2011 U.S. Open Predictions

Women's Quarterfinals:

Li Na def. Svetlana Kuznetsova

Serena Williams def. Francesca Schiavone

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Maria Sharapova

Vera Zvonareva def. Marion Bartoli

Women's Semifinals:

Serena def. Li

Zvonarenva def. Radwanksa

Women's Final:

Serena def. Zvonareva

Men's Quarterfinals:

Tomas Berdych will go up a set and a break against Novak Djokovic before losing the second set in a tiebreaker and winning only one more game in the next two sets.

Roger Federer will play an ugly match and just barely manage to eke out a win against Mardy Fish in four sets.

Juan Martin Del Potro will lumber around between points like he has no energy, and Andy Murray will grab his back/leg/wrist/shoulder as if in terrible pain between points, but Murray will struggle through in five sets.

Rafael Nadal will have looked extremely vulnerable in his first four rounds, and many people will expect David Ferrer to take advantage of Nadal in his weakened state. Nadal will come out and win in three routine sets.

Men's Semifinals:

Federer will take the first set off of Djokovic and look like the better player for most of the second set but will play an awful game to lose his serve at the end of the set. He will win the third set in a tiebreaker and will seem to have the momentum early in the fourth, but Djokovic will break first and eventually win the fourth set. Federer will win only two games in the fifth set.

Unlike at Wimbledon, Murray will validate my prediction by upsetting Nadal in the semifinals. Four sets.

Men's Final:

Murray will win his first set in a Grand Slam final, but he unless Djokovic decides to complete the retirement Grand Slam, it won't be enough. Djokovic in four sets

Wimbledon 2011 Predictions

Let's get straight down to business:

Lasses' Quarterfinals:

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Maria Sharapova - Last week Wozniacki won an indoor hard court title in Copenhagen (don't ask me why there is an indoor hard court tournament between the French Open and Wimbledon). So clearly her confidence wasn't shaken too much after her rather embarrassing loss to Daniela Hantuchova at the French. Given that she doesn't have a particularly difficult draw to the quarters, I don't see another early upset (although another Slovakian, Dominika Cibulkova, could be a tricky opponent if she makes it to the fourth round). Sharapova, unfortunately, seems to have some of her confidence back, and I don't see her losing to anyone in her eighth of the draw.

Result: Sharapova def. Wozniacki in three sets.

Li Na vs. Marion Bartoli - Unlike Francesca Schiavone, who seemed to check out for several months after winning the French last year, I suspect Li will build on her success by making the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Her opponent in the quarters will either be Serena Williams or Marion Bartoli. Serena was on the cover of Tennis magazine this month, and I have to say that she looked astonishingly thin (however, my television painted a different picture--it's too bad for Serena that live TV can't be Photoshopped). Granted, Serena has won majors before while being light on practice and heavy on...well, just heavy. But I'm not feeling it this time. So I'll pick Bartoli, who herself is not exactly a stick figure but who proved just this past week that she's fit enough to win grass court tournaments.

Result: Bartoli def. Li in three sets.

Andrea Petkovic vs. Daniela Hantuchova - My brother has picked Andrea Petkovic to win the whole tournament. He tells me that she is his new favorite player because she is both "hot" and "quirky." I'm not sure that's enough to win a Grand Slam title, but maybe it's enough to get her to the quarterfinals (especially considering her draw). I'm picking Hantuchova as her opponent because she's been on a little bit of a roll recently, and because she deserves another chance at a deep run at a major.

Result: Hantuchova def. Petkovic in three sets (11-9 in the third because Hantuchova loves to make things interesting).

Petra Kvitova vs. Vera Zvonareva - I just read that Kvitova got to the semifinals of Wimbledon last year. I don't remember that at all. But I guess that's a good enough reason to project her in to the quarterfinals. Zvonareva seems to have lost a little bit of the mojo she had last year, but last week she did just get some revenge over Serena for last year's Wimbledon final, so that should boost her confidence somewhat. I'll pick her to make it to the quarterfinals in this section.

Result: Zvonareva def. Kvitova in three sets.

Lasses' Semifinals:

Sharapova v. Bartoli - Rolly Bartoli in two sets!

Hantuchova v. Zvonareva - Zvonareva in two sets!

Lasses' Final:

Bartoli def. Zvonareva in three sets.

Chaps' Quarterfinals:

Rafael Nadal vs. Tomas Berdych - Nadal. Ugh. He he's only lost twice before the quarterfinals since 2006. I don't expect him to add to that number. Berdych crashed out in the first round of the French Open this year and was upset by Philip Petzschner in Halle last week. But his draw to the quarterfinals looks do-able, so I'll pick him to get back to the second week of Wimbledon.

Result: Nadal def. Berdych in three routine sets.

