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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Game, set, and match - The everlasting tennis thread
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Bravo Johanna Konta who has started the year at the Sydney International with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska.
Dan Evans has also notched up impressive wins, taking out the number 1 seed, Dominic Thiem, in the round of 16 and then Andrey Kuznetsov in the semi-final to reach the final of the men's tournament - 08:30 GMT tomorrow, he takes on Gilles Muller.
[ 14. January 2017, 08:11: Message edited by: Imaginary Friend ]
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Nice to see a new tennis thread for the new year. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
As a minor hosting note - as this thread often gets relatively small numbers of posts, I think I will change it to an 'everlasting' thread so it doesn't have to be restarted each year.
Imaginary Friend
Circus Host
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Thanks for that.
Dan Evans started well enough but the fight seemed to go out of him after Muller won the tie-break and he lost 7-6 6-2. Still, he made it to an ATP final, which can only be a good thing, and with a bit of luck he'll get a good run at the Australian Open.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Not only are Murray, Konta and Edmund safely through their first round matches, but Dan Evans won in straight sets and Heather Watson knocked out the number 18 seed, local girl Sam Stosur!
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
I seem to be the only shippie interested in tennis. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Well, if anyone else bothers to read this I hope you were able to see some of the match at the Australian Open between 27th seed Bernard Tomic and Dan Evans. It always had the possibility of interest thanks to Tomic's father, John, having turned down Evans a couple of years ago as his son's hitting partner saying Evans wasn't good enough. (Tomic senior stands out as being an unpleasant individual even in a sport where poisonous parents are common.)
Anyway, Evans walked out the winner 7-5 7-6 7-6 and now will face 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (seeded) in the 4th round.
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
I seem to be the only shippie interested in tennis.
No, you're not - I can be utterly hooked on Wimbledon if I have the chance. The other tournaments don't usually float my boat quite as much, but I'm always interested in how they're going (and in particular how any Brits involved are getting on).
Glad to hear Mr. Evans is doing so well - I'd have thought that Mr. Tsonga would be quite a challenge.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:
No, you're not - I can be utterly hooked on Wimbledon if I have the chance. The other tournaments don't usually float my boat quite as much, but I'm always interested in how they're going (and in particular how any Brits involved are getting on).
Ditto. Think I should follow Evans more closely from now on...
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
Especially as the knighthood appears to have gone to Sir Andy's head. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
So now the only player left in the singles as the Australian Open is Johanna Konta, Messrs Murray and Evans having fallen by the wayside. No disrespect to Evans but this was to be expected but Murray???
Luckily for Murray's ranking Djokovic lost so early in the tournament that he won't be overtaken by another player; Evans only has 35 points to drop and gains 180 so not only should he leapfrog the official British number 2, Kyle Edmund, but also overtake some highly regarded players and will find himself knocking on the door of the top 40.
In the women's draw Angelique Kerber lost but she's not in Konta's half of the draw: Konta's next opponent is Ekaterina Makarova against whom JK has a 100% record, but if she wins she faces the might Serena... ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
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Tukai
Shipmate
# 12960
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Posted
Some of us in Australia follow at least the Australian Open, which is on now in typically changeable Melbourne weather - 20 deg one day, 38 the next!. With all local players now out of it - some like Stosur even in the first round - my own interest centres on Federer, still probably the most elegant player in the world.
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A government that panders to the worst instincts of its people degrades the whole country for years to come.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Johanna Konta fell to Serena Williams: frustrating because Konta has been so good up to now. I think she was overawed at facing her childhood heroine across the net.
Federer is in fine form, not only playing but in post match interviews. Next up for him is Wawrinka.
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Barnabas62
Shipmate
# 9110
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Posted
Nadal is playing very well again, which I'm pleased to see. Roger versus Stan is a match I'm really looking forward to. These days, when on his game, Stan has got the necessary firepower to beat Roger. But I think Roger might win this encounter.
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Who is it that you seek? How then shall we live? How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
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Tukai
Shipmate
# 12960
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Posted
Federer did indeed win his semi-final against Wawrinka. It was worth watching . Federer, after winning the first 2 sets, started hitting "out" or into the net some shots that in his prime he would have put away for winners just "in". At the same time , Stan lifted his game and took the next 2 sets. But to my surprise the older man finished the stronger.
If Nadal wins his semi tonight, then both finals will be "back to the future" : Williams vs Williams in the womens, and Roger vs Rafa in the mens.
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A government that panders to the worst instincts of its people degrades the whole country for years to come.
Posts: 594 | From: Oz | Registered: Sep 2007
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bib
Shipmate
# 13074
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Posted
The tennis has been compulsive viewing in my house. Federer's winning game was nail biting stuff, but he finished in his usual elegant fashion. The crowd obviously adores him. He now faces Nadal for the final on Sunday night. Meanwhile the Williams sisters will face off for the women's final tonight. I can see that I will be square eyed and hoarse by Monday morning.
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"My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring"
Posts: 1307 | From: Australia | Registered: Oct 2007
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Lucia
Looking for light
# 15201
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Posted
There was no full match coverage of the men's final of the Australian Open on a channel I had access to in the UK but I've just been watching the highlights on catch up TV. Wonderful to see Nadal and Federer in full swing again. Just like old times!
Happy with the result as I wanted Federer to win a grand slam one more time. I can't believe he will have many more opportunities at his age.
Would love to see Nadal win the French Open again. That was always his special place!
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
I didn't see the match, but when Sir Andy's out of it, I'm always glad to see Federer win - he seems like such a nice bloke.
Well done him!
