Yes, my time at the Australian Open is over and this summary has been a while coming. Life and other things have got in the way which happens to all of us except the most privileged on the planet.
Even now unsure as to how to describe my experience at the tennis year. Looking at the overall, it was mixed. There were some good moments, some disappointments and there’s always the positive part of meeting new people, sharing experiences and learning from each other.
Qualifying
One thing that has been reassured over the many years of attending the Australian Open is that the qualies are the best time to go. Yes, it’s free for the first few days but they now they’re charging for Kids Day on the Saturday which is just another money making opportunity for the organisation, more on that later.
The beauty about the qualies you get to see a great mix of players, the youngsters just starting out the tour, the ones who have had success on the Challenger Tour like young Finn Emil Ruusovori who won’t be needing to play these in the near future. The players who were top 100 previously who have dropped down whether to injuries, loss of form or a combination of both and the guys who make their living on the Challenger Tour hoping for a big break to main draw in the terms of ranking points and finances.
Is the tennis as polished as the main draw, no of course not but it’s of a high standard and considering what is on the line makes it interesting to follow. Yes, I remember a skinny 17 year old Serbian kid with a very long neck making the main draw from qualies, in addition to a fun loving Cypriot who had some rowdy fans and the charismatic Canadian who looks like Chief Wiggum from The Simpsons achieving it.
There was Bananagate which was expertly filmed from the man Alex Theodoridis from Tennisportalen. This was the entitled French clown Eliot Benchetrit who requested a ballkid to peel a banana for him. Umpire John Blom laid the smackdown on him for that request or also telling him off for being rude to ballkids.
The best match in qualies for sure was Peter Gojowczyk vs. Blaž Kavčič in relation to quality of tennis, though not the result. The best thing about the qualies, the people who are there are the ones who are definitely not gloryhounds, of course free is never a bad thing and there are gamblers there who are either punting or the smart ones doing research.
Main Draw
This is where the least enjoyable parts of the tournament come into play. The price of the ground passes has doubled in 4 years. It used to be around $30 and was fantastic value for the first 4 days as there are plenty of matches to watch. Though tennis fans aren’t exactly revolutionary, definitely couldn’t imagine fans staying away because of the price of tickets.
Tennis has always been a middle class sport at the best and totally upper class at worst. The vibe of the event has changed and not for the better. That’s the joy of progress, it’s not possible to take the best stuff and dump the rest. Every time progress happens, it creates a different set of problems and yes that includes surface homogenisation which has not been addressed. The big cheese Roger Federer acknowledged this
“Anyway, every surface is very similar today, otherwise we couldn't have achieved all these things on all these different surfaces so quickly, like him and myself”. This was said in 2012 about him and Nadal, yes this would now include Djokovic. Anyone with a functioning brain cell would be able to see this
The event has now become increasingly corporate in a blatant way. Naturally, the event is there to make money and all that filters into Tennis Australia. Yes, they have provided more shade, building a new show court which will have further increased ticket prices. I mean when there are courts that are 20 deep to get in when most of the punters don’t know who the players are, then it’s a problem.
Kudos to John Blom telling off the Greek fans who were just waiting on court 8 for Schwartzman and Davidovich Fokina to finish so they could cheer for Sakkari. He told them to go somewhere else if they weren’t interested in the match and to shut up as they were annoying everyone. To be fair the Greek fans complied.
Bogan Saturday they had over 90 000 people on the grounds. The ground passes should be crapped and most of the people who are attending main draw are there to be seen, just to say they went to the tennis and couldn’t tell you who they watched.
To finish off on a positive note. The Seppi and Millman matches are enough disappointment for a while but for very different reasons.
Cilic and Bautista Agut was the match of the tournament. I was surprised at how Cilic played, but based on that he should still have some good performances in him. Bautista Agut is an example of persistence and maximising his potential.
Alejandro Tabilo from Chile qualifying for his first main draw playing against the Colombian Galan late at night on Court 5. The atmosphere was fantastic with the Chilean and Colombian fans chanting loudly for their guys and it went the distance. Nico Massu the Davis Cup captain was there supporting Tabilo, the ecstasy on Tabilo’s face when he won the 5th set. His first ever win on the main tour, definitely could use the points and the money. The question is now can he build on that for the rest of season.