Andy Murray vs. Gael Monfils - I'm looking forward to/dreading a potential Murray-Gasquet match in the fourth round which I expect Murray will win after being down two sets and two breaks in the third. Monfils could just as easily lose in the first round as get to the quarterfinals, but I'm picking him because I'm counting on him to beat Andy Roddick in the fourth round (I don't see anyone doing the job before then).

Result: Murray def. Monfils in four sets chock full of passive rallies, ill-advised drop shots, and unnecessary dives.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Roger Federer - Based on his performance at Queen's Club last week, I'll pick Tsonga to get to emerge from his section of the draw. Roger Federer, despite losing the French Open final, played about as well as I've seen him play since the World Tour Finals last year. So I don't see an early (relatively speaking) upset like we saw last year.

Result: Federer def. Tsonga in three sets.

Robin Soderling vs. Novak Djokovic - Soderling has been pretty good at living up to but not exceeding his seeding recently, and I expect him to continue that trend. It will be interesting to see if having his streak broken will have shaken Djokovic at all or if he'll just go back to serving up bagels to lesser players in early rounds. I'm afraid it will be the latter.

Result: Djokovic def. Soderling in three sets.

Chaps' Semifinals:

Murray def. Nadal in four sets (what?!)

Federer def. Djokovic in five sets

Chaps' Final:

Federer def. Murray in four sets!

FYI: In 2003, none of the tennis pundits picked Roger Federer to win Wimbledon, but Pete Sampras did. In 2011, none of the tennis pundits are picking Roger Federer to win Wimbledon, but Pete Sampras is. Go against Federer and Sampras at Wimbledon at your own risk!

2011 French Open Predictions

I care so little about the results of women's tennis these days that I barely watch at all anymore. And I care so much about the results of men's tennis that I can barely stand to watch anymore. I don't know which is worse.

With that enthusiastic introduction, here are my French Open picks:

Women's Quarterfinals:

Caroline Wozniacki v. Samantha Stosur - Little known fact: Caroline Wozniacki is the first player to obtain the number one ranking without ever having hit a winner. Wozniacki wins in two sets.

Vera Zvonareva v. Francesca Schiavone - Little known fact: Francesca Schiavone moonlights as a bodyguard for several male Spanish tennis players. Schiavone in three sets.

Li Na v. Victoria Azarenka - Little known fact: So that she can communicate with all of her opponents, Victoria Azarenka has learned how to swear in eight different languages, including International Sign Language. Azarenka in three sets.

Kim Clijsters v. Maria Sharapova - Little known fact: Kim Clijsters is a inveterate misanthrope, and her congenial attitude is all part of an elaborate inside joke that she will explain during the next appearance of Halley's comet. Clijsters in three sets.

Women's Semifinals:

Wozniacki v. Schiavone - Did you know...that Don King is still trying to set up a real fight between Wozniacki and a baby kangaroo? Wozniacki in three sets.

Azarenka v. Clijsters - Did you know...that Azarenka has a secret twitter account which she is using to post the entire text of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged 140 characters at a time? Azarenka by retirement.

Women's Finals:

Wozniacki def. Azarenka in straight sets.

Men's Quarterfinals:

Rafael Nadal def. Robin Soderling in four sets.

Andy Murray def. Jurgen Melzer in five sets.

Roger Federer def. David Ferrer in five sets.

Novak Djokovic def. Tomas Berdych in straight sets.

Men's Semifinals:

Nadal def. Murray in four sets.

Djokovic def. Federer in four sets.

Men's Finals:

Nadal def. Djokovic in five sets...

...unless, of course, everything that has happened in the last four months has been part of Roger Federer's master plan. Did he let Rafa and Nole duke it out in the finals of four Masters 1000s, knowing that they would wear each other out both physically and emotionally before the majors? Did he duck out in the quarters and semis of the Masters 1000s so that he could rest and prepare for the French Open and Wimbledon? Is Roger Federer really an ingenious mastermind?

Tune in in two weeks to find out!

Australian Open 2011 Predictions

Yes, I'm still alive. No, I'm not doing a very good job keeping this blog updated.

But I am making predictions for the Australian Open:

Sheilas:

Quaterfinals:

Yanina Wickmayer v. Justine Henin – Everybody’s favorite no-slam number one has a tricky first week ahead. If Gisella Dulko doesn’t beat her in the first round and Dominika Cibulkova doesn’t beat her (for a second time this year) in the third round, Wickmayer will get her the fourth round. As for Henin, one might have worried about a potential Svetlana Kuznetsova clash in the third round, but sadly Kuznetsova has not been any sort of factor since she won the French Open in 2009. And outside of that matchup, I don’t see anyone else who should prove an insurmountable challenge for JH.

