tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67983055610605601692024-03-14T01:46:05.274-07:00Alex's Tennis TalkAlexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-90634843589697130542011-08-17T07:57:00.000-07:002011-08-17T07:57:15.166-07:00Recap of the Rogers Cup - Montreal/TorontoHey everyone, been away a while but decided to get back and give you guys an update in the tennis world. As you all know the US Open is only a few weeks away and I'm pretty excited about it. It would be cool to see Djokovic win and continue his amazing record of 50 something and one. But honestly I'm tired of him winning. I'd like to see Rafa win it. <br />
<br />
Anyway this past week I watched quite a bit of the Rogers Open up in Canada. The women played in Toronto and the men in Montreal. I liked seeing Serena win her first tourney back from her injury.<br />
<br />
I watched a good amount of the men's side and was really impressed with Mardy Fish. He is playing the best tennis of his life which is odd given he is almost 30. He defeated guys like Feliciano Lopez, Ernest Gulbis, Stan Wawrinka and Tipsarevic only to lose to Novak in the final 2-6, 6-3, 4-6. <br />
<br />
Mardy lost in the final of the Farmers tourney in Los Angeles a week or so ago to Ernest Gulbis but the week before that won the Atlanta Tennis Championships.<br />
<br />
Anyway there were quite a few upsets in this tourney with Andy Murray, Rafa and Federer all losing early. Murray lost His opening match to the American, Kevin Anderson 3-6, 1-6. Rafa Lost his opening match as well. Losing 6-1, 6-7(5-7), 6-7(5-7) to Ivan Dodig. Federer won his first match but lost his second 6-7(3-7), 6-4, 1-6 to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-66973808023664708542011-07-24T14:42:00.000-07:002011-07-24T14:42:50.437-07:00Uruguay - 2011 Copa America Champs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyiT7tNmqtB-PSAly2t7Wy0-GeKHgDrF550ly63o6CrSUSJfe68Ljr6wXOI4uJoxpGj8rsDB63vJxEw3DMA4cIacfrUwC_xxnqeCpMdCQN_qu7NFmHkn0japDBQ_7mXyJfhO1vtV2k2LC/s1600/Diego+Forlan+2010+Uruguay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyiT7tNmqtB-PSAly2t7Wy0-GeKHgDrF550ly63o6CrSUSJfe68Ljr6wXOI4uJoxpGj8rsDB63vJxEw3DMA4cIacfrUwC_xxnqeCpMdCQN_qu7NFmHkn0japDBQ_7mXyJfhO1vtV2k2LC/s400/Diego+Forlan+2010+Uruguay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Congrats to Uruguay on their fantastic run in the Copa America tourney and their stomping of Paraguay in the Final 3-0 with Forlan scoring two and Suarez one. They played great and the vet who plays for Athletico Madrid, Diego Forlan showed up just like he did back in the 2010 World Cup. They deserved it and are the best team in South America.<br />
<br />
To be honest Paraguay didn't have a chance against Uruguay, tying all their matches except their last two and winning on pk's. They have no offense. Nothing like Uruguay with Forlan and Suarez up top. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNF67o3MFEK-skUYBSFx3Awk03lQ_P0Oo5wDDdcSmcf1pRh3Uuh1l_ZSHrOTMsQyjcgYdN0nFNANqP4otswGMRVTqRRCBGwfjvVjcada87lP5oBSNOLi-DKWwu58w7JvR3yo64SNsSHYJ/s1600/Uruguays-Luis-Su-rez-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNF67o3MFEK-skUYBSFx3Awk03lQ_P0Oo5wDDdcSmcf1pRh3Uuh1l_ZSHrOTMsQyjcgYdN0nFNANqP4otswGMRVTqRRCBGwfjvVjcada87lP5oBSNOLi-DKWwu58w7JvR3yo64SNsSHYJ/s1600/Uruguays-Luis-Su-rez-007.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suarez puts Uruguay up 1-0.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpapdh4KJbGdjLZQmDT1yOs9hUEkkkp6QWRXqbdQ5l4o4ZJZYoO_Aa4yDPwW8erWiyeKir6WuPYY-b9NUph9yW9DSxbckeQndMxdHyawHuCJLOLADN6OG5TYZEq8S-4vGdEXWqbwnxy2R/s1600/852ce1872dc7e71e4bc72af80bb71739-getty-_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpapdh4KJbGdjLZQmDT1yOs9hUEkkkp6QWRXqbdQ5l4o4ZJZYoO_Aa4yDPwW8erWiyeKir6WuPYY-b9NUph9yW9DSxbckeQndMxdHyawHuCJLOLADN6OG5TYZEq8S-4vGdEXWqbwnxy2R/s400/852ce1872dc7e71e4bc72af80bb71739-getty-_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forlan after he scored his second goal in the 90' to seal a 3-0 victory for Uruguay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Evey one expected Brazil and Argentina to be in the final but I am kind of sick of all the talk about them. Lately they haven't showed up. Brazil is young and all that but they do not play as a team. Same happened in the World Cup. Guess we got to wait and see if they can deliver in the 2014 World Cup and overcome the pressure of their fans as they host the Cup. Argentina started out awful in this tourney and got better but never got to the level they should of. Messi is a beast but their team just didn't come together. But what can i say I guess its hard when you got all these superstars that play on different club teams that come together to play a couple games for their nation.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcqRqUEvX6qVZWQ8gWren2u_DeCSqiViEcCRJCcjTBSJxxsTotVd8bBWAVvOdxXhy9SzgkPeaiTnSSu66TuTZfo1mgBujODEOumML-mBYOwHGGh-r_-eM8ppW-S1gYYleSJuydMq8bjPt/s1600/5951229392_e01b446225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcqRqUEvX6qVZWQ8gWren2u_DeCSqiViEcCRJCcjTBSJxxsTotVd8bBWAVvOdxXhy9SzgkPeaiTnSSu66TuTZfo1mgBujODEOumML-mBYOwHGGh-r_-eM8ppW-S1gYYleSJuydMq8bjPt/s1600/5951229392_e01b446225.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uruguay after they eliminated Argentina. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nG_RmAW1rYB7Fy1lMzs54fzh-Rj8im0S0Wq8nB3DoMcNQRG0kPFm3KLcda1p606GJCWdQUGTTE5t0UaaFk-wyfB_LWXBg5PabQeCBmqRUI2bGmLsLQAd6ZvaVTmNVn2FYhBGh7qIoabd/s1600/suarez2_626068s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nG_RmAW1rYB7Fy1lMzs54fzh-Rj8im0S0Wq8nB3DoMcNQRG0kPFm3KLcda1p606GJCWdQUGTTE5t0UaaFk-wyfB_LWXBg5PabQeCBmqRUI2bGmLsLQAd6ZvaVTmNVn2FYhBGh7qIoabd/s1600/suarez2_626068s.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suarez after he scored against Peru in the Semis.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-74238149094032099252011-07-03T22:29:00.000-07:002011-07-03T22:29:59.252-07:00Wimbledon 2011 - Quarters, Semis and FinalIn the quarterfinals Rafa beat Mardy Fish of the US 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Novak won against Tomic of Australia 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Roger Federer was upset by number twelve Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. In the last quarterfinal match Murray defeated Feliciano Lopez of Spain in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.<br />
<br />
Friday Novak Djokovic took the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal as he defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (9), 6-3 to reach the final of Wimbledon. Tsonga played very well coming of his stunning victory over Roger Federer in the quarters.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgSwjmkhyphenhyphenHYdc4B6w7sSBpbLa2pZcVQlGemy7vA5bCCTKdfwy8Q92ti45cTJOZ40Y88dhOnxQNd5mg8gUy6RdCXdii08nLU9nn3OG-qOoxpd1xaD_xEYpegeYCgfzSCS19_BQhoyt0tsY/s1600/201107011048389076470-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgSwjmkhyphenhyphenHYdc4B6w7sSBpbLa2pZcVQlGemy7vA5bCCTKdfwy8Q92ti45cTJOZ40Y88dhOnxQNd5mg8gUy6RdCXdii08nLU9nn3OG-qOoxpd1xaD_xEYpegeYCgfzSCS19_BQhoyt0tsY/s1600/201107011048389076470-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsonga and Novak fight out a tough point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi9O_dbv4Vb9a6DtDrgDFkvhYizjVJpPPHIJEV9kmufvkOronQlRTZ-GuFHIBfnw8OtugXvUmW_LhvE48ff7EfsqTk4j8vChMNt8NbLBQ4UHQfIibttoK6gQdAQNlYHw04shYA-zsFFm7/s1600/201107011051390956493-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi9O_dbv4Vb9a6DtDrgDFkvhYizjVJpPPHIJEV9kmufvkOronQlRTZ-GuFHIBfnw8OtugXvUmW_LhvE48ff7EfsqTk4j8vChMNt8NbLBQ4UHQfIibttoK6gQdAQNlYHw04shYA-zsFFm7/s1600/201107011051390956493-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novak after he beat Tsonga and took the world number one ranking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The defending champ Nadal was back in the final as he beat Andy Murray 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 just a few hours after Novak secured a spot.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6gut6Y7QW6-8pDz2hIMSQLm_wl448iX2aBmG0Y_vPOyn3m_eZ_lOnByd5Z_tu-0FrtDi7aI5AcjN4rGeZR527LQs0nRovQL2TKzdpNzV8T-XzktasUdcmQuGO4n08fVebkQHfz1s4OyS/s1600/201107011419515657083-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6gut6Y7QW6-8pDz2hIMSQLm_wl448iX2aBmG0Y_vPOyn3m_eZ_lOnByd5Z_tu-0FrtDi7aI5AcjN4rGeZR527LQs0nRovQL2TKzdpNzV8T-XzktasUdcmQuGO4n08fVebkQHfz1s4OyS/s1600/201107011419515657083-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPCRmaHNnCRWuLAiUqWWlZA0DaGBxLmtTpXZFfFLZx7pfl3AUAL-O_ryMF0oCKCeO82HuYxaM-hQUtIQ4av4jIGzbzAPYDjsfeqt-JR0eC27cRrNP6OwnZYXjSSENEw-EAeU9wWssTH9J/s1600/201107011411510997051-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPCRmaHNnCRWuLAiUqWWlZA0DaGBxLmtTpXZFfFLZx7pfl3AUAL-O_ryMF0oCKCeO82HuYxaM-hQUtIQ4av4jIGzbzAPYDjsfeqt-JR0eC27cRrNP6OwnZYXjSSENEw-EAeU9wWssTH9J/s1600/201107011411510997051-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rafa fist pumps to the crowd after beating Murray. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
On Sunday Novak proved that he deserved to take the number one spot by beating Rafael Nadal<span id="keywordlinking"> 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J5t5zQjesfWT45U5UfOG5Ktktech8xP19YKYsykpQXMPqtzYuUuDeR3QhslZiIs1ahuUl4-B8KpbSEu90ty3lgKDBXAvoSJ7kT_hORCPUWML9YQMbR0IK1YxfsthJxNYI3YZybzjURap/s1600/6a00d83451599e69e201543371bc17970c-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J5t5zQjesfWT45U5UfOG5Ktktech8xP19YKYsykpQXMPqtzYuUuDeR3QhslZiIs1ahuUl4-B8KpbSEu90ty3lgKDBXAvoSJ7kT_hORCPUWML9YQMbR0IK1YxfsthJxNYI3YZybzjURap/s1600/6a00d83451599e69e201543371bc17970c-800wi.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">"Well, we all know the careers of Nadal and Federer. We don't need to spend words again. They have been the two most dominant players in the world the last five years," Djokovic said after his win today. "They have won most of the majors we are playing on.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKi7UDHFmUAW-nntWnjQNJkxy9a9J0ejRK9-9a6iBWjDNS6D7Hl3QrGuvGoXL8Hl4vSzQNJSejOgVMwF50vXuBoaWih9ptYQ_1gJvaWnEhBSnqL4hobHkcwSeDnX_tsow_SlE-t2Dg0Et/s1600/201107031102397563511-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKi7UDHFmUAW-nntWnjQNJkxy9a9J0ejRK9-9a6iBWjDNS6D7Hl3QrGuvGoXL8Hl4vSzQNJSejOgVMwF50vXuBoaWih9ptYQ_1gJvaWnEhBSnqL4hobHkcwSeDnX_tsow_SlE-t2Dg0Et/s1600/201107031102397563511-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">"So sometimes it did feel a little bit frustrating when you kind of get to the later stages of a Grand Slam, meaning last four, last eight, and then you have to meet them. They always come up with their best tennis when it matters the most.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVTS99oe4rwxpgkcj4k9y20Sd9W7vmcetC9NzA9Uo-9ayuo4xdDYRx4cDygTkZBEo0pLP93zV9Ife-T_0-rf78GQyexsUHU8WtqJko76Lkf6lnC-LVUcOl4jCSA4UEdyw_vK4uki74F_K/s1600/201107031053392373490-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVTS99oe4rwxpgkcj4k9y20Sd9W7vmcetC9NzA9Uo-9ayuo4xdDYRx4cDygTkZBEo0pLP93zV9Ife-T_0-rf78GQyexsUHU8WtqJko76Lkf6lnC-LVUcOl4jCSA4UEdyw_vK4uki74F_K/s1600/201107031053392373490-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking"></span>"But, look, you know, it's a process of learning, a process of developing and improving as a tennis player, as a person, and just finding the way to mentally overcome those pressures and expectations and issues that you have.<br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD7JTE07h7us0ATcLF1co5gld-gjOv-7wvZvgEvIy-xIZYSnT-Q4c4NFvnXJiBjELQTE8X5mTlXazPqdUplBKWOvdHBqGczm9etwQ2ULOQRDj-GGno-A15TytC86S8UNGKSdmHc0kLphk/s1600/201107031200432123682-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD7JTE07h7us0ATcLF1co5gld-gjOv-7wvZvgEvIy-xIZYSnT-Q4c4NFvnXJiBjELQTE8X5mTlXazPqdUplBKWOvdHBqGczm9etwQ2ULOQRDj-GGno-A15TytC86S8UNGKSdmHc0kLphk/s1600/201107031200432123682-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">"I always believed that I have quality to beat those two guys. I always believed I have quality to win majors, Grand Slams, and that was the only way I could be here in this position, you know. I mean, I have full respect for those two guys, what they have done. Anytime I play them, I mean, it's a great match. But the mental approach has to be positive. You know, (you tell yourself) <em>I have to win this match.</em> There's no other way."