It was a vintage performance by Roger Federer in the 2nd round of the US Open, as he easily dismantled Bjorn Phau 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in 90 minutes. As with his first round match, Roger was never in trouble, although he played much better against Phau. Although it was one-sided, Bjorn hit a number of excellent shots, showcasing his shot-making ability.
Since Monday, Federer's first match, there has been a lot going on at the final tournament of the year, including two retirements. Kim Clijsters played her final singles match against Laura Robson on Wednesday when she lost in straight sets, and Andy Roddick announced he would be retiring after the US Open, leaving many stunned.
But first, just a quick recap of the tennis that has been played in the past few days:
Federer was ultra-aggressive against Phau, and the numbers clearly indicate that. He hit 44 winners to 18 unforced errors, and was 32/47 at the net. That means he got to net 47 times in 25 games played, which means he made an asserted effort to be aggressive. Good signs. He also served very well, getting 68% of his first serves in, and firing 15 aces to only one double fault.
Next up, Roger faces Fernando Verdasco. It should be a straight sets win even though the Spaniard is a talented player. He just came off a long match where he defeated Albert Ramos, and that could affect him. Either way, the head-to-head is 4-0 Federer, and Verdasco has only taken one set.
Novak Djokovic plays his 2nd round match today, but Andy Murray is already through to the 3rd round. In the biggest upset of the tournament so far, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lost in 4 sets to Slovakian player Marin Klizan. It looks like Milos Raonic might be the only one to stop Murray before the semis now, although James Blake is in Milos' way, and he played a firecracker of a match to take out Marcel Granollers in straight sets in the 2nd round.
Mardy Fish overcame a two set deficit to beat Nikolay Davydenko. It's a great win for Mardy, but now he goes up against Gilles Simon, although the Frenchman has played 9 sets in two matches. Whoever wins could be there for the taking against Federer in the 4th round. Another guy that has played a lot of tennis is Marin Cilic, who has needed 10 sets to get through his first two matches. He plays Kei Nishikori next, who looks like he'll be Andy Murray's quarterfinal opponent.
Young American Jack Sock continued a great run at this tournament by making the 3rd round, where he'll face Nicolas Almagro. Under normal circumstances, Almagro would be the easy favourite but he just came off a tough 5-set win and Sock is playing some great tennis at the moment, so you never know.
Now onto the emotional part of the week....
Kim Clijsters retiring is very sad. She was such a great player and was an even better person. It is rare that we see sportsmen and women like her, and I think tennis was privileged to have her around for as long as he was. She was respected by all and a crowd favourite where she went, and her presence on the women's tour will be sorely missed.
Andy Roddick's announcement that he was going to retire came as a bit of a shock, but not that much to me. I remember him saying a few years ago that when he was unable to give his very best, he would leave the game, so as to not disrespect it. He said pretty much the same thing in his press conference, and that is really what Andy is all about. He gave tennis everything he had, and he was a competitor through and through. Even in the roughest moments, he would always look on the bright side.
Even though he was controversial at times with his treatment of chair umpires, he was never boring to watch. His serve at one time was the biggest weapon in the game, and he stayed in the top 10 for nine consecutive years, which showed his underrated consistency and quality to play well year in and year out.
On the tour, Andy will be missed by players and fans alike, although umpires and linesmen may have an easier time of things. One thing is for sure though, and that is that A-Rod was always honest with himself and the media, and he always sacrificed everything he had on court each and every time he played. Young players can learn from that kind of work ethic.
On day five, the bottom half of the men's draw all play their 2nd round matches. On court will be Novak Djokovic, John Isner, David Ferrer, Juan Martin del Potro, Janko Tipsarevic, and of course, Andy Roddick, who plays in the night session against Bernard Tomic. I sincerely hope it's not Andy's final match, but I can see him coming out on fire and playing some very inspirational tennis with the New York crowd behind him.