On that note thanks to Sam, Alex, Kristen, Peta, the Craven and all the other people who I interacted with who left a positive impression on me, despite the increasing issues and accessibility of the event.
Now Dominic Thiem please win the event.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Chances : You Got To Take Them
Apologies for not blogging yesterday but that was due to a combination of feeling a bit crap. Takes longer to recover and too many 5th set tiebreakers.
Gulbis vs. Bedene
The enigmatic Latvian Gulbis qualified for the main draw and upset the Canadian upstart Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round whereas the Slovenian formerly British, now Slovenian Bedene defeated the double barrelled chested Aussie Duckworth in 5 sets.
Gulbis is a cat who definitely dances to his own tune. Some find it refreshing and others irritating. The knock on Gulbis was never about his ability, but his lack of work ethic which many of his critics believed is due to the fact he is from a very wealthy background. Yes, it may be true but this doesn’t explain the desire of Rafael Nadal who came from money, it all comes down to individuals.
Gulbis
Play was delayed due to rain and a bad dust storm last night. Once play got under the way Gulbis started well and was able to move Bedene around the court with ease forcing the Slovenian into mistakes. The forehand has been modified and not looking as ridiculous as usual, the backhand is still world class which he was using to pin Bedene back behind the baseline and then fool him with the dropshots.
Gulbis took the 1st set and this was pretty much the match as a whole. Bedene looked flat and after the 3rd set called for the trainer to do some work on his hip. Lord Gulbis moved him side to side and then Bedene would provide the error on cue. This was done in straight sets and for the most part Lord Gulbis behaved very well.
Seppi vs. Wawrinka
This was a match where I thought tough draw but there is a chance to win it as Wawrinka while still having some of his peak tennis in him, he’s more vulnerable these days. They have played a lot over the years and not too many secrets out there.
Seppi lost his first service game and Wawrinka jumped to an early lead. Once Seppi took his first game he was able to get into a rhythm moving the big Swiss around the court. Seppi gets the break back and on serve to 4-4 where Seppi breaks and takes the 1st set.
There were a couple of major turning points in the match. The second set continued with extended rallies with Wawrinka volleying and defending well, whereas Seppi was moving the ball around the court controlling the points. Seppi served for the set at *5-4 but played an awful game where he hardly made any first serves, as Seppi doesn’t have a Berrettini like monster kick serve, at best it’s a flick with not much work from the legs. If it’s not placed correctly, then it’s fodder for the better players. This plus a couple of cheap errors gave Wawrinka the break back, then he got his confidence to start winging hard which was successful for him to reel off the next 3 games to get the set.
Seppi got to take the chances
1 set all Wawrinka was serving well and not threatened at all was able to play his game and broke Seppi taking a 2 sets to 1 lead. Wawrinka has his patches in matches where he is average and makes a lot of errors, just a question of whether he is on song enough to win or the opponent can ride out the storm.
Seppi is finally returning better and putting them in difficult spots where he is getting the better of them. He manages to break the big Swiss and successfully serve out the 4th set, of course this was not done without some problems.
Now into the 5th set where both players are playing well with plenty of extended rallies side to side. One thing Wawrinka did very well was not give Seppi opportunities to hit his backhand down the line. The final nail in the coffin comes after Seppi breaks for 4-3 he’s 40-30 up went for a big first serve and just missed. As per second set he was unable to confirm the break of serve, a couple of passive shots and Wawrinka sniffed the opportunity out became more aggressive again, not losing another game to win 6-4 in the 5th.
Wawrinka
In this case it’s easier to be chopped 2, 2 and 3 as that’s a clear defeat whereas this leads to more frustration and devastation after the end. The opportunity to take a 2 sets to 0 lead, another to go to 5-3 in the 5th on your racquet. As was stated the other day tennis is a cruel beast, can play well and lose, then play shit and win on others. At the end of the day, just got to take your chances.
As for Seppi he’ll be a dad in March and will be interesting to see how he performs in the North American circuit, but as long as he makes a couple more trips Down Under then all is good.
Random Stuff
Micke Ymer lost a very tough 5th set tiebreaker which is an abortion on the sport of tennis. At majors you break serve to win matches. I blame John Isner for all this madness.
Kevin Anderson continues to have a poor record in Melbourne losing from 2 sets up.
