Tennis Thread - Grand Slams & The Tour

Exactly the right time to play HH.
It's very hard for a player to have two consecutive good weeks on the ATP Tour,especially with a switch in temperatures and surfaces,notably anything to clay.
DE has just the sort of game to confuse most of the tour. He volleys for one and mixes things up nicely.

 

Tsitsi through in straight over Garin.
Dan Dan the clay court man imperious in the first three games against Djokovic.

 

Good on clay? How very un-British.

 

Don't say that to Shirley Brasher or Sue Barker!

 

Tsitsi through after Davidovich Fokina who sounds like an abusive aftershave,retires.
Evans a break up against Goffin who is still trying to find his game.
Nadal who has lost about one and a half games so far will surely expect a test against the Bling King Rublev.

 

Dismal umpiring in the Evans v Goffin match.
He's had two decisions to make and one he's missed,a double fault that would have given Evans a break in the third set.
The other he chose the wrong mark when Evans had served an ace.
Where do they get them from?

 

There will be a new champion in Monte.
The Bling King defeats Rafa.
Ruud beats Fognini.
A slight changing of the guard or a blip?
Probably the latter.
Rafa will be ready for RG you'd expect.

 

Heart says Tsitsi.
Head says Rublev.
Rublev got a little wobbly in the second set but Ruud played a poor game to hand the second break back.

 

One thing is for certain I'll be in a terrible mood if Rublev wins!
All that and a three hour meeting Monday morning on a tutoring project that seems to be going backwards faster than a politically incorrect joke about something or other!

 

Impressive from Tsitsi to win 3&3 against Rublev.
Very controlled,great length and using the width of the court to draw Rublev out of his hit zone.
Hopefully he will take great confidence from this his first Masters 1000 title.
First match for me today since December 4.
Lovely day and a joy to compete again,even if our opponents took an age to set up for their 'I' formation serving and moving.
Get on with it!

 

Norrie wins v Caruso.

 

Norrie beats Khachanov in Barcelona,good win.
Moutet the nutty Frenchman plays Evans.
The sad demise of Gasquet continues as he loses to an Aussie on clay,unheard of!

 

Attitude of mind,the dirt.
Henman reached the semis of RG and it was easily his worst surface.

 

Rublev not comfortable against ANOTHER Italian Gaio,a lucky loser.
Tsitsi on against Munar who had dropped out of the reckoning but seems to be back now.
Always difficult backing up a big tournament win,especially on clay...

 

Did he?!
He's as mad as a cabbage!
Nadal in three was a shock.
I wonder how fit he really is.

 

Standard day at work for Fabio!
He's rarely dull!

 

Sounds like a hip flexor,quite common in tennis and very on clay.
Rafa still struggling but getting through.
Rublev 6/10 and probably the same for Tsitsi v Di Minaur.
Perhaps the wind was influential.

 

Rublev runs out of gas against Sinner.
Tsitsi comfortable at a set and 4-1 on his former nemesis,Auger Aliassime.

 

Tsitsi 3&3 to play Sinner.
Norrie now on v Rafa on his court,Pista Rafa Nadal,slight psyche out!

 

Say it quietly but Rafa won easily and maybe gearing up for his 27th RG title in a few weeks!

 

We've all done it!
Painful.
PCB v Rafa then.
At least there will be a home player in the final.
Strong chance with Nadal in the draw!

 

Tsitsi v Rafa tomorrow then.
I need this Ducksbury love in to finish so I can go shopping and then watch Tsitsi v Sinner before Young Inspector Montalbano!

 

Monumental final with Nadal winning 5 in the third.
Tsitsi saved two match points to take it to the third and showed he has gone up a level.
Nadal was fortunate in that he got a very lucky net cord when Tsitsi was threatening to break in the latter part of the third.
Great two weeks for Tsitsipas.
Berretini wins in Serbia over Aslan who beat ND.

 

About time. Slackers.

 

Good move. Always seems a shame to pause the tournament that day and the net result is the next day, the Monday where both men and women all play their last sixteen match, feels too busy and impossible to follow properly.

 

Probably time the AE did this.
Norrie beats Sousa 3&1 in Estoril.
Watson out in Madrid.