Thanks Andy.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Federer Eases By Young
The final Grand Slam of 2012 got underway on Monday, and after a 2-hour rain delay, play resumed just as usual. Roger Federer, back as the #1 seed for the first time since the French Open in 2010, took out Donald Young 63 62 64 in a simple, straightforward match. Meanwhile, Andy Murray advanced to the 2nd round, but in unconvincing fashion.
Federer and Young had never met before, and the conditions were windy yet humid, as they had been all day. Young held his own for the first few games until his luck ran out and he was broken, which led to the set being won by Roger quickly, taking the final eight points.
The second set was more of the same. Roger was never under any pressure, though he did get broken, for the first time in his past six matches. Once that happened though, early in the set, it was cruise control from there. Young kept trying his best in the third set but Roger got the early break and put his foot down from there, closing things out in fine form.
In my opinion, Young played about as well as he could have. He did well in the first and third sets, but in the end, he never really had much to hurt Fed with. He tried going to his backhand, but unlike Rafa Nadal, Young doesn't have that same kick to give that side any headaches. Overall, Roger was probably playing in 2nd or 3rd gear, as he didn't need to raise his level of play the entire match. He also looked a little frustrated at times, perhaps with the wind.
Roger is now 22-0 in US Open night matches. In the 2nd round, he plays German Bjorn Phau.
Andy Murray swept by Alex Bogomolov Jr. 62 64 61, but it was a pretty scrappy match, and not a smooth ride despite the scoreline. Andy got down a break twice in the opening set before winning 5 straight games to win it, and then got down a break immediately in the second. His form will need to be much better if he wants to get to the semis.
Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful day on the men's side. Mardy Fish and James Blake advanced (nice to see Blake win), while Jack Sock took out Florian Mayer, the #22 seed, in straight sets (Mayer retired midway through the 3rd). Marin Cilic avoided upset by coming back from two sets down to defeat Marinko Matosevic, and Gilles Simon came back from two sets to one down to take out Michael Russell.
On the women's side, the only real upsets were the two big-hitting Germans Julia Georges and Sabine Lisicki exiting the tournament.
Kim Clijsters, who is playing in her final tournament ever, easily defeated the youngest player in the draw, 16 year-old Victoria Duval. It would be very nice to see Kim go out with her fourth US Open title, but she could face Li Na in the 3rd round. Li has been in amazing form recently, making the final in Montreal and winning Cincinnati.
(Goodness, you know it was a quiet day on the men's side when I'm talking this much about the women.)
Day 2 features Novak Djokovic, Serena and Venus Williams, and Andy Roddick.
Federer and Young had never met before, and the conditions were windy yet humid, as they had been all day. Young held his own for the first few games until his luck ran out and he was broken, which led to the set being won by Roger quickly, taking the final eight points.
The second set was more of the same. Roger was never under any pressure, though he did get broken, for the first time in his past six matches. Once that happened though, early in the set, it was cruise control from there. Young kept trying his best in the third set but Roger got the early break and put his foot down from there, closing things out in fine form.
In my opinion, Young played about as well as he could have. He did well in the first and third sets, but in the end, he never really had much to hurt Fed with. He tried going to his backhand, but unlike Rafa Nadal, Young doesn't have that same kick to give that side any headaches. Overall, Roger was probably playing in 2nd or 3rd gear, as he didn't need to raise his level of play the entire match. He also looked a little frustrated at times, perhaps with the wind.
Roger is now 22-0 in US Open night matches. In the 2nd round, he plays German Bjorn Phau.
Andy Murray swept by Alex Bogomolov Jr. 62 64 61, but it was a pretty scrappy match, and not a smooth ride despite the scoreline. Andy got down a break twice in the opening set before winning 5 straight games to win it, and then got down a break immediately in the second. His form will need to be much better if he wants to get to the semis.
Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful day on the men's side. Mardy Fish and James Blake advanced (nice to see Blake win), while Jack Sock took out Florian Mayer, the #22 seed, in straight sets (Mayer retired midway through the 3rd). Marin Cilic avoided upset by coming back from two sets down to defeat Marinko Matosevic, and Gilles Simon came back from two sets to one down to take out Michael Russell.
