Reuters
The final four quarterfinals are on the board for today.
I'm going with Venus Williams in straights, Serena Williams in straights, Roger Federer in straights, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five.
Who you got?
Order Of Play For Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Rod Laver Arena 11:00 Start Time
1. Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Na Li (CHN)[16] v. Venus Williams (USA)[6]
2. Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Serena Williams (USA)[1] v. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[7]
3. Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)[6]
Rod Laver Arena 19:30 Start Time
1. Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3] v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[10]
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Australian Open 2010 Day 10 Open Thread
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184 comments:
Venus in three
Serena in straight
Roger in four
Djokovic in five
Venus in straights with a bagel.
All in straight sets except I hope Jo takes out Djokovic in 4.
my goodness, its too ez for Venus
whats this thing right ontop of venus' breasts?
shoddy!
+ I dont usually see fashion
good passage of play.
who's in here ?
Hey Dap. I'm in here. Just finishing a late dinner (or breakfast, really)
seems miss NaLi rememebered how to play too late :)
ffs. serve. aces. venus. serve
she shanked it on her serve.
nonsense!
Oh, V. I don't see anything on her chest.
Li is gaining confidence.
You're playin' doubles, V. Close it out in two, girl.
Venus, you're killing me. Li's making errors for you. Nothing to be proud of here.
last night I cussed Petrova, tonight it is Venus' time. Venus, you are the worst excuse for a tennis player there is. Absolutely no reason why you should be heading to a tie break in this match. Ridiculous.
Where did this hitting come from?
Rough crowd.
Venus is mad nervous.
na li aint heading back to shangai,
without,
hanging out,
well..her wares here.
Tennis wares..eeeeeeeerh!
I freaking give up on Venus. Really amazing that she managed to lose that second set. Just amazes me how she manages to put herself in a winning position and lose. You have to wonder which one of the WS was adopted because no way they both came from the same home and trained by the same parents.
She needs to follow her sister's lead and take the crowd out of the match. The crowd is backing Li and I have no idea whether Venus is allowing this to get to her, but she is playing horribly
Karen, Venus loses concentration, which baffles me.
Come in, Venus!!!
Karen have you seen the short documentary "Raising Aces"?
There's a short scene in the film involving Richard and Venus that reveals so much more than it intends, I believe.
They are both playing better. That pleases me.
Martina just called it. Venus hasn't been to the semis Down Under in seven years. She's extremely nervous.
Craig, what do you think that scene (unintentionally) revealed?
Oh man is Carillo going to be calling Serena's match. I hope not.
No Craig I have never seen it. If you cannot say it here, send me an email
At the height of her career, she wasn't playing tennis for herself, but for her father. Nothing earth-shattering, but I was surprised it came across so clearly to my eyes in a way I found disturbing.
The same could be true of Serena, but nothing in the film revealed that.
Watching players mature and come into their own in front of our eyes, if, that is, they come into their own in front of our eyes, is one of the reasons I enjoy this sport so much. The enormous pressure on people so young....
thats the venus me i know.
asshat!
I'm staying with Tennis Channel through the end of this match.
Corina is actually doing a good job. She used to get on my nerves with all of her personal attacks on the players, but somebody must have reined her in as well.
And whatever one thinks of Martina Navratilova, her tennis commentary is usually top notch.
C,
r u suggesting their father -forcefully - make them realise,
the cost of losing?
so much they couldnt risk it ?
This. Is. Ridiculous.
the mother revealed in a recent interview that for years she wondered whether they were doing the right thing bringing these girls into tennis. If you have not read Serena's book, it also reveals how much she resented tennis. I think she actually hated it and she did a lot of stuff during her youth to rebel against the regime that the father had. Not on the likes of Agassi but it was there. Venus, however, was always pleasing daddy.
If she dare lose her serve one more time. I am off.
bloody idiot.
My predictions were:
Serena in 3, Li in 3, Fed in 4, Tsonga in 5.
re Corina: I can't respect anyone who dated Justin Gimelslob.
vw, Corina probably couldn't either.