Massu and Muster aren’t going to be happy with Domi Thiem going 5 sets but to be fair the 3 sets he won were easy. He is the best hope to stop Nadal making the final.
Once again there were too many people on the grounds during the day, but thankfully at night it seems a lot easier to get seats at matches outside.
Only a couple more days and the adventure will be over.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
1st Round: You Never Forget Your First
Today was a long day but that was bound to happen when you had most of the matches cancelled yesterday due to rain. The unfortunate flipside to this, was that the venue was very full today with the vast majority of the crowd being the types who go to be seen and not actually care about tennis. You know this is the case when the Ito vs. Gunnesawaran match was full and the audience wasn’t just the coaches, friends or fans from the respective countries.
The Mailman and Schwartzman were on at the same time but very difficult to get a seat. So yes, the day started at Court 11, someone has to cover the marquee matches.
Davidovich Fokina vs. Gombos
Gombios had qualified for the event whereas Foki has not won a match this season as of yet. First set started Gombos was hitting the ball well with Foki a bit unsettled and making errors. Gombos was too solid and took the first set. In the second Foko was able to move the big man around using his variety of spins and angles to keep him off balance to take the second set.
It’s not a Davidovich Fokina match without some swings in momentum from the glorious to the ludicrous. Gombos kept it at a steady level and out of nowhere Foki plays the dumb service game to get broken and the Slovak takes a 2sets to 1 lead.
Davidovich Fokina
Turning point of the match was at *2-2 with Foki serving , he saved a multitude of break points and ended up holding serve. The next game Foki broke Gombos to love with some excellent strokes and drop shots to move the bigger man around. The changes of pace was contributing to Gombos being out of position and heavy legged. Foki levels at 2 sets all.
Foki breaks Gombos first service game in the 5th. Of course he went down 15-40 but managed to hold on. From there he gained confidence with drop shots, lobs and moving serve around as Gombis was gassed and Foki got the double break and comfortably won his first ever match at Slam level. The joy was there to be seen and enjoyed he now plays Schwartzman who chopped Lloyd Harris big time.
Mayer vs. Paul
There is one player who is in form and then there is Leo Mayer. Paul has started the season well after rebuilding in 2019. Mayer has been in his down part of his up and down like career,
Big Mayer took the1st set but managed to go down an early break in the 2nd which he never recovered from. Turning point of the match midway through the 3rd set was 30-30. Mayer manages to serve two double faults in a row into the net to give the Paul break. Once Paul had the break he never felt threatened as Mayer was too erratic to sustain and create chances to put pressure on the American. A comfortable win for Paul.
Micke Ymer vs Uchiyama
Speaking of comfortable, this was the way to describe this match. After a semi competitive first set. Ymer lost 3 games in the last 2 sets, he was hardly making an errors on the backhand side. The forehand has more loop and the side he needs to be more aggressive on if he is to progress up the rankings.
Micke Ymer
What Micke Ymer has is an understanding of the game, well that’s natural when you can’t brainless ballbash like the bigger guys.
Seepi vs. Kecmanovic
For some reason Kecmanovic was a huge favourite over the King off South Tyrol who normally plays well in Melbourne. They have never played each other, so the first set was the feeling out process.
Seppi was serving well hitting the spots and striking the forehand cleanly to keep the Serbian off balance. Seppi had many chances to break in the 1st set but only needed one to take the set.
The 2nd set continues in the same pattern with Seppi not making errors from the baseline and moving the serve. Kecmanovic was not serving that well, making a lot of forehand errors but showing that his double handed backhand is world class.
Seppi
In the 5th game of 2nd set Seppi breaks and hold serve to go 4-2 up. At 5-4 30-30 when Seppi doesn’t challenge an out call but thankfully Kecmanovic makes another forehand error and Seppi takes a 2 set to 0 lead.
Seppi takes an early break in the 3rd but gives back the break with some loose errors. The Serbian is serving better and making some forehands. The King doesn’t panic while not serving as well as previous 2 sets and a few poor drop shots he is doing enough to keep holding serve. Both hold serve to the tiebreaker,
The King of South Tyrol played a quality tiebreaker as Kecmanovic made a few forehand errors for Seppi to win in straight sets. It was an excellent and solid performance from the King of Kaltern.