On the women's side, the only real upsets were the two big-hitting Germans Julia Georges and Sabine Lisicki exiting the tournament.
Kim Clijsters, who is playing in her final tournament ever, easily defeated the youngest player in the draw, 16 year-old Victoria Duval. It would be very nice to see Kim go out with her fourth US Open title, but she could face Li Na in the 3rd round. Li has been in amazing form recently, making the final in Montreal and winning Cincinnati.
(Goodness, you know it was a quiet day on the men's side when I'm talking this much about the women.)
Day 2 features Novak Djokovic, Serena and Venus Williams, and Andy Roddick.
Friday, August 24, 2012
2012 US Open Preview
The draw for the 2012 US Open was released on Thursday to much anticipation. Roger Federer goes in as the #1 seed and Novak Djokovic as the #2 seed, so if they are to play at this tournament for the sixth consecutive year, it will need to be in the final. Andy Murray was drawn into Federer's half, while the 4th seed, David Ferrer, was drawn into Djokovic's half.
The draw:
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf
Federer's Quarter:
The Great Swiss starts his bid for a 6th US Open title against American Donald Young. The two have never met, but it should be a rather simple opening match for Roger provided he is on his game. In the second round he'll take on Bjorn Phau or a qualifier, which should be another smooth match. The third round is where it gets potentially tricky, with a possible match against Fernando Verdasco.
In the 4th round, either Gilles Simon or Mardy Fish await. Both would be tough, but Fish more so considering his good hard court form as of late. In the quarters, the highest seed he could meet is Tomas Berdych, but the Czech big man has struggled since Roland Garros, so he may not even make the quarters. Nicolas Almagro is also a potential quarterfinal opponent.
Murray's Quarter:
Andy starts his campaign for Major #1 against Alex Bogomolov Jr. Bogomolov has a win over Andy, from Miami last year, but in general, the Scot should have no trouble getting by. In the second round he'll take on a qualifier or Ivan Dodig.
The third round is where Andy could hit a speed bump; he'll face one of Feliciano Lopez, Thomaz Bellucci, Pablo Andujar, or Robin Haase. Haase, if you remember, took Andy to 5 sets last year at the US Open (Andy had to come back from two sets down). In the 4th round, a clash with Milos Raonic is on the cards, and the Canadian already has a win over Andy this year, albeit on clay. In the quarters, the likeliest opponent is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. However, watch out for Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic.
Ferrer's Quarter:
David Ferrer is the top seed in this quarter, but really, there are a number of guys who could come through. Ferrer has a tough opener with Kevin Anderson, but if he gets by that, he should at least be able to make it to the Round of 16. The dark horse in this quarter is John Isner, who has a good draw to get through to the quarters. Also watch out for Richard Gasquet, who made the final in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Djokovic's Quarter:
The #2 ranked Serb has by far the easiest draw. In the first round he takes on Paolo Lorenzi, and in the second round he'll play Rogerio Dutra Silva (who?) or a qualifier. I'd be shocked if Novak loses 10 games combined in those two matches. In the 3rd round, it could get a little trickier with a potential match against Julien Benneteau, but that's doubtful (that it could be trickier, I mean).
The 4th round is where it gets a little interesting, with Stan Wawrinka, Marcos Baghdatis, or Alexandr Dolgopolov there as likely opponents. Wawrinka is coming off a great week in Cincinnati, and theoretically could do some damage with his big serve and groundstrokes. In the quarters, the highest seed is Juan Martin del Potro, who has struggled with a wrist injury the past few weeks, but will hopefully be ready to go.
My Thoughts:
Is Federer's draw tricky overall, or will it only get difficult if he meets Andy Murray in the semifinals? If Roger plays the way he's capable of playing, I can't see him losing a set in his first three matches. In the Round of 16, he could be tested by Simon or Fish, but they will have to go through each other first before they meet Fed. The same thing happened last year with Fish and Tsonga, where Jo prevailed in 5 sets and then got demolished by Fed in the quarters.
