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Post by lena on Aug 26, 2007 13:00:03 GMT 3
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Post by Mrs. Fabregas on Aug 26, 2007 14:05:55 GMT 3
The draw with all the qualifiers is out and Marat plays Dancevic  for 1R... Go Marat!!    |
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Post by Dina on Aug 26, 2007 15:09:53 GMT 3
ok! Dancevic! he can deal with it! actually he must deal with it! go Marat, play your game the way you're used to in Flushing! Davai!
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Post by davis on Aug 26, 2007 16:05:09 GMT 3
Marat will win his first round match.
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legato
Junior Member
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Post by legato on Aug 26, 2007 16:33:25 GMT 3
Marat will win his first round match. In straight sets  |
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Post by davis on Aug 26, 2007 17:55:00 GMT 3
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Post by Mrs. Fabregas on Aug 26, 2007 18:34:44 GMT 3
Marat will win his first round match. In straight sets That's the spirit, ladies  If only...... he would think of this the same way ;D Anyway : Davai Maratik in the USO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring back that year 2000 feeling  |
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Post by Mrs. Fabregas on Aug 26, 2007 18:37:43 GMT 3
Thanks for the OOP, Annette  It's indeed a great day for tennis!!!!! Let's all pray for Lena and Julia that she can game up with Justine!!!!! It's a really big experience for the girl, though... I mean... 1st grandslam, and then the 1st match, on Centre court against Henin!!!!! Wow!!!! Good luck for Lena and Julia!!!!!!!!! Btw, Annette.... Love your avater |
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Post by Dina on Aug 26, 2007 21:57:07 GMT 3
Annette, I like when you see the future like this! LOL!
Davai TIK TIK MARATIK!
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legato
Junior Member
Posts: 103
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Post by legato on Aug 26, 2007 23:57:01 GMT 3
Marat will win his first round match. In straight sets That's the spirit, ladies If only...... he would think of this the same way ;D Anyway : Davai Maratik in the USO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring back that year 2000 feeling ESPN Live comments on Marat vs Samprass USO 2000: "They didn’t know his name, they didn’t know who he was, they had to ask for a spelling." "The whole world will know who this man is the way this is going, very shortly” Amen. |
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Post by Dina on Aug 27, 2007 2:22:42 GMT 3
I'm sure this will make happy a lot of people: Guga is going to play the doubles in this US he's pairing with Robby Ginepri! Good luck Guga!!!!!!!
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Suh
Junior Member
clear mind, full hearts
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Post by Suh on Aug 27, 2007 2:30:58 GMT 3
^ really?!
yeah! You´re right: boa sorte guga!!!
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Post by davis on Aug 27, 2007 11:12:28 GMT 3
Opener
Posted 08/26/2007 @ 11 :36 AM
The final major of the year has arrived. Despite the length of the season, it always sneaks up on me. Every August, I find myself asking: Do I really have to hop the 7 train and schlep across that long boardwalk for 14 straight humid days and long nights?
Yes, I do, and I wouldn’t want to do anything else for the next two weeks. A Grand Slam witnessed from start to finish is an incomparable event—there’s nothing like it in sports for sheer quantity and variety of entertainment. Put it in New York and . . . well, you get the picture. It’s going to be fun.
But all that is in our immediate future. Today is the day to take a good long look at the pristine, chock-full, now-complete singles draws. On the men’s side, it’s three guys and everyone else at the moment. Roger Federer is trying to win his fourth straight Open; Rafael Nadal leads in the ATP’s points race for the season and can pick up more if he reaches the semifinals here; Novak Djokovic will look to establish himself as a serious Slam threat and hard-court rival to Federer.
On the women’s side, it’s wide open as always, though last year’s finalists, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova, have each won a major tune-up coming in and may be rounding into form after disappointing Wimbledons. The Williams sisters? As they say with the lottery: Hey, you never know. They're good at hitting the jackpot.