Result: Henin def. Wickmayer in two sets

Maria Sharapova v. Li Na – Neither Sharapova nor Venus Williams have done anything recently that would make me think either has a chance to go deep in the tournament, but I have to pick one of them to make the quarters, so I’ll go with Sharapova. I should probably pick Victoria Azarenka make the quarterfinals, but since Li just won a tournament and was in the semifinals of the Australian Open last year, I’m going to take a chance and go with her.

Result: Li def. Sharapova in three sets (!)

Alisa Kleybanova v. Kim Clijsters – Kleybanova has some of the most bizarre, painful-to-watch strokes in the world, but they seem to work for her. And since her biggest competition in this quarter might be someone who says that spending money is her motivation to play tennis (Jelena Jankovic) and a quadragenarian (Kimiko Date Krumm), I suppose I’ll pick her to make the quarterfinals. Kim Clijsters is good (did you see her trading forehands with Nadal yesterday? Maybe she should be the one playing Nadal in all of these exhibition matches). So unless she has a walkabout (like she did last year against Nadia Petrova), I don’t see her having any trouble getting to the quarterfinals.

Result: Clijsters def. Kleybanova in straight sets.

Samantha Stosur v. Vera Zvonareva – I don’t feel like justifying my picks in this quarter.

Result: Zvonareva def. Stosur in three sets.

Semifinals:

Henin v. Li – Henin wins in straight sets.

Clijsters v. Zvonareva – Clijsters wins in straight sets.

Final:

Clijsters v. Henin – Clijsters wins in three sets (tiebreaker in the third!)

Blokes:

Quarterfinals:

Rafael Nadal v. David Ferrer – Nadal. Ugh. Ferrer will already be dead tired by the time he takes on his countryman, because he’ll have a five set match against Hewitt or Nalbandian in the third round and will play at least four sets against Youzhny in the fourth round.

Result: Nadal def. Ferrer in straight sets

Robin Soderling v. Andy Murray – Soderling has only won two matches in Melbourne, but that will change this year. His fourth round match against Tsonga could be tough…or Tsonga could get injured. Either way, I’ll pick Soderling. Murray doesn’t have anyone in his way who he shouldn’t be able to handle.

Result: Murray def. Soderling in four sets

Nikolay Davydenko v. Novak Djokovic – Davydenko started off the year with a win over Nadal on his way to the final of Doha. Nadal said he had the flu, which I would be perfectly inclined to believe…except that he went out and won the doubles final a few hours later. Anyway, I’m picking Davydenko to get through to the quarterfinal to face Djokovic, who has a pretty easy draw to this point

Result: Davydenko def. Djokovic in five sets (!)

Gael Monfils v. Roger Federer – Any one of Monfils, Stanislas Wawrinka, or Andy Roddick could make the quarterfinals in this section. But I refuse to pick Roddick for purely personal reasons. So it comes down to a touch choice between Wawrinka and Monfils, but I’ll pick Monfils. And Federer shouldn’t have too much trouble getting to the quarterfinals (Simon scare in the second round? Nah).

Result: Federer def. Monfils in straight sets (Monfils dives at least four times)

Semifinals:

Nadal v. Murray – Nadal. Ugh.

Davydenko v. Federer – Federer wins in three.

Final:

Nadal v. Federer – Federer in five sets (!)

G’fortnight, mates.

2010 U.S Open Days 2, 3, 4, and 5: Better Late Than Never

Day 2:

Other than the disappointing upset of Marcos Baghdatis, who probably over-played in the weeks leading up to the U.S. Open, and the close escape of Novak Djokovic, Day 2 at the U.S. Open was fairly uneventful. So we’ll move on…

Day 3:

The day started out with Victoria Azarenka wobbling around the Grandstand court during her second round match against Gisella Dulko. I had been rooting for Dulko to win the match, so naturally I was delighted to see Dulko take a commanding lead in the first set. However, when Azarenka collapsed to the ground and didn’t get up, I began to entertain the possibility that perhaps Azarenka was not feeling her best. My suspicion was confirmed when the tournament doctors wheeled her off the court in a near unconscious state.

At this point, despite my dislike of her game, I did become concerned for her health. I suppose most human beings would have a similar reaction—though not all. For example, had Vika been playing Maria Sharapova when she fainted, I imagine Maria would simply have turned her back and done some shuffle steps to keep her footwork sharp. But being a more compassionate soul, I kept an ear open for any updates on her condition. Originally, the TV commentators speculated that she was struggling with the heat. But as more news came in throughout the day, they were able to inform worried viewers that, fortunately, it was NOT heat related illness that had taken Azarenka down—it was just a concussion. Of course, that news put my mind at ease.