The only two guys that have beaten Roger since 2004, Djokovic and del Potro, are in the other half. With the great confidence and aggression he's playing with these days, I truly cannot see anyone beat Roger before the final. In fact, I think it's pretty much between Fed and Djokovic at this point.
Andy Murray will probably pose the biggest threat to Federer's chances at making the final, assuming he even makes the semis. He lost to Marin Cilic in 2009 and Wawrinka in 2010, and last year he went down two sets to Haase before coming back. He could have a very tough road to the semis with tough matches in the 3rd, 4th, and quarterfinal rounds. He looked pretty bad against Jeremy Chardy in Cincinnati, and he'll need to be sharp in all facets of his game if he wants to have any chance of beating Roger.
If I had to guess the quarters, they would be Federer/Almagro, Murray/Tsonga, Isner/Ferrer, and Djokovic/del Potro. Though Tsonga and Delpo have had their injury woes lately, I believe they'll come back strong and go deep into the tournament.
It should be a fun tournament. With the way Federer is playing right now, I really can't see anyone stopping him until the final, and it would be fitting if he gets another chance to beat Djokovic after the losses he suffered the past two years to his rival. I say Fed picks up #18 in a 5-set win over Nole.
Kyle.
The draw:
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf
Federer's Quarter:
The Great Swiss starts his bid for a 6th US Open title against American Donald Young. The two have never met, but it should be a rather simple opening match for Roger provided he is on his game. In the second round he'll take on Bjorn Phau or a qualifier, which should be another smooth match. The third round is where it gets potentially tricky, with a possible match against Fernando Verdasco.
In the 4th round, either Gilles Simon or Mardy Fish await. Both would be tough, but Fish more so considering his good hard court form as of late. In the quarters, the highest seed he could meet is Tomas Berdych, but the Czech big man has struggled since Roland Garros, so he may not even make the quarters. Nicolas Almagro is also a potential quarterfinal opponent.
Murray's Quarter:
Andy starts his campaign for Major #1 against Alex Bogomolov Jr. Bogomolov has a win over Andy, from Miami last year, but in general, the Scot should have no trouble getting by. In the second round he'll take on a qualifier or Ivan Dodig.
The third round is where Andy could hit a speed bump; he'll face one of Feliciano Lopez, Thomaz Bellucci, Pablo Andujar, or Robin Haase. Haase, if you remember, took Andy to 5 sets last year at the US Open (Andy had to come back from two sets down). In the 4th round, a clash with Milos Raonic is on the cards, and the Canadian already has a win over Andy this year, albeit on clay. In the quarters, the likeliest opponent is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. However, watch out for Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic.
Ferrer's Quarter:
David Ferrer is the top seed in this quarter, but really, there are a number of guys who could come through. Ferrer has a tough opener with Kevin Anderson, but if he gets by that, he should at least be able to make it to the Round of 16. The dark horse in this quarter is John Isner, who has a good draw to get through to the quarters. Also watch out for Richard Gasquet, who made the final in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Djokovic's Quarter:
The #2 ranked Serb has by far the easiest draw. In the first round he takes on Paolo Lorenzi, and in the second round he'll play Rogerio Dutra Silva (who?) or a qualifier. I'd be shocked if Novak loses 10 games combined in those two matches. In the 3rd round, it could get a little trickier with a potential match against Julien Benneteau, but that's doubtful (that it could be trickier, I mean).
The 4th round is where it gets a little interesting, with Stan Wawrinka, Marcos Baghdatis, or Alexandr Dolgopolov there as likely opponents. Wawrinka is coming off a great week in Cincinnati, and theoretically could do some damage with his big serve and groundstrokes. In the quarters, the highest seed is Juan Martin del Potro, who has struggled with a wrist injury the past few weeks, but will hopefully be ready to go.