</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0VfnkdJOqGU5gcS5rFTshOtbMEU7Aiz-jxT9K6VySMQ1GSjDXLZhZNPaVA2ExQU9biiuwNb_qBSx_wMoVPK_D2eWV5vp_oHdOwwdqMFa2FtV-RFRtxgzM4LKcAYkOu3rPtgT-q5oH-uV/s1600/201107031143422003627-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0VfnkdJOqGU5gcS5rFTshOtbMEU7Aiz-jxT9K6VySMQ1GSjDXLZhZNPaVA2ExQU9biiuwNb_qBSx_wMoVPK_D2eWV5vp_oHdOwwdqMFa2FtV-RFRtxgzM4LKcAYkOu3rPtgT-q5oH-uV/s1600/201107031143422003627-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking"><span id="goog_342173742"><span id="goog_342173745"></span><span id="goog_342173746"></span></span><span id="goog_342173743"></span></span>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-51576431737735172252011-06-28T09:23:00.000-07:002011-06-28T09:26:02.315-07:00Wimbledon 2011 - Third and Fourth Rounds<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ElwhEnvy2qfLAZ6cYQ0NcgOcrr3tYHjlk0ffb93Clep-Ck3YW05DQQgSl835cP1zXzEzGHgm95gWPBtUiS2RnBZ2HhtCWWspVyDNu1RhycuzVTWVahTAwG026Ax8xIQyRLxhlbtPmAyf/s1600/b_08_delpotro_133_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ElwhEnvy2qfLAZ6cYQ0NcgOcrr3tYHjlk0ffb93Clep-Ck3YW05DQQgSl835cP1zXzEzGHgm95gWPBtUiS2RnBZ2HhtCWWspVyDNu1RhycuzVTWVahTAwG026Ax8xIQyRLxhlbtPmAyf/s320/b_08_delpotro_133_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juan Martin Del Potro </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Number one Rafael Nadal beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 7-6, 7-6, 6-0 in the third round Friday/Saturday. On Monday Rafa took on Juan Martin Del Potro, the 24th seeded player from Argentina who is looking to climb the rankings. Del Potro beat Gilles Simon of France 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 in the third round, but on Monday he did not have the same luck as he lost to Nadal 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4. The game was intense and they both had thier ups and downs. Delpo definetly had a shot at winning this one especially when Rafa had a bit of a knee injury. Tempers flared for both players as Nadal argued a point. It is unusual for him to get angry about it like he did, especially at Wimbledon. As Nadal got back to his usual ways Del Potro showed his anger and frustration of the long and physically draining match by smashing his racquet down during a change over.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8CnfsTwjpvYnN1nvEfLTqnLLeyriHxvhHQvGhjyGkL_zifcxvn1TMLBeYUXFjyjh3ak7JmP981VRpy_VC_1VOFuzb6al-SS67927i6NMDWyVCT6PfTJt-C7n2xIMQBOpAR3skhSOhNnF/s1600/b_08_nadal_146_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8CnfsTwjpvYnN1nvEfLTqnLLeyriHxvhHQvGhjyGkL_zifcxvn1TMLBeYUXFjyjh3ak7JmP981VRpy_VC_1VOFuzb6al-SS67927i6NMDWyVCT6PfTJt-C7n2xIMQBOpAR3skhSOhNnF/s400/b_08_nadal_146_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadal after he defeated Del Potro.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>No. 2 ranked Novak Dkojovic has to put up a tough fight against Marcos Baghdatis. Novak won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and in the fourth round he had no problem beating Michael Llodra of France 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Novak will take on Bernard Tomic of Australia in the quarters and honestly Tomic doesn't have a chance.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUQtuLOq-IIoJ2dXJhcHffS4nyBdaEh5IoeE7nCmZmxSCp6VGIYqKycPeJTfPoBWRwjrVZib5rmErzKpRv05zQSdRVAx8HUaTJd7q6nNC4WhUfY0plWzV6OmZqtiZDUcdH-YuPlZ3_MJq/s1600/b_08_djokovic_37_aeltc_s_wake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUQtuLOq-IIoJ2dXJhcHffS4nyBdaEh5IoeE7nCmZmxSCp6VGIYqKycPeJTfPoBWRwjrVZib5rmErzKpRv05zQSdRVAx8HUaTJd7q6nNC4WhUfY0plWzV6OmZqtiZDUcdH-YuPlZ3_MJq/s400/b_08_djokovic_37_aeltc_s_wake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novak after he beat Llodra.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Federer beat David Nalbandian in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in his third rounder. Fed had more of a challenge in the fourth round but still came out victorious, beating Mikhail Youzhhny of Russia 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Roger will play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the quarterfinals.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZKymkH3whnuGEERaUi9iUF0RDULJFS_tyIm060jjiVWMhjV9dZDp5Z3gfvBEUnBFWwIfnb5AMayKIX4D6DMlcL_v-aMGDIFKNZGnCRk05ybGeYTyLBdApfPHGxR6rdi4HwcDnHfaCyXk/s1600/b_08_federer_45_aeltc_n_tingle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZKymkH3whnuGEERaUi9iUF0RDULJFS_tyIm060jjiVWMhjV9dZDp5Z3gfvBEUnBFWwIfnb5AMayKIX4D6DMlcL_v-aMGDIFKNZGnCRk05ybGeYTyLBdApfPHGxR6rdi4HwcDnHfaCyXk/s400/b_08_federer_45_aeltc_n_tingle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fed playing against Youzhny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Andy Murray has kept the dreams of the British alive of being the first person from Britain to win Wimbledon in a long long time. He beat Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 and went on to beat No. 17 Richard Gasquet of France who I thought would give him problems, but Murray prevailed 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. Murray will play Feliciano Lopez of Spain in the quarters and you got to give the edge to Murray in that one.<br />
<br />
No. 5 Robin Soderling was upset in the third round losing to Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-1, 6-4, 7-5.<br />
<br />
No. 6 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic beat Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the USA quite easily 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. Berdych who is last years runner up failed to equal or beat that bench mark when he lost to the American Mardy Fish in the fourth round. Mardy will play Nadal in the quarterfinals.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNXnCEt92jhDq9U5xBZttSJHaROSsj9RFxqEf1SeFfy0gQat_ZcOrRlGZdN2q6tj7S4WV7MEdu03YjW6COEjGt-PKz_RgaEbJLZyXsJh3IaM2CRWs2MdOdZD_3CMfFNf8apSVBQ_EteCT/s1600/b_08_fish_43_aeltc_j_buckle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNXnCEt92jhDq9U5xBZttSJHaROSsj9RFxqEf1SeFfy0gQat_ZcOrRlGZdN2q6tj7S4WV7MEdu03YjW6COEjGt-PKz_RgaEbJLZyXsJh3IaM2CRWs2MdOdZD_3CMfFNf8apSVBQ_EteCT/s400/b_08_fish_43_aeltc_j_buckle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mardy pumps his fist after a winner against Berdych.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ferrer dodged a bullet when he was almost upset by Ryan Harrison back in the second round and in the third round he took care of business, beating Karol Beck of Slovakia 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. In the fourth round though he didnt have such luck, losing to the Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 4-6, 6-7.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvV5L5bcXIFJ_optuulf_7CuBjzjQn8_wSaL-74Tj_Nuu3QbRyUvROFkqRY0knSWne_QW9G2XxxpOL210adXX7PNbhv6-h_eZ93o-a32uELgAiC8zqAo62t2dGRWqkXKAbdLCFxNTqUGQ/s1600/b_08_tsonga_144_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvV5L5bcXIFJ_optuulf_7CuBjzjQn8_wSaL-74Tj_Nuu3QbRyUvROFkqRY0knSWne_QW9G2XxxpOL210adXX7PNbhv6-h_eZ93o-a32uELgAiC8zqAo62t2dGRWqkXKAbdLCFxNTqUGQ/s400/b_08_tsonga_144_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsonga after he upset Ferrer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>No. 8 Andy Roddick of the US could not reach it back to the final of Wimbledon like he did in 2009 after his third round loss to Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-7, 6-7, 4-6.<br />
<br />
Gael Monfils who is seeded number nine also lost in the third round to Lukasz Kubot 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-78177753817254806612011-06-23T23:25:00.000-07:002011-06-23T23:27:43.024-07:00Wimbledon 2011 - First Two RoundsWimbledon, one of four Slam events in tennis is underway. The tourney started Monday with Nadal breezing through his match on Centre against Michael Russel 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. It is tradition for the defending champion to play his first match on Centre Court.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnfwqfP_7fIq-VYtOz__OW16C2MA9Nkgqkf3Z36J59BMO0VZHDIqTrDmwcALF15L9bqjSGD4KBbWfmy5g5MYVwgTfRCfPYzU7eq1ih_QFNSnjnX5r2b1pumk_ge7eRVGTBcZSIJcnBZE2/s1600/sport_sports_rafael+nadal_wimbledon_outfit_2011_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnfwqfP_7fIq-VYtOz__OW16C2MA9Nkgqkf3Z36J59BMO0VZHDIqTrDmwcALF15L9bqjSGD4KBbWfmy5g5MYVwgTfRCfPYzU7eq1ih_QFNSnjnX5r2b1pumk_ge7eRVGTBcZSIJcnBZE2/s1600/sport_sports_rafael+nadal_wimbledon_outfit_2011_.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
"I started so-so in the first set, but after that I start to hit very well the forehand and I think I finished playing a very good level," Nadal said.<br />
<br />
On Day 3 Rafa beat Ryan Sweeting 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and will now play in the third round on Friday against Gilles Muller.<br />
<br />
Novak Djokovic has also reached the 3rd round quite easily, defeating Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 and in the second round beating Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Novak will face the always tough No. 32 Marcos Baghdatis.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvQx-1EVHiOkarg_e92_14Ilj7fNZGFElTbReqxdhi8BbDBiOsa9fZdsYhP_NTL2TsG505TSG2j4UFArSaGiCQJjZJKH26lnKapmsHCiFE6RDQfENkqAVQ1561vxZswVihyphenhyphenMdA4Cefp3O/s1600/b_04_djokovic_15_aeltc_m_hangst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvQx-1EVHiOkarg_e92_14Ilj7fNZGFElTbReqxdhi8BbDBiOsa9fZdsYhP_NTL2TsG505TSG2j4UFArSaGiCQJjZJKH26lnKapmsHCiFE6RDQfENkqAVQ1561vxZswVihyphenhyphenMdA4Cefp3O/s400/b_04_djokovic_15_aeltc_m_hangst.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novak dives across the court to hit a backhand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHluBSK342VjaR2-JmIEz_ns0eeM7BWjtL0_4O0SX8_xmzwvDK_rfE_Xk7tfNE206wuQ4qUG8kSJw93-vBJPybvqPSRf8LLKLJddVmRWVuljP1Gp9sstj4RLIiOsbTDwSKqVuJV_d34DR/s1600/2011-roger-federer-wimbledon-nike-outfit.0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHluBSK342VjaR2-JmIEz_ns0eeM7BWjtL0_4O0SX8_xmzwvDK_rfE_Xk7tfNE206wuQ4qUG8kSJw93-vBJPybvqPSRf8LLKLJddVmRWVuljP1Gp9sstj4RLIiOsbTDwSKqVuJV_d34DR/s640/2011-roger-federer-wimbledon-nike-outfit.0001.jpg" width="411" /></a></div><br />
Roger Federer returned to Wimbledon to try and gain his 17th Grand Slam trophy. In the first round Roger beat Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 and in the second round he beat Adrain Mannarino of France 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. Federer will play David Nalbandian who is seeded 28th and will put up a strong fight against Federer, making for a great match.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsfZtUDRIeJ-B4CYU11I1hxF1lCIY4yKXF9YtgKbAVW2HiAL8esTFngzfLuDTEGPxEfs_Eh79xVrauN4CHPkGt1FlXpE1MToJB_6jeHBwiGhVRBU_zMyVfjMLMPpvneucI7zlXiPHSg_D/s1600/murray_1925947c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsfZtUDRIeJ-B4CYU11I1hxF1lCIY4yKXF9YtgKbAVW2HiAL8esTFngzfLuDTEGPxEfs_Eh79xVrauN4CHPkGt1FlXpE1MToJB_6jeHBwiGhVRBU_zMyVfjMLMPpvneucI7zlXiPHSg_D/s1600/murray_1925947c.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The pressure is on Murray as he plays in his home country but so far he has been able to keep it at bay as he will play in round three. In his first round match he beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 and in his second round match Murray defeated Tobias Kamke of Germany 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. Murray is scheduled to take on Ivan Ljubicic in round three.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCn9Ox-mKEffYy2eP1N3EZfYDlVW2cEakwPi8XJhrzXJcjy_XhIhp7XKUcAmqIZeNj3TVblF8cLQLLjRy_Wh9mnK9YFZMdgE24HI-6MujQl_Ypev_M9rhgwzfsWa8LT_O8br8pLQMK7ji/s1600/b_04_hewitt_23_aeltc_n_tingle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCn9Ox-mKEffYy2eP1N3EZfYDlVW2cEakwPi8XJhrzXJcjy_XhIhp7XKUcAmqIZeNj3TVblF8cLQLLjRy_Wh9mnK9YFZMdgE24HI-6MujQl_Ypev_M9rhgwzfsWa8LT_O8br8pLQMK7ji/s400/b_04_hewitt_23_aeltc_n_tingle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lleyton after going up two sets to zero.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>No. 5 Robin Soderling of Sweden Philipp Petzschner of Germany in his first round match 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 and then went on to play a great round two match against former number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. Hewitt played great and almost got Soderling going up two sets to zero but Robin came through and won the last three taking the match 6-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v7jVwQCSb2Lz8qI1GMo4IrNnTXztUT0TmyxuCg98pMz4-9vHa-ML8xf19CZfFJFCl96JwuhkehD6bg8AzjVB9mQozNYxP-4VoH5z1vQvWbR7mBWCFdMi4cg7paRcSAlW3NJJXwnSuTEw/s1600/b_04_soderling_26_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v7jVwQCSb2Lz8qI1GMo4IrNnTXztUT0TmyxuCg98pMz4-9vHa-ML8xf19CZfFJFCl96JwuhkehD6bg8AzjVB9mQozNYxP-4VoH5z1vQvWbR7mBWCFdMi4cg7paRcSAlW3NJJXwnSuTEw/s400/b_04_soderling_26_aeltc_t_hindley.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin celebrating his victory of Hewitt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>No. 6 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic is back after a loss in the first round of the French Open. In his first match he beat Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 and in his second he defeated Julien Benneteau of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Berdych was the runner up in Wimbledon last year and is a real threat to make that run again this year. He will face Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the USA.<br />
<br />