Sinner vs Purcell
This was a continuation of the match yesterday. Sinner aka the Prince, he will only be the King when Seppi retires from the sport. Sinner is a big talent when you start from outside 1000 in 2019 and end up in the top 100 that speaks for itself. Sinner is a tall guy but he plays tennis whereas other big guys hit tennis balls there is a difference.
The timing on the Prince’s groundstokes is crisp and very little difference between forehand and backhand side which along with court intelliegence make him a forimidable opponent already. He lost his serve in the 1st set and Purcell served for it 5-4 30 all had a very easy mid court forehand, missed it and once that chance was gone. There was only one winner.
Match finished very quickly today but not before Sinner tubed Purcell. The tube otherwise known as drilling the ball hard at the net player. There’s nothng wrong with it as it’s the easiest way to win the point.
Martinez vs. Koepfer
Another straight sets win for Pedro Martinez. That’s 3 qualie matches and this today, that’s 9 sets in a row. Coach Daniel Gimeno Traver might need to take this up full time.
Martinez plays the percentages very well, will defend if necessary but no problems going to the net to finish points off which is never a bad thing. Koepfer served for the 3rd on the ad side tried the left handed swinging serve but not could not get it wide enough where Martinez hits a backhand return winner. Koepfer dropped his bundle and Martinez does it again.
Cuevas vs. Simon
Cuevas wins at life.
Tablio vs. Galan
Quailifer vs. Qualifier can be very fun matches at best with so much on the line for these guys in relation to points and money.
The crowd for this was fantastic with duelling chants from Chilean and Colombian fans creative a festive atmosphere where both players were trying their hearts out. That’s what the Challenger tour is about grinding, courage and waiting for the moment to shine on the big stage when it happens.
Tablo ended up breaking to win the match and what a celebreation the raw emotion was someone who won their first ever match on the main tour. Yes, he never won one at ATP level. Tablio hugged the Chilean fans, took plenty of photos and got an interview with the king of ESPN Latin America Miiguel Simon.
As they say you never forget your first.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Day 2/3 Qualies; You Just Got To Better On the Day
We’re back again, thankfully after the rain has cleared most of the smoke haze where something more than 10cm can be seen. Some results were better than others, then if I liked tennis players for results then I’d be a Fedalovic which is a very special species of gloryhound
Daniel vs. Milojević
This resumed from 5-5 in the first set. The first 10 games were a lot of long rallies in difficult conditions. It’s always tough to start suspended matches, but it’s part of the sport which players should have coping mechanisms for it.
Daniel started slowly and dropped his first service game and the Serbian took the 1st set 7.-5. The second set started like it was going to be a comfortable game for Daniel who was 40-0 up, then through a combination of errors and solid play from Milojević he manages to break.
The pattern of the 2nd set continues with Milojević just being consistent, not making any errors and while not having a big serve was placing it very effectively. It got to the point he was hitting more lines than a cocaine dealer which lead to extreme frustration from Daniel.
Daniel was late on his forehand quite often and while Milojević’s groundstrokes don’t have much power he moved the ball around effectively. Daniel really has to become more aggressive, perhaps this is what new coach Sven Groeneveld will be looking to add to his game. It was a disappointing loss for Daniel but Milojević was just too solid and deserved the win.
Ruusuvuori vs. Mena
This was the first time watching Ruusuvori live and I do like what I see. This was one of those matches where the result was never in doubt at all.
Ruusovori
The young Finn was a class above Mena. He moved the ball around well, took his opportunities to come to the net which is a good thing in a young player, there needs to be a point of difference. At the same time, he’d normally coming in off good shots and not junk.
Ruusovori should be qualifying here and he won’t be needing to qualify for Slams anymore.
Martinez vs. Villaras
Gimeno Traver’s protégé against the Peruvian Villaras who is definitely more comfortable on the clay and had the crowd behind him, especially this one very vocal ginger Peruvian lad. Martinez had an opponent who was not as awful as Lienz, but continued where he left off in the last round.
Varillas, hasn’t quite worked out how to play on hardcourts as of yet. Martinez was placing the serve well, using angles to open up the court as he doesn’t have the most powerful game. He is a smart player, knows his limitations at the moment and plays within them. Once he got the first set, there was only one winner as Varillas wasn’t playing well enough to change the momentum and put pressure on Martinez.