The Men
First Quarter
Federer begins with American Scoville Jenkins, which won’t worry him. In fact, there isn’t a whole lot to worry him in his half of this quarter. Richard Gasquet is the highest seed, but he’s gone back to his subpar ways this summer. After him, it’s Juan Carlos Ferrero, and he’s not going to dethrone Fed in Ashe Stadium anytime soon. On the other side, there are a couple names that may make Federer open his eyes a little wider: Andy Roddick, who pushed him to four sets in last year’s final, and the big-hitting, always-due Tomas Berdych. Roddick, in particular, will be dangerous in front of a beer-fueled night crowd, just as James Blake was last year. But not that dangerous. Federer will weather the storm in four, max.
Sleepers: Ivo Karlovic and Paul-Henri Mathieu, on Roddick’s side; Big John Isner on Federer’s.
First-round match to watch: Donald Young vs. Chris Guccione. This is a tough one for the semi-surging DY. Guccione is a 6-foot-7 left-handed Aussie serve-and-volleyer.
Semifinalist: Roger Federer
Second Quarter
Nikolay Davydenko and Blake are the top seeds here, which means this section is the most wide-open of the four. But there aren’t a lot of guys who look ready to make a run of their own, at least on paper. Blake opens with the feisty grinder Michael Russell and could get a look at either Sam Querrey (Blake and Querrey split two close matches this summer) or the perennially up-and-down Marcos Baghdatis in the third round. After that, Tommy Haas may be waiting, sarcastically, in the round of 16.
Sleepers: Andy Murray: Is he going to play? How ready will he be? His draw is pretty soft. Fabrice Santoro: A second-rounder at night between the Magician and Blake could be a highlight of the tournament.
Semifinalist: James Blake
Third Quarter
Now that Novak Djokovic has our attention, let’s see if he can keep it. There are a few tricky propositions in the third seed’s quarter. He begins with former Top Tenner Mario Ancic, then could see Radek Stepanek, who has had a good summer, right away in the second round. Lleyton Hewitt, who rolled over Djoko here last year and has looked rough and ready on U.S. hard courts for the last month, would likely be his fourth-round match-up. Hewitt is always a tough out; he's won here before, and he'll be happy to be far away from Federer for once. On the positive side for Djoko, the top half of this section is relatively weak, led as it is by eighth seed Tommy Robredo. Still, the eternally dangerous, and eternally frustrating, Mikhail Youzhny is lurking there. He reached the semis at Flushing last year.
Sleepers: The old, Carlos Moya (on Robredo’s side), and the young, Juan Martin Del Potro (on Djokovic’s)
First-round match to watch: Hewitt vs. Amer Delic
Semifinalist: Lleyton Hewitt
Fourth Quarter
There’s nothing overly daunting in Rafael Nadal’s quarter. Someone named Fernando Gonzalez is the other top seed; someone named Ivan Ljubicic is next after that. In the early rounds, Nadal could face Tipsarevic, Nalbandian, perhaps Tursunov. Nadal will need some help—he’s been injured and has struggled a bit with the transition to hard courts. This draw should give him that help.
Sleepers: Frank Dancevic: The Canadian qualie has had a breakout summer and plays Marat Safin first. Their half of this quarter is the weaker one.
First-round match to watch: Janko Tipsarevic vs. Ryan Sweeting. A young American versus a solid Serb. I like both of these guys’ games. The winner faces Nadal; Tipsarevic could give Rafa a run.
Semifinalist: Rafael Nadal
Semifinals: Federer d. Blake; Hewitt d. Nadal
Final: Federer d. Hewitt
The Women
First Quarter
It’s the Justine and Serena show, part three. Really, this is an argument for draw-fixing, don’t you think? Keep these two away from each other for a while! Henin’s half includes Tatiana Golovin, who played some impressive tennis last week to reach the semis in Montreal, and Dinara Safina; Williams’ draw is slightly easier, taking her past Lucie Safarova and, potentially, Marion Bartoli. While Serena has been out with an injury this summer, I think she’ll make her date with Justine, and a night crowd in Ashe will help her once she’s there. But Henin won Montreal, seems for the moment to be free of injury complaints (they will crop up sometime in the next two weeks, I’m guessing), and has weathered the Serena storm at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
First-round match to watch: Alexa Glatch vs. Bartoli. We’ve heard big things about the young Californian Glatch, but the last time we saw her she was getting drilled by Maria Sharapova in a Nike ad last year.