Craig, while loyalty and Richard's dreams may accoint for Venus playing for "him.". Richard also encouraged them to have outside interests, retire young, and refused to let them play as juniors. Venus is an enigma. A sensitive thing.
LOL The visual of those two. Very high ick factor.
Come on Vee
I think these girls love their careers. By all accounts Richard and Oracene were great tennis parents. Parents make decisions for us when we wre young all the time. The fact that Richard didn't have them out ther at 12 and 13 playing tourneys says a lot to me.
Li, Vee,
woe is me.
(I just stole that.)
the two of em are actually quite patethic!
Have you seen the film, lilac?
does everyting right.
gets everything wrong.
evil.
sick.
stupid.
annoying.
shit!
get out!
and naLi gets to serve for the match.
most disgusting Tennis match ever from a williams clone.
apalling!
OMG choke-fest much? This is so hard to watch!! :(
Venus will win 7-5.
Chokers! Both of you! This is ugly. The best looking thing on that court is Venus' butt.
Na Li is a lie
This is beyond ugly.
Craig, I've seen pieces of the film -- but I can't remember a lot of it. Am I missing something?
we are running out of under-latives for this one.
cant use disgsusting now. Its too good.
nauseating maybe ?
For the second year in a row Venus exits the AO holding match points. Pathetic.
shit.
this match pisses me off so much. Its unspeakable.
kai! disgraceful
Venus.
she ousted herself.
dunno if she can still,
lock herself up
for days,
hating the thought of loss,
I doubt it.
And for that,
she will never win,
on this ground anymore.
This is a loss,
that tastes sad!,
from 15,000miles away.
Simply unspeakable stuff.
:mad!
people too stunned to speak ?
lol.
not at all. I am not stunned. I was expecting Na Li to win. Venus' previous match was indicating this result. She struggled there a lot as well. Having no serve was crucial again. Everyone knew that Venus could not keep up with Na Li's return game.
I'm just glad it's over.
a stream I m watching is re-running the stosur - serena duel.
quiet court. why ?
a stream I m watching is re-running the stosur - serena duel.
quiet court. why ?
I know that Venus is a very good player. At Wimbledon, she's nearly unbeatable. Ever since the days when she and Serena used to dominate the tour together... at any other Slam, it's difficult for me to pick her to win. She'll often win many matches, but she has yet to prove to me that she can win 7 in a row outside of Wimbledon. I wish I could say otherwise.. :-\
Dap, Serena silenced the crowd.
now here comes an interesting matchup.
the last time I saw these 2 play in wimbledon, it was so much a beatdown the bbc commentator reeled:
"the first set from Serena, was an exercise in brutality".
Apparently, the bbc had made Serena play on court two, cos she was supposedly not 'hot' for tv audience.
Azarenka said "I played the unbeatable serena today".
:jaws drop :)
Uh oh. Serena lost the first point of the match.
This isn't going to go as quickly as I'd like.
Serena breaks herself to open the match.
Oy.
Get Venus out of your mind, Serena. We all have.
Is Serena now going to let a girl hold serve with two double faults in the game?
She peaked too soon?
Snatching at forehands,
snatching at backhands,
sistergirl, please,
put the last match
in the trash.
Might have peaked a bit early.
Oh. No.
Shoot me.
Venus has made everybody start playing badly, even Serena. I hope Serena picks it up because I am so depressed right now after seeing Venus losing. I can only think that the fact that she has held serve will calm her down. She is jittery. I am always nervous for her when she plays the quarters as she sees the finish line and gets anxious
I don't think she peaked. I think she's annoyed having to wait and what she watched while waiting. Come on Serena, focus. Close your eyes and focus.
I may have to turn this off. I hate seeing this, especially after recent form. It's just ridiculous.
from not having her serve broken through 4 rounds all of a sudden she is losing serve at love. Taking a break for a minute because clearly Serena wants this too much or Azarenka wants it more
this game is pathetic.
for some many reasons.