Rosol vs. Lorenzi
Not enough these days where Rosol is the younger player. This was the classic difference in styles which made this intriguing. Lorenzi, the man who is all heart, endeavour and willing to come to the net whereas Rosol is more see ball, hit ball. Character wise Lorenzi is well respected and admired, grinding all these years on the lower level winning his first ATP title at 34 now still going at 38. Whereas Rosol isn’t the most loved out there, personally I enjoy both cats for different reasons.
Rosol took an early break was looking fairly comfortable in the 1st set, then as he is known to do he threw his one dumb service game and Lorenzi broke back. The match is pretty much as expected with Rosol hitting big from the baseline and Lorenzi scrapping throwing in some off pace balls and sneaking to the net. Rosol was the better player in the 1st set but that’s not how tennis is, got to win the points that count and Lorenzi did that to take the 1st set.
The second set pretty much has exactly the same pattern as the 1st set where Rosol has an early break, but manages to lose it not long afterwards. Rosol going for big forehands and Lorenzi scrapping to another tiebreaker. The buster for the first 5 points all points went against the server. Lorenzi has match points but unable to convert. Rosol takes the buster and it’s 1 set all when he should have been in the locker room.
Onto the decider, the match is definitely on Rosol’s racquet as he’s the more aggressive player but the question is whether he is patient enough or not make donkey errors at the wrong moments. No early breaks but Rosol was down 0-40 and manages to hold service which was a big moment in the match.
Rosol
Good old Rosol he was at his niggling best, just before Lorenzi serving tapped the racquet on the ground, screaming out yes in Italian after he hit a winner. At 6-5 was thinking hope this doesn’t go to a 3rd set buster, as players should be breaking serve to win matches and thankfully this was the case. Rosol was able to break Lorenzi to win the match and he was very emotional after the match, as he knew it was a very difficult match. He ran over to his friend/coach and shared a warm embrace.
Kavčič vs. Gojowczyk
This was probably the best match in terms of quality I’ve seen so far. Kavčič got an early break was unable to hold serve, but broke again. He was playing well and Gojowczyk was making too many errors, as Kavčič was able to take the 1st set.
In the second set the Slovenian lost his serve early and Gojowczyk was making less errors than early in the match. He was playing on and near the baseline making Kavčič going coast to coast who was defending very well but willing to have a go when the opportunity was there. Gojowczyk started placing the serve better leading him to dictate the match with his flat shots taking the 2nd set.
Kavčič
Kavčič dropped serve early in the 3rd set just made some backhand errors and a couple of short second serves. The 3rd set is still Kavčič fighting manfully, hitting well but mostly from a defensive position and the German working the ball around. Unfortunately for Kavčič he was unable to put enough pressure on Gojowczyk’s serve during the 3rd and the German closed it out.
Even though Kavčič lost there were some very good signs for 2020. He has started the season well, it’s a question of being injury free for a year and the results will come. There is still some life in the legs. Tennis is a funny sport, some days you play well and lose, others you play like a drunk donkey but still get the win.
Daniel vs. Milojević
This resumed from 5-5 in the first set. The first 10 games were a lot of long rallies in difficult conditions. It’s always tough to start suspended matches, but it’s part of the sport which players should have coping mechanisms for it.
Daniel started slowly and dropped his first service game and the Serbian took the 1st set 7.-5. The second set started like it was going to be a comfortable game for Daniel who was 40-0 up, then through a combination of errors and solid play from Milojević he manages to break.
The pattern of the 2nd set continues with Milojević just being consistent, not making any errors and while not having a big serve was placing it very effectively. It got to the point he was hitting more lines than a cocaine dealer which lead to extreme frustration from Daniel.
Daniel was late on his forehand quite often and while Milojević’s groundstrokes don’t have much power he moved the ball around effectively. Daniel really has to become more aggressive, perhaps this is what new coach Sven Groeneveld will be looking to add to his game. It was a disappointing loss for Daniel but Milojević was just too solid and deserved the win.
Ruusuvuori vs. Mena
This was the first time watching Ruusuvori live and I do like what I see. This was one of those matches where the result was never in doubt at all.