So I shifted my focus to sending positive vibes to Janko Tipsarevic for his night match against Andy Roddick. It must have taken a while for this energy to travel the 500 miles to New York, since Tipsarevic didn’t seem to have it in the first set. But sure enough, by the second set he was playing exactly how I had hoped he would: smacking winners right and left off of Roddick’s passive ground strokes. Still, I was a little puzzled by what I was seeing from Roddick. After going down a break in the third set, he was uncharacteristically composed. But just as I was wondering aloud when he would start berating the umpire for some minor infraction, Mount Roddick erupted. A few points about the “My Right Foot” incident (which, by the way, might make a good title for a Roddick biopic):

1. Since it is impossible (as Roddick made sure to tell the lineswoman) for him to foot fault with his right foot, why did he even need to ask the lineswoman which of his feet crossed the line? Perhaps because he wanted to find any excuse to start abusing an official?
2. Although Roddick did not pull a Serena and threaten the lineswoman with physical violence, he was intent on humiliating her in front of thousands of people. He should have gotten a warning. To me, Roddick seems like the guy in high school who bullies the kids he knows won’t fight back. No one really thinks he’s cool or funny, but they (reporters, officials, etc.) are too afraid to stand up to him for fear they’ll get harassed too. Take Jon Wertheim’s response to Roddick’s tantrum. I don’t know how many times he’s written something like “Roddick’s behavior was really poor, but let’s forgive him because he’s such a great guy!” But maybe one of these days maybe he’ll start to realize that routinely mistreating one’s coworkers with is not a characteristic of a great guy.
3. Even if the officials aren’t going to warn Roddick for unsportsmanlike conduct, they should at least recognize that his tirades are disruptive to his opponents and often constitute time violations.

But in the end, justice was prevailed. Roddick deserved to lose early in the tournament not only because he’s a petulant brat, but because he’s a pusher from the baseline. Of course, he's known for having amusing press conferences, and I’ll admit I did get a laugh out of this statement:

“On my little cheat sheet that Larry and I put together, I wanted to keep my unforced errors down, which I did. You know, he's going to take big swings and pot shots at the ball. I wanted to make him do that from stretch positions, maybe on the move; I did that. I wanted to get a very high percentage of returns in play; I did that.”

So basically you were hoping that he would beat himself? Well congratulations, Andy. You successfully executed a losing game plan.

And to send Roddick off, I thought I’d revive a classic ad campaign from five years ago, with a minor adjustment given current events:

Day 4:

When Richard Gasquet won the first two sets against Nikolay Davydenko, my immediate thought was that it was a perfect opportunity for Gasquet to complete the Lose-After-Being-Up-Two-Set-to-None career Grand Slam. But the nice thing about having the lowest possible expectations for a player is that you can only be pleasantly surprised when he wins. And next round when he loses to Kevin Anderson, I won’t feel let down in the least!

Day 5:

Friday went about as predictably as it possibly could have…except for Venus Williams’ outfit. I don’t think anyone foresaw that number. To think I used to think Venus Williams was the more conservative sister. I'd post a picture, but still photos just won't do it justice.



And that’s all I got for now.

2010 U.S Open Day 1: Why We Still Love Federer

It hasn't been an easy year for Federer Fans. Over the past seven seasons, they've grown accustomed to seeing Federer win pretty much everything. More importantly, they've gotten used to seeing him do it in the most spectacular fashion: hitting winners from every corner of the court, pulling off shots that seem to defy the laws of nature. But recently these moments of magic have become more and more infrequent, as Federer has been allowing bigger players like Del Potro, Soderling, and Berdych to assume the role of aggressor in their matches. Certain Federer Fans have responded to this decline in form by threatening to tear down their shrines to Roger and switch allegiance to likes of Davydenko or Wawrinka.

But they never will. Even if Federer isn't quite as good as he was four years ago, there's still no one on tour who can replace him. And Federer Fans were reminded of this on Monday night. If you weren't watching his first round match against Brian Dabul (and shame on you if that's the case), have a look-see at the highlight on the night.

Not many players could pull off the shot, period (Federer has now made it twice in his last three matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium). But how many of them would have reacted the way Federer did: with an irrepressible grin on his face? Federer and Nadal both love to win. But whereas Nadal seems equally content to win a match off of his opponent's errors as he does to win by virtue of his own great shots, clearly Federer prefers to triumph in style.

No doubt Roger went home last night and watched his 'tweener a few times before he turned in for the night. That's because he's isn't just a great player, he's a tennis fan. And he loves making those jaw-dropping shots just as much as we love watching them. That makes him unique among the best players of all time.

So no, I guess I won't be tearing down my Federer shrine and putting up posters of Nikolay Davydenko any time soon. Besides, do they even make Nikolay Davydenko posters?