Definitely peaked too soon.
And this is the round at a Slam where Serena is well-known to pull a Kim Clijsters.
Maybe I should just go back to bed.
I would be happy to see Azarenka win, but if anyone can change their form on a dime it's definitely Serena Williams.
see what Azarenka is pulling on/out of you Serena?
ya should be crying.
Pick it up, Serena.
For some reason I thought Azarenka was a better mover. She's slow.
I cant help but feel,
as good as Azarenka appears,
Serena is making her play.
wrong?
I have no idea what the problem is, but I just want this set to be over.
I hope she wont serve d set out sha?
Serena and Venus lost their quarterfinal matches on the same day at Roland Garros in 2004.
Capriati and Myskina met in the next match. Myskina won the title.
These commentators don't know shit.
damn.
Azarenka is in for a fight here.
give it to her Serena.
plzzzzzzzzzzz
Could this be a changing of the tide. Come on Serena, at least make her work for it.
my heart was pounding.
damn! sports is evil-ish sometimes :)
Serena's frozen Serena.
@start.
----
lets hope for a defreeze here.
Its not looking good
If Serena lets another squealing/shrieking BanSidhe build a Slam resume on her back, I may have to quit the sport.
Let's give Azarenka some credit here.
that is what you get from befriending these people on twitter - they start beating you - come on Serena, wake up, the match has started
Craig, me and you both. Me and you both
^
Serena's been pumelled.
unreal
23 winners, 23 errors. I .. am .. done. Rafa's match was more than enough for me.
I'm with you, Craig. This girl cannot hit harder than Serena yet she's blowing Rena off the court. Unbelievable.
she is beating Serena at her own game. Serena needs to find another level right now
This girl is really good. I did not expect Serena to be so defensive against someone else's power groundies.
bagel?
this is disastrous!
That is it going to find something else to watch on tv. Good night all
Azarenka seems to be finishing the match she started last January.
This is humiliating. She's toying with Serena.
Serena's finished. Bad body language. She knows she doesn't have a chance against this girl today.
I've been tuning in and out of the match, but based on the points that I've been seeing, Azarenka is kind of creaming Serena.. Am I just seeing the points where she looks good, or has she been playing like this the whole match?
I wonder if the waiting and that long doubles match has fatigued her in any way? Forget it, seriously .. going to bed.
Azarenka,
credit to her,
knows she mustnt blink,
to win here, and she hasnt blink.
I fucking dodd my heart
bagel?
You guys know what this means....Justine will now win the tournament. She is the only player with the belief and the mental fortitude even if she doesn't always have the game. :(
no bagel. That is some consolation. She has a smile on her face so I am assuming that may mean that she has resigned herself to losing this match. The hype machine for Azarenka is in full o/d mode now.
It seems that Serena isn't playing her best. Couple that with Azarenka playing well, and I guess you have this match. Azarenka needs to end this now though. As well as she's playing, if she lets Serena sniff blood, she'll be in for a long day. The next 2-3 games should tell us the story of the rest of the match, I think.
Azarenka must not blink.
And I will have to shoot her if she does.
she cannot!
Serena's not coming back.
Ah, here we go....
Craig, even if if Azarenka blinks?
craig,
never ever write my girlfriend out.
fucking never!
Craig,
she's serving.
she's staying.
And Azarenka's blinked once.
Call 999
I'd stay awake if i were u folks.
Craig's right: even year, quaterfinals -- the stars are aligned against her.
I wonder, was the limp a tactic?
Chris,
This is murderous war now.
all methods/tactics are holy :)
Victoria is about to blink twice.
Dial the doctor....someone?
Oh. Shit.
Craig.
I got my guns up. stay away.
Craig!
This is for you.
aim, cork, Krarahaka, Kaaaaaaabomb.
you foo0l. :)
Craig, you still around sweetie. You can come out from under the bed now. Even if she loses, you cannot say she went down without a fight.
Karen,
no.I got my gunz up to shoot him.