Ruusovori
The young Finn was a class above Mena. He moved the ball around well, took his opportunities to come to the net which is a good thing in a young player, there needs to be a point of difference. At the same time, he’d normally coming in off good shots and not junk.
Ruusovori should be qualifying here and he won’t be needing to qualify for Slams anymore.
Martinez vs. Villaras
Gimeno Traver’s protégé against the Peruvian Villaras who is definitely more comfortable on the clay and had the crowd behind him, especially this one very vocal ginger Peruvian lad. Martinez had an opponent who was not as awful as Lienz, but continued where he left off in the last round.
Varillas, hasn’t quite worked out how to play on hardcourts as of yet. Martinez was placing the serve well, using angles to open up the court as he doesn’t have the most powerful game. He is a smart player, knows his limitations at the moment and plays within them. Once he got the first set, there was only one winner as Varillas wasn’t playing well enough to change the momentum and put pressure on Martinez.
Rosol vs. Lorenzi
Not enough these days where Rosol is the younger player. This was the classic difference in styles which made this intriguing. Lorenzi, the man who is all heart, endeavour and willing to come to the net whereas Rosol is more see ball, hit ball. Character wise Lorenzi is well respected and admired, grinding all these years on the lower level winning his first ATP title at 34 now still going at 38. Whereas Rosol isn’t the most loved out there, personally I enjoy both cats for different reasons.
Rosol took an early break was looking fairly comfortable in the 1st set, then as he is known to do he threw his one dumb service game and Lorenzi broke back. The match is pretty much as expected with Rosol hitting big from the baseline and Lorenzi scrapping throwing in some off pace balls and sneaking to the net. Rosol was the better player in the 1st set but that’s not how tennis is, got to win the points that count and Lorenzi did that to take the 1st set.
The second set pretty much has exactly the same pattern as the 1st set where Rosol has an early break, but manages to lose it not long afterwards. Rosol going for big forehands and Lorenzi scrapping to another tiebreaker. The buster for the first 5 points all points went against the server. Lorenzi has match points but unable to convert. Rosol takes the buster and it’s 1 set all when he should have been in the locker room.
Onto the decider, the match is definitely on Rosol’s racquet as he’s the more aggressive player but the question is whether he is patient enough or not make donkey errors at the wrong moments. No early breaks but Rosol was down 0-40 and manages to hold service which was a big moment in the match.
Rosol
Good old Rosol he was at his niggling best, just before Lorenzi serving tapped the racquet on the ground, screaming out yes in Italian after he hit a winner. At 6-5 was thinking hope this doesn’t go to a 3rd set buster, as players should be breaking serve to win matches and thankfully this was the case. Rosol was able to break Lorenzi to win the match and he was very emotional after the match, as he knew it was a very difficult match. He ran over to his friend/coach and shared a warm embrace.
Kavčič vs. Gojowczyk
This was probably the best match in terms of quality I’ve seen so far. Kavčič got an early break was unable to hold serve, but broke again. He was playing well and Gojowczyk was making too many errors, as Kavčič was able to take the 1st set.
In the second set the Slovenian lost his serve early and Gojowczyk was making less errors than early in the match. He was playing on and near the baseline making Kavčič going coast to coast who was defending very well but willing to have a go when the opportunity was there. Gojowczyk started placing the serve better leading him to dictate the match with his flat shots taking the 2nd set.
Kavčič
Kavčič dropped serve early in the 3rd set just made some backhand errors and a couple of short second serves. The 3rd set is still Kavčič fighting manfully, hitting well but mostly from a defensive position and the German working the ball around. Unfortunately for Kavčič he was unable to put enough pressure on Gojowczyk’s serve during the 3rd and the German closed it out.
Even though Kavčič lost there were some very good signs for 2020. He has started the season well, it’s a question of being injury free for a year and the results will come. There is still some life in the legs. Tennis is a funny sport, some days you play well and lose, others you play like a drunk donkey but still get the win.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Day 1: Smoke On The River The Aus Open Qualies Report
Yes, it’s that time of the year where I actually write about tennis. Well it has been an interesting start to the year with the ATP Cup which already has more credibility than the Pique Cup in spite of the huge disparity in ranking points and players who can count an additional event.
Now, let’s get on with the real stuff aka the Australian Open qualifiers. Today was an experience for sure. It was warm, humid and the air pollution was disgusting to the point of dangerous. Play was initially meant to be start at 10 am but it was suspended for an hour, whether this was a good thing or not, who knows.