2010 U.S. Open Predictions

It may have been a while since I last checked in at Passing Shots, but that’s only because I’m lazy and because I found Wimbledon to be totally uninspiring. I have, however, continued to follow the summer hard court results steadfastly, and I have high hopes for an exciting U.S. Open. In fact, it’s already off to a good start: we’re guaranteed not to have Serena Williams as the champion. Of course, we won’t see Justine Henin or Juan Martin Del Potro there either. But life’s a compromise.

Anyways, without further ado, I present my 2010 U.S. Open Predictions:

Gals’ Quarterfinals:
First Quarter
I thought one of the perks of being the top seed was getting a favorable draw. If that’s the case, Caroline Wozniacki should complain to the tournament director. She’ll definitely have a challenge against Maria Sharapova in the fourth round, but I’m siding with Wozniacki to win that match because (1) she should have loads of confidence after winning three tournaments this summer, (2) Sharapova, despite being a point away from taking the title in Cincinnati, still isn’t at her best, and (3) I’m trying out the wishful-thinking approach to my predictions.

I would also wish for Kuznetsova to make the quarterfinals. Ta-da! She’s the other quarterfinalist in this section!

Result: Kuzy def.Wozy in three sets.

Second Quarter
Jelena Jankovic is seeded to make the quarterfinals in this section, but her 2-4 record since Wimbledon doesn’t inspire much confidence. So we’ll go with last year’s semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer.

It’s a tough choice between Agnieszka Radwanska, Nadia Petrova, and Vera Zvonareva for the other quarterfinalist in this section, but I’ll give Zvonareva the edge based on her success at the last Grand Slam tournament.

Result: Zvonareva def. Wickmayer in two sets.

Third Quarter
There’s not much standing between Victoria Azarenka and the quarterfinals (maybe Pavlyuchenkova? Probably not). But who knows what’s going on with Venus Williams these days. We haven’t seen her since she lost to Tsvetana Pirnonkova at Wimbledon…and guess who she could play in the third round here. Should she survive her Bulgarian nemesis this time, I suppose she’ll probably win her fourth round match to make the quarterfinals.

Result: Azarenka def. Venus in straight sets.

Fourth Quarter
Elena Dementieva is back in business, and she should be happy with her draw. Kim Clijsters should also be happy with her draw, but of course, why shouldn’t she be? She made it.

Result: Clijsters def. Dementieva in a back and forth three set match.
(By the way, if you’d like to see some emotional collapses, this is the quarter for you. Between Hantuchova, Ivanovic, and Safina, there are sure to be some spectacular meltdowns)

Gals’ Semifinals:
Kuznetsova def. Zvonareva in three sets.

Clijsters def. Azarenka in three sets.

Gals’ Finals:
Clijsters def. Kuznetsova in three sets.


Dudes’ Quarterfinals:
First Quarter
If I were Nadal, I wouldn’t be particularly please with my draw. Gabashvili (his first round) could be a little tricky, Istomin (second round) has been playing well recently, Kohlschreiber (third round) came close to beating Nadal in Toronto, and Ljubicic (fourth round) did beat Nadal in Indian Wells this spring. Should he make it through these rounds (he will), he could be a little worn out in the second week.

His quarterfinal opponent will be Ferrer, Gulbis, or Nalbandian. I’m a little hesitant about picking Nalbandian, as the Slams don’t seem to be a high priority for him anymore, but I’ll take the risk.

Result: Nadal def. Nalbandian in four sets.

Second Quarter
Now that Murray has dumped Miles Maclagan and is getting tennis advice from his mom (that’s dangerous territory—I know from experience), he seems to have gotten his game back together. He should have no trouble getting to the quarterfinals, where he’ll most likely meet Tomas Berdych.

Result: Murray def. Berdych in four sets.

Third Quarter
This could be an interesting quarterfinal if Davydenko, Monfils, Baghdatis, and Fish play well. If they don’t, it could be a really, really boring quarterfinal with Djokovic hobbling around the court while Roddick embarrasses him yet again.

Result: Baghdatis def. Davydenko (wishful thinking picks) in five sets.

Fourth Quarter
Federer has been playing betterer this summer, and he should be looking forward to avenging his loss to Soderling in the French Open quarterfinals.

Result: Federer def. Soderling in four sets.

Dudes’ Semifinals:
Murray def. Nadal in four sets

Federer def. Baghdatis in four sets.

Dudes’ Final:
Federer def. Murray in four sets.

Wimbledon 2010: Week 1 Recap

The most notable first round match at Wimbledon was an encounter between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. But despite what you might have heard, there was other tennis going on as well. I'll recap the Isner-Mahut match, but because it was so long, I'll take a few breaks to fill you in on the other action at Wimbledon in the first week.