No. 7 David Ferrer of Spain Won his first rounder against Benoit Paire of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Ferrer's second round match is postponed due to light and will be finished Friday. He is currently down two sets to one against the up and coming Ryan Harrison of the USA.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfpD3DPL5nC9fsApHK35YXKwS_LXgwtO2wKbm6w0GUx3XXv0nuqGpBt6cxAEdlOJV4_q9k573t49fisAnKT1A52NLd-X4DgngIASF-vPfx3VJ_cwCi4GuyPqzTmVakl5rc5Oe0jSENlL5/s1600/b_03_roddick_144_aeltc_j_buckle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfpD3DPL5nC9fsApHK35YXKwS_LXgwtO2wKbm6w0GUx3XXv0nuqGpBt6cxAEdlOJV4_q9k573t49fisAnKT1A52NLd-X4DgngIASF-vPfx3VJ_cwCi4GuyPqzTmVakl5rc5Oe0jSENlL5/s400/b_03_roddick_144_aeltc_j_buckle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roddick after his victory over Hanescu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Andy Roddick of the United States and number eight in the world beat Andreas Beck of Germany 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 and then went on to beat Victor Hanescu 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Roddick has performed very well at Wimbledon and was a runner up in 2009. Andy will play Feliciano Lopez of Spain who should give him a tough match.<br />
<br />
Gael Monfils of France who is the ninth seed in the tourney beat Matthias Bachinger of Germany 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 in the first round and beat Grega Zemlja of Slovakia 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6. Monfils should win his third round match against Lukasz Kubot of Poland.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvllYpdXHyxqlV3q9ySkqRAjtlip9Wv5Z-yjMkKeC7Lj8qb2MsSEkI0PhiRpmo5rG4Y4gBwPDE2rjGT4HcxPWfF32ASOO40wTmaR-r-1rcp5G7NDyx4svNaxbgJ7oUZL_edmNfrIPgwbr/s1600/b_01_monfils_120_aeltc_s_wake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvllYpdXHyxqlV3q9ySkqRAjtlip9Wv5Z-yjMkKeC7Lj8qb2MsSEkI0PhiRpmo5rG4Y4gBwPDE2rjGT4HcxPWfF32ASOO40wTmaR-r-1rcp5G7NDyx4svNaxbgJ7oUZL_edmNfrIPgwbr/s400/b_01_monfils_120_aeltc_s_wake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monfils about to serve.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The United States also has Mardy Fish in the top ten and he is into the third round with victories over Marcel Granollers of Spain 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 and Denis Istomin 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. The American will take on Robin Haase of the Netherlands in round three.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9uszkYf5jM7QBtWJYYREOuXPE5bdXCaz6VVCSSICdBfuAsLGBW_h3CpuyAN4p5CjvrOM0fPNPbyRCQ7WWaJxPi7v-ZE-Gd9erE-8Ogd52soGBcfAqA-P66mIwpjTd760iMFb6FvhOE6T/s1600/b_03_fish_126_aeltc_s_wake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9uszkYf5jM7QBtWJYYREOuXPE5bdXCaz6VVCSSICdBfuAsLGBW_h3CpuyAN4p5CjvrOM0fPNPbyRCQ7WWaJxPi7v-ZE-Gd9erE-8Ogd52soGBcfAqA-P66mIwpjTd760iMFb6FvhOE6T/s400/b_03_fish_126_aeltc_s_wake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mardy hitting a backhand in his second round match against Istomin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Juan Martin Del Potro, former number five in the world and 2009 U.S. Open Champion is climbing his way back toward the top after sitting out all of 2010. He beat Flavio Cipolla of Italy 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 and in a match that took more then one day, Delpo beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-7, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4. In the third round Juan Martin will take on Gilles Simon of France.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdlO3ldl9RKwe5DzkpDURB0maPVpKAZyhU4Qc4t7suyyZcAY5W_3jIPX3d0zQZQ__0hHpFaIclZGVunamDHE0WRsgrHrwP2B0gtiKAsk2FG-ccfzr5FTpVAUk_3FZWsJjfRoa7GRVoHrZ/s1600/f86e77b2eafcae6f7257811f70456869-getty-tennis-gbr-wimbledon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdlO3ldl9RKwe5DzkpDURB0maPVpKAZyhU4Qc4t7suyyZcAY5W_3jIPX3d0zQZQ__0hHpFaIclZGVunamDHE0WRsgrHrwP2B0gtiKAsk2FG-ccfzr5FTpVAUk_3FZWsJjfRoa7GRVoHrZ/s640/f86e77b2eafcae6f7257811f70456869-getty-tennis-gbr-wimbledon.jpg" width="516" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juan Martin Del Potro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Their are many other notable players that have made it into the third round. As stated earlier Gilles Simon is the third round. Richard Gasquet is in the third as well as Tsonga. Nicolas Almagro of Spain defeated John Isner of the United States to get a bid into round three.<br />
<br />
Some upsets were Victor Troicki losing to an unranked player in round two. Wawrinka also lost in the second. <br />
<br />
Jurgen Melzer won his first rounder but his second rounder has been postponed and will be played Friday.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-21179594456285651702011-06-14T09:37:00.000-07:002011-06-14T09:37:35.880-07:00Queen's Club Final 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOIEvQhI5gnLN0EClxNwPVcYSzBkyTPI-aGED5YuWB85Z4WI9e8hQf-6vqLYz9SPHrfJn7zRVQF338JOcQg10D5T8qivUoCtnsdFt3f8V4NUZEirDTu27HL6ZdATVEYM2YiqOATBAVyXw/s1600/murraytsonga1306_630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOIEvQhI5gnLN0EClxNwPVcYSzBkyTPI-aGED5YuWB85Z4WI9e8hQf-6vqLYz9SPHrfJn7zRVQF338JOcQg10D5T8qivUoCtnsdFt3f8V4NUZEirDTu27HL6ZdATVEYM2YiqOATBAVyXw/s400/murraytsonga1306_630.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Sorry guys I am out of town right now and this is the only time I could get on and get you the updates on the Queen's Club Final. Monday Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took on Andy Murray in the Queen's final.<br />
<br />
Murray won 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4, obtaining his first title of the year against fifth-seeded Tsonga of France.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTK4I4uR3mMHXyW6v1ZLy3nWTp9Im2-5liZLVM3fB1wvLbJlpkpi_SQiNIuawYjaxHcmywmJpuU2GS0YOrg_WPgwKVk0YR9Z3Q0RGanweIz90zdHCmy5e3B9L031WqqAhWfg-cHTMHb0aM/s1600/201106130948352958525-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTK4I4uR3mMHXyW6v1ZLy3nWTp9Im2-5liZLVM3fB1wvLbJlpkpi_SQiNIuawYjaxHcmywmJpuU2GS0YOrg_WPgwKVk0YR9Z3Q0RGanweIz90zdHCmy5e3B9L031WqqAhWfg-cHTMHb0aM/s1600/201106130948352958525-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The match which was supposed to be played on Sunday but was postponed until Monday due to rain in the area. <br />
<br />
This is Murray's second time winning, the other coming in 2009. He is also the first Briton since Francis Gordon Lowe won it in 1913-14 and in 1925. Tsonga on the other hand was the fifth Frenchmen to reach the final in the open era. In 1995 Guy Forget lost to Pete Sampras, in 2003 and 2004 Sebastien Grosjean lost to Andy Roddick and in 2009 Andy Murray beat Nicolas Mahut.<br />
<br />
In the match both players played at tremendous and showed off their athleticism. Murray seemed to have the edge in speed but Tsonga had more willingness to come to the net. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SOx3RL3IkAhmh5cdF9fvcljvSlYjniaLiB5EYUOm25pKQ79m2Q2Eu_eyBoQRRjSQY-6cDqrxd8usoEaB_wOBGOlfo75i3eTuctGG2Xrrgie6H0NMX_-kWiPGJf4lMSXzLXizWEADOKUS/s1600/201106131009365478563-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SOx3RL3IkAhmh5cdF9fvcljvSlYjniaLiB5EYUOm25pKQ79m2Q2Eu_eyBoQRRjSQY-6cDqrxd8usoEaB_wOBGOlfo75i3eTuctGG2Xrrgie6H0NMX_-kWiPGJf4lMSXzLXizWEADOKUS/s1600/201106131009365478563-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
At 1-1 Tsonga just dogged a break point when a dropshot barely caught the net and fell in Tsonga's favor. Tsonga broke at love to lead the first set 4-2, fighting off two more break points and taking the set.<br />
<br />
The second set the play was much closer. With Murray leading 4-3, Tsonga fought off four break points. At 5-5 Murray held off two break points. He then proceeded to win the last five points of the tiebreak.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDt63szHxLYXPpqiv_8WlF_D26jSip-mR_MjyRKBa3SAWqcD4DR-d27Wcc9lEh_bStydXtOgH1dVWmiMlUl8UzPlp37yzCIxdsHJUnrPyKdd4eiTtZcfOqZiV0jriOc1Fqe2Muikp9Dv1/s1600/201106130959359928537-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDt63szHxLYXPpqiv_8WlF_D26jSip-mR_MjyRKBa3SAWqcD4DR-d27Wcc9lEh_bStydXtOgH1dVWmiMlUl8UzPlp37yzCIxdsHJUnrPyKdd4eiTtZcfOqZiV0jriOc1Fqe2Muikp9Dv1/s1600/201106130959359928537-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In the final set Murray was the only one to earn a break point. On his 10th break point of the match, Murray took a 3-2 lead when Tsonga sent a forehand out wide. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj467n6x4LtB_XxLuawZWuSeEeLS2GowHErmEaaOYfDYCLUK2dBFpXqXwwRlmF4u_zq43Cz0vUAcPaZUaOAqi-VdYdF9CWEepsomdjZGrCx-lcBQR1w9jP3A7t3qh2KK8QiROExQhLzMNFs/s1600/201106130944350538519-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj467n6x4LtB_XxLuawZWuSeEeLS2GowHErmEaaOYfDYCLUK2dBFpXqXwwRlmF4u_zq43Cz0vUAcPaZUaOAqi-VdYdF9CWEepsomdjZGrCx-lcBQR1w9jP3A7t3qh2KK8QiROExQhLzMNFs/s1600/201106130944350538519-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“It was an unbelievable week for me,” Murray said. “I started off not playing great but managed to find my way through, and the last two matches were so much fun.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV97xv9MZlBWcyUH_XG5Zyj6UWTDF4C2DntJQQMwFKG1V9cSp7Mt61IbQluGr8K4xSjTSdrMRXNBrAs55yGCgYyXlwdSw_WTeWykxajyVXJ4hEu92Mq6YBLw14s5w0Jnv-S5CgOc51ZuM/s1600/Off_Court_At_c551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV97xv9MZlBWcyUH_XG5Zyj6UWTDF4C2DntJQQMwFKG1V9cSp7Mt61IbQluGr8K4xSjTSdrMRXNBrAs55yGCgYyXlwdSw_WTeWykxajyVXJ4hEu92Mq6YBLw14s5w0Jnv-S5CgOc51ZuM/s1600/Off_Court_At_c551.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“I really look forward to Wimbledon. It’s been great preparation this week and I’ll work hard the next five or six days to get ready.”</span><span id="keywordlinking"></span>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-3741651277676526142011-06-11T17:46:00.000-07:002011-06-11T17:46:43.881-07:00The 2011 Queen's Club - Semifinals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tU80Ai31-SRlODSI4HiMaCF77XVNyR8JPUYQFk4W_esMZ1Xsu6PICJEm2-OvvLdtWRzLuH1H-TZzggZuB-59YHArTQ2arJcHf6BNmsD0USN3ksRTuExOYe48gPKlGl8rXUdiAnyP-cCf/s1600/Murray-v-roddick-l_1436273c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tU80Ai31-SRlODSI4HiMaCF77XVNyR8JPUYQFk4W_esMZ1Xsu6PICJEm2-OvvLdtWRzLuH1H-TZzggZuB-59YHArTQ2arJcHf6BNmsD0USN3ksRTuExOYe48gPKlGl8rXUdiAnyP-cCf/s1600/Murray-v-roddick-l_1436273c.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Andy Murray came out firing today as he defeated Andy Roddick quite easily 6-3, 6-1. Murray will now be in the final at Queen's Club. <br />
<br />
Roddick made many errors against the former 2009 champion who put on a great all-around performance, winning in just 59 minutes.<br />
<br />
Roddick was going for fifth title at Queen's club, which would make him the first person to do so.<br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“It was just one of those days,” Murray said. “I hardly missed a ball and that doesn’t happen too often on tour. Everything that touched my racquet was going in and it felt great out there."</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYaRPqdtFNQ3X6fx6Ql-rrS8HBdcs1uuAig_22PF8aRe69Wi6nKBxoRSx4Yucy3quUS3fVEW8gUQgkW-iM8JaRMb69bCMoqA_ifLBAmqpmIPiyxu5j6D9NC9hCQceJdGijdU8-2ivQ7Kg/s1600/article-0-0C78E8D400000578-831_634x424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYaRPqdtFNQ3X6fx6Ql-rrS8HBdcs1uuAig_22PF8aRe69Wi6nKBxoRSx4Yucy3quUS3fVEW8gUQgkW-iM8JaRMb69bCMoqA_ifLBAmqpmIPiyxu5j6D9NC9hCQceJdGijdU8-2ivQ7Kg/s400/article-0-0C78E8D400000578-831_634x424.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“I got off to a good start. Andy’s one of the toughest guys on the tour to break, and I managed to get up an early break in both sets, which helped.”</span><br />
<br />
Roddick sent a back-hand slice which gave Murray a break and a 2-0 lead in the first set which ended up determining the winner of set one.<br />
<br />
At the beginning of the second set Roddick sent a forehand volley into the net causing another early break for Murray. Murray then went up 4-1 when he broke Roddick for a second time in the set when Andy Roddick had another error at the net. Murray was into the finals when Roddick sent a weak backhand into the net for a fourth break.<br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“He played great,” Roddick said. “I felt like I hit the ball well. I just thought he played too good today.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYj2hHd0uGz-yvq14d_Kgjtz63XiP_2dScDCnpVsKNhtmLgVKDApxAqFFmyM36a3H5vKpszvxmE2X3NDxfY1J8sKzjKPTgses6ojo9qs1Uowhik8hkR0Z8JeDRhXDSijkY92Gn14eSTJa/s1600/www.stamfordadvocate.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYj2hHd0uGz-yvq14d_Kgjtz63XiP_2dScDCnpVsKNhtmLgVKDApxAqFFmyM36a3H5vKpszvxmE2X3NDxfY1J8sKzjKPTgses6ojo9qs1Uowhik8hkR0Z8JeDRhXDSijkY92Gn14eSTJa/s400/www.stamfordadvocate.com.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“I mixed it up. I tried going in at different sides. You try different things. He just played better than I did. Everything he touched turned to gold.”</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Even though Roddick lost badly he isn't all that concerned as Wimbledon draws nearer. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“I think fine-tuning more so than inventing the wheel next week,” he said. “Again, I think he did a lot right today. I don’t think I did a whole lot wrong. Maybe just execution on a couple balls, so I feel good going into the off week.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2mCGK8Ky-rwJSBQ3CrhlIQDbK24iSqveQ7HdEmdIUg_lb2oh9yKm5QCOibIRxCPCvnyGXVkIsEWvJ5N7fyoNZbBovlVc3cHjVh3AxfEjOX7mwEuFHt8nw9CQokbUYr67o3BtMu00bP68/s1600/7b05e6d884ebe1ff413f4eb3c889986d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2mCGK8Ky-rwJSBQ3CrhlIQDbK24iSqveQ7HdEmdIUg_lb2oh9yKm5QCOibIRxCPCvnyGXVkIsEWvJ5N7fyoNZbBovlVc3cHjVh3AxfEjOX7mwEuFHt8nw9CQokbUYr67o3BtMu00bP68/s1600/7b05e6d884ebe1ff413f4eb3c889986d.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat James Ward<span id="keywordlinking"> 6-3, 7-6 (7)</span> in the semis today ending his pretty amazing run in this tourney. <br />