Rosol vs. Lamasine
Naturally the day started at Court 22 aka the car park. The organisers have expanded seating capacity and provided more shade which is a good thing.
Skyline
As for the match itself it was played in awful conditions with the smoke haze. Rosol was class above Lamasine who had nothing at all to hurt him with. He wasn’t able to hit with enough depth and penetration to get Rosol on the move. That’s the thing even at his best Rosol was never the quickest, but he has a lost a step. The serve and the groundstrokes still have pop, but a lot more vulnerable these days.
Today, Rosol was very comfortable and never looked like losing. He was serving well and dominating with the forehand. He found it very difficult to breathe but apart from that, said it wasn’t too bad. He will need to improve to beat Lorenzi in the next round, but tennis is a funny sport.
Martinez vs. Lienz
Pedro Martinez is coached by Daniel Gimeno Traver who has not retired from tennis. He is currently injured with a knee problem. He will continue to work with Martinez while he is injured.
What can one say about a 6-0 6-1 score in around 45 minutes? Lienz was handing out the errors like Santa Claus on speed at Christmas, he probably should have gone to Lienz instead.
Pedro Martinez
On the other hand, Martinez played a very smart match with hardly any mistakes. In the rallies he was 2-3 metres behind the baseline, but he did move into the court when he had a short ball to put it away. At the same time based on what was seen Martinez he is a bit passive, but classic Spanish stubbornness, definitely needs a bit more stick on the groundstrokes though there is potential for improvement.
Kavcic vs. Clarke
This was definitely a unique match in many ways. They played last week in Noumea where Kavcic won in straight sets and was hoping for more of the same.
In the 1st set both guys were struggling in the conditions Kavicc couldn’t get into any rhythm on serve especially. He was serving so many faults into the net, just not getting enough leg drive. Clarke was playing a mixture of good shots and some tripe. They traded breaks, but neither player played well at the same time.
Kavcic
Clarke broke for 6-5 and was 40-0 up, but through a combination of tightness from Clarke and Kavcic playing the break points intelligently and managed to break to get to the tiebreaker. Kavcic plays an excellent tiebreaker to take it.
The match continues with the same pattern as the previous set. Kavcic lost serve again but this time Clarke was able to hold serve throughout to take the 2nd set. Nearly every time Kavcic had a break point Blue Jay Way was hitting the lines with the serves or a good forehand.
There was an unfortunate incident just behind the court. A ballkid has collapsed outside of the court. Both Kavcic & Clarke went over gave them drinks, checked on their welfare. The child has wet towels on them, they were able to walk away after about 10-15 minutes. They had assistance and people checking on her. There was a lot of heat and humidity with the lack of air didn’t help at all.
Kavcic loses serve at 2-1 but Clarke is gassed big time. He is cramping and had the physio out in the 2nd set. In the 4th game Clarke could not drive up on his serve was just using his arms and some underarm serves. Kavcic was able to break back and able to maintain his focus against a very fatigued opponent. The Slovenian did not lose another game in this match to win in 3 sets.
After the match Kavcic was debating with the umpire about the tine violations both players got during the match. He said you’d never do this to Nadal or any of the top players, well he is not wrong. If these conditions were for main draw, then they wouldn’t have played but since they are qualifiers they are too low on the totem pole of significance to worry about.
The Random stuff
Stakhovsky vs Rola : Stakhovsky has not served that well in 5 years, played well from the back but Rola really didn’t change his positioning on return to give a different look but well played Stakhovsky.
Spoke with 2 guys from Spain, one from Madrid and the other from Barcelona. The Barcelona man is an Espanyol fan, yes we spoke about La Liga for about 10 minutes thinking what a shady club Barca are and growing up an Espanyol fan in Barcelona was living on the edge.
View from the courts
Nicola Kuhn had some great shorts but he was swinging so hard and Viola just kept getting the ball back that Kuhn ended up retiring in the 3rd set.
Umpire Mo Layhani noted that he was feeling it in the voice with all the smoke. My shirt smells like smoke. On that note from a smoky Melbourne, until tomorrow and the show must go on.