As is the case with most Isner matches, the result of the match was always going to be dependent on who could get the rare break of serve. Isner succeed at this in the first set, but Mahut managed the elusive break in the second…

Roger Federer, who made his 2010 Wimbledon debut sans blazer or gold patent leather bag, apparently decided he hadn’t played enough suspenseful five set matches at Wimbledon in the last three years. After going down two sets to Alejandro Falla, Federer was mere points away from losing it in both the third and fourth sets. Not until Roger got a double break in the fifth set did Federer fans breathe a sigh of relief. But they were back on edge when they remembered it was only the first round.

…Neither Isner nor Mahut could figure out what they did to break each other in the first and second sets, so the third and fourth sets went to tiebreakers, which were also split between the two of them before the match was suspended due to darkness…

Novak Djokovic had a struggle in the first round against Olivier Rochus. Rochus has had some of his best results on grass, probably because, as the shortest player on tour, low bounces are no problem for him. Rochus got the two-sets-to-one lead, but Djokovic regrouped and took the fourth and fifth.

…Isner and Mahut continued the next day where they left off—trading service holds. They got to 6-6, but there is no tiebreaker in the fifth set of Wimbledon, so they played on…

Despite some shaky performances from a few of the top players, the first round matches ended (except Isner-Mahut) without too many upsets. The most notable (but not terribly surprising) upsets included French Open finalists Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur, slumping Marin Cilic, and burned-out Fernando Verdasco.

...At 10-all in the fifth set, it was getting to be a long match. John Isner is great at serving, but even with his near seven-foot wingspan, his return game is severely lacking. Mahut returns a little better than Isner, but his serve isn’t quite as good. With such discrepancy between serves and returns, people were starting to realize this match could go on for a while…

Federer did little to prove that his first round near-disaster wasn’t a fluke. I didn’t get to see much of this match, since a certain lengthy contest on Court 12 was dominating ESPN2’s coverage, but I imagine it was another case of Federer’s opponent going for broke, and Federer getting annoyed that he wasn't getting any rhythm.

…At 25-24, the Isner-Mahut match became the longest match ever in terms of games played…

The Queen popped in at Andy Murray’s second round match to put even more pressure on the guy. As much as excited as they get about the prospect of a local champion, the British secretly don’t want Murray to win Wimbledon. Why? Because if a Brit ever actually managed to win Wimbledon, they would have nothing left to complain about. And then what would they do with their time?

…At 32-31, the Isner-Mahut match became the longest in terms of time on court…

While the likes of Federer, Djokovic, Roddick, and the Williams sisters were lunching with royalty, Rafael Nadal politely declined the invitation. Not even the Queen of England is allowed to disrupt Rafa’s routine. And it’s probably a good thing that he skipped out on the meeting, since he needed to focus all his efforts on beating Robin Haase in five sets.

…36-35: Mahut was serving to get to 36-36 all and—surprise!---he held…

After the second round finished, another handful of seeds were gone. They included a bunch of Russians (Nikolay Davydenko, Mikhail Youzhny, and Svetlana Kuznetsova), and my quarterfinal pick Aravane Rezai.

…Another one for the record books: the first time in tennis history that 40-40 did not mean “deuce”…

While things finally got easier for Federer in the third round (Arnaud Clement was just the kind of non-threatening opponent he needed), life got even tougher for Nadal. Philipp Petzschner (who, by the way, has way too many consecutive consonants in his name) pushed Nadal into another fifth set. During the match, a trainer came out to look at both Nadal’s elbow and knee, which has to be a very bad sign. Then again, if anyone can win Wimbledon on crutches and in a cast, it’s Nadal.

…Mahut was seen by the trainer at 58-57. Now that’s impressive. Novak Djokovic would have called for an ambulance by 14-all…

While many of the top “gentlemen” have struggled, one man has been totally untroubled through the first three rounds: Robin Soderling. Not only has he not lost a set, Soderling has only faced five break points (and saved them all). He’s making me feel a little better about my moment of madness when I picked him to win the tournament.

…At 9:10pm (59-all) Mahut realized that his favorite TV show was about to start, so he insisted that the match be suspended again. Isner doesn’t watch anything on Wednesday nights, so he wanted to continue. Mahut won the argument…

The only real upset in the third round was Victoria Azarenka’s (whom I picked to make the semifinals) meltdown against Petra Kvitova. But the most anticipated fourth round matches are still on: Serena vs. Sharapova, Clijsters vs. Henin, and Djokovic vs. Hewitt. Should be interesting.

…The Isner-Mahut match started up again on Thursday, and after only twenty more games, it was over. John Isner prevailed 70-68.