<br />
Tsonga broke to lead 2-0 early in the match and later held off two break points at 3-1. He then went on to take the set.<br />
<br />
Ranked no. 216, Ward beat 4th seeded Wawrinka and defending champ Sam Querrey earlier in the tournament to get to the semis. He broke for a 2-0 lead in the second set.<br />
<br />
Tsonga came back though and at 4-2 down he broke back on his 4th break point and ended winning the match on his 2nd match point in the tiebreak.<br />
<br />
Tsonga will be playing his first ATP tournament on grass against Andy Murray. He has though won two challenger titles on grass.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05jm7dmfgyrJ9ZtS8_QbzKAtbY_obGkaQKavGjZ44QdyMxCO617fjKPSBO05skdyO3dnhpgPTItOVP7mXgg6rsgtuQaXKGMCj3uIcDAUin6iws7cuwmNsJ99XmAmIOfeYrSCFJkVW3FK5/s1600/c9fcc86c4f6e5e87e79b3326f05d2354-getty-111824046bg062_aegon_champi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05jm7dmfgyrJ9ZtS8_QbzKAtbY_obGkaQKavGjZ44QdyMxCO617fjKPSBO05skdyO3dnhpgPTItOVP7mXgg6rsgtuQaXKGMCj3uIcDAUin6iws7cuwmNsJ99XmAmIOfeYrSCFJkVW3FK5/s400/c9fcc86c4f6e5e87e79b3326f05d2354-getty-111824046bg062_aegon_champi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking"><form action="news.aspx?articleid=12569&zoneid=4" id="Form1" method="post" name="Form1">“I was a little bit worried in the second set,” Tsonga said. “He had one occasion to break me and I came back. It was fantastic to win in two sets because in the third set, with the crowd with him, it would be difficult.”</form></span><span id="keywordlinking"></span><span id="keywordlinking"></span><span id="keywordlinking"></span>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-22068235325695490302011-06-11T09:17:00.000-07:002011-06-11T17:54:15.312-07:00The 2011 Queen's Club - Quarterfinals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTewdpGZRjwaKLvBEAbxmkOskSSp2i1k54jHgGbd2u7qaDH055VBFc8PSbA5peQCaKm2JLh9UBPIXrnekjK8cY2vTR6hPCaL9sfVw2sGBSMfcrnc8-7pRFPf5kLWtD8NveLh34ErByCYdu/s1600/nadal-tsonga-110610-584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTewdpGZRjwaKLvBEAbxmkOskSSp2i1k54jHgGbd2u7qaDH055VBFc8PSbA5peQCaKm2JLh9UBPIXrnekjK8cY2vTR6hPCaL9sfVw2sGBSMfcrnc8-7pRFPf5kLWtD8NveLh34ErByCYdu/s400/nadal-tsonga-110610-584.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7NumEwYTZ5ES4gp371gxZ5_17q825EaNkNw3GuP9mQc3kRTv4F6niV0-eFV3TD6-lBdptzlQ0pmO3yHDivIGjwOtsQagFyak5CvpOFxHDCgIiMdJvNSHYGU3G-Ntn5kU4kug1nijx_6Y/s1600/XAG121_908642k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7NumEwYTZ5ES4gp371gxZ5_17q825EaNkNw3GuP9mQc3kRTv4F6niV0-eFV3TD6-lBdptzlQ0pmO3yHDivIGjwOtsQagFyak5CvpOFxHDCgIiMdJvNSHYGU3G-Ntn5kU4kug1nijx_6Y/s1600/XAG121_908642k.jpg" /></a></div>Huge upset yesterday in the quarters as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated the No. 1 player in the world Rafael Nadal<span id="keywordlinking"> 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-1.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">In this match Tsonga shot 25 aces and kept Nadal on his heels with his strong baseline play and smooth net play. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Only two points were played before the match was interrupted by rain. Nadal decided to stay out and sign autographs despite the rain and the court being covered.</span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking"> </span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">When play resumed Nadal took the first set and in the sixth game fought off a break point. Rafa did fail to convert three break points when it was 5-5, but he ended up claiming the last five points of the tiebreak.</span><span id="keywordlinking"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">In the second set both players exchanged breaks and then Tsonga broke again to lead 5-4. He then served out the set.</span><span id="keywordlinking"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Rafa missed a very important forehand volley at the net on game point. Tsonga ended up breaking Nadal early 1-0. This got Tsonga going and he dominated the rest of the match.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Nadal will now go back to Mallorca and prepare for Wimbledon. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">"Probably after losing the second set mentally I lost my concentration,” Nadal said. “The negative thing is I lost. The positive thing is I have few days off and can stop a little bit mentally. I can be a little bit more relaxed, because every day I play with pressure.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT-pdAhrMide96EY0-pDdBsM3Caq2mD6hDRljmSGmt9MpvcRZ8YS_6IQ4t_MNxjqIapLXnPWeeFysheqWGq3OPCW29_APTrFqqHsyMDdo7uszXj2iiEgmcoqEyEFogx_YBxoi7YADmrMj/s1600/Andy-Roddick-thrashes-Fernando-Verdasco-in-the-quarterfinals-AEGON-Championships-2011-74896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT-pdAhrMide96EY0-pDdBsM3Caq2mD6hDRljmSGmt9MpvcRZ8YS_6IQ4t_MNxjqIapLXnPWeeFysheqWGq3OPCW29_APTrFqqHsyMDdo7uszXj2iiEgmcoqEyEFogx_YBxoi7YADmrMj/s320/Andy-Roddick-thrashes-Fernando-Verdasco-in-the-quarterfinals-AEGON-Championships-2011-74896.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><span id="keywordlinking"> Andy Roddick absolutely destroyed Fernando Verdasco winning 6-2, 6-2. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Early in the match Andy took a lead 2-1 after breaking Verdasco and in the fifth game he did it again taking a 4-1 lead. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">In the second set Roddick still dominated, breaking again to go up 2-1 and holding at 3-1 before the rains interrupted play.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Once play resumed after an hour and 45 minute delay, Roddick quickly took control again by breaking Fernando.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Andy failed to convert two match points on Verdasco's serve, but won the match in the next game on a second-serve ace for his fourth match point.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“My first rain delay of the year is out of the way,” Roddick said.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">The surprise of the tournament, James Ward is also into the semis after his defeat of Adrian Mannarino</span><span id="keywordlinking"> </span><span id="keywordlinking">of France 6-2, 6-7 (14), 6-4.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Ward, ranked 217th won his eighth match point after Adrian Mannarino previously saved seven of them in the second set. He will face Tsonga in his first ever ATP semifinal on Saturday.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking"></span><span id="keywordlinking">“Obviously I’m delighted to get through,” Ward said. “I never felt like giving up—even after the second set—I hung in there and waited for the chances to come. A bit of luck at the end and I came through.”</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Andy Murray received a walkover into the semifinals after Miran Cilic withdrew due to an ankle injury. Murray will face Roddick in the semis.</span>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-63895675042685966102011-06-10T14:08:00.000-07:002011-06-10T14:08:40.298-07:00The 2011 Queen's Club - Round 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7ydlLUG6DDeET1Pr3_j1nPCPeZjuUWpjxnbMbEk72vQOLUgkzRI-mHeP28pY8i83rWEcPHuphMbOjgoHznOBOQrxaHbfYlDEGb-7zJg9l5rKqc1RH5urj42JWIzVNwj-oV42pnBs0qlt/s1600/12544-fv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7ydlLUG6DDeET1Pr3_j1nPCPeZjuUWpjxnbMbEk72vQOLUgkzRI-mHeP28pY8i83rWEcPHuphMbOjgoHznOBOQrxaHbfYlDEGb-7zJg9l5rKqc1RH5urj42JWIzVNwj-oV42pnBs0qlt/s1600/12544-fv.jpg" /></a></div><br />
On Thursday the third round matches took place. On Court 1 Fernando Verdasco played David Nalbandian. This was the best match of the week so far. Nalbandian was playing his usual smooth style with his two-handed backhand against Verdasco's powerful lefty forehand. <br />
<br />
Out of the two David looks like the better overall player but Fernando played the best he could getting out of a few break points and really using his forehand to take control. Verdasco justs gets by and wins the first set 7-5 on a powerful forehand that was returned just wide by Nalbandian. In the second set Fernando breaks David and he instantly falls apart. Verdasco ends up winning 7-5, 6-1.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSWbmrF0SC6l2eBpgMZyf0Sfe3V_GSfQ09NJv5BjoCAUkZ4XouI1RshgwETSuYfruM2LgfxKzI8Qpsko6XDuNbSQzOyxiCNfm2DwN3wgSibquo5x-nuVYOdoE2GMT001Fqe5A4Kcn1KQo/s1600/350x2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSWbmrF0SC6l2eBpgMZyf0Sfe3V_GSfQ09NJv5BjoCAUkZ4XouI1RshgwETSuYfruM2LgfxKzI8Qpsko6XDuNbSQzOyxiCNfm2DwN3wgSibquo5x-nuVYOdoE2GMT001Fqe5A4Kcn1KQo/s1600/350x2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Next up on court one was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra both of France. Tsonga can be an explosive player. He started the match of with an ace and it looked like he would be in control of the match. He has gotten rid of his coach and he just wants to find that independence he once had. Tsonga has been playing at the top of his game and has just been fun to watch recently. Leading 4-3 the rains came and there was around an hour delay. When the rain subsided Llodra had retired do to a upper leg injury.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyk3uGjyY1D-tZC45h4A8rn3Ez_LZhX3lhctzcosEdcz6hI7ZoN99UYpG10aMvp6MbQAkZO0zAZzKybyt7cPOoBt1-F8TzCvJJA_e5_jMzWT4AGt4MpKyX-Gc3HEvZ_NWGCEOmNiyUQwEP/s1600/32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyk3uGjyY1D-tZC45h4A8rn3Ez_LZhX3lhctzcosEdcz6hI7ZoN99UYpG10aMvp6MbQAkZO0zAZzKybyt7cPOoBt1-F8TzCvJJA_e5_jMzWT4AGt4MpKyX-Gc3HEvZ_NWGCEOmNiyUQwEP/s1600/32.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Sadly one of my favorite tennis players lost in the next match on Court 1. Juan Martin Del Potro lost to the Frenchmen Adrian Mannarino 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (7-9). In the first point of the game, Adrain dropped an awesome drop shot right over the net and from that point on you knew the Frenchmen was going to be a tricky opponent. Mannarino has nothing special about his game, he just works hard and executes. I was surprised when Delpo lost but that's how it goes. We all know Delpo isn't the best on grass and Thursday he played passively and that is a recipe for disaster for Juan Martin on the grass. Adrian took the initiative and went for winners early and kept the rallies short. There was some luck for Mannarino as everything seemed to be going his way. He played at the top of his level. Juan Martin del Potro is the better tennis player by far just Mannarino survived everything del Potro threw at him and had a career day.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplgYmuGq9qi2SNvg5xc1dkYMlQS4rXDXd4LBN5Bt-ynv3sy0SZTkYgPTV8nVWuK257IKmHfT7rWt-b3qhB-m_hVcPhKvCMy9jd24Etj_5yZZkp1IcNOPZFHbKUmXNjWxLKHgFntgwBL47/s1600/974c2f39b20cd5fde28b426da41ba47f-getty-111824027bg077_aegon_champi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplgYmuGq9qi2SNvg5xc1dkYMlQS4rXDXd4LBN5Bt-ynv3sy0SZTkYgPTV8nVWuK257IKmHfT7rWt-b3qhB-m_hVcPhKvCMy9jd24Etj_5yZZkp1IcNOPZFHbKUmXNjWxLKHgFntgwBL47/s400/974c2f39b20cd5fde28b426da41ba47f-getty-111824027bg077_aegon_champi.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adrian Mannarino</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8qkShlXpH2SuEeCVJzFroVJFtLjeqvuu-u9p8P56ejKuXtYSl2y9Nji5PvFGYQfSiKg_hoj1ycgh84y7LKx3BLNd5RSTxIlLyHmtgGdJSu7GcYBq_C4Odnnr6b4pw8WzZcpYCNkMqHX7/s1600/6daa0fd44e6d4dd64eebdf1aeb4250d4-getty-111824000bg001_aegon_champi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8qkShlXpH2SuEeCVJzFroVJFtLjeqvuu-u9p8P56ejKuXtYSl2y9Nji5PvFGYQfSiKg_hoj1ycgh84y7LKx3BLNd5RSTxIlLyHmtgGdJSu7GcYBq_C4Odnnr6b4pw8WzZcpYCNkMqHX7/s400/6daa0fd44e6d4dd64eebdf1aeb4250d4-getty-111824000bg001_aegon_champi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marin Cilic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The last match of the day on Court 1 was Marin Cilic and Thomaz Bellucci. The match started out well but then kinda went downward. With the scored tied 3-3, deuce, Cilic limped of the court into the chair and called for a trainer. He messed up his right ankle and had it bandaged and iced. The delay took quite a long time but Cilic came out firing with two backhand winners to break. Despite the break, Bellucci had the match for the taking because Cilic could barely move. The only problem was Thomaz seemed to lose his way and the first set went to Marin. Finally Bellucci woke up and took the second set 6-0 as it got darker and colder. In the third set Bellucci fell apart again and gave up an early break. He then called for a trainer and eventually lost the match 7-6 (7-3), 0-6, 6-3 in a game that was determined by which player could be less self-destructive. <br />
