Day 3 in Melbourne, not as good cause Day 4 has better matches

Round 2

Yes, these updates haven’t been the quickest, but as long as they are still worth reading, then that is all that counts.

Stepanek vs. Dlouhy

The battle between the two Czechs and we all know “Thunder Lips” isn’t the most popular guy around among his countrymen, but hey there is always one like this. I mean look at Hewitt in Australia, Coria in Argentina, Söderling in Sweden, Spadea in the US, not that this is a problem in the progress of a top tennis player.

“Dropshot” Dlouhy starts well and is controlling the rallies and using some good change ups, it’s funny he can actually play quite well, but he can’t win matches on the ATP tour, but wins matches at Slams. Got to say his effort in losing to Justin Gimelclown on clay is special and having match points to boot as well, it must have scarred him.

Dlouhy with the changes of pace on the backhand mostly and his drop volleys takes the 1st set 6-4 and ol’ Thunder Lips isn’t into the match for some reason, maybe he and Martina did some shagging before the match and he is flat, and mostly missing on that dodgy forehand side of his. The pattern of the match continues with Dlouhy in all of Stepanek’s service games and putting the pressure on and holding his serve well by giving him no rhythm and Dlouhy takes it 6-4.

Dlouhy has an early break in the 3rd and there was a sense of an upset here as Thunder Lips still looks like he just got up or was doing something in his own world, then Dlouhy just like in the Gabashvili match plays a sloppy game and gets broken and after this Stepanek gets fired up and starts doing the “Thunder Lips Tango” and the skipping and then Stepanek breaks again to take the 3rd set 6-4.

Thunder Lips lifts his game now and isn’t missing as many forehands as before and he is hitting the backhands as well, whereas Dlouhy has seemed to drop his bundle for the moment and Radek takes the set 6-1. We have another 5 setter whereas Stepanek has come back from deficits before, he has lost a few from 2 sets up as well and I had the feeling his greater experience would get him through there, though I wanted Dlouhy to win this match. Stepanek started the 5th serving first and to me it’s always an advantage to serve first in the 5th set, because it’s harder for the guy to come up and serve to stay in the match at 4-5 down for example and the player serving first. Dlouhy loses serve early and unlike the Gabashvili match he can’t break back and he does seem to like the knedlicky (Czech dumplings) and beer a bit and Stepanek runs out the winner of this one.

Ancic vs. Garcia-Lopez

Have to thank my good friend Sammy for this review. Ancic was only on court in body and was somewhere else mentally and listless at best. GGL takes advantage of Ancic’s listlessness and serves well to take the 1st set 6-3 and Ancic isn’t exhaling as much as much as usual when he is hitting his groundstrokes. Perhaps Fidde Rosengren has tried to get him not to sound like Darth Vader when he is hitting the ball and he is down 4-1 in the 2nd set. Then the light switches over and he starts to play with more composure and cuts down the errors and then takes the next 6 of the next 7 games to take the set 7-5. After establishing control of the match, then the last 2 sets are easy enough, this was far from a good performance from Ancic, but the got the win.

Baghdatis vs. Monfils

The match between two showmen and Marcos was quite subdued at this event, it seems the extra pressure from the media and he had a lot of people with him this time could be having a negative influence on him. It’s funny in 2006 the crowd wanted to suck Marcos’s dick, then again what do you expect from once a year tennis fans and bandwagon jumpers. They decided to cheer overwhelmingly for Monfils (Sliderman), not that there is anything wrong with that, it’s just that it wasn’t his first time in Melbourne as a senior, but selective memory is a wonderful thing. He is the new thing for the day and Baghdatis is yesterday’s hero.

As for the match, well it wasn’t great and it will be interesting when Marcos decides to get serious with his fitness and yes I can understand the love of lamb yeeros and those desserts, but plenty of time to do that when he retires. He has to rebuild now for the season and the key for him is to remain injury free, but at the same time if he is not in the peak condition, then it becomes harder.

Monfils totally deserved the victory, though he is still a long way from solving the problem of what style of game does he want to play. He is either über-defensive and just running things down or just going for winners when he can’t be bothered running. I love it cause he had losers limp at the end of the 3rd and then he starts moving like the panther he is later on in the match.

On a side note Marcos’s brother Pedros is a dead ringer for Marcos and that’s a bit spooky once you see it for the first time.

Hrbaty vs. Spadea

Always going to be a long match and not one for the lovers of the serve/volley game and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Some of the Domo’s fans weren’t very positive about this match after the ordinary performance in defeating Vanek and Vinnay was impressive against big Andreev. Hrbaty usually lifts his game when he is playing in Melbourne, it’s all that wonderful Slovak food from the family he stays with and the ice cream that does the trick.

The 1st set was tight and was taken by Vincenzo in the breaker and then Vinnay takes a 4-1 lead in the 2nd set. Hrbaty hangs tough and wins a big game in the context of the set and later the match and gets his break back and with Hrbaty winning the 2nd set the momentum was with him and then he ground his way to victory and at last report Vinnay was off in Melbourne looking for some bitches or chicks to star in his next rap video.