It started out a match between two mediocre players who couldn’t break each other’s serves. Then it became a record-breaking epic. And at some point it went back to being a match between two players who were spectacularly bad a breaking serve (although I’ll admit they deserve some credit for hanging in for so long both physically and mentally—no doubt many other players would have quit by hour eight).

But what was it all for? The next day Isner had no energy left, and Thiemo De Bakker did in the first five minutes what Nicolas Mahut couldn’t do in eight hours: break Isner's serve.

Will a match like this ever happen again? John Isner says never. The commentators say never. But as long as there are guys like Isner who have huge serves and terrible returns, a match like this could happen. Let’s just hope it never does again.

Wimbledon 2010 Predictions

Since no one is playing especially well right now, making picks this year has been a challenge. At one point I thought of basing my predictions on how well the players’ World Cup teams are doing. But I’m not so sure I believe Gisella Dulko and Robin Haase will go deep in the tournament. And I definitely don’t see another Switzerland over Spain victory happening at this point. So I just made my picks the old-fashioned way: with a little help from the internet and a Magic Eight Ball.

Ladies' Singles
1st Quarter
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both ended up in the top eighth of the draw, which happily means that one of them won’t make the quarterfinals. And since Serena has lost before the quarterfinals only twice in ten appearances at Wimbledon, it’s safe to predict she’ll be the one who progresses.

Her opponent could be Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska, or Li Na. Kuznetsova has been to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon three times but hasn’t made it to a quarterfinal of any tournament this year, so I’m not putting any money on her making the second week. Radwanska was in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon the last two years and lost to a Williams sister both times. Li was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2006 and beat Maria Sharapova in the final of Birmingham last week. I’m giving Radwanska the edge because she has the advantage in the head-to-head against Li (including winning two grass court matches last year).

Quarterfinal 1 result: Serena Williams beats Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets.

2nd Quarter
This quarter includes Zheng Jie, Caroline Wozniacki, and Victoria Azarenka. Zheng is a former Wimbledon semifinalist, but her results have been mostly disappointing since the Australian Open earlier in the year. Wozniacki proved that she could play on grass when she won Eastbourne last year, but as defending champion, she lost first round this year. Azarenka, who struggled during the clay season, regained some form by making the Eastbourne final this week. Based on current form, I have to pick Azarenka to make it through to the quarterfinals.

Azarenka could face Samantha Stosur or Aravane Rezai next. What kind of Australian is Stosur that she can make the French Open final but has such a mediocre record on grass? Rezai got to the semifinals of Birmingham last week and then took out Wozniacki in Eastbourne this week. I expect that Rezai to progress through this one.

Quarterfinal 2 result: Victoria Azarenka beats Aravane Rezai in three ball-bashing sets.

3rd Quarter
Justine Henin should be a little happier with her Wimbledon draw than her French Open one, but not too much. She could play Nadia Petrova, a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, in the third round and Kim Clijsters, who has been to the semifinals of Wimbledon twice but is just coming back from the injury that kept her out of the French Open, in the fourth round. But of course Henin herself has been in the Wimbledon final twice and the semis three other times and is coming off a victory in ‘s-Hertogenbosch this week. I suspect Henin will fight her way into the quarterfinals this time.

The other quarterfinalist in this section will most likely be one of Yanina Wickmayer, Vera Zvonareva, or Jelena Jankovic. Wickmayer has had good results on grass outside of Wimbledon, but has never won a match at the All-England Club. Similarly, Zvonareva won a grass-court tournament in 2006, but hasn’t had great results at Wimbledon. Jankovic has never gotten past the fourth round at Wimbledon, but since she seems to be the most in-form of these players at the moment, I’ll pick her.

Quarterfinal 3 result: Justine Henin continues her unbeaten streak against Jankovic in straight sets.

4th Quarter
Francesca Schiavone is seeded to make the quarterfinals here, but I'm guessing she’s still celebrating her out-of-nowhere French Open win. I expect former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli to take advantage of her relatively open draw…until she meets up with five-time champion Venus Williams again.

Quarterfinal 4 result: Venus Williams over Marion Bartoli in two sets.

Semifinals
Serena def. Azarenka in three sets. Make sure you have your earplugs handy.

Venus def. Henin in two sets. I don’t think Justine is playing as well in her “second career” as she did in her first. Guts alone won’t get it done against Venus on grass.

Final
Serena def. Venus in who cares. Another all Williams final? Yawn.


Gentlemen's Singles
1st Quarter
From 2004 to 2006, Roger Federer was practically invincible. Between 2007 and 2009, he started to lose more matches in non-Slam events, but was still a near-permanent fixture in major finals. Now that he has lost before a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in six years, I’m beginning to wonder whether that will become his new trend. It’s even more concerning that he’s now losing to guys he used to completely dominate (like Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Soderling, and Lleyton Hewitt). But despite his recent struggles, I guess we still need to give him the benefit of the doubt at Wimbledon. He'll make the second week.