My Thoughts:
Is Federer's draw tricky overall, or will it only get difficult if he meets Andy Murray in the semifinals? If Roger plays the way he's capable of playing, I can't see him losing a set in his first three matches. In the Round of 16, he could be tested by Simon or Fish, but they will have to go through each other first before they meet Fed. The same thing happened last year with Fish and Tsonga, where Jo prevailed in 5 sets and then got demolished by Fed in the quarters.
The only two guys that have beaten Roger since 2004, Djokovic and del Potro, are in the other half. With the great confidence and aggression he's playing with these days, I truly cannot see anyone beat Roger before the final. In fact, I think it's pretty much between Fed and Djokovic at this point.
Andy Murray will probably pose the biggest threat to Federer's chances at making the final, assuming he even makes the semis. He lost to Marin Cilic in 2009 and Wawrinka in 2010, and last year he went down two sets to Haase before coming back. He could have a very tough road to the semis with tough matches in the 3rd, 4th, and quarterfinal rounds. He looked pretty bad against Jeremy Chardy in Cincinnati, and he'll need to be sharp in all facets of his game if he wants to have any chance of beating Roger.
If I had to guess the quarters, they would be Federer/Almagro, Murray/Tsonga, Isner/Ferrer, and Djokovic/del Potro. Though Tsonga and Delpo have had their injury woes lately, I believe they'll come back strong and go deep into the tournament.
It should be a fun tournament. With the way Federer is playing right now, I really can't see anyone stopping him until the final, and it would be fitting if he gets another chance to beat Djokovic after the losses he suffered the past two years to his rival. I say Fed picks up #18 in a 5-set win over Nole.
Kyle.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Federer Wins 5th Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 7-6(7) in an hour and twenty minutes to claim his 5th title in Cincinnati, a record. It was his 21st Masters trophy, and 76th title overall. The match between Federer and Djokovic marked the first time in tournament history that the #1 and #2 players in the world played in the final.
The first set was as one-sided as a set between these two can be. Federer broke in the very first game and didn't look back from there. It was the first bagel set in the history between Roger and Novak, and this was their 28th meeting, remember.
Federer wasn't really doing anything truly extraordinary, but he was just very solid. Djokovic was off his game, and double faulted quite a lot. Roger really had no trouble on serve, and he was dominating the baseline rallies. Djokovic's return was certainly not as sharp as it usually is, but to be fair, Roger's serve was hitting the lines nearly every time.
The second set was more like the match we expect to see between the #1 and #2 players in the world. Novak started playing much better, and he started firing on his groundstrokes. He started the set on serve, so Roger had to be very sharp as to not let the set get away, and he was. A few times the Serb was in Roger's service games but Fed never gave him a chance to break (he didn't face a break point the entire match).
In the tiebreak, Roger took a 3-0 lead before Novak stormed back. The Serb got the mini-break at 4-3 but handed it right back. Roger had a match point at 6-5 but Nole fended it off well, and Roger returned the favour by saving set point at 7-6. On his second match point at 8-7, Fed got a short forehand to hit and put it away to claim his 6th title of the season.
It was a vintage Federer performance from beginning to end. Here are some of the numbers: 28 winners, 18 unforced errors, 8 aces, 11/14 at net, 82% first serves won and 69% of 2nd serves won. He only served at 59% for the match, but when he did get the first serve in, it was nearly impossible for Djokovic to return successfully. That is saying something, since Novak is the best returner in the game. Even the 2nd serves were immaculate from Roger, putting them deep in the box or in the corners.
So, what do we know about this week in Cincinnati? Well, Roger confirmed his place as #1 in the world. He didn't drop a set all week, and didn't even drop serve. In fact, he became the first player to win a Masters tournament without being broken!
In ATP Tour events (excluding Olympics), Roger is on a 12-match winning streak and has won 13 straight sets, dating back to the first set he lost to Murray in the Wimbledon final.
