Tennis

[Aziraphale]

Sharapova's out! This is a huge upset, I thought Safina would crumble but she was a fighter in the match Marat would be proud

[Guest symphonee.]

What a great day. Federer through to quarters (meeting Gonz) and Sharapova out *throws confetti*! I'm so impressed with the way Safina fought that match.

[Guest takahiro01]

I've also seen Llodra, berdych, Murray and Ljubicic, I've just seen his match on tv against Gael monfils, he lost.

Good for Gael, he reached the quarterfinal for the first time of his carrer!!

[Guest dOotsiez]

cystal_t33rs, you're not alone, I'd like to see Gulbis beat Djoko as well, but something tells me that that borders on being delusional. still, it'll be satisfiy to see Nadal kick some Djoko 'rear-end' in the SF. And FYI, you don't get penalised for racket smashing, if you did, several *ahem* male players wouldn't make it past the first round. I find it revolting to watch to be frank.

I think the deal with Benneteau was that he fed off the crowd support so well. Federer probably didn't expect him to play so well, so he wasn't in top gear. Fed's been known to do no more than what is necessary to get through the early rounds, and then pick up his game when he meets someone big. Hope he does for Gonzo. Should be a good one.

No love for 'Shazza'? awww I'll miss seeing her (and her Tiffany earrings) on court. Looks like her no 1 ranking will be gone though (unless Ivanovic falls before the final). She'll be back (with the Williams sisters) for Wimbledon though. More reasons for me to look ahead. The Russia v Serbia final looks more like reality now.

[Guest wonderbang]

Interesting day of tennis nonetheless......I knew the Sharapova-Safina match was going to be a highlight....I'm impressed with Dinara. She stuck it out and fought hard......a little different from shall I say, her brother?

Mr. Federer is giving some mixed signals here lol. I still think he'll pick it up now that he's into the second week but I can't say I don't have my doubts. This orange turf is driving everyone nuts! haha....well besides Nadal

[Guest dOotsiez]

HAHA yeah I'm always amazed at how turned-on Nadal is at this time of the year, and then he just gets worse and worse the more we get into the second half of the year. As for Federer, maybe it's unfair to say that he wasn't playing well. I mean, c'mon the guy finished Benneteau off in straight sets, if it were any other player, we'd be saying bravo, but because it's Federer, we demand that he not only win in straight sets, but serve up a few bagels. Oh how spoilt we are.....

Seems like I'm the only one upset that Masha lost Didn't think the crowd was very kind to her, practically booed her off the court. It always confounds me how many people hate Sharapova. Out of all the tennis fans I know, I seem to be the only person who likes her. lol. Safina played well though, bravo to her for outlasting her brother.

Monfils or Ferrer? For some reason I've never been impressed with Monfils. Hope he proves me wrong though.

[Guest wonderbang]

Oh no you're not the only one dOotsiez. I'm definitely a fan of Maria too......but I think that just leaves the two of us because it doesn't seem like any other Soompiers like her. I can totally understand the reasons though....she's loud, one-dimensional, arrogant, annoying or whatever else reasons people have against her. But somehow despite all that, I'm still really impressed with her resolve, mental strength, and of course powerful game. Watching Maria in a match makes me admire her fight.....she never ever gives up regardless of the situation. Even though she was visibly (and audibly) frustrated in her match against Dinara, you could still see she was determined as ever to win. Makes me want to go on a tennis court and battle it out (ha!)

But anyhow....now you know you're not alone lol.

[Guest symphonee.]

To me, I see Maria almost like the female version of Hewitt, minus the fact that she can actually play whilst Hewitt cannot . But I do know a lot of people who like her, namely males -____-

So... anyone want to place bets? Djok & Nadal for the semifinals?

edit// our prayers have been answered. we're getting a djok and nadal semifinal!