<br />
Over on Centre Court the top 3, Nadal, Murray and Roddick all won their matches and are into the quarterfinals. <br />
<br />
Nadal won in three sets against Radek Stepanek 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, advancing to the quarters at the Queen's Club. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZ1eI6PIPIoBhhFTaakBXdn9IzWxUh7YRX-zaw9chUBM_Lwhmz94RFrT5GtD22PrfVdYpoOctHMxPNd2shsTL-3U-9GC5pZ1dxJAvg3eScctBAbDn9RKcqblMyYfjbUSoDC3xuWbFE-5p/s1600/110609-nadal.standard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZ1eI6PIPIoBhhFTaakBXdn9IzWxUh7YRX-zaw9chUBM_Lwhmz94RFrT5GtD22PrfVdYpoOctHMxPNd2shsTL-3U-9GC5pZ1dxJAvg3eScctBAbDn9RKcqblMyYfjbUSoDC3xuWbFE-5p/s1600/110609-nadal.standard.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“I think I played much better than yesterday,” Nadal said. “I was playing a very confident match but at 5-3, 40-15 he played well and I made a few mistakes. But the turning point of the match was the beginning of the third set, especially the first game, was tough, and after that I think I played my best.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmRlDVG7rC7yu6O3CokuBC7ao2qf_XoHjKU26CXEZT2L9kJSvWolEOSauNepCSANfZqUGhudTKXRKxZAHBZMvZw4mafNQah1p609kvyk3uaQoxrEfg3n6a1KimsRVdVv9JBvBDddlhMJz/s1600/Roddick_613403t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmRlDVG7rC7yu6O3CokuBC7ao2qf_XoHjKU26CXEZT2L9kJSvWolEOSauNepCSANfZqUGhudTKXRKxZAHBZMvZw4mafNQah1p609kvyk3uaQoxrEfg3n6a1KimsRVdVv9JBvBDddlhMJz/s1600/Roddick_613403t.jpg" /> </a> </div><br />
Roddick, who is going after his 5th title at the Queen's Club, beat Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-4, 6-4 and Murray beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 7-6 (3). <br />
<span id="keywordlinking"></span><br />
Also, earlier today James Ward upset Sam Querrey 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Ward also upset Wawrinka in the second round. Ward is now in the quarters.<br />
<br />
Here is how the quarters look: Verdasco vs. Roddick, Cilic vs. Murray, Nadal vs. Tsonga and Ward vs. Mannarino.<br />
<br />
Come back tomorrow for updates on the quarters.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-46546511711406091522011-06-09T12:56:00.000-07:002011-06-09T13:00:08.998-07:00Jun. 6-12 - The Queen's Club - 1st and 2nd roundsEarlier this week the Aegon Championship, also known as The Queen's Club began. It is the first warm up for Wimbledon and it starts the grass season.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55paIccHaPHdpCXGiwzw5MeUv9MSU0ce7jGIBr8saCypEzE4UkkMaZgKZxGlmi8d6mfJfqGMOg2rehPZ0yBn1Qm0_DT9sBx1OFaa5yeRdHKS6AAg_3VC9thI1tgtL3t1Zp1WH7zClCUNU/s1600/1c4466853eb80f2c8707453159c9856e-getty-86297562mw056_aegon_champio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55paIccHaPHdpCXGiwzw5MeUv9MSU0ce7jGIBr8saCypEzE4UkkMaZgKZxGlmi8d6mfJfqGMOg2rehPZ0yBn1Qm0_DT9sBx1OFaa5yeRdHKS6AAg_3VC9thI1tgtL3t1Zp1WH7zClCUNU/s400/1c4466853eb80f2c8707453159c9856e-getty-86297562mw056_aegon_champio.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Just three days after his victory in Paris, Nadal started his campaign toward winning Wimbledon. On Wednesday he beat Aussie qualifier Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. Nadal received a bye in the first round as well as the top eight players in this tournament.<br />
<br />
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer both withdrew from their first warm up for Wimbledon, but Rafa decided to participate even after just winning the French 3 days ago. <span id="keywordlinking"></span><span id="keywordlinking">“To celebrate the victory, I’m going to have time later,” Nadal said. “I have to be focused on the grass-court season.”</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Nadal struggled a little bit in his opening match but that is usual when switching from clay to grass that quickly.</span><span id="keywordlinking"> </span><span id="keywordlinking">It’s impossible to be playing well the first day,” said Nadal, the 2008 Wimbledon champion. “The energy is not in the perfect condition right now but I’m here to try my best as usual."</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“I’m here because I love this tournament … but at the same time, it works for me to try to start to have the feelings on grass. Sure, my conditions are not perfect because I feel everything (his muscles) a little more tighter than usual.”</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7qV1-3bb16jfVn1W5lzpYfvEoYFeiHvxPrkmN0xpW5kPQ8M6MVGBbJ1ml8mFPLI8OStmzK8mFalvjibtVOE33S42RZAA1KJ6VbFJDDDH_CYj6E_sSyMh924WRrwgr9UvlD-8WgufRtzp/s1600/D81A340FE6B74E358403FD98B45C62ED.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7qV1-3bb16jfVn1W5lzpYfvEoYFeiHvxPrkmN0xpW5kPQ8M6MVGBbJ1ml8mFPLI8OStmzK8mFalvjibtVOE33S42RZAA1KJ6VbFJDDDH_CYj6E_sSyMh924WRrwgr9UvlD-8WgufRtzp/s1600/D81A340FE6B74E358403FD98B45C62ED.ashx.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadal on the grass at The Queen's Club.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span id="keywordlinking">In his first match there were constant rain delays and Andy Murray's extended match which both kept Nadal in the locker room much longer then he wanted. </span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking"><br />
</span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Andy Murray defeated Xavier Malisse in the second round </span><span id="keywordlinking"></span><span id="keywordlinking">6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to set up a third round match against Janko Tipsarevic. The 2009 Queen's champ said his ankle is still bothering him as he starts his journey to gain his first Grand Slam title.</span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking"><br />
</span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">“I want to play as many matches as possible, but I also want to go into Wimbledon pain free,” Murray said. “Obviously playing on it and doing what I did at the French Open is not exactly the best course of action to get the ankle better.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">In other matches eighth-seeded Marian Cilic<a href="http://www.tennis.com/players/player_info.aspx?player_name=Marin+Cilic" name="Marin Cilic" target="_top"></a> of Croatia advanced to the third round, beating French qualifier Arnaud Clement<a href="http://www.tennis.com/players/player_info.aspx?player_name=Arnaud+Clement" name="Arnaud Clement" target="_top"></a> 6-4, 6-4.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZWmrt9Uv1HMRQMlh_SrHQ_k5gZl00IzvT6Wbf9Fh6sNE8zRbJQ6YZTIpfQrzkilAYZ8iIZChZgy11X0GzsDUxDA5Jsv8J0nKKfM3JLyEaslTdt7CMrxY2HxxJKqD-hP6n9tYtrxngvC1/s1600/1106081316_A_general_view_of_centre_court_as_Arnaud_Clement_of_F_GYI0065068770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZWmrt9Uv1HMRQMlh_SrHQ_k5gZl00IzvT6Wbf9Fh6sNE8zRbJQ6YZTIpfQrzkilAYZ8iIZChZgy11X0GzsDUxDA5Jsv8J0nKKfM3JLyEaslTdt7CMrxY2HxxJKqD-hP6n9tYtrxngvC1/s400/1106081316_A_general_view_of_centre_court_as_Arnaud_Clement_of_F_GYI0065068770.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe6mFqe64YCoURowLufURX8yNih1Jx8ILPYHTeMiTudxVkBhVRqpKQNqNWdFi3N0t58PspkAjLMHqzKcvywDKRsKBiyi9ZYwEiNrGhPGgCskmDwZp64g_Zb7wSrCXATXFvwCOkHNPPBkF/s1600/Juan-Martin-Del-Potro%252C-David-Nalbandian-move-to-the-third-round-AEGON-Championships-74640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe6mFqe64YCoURowLufURX8yNih1Jx8ILPYHTeMiTudxVkBhVRqpKQNqNWdFi3N0t58PspkAjLMHqzKcvywDKRsKBiyi9ZYwEiNrGhPGgCskmDwZp64g_Zb7wSrCXATXFvwCOkHNPPBkF/s1600/Juan-Martin-Del-Potro%252C-David-Nalbandian-move-to-the-third-round-AEGON-Championships-74640.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Twelfth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro won his match first round match beating Denis Istomin 6-4, 6-2 and his second round match against Igor Kunitsyn winning 6-4, 6-4. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Third-seeded Andy Roddick won his second round match against Feliciano Lopez </span>7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (5-7), 6-4.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZA2K9ll4T9RK_fjgwctfugGtEc0BeMl_vo-Lw3cVu0U6oFV4gGXX6N4IQpZn75teD1vtlhPY_Ail5w_B21bMB68-lkQPNlN8AFo_rUyYQ7bkf6ahuO5a0R0vRWaNN5iFvAfEPQrS5oXt/s1600/887ec8358f3074ab808ccb5e660763fd-getty-111823831bg087_aegon_champi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZA2K9ll4T9RK_fjgwctfugGtEc0BeMl_vo-Lw3cVu0U6oFV4gGXX6N4IQpZn75teD1vtlhPY_Ail5w_B21bMB68-lkQPNlN8AFo_rUyYQ7bkf6ahuO5a0R0vRWaNN5iFvAfEPQrS5oXt/s400/887ec8358f3074ab808ccb5e660763fd-getty-111823831bg087_aegon_champi.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Seventh-seed Verdasco beat Nicolas Mahut 6-2, 6-3 and Fifth-seeded Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is into the third round after a defeat of Michael Berrer 6-0, 6-1. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLJJ5XzfjvLLJVf9lbVm7ouvl0Sw3YRKdY8Fb5FirQSARcJbCDVSQl3TMxCRUC6nvwa8gkXcfTmh-H4P01etGbG5zspEp9i1_is0DrlJ4iKLps9DUJLEGXEb9jCeRM1HHMH73yC70Q1Tf/s1600/350x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLJJ5XzfjvLLJVf9lbVm7ouvl0Sw3YRKdY8Fb5FirQSARcJbCDVSQl3TMxCRUC6nvwa8gkXcfTmh-H4P01etGbG5zspEp9i1_is0DrlJ4iKLps9DUJLEGXEb9jCeRM1HHMH73yC70Q1Tf/s1600/350x.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fernando Verdasco</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span id="keywordlinking">In the second round fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka was upset by James Ward of Great Britain. Sam Querrey of the U.S. won his 1st and 2nd round match.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Sixth-seeded Gilles Simon of France withdrew due to injury from his second round match after winning the second set and being up 3-0 in the third. This led to Adrian Mannarino also of France going to the third round.</span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking"><br />
</span><br />
<span id="keywordlinking">Come back tomorrow for 3rd round updates.</span>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-90703825856528870812011-06-05T12:32:00.000-07:002011-06-05T14:39:24.895-07:00Roland Garros 2011 - Men's Final<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06iW7Iimiw60GiqEY_e4iBON9_zza63S-_zPzk2GX3yEggtBmG_E1Wsq_HK9U3GWIE-low7RoRmxgq3UiWjtljN_MZkiWYDopDrprVYbn0nBM1oU5lwi50ICSJF4uMld33MSryxweOyxW/s1600/ten_g_nadaltrophy_576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06iW7Iimiw60GiqEY_e4iBON9_zza63S-_zPzk2GX3yEggtBmG_E1Wsq_HK9U3GWIE-low7RoRmxgq3UiWjtljN_MZkiWYDopDrprVYbn0nBM1oU5lwi50ICSJF4uMld33MSryxweOyxW/s400/ten_g_nadaltrophy_576.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Rafa is once again crowned the king of the clay. Today he beat Roger Federer in the finals of the French Open in Paris 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1. Roger Federer, the player with the most Grand Slam titles, was defeated for the fourth time in the French final by Nadal.<br />
<br />
With this victory Nadal tied Bjorn Borg at six for the most titles at Roland Garros. This was Rafa's 10th career Grand Slam victory. Fed hit the final shot long and instantly Rafa dropped to his knees and covered his face.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYhgVjVnUFbnTweJmFdSSVWxSRsgQV-5vnac3NEqKrv2vbjvKiRrdzqS9WLaXWY3_wv6Fnb3cwSgmxampuG4RUjbEXobNOxGCqYYt9P6np5FjCYEh_Dym4z9SKoB2wd2qb1w8th2FkIt-/s1600/201106051228449198221-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYhgVjVnUFbnTweJmFdSSVWxSRsgQV-5vnac3NEqKrv2vbjvKiRrdzqS9WLaXWY3_wv6Fnb3cwSgmxampuG4RUjbEXobNOxGCqYYt9P6np5FjCYEh_Dym4z9SKoB2wd2qb1w8th2FkIt-/s1600/201106051228449198221-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
"To win this final against one of the best players in the world and in history is something which is really fantastic for me," said Nadal, who will keep his No. 1 ranking. "It's one of my most beautiful dreams."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs3BEWWWahN_r4hLfSNdMRKPSvJ0zDNSIQ9pyTZQBiuSKxYtqzCsrafGUIwxuPaYD6pMDV7aNCyv9sPWPspYH2BXvhIkuN9o-sq2cpErCl3uRT2rk7PCvlmQCzGgViByf3UvGb90d-jqV/s1600/201106051226448088211-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs3BEWWWahN_r4hLfSNdMRKPSvJ0zDNSIQ9pyTZQBiuSKxYtqzCsrafGUIwxuPaYD6pMDV7aNCyv9sPWPspYH2BXvhIkuN9o-sq2cpErCl3uRT2rk7PCvlmQCzGgViByf3UvGb90d-jqV/s1600/201106051226448088211-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Rafael Nadal's record at Roland Garros is now 45-1 with a 17-8 record against Federer. Rafa is 6-2 against Roger in Grand Slam finals.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVmqkTmPum-hQH_I_NTSs1AGk2BZcMqeR5MTltkFlccajzXhIU1_J2d5hadIYBDfNO2zXMuBiKSCms8D2v8WnyX0nmXY_2FBcGceSMQv6c1wKWjp1Ee4I4vMhQnauFSbI-yaXqAN1Lx9J/s1600/201106051327484408345-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVmqkTmPum-hQH_I_NTSs1AGk2BZcMqeR5MTltkFlccajzXhIU1_J2d5hadIYBDfNO2zXMuBiKSCms8D2v8WnyX0nmXY_2FBcGceSMQv6c1wKWjp1Ee4I4vMhQnauFSbI-yaXqAN1Lx9J/s1600/201106051327484408345-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rafa and Fed battle for a point in the French final on Court Philippe Chatrier.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>"As it often happens, he is the best on clay," Federer said. "He proved it once again."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Behind Borg, Rafa is the second youngest man to reach 10 major titles. Also, Rafa is about six months younger than Roger was when he won his 10th major.<br />
