1st Round match between Victoria Azarenka and Monica Nicolescu. To start with of course I knew what the outcome would be- that Victoria Azarenka would win in straight sets and she did- 6-1, 6-4. Nicolescu looked lost in the first set and made 13 unforced errors as against 6 from Vika. The second set was more equally poised as Azarenka made a string of 17 unforced errors as against 7 from Nicolescu. That forehand of Azarenka’s fired from sharp cross-court angle is like a terrible weapon and Nicolescu countered it with her own brand of topspin forehand which was a revealation of sorts because I have never seen anyone return with such unusual forehand which must be putting a strain on Nicolescu. So I suspect like players have a strategy of attacking a backhand, Azarenka attackec Nicolescu’s forehand with the expected results- in a prolonged rally (maximum 20 shots) Nicolescu’s found the net unerringly! Result- Azarenka wins agains Nicolescu but not without a scare in the second set! Meanshile we find Serena Williams dressed in deep purple matched with orange wrist-bands and an orange hairband toying with Edina Gallovits Hall of Romania. While Gallovits made her mark all over the court, Williams barely moved. A double bagle victory for Williams over Hall- 6-0, 6-0. I am betting on Azarenka matching forehands with Williams in the finals at Melbourne!
Monday, January 14, 2013
More first round results...
1st Round match between Victoria Azarenka and Monica Nicolescu. To start with of course I knew what the outcome would be- that Victoria Azarenka would win in straight sets and she did- 6-1, 6-4. Nicolescu looked lost in the first set and made 13 unforced errors as against 6 from Vika. The second set was more equally poised as Azarenka made a string of 17 unforced errors as against 7 from Nicolescu. That forehand of Azarenka’s fired from sharp cross-court angle is like a terrible weapon and Nicolescu countered it with her own brand of topspin forehand which was a revealation of sorts because I have never seen anyone return with such unusual forehand which must be putting a strain on Nicolescu. So I suspect like players have a strategy of attacking a backhand, Azarenka attackec Nicolescu’s forehand with the expected results- in a prolonged rally (maximum 20 shots) Nicolescu’s found the net unerringly! Result- Azarenka wins agains Nicolescu but not without a scare in the second set! Meanshile we find Serena Williams dressed in deep purple matched with orange wrist-bands and an orange hairband toying with Edina Gallovits Hall of Romania. While Gallovits made her mark all over the court, Williams barely moved. A double bagle victory for Williams over Hall- 6-0, 6-0. I am betting on Azarenka matching forehands with Williams in the finals at Melbourne!
Australian Open 2013, Melbourne, 1st round Action
The first of the grand slam tournaments of 2013 and it is sure to follow the the script of the year that went by or a couple of years that went by. Men's tennis has arrived at a stage where the game has steadied around four or five players that make it to the semi-finals- Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Rafa and it is either slash or- Tsonga, Ferrer, Berdych, Del Potro, Tipsarevic is in the next tier. The end of the last season saw Novak Djokovic fend off Roger Federer's claim to the ATP Tour Finals season end Trophy and set the tone for the year that was to come. From the chilly climes of London to the blistering heat of Melbourne. The season never ends in more than one way! The first round at Aus Open serves mostly as a practise game for the the top seeds. There are players like Lleyton Hewitt who give players some grief with their tenacity and ferociousness. Even after all these years (he was the number one seed almost 10 years ago and while Roddick has retired, he is still around,he can give a player like Tipsarevic a run for his first round money. He lost of course but as usual the scores dont tell the whole story. There have been no premature exits so far, all the top seeds- men and women have breezed through- Sam Stosur, Sharapova, Anna Ivanovic (she is always a prime candidate for a shock exit!), Djokovic, Tipsrevic are on to the next round. Murray is playing Robin Haase of Netherlands even as I write and he is up by two sets and two games to love in the third. Another twenty minutes and Murray will be done here. Keep tuned it for more updates from Australian Open in Melbourne!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
End of Tennis Season
Even as I post this, Roger Federer has lifted the ATP year-end trophy for an unprecedented sixth time without breaking a sweat (ah well in a three-setter perhaps). I am completely transfixed. Never mind Wimbledon and those high falutin Grand Slam championships, it is the ATP 1000 World Tour at the O2 that I wait for every year. Held in the dying weeks of the tennis season, this is a tournament for only the Top Ten of the World. Meaning, only the Top Ten are invited and they play each other in a round robin till the champion is distilled through the finest and the best ten layers to emerge as the only person on the podium. There are no easy opening draws as with other championships where a good player has it easy by playing wild cards or players outside the top 50. Here it is grunt, shovel, grunt, sweat, pant from round one.
