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.
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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