<br />
Against opponents other than Rafa, Fed is 14-1 in Grand Slam finals. Roger has four loses against Nadal at RG, one at Wimbledon and one at the Aussie Open. Federer has beat Rafa twice at Wimbledon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk6ys6xN3Htwy5r4Yp35VLPzbzADLCK_ftIhad71f3FTOz_PNwXxMY_O5GPHbxM5ITO2AeGw7xrS2nNheiW-0li02RJe8bc0FjVnnF_retf1_7_iW2ejJzAL_CRGmIO3pKrCTMgWEIDsC/s1600/201106051335489118378-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk6ys6xN3Htwy5r4Yp35VLPzbzADLCK_ftIhad71f3FTOz_PNwXxMY_O5GPHbxM5ITO2AeGw7xrS2nNheiW-0li02RJe8bc0FjVnnF_retf1_7_iW2ejJzAL_CRGmIO3pKrCTMgWEIDsC/s1600/201106051335489118378-p2%2540stats.com.jpg" /></a></div>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-87608776250015241442011-06-04T08:47:00.000-07:002011-06-04T09:18:49.151-07:00Roland Garros 2011 - Men's Semifinal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2QwCpeFBOLuv2ciceQh_VTP28GKY8r975iblCIzfKSVSo3cSqUrLpWHCki_wWxIasbKm-2aExesJmCPOA0sV4aaC3zu08ltFaNiMCyQUlJzhzGEfOkFmTnxz0O2Jm5olhKxKwEwUSnWf/s1600/thumb.asp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2QwCpeFBOLuv2ciceQh_VTP28GKY8r975iblCIzfKSVSo3cSqUrLpWHCki_wWxIasbKm-2aExesJmCPOA0sV4aaC3zu08ltFaNiMCyQUlJzhzGEfOkFmTnxz0O2Jm5olhKxKwEwUSnWf/s1600/thumb.asp.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The streak is over. Novak Djokovic lost to Roger Federer in the semis yesterday, ending his perfect season and his 43 game winning streak. Federer who has won 16 Grand Slams won 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) on Friday and will now face 5-time French Open Champ Rafa Nadal in the final. This is the fourth time in six years they have met in the final.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WWkM4Wa2xey7kNkZxKdFboYfDQOjm6iL5-chKiRU-qIYA6OlFsBbjCNFzrNOTFGKVuADkn0uI81N2hzNwIi1UcMyLUh_0_fmtNTwDB7OtgUMkCXjvciqjlA8SDUAZpQp92TbkC_w0ECJ/s1600/federer-djokovic-st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WWkM4Wa2xey7kNkZxKdFboYfDQOjm6iL5-chKiRU-qIYA6OlFsBbjCNFzrNOTFGKVuADkn0uI81N2hzNwIi1UcMyLUh_0_fmtNTwDB7OtgUMkCXjvciqjlA8SDUAZpQp92TbkC_w0ECJ/s1600/federer-djokovic-st.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
"I've trained a lot during my whole life for these kinds of matches," Federer said. "There was an enormous amount of pressure on Novak and he really played well."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnHd7D2BMSIih_OUcPLiJaMQmZrQXJTd-ysZnZIYSbPIlaMkfTNIMzi8mnAGaxl1rO4GVp3Qa65vKoupnbhDq5SvPqdk1L1J9d6soj2U6QLq4YjqRBgGvPWXhoIlMR4FGDs-p1Xn5Bac2/s1600/b_0602_Nadal_Murray01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnHd7D2BMSIih_OUcPLiJaMQmZrQXJTd-ysZnZIYSbPIlaMkfTNIMzi8mnAGaxl1rO4GVp3Qa65vKoupnbhDq5SvPqdk1L1J9d6soj2U6QLq4YjqRBgGvPWXhoIlMR4FGDs-p1Xn5Bac2/s400/b_0602_Nadal_Murray01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Earlier Nadal breezed though his semifinal match on Court Philippe Chatrier, defeating Andy Murray in straight sets 6-4,7-5, 6-4. Nadal is just one victory away from matching Bjorn Borg in number of French titles. Nadal's record is no 44-1 at Roland Garros. On Sunday, Nadal is going for his sixth win in eight attempts against Federer in Grand Slam finals. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7wTcK4GHYlOxGntXYaFJco8XRFNQvsaOEMAWeQWT1kyf-04ILqZldJKHNSD70QAt3UFcTYCJmV8GMWpFHMaNTJBWQzuIszjPtc28EtSzQeEWj7-ro738F6_UvUy0BFzivmytygG5v70X/s1600/108674-nadal-of-spain-reacts-after-defeated-soderling-of-sweden-during-their-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7wTcK4GHYlOxGntXYaFJco8XRFNQvsaOEMAWeQWT1kyf-04ILqZldJKHNSD70QAt3UFcTYCJmV8GMWpFHMaNTJBWQzuIszjPtc28EtSzQeEWj7-ro738F6_UvUy0BFzivmytygG5v70X/s400/108674-nadal-of-spain-reacts-after-defeated-soderling-of-sweden-during-their-.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />
"Beating Novak today was maybe a good birthday gift for him because he lost his four previous matches against Novak," Federer said of Nadal, who turned 25 on Friday. "I'm going to play against Nadal, my main rival, in another Grand Slam final. We live for these moments." <br />
<br />
Also, Li Na just won the women's title today, beating Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (0). She is the first person from China to win a Grand Slam.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWLQdmzrdVgKLuShE8rQDjqOwl1ohBJ72NrXyJDMRNJz-ln9Wf4fP2TqHagpYTCqErIaAKWt8nDqTfVkwpJu-1Y3AqQ384Dloph5f36tS95qNkinj_YM5uOzfrCytpBa6jNPR2Sn2JTRn/s1600/ten_g_li4_sy_200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWLQdmzrdVgKLuShE8rQDjqOwl1ohBJ72NrXyJDMRNJz-ln9Wf4fP2TqHagpYTCqErIaAKWt8nDqTfVkwpJu-1Y3AqQ384Dloph5f36tS95qNkinj_YM5uOzfrCytpBa6jNPR2Sn2JTRn/s1600/ten_g_li4_sy_200.jpg" /></a></div>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-76951562564064405442011-06-01T10:50:00.000-07:002011-06-01T10:50:49.462-07:00Day 11 at Roland Garros<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsAZlcOGNtst4JjrY-pOPg5J5woF5l4CpUBs35S9oSC5j66SOOkDggJWM1qV8w7_JYAKz9UVCXBnBFis6vajv_dx57uuEMu_9pDwk1x8ETUJNKfOb0uYcycGBnlUTEU-QHTrNCQjKgkVg/s1600/b_0531_MontageNadalSoderling01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsAZlcOGNtst4JjrY-pOPg5J5woF5l4CpUBs35S9oSC5j66SOOkDggJWM1qV8w7_JYAKz9UVCXBnBFis6vajv_dx57uuEMu_9pDwk1x8ETUJNKfOb0uYcycGBnlUTEU-QHTrNCQjKgkVg/s400/b_0531_MontageNadalSoderling01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Rafa Nadal improved his French Open record to 43-1 by defeating the only man to beat him at Roland Garros, No. 5 seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden. This victory, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (3), sent the five-time champ to the semis. If Nadal wins one more French Open title, he will tie Bjorn Borg at six all time. This was the third time in a row that Rafa played Robin at Roland Garros. The first time was in 2009 when Nadal lost to him in the fourth round, leading to a runner-up finish for Soderling. In 2010, Rafa won the final against Robin.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqBuLV_enoHr-ofDtEYQnPRHXIOl64MiL6D5q_Od5P0IoRrYwqho6XhensFQNbJHTmzzNwvJrYPNfEUW6711uvJllsX4Q9WoegkJEM7ww4n93OBUxuJui-JcGjZxvffXp1uLlI4MbdJvr/s1600/112267462_display_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqBuLV_enoHr-ofDtEYQnPRHXIOl64MiL6D5q_Od5P0IoRrYwqho6XhensFQNbJHTmzzNwvJrYPNfEUW6711uvJllsX4Q9WoegkJEM7ww4n93OBUxuJui-JcGjZxvffXp1uLlI4MbdJvr/s400/112267462_display_image.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murray vs. Nadal in Monaco</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In the semis Nadal will play No.4 Andy Murray, who defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6 (2), 7-5, 6-2. Murray has reached the semifinals at Roland Garros for the first time. In the other semifinal, No.2 Novak Djokovic will play No. 3 Roger Federer.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-47663513764605046432011-05-31T11:49:00.000-07:002011-05-31T11:52:09.251-07:00Day 10 at Roland Garros<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8T3_0sWcgaQhyphenhyphenlM8GIwwOXGUyZLcXZ5kmcfFCw8i3g8vcXok7zPYW3MghoBJLBcaxUbSsZ_D1vuqT3iJ9zdFOD1ZrGCpNfeIEK8BhbfdymEnDMByiWSog9yzdWGeU5AYF3wDd5nuUCHq/s1600/Quarter-final-Preview-Roger-Federer-vs-Gael-Monfils-French-Open-2011-72609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8T3_0sWcgaQhyphenhyphenlM8GIwwOXGUyZLcXZ5kmcfFCw8i3g8vcXok7zPYW3MghoBJLBcaxUbSsZ_D1vuqT3iJ9zdFOD1ZrGCpNfeIEK8BhbfdymEnDMByiWSog9yzdWGeU5AYF3wDd5nuUCHq/s400/Quarter-final-Preview-Roger-Federer-vs-Gael-Monfils-French-Open-2011-72609.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monfils and Federer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Roger is on to the semis where he will play Novak Djokovic after defeating Gael Monfils today 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Monfils played hard but just seemed to lack the confidence that he had when he played earlier matches. I thought he would come out firing and win a set or two but that did not happen. I was really hoping he'd win too because I feel Monfils has a better shot at beating Novak. Djokovic has destroyed Federer lately and is unfamiliar with Monfils because they haven't played in over a years time. <br />
<br />
The only other men's match was Andy Murray and Viktor Troicki. It was continued today after it was suspended last night at two sets a piece. Murray finished Troicki off and is now in the quarters. The score was 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. Murray will face Juan Ignacio Chela tomorrow.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-19289593035866546212011-05-30T19:27:00.000-07:002011-05-30T19:33:00.420-07:00Day 9 at The French Open<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGQQkpL9WFsuZRIAXZnAWeC_s4P_Q9LfO8n37pRHfkG0GRmiKJIbAWLbsBIqnE_D54SbpA9oK6_zmPAJd88le5q-loTrQiFZlSqvpubpnntifON76T1HYGLFVvs3gW5nRoeiABAN4mRAv/s1600/ten_g_monfils1x_576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGQQkpL9WFsuZRIAXZnAWeC_s4P_Q9LfO8n37pRHfkG0GRmiKJIbAWLbsBIqnE_D54SbpA9oK6_zmPAJd88le5q-loTrQiFZlSqvpubpnntifON76T1HYGLFVvs3gW5nRoeiABAN4mRAv/s400/ten_g_monfils1x_576.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Today Gael Monfils reached the quarterfinals and finished what he started yesterday. The match, which lasted two days because of darkness, was continued today and ended in celebration for Monfils. He defeated the higher ranked player David Ferrer from Spain 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 1-6, 8-6. Monfils will have to play Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.<br />
<br />
"Now I need to recover and at some point I'll stop losing against this Swiss," said Monfils, who has lost five of his six matches against Federer.<br />
<br />
Over on court Philippe Chatrier Rafa increased his record to 42-1 at Roland Garros, trumping Ivan Ljubicic 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarters.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYERyEirXOsxrhkjhLxvmAtdFqqd8-hQBeKHfBkjnyJtBzKnDiBjE3sq8SCLE6RRhh2Ian1NDwYMgT3-4ilszX5CV4lWKBEdaDzCTsU9isFdUIozfKvCKpsGqHn9PaYxx7oBNjIjv3Ivz/s1600/ten_a_nadal_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYERyEirXOsxrhkjhLxvmAtdFqqd8-hQBeKHfBkjnyJtBzKnDiBjE3sq8SCLE6RRhh2Ian1NDwYMgT3-4ilszX5CV4lWKBEdaDzCTsU9isFdUIozfKvCKpsGqHn9PaYxx7oBNjIjv3Ivz/s400/ten_a_nadal_400.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
"I have improved since the tournament started," said Nadal, who was pushed to five sets in the first round. "I'm able to play better and I'm going to continue on this path."<br />
<br />
Even though Novak Djokovic did not play today, he still reached the semis because quarterfinal opponent Fabio Fognini withdraw from the tournament due to injury.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqO6aecPmAmcDVz-W_SE8g9nDHqpH0P-NTwhU8JKWqMcOwy35oPEkUmRnYy47o81xo0LQnceeS6N-IGsXECHNTaLhmqwwRQgcTRSAazF897fhQa7V7B-l6-ZIl4Kxor3lgkQUIR_ArDix/s1600/murray-vs-troicki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqO6aecPmAmcDVz-W_SE8g9nDHqpH0P-NTwhU8JKWqMcOwy35oPEkUmRnYy47o81xo0LQnceeS6N-IGsXECHNTaLhmqwwRQgcTRSAazF897fhQa7V7B-l6-ZIl4Kxor3lgkQUIR_ArDix/s320/murray-vs-troicki.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"> Andy Murray Viktor Troicki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Andy Murray and Viktor Troicki were even at two sets a piece today when their match was stopped due to poor seeing conditions. The score at the time of stopage was 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.<br />
<br />
Nadal will face the Swede Robin Soderling in the quarters after Robin defeated Gilles Simon of France 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (5).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbr70m2905Q8XaSQ2kPlc0F-zXN4Kl-rvd54jR3WD1vKvr-I8RzBYPtwySYugIKiT65H3Szg7BTfLTpwPRPDvLCwS8rrcXv7am8rXh2ij8jUleryB5Zlsp6sNwCYx6FxVZdc2VMqgHrgn/s1600/30soderling_straightsets-blog480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbr70m2905Q8XaSQ2kPlc0F-zXN4Kl-rvd54jR3WD1vKvr-I8RzBYPtwySYugIKiT65H3Szg7BTfLTpwPRPDvLCwS8rrcXv7am8rXh2ij8jUleryB5Zlsp6sNwCYx6FxVZdc2VMqgHrgn/s400/30soderling_straightsets-blog480.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soderling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>"For me it will be a tough match," Nadal said minutes before Soderling completed his victory. "He's played two finals here at Roland Garros, so he knows what this means. He's got to play his best tennis."<br />
<br />
Also, unseeded Juan Ignacio Chela defeated Alejandro Falla of Colombia 4-6, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. He is from Argentina and is the only non-European left in the men's draw.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-51378600502176767592011-05-29T21:22:00.000-07:002011-05-29T21:22:01.607-07:00Day 8 at Roland Garros<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MFyiqjpVSACB2Rpan_hIUq692LBBp9tuAnOf0kq77kUsM_QT_2st33si1zTT6wDS7gu8QKS2doPZvrU_tHH6PpuIKk5buqkpvTWdfNw7DEvnqG0CRE1shyjz3xlh-BXk-Zj6uJelZYVp/s1600/110529_FedererWawrinka.standard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MFyiqjpVSACB2Rpan_hIUq692LBBp9tuAnOf0kq77kUsM_QT_2st33si1zTT6wDS7gu8QKS2doPZvrU_tHH6PpuIKk5buqkpvTWdfNw7DEvnqG0CRE1shyjz3xlh-BXk-Zj6uJelZYVp/s1600/110529_FedererWawrinka.standard.jpg" /></a></div><br />
