 6-3
Joseph Sirianni, age 33 d Brendan McKenzie 5-7 6-1 6-1
Samuel Groth d Robert Smeets 7-6 6-3

Distaff:

Emelyn Starr d Sophie Ferguson 6-4 2-6 6-4 :lmao:
Jelena Dokic d Brittany Sheed 6-2 6-2
Monika Wejnert d Olivia Rogowska 7-6(8) 7-6(3)
Isabella Holland d Anna Wishink 6-4 6-4

[janie]

Women's Semifinals:

Jelena Dokic d Emelyn Starr 6-1 6-1
Monika Wejnert d Isabella Holland 6-3 6-4

So for the final, Dokic will face the player who beat her in rr.

Men's semis underway ...

[Traveling Man]

I'm rooting for Dokic to win, and really get things back on track. She seems to have picked it up, winning her last two matches comfortably. But with Jelena, it's always so hit and miss.

[janie]

Yeah it's not going to look too goodif she loses to Wejnert again, but she's completely capable of it. But it sounds like she's played really well in these last two matches, so I hope she can roll over Wejnert and snag the MD WC. Though she'd do better to play the qualies, in my opinion.

Men's SFs:

Samuel Groth d Joseph Sirianni 6-4 7-6(5)
Colin Ebelthite d Marinko Matosevic 6-4 6-4

[Calico]

It looks like Dokci is giving this comeback attempt a good effort. I hope Jelena has a fine 2009.

[janie]

Final:

Dokic def. Wejnert 6-7(3) 7-5 6-3 -- that Wejnert's a tough cookie, isn't she!

Men's final presumably in progress

[janie]

Australia's Colin Ebelthite gained a wildcard into the main draw of the Australian Open with a 1-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-4 win over the Australian Sport Institute's Sam Groth in the men's playoff final. "

[Brinyi]

Wejnert missed a great chance there.

***

John Isner won a wild card spot in the 2009 Australian Open on Saturday, December 20th by beating Jesse Levine 6-3, 7-5.

Donald Young, Wayne Odesnik, Jesse Levine and John Isner competed at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fl. for a chance to advance to the Australian Open. When it was all over the 145th ranked Isner was victorious.

Young defeated Odesnik in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5 and will play Jesse Levine on Sunday, December 21st to determine the 2nd place winner of the Boca Raton tournament.

Christina McHale earned her first career Grand Slam singles main draw entry to the 2009 Australian Open, defeating Gail Brodsky, 6-1, 6-0, in the final of the USTA's Australian Open wild card playoffs on December 18.

McHale, a 16-year-old from Englewood Cliffs, N.J., won the wild card to Melbourne over seven other American women who were competing in the round robin event hosted by the USTA in Boca Raton, Fla. and she went a perfect 4-0 in the competition.

She is currently ranked No. 377 in the world and reached a career-high of No. 373 in mid-November. McHale trains at the USTA Player Development facility in Boca Raton and also competed in the prestigious 2008 Dunlop Orange Bowl recently, where she advanced to the Girls 18s final, before falling to Julia Boserup in three sets.

McHale was also a Future Fed Cupper in 2008 (along with Boserup), traveling with the U.S. Fed Cup Team to La Jolla, Calif. for its quarterfinal match against Germany for an opportunity to train and practice alongside the team.

The other American women competing for the spot in Melbourne besides McHale and Brodsky were Madison Brengle, CoCo Vandeweghe, Vania King, Lauren Albanese, Mallory Cecil and Asia Muhammad.

[janie]

Englewood Cliffs! McHale has to be a rich girl to come from that fancypants town. I wonder what her game is like.

[DBBN]

John ISNER (IVO)!

[janie]

Groth, 21, must now hope for one of the remaining wildcards that Tennis Australia dispenses at its discretion if he's to join his fiancee in the Australian Open singles draws.

Slovakian-born Australian Jarmila Gajdosova, whose 98th ranking guarantees her a place in the women's field, will marry the power-hitting Victorian two days after the Open.

[DBBN]

:love:

[janie]

Hmm, the AO Wild Card is not as big as some Hidden World WCs we've seen!

[leelee]

Almost as goofy as Hussein with the large Office-of-the-President-Elect sign

[Brinyi]

Dec 22, 2008 8:19:54 GMT -5 janie said:

Groth, 21, must now hope for one of the remaining wildcards that Tennis Australia dispenses at its discretion if he's to join his fiancee in the Australian Open singles draws.

Slovakian-born Australian Jarmila Gajdosova, whose 98th ranking guarantees her a place in the women's field, will marry the power-hitting Victorian two days after the Open.

:love:

[janie]

All set for doubles match
Article from: Sunday Herald Sun

Jackie Epstein

December 14, 2008 12:00am

IT is a perfect love match and will be sealed with an ace straight after the Australian Open.

Bright young tennis hopes Sam Groth and Jarmila Gajdosova will marry two days after the Australian Open ends on February 1.

The pair, who have dated for 18 months, will contest the mixed doubles at Melbourne Park.

"There aren't many couples together on tour but it's great to know we have each other," Groth said.

"The longest we've been apart was four weeks which is pretty good when you're on the road a lot."

Gajdosova is originally from Slovakia but has lived here for five years. She is ranked 98 in the world and has earned direct entry into the Open.

Groth is ranked inside the top 250 and will be vying for a wildcard in the playoffs that start tomorrow.

"It'd be good to win the wildcard and take it all out of the picture a bit," Groth said.

"Then I guess it's up to the powers that be and whatever decision they make I don't think anyone deserves it more than anyone else."

Gajdosova will also play in Brisbane on the back of an impressive 2008 with wins in Gimcheon, Korea, Kawana, Traralgon and Taiwan.

"I was 17 when I decided to come out here and I never thought I'd marry an Australian!" Gajdosova said.

The pair will marry in Groth's hometown of Albury.

[Brinyi]

I wonder if Groth will play DC for Slovakia?