Since Fed's loss to Djokovic at the US Open last year, he is 73-7 with 9 titles, 4 of those being Masters 1000s and one being a Slam. This past year has been incredible for Roger, and I, along with all of the millions of Fedfans in the world, could not be happier. At 31, the great man continues to put his name into the record books, and as of right now, it certainly doesn't look as if he will stop any time soon.
The US Open is up next, and Fed certainly has to be the co-favourite if not the favourite. I can't see anyone stopping him if he looks anywhere near as good as he did this week in Cincinnati. He looks absolutely amazing, and dare I say, he might be playing as well right now as he was in his prime (2005 and 2006). That is a serious statement, as the tennis he has played this year has been just, well, no adjective can really describe it. Considering he's 31 and has been at the top of the game now for close to a decade, this stuff just isn't supposed to happen!
Thanks Fed.
PS: This tweet has been retweeted over 50 times, which is way more than any tweet of mine has ever been RT'd. So for me personally, I am quite happy.
Rejoice Fed fans!
The first set was as one-sided as a set between these two can be. Federer broke in the very first game and didn't look back from there. It was the first bagel set in the history between Roger and Novak, and this was their 28th meeting, remember.
Federer wasn't really doing anything truly extraordinary, but he was just very solid. Djokovic was off his game, and double faulted quite a lot. Roger really had no trouble on serve, and he was dominating the baseline rallies. Djokovic's return was certainly not as sharp as it usually is, but to be fair, Roger's serve was hitting the lines nearly every time.
The second set was more like the match we expect to see between the #1 and #2 players in the world. Novak started playing much better, and he started firing on his groundstrokes. He started the set on serve, so Roger had to be very sharp as to not let the set get away, and he was. A few times the Serb was in Roger's service games but Fed never gave him a chance to break (he didn't face a break point the entire match).
In the tiebreak, Roger took a 3-0 lead before Novak stormed back. The Serb got the mini-break at 4-3 but handed it right back. Roger had a match point at 6-5 but Nole fended it off well, and Roger returned the favour by saving set point at 7-6. On his second match point at 8-7, Fed got a short forehand to hit and put it away to claim his 6th title of the season.
It was a vintage Federer performance from beginning to end. Here are some of the numbers: 28 winners, 18 unforced errors, 8 aces, 11/14 at net, 82% first serves won and 69% of 2nd serves won. He only served at 59% for the match, but when he did get the first serve in, it was nearly impossible for Djokovic to return successfully. That is saying something, since Novak is the best returner in the game. Even the 2nd serves were immaculate from Roger, putting them deep in the box or in the corners.
So, what do we know about this week in Cincinnati? Well, Roger confirmed his place as #1 in the world. He didn't drop a set all week, and didn't even drop serve. In fact, he became the first player to win a Masters tournament without being broken!
In ATP Tour events (excluding Olympics), Roger is on a 12-match winning streak and has won 13 straight sets, dating back to the first set he lost to Murray in the Wimbledon final.
Since Fed's loss to Djokovic at the US Open last year, he is 73-7 with 9 titles, 4 of those being Masters 1000s and one being a Slam. This past year has been incredible for Roger, and I, along with all of the millions of Fedfans in the world, could not be happier. At 31, the great man continues to put his name into the record books, and as of right now, it certainly doesn't look as if he will stop any time soon.
The US Open is up next, and Fed certainly has to be the co-favourite if not the favourite. I can't see anyone stopping him if he looks anywhere near as good as he did this week in Cincinnati. He looks absolutely amazing, and dare I say, he might be playing as well right now as he was in his prime (2005 and 2006). That is a serious statement, as the tennis he has played this year has been just, well, no adjective can really describe it. Considering he's 31 and has been at the top of the game now for close to a decade, this stuff just isn't supposed to happen!
Thanks Fed.
PS: This tweet has been retweeted over 50 times, which is way more than any tweet of mine has ever been RT'd. So for me personally, I am quite happy.
Federer became the first man ever to win a Masters tournament without being broken.Unbelievable.
— Kyle Johansen (@KJOttawa) August 19, 2012
Rejoice Fed fans!
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