On Sunday in Paris Roger Federer extended his quarterfinal streak at majors to 28. He beat Stan Wawrinka who is a fellow Swiss countrymen and also his Olympic doubles partner that he won a gold with. The score was 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. Roger is actually surprising me at how easily he has been playing and I think because no one is counting on him to win he has a solid chance at going the distance.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxEwTFjmbb7ykmaAHGTmZiuBA32gMTSqWVj7DCYSinYpXkTYxQ84OG4nBAb6May5X__vjX2u2j7Y8A12bPu8ApDuIiiYyuDA3B_tpVVTAsrNYOrqMd8RT_Q1kXHTtVU2ZTibLphCxYKdh/s1600/b_0528_gasquet_djoko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxEwTFjmbb7ykmaAHGTmZiuBA32gMTSqWVj7DCYSinYpXkTYxQ84OG4nBAb6May5X__vjX2u2j7Y8A12bPu8ApDuIiiYyuDA3B_tpVVTAsrNYOrqMd8RT_Q1kXHTtVU2ZTibLphCxYKdh/s400/b_0528_gasquet_djoko.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Of course Novak Djokovic is in the way. He won today as well defeating Richard Gasquet on Court Philippe Chatrier. The score was 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and Novak's overall streak is now at 43 which started in December 2010 with two Davis Cup victories.. His streak is now the third longest since the open era began and now 41-0 in 2011, he is only one win away from tying all time great John McEnroe's streak which he set back in '84.<br />
<br />
"As soon as he hits a return, he grabs you by the throat," said France's Gasquet. Gasquet is a former top-10 player and 2007 Wimbledon semifinalist . "To beat him, you need to produce the perfect match and not make any mistakes."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
"He plays fast. He hits the ball really early. His return is colossal," Gasquet said. "He's got no weakness."<br />
<br />
Federer has to face either No.7 David Ferrer or No. 9 Gael Monfils in the next round. Their match was suspended due to darkness with Monfils in the lead 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 0-2. They will finish their fourth round match Monday on Court Suzanne Lenglen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQ6n3iFLiQTkHqLnnRIB72-h151rbG5brle5oBuBXOg9pTs2TwCFzv7mtQb4J7hsn6xH0iJXqEpv4Gh1Qy7YZZTlzhfNAkneFJvderzr4T_9Ec9jschXImX2uw9KoFGI_EJx4xv29jkbb/s1600/485France_Tennis_French_Open.sff.xlgraphic.prod_affiliate.4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQ6n3iFLiQTkHqLnnRIB72-h151rbG5brle5oBuBXOg9pTs2TwCFzv7mtQb4J7hsn6xH0iJXqEpv4Gh1Qy7YZZTlzhfNAkneFJvderzr4T_9Ec9jschXImX2uw9KoFGI_EJx4xv29jkbb/s400/485France_Tennis_French_Open.sff.xlgraphic.prod_affiliate.4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gael Monfils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Novak on the other hand has to face the unseeded Italian Fabio Fognini. Fabio beat Albert Montanes of Spain today 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9. The match lasted 4 hours and 22 minutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymMi2q4IZHYc6daiMG2P1s_CwOjvNtQXyJ-Yvbb2WikGYH9TUKYosiGs-cylGIWXvrL3OXILmmItVNVY4U7SRiTsUxO4SsvptEXJanOGEAdTvsgqbhnPUL54IpBQEndsL6-RFUKe-yDam/s1600/ten_g_fognini1x_sq_600.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymMi2q4IZHYc6daiMG2P1s_CwOjvNtQXyJ-Yvbb2WikGYH9TUKYosiGs-cylGIWXvrL3OXILmmItVNVY4U7SRiTsUxO4SsvptEXJanOGEAdTvsgqbhnPUL54IpBQEndsL6-RFUKe-yDam/s400/ten_g_fognini1x_sq_600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
"I have to be honest. I didn't think I could win the match," Fognini said. "I couldn't move. I couldn't serve."Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-20503853914523874992011-05-28T15:25:00.000-07:002011-05-28T15:36:51.814-07:00Day 7 at Roland Garros<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKD468tGeJcxb7lKun089o8mtnmxK06GtrcI9htzqslTs9FXjgifiqcyCLxUV2BKg8DBYHJHht7v_8sqnhBnl-QLpyzUBcU8CFmU6qFijWb3lWdp-WLyUrwr3eyTNBO5BEzEmD_7QlVUnS/s1600/Djokovic-Del-Potro-montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKD468tGeJcxb7lKun089o8mtnmxK06GtrcI9htzqslTs9FXjgifiqcyCLxUV2BKg8DBYHJHht7v_8sqnhBnl-QLpyzUBcU8CFmU6qFijWb3lWdp-WLyUrwr3eyTNBO5BEzEmD_7QlVUnS/s400/Djokovic-Del-Potro-montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Anyway back to tennis. Sadly Juan Martin Del Potro lost in the continuation of the tied 1 set to 1 match that was postponed due to the Tsonga and Wawrinka match taking forever and because of darkness. Novak won two straight sets to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic's streak is now at 42 and he shows no signs of stopping and I think he is going to win the French unless my man Nadal steps up and defends his title. Since that match was continued today Djokovic will have to play three straight days. Tommorow he plays No. 13 Richard Gasquet of France. If Novak gets to the final of the French he will overtake Nadal as No. 1 in the world so I'm thinking its pretty much inevitable.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWyjsbR6d0Ho02wrgWo00xGnC15XqzyeY8exwAmBjxO5_nlg6QHluOKH6hmCofu4nen7pNytOxI9yF_fbfeyUK6BAsBt553uqzPnvQNowQnXMBxoiM__DOFrrrimmDmZJvaCvgAW2m2B5/s1600/novak-djokovic-french-open-2011-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWyjsbR6d0Ho02wrgWo00xGnC15XqzyeY8exwAmBjxO5_nlg6QHluOKH6hmCofu4nen7pNytOxI9yF_fbfeyUK6BAsBt553uqzPnvQNowQnXMBxoiM__DOFrrrimmDmZJvaCvgAW2m2B5/s400/novak-djokovic-french-open-2011-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Nadal hammered the Croatian qualifier Antonio Veic 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Nadal is 41-1 in his French Open career and is trying to go for title number six this year. "Solutions don't come from heaven. I mean, you can't change everything in one day. And you know what? I had not forgotten how to play tennis for a week, but I played better today," said Nadal. Rafa was pushed for the first time at Roland Garros to five sets in the first round.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBgFzDF95ZlCKOg7NMkU7VEIM-q17d7MmgNo3iEOCdgCUD9UXlmYLoaJhlPnVKYvvpHJvgBrF1a_J2GAhcjfxCxnbC7Z8nBRZrP9T_Otd4ySNnMWQlyA3tyYxXdeG8THH6dn8I9b0rAkR/s1600/www.reuters.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBgFzDF95ZlCKOg7NMkU7VEIM-q17d7MmgNo3iEOCdgCUD9UXlmYLoaJhlPnVKYvvpHJvgBrF1a_J2GAhcjfxCxnbC7Z8nBRZrP9T_Otd4ySNnMWQlyA3tyYxXdeG8THH6dn8I9b0rAkR/s1600/www.reuters.com.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Soderling also reached the fourth round today as did three time Grand Slam runner-up Andy Murray, No.15 Victor Troicki, No. 18 Gilles Simon and Ivan Ljubicic who is unseeded. No. 4 Andy Murray won against Michael Berrer of Germany 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 even though he twisted his right ankle and later said he was not sure if he could play his next match. France's Gilles Simon defeated No. 10 Mardy Fish who was the last American in the tournament 6-3. 6-4, 6-2 and Ljubicic defeated No. 16 Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-4. Ivan will meet Nadal Monday.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-49795098406175546502011-05-28T14:49:00.000-07:002011-05-28T14:49:50.994-07:00UEFA Champions League Final - Manchester United vs FC Barcelona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECrBs-41QG9dFdKRSkYfg4Hy5FKNCCDymm1mPkWXYLNUb4_bwyjIH_OeY0owL9qpqRaMhkbLV2Xu3XlkFHH0BW2MubHJNbqXzTXRiD7FMNoemR4JZ6LmRtpO9gLBvxfhkfwXxCTtMBT2M/s1600/champions-league-wembley-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECrBs-41QG9dFdKRSkYfg4Hy5FKNCCDymm1mPkWXYLNUb4_bwyjIH_OeY0owL9qpqRaMhkbLV2Xu3XlkFHH0BW2MubHJNbqXzTXRiD7FMNoemR4JZ6LmRtpO9gLBvxfhkfwXxCTtMBT2M/s320/champions-league-wembley-final.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Umo3bbcWPpalVmPf_hjvEZdi0b57muJBIoSVJRpfnnP4AIdbUNCiSQhhZ5jdjgm41YCsu-0psuv1XYR9qLMJX4bKo0c0uDSK6sKHxgW8PYgQYBybb4ggacMhcR1BM3vQGiqF65-tuhJj/s1600/2011-UEFA-Champions-League-Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Umo3bbcWPpalVmPf_hjvEZdi0b57muJBIoSVJRpfnnP4AIdbUNCiSQhhZ5jdjgm41YCsu-0psuv1XYR9qLMJX4bKo0c0uDSK6sKHxgW8PYgQYBybb4ggacMhcR1BM3vQGiqF65-tuhJj/s1600/2011-UEFA-Champions-League-Final.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Let me start out today's entries by talking about the Final of the UEFA Champions League. I was out at a bar watching this with some people and I had a good time but mind that this was a GREAT performance by Barca. They destroyed Man U and I thought it would be closer. Specially when the game started out Man U had good tempo and was controlling the game. Then the tide turns and Barca overcame the jitters when Pedro put one in for a 1-0 Barcelona lead in the 27th minute. I thought then that once Barca gets one they could just keep going but Manchester quickly came back with a 34th minute goal by Wayne Rooney. Great goal by Rooney, one of the best players in the game. The game was tied at the half and then the 2nd was all Barca. They scored two goals, one in 54th minute by Lionel Messi the GREATEST PLAYER TODAY and one if not the most amazing goal in the Champions League this year. He took three quick dribbles and launched a shot into the top right corner past Manchester keeper Edwin van der Sar. Just 15 minutes later Messi set up David Villa with a 20 yard out shot that curled over van der Sar's outstretched arm for a goal in the top right corner. The final was 3-1 Barca and I have to say it was one damn good match. Congrats to Barcelona!!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5MoqXmdiFAGwiIJjWM9I7LI8kr3uMRPbMPigss3lHL1Uqsz25A39uz75xeI15qAD-U5bR6vCo9RlgWy-Msl1Gz-uAzmmPzrTOcKmnp5q_DivjKXlTfpee7K6BKh8JN7ntj8YGlrAPs1x/s1600/28goallive9-blog480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5MoqXmdiFAGwiIJjWM9I7LI8kr3uMRPbMPigss3lHL1Uqsz25A39uz75xeI15qAD-U5bR6vCo9RlgWy-Msl1Gz-uAzmmPzrTOcKmnp5q_DivjKXlTfpee7K6BKh8JN7ntj8YGlrAPs1x/s320/28goallive9-blog480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-12287596091654125512011-05-27T20:08:00.000-07:002011-05-27T20:08:15.059-07:00Day 6 - Roland GarrosEarlier today before the Del Potro and Djokovic match Roger Federer beat No. 29 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in straight sets. I didn't catch any of this match but I heard Federer just dominated. He won 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 and is now in the 4th round for the 7th consecutive year. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdRr2hGIIrbKrE6KT9tPhh2CNTElSGYkvm4Jq-0_Kj6jWQ-9bpBh18SLqdv8Q5s1DZ6-pHo6nyVR18Hb4GSVVOhOML7d9nk7R2IKpYzIFP_rOOoNrrYoQgTo5Km2N7QyEiV-LAas7yyHI/s1600/114828748_crop_358x243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdRr2hGIIrbKrE6KT9tPhh2CNTElSGYkvm4Jq-0_Kj6jWQ-9bpBh18SLqdv8Q5s1DZ6-pHo6nyVR18Hb4GSVVOhOML7d9nk7R2IKpYzIFP_rOOoNrrYoQgTo5Km2N7QyEiV-LAas7yyHI/s320/114828748_crop_358x243.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then there was the Tsonga and Wawrinka match which I talked about earlier. Good match just irritating if you wanted to see the Novak and Juan Martin match. Wawrinka No. 14 did have an awesome comeback and I feel for Tsonga. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga No. 17 was up 2 sets and was close to finishing out Stan in the 3rd when Wawrinka won in a tie break and from then on the wheels fell of for Jo-Wilfried. The final was 4-6, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-3. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXY3kbEBcKbdRp0dh9XOF7ioxR8o1ANeom1Ow3t2mg_3bGNA48tjG_Cc4vYFhVE0DecOl-NCk3n8BnMa07dtZdRiiO0V-TTAsi9NkwJxHc6zGdj7Nk2JNHk-zOEdDLet14sBtV5BL9i8a/s1600/27Wawrinka-straightsets-blog480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXY3kbEBcKbdRp0dh9XOF7ioxR8o1ANeom1Ow3t2mg_3bGNA48tjG_Cc4vYFhVE0DecOl-NCk3n8BnMa07dtZdRiiO0V-TTAsi9NkwJxHc6zGdj7Nk2JNHk-zOEdDLet14sBtV5BL9i8a/s320/27Wawrinka-straightsets-blog480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In a recap No. 7 David Ferrer won, beating No. 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. No. 9 Gael Monfils of France dominated as well and for once only took 3 sets in a victory. Albert Montanes of Spain defeated No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-1, 7-6 (0), 6-1 and the man that faced Monfils in that thriller last year, Fabio Fognini of Italia defeated No. 30 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.<br />
<br />
