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



Nothing worse than an outdoors tournament getting ruined due to the weather.

Plays havoc with the rest of the tournament's schedule. I always wonder if the players then lose interest in the event not knowing their correct playing time.
 

I didn't realise that. Action packed day of tennis today.

Nothing worse than an outdoors tournament getting ruined due to the weather.

Plays havoc with the rest of the tournament's schedule. I always wonder if the players then lose interest in the event not knowing their correct playing time.
It makes it difficult for them with regards to eating and warming up. They are so experienced with this sort of thing that it won't bother them too much.
 
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There's been a lot of retirements and withdrawals, particularly on the women's side, I guess a lot will be precautionary with the French Open just around the corner, but Muguruza, Cornet, Goerges and Kvitova all retired yesterday to go with Ostakenko the day before as well as Serena and Wozniacki, although the latter 2 retiring / withdrawing isn't a surprise these days. Osaka has pulled out of her QF with Bertens this morning, so Kiki plays the winner of Konta vs Vondrousova in one semi final. Azarenka vs Pliskova is ongoing now and the winner of that plays the winner of rejuvenated Mladenovic vs Sakkari in the other.

Federer also withdrew from his quarter final earlier, so Tsitsipas gets a walkover there and plays Nadal in the SF. Schwarzman plays the winner of Delpo vs Djok in the other semi.

This is also the last week to point score for French Open seedings and Wimbledon direct entry. Edmund will be a seed in Paris, 30 after Anderson's withdrawal, but Ostapenko won't be a seed, despite winning the title just 2 years ago. Heather Watson will be borderline getting into Wimbledon directly with her live ranking of 104 (which may drop to 106 by Sunday), she'll obviously get a wildcard if needed anyway, but other Brits may benefit if she can get in herself.
 
She's competing really well and was actually serving for the first set, but ended up losing it. They've just exchanged breaks at the start of the second set.

Her run to the semi final here has secured her a seeding at the French Open. She will be the 32nd seed, before any withdrawals.

Oh and Djok saved 2 match points in the second set tie break yesterday against Delpo before coming through. Went on to about 1am local time.
 
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Congrats Konta.

A Brit in a WTA Final.

Would stand a 50/50 chance in the final too. Looking at the other semi final match up.
 
Yep, Jo started nervously and Pliskova just served really well throughout. Konta only really had one chance to break, but put a forehand into the top of the net on break point which would have got the first set back on serve at 4-5. Fantastic week for her though and she's won 10 WTA matches on clay these past 3 weeks - more than she had in her entire career combined, and she's now up to #26 so a seed in Paris, meaning she can't face the likes of Pliskova until the 3rd round. Pliskova will certainly be a contender if she serves like that.

Djokovic vs Nadal coming up later as well on Prime, as well as that Wimbledon Court 1 roof opening thing on BBC1 at 2pm.

I think the men's Roland Garros qualifying draw comes out today and the women's tomorrow.
 
Yep, Jo started nervously and Pliskova just served really well throughout. Konta only really had one chance to break, but put a forehand into the top of the net on break point which would have got the first set back on serve at 4-5. Fantastic week for her though and she's won 10 WTA matches on clay these past 3 weeks - more than she had in her entire career combined, and she's now up to #26 so a seed in Paris, meaning she can't face the likes of Pliskova until the 3rd round. Pliskova will certainly be a contender if she serves like that.

Djokovic vs Nadal coming up later as well on Prime, as well as that Wimbledon Court 1 roof opening thing on BBC1 at 2pm.

I think the men's Roland Garros qualifying draw comes out today and the women's tomorrow.
Have you seen much of Astra Sharma? She's looks a real talent.
 
Have you seen much of Astra Sharma? She's looks a real talent.

Yeah a fair bit. Played a lot of Brits on the ITF scene in Canada last year and then in Australia towards the end of the year. College graduate so a late developer, powerfully built and a good serve, had a breakout WTA run earlier in the year getting to a final. It's hard to gauge how far she can go, but she does have the fundamentals to cause players problems.

She's inside the top 100 so will be in the main draws of RG and Wimbledon and relatively little to defend for the rest of the year, so has the platform to push on.

Who we betting on this year @The Bridge Lad

No bets on just yet Chops lad, but Bertens will probably be my pick on the women's side, although her odds will have come in further with her success these past 2 weeks. I'll wait fully until the draw comes out on Thursday. The men's qualifying draw is out now and a tough opener for Jay Clarke:

2019 French Open – Men's Singles Qualifying - Wikipedia

Nadal showing why he is the favourite here in the Rome final, but I do still think it's more open on the men's side than it has been in recent years.
 
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2019 French Open – Women's Singles Qualifying - Wikipedia

So Clarke and J Ward out already, although they were both underdogs, Dart has withdrawn due to a foot injury and Swan faces the 2nd seed who has won a WTA title this past month. Probably relying on Watson for any qualifying win, although she was still playing on hard courts in Japan last Wednesday and hasn't had a clay match yet this year.

Both Swan and Watson won. Big surprise win for Swan in straight sets. Her section is left with no seeds now so may be a bit of a lottery. She plays the junior US Open champion (Wang Xiyu of China) and, if she wins, either Tamara Korpatsch, a 24 year old German who's yet to qualify for a Slam or Kristína Kučová, an experienced Slovak, who, at her best is a top 100 player.

Watson now meets Valentini Grammatikopoulou, a long named Greek, who's never gone beyond 2nd qualifying in a Slam but has had most of her best results on clay. After that, either the Swiss-Italian Romina Oprandi, who was ranked 32 (in 2013) at best and is here on a protected ranking after a long spell out, or Varvara Lepchenko, an ex-Uzbek American, who was ranked 19 at best and was reaching the second week of Slams a few years back. I'd take Watson to beat the Greek but less sure about whichever she faces next.

Out of interest, does anyone know why there are 12 qualification places in the women's singles but 16 in the men's? ATP and WTA differing or just tradition?
 

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