Now, let’s get on with the real stuff aka the Australian Open qualifiers. Today was an experience for sure. It was warm, humid and the air pollution was disgusting to the point of dangerous. Play was initially meant to be start at 10 am but it was suspended for an hour, whether this was a good thing or not, who knows.
Rosol vs. Lamasine
Naturally the day started at Court 22 aka the car park. The organisers have expanded seating capacity and provided more shade which is a good thing.
Skyline
As for the match itself it was played in awful conditions with the smoke haze. Rosol was class above Lamasine who had nothing at all to hurt him with. He wasn’t able to hit with enough depth and penetration to get Rosol on the move. That’s the thing even at his best Rosol was never the quickest, but he has a lost a step. The serve and the groundstrokes still have pop, but a lot more vulnerable these days.
Today, Rosol was very comfortable and never looked like losing. He was serving well and dominating with the forehand. He found it very difficult to breathe but apart from that, said it wasn’t too bad. He will need to improve to beat Lorenzi in the next round, but tennis is a funny sport.
Martinez vs. Lienz
Pedro Martinez is coached by Daniel Gimeno Traver who has not retired from tennis. He is currently injured with a knee problem. He will continue to work with Martinez while he is injured.
What can one say about a 6-0 6-1 score in around 45 minutes? Lienz was handing out the errors like Santa Claus on speed at Christmas, he probably should have gone to Lienz instead.
Pedro Martinez
On the other hand, Martinez played a very smart match with hardly any mistakes. In the rallies he was 2-3 metres behind the baseline, but he did move into the court when he had a short ball to put it away. At the same time based on what was seen Martinez he is a bit passive, but classic Spanish stubbornness, definitely needs a bit more stick on the groundstrokes though there is potential for improvement.
Kavcic vs. Clarke
This was definitely a unique match in many ways. They played last week in Noumea where Kavcic won in straight sets and was hoping for more of the same.
In the 1st set both guys were struggling in the conditions Kavicc couldn’t get into any rhythm on serve especially. He was serving so many faults into the net, just not getting enough leg drive. Clarke was playing a mixture of good shots and some tripe. They traded breaks, but neither player played well at the same time.
Kavcic
Clarke broke for 6-5 and was 40-0 up, but through a combination of tightness from Clarke and Kavcic playing the break points intelligently and managed to break to get to the tiebreaker. Kavcic plays an excellent tiebreaker to take it.
The match continues with the same pattern as the previous set. Kavcic lost serve again but this time Clarke was able to hold serve throughout to take the 2nd set. Nearly every time Kavcic had a break point Blue Jay Way was hitting the lines with the serves or a good forehand.
There was an unfortunate incident just behind the court. A ballkid has collapsed outside of the court. Both Kavcic & Clarke went over gave them drinks, checked on their welfare. The child has wet towels on them, they were able to walk away after about 10-15 minutes. They had assistance and people checking on her. There was a lot of heat and humidity with the lack of air didn’t help at all.
Kavcic loses serve at 2-1 but Clarke is gassed big time. He is cramping and had the physio out in the 2nd set. In the 4th game Clarke could not drive up on his serve was just using his arms and some underarm serves. Kavcic was able to break back and able to maintain his focus against a very fatigued opponent. The Slovenian did not lose another game in this match to win in 3 sets.
After the match Kavcic was debating with the umpire about the tine violations both players got during the match. He said you’d never do this to Nadal or any of the top players, well he is not wrong. If these conditions were for main draw, then they wouldn’t have played but since they are qualifiers they are too low on the totem pole of significance to worry about.
The Random stuff
Stakhovsky vs Rola : Stakhovsky has not served that well in 5 years, played well from the back but Rola really didn’t change his positioning on return to give a different look but well played Stakhovsky.
Spoke with 2 guys from Spain, one from Madrid and the other from Barcelona. The Barcelona man is an Espanyol fan, yes we spoke about La Liga for about 10 minutes thinking what a shady club Barca are and growing up an Espanyol fan in Barcelona was living on the edge.
View from the courts
Nicola Kuhn had some great shorts but he was swinging so hard and Viola just kept getting the ball back that Kuhn ended up retiring in the 3rd set.
Umpire Mo Layhani noted that he was feeling it in the voice with all the smoke. My shirt smells like smoke. On that note from a smoky Melbourne, until tomorrow and the show must go on.
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