And one quick note on the women's side No. 1 in the world Caroline Wozniacki lost to Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 6-3. Also, No. 8 seed Sam Stosur who was a finalist last year and favored by many to win this year, lost to Gisela Dulko. There have been some crazy upsets on the woman's side this year.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-39131152972839852582011-05-27T19:39:00.000-07:002011-05-27T19:40:04.942-07:00Del Potro vs Djokovic<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLMqFQeJeXMLL1XJAATzlgnH5H2dcTZtNxVNQ26Tk3kF28ComhClMsEB9DibsqajXIWOqKEjSkxXqsHa6AbyVID11sUS993HfNfdyCCmRTEDn9XXp-bFUrai4_wq4UiRkgMS_qN8nusvQ/s1600/6a00e54ee7a843883301543292f37c970c-450wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLMqFQeJeXMLL1XJAATzlgnH5H2dcTZtNxVNQ26Tk3kF28ComhClMsEB9DibsqajXIWOqKEjSkxXqsHa6AbyVID11sUS993HfNfdyCCmRTEDn9XXp-bFUrai4_wq4UiRkgMS_qN8nusvQ/s320/6a00e54ee7a843883301543292f37c970c-450wi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juan Martin Del Potro Novak Djokovic </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Today I was watching Tsonga and Wawrinka and was getting annoyed when Wawrinka started to come back. Not because I'm a Tsonga fan or anything close to that, I just couldn't wait to the the match of the tourney so far: Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro. With Delpo getting better and better coming off a injury plagued 2010 season and a 2009 U.S. Open trophy vs the man of the hour Novak Djokovic who is 39-0 in 2011. Now I myself am a huge Del Potro fan so I can't wait to see the rest of it tomorrow thanks to Tsonga coughing up his 2 set lead to Wawrinka, dragging it to 5 sets. Anyway I was thinking it was over when Novak won the first set 6-3 but I shouldn't have thought that because Juan Martin came surging back winning the 2nd set 6-3 as well. Now I can't wait to see the rest of this match. It's going to be a great finish.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-42368193390424421122011-05-27T08:34:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:34:03.815-07:00French Open Day 5 - Men's drawAlright lets get to the men's side which i cover in much more detail just because that's what I really follow. Yesterday No. 24 Sam Querrey, a fellow American finally lost not making it to the third round but hey its much improved over his first round exit last year. He lost to Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4. Despite this No. 10 Mardy Fish now the last American in the field, kept on rolling and is now in the third round. He defeated Robin Haase of the Netherlands 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-1. He really took control toward the end there and showed us all he can go far in this tourney. <br />
<br />
No.8 Jurgen Melzer from Austria lost to Czech qualifier Lukas Rosol. No.16 Verdasco of Spain and No.18 Simon of France won. No. 20 Florian Mayer of Germany, No. 27 Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus and No. 32 Kevin Anderson of South Africa all fell.<br />
<br />
I caught the last set of the Rafa Nadal and Pablo Andujar match and let me tell you Rafa is incredible. He won the first two sets 7-5, 6-3 and you know is being tested by the tough fellow Spaniard. People are questioning Nadal. He ends up having one of his worst sets on clay in the third, trailing 1-5. <span id="goog_2131318422"></span><span id="goog_2131318423"></span>This guy though is a fighter because he didnt give up. See I would of been like alright I'm done in the third and lets just get on to the fourth so i can start anew. But Rafa he comes back and ties it 5-5 and ends up winning in a tie break 7-6 (4). That is why this guy is one of my favorite tennis players. Nadal should have an easy third round match against Antonio Veic of Croatia who knocked of No. 28 Nikolay Davydenko 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWBItY5QgovGU-vgkhHZkvsfM3XLDRTF6iSKK63_NAG_tTjUEJtWz58KXcaeKwMcBUavzdDj2Q2VGtV2p5xWCZ6lCqhXUih47tbKgMuHMF0b1g-JKehO1oTUoLA713RnB6cVzGlcQuAuC/s1600/Rafael-Nadal-second-round-clash-with-Pablo-Andujar-300x187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWBItY5QgovGU-vgkhHZkvsfM3XLDRTF6iSKK63_NAG_tTjUEJtWz58KXcaeKwMcBUavzdDj2Q2VGtV2p5xWCZ6lCqhXUih47tbKgMuHMF0b1g-JKehO1oTUoLA713RnB6cVzGlcQuAuC/s1600/Rafael-Nadal-second-round-clash-with-Pablo-Andujar-300x187.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadal working his way back in the third set</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Before Andy Murray made his comments on Twitter he was playing tennis against Simone Bolelli of Italy, beating him 7-6(3), 6-4, 7-5. Murray is still looking for his first Grand Slam after losing three finals including this past Australian Open.<br />
<br />
Robin Soderling of Sweden and the fifth seed of the tourney beat Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Soderling is pushing to finally be the champ at Roland Garros after two years of losing in the final in 2009 and 2010.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LX4gX_v9tT0G7-dgl0Gz4daD0ewJ3v_Lvfwb-8JR9h5H-erVQlXUPjg5C-bjoVCzBxWC5Pwnu8jGlGrJ9VzJuPkRKtG6aXy_9hKKzmxsiywLM5tlHW5tv3j7f2FZP46iBT2GC6cHZzRU/s1600/2011-French-Open-Robin-Soderling-struggles-against-Ryan-Harrison-to-move-into-the-second-round-71045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LX4gX_v9tT0G7-dgl0Gz4daD0ewJ3v_Lvfwb-8JR9h5H-erVQlXUPjg5C-bjoVCzBxWC5Pwnu8jGlGrJ9VzJuPkRKtG6aXy_9hKKzmxsiywLM5tlHW5tv3j7f2FZP46iBT2GC6cHZzRU/s320/2011-French-Open-Robin-Soderling-struggles-against-Ryan-Harrison-to-move-into-the-second-round-71045.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soderling serving against Ramos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-88984653512096117702011-05-27T07:45:00.000-07:002011-05-27T07:51:50.924-07:00French Open Day 5 - Women's drawYesterday I happened to catch the Kim Clijsters match against Arantxa Rus. Everyone including me was like the No.2 seed Clijsters has got this. Turns out she loses to 114th ranked Rus 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. Kim had two match points in the second set but failed to finish.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo3Ut_a4lieSnCp7rDFs4kf4ZTpC6DZ1iIgU3yPucfs1YTQiRneS4c6SRdHy4Lg4ShEKg1mhO7btX2LTfZRLqL3GFZ4GL3IdhZlQDkBh8B6TzT8ElfRWzoURuQwf4-jNY5tKK_neEUzAQ/s1600/Arantxa-Rus-upsets-Kim-Clijsters-in-the-second-round-French-Open-2011-txnyyiv2pv01uy3uebsmabu5-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo3Ut_a4lieSnCp7rDFs4kf4ZTpC6DZ1iIgU3yPucfs1YTQiRneS4c6SRdHy4Lg4ShEKg1mhO7btX2LTfZRLqL3GFZ4GL3IdhZlQDkBh8B6TzT8ElfRWzoURuQwf4-jNY5tKK_neEUzAQ/s320/Arantxa-Rus-upsets-Kim-Clijsters-in-the-second-round-French-Open-2011-txnyyiv2pv01uy3uebsmabu5-.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Arantxa Rus</div><br />
Anyway the match that really caught my eye was Maria Sharapova vs Caroline Garcia. Garcia is only 17 and she won the first set and was up 4-1 in the second set and then all of a sudden the wheels fell off. She lost her 11 games to lose 3-6,6-4, 6-0. Even the great Andy Murray dubbed Caroline Garcia as being the next No.1 in the world on his Twitter account: "Girl sharapova is playing is going to be No.1 in world one day caroline garcia, what a player u heard it here 1st," the fourth-seeded Murray tweeted. I'm sure after that he might of wished he didn't tweet it but hey Caroline shows lots of promise and its still possible that one day she could be a number 1.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpH23n2hWycEDG3OV2Wh5q8DLwCUndw2EU5vbhll3HoX7YQxuEeRLFsBp3UhbpCK2cJWQdftc5BzAmHVtTc8xEmfpMc72di6A_ASpTWIkqC4rs-KdlqXI_WoCn4Th_dzQh1sTPlXr4k3-J/s1600/Maria-Sharapova-to-Clash-with-Caroline-Garcia-300x194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpH23n2hWycEDG3OV2Wh5q8DLwCUndw2EU5vbhll3HoX7YQxuEeRLFsBp3UhbpCK2cJWQdftc5BzAmHVtTc8xEmfpMc72di6A_ASpTWIkqC4rs-KdlqXI_WoCn4Th_dzQh1sTPlXr4k3-J/s1600/Maria-Sharapova-to-Clash-with-Caroline-Garcia-300x194.jpg" /></a></div>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-10030967111426949112011-05-26T14:01:00.000-07:002011-05-26T14:07:26.198-07:00Day 1-4 of the French OpenI wish I would of started this sooner because so much has happened in Paris this past week. Here's just some of the headlines at RG.<br />
<br />
<br />
Day 1<br />
No. 19 Marian Cilic is out. He is the first seeded player to be elminated, losing to Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4. David Ferrer No. 7 seed from Spain had no problems, defeating Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. Wawrinka No.14, Tsonga No.17, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez No. 30 and Sergiy Stakhovsky No.31 all advanced. Just two hourse before the tournament began Lleyton Hewitt, two-time Grand Slam champion withdrew.<br />
<br />
Day 2<br />
<br />
Novak Djokovic, my pick to win the tournament, kept his perfect streak alive defeating Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. Roger Federer won in straight sets against the Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Lopez did not have a single break point, losing to Fed 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3). The upset of the day was Tomas Berdych, a semifinalist last year, falling to a french qualifier in 5 sets. Still though those stories did not receive as much attention as Novak's amazing streak which is at 38 this year and 40 if you count back into last year. In other matches Gael Monfils No.9 of France, No. 10 Mardy Fish of U.S., Mikhail Youzhny No. 12 of Russia, Richard Gasquet No. 13 of France, Viktor Roicki No. 15 of Serbia, No.23 Thomaz Belluci of Brazil, No, 28 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and No. 29 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia all reached round two. Two seeded men, No. 22 Michael Llodra of France and No. 26 Milos Raonic of Canada lost.<br />
<br />
Day 3 <br />
<br />
Nadal opened his 20ll French open campaign against John Isner just barely coming through and winning 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4. It was the first time Rafa played 5 sets at Roland Garros. Isner played tough and is seen as one of the players you do not want to play. He has arguably the best serve on tour. Despite this Rafa came through and kept his championship hopes alive. The man for Great Britain, Andy Murray reached round #2 with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 win over French qualifier Eric Prodon. Despite what the score might suggest it was a tough match for Murray. Soderling advanced with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 win over Ryan Harrison from the U.S. who was offered the spot after Benjamin Becker withdrew. Sam Querrey also of the U.S. reached round two for the first time defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6,6-1,6-2,6-4. No. 8 Jurgen Melzer of Austria, No. 16 Fernando Verdasco of Spain, No. 18 Gilles Simon of France, No. 20 Florian Mayer of Germany, No.21 Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine and No. 32 Kevin Anderson of South Africa advanced. No. 11 Nicolas Almagro of Spain lost in an upset to L. Kubot.<br />
<br />
Day 4<br />
<br />
Novak Djokovic continued his streak and is on to the third round after Victor Hanescu retired in the third set due to injury while trailing 6-4, 6-1, 2-3. Roger Federer is into the thrid round as well. He won in straight sets against Maxime Teixeira, a French wild card, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2. David Ferrer No. 7 of Spain, No. 9 Gael Monfils of France, No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, No, 13 Richard Gasquet of France, No. 14 Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, No. 17 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, No. 23 Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, No. 30 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain and No. 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine and Juan Martin Del Potro, former U.S. Open Champion made it through. Friday Djokovic will play Del Potro in a huge match that I can't wait to see.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-46275312028788553482011-05-26T13:23:00.000-07:002011-05-26T13:23:42.036-07:00Nadal vs IsnerDid any of you guys catch this one? John Isner played his best game and I had no idea he could play at that level. I believe one day he could be a top player. Yes, Rafa won and even though sometimes I feel obliged to root for a fellow American but I still wanted Rafa to win. I mean how awful would it be to see the king of clay go down in round one? Anyway it was great and Isner should be proud and I'm happy for him. He pushed Nadal to his limits. Never before had Rafa gone to 5 sets at RG. I was worried there for a little specially when John went up 2 sets to 1 but soon he ran out of gas and Nadal got it going again with his stamina greatly contributing to his victory. He survived the upset bid.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hO_gzc0nommluuLIiHZ79_FoEPmh6iQXS6PqgbBi064Kx9iAegVhz8wzSvr0e-qhucC865OHChqIUx_UyIyIdCs5OftNGPtcq8uVdgt6wDLoyKyVIjoVWo-OndnRGuEY_ey1NWSvTQq2/s1600/nadal-isner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hO_gzc0nommluuLIiHZ79_FoEPmh6iQXS6PqgbBi064Kx9iAegVhz8wzSvr0e-qhucC865OHChqIUx_UyIyIdCs5OftNGPtcq8uVdgt6wDLoyKyVIjoVWo-OndnRGuEY_ey1NWSvTQq2/s320/nadal-isner.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798305561060560169.post-33898860871871914842011-05-26T11:42:00.000-07:002011-05-26T11:42:43.949-07:00Hey EveryoneHey everyone!<br />
<br />
I plan to cover all aspects of tennis in this blog from the latest news at Roland Garros to the newest tennis gear. I hope you enjoy it and chose to follow me.Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01522645462019999927noreply@blogger.com1