|
|
Post by falafaclese on Jan 14, 2011 1:40:34 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by harry24 on Jan 14, 2011 5:02:32 GMT
Thanks, fala! I was just wondering about this. Boy, the quarter with Murray and Soderling looks brutal. Either one of those two would also make a rough semi for Rafa. The bottom looks much easier for Roger.
Now, I'm off to take a look at the ladies.
ETA: DAMN!!! So bummed to see Dinara have to face Kim in the first round.
|
|
lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
|
Post by lt on Jan 14, 2011 14:03:59 GMT
Thanks falafaclese. I agree that Roger has a bit of an easier time for his first few rounds but then, boy, men's field is really competitive, huh? Bunch of good names floating all over the place.
I haven't looked at the women's side yet and I don't want to because I don't want to see Dinara's name next to Kim's right off the bat.
|
|
|
|
Post by falafaclese on Jan 14, 2011 16:01:00 GMT
Yeah, that was a real bummer. I hope that she's at least able to make it a fight, and who knows what could happen? I've been following Dinara since she decided to come back to twitter, and she has seemed very positive and ready to try to grind her way back, so I really hope she's able to do it, if not here, then soon. She posted a message on her blog too, which gives an interesting summary of her struggles over the past year or so, including some background stuff about her split from her team. You can read it here if you're interested. Venus and Sharapova are in the same small section. Petkovic is in there too. That could be interesting. I agree that Fed has a tough section. He's got Roddick, Mardy Fish (Guess what? After Fed and Rafa he has the best record against top ten players on the tour over the past 52 weeks. I was surprised too), and Monfils. First round matches I'm looking forward to: Wozniacki/Dulko- Woz did not do well in Hong Kong, and on a good day, Gisela can be trouble Wickmayer/Groth- Wicky has been playing well, and Groth beat Stosur last week Nalbandian/Hewitt Nishikori/Fognini I'm a little concerned about Venus' first match against Errani. On paper, Venus should beat her no problem, but they've never played before, Venus didn't have good results in Hong Kong, she's coming off a long layoff, and Sara can be crafty. BTW, I read something somewhere where Venus said she's promising "more skin" this year with her on-court outfits. I'm a little nervous. |
|
|
|
Post by Jer2002 on Jan 14, 2011 16:54:25 GMT
Nole and Viktor may have to go through each other again in the 3rd round? Oh gosh, their US Open match was so weird with the heat and all so we might get something like that again.
|
|
lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
|
Post by lt on Jan 14, 2011 17:00:31 GMT
From Dinara's blog:
Damn, I love that girl. What a sweetie--and probably a good idea to write out her awful 2010 like that. Write, acknowledge just how bad it was, get it out of her system and move on. Now I'm even more unhappy that she's meeting Kim in the first round. . .
Yeah, and the winner there has a clear path for the next couple of rounds--well, as clear as a men's draw can be. Heat? Edge to Troicki. Skill? Edge to Djokovic. Hmmm, that's another match I'm going to have to think about before choosing.
Venus with more skin? Oy. Even all this time later I think her outfits of 2010 were pretty awful. She's just not Mallory Keaton in the design department (sorry, old Family Ties episode last night had Mallory designing some "brilliant" outfits--well, as brilliant as an outfit in the mid-80s could be).
|
|
|
|
Post by Jer2002 on Jan 14, 2011 17:17:34 GMT
OMG I loved that episode! She worked for the top fashion designer in Ohio y'all!
|
|
lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
|
Post by lt on Jan 14, 2011 17:30:32 GMT
I'm going to derail this thread for a minute--Jer2002, it was a different episode. This one is where Steven's station was offering a $2,500 scholarship to the college-aged child of an employee and Mallory did a whole "woman in the workplace" thing. She won, but only because Alex withdrew himself when he found out he had won but Mallory had come in 2nd. But now I really want to see where she works for the top fashion designer in Ohio because, well, I don't think an explanation is necessary. That's just gold.
The Hub is the next best station to TTC. Only problem is, I've been watching so much Hub that I haven't been keeping up with my Aussie warm up tournaments so I'm going into the draw really cold. At least that is the argument I'm going to use when I suck it up so badly.
|
|
|
|
Post by falafaclese on Jan 14, 2011 18:11:30 GMT
the top fashion designer in Ohio No offense to Ohioans, but there's something very wrong with that phrase. Also, you're both very very old. Just kidding, it sounds like we may be about the same age, but I was never a big Family Ties fan. Venus' US Open sausage dresses were awful. I've come to terms with that, although somehow Venus manages to get away with it every time. |
|
|
|
Post by breezybee on Jan 14, 2011 18:57:27 GMT
|
|
lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
|
Post by lt on Jan 14, 2011 19:18:24 GMT
No! Breezy, thank you! I'm off to read now.
eta: *sniff* Like I didn't love him enough before. . . Forgetting all the "Max is a spectacular guy" stuff, this was my favorite:
Hee, my all-time two biggest tennis crushes fighting it out. Would have loved to have been there.
I learned a lot from that article. I didn't know Max came to Brooklyn to be a hitting partner. I had always assumed he was the player that they wanted to come to the US. And I certainly did not know that the conditions in Brooklyn were so bad for him. I thought he came here to live with relatives to get better tennis training than he could get in Belarus. Boy, was I wrong. And I didn't know that Max's dad approached Richard Williams to have Max and Serena play mixed doubles. That conversation sure changed Max's life.
|
|
|
|
Post by harry24 on Jan 15, 2011 0:02:05 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by roseha on Jan 15, 2011 4:20:07 GMT
Hi everyone,
fala, thanks for the link to Dinara's blog & twitter. She is just so charming. I wish we could all just will her to a GS victory but it may happen yet on its own.
Looking forward to the AO. I still have last year's men's final on my DVR but will have to move it to DVD this weekend to free up some more room. Tennis season beginning!
|
|
|
|
Post by harry24 on Jan 15, 2011 6:40:31 GMT
Thanks for reminding me, roseha. I have to do the same thing. :-) (Roseha and Harry both wuv Roger.)
|
|
|
|
Post by roseha on Jan 15, 2011 19:41:16 GMT
Heh, you are welcome Harry - I actually tried to record it last week but my DVD ran out - the match is longer than 2-1/2 hours so will have to record at 4 hour speed.
Just a note: I've found the best way to check the length of a GS final is to google "live blog" of the final. Reuters had it ending just short of 3 hrs.
|
|
