Women's Quarter Finals- One win and one loss for my predictions!

Melanie Bouchard! The first Canadian woman to make it to the semifinal of a grand slam.  As predicted, Bouchard lost the first set and won the next two to oust Ana Ivanovic.  In the on-court interview she was asked who she would like to date and she said..hold your breath, Justine Bieber.  I hope it was said in humour though, I wouldn’t want any teenage girl to date him forget being in the same newsprint space!  Bouchard showed her mettle in the quarter finals.  She now battles Na Li whom she played three years ago in Montreal and lost of course.  She says she has a bit more experience and she is ready for the match. Watch out Li. 

I also said in my last blog that Na LI will lose to Flavia Penetta but she won and how- 6-2, 6-2.  So now you know, you cannot blog about a match and predict the outcome without getting a handle on how the player is faring currently.  And yet I believe that Bouchard will win against Na Li in two sets.

In the other QFs Cibulkova will play Simona Halep and Azarenka will play Radwanska.  Its Halep V/s Azarenka semifinal. This is unless Azarenka can control that imploding anger and play her power game without getting trapped into playing Radwanska at her own game and pace.  Radwanska is no match against the brute power of Azarenka.  The alternative scenario is, Azarenka will lose her cool, commit unforced errors while Radwanska will lie in the wait quietly.  Azarenka will be turn blind in fury at her own ineptitude and will abandon her style of play and tactics.  Then it will of course be a walkover for Agnieszaka Radwanska.

If everything goes as I say, it will be Bouchard V/s Na Li final!

Men's singles, Round 4

In men’s 4^th round we have Federer battling it with Tsonga for a place in the quarter finals of the Australian Open.  As I thought, Federer won the first two sets with ease and then in the third set while serving in the 8^th game, he showed nerves and I thought Tsonga would break him.  Fortunately if not his forehand, Roger's serve is standing him in good stead and he rode out the game on the strength of his serve.  Federer leads five games to three.  Federer is now serving for the match and a place in the quarter finals.  Second serve is quite menacing and Tsonga hits it in the net.  Second serve from fed again.  This time the ball forces Tsonga into a corner and scurrying to the centre of the court only to find that Federer has hit in the same spot again.  It is 40-0.  And a double fault.  I must say, Federer does show fraught nerves just as he is on the verge of closing a win.  And a beautiful volley wins him the game and match. 

Federer has gained a spot in the Quarter finals and now begins the real task.  He will meet Andy Murray in the QFs.  Murray does not show the delectable, faultless form he was in at Wimbledon in 2013.  The Scot could do no wrong against the equally sparkling Djokovic.  Murray was there within hitting distance of the ball always, wherever you hit it.   I was watching his match with Stephane Robert of France ranked 119^th in the world.  Stephane’s been around since 2001 and has never progressed beyond 2^nd round at the slams.  Murray made heavy work of the 3^rd set which he was expected to win.  Confused shots, unforced errors, leaden footwork and just wayward tennis.  When he started the usual self-flagellation, I thought, oh oh here comes another upset and nothing less than the Nadal-upset brought about by Lucas Rosol. 

Muray is doing all the right things while managing the business end of Enterprise Murray.  He has given the reins in the hands of people who are effective and the best in the business at what they do freeing him thus to ‘focus on what he does best’.  Ideally there should be no dip in form except due to injuries. Alas that is precisely that has plagued him since his winning form of last year.  Right now, even discounting the back surgery, he should be going from strength to strength, winning more tournaments, getting fiercer, getting unbeatable.  Instead what I saw against Robert was not a play befitting world no.4.  I thought Murray was hypnotized by the ball that he kept in play for longer than necessary and not really for any constructed points or anything.  The ball that should have been put away after hitting it twice was finding the racket more often and in pointless rallies.  He did rush to the baseline but there was no thought to it.  Murray, pull up your socks or the man who wears four of them (incidentally Federer wears two pairs of socks to give him extra cushioning and softness should a match run into 5 sets.) will whip your muscular arse.