[Guest dOotsiez]

YUP, but that Gulbis sure put up a fight. Close but no cigar heh? nadal...what can i say, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1?? condolences to amalgro (and an early one to federer, it's not often that he goes into a tournament as the underdog)

Like the comparison between Hewitt and Sharapova, both incomplete as players, their rise to the top sometimes inexplicable, but both with amazing mental tenacity. How boring would the WTA tournaments be without girls like sharapova and serena williams - a bunch of demure ladies 'battling' it out. lol. i'd take grunting over that any day.

[Guest wonderbang]

Like the comparison between Hewitt and Sharapova, both incomplete as players, their rise to the top sometimes inexplicable, but both with amazing mental tenacity. How boring would the WTA tournaments be without girls like sharapova and serena williams - a bunch of demure ladies 'battling' it out. lol. i'd take grunting over that any day.

Hell yeah! Bring on the grunts! hahah

Anyhow, Nadal is on fiiiiiiiiiiire. My sympathies to whoever has to play him because it would take a miracle to deter this guy. Novak and Roger have the games but I still consider Nadal the favorite here. This is exciting.....can't wait for the final rounds

[Guest prelude]

FRENCH OPEN // Roland Garros update:

Ah, these draws are so anticipated! In the semifinals so far, we have Nadal vs. Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic vs Jelena Jankovic. Wow, they're all beating out each other.

That new guy from Latvia... Ernests Gulbis? Wow, he played an amazing match against Djoko, but not enough. I don't know who I want to win in the Nadal vs Djoko one - but I am a little leaning toward the underdog since Nadal has won almost all of the French Opens. He's just so good on clay courts.

And omo, Sharapova's out! That's very surprising. I kind of want Ivanovic to win.

Is it just me, or has tennis gotten so much more intense over the past years? Gosh, I was watching some clips on the Roland Garros site, and I was blown away. Everyone is seriously fighting for every point.

...And I don't mean that tennis wasn't intense in the past years. It's the new players I'm looking at. There are young'ns who are doing amazingly! It feels strange without Henin here, though.

//edit: Aziraphale mentioned something about the Williams' sisters have irksome personalities? I agree... not as much toward Venus as Serena, but they both ... give off an aura that makes them seem more superior than others? I'm not quite sure how to word it. But for Serena, god, she is such a bad sport when she loses. Just look at those interviews and the DRAMATIC change in her facial expressions before and after. I don't blame her for being upset over a loss, but she has been playing for a quadrillion years - she ought to be more professional about it.

(Any Californians out there? Do you know what channel the French Open is on?)

[Guest dOotsiez]

The Williamses have 22 grand slam titles between them and also olympic golds, so I don't know...I'd cut them some slack for acting superior As I said, I personally don't like Ivanovic, sure she's very sweet and girl-next-door, but personality-wise, I find her dull, and tennis-wise, anyone who serves well and hits hard sure deserves to win, but isn't a joy to watch. I'd rather watch an agressive serena, shriekapova, Henin or Mauresmo-on-a-good-day. Hoping for Jankovic to win in the semis, but I don't think she's up to it against Ivanovic. but heck, at least she's more entertaining.

As for Nadal v Djokovic - possibly going to be the match of the tournament (unless a certain *ahem* someone gets his career slam, which isn't looking likely). Normally I'd go for the underdog too, but when the underdog is Djokovic...let's just say that he, Gasquet and Murray could start their own Wusses' Tennis Association, and battle it out for No.1. Im not hiding my dislike for him. And then there's also the fact that Rafa just happens to be one of my favourite players. And at last, he's not playing a lefty! Can't believe he had 4 in a row, he must be going 'thanks ana'. at the risk of reviving my jinxing reputation...Nadal in 4 sets.

Federer vs Gonzales, Ferrer v Monfils tonight! WOOOOO

[Aziraphale]

^ I dunno, dOotsiez, there have been players with Grand Slam wins who are nice people as well, so I don't see why the Williams girls have to act superior. Federer has 12 Slams to his name and he's a nice guy through and through - even when he sounds remotely cocky, it's funny. I guess I just feel that being nice doesn't have to equate with being dull (on or off the court). I always enjoy tennis more when players show good sportsmanship - they don't have to enjoy losing (nobody does), but they don't have to make it seem as if their losing is because they didn't play well AND the opponent is crap to begin with. If the other player gave a great show, then at least I expect some due credit.