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
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bib
Shipmate
# 13074
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Posted
The men's final was one of the best tennis matches I have ever seen and I found it particularly enjoyable in that it was played by two of the gentlemen of tennis rather than petulant super brats. I have no time for players who abuse their raquets, argue with the referee or swear at all and sundry. Congratulations to Federer and to Nadal.
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"My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring"
Posts: 1307 | From: Australia | Registered: Oct 2007
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Dan Evans has moved up the ATP rankings to 45, two places ahead of Kyle Edmund.
In the women's list, Johanna Konta has dropped a place (because she got to a semi-final at the AO last year).
The Federer-Nadal match was nail-biting stuff to watch, even though I'd heard the result on the way home from church. And, as you say, both men were articulate and gracious on the podium afterwards; I do think the speeches might have been cut-down, poor old Rod Laver looked shattered.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
WOW!
Johanna Konta has won the Miami Masters tournament: first Brit to win something like this since Virgina Wade in the 1970s.
She beat Caroline Wozniacki (former No 1) in the final in straight sets, having overcome Venus Williams in the semi.
Konta's ranking is going up to Number 7 on Monday. ![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
The tournament at Queen's Club in London has been one shock after another, with the first, second and third seeds (Murray, Warwrinka and Raonic) all going out in the first round, one after another.
Now Johanna Konta has gone in Nottingham
My tickets for Eastbourne next week look a good deal, with the likes of Djokovic and Gale Monfils being given wildcards for the men's draw and Konta and Radwanska in the women's.
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Sipech
Shipmate
# 16870
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Posted
Biggest tennis news of the day belongs (sadly) to Dan Evans, who has failed a drugs test.
I'd question whether cocaine could be regarded as performance-enhancing, but it's a sad state of affairs. I hope he gets the help he needs. ![[Tear]](graemlins/tear.gif)
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Yesterday's two ATP finals were both exhilarating affairs.
In Halle Roger Federer took only 53 minutes to thrash Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-3. At Queen's Club in London Feliciano Lopez needed 3 sets to overcome Marin Cilic 4-6 7-6 7-6.
So thats 2 men winning major titles just short of their 36th birthday.
Most heartwarming thing to watch was Petra Kvitova winning in Nottingham 6 months after a knife wound from an intruder threatened to end her career. She looks like a good bet for Wimbledon, especially since Serena is out of the draw.
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Sarasa
Shipmate
# 12271
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Posted
I tunred on the TV yesterday just in time to see Heather Watson win her match. That was cheering.
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'I guess things didn't go so well tonight, but I'm trying. Lord, I'm trying.' Charlie (Harvey Keitel) in Mean Streets.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
WOW! Just WOW!
Ok, so Aljaz Bedene was born in Slovenia but he has chosen to live in the UK and become a Brit. Playing the giant Ivo Karlovic he managed to go toe-to-toe for 4 sets, and then - finally! - the first break of serve came in the final game to see Bedene win, final score 6-7 5-7), 7-6(8-6), 7-6(9-7), 6-7(7-9), 8-6
Wins too for Heather Watson, Johanna Konta and Andy Murray.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
For the first time in 20 years there are FOUR Brits into the third round at Wimbledon. Andy Murray and Johanna Konta - expected, given their respective seedings (1 and 6).
But Heather Watson putting out the number 18 seed? And then Aljaz Bedene too?
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Ok, so 2 Brits lost in round 3 - Bedene and Watson - but two are through to the second week.
Murray looked a bit iffy but Konta was in fine form.
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Tukai
Shipmate
# 12960
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
For the first time in 20 years there are FOUR Brits into the third round at Wimbledon. Andy Murray and Johanna Konta - expected, given their respective seedings (1 and 6).
But Heather Watson putting out the number 18 seed? And then Aljaz Bedene too?
And also for the first time in 20 years there are zero Australians in the third round. Ah, well - back to the practice court. (or in Kyrios' case perhaps back to teh surgery.)
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A government that panders to the worst instincts of its people degrades the whole country for years to come.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Tennis news: Federer is showing the world that 36 (next month) isn't over the hill - although the early exits of Murray (1), Djokovic (2), Nadal (4) and earlier retirements 'hurt' have shone a light on the toll that top-class tennis exacts from its male players.
Not only is Venus Williams even older than Federer, she is also proof that a serious long-term medical condition (in her case Sjögrens Syndrome) is not necessarily a bar to being a world-class athlete; she faces the only Brit left standing, Johanna Konta for a place in the final.
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ArachnidinElmet
Shipmate
# 17346
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Posted
Well sadly Konta is out too, but am sat watching TV keeping everything crossed for Heather Watson and her partner in the doubles. Last time I looked Jamie Murray was also still in the completion, in the other mixed doubles semi with Martina Hingis.
Posts: 1887 | From: the rhubarb triangle | Registered: Sep 2012
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ArachnidinElmet
Shipmate
# 17346
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Posted
Completion? no, competition. But they're both still in it, whatever we're calling it.
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'If a pleasant, straight-forward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle manoeuvres' - Kafka
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Roger Federer proves that 35 - well, nearly 36 - isn't over-the-hill. Masterful performance that would have blown anyone off the court. He moves up to number 3 in the world rankings, behind Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.
Johanna Konta moves up 3 places to number 4.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Kyle Edmund lost to Marin Cilic but he has made a massive leap forward in class over the past year which finally brought results at this year's Australian Open. Although injured he managed to make Cilic work for his win.
More good news is that there is a Briton in the semi-finals of the Boys' Singles for the first time in 5 years.
The Women's final, meanwhile, will be a showdown between the current numbers 1 and 2, Halep and Wozniacki, two of only a handful of players in the women's drawer who looked credible winners.
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
And Roger Federer becomes the oldest man to be Number 1 in the rankings at 36.
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
Good for him - I remember when 36 was regarded as the beginning of Golden Oldie territory.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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