SMB Tennis thread (note there is a specific Wimbledon 22 thread)

Sock faces the qualifier Krajinovic in tomorrow's Paris final, Sock qualifies for the WTF if he wins. Julia Georges faces Coco Vandeweghe in the WTA's second tier season finale tomorrow. Maia Lumsdon beat Freya Christie in straight sets in the ITF Sunderland $15,000 event.

peachbum said:
Two things:
Any advice about buying a tennis racquet?
And
I've actually just sent off for an application for to go in the Wimbledon ballot. ( First time)
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No idea about the racket, not played tennis for at least 10 years. But that does remind me that I'll need to sort my application out soon.
 


Just came across this thread..is there still a tennis venue at Teeside Airport...think it was called top spin?top place with great coaches?...played there a few times in the nineties and in the eighties at Ashbrooke on grass...got knocked out by the then SAFC manager Alan Durban who was a very handy player..
 
The Bridge Lad said:
Yeah, Sock's done nothing in the slams, this potential Paris win would be about 40% of his total points for the year with the rest largely coming from 2 early in the year 250 wins and a decent Sunshine Double showing. I know you do like PCB, but his form since the US Open has been terrible and he has been getting well beaten by much lower ranked players, I'm not sure if he is injured or just lost confidence, but he'd struggle to win a set on current form in London. Think it would have been much better for the tournament if Potro had made it as he is in great form, can beat the best as we saw in New York so would be a legit threat and contender rather than making up the numbers and is also very popular. There is a slim chance he can still make it, but that would mean Nadal withdrawing and neither Isner and Sock winning the Paris tournament. Sock has just lost his first set on the tie break.

I probably do want Isner to win this, just so there is more of a threat at London, but that would 100% rule Delpo out of it and if Nadal did withdraw then we'd basically be just swapping Delpo with Isner and PCB keeping his place, so I'm not sure what i want :lol:. Wish Nadal could make a decision before Sunday's Paris final, ha.

RE: Sunderland, I wasn't aware it was on until i was randomly looking at the remaining ITF tournaments last week and saw it. Had a Katie Swan or Katie Boulter entered then I might have been more tempted to go.
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I agree with you in one respect regarding PCB in the fact he will get heavily beaten in all his matches but I feel he's earned the right to get a good hiding. Obviously Jack Sock can make London today (I think he will)

Yesterday I thought Isner chocked big time. If that was a 250 event in Atlanta, Isner would have won straight sets. The pressure got to him. Fair play to Krajinovic, he's recovered injury and barely qualifying for challenger events to go on a huge winning streak since late spring.
 
JL1985 said:
I agree with you in one respect regarding PCB in the fact he will get heavily beaten in all his matches but I feel he's earned the right to get a good hiding. Obviously Jack Sock can make London today (I think he will)

Yesterday I thought Isner chocked big time. If that was a 250 event in Atlanta, Isner would have won straight sets. The pressure got to him. Fair play to Krajinovic, he's recovered injury and barely qualifying for challenger events to go on a huge winning streak since late spring.
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'Earned the right to get a good hiding' :lol:

You're right and he did also miss Wimbledon so lost a chance to accumulate more points there, it's just a shame he is entering in the form that he is and 2,600 odd points is pretty low, but then again their would likely have been at least 5 ahead of him in normal circumstances.

Looks like Nadal may play now so if Sock wins, PCB will be out of the main line up. If Nadal did withdraw then PCB would get in anyway so I'm still not sure who I want to win today.

I wasn't too familiar with Krajinovic, but did check his wiki and he has been on a hell if a run with those challengers you mentioned.

Just hoping a lot of the big names comes back fine in the new year, but the ATPs future is starting to look in better hands now which hopefully will outlined in Milan next week.
 
So Sock beat Krajinovic in a deciding set to become the first American Masters 1000 winner since Roddick 7 years ago. He also takes the final spot at the WTFs and joins Nadal (looks like he will play), Federer, A Zverev, Cilic, Dimitrov, Thiem and Goffin at the 02. PCB and Querrey are the alternatives. Tournament starts on Sunday with Sky showing all the matches and the BBC picking up a few of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_ATP_Finals

The Next Gen finals in Milan start tomorrow:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Next_Generation_ATP_Finals

A lot of controversy over the draw and accusations over sexism. The ATP and main sponsor Red Bull have issued a joint statement apologising.

 
It's a no from me for this tournament.