I have to say, that's why I like the Paris crowd. They're a discerning, if harsh, lot.

Federer will play Monfils, I guess he won't have too many problems getting to the final? As for the Nadal-Djokovic, what a match-up, and really too close to call for me And kudos to Safina for upsetting Dementieva! That girl is a real fighter.

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

^ How does Monfils play? I mean what are his chances of winning against Fed? I've never seen him play before. ^^;

I REALLY can't wait to see the Nadal-Djoko match!

I can't believe Dimentieva couldn't pull through after winning the first set and nearly bagging that second one! Although Safina isn't my favorite, I have to hand it to her for hanging on.

Anybody a Kuznetsova fan? ^^ I hear everything about Jelena, Ana, & Dinara, but no love for Svetlana! heh. I hope she gets to the finals! (b/c again, I'm biased, and am sad that Dinara plucked Maria out of the tournament.)

[Guest dOotsiez]

^ I'm with you there. Wanna see Kuzzy come out of her side of the draw to play in the final. But I must admit, Safina's comeback was impressive, especially because it mirrored her comeback against sharapova. deja vu...

Compared to some of the other grand slam crowds, I prob like the french crowd the best, they're by far the most knowledgeable. They don't just like their aces and show tennis.

I've seen Monfils play on hard court, so I don't know how he does on clay, but he's incredibly athletic, and seems to be 'pulling a Tsonga'. I've found him unimpressive in the past, but you know frenchmen, you get ready to dismiss them, and they spring out of nowhere to win the match, you put faith in them (a la Gasque), and they have a mental implosion.

*shakes head* but imagine a final between Djokovic and Monfils (NOOO.....). C'mon Federer and Nadal.

[ShukakuOTS]

^ How does Monfils play? I mean what are his chances of winning against Fed? I've never seen him play before. ^^;

He's extremely athletic. I remember seeing one picture of him hitting a forehand that looked 3 or 4 feet off the ground. Lleyton Hewitt even said he's the fastest player he's ever played against, and he said that after he played Nadal recently before he played Monfils. Note that's also coming from Hewitt, who wasn't too shabby of a mover either. Playing style is very defensive it seems, standing very far behind the baseline. He can also rip some shots though. In fact, he hit the fastest ever clocked at 118.1 mph. His serve is reminiscent of Andy Roddick's, though not quite as effective.

I think what's been hindering his career are injuries and head game.

[Guest wonderbang]

Another day of awesome tennis I must say. I'm just glad that despite the upsets in both draws, the final rounds are shaping up nicely.

Federer vs. Monfils - I'll take Fed of course but Monfils thrives on crowd energy so who knows? The French crowd will surely back him up and he might give Federer a tough set but I don't see major problems for the world number one.

Nadal vs. Djokovic - By far the highlight of all the semis, I'll definitely have to go with our three-time defending champion here. This could be one hell of a match but you just can't bet against a man who's never lost here before.

Ivanovic vs. Jankovic - This boils down to a battle of mental strength more than anything. It could be a sloppy match OR a great match, depending if the Serbian girls can hold their nerves and produce their best tennis on the important points. I'll give Ivanovic the slight edge on this one having won the previous 4 meetings.

Kuznetsova vs. Safina - Russian girls agggain! Both of them are enormous fighters and don't go away easily. On paper, Kuznetsova is the favorite but Safina has proven that she can defy the odds. I would want Safina breaking through but I think Kuznetsova will win with her experiences as a Grand Slam champion already.

Well, after all that, I'll probably get one out of four right only LOL.....bit what's tennis without a few predictions here and there right?