This year’s ATP 1000 was no different. Federer playing Tsonga in round 1 and then Federer and Nadal battling in O2 gladiatorial arena with blue light washing over spectators and white light flooding the center court. It’s like going straight to the dessert part of dinner without having to eat your broccoli and fish soup. And the tickets! That’s the best part of this championship. You don’t need to bankrupt yourself or dip into your retirement fund (PF or 401K) to see a spot of action between top players. Even at this moment, you will find tickets available in boxes closest to the court going for the cheapest ticket of 179 pounds to the most expensive of £ 950. There are other tickets available also immediately around the court perimeter for as cheap as £ 119. The tickets for the finals again the box close to the court goes for as high as £1950 and as cheap as £ 227. Well there are also tickets available for as little as £ 96.99 and £ 179 for a night and afternoon play session respectively. These tickets are for seats at the top tier which if you consider the court as a fish bowl then the top tier would be the rim of the bowl. Oh there also the prize money of $1,630,000million to consider. A neat pile to earn at the end of the season so that you must stop at a bank to make a deposit on your way to the Caribbean or the Med for a well-earned r&r.
Compare these with any other Grand Slam tickets and you will notice the difference. For all Wimbledon’s claims to be a Middle Class, genteel sport where heads wear lovely hats and hands hold the customary bowl of strawberries and cream, it is anything but. The ATP World Tour Finals is a more egalitarian venue where tickets are available for as low as 20 pounds for initial matches and you don’t feel cheated because even that early in the tournament you get to witness world class action from players who play a far different level of sport than say Qatar Open or Dubai Open.
So folks I suggest unless you are given free tickets in the corporate box, do check the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in London. The tickets are cheap, the atmosphere very sci-fi and the location awesome. Am I promoting this event? Absolutely, do check out http://www.atpworldtour.com/Finals/2011.aspx for tickets for November 2012. Sale opens in March and you can sign up for priority alerts.
This year’s ATP 1000 was no different. Federer playing Tsonga in round 1 and then Federer and Nadal battling in O2 gladiatorial arena with blue light washing over spectators and white light flooding the center court. It’s like going straight to the dessert part of dinner without having to eat your broccoli and fish soup. And the tickets! That’s the best part of this championship. You don’t need to bankrupt yourself or dip into your retirement fund (PF or 401K) to see a spot of action between top players. Even at this moment, you will find tickets available in boxes closest to the court going for the cheapest ticket of 179 pounds to the most expensive of £ 950. There are other tickets available also immediately around the court perimeter for as cheap as £ 119. The tickets for the finals again the box close to the court goes for as high as £1950 and as cheap as £ 227. Well there are also tickets available for as little as £ 96.99 and £ 179 for a night and afternoon play session respectively. These tickets are for seats at the top tier which if you consider the court as a fish bowl then the top tier would be the rim of the bowl. Oh there also the prize money of $1,630,000million to consider. A neat pile to earn at the end of the season so that you must stop at a bank to make a deposit on your way to the Caribbean or the Med for a well-earned r&r.
Compare these with any other Grand Slam tickets and you will notice the difference. For all Wimbledon’s claims to be a Middle Class, genteel sport where heads wear lovely hats and hands hold the customary bowl of strawberries and cream, it is anything but. The ATP World Tour Finals is a more egalitarian venue where tickets are available for as low as 20 pounds for initial matches and you don’t feel cheated because even that early in the tournament you get to witness world class action from players who play a far different level of sport than say Qatar Open or Dubai Open.
So folks I suggest unless you are given free tickets in the corporate box, do check the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in London. The tickets are cheap, the atmosphere very sci-fi and the location awesome. Am I promoting this event? Absolutely, do check out http://www.atpworldtour.com/Finals/2011.aspx for tickets for November 2012. Sale opens in March and you can sign up for priority alerts.
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