I'm going all in on the All-Chinese final at the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific we're gonna see on Saturday.
Craig,
You fucking hacked ?
Or I didnt miss my first shot then.
that must be a ghost craig, from the darkest parts of hell.
China what? Na Lie.
Serena's gonna come this far back and get tight?
It's time to start laughing.
Oh I see.
You v been pardoned,
Lazarus Craig. welcome back. :)
Oh I see.
Your sin's forgiven.Lazarus Craig.
welcome back. :)
Dap, there's no telling what I might type between now and the end of this nightmare.
she's dropping it. Come on Serena
If Serena wants to win this match, she needs to break serve right now.
I have no interest in sitting through a tiebreak.
Craig.
You are free to walk out of a tiebreak. Your ticket doesnt cover anyways :)
All Chinese final, Craig? That would be dope! But I don't see Jheng getting past Henin. Henin's too crafty.
My ESPN just went out - cannot believe it
thats sad karen,
Do you have tvants
Its on tvants://list.tvants.com/tvants/?k=87cd9e45dff13c38b4772c91d63a96bd
Serena Williams and Andy Roddick have parallel destinies in Melbourne relative to their careers.
2003, 5, 7, 9, Serena wins, Roddick makes the semis.
2004, 6, 8, 10.....?
Both will lose their last matches after clawing back from defeat only to revert to the shaky play that dug their holes in the first place.
oh well well.
whatever happens. I think we got 2 winners here today.
unreal
The limp was almost surely a tactic, and, if so, it surely worked.
have u guys noticed, that champions are most defined by the audacity to dare,
faced even with impending blowout ?
massive forehand there.
we have a match people. a match
Christopher, no ploy.
Serena's hurting. Same as Roddick yesterday.
But they always fight.
And I don't tend to give players much credit against Serena when's she's playing like this, but Azarenka gets some for refusing to have a meltdown when Serena fought back.
I have always respected Azarenka's game and thought that if any of the young ones were going to win a major she would be it, and she has not disappointed tonight. If you want the championship, you better take down the champion
no Karen she's gonna need a telex from heaven here.
she blinked. fucking 3x! and she should be fucking shot.
No meltdown? Granted, it could have been worse, and it is Serena, but she was up 4 - 0. If she can finish that off there is at least some part of a meltdown in there.
Told u not to go to bed yet. Fed and Kolya are playing chess out back.
One can never ever count out Serena. Never.
no guys. it takes too long to count.
count her out.
dont blink. to take her out.
do you guys watch european football?
Serena == ManchesterUnited of england.
They always score.
No, Christopher. Serena buckled in pain DURING a point. Who does that? The limp wasn't fake.
Is it just me or is Azarenka receiving coaching from her box
Christopher, Azarenka is a spoiled brat. When she blows leads, she breaks racquets, cusses, blasts balls into the stands, and every other outburst you could imagine.
She hasn't done that in this match at all. She's holding her emotions in check and I give her credit for that because they are the biggest reason she's never been to the final four of a Slam.
And Serena is fighting through pain. Period.
I'm fighting a losing battle here.
Craig.
she didnt look that hurt @ start.
Just taken out. Is it mental + phyiscal hurt combined then ?
I'm still not convinced it wasn't a tactic. I mean, Serena is a smart girl, and there is nothing that will throw off an opponent who has self-doubt than trying to close out against an injured opponent.
That graphic of all Serena's comebacks Down Under sums up with one shot why Serena is so great.
She doesn't come back from everything, but when she does, she does it like no other.
Yes, I'm sorry, but this is not a injured woman.
Not another blondie will make her name off me. You go girl. Fantastic
Christopher,
I dont know how ez it is to pull an injured tactic in a tennis - I dont play the game.
But, something is not quite totally right on Serena's feet.
I'm not going to argue with you Christopher. There's no point. I think I'm right, I think you're wrong, and that's that, so let's move on.