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

but imagine a final between Djokovic and Monfils

Oh, god, no! I don't want to sound like some petulant child, but I'd absolutely, positively REFUSE to watch the finals if that were the case. (I'd quietly root for Monfils. LOL.)

And now I'm worried that Gael is really athletic(although, he is an athlete. oh, god. XD).What I mean is, Fed isn't playing like he used to. Monfils will probably soak up energy from the French crowd and really use that to his advantage.

[Guest dOotsiez]

Risking misfiring jinxes here, but hey, my Russia v Serbia prediction came true.

So HOPEFULLY

Federer vs. Monfils - Federer (in four?). Monfils beating Ferrer was a surprise. Sure he's athletic, strong, and moves incredibly well. But at the end of the day, Federer has far more variety in his game, and if he's in form, there's no question who will win.

Nadal vs. Djokovic - the real question is whether Djokovic will lose in 3, 4, or 5 sets (c'mon Nadal, I'm putting my faith in you). I think the joker's probably good enough for 4 sets, maybe even 5. But trying to outlast Nadal in a 5 setter is like diving into a suicide pool. Hope Nadal gives the joker a THUMPIN'

Ivanovic vs. Jankovic - Ivanovic in two. She's on a roll here. Jankovic has a little injury, which is not a big deal until you play the no.1-to-be. But I hope Jankovic wins, simply because I'd find her a little more entertaining to watch.

Kuznetsova vs. Safina - I hope: Kuzzy in 3 (risky risky), but a part of me is just glad that we're not seeing something entirely wacky, like Cornet v Kanepi or something. We've had enough wacky tennis this year.

Looks like we picked the same ones wonderbang. And here I was moaning about Aussie losses in Round 3. Just realised Dellacqua and her partner beat the Bodarenko sisters in the doubles semi. Not that into doubles, but WOOOO! :D

and talk about literary excellence. peter bodo's the absolute best.

http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld...s-of-every.html

[Guest aeroshaastranger :)]

The Williamses have 22 grand slam titles between them and also olympic golds, so I don't know...I'd cut them some slack for acting superior As I said, I personally don't like Ivanovic, sure she's very sweet and girl-next-door, but personality-wise, I find her dull, and tennis-wise, anyone who serves well and hits hard sure deserves to win, but isn't a joy to watch. I'd rather watch an agressive serena, shriekapova, Henin or Mauresmo-on-a-good-day. Hoping for Jankovic to win in the semis, but I don't think she's up to it against Ivanovic. but heck, at least she's more entertaining.

As for Nadal v Djokovic - possibly going to be the match of the tournament (unless a certain *ahem* someone gets his career slam, which isn't looking likely). Normally I'd go for the underdog too, but when the underdog is Djokovic...let's just say that he, Gasquet and Murray could start their own Wusses' Tennis Association, and battle it out for No.1. Im not hiding my dislike for him. And then there's also the fact that Rafa just happens to be one of my favourite players. And at last, he's not playing a lefty! Can't believe he had 4 in a row, he must be going 'thanks ana'. at the risk of reviving my jinxing reputation...Nadal in 4 sets.

Federer vs Gonzales, Ferrer v Monfils tonight! WOOOOO

haha ohh so you're that ana who leaves questions for rafa?? haha

i'm so going for RAFA! he was really on fire against almagro!! go kick djerk's richard simmons and deflate hisBIG EGO!!

haha as for fed, i think fed is still too strong!

sometimes i get frustrated at monfils's game cos he seems so relaxed and not into it??

but of cos i'm quietly rooting for MONFILS!!

sometimes fed just irritates me! lol cos he seems to be yearning for perfection even outside the courts!

the white suit at wimbeldon?? the whole long speech to please people? and does he have his own organization now??

kudos to ANA IVANOVIC! she was really good and amazing esp those forehands!!she deserved tp win in the end. i was awed!!

SAFINA played a superb game too! she really upped her game (:

safina is really determined and could trump even though ana has the experience and shots!!

VAMOS RAFA :D