Semifinalist: Justine Henin
Second Quarter
It’s the land of the Vitches, third seed Jelena Jankovic and fifth seed Ana Ivanovic. Oh, there’s also Venus Williams, Wimbledon champion, seeded 12th and ready to crash the Serb party. Of the three, the most likely to self-destruct early is Ivanovic; but she’s been to the final and semis of the last two Slams, and she beat Jankovic in L.A. a few weeks ago. Williams is, as usual, a bit of a mystery. We all saw what she did at Wimbledon, but she also lost to Anna Chakvetadze on hard courts in Stanford last month. There’s not a lot to keep her from meeting Ivanovic in the fourth round; if they do play, I’d take Venus based on her Ashe Stadium experience. In the other half, a Jankovic/Elena Dementieva fourth-rounder is possible. Jankovic, who has been steady all year, should prevail in that to set up another showdown with Venus. The Serb has won their last three matches, all in three sets, but Venus won their only meeting on hard courts. This will be a wild one if it happens.
Semifinalist: Venus Williams
Third Quarter
Who are these people? Zakopalova, Perebynis, Cibulkova, Kostanic Tosic, Parmentier, Malek, Brianti, Jeong Cho—I could go on. Even the relevant names are not overly impressive. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova are the top seeds, and Hingis, Hantuchova, Kirilenko, and last week’s star, Agnes Szavay, are also in the mix. Kuznetsova won when Szavay defaulted yesterday in New Haven, and there isn’t much in her half of this section to keep her from advancing into the second week. On the other side, Szavay could trouble Petrova if they meet in the third round.
First-round match to watch: Daniela Hantuchova vs. Julia “Kimmie Killer” Vakulenko
Semifinalist: Svetlana Kuznetsova
Fourth Quarter
OK, here are some familiar faces again—this section could be fun. Defending champion Maria Sharapova leads the way, followed by recently ill and injured Nicole Vaidisova, talented head case Patty Schnyder, feisty Shahar Peer, gently rising Agnieska Radwanska, big-belting Sania Mirza, and smooth and small Anna Chakvetadze. If it goes to form, Schnyder and Chakvetadze would meet in an entertaining fourth rounder in the top half, and Sharapova and Vaidisova (or perhaps Peer) would do the same in a noisy shootout in the bottom half. I’ll take Anna and Maria in those, and Maria again in the quarters, based on her power, the friendly fast courts at Flushing, and her late-round experience at the Open. It’s been a disappointing year for her, but for now there are no Williams sisters in sight; she should be safe until one of them shows up on the other side of the net.
Semifinalist: Maria Sharapova
Semifinals: Henin d. Williams; Sharapova d. Kuznetsova
Final: Sharapova d. Henin
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Post by Alya10 on Aug 27, 2007 11:59:56 GMT 3
What a great way start to the tournament! Happy positive spirit!! YAY!!! ;D p.s. Lena, I'm definitely gonna watch your girl Julia tonight  kisses |
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Post by maryb on Aug 27, 2007 12:21:33 GMT 3
Got back from Pitlochry last night and have just checked the draw. ;D Excellent, keep the heid Big Yin. Glad he ain't on tonight - I'm going out and could've missed the match. I'm off work until Thursday, so I'll be able to watch some of the night matches this week at least. Hope the net play has been worked on in my absence. My list of demands: don't overhit - just keep the ball in play and focus on getting the first serve in, preferably a wide serve with a lot of spin on it. And as ever, don't do anything daft! Wear the Man in Black outfit to open the campaign. Big Bird can appear later. The young girls on this board are also waiting for a shirt change. Do several to keep them happy. It'll also help keep them awake if they are watching this during the night. Seasoned campaigners that they are. PS Weather up North was brill this week - in the 70s. Managed to get a red nose and forehead, and a couple of midge bites thrown in for good measure. Took lots of pics - will try to work out the technical bits and post them in the travel section. Just missed getting a shot of a salmon leaping out of the water as I was footering around with the camera and didn't have it switched on. Damn. Hung around for another 20 minutes, but it had moved on. Probably ate its brother that night. |
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