Federer’s quarter isn’t that difficult. He’s seeded to meet Davydenko in the quarterfinals, but Davydenko’s results at Wimbledon resemble Roddick’s at the French Open. More likely, the player to emerge from this group will be Tomas Berdych.

Quarterfinal 1 result: Federer wins the first set but forgets how to hit a forehand midway through the second set and loses to Berdych in four.

2nd Quarter
Novak Djokovic’s first opponent is Olivier Rochus, who beat him in the first round of Miami this year. Djokovic may get revenge in this match, but based on his mediocre results this year, including an early loss at the warm-up event in London, I’m picking the 2010 Halle champion Lleyton Hewitt to emerge in the quarterfinals from this section.

Andy Roddick doesn’t have the easiest path to the quarterfinals: he could face Eastbourne champion Michael Llodra in the second round, and Philipp Kohlschreiber and Marin Cilic (both of whom have beaten in majors before) in the third and fourth round respectively. As much as I’d like to think that Roddick’s surprise loss to Dudi Sela in London last week is a sign of how well he’ll do at Wimbledon, I suspect Roddick will recover to make the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal 2 result: Lleyton Hewitt upsets Andy Roddick in four sets.

3rd Quarter
Fernando Verdasco and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will probably vie for a quarterfinal spot in this section. Verdasco has been to the fourth round of Wimbledon in three of the last four years. Tsonga has only played Wimbledon twice, but as long as he stays healthy, I see no reason why his game shouldn’t translate well onto grass. So I’ll pick Tsonga to advance to his first Wimbledon quarterfinal here.

Andy Murray still hasn’t seemed to recover from his Australian Open loss, but if he’s going to get his confidence back, it should be here in front of his home crowd. He may have to be wary of London winner Sam Querrey as a potential fourth round opponent. Querrey, however, isn't guaranteed to make it that far since he hasn’t won a match at a Grand Slam this year and plays ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion Sergiy Stakhovsky in the first round. So I’ll go with Murray to make the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal 3 result: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeats Andy Murray in a dramatic five set match.

4th Quarter
I suspect Robin Soderling will be looking forward to a grass court rematch against Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Soderling should be able to make it to that round without too much trouble, although I could see Marcos Baghdatis, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, taking a set off of him in the fourth round.

Rafael Nadal’s draw appeared to be the toughest of the top seeds when it first came out, but with the late withdrawal of Ernests Gulbis, who could have been Nadal’s third round opponent, it has gotten a little easier. Nadal will still probably have to contend with the monsters serves from John Isner in the fourth round, but he’ll find a way to win that one and make the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal 4 result: Robin Soderling overpowers Nadal in four sets.

Semifinals
Tomas Berdych def. Lleyton Hewitt in four sets.

Robin Soderling def. Jo Wilfried-Tsonga in four sets.

Final
Robin Soderling def. Tomas Berdych in three sets.



How’s that for some bold predictions?

French Open Final Thoughts

More proof that life isn’t fair: Sam Stosur did all the hard work during the French Open (by beating Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Jankovic in consecutive matches), and Francesca Schiavone reaped the reward.

In her post-match interview, Stosur credited Schiavone with playing a great match (which is the truth), and claimed that she herself wasn’t especially effected by the big occasion (which is a lie). I don’t care how well Schiavone was playing, if Stosur had served and hit her forehand the way she had in her three previous matches, she would have won the title. But she played somewhat tentatively from the baseline, was out-aced by Schiavone, and, for someone so accomplished in doubles, seemed surprisingly uncomfortable coming forward. I can only attribute her disappointing performance to nerves.

For Schiavone’s part, she had poor record in finals (3-10) coming into the match, but she took advantage of this golden opportunity. I can’t imagine she’ll ever have another chance at winning a major…

…and now that I’ve said that, she’ll probably win Wimbledon.


As for the men’s final, it went as expected. I don’t know that there was much Robin Soderling could have done to beat Rafael Nadal. No matter how big Soderling hit the ball, it always seemed to come back. After Soderling let a couple of chances to break Nadal in the second set slip away, it was pretty clear he was already mentally boarding a flight out of Paris.

I really do like awkwardly polite off-court Rafael Nadal, but he’s a whole different animal as soon as he gets on court. It’s nearly as exhausting watching him muscle his forehand cross-court as it must be facing that shot. Okay, not really. But you get what I’m saying. It’s not fun watching Nadal frustrate his opponents to death.


That concludeth my thoughts on the weirdest French Open since 2004. But check back soon. The change of surface can be tricky, so I’m already practicing for grass court blogging.