Christopher, whether she was injured or not, Azarenka had the match on her racquet and Serena shows why she is an 11 time grand slam champion and at the top of the women's game.
Craig, that graphic was just awesome
Okay Craig.
@b, yes 'renka's getting coached from her box. Illegal. And the booth is laughing about; and also having a chuckle about Henin getting hand signals from her coach. Disgusting. I've only ever seen one player get a warning from the chair for words coming from her box. Give you one guess as to who that player was?
Doubtless Karen. She is dismissing Azarenka like a fly. No one is capable of beating this Serena.
Azarenka is not feeling well. She looks like she is about to collapse
Hello!
Hello!!
Hello!!!
---------
Serena's pulled the mental cudgels back.
gotta give Azarenka a hat tho, some of the play she threw at Serena mid 2nd was simply irrational.
I mean, cantankerous!
problem is, she won it before she heard the whistle - deadliest mistake to do against sporting juggernauts...
Ok, so I lied. I didn't go to sleep. It's a slam, it's my girl ... of course I watched. I can say now that I'm happy I did. I wish she'd pull out of doubles to get a full day of recovery. One more game to go.
Come on Serena!!!
It's too tempting to say this is drama, or staged, or injury-assisted .... but this comeback is really one for the books.
I'm glad I watched it. I can go to bed w/o watching Fed today. What the hell.
for Tennis newbies.
only one lesson therein.
the Serve. learn it.
@lilac - i have no idea who you're referring to unless you mean sharapova getting a warning here 3 years ago
glad i wasn't the only one who noticed.... i saw it several times.... it's blatant
Serena.
serving for the match.
How long ago, I was mourning the very real idea of a bagel.
damn. Its not overrating.
serena == god. @planet Tennis that is.
Resplendent.
What a set and a half!
fucking double match point.
unReal.
Craig.
No. Lazarus Craig. see ?
You made me lose my faith in you.
Go. sin no more :)
WHOO HOO FANTASTIC EFFORT BY SERENA. OFF TO WATCH THE GOOD WIFE AND THE FEDMEISTER.
I'm gonna leave this thread open, but I've opened a new thread for the men's semifinals.
well that was an emphatic ending..... i guess at some point i'll read all the comments here to find out all that went wrong in the venus match - I saw the first set and beginning third of the second, dozed off, saw that it was in the 3rd set, saw the score and decided not to tune in..... thankfully..... How many times is Venus going to let this title slip away from her?
One important thing Craig is that Serena apparently wasn't very good at tennis when she was younger, whereas Venus, by all accounts, was a natural...... Thus one reason why serena developed an enormous fighting spirit and Venus didn't...
Dap, never have faith in the irreverent musings of a drunk tennis fanatic.
@b, It was Serena quit a few years ago. I don't remember the tourney. But Richard Williams was yelling stuff -- and the chair warned her. It wasn't really coaching and Serena said as much. But I have never seen the chair warn for coaching bfore or since.
Look at how her mind works:
I'm surprised, I didn't expect to win when I was down in the second set but at least I'm still in the doubles. I thought if I lost the singles and the doubles, I could catch a flight on Friday - it's not what a champion is supposed to think but I did
I just watched "Raising Tennis Aces: The Williams Story 2002"
I got a pretty clear picture of why Serena developed a huge fighting spirit and Venus to a lesser extent. And what I saw had nothing whatsoever to do with their talent.
Carlos Rodriquez has been warned for coaching in a match. Five or so years ago, Henin was playing Kuznetsova in one of the American events (I don't feel like looking it up), Sveta was leading in the second set after dropping the first (I think), Carlos reminded Henin to attack the net after almost every point, and finally the chair ump called him out.
I remember because I was stunned.
Henin went on to win the match.
It hasn't happened since.
If a match has ever turned around so suddenly, so extremely, I've never seen it.
Serena should thank me. I started watching the match at 64 40.
... and Serena is always "injured" now, always... So that is not an excuse anymore. That is her handicap. Like Venus having no consistency, Woz having no game, etc.
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