Lets on serve - no
Shot clock - no
Sets of four games - no
No line judges - no
No ad scoring - no
Player coaching - yes to an extent
No warm ups - yes, I've got no idea why this is even a thing to watch a player warm up for ten minutes before a match. Warm up off court and crack on straight away after the coin toss.

Sack it off.
 
MarcoG said:
It's a no from me for this tournament.

Lets on serve - no
Shot clock - no
Sets of four games - no
No line judges - no
No ad scoring - no
Player coaching - yes to an extent
No warm ups - yes, I've got no idea why this is even a thing to watch a player warm up for ten minutes before a match. Warm up off court and crack on straight away after the coin toss.

Sack it off.
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Lets on serve - no
Shot clock - not fussed
Sets of four games - possibly in favour*
No line judges - not sure yet, seems weird, but the intentions are good and we'll get used to it if it sticks
No ad scoring - definitely against
Player coaching - fine
No warm ups - yes

* Not sure what the intentions are long term with these 4 games, would it just be for Grand Slams or would they look to change it on the tour? 3 sets with 4 games would be poor as the games could be over in no time, whereas 5 sets of 4 games on the tour wouldn't cut time which is the main reason they were looking at changing with the apparent less attention span of the younger audience. Would they be applicable to the women as well.
 
Shot clock will probably be used after Rafa retires. Coaches and no warms up probably and maybe the line judges but they can't and won't do that on clay.

No ad scoring, no lets and four games per set have no chance I don't think. Benefits big servers and I mean let's be honest, nobody wants that. Fans moving during the points won't happen either, no players will agree to that.
 
So Chung wins the inaugeral Next Gen tournament beating Rublev in 4 sets in the final. I did like most new innovations bar the no ads rule. The first to 4 is a tough one for me and judging by polls and other views, it is generally unpopular. Sets do feel a bit weird but i think i could get used to it, should it officially change over the coming years.

A CoCo Vandeweghe inspired USA won their first Fed Cup title since 2000 beating hosts Belarus 3-2 over the weekend. Sloane Stephens lost both of her matches taking her record to 0-6 (and just 2 sets) since her US Open win.

Former world #7 Belinda Bencic, still just 20, is climbing the rankings and now at 120 after winning a $125,000 WTA tournament in Thailand. She plays another $125,000 tournament in Taipei this week and hopefully does enough to gain automatic entry into the Aussie Open. A fit and healthy Bencic is good for the WTA.

The ATP finals started in London this afternoon with Federer beating Sock 6-4, 7-6 (iirc) and A. Zverev faces Cilic in the evening session match which is due to start around 8pm. BBC2 has coverage at 2pm each day whilst Sky (Action / Arena) have full coverage of the tournament.
 
MarcoG said:
That was... brutal.

Line up for this tournament is grim. Throwback to the early to mid 2000's.
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Yeah not great. One more win for Delpo would have helped a lot.

If Zverev can win his shootout vs Sock and probably Thiem (via process of elimination) coming through then the semi finals won't be too bad. Federer would effectively have a bye as it's not clay, but Dimitrov vs Zverev would b fine especially if Zverev plays as well as he did last night.

That 'Pete Sampras' group is terrible.
 
The Bridge Lad said:
Yeah not great. One more win for Delpo would have helped a lot.

If Zverev can win his shootout vs Sock and probably Thiem (via process of elimination) coming through then the semi finals won't be too bad. Federer would effectively have a bye as it's not clay, but Dimitrov vs Zverev would b fine especially if Zverev plays as well as he did last night.

That 'Pete Sampras' group is terrible.
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I can't see many of them being here next year. Federer's probably the only certainty. Zverev's gonna need to improve in Grand Slams to make it if all the big boys are back playing injury free.

I'd fancy Goffin to beat Thiem on this surface. Was hoping for better odds than evens though after his match against Dimitrov. Either will get walloped by Federer though so doesn't really matter much.
 
Sock beats Zverev 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to set up a semi with Dimitrov. Federer vs Goffin / Thiem in the other. Hell of a month for Sock mind, unreal. He was on the brink of an early Paris exit against Edmund, gets through that, wins it (albeit with a kind draw) and now qualifies in a really tough group and is playing very well. Gave Federer a good game and backed that up with 2 good wins. I quite like him.

Belinda Bencic and Naomi Broady are both through to the QF of a WTA $125k event in Taipei. They could meet in the final and if one of them wins they could get direct entry into the Aussie Open.

Laura Robson is through to a $60k QF in Japan. She has also secured direct entry into a $125k event in India next week so could be in line for Australian Open qualification. She's up to 228 in the live rankings and a couple more wins this week or next and she could just about make that cut.
 

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