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SMB Tennis thread


Too easy for Cilic that. Edmund was just going through the motions in that final set after losing the tiebreaker, all the belief was sucked out of him.

Credit to Kyle for getting so far though.
 
MarcoG said:
This is rivaling Halep - Davis for match of the tournament.



She'll be sat somewhere with her feet up loving this match, both players look absolutely shattered.
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Went to bed at three-all in the final set and have just watched the rest of it. If the Final will be anything like the second Semi-Final then we have something wonderful to look forward to. World #1 and #2 up against each other. Third Grand Slam Final for both players, first Slam win for the winner and the winner will also be #1 when the new rankings are out Monday. I have high hopes for a very good Final. Just hope the ol' ticker can handle it.
 
Halep-Kerber mind. Quality. Really hope the women’s game remains as competetive when SW returns - it’s refreshing to see.

As for Edmund I agree it looked a game too far. Those five setters taking their toll perhaps? He was broken after losing the breaker. I’m worried the same will happen to Chung in the second semi and Fed ends up winning it at a canter. Hope I’m wrong like, would love HC to give him a game.
 
Sharpshooter said:
Winning a slam, reaching potentially two other slam finals and having won a 1000 masters in this era already puts him ahead of Tsonga, Berdych, Gasquet, Monfils, Isner, Raonic, Ferrer, Thiem, Goffin, Dimitrov, Kevin Anderson, Verdasco, Gilles Simon etc.

I'd argue peak Cilic is as good as peak Del Potro/Wawrinka/Murray. He's certainly got potentially another slam in him and doing so would easily put him in that tier.
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Cilic was unplayable in us open 2014.
Playing better and better this tournament but I wouldn't have him above del lotto (2009) or wawrinka (when he hits from he just hits through everyone plus 3 slams). No where close to murray imo.
Hope he loses to fed in the final but he is certainly as good as say marat satin (another slam winner) capable of beating anyone on his day

Sharpshooter said:
He's nowhere near as consistent as Murray is, but I do think that on their day, Del Potro/Wawrinka/Cilic are as good as Murray is. Murray bring his A game nearly every tournament whereas those three bring it only a handful of times a year.

I know people talk up the 'big 4', but honestly Murray's not in the league of Federer/Djokovic/Nadal, it's really a 'big 3'. He's arguably the best and most consistent player after them though, but it is quite a long way back and I would say he's as close if not closer to those other players mentioned.
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Murray was part of that big 4 from 2012-2016 imo as his results and slams proved.
I don't think he will get back to that level even doubts over Novak now too!

The Bridge Lad said:
True. At least for the 3 remaining slams this season anyway.

Not sure if the reduction to 16 seeds is confirmed for next year, I think it is, which is an interesting debate in itself - what's your take on that? If you like normal order then you'd generally be against it, if you like to see big matches from an early stage and not risk not having them by someone flopping, or you like seeing more random runs from lowly ranks then you'll probably be for it.

I'm generally against it. With 32 men and 32 women matches on the first two days of slams (bar the French) and then 16 of each on the next 2, there are more than enough interesting matches IMO whether it be through national interest, a dangerous floater like Bencic vs Venus or even just big names vs anyone - there's usually something for everyone and doesn't need the free for all. Plus it kind of lessens the other tour events as players work hard to get themselves in the seeding positions throughout the year. You could have got the likes of Dimitrov vs Kyrgios and Kerber vs Keys (although proved a damp squib) in the first round had the 16 seeds been in force this year.
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Could You Imagine Nadal V Djokovic Or Murray As Opening/2nd Round Which Could Have Happend Under Only 16 Seeds.
Only Increases The Chances Of Players Making The Latter Stages Who Perhaps Shouldnt
 
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Would certainly have Cillc the level below Wawrinka and Murray, not even sure he has played that well this tournament to be honest,Nadal was in control until he got injured and Edmund is probably as easy a tie as your likely to get in a semi final .
 
Shame for Edmund (although a cracking run) but what a match between Halep and Kerber and a great advert for women's tennis. At 5-0 in about 13 minutes I was thinking it was going to be another talked up big game like Kerber-Keys and Keys-Garcia which both flattered to deceive as they were so one sided. I was always pretty neutral, but I found myself changing who I wanted to win 3 or 4 times during the match :lol:. The last 6 or 7 games in the final set were fantastic with both saving match points. Anyone who dismisses women's tennis and refuses to watch simply out of principle are missing out as that was right up there with the matches of the tournament on either side.

A very good final to look forward to now - #1 vs #2, very close at the bookies (4/6 Halep vs 5/4 Woz) and also the #1 seed at stake for the winner to add to it. Both are good ambassadors for the game and there are lots of comparisons between them - similar styles, both are very well known / popular in their home country, both have lost their 2 slam final appearances and at similar ages, despite numerous WTA titles between them, both are missing that one piece of the jigsaw, although Halep has only really been in slam contention for about 4 years now whereas Woz has had that monkey on her back for 9 or 10.

I think I am just about hoping for a Halep win and she's had the much tougher run on paper, but at the same time, I wouldn't begrudge Woz winning and I'll certainly be tuning in at 8.30 on Saturday morning.

On a side note, Aidan McHugh of Scotland is through to the boy's singles semi final - the first British male junior to do so in a slam since Edmund at Wimbledon 5 years ago. Hadn't heard of him 10 days ago, but hopefully he will push on and be one to look out for in the coming years.
 
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I think this tournament has shown it’s going to be another year of Federer dominating by the looks of things , Nadal the only one who can stop that if he stays fit. Djokovic has done nothing for two years now and Murray will probably never get back to the level he was at, nobody coming through either with a realistic chance of winning anything.
 
Men's tennis isn't really in a good place at the moment. A 36 year old with an iffy back shouldn't be winning Slams easier than he did in his prime. Last two Slams have been rubbish, Jack Sock just beat Krajinovic in Bercy because none of the elite could be bothered to turn up to a Masters and Dimitrov beat Goffin in the Finals. Meh.

Kristina Mladenovic has lost her last FIFTEEN singles matches and yet this week has moved up to her career best ranking and has just won the doubles. Bit odd.
 
MarcoG said:
Men's tennis isn't really in a good place at the moment. A 36 year old with an iffy back shouldn't be winning Slams easier than he did in his prime. Last two Slams have been rubbish, Jack Sock just beat Krajinovic in Bercy because none of the elite could be bothered to turn up to a Masters and Dimitrov beat Goffin in the Finals. Meh.

Kristina Mladenovic has lost her last FIFTEEN singles matches and yet this week has moved up to her career best ranking and has just won the doubles. Bit odd.
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Just goes to show what a superb Feb-June period she had as she is going to drop like an absolute stone soon. She won St Petersburg last year which she is defending next week and as she has just won 1 match since Wimbledon, between now and Wimbledon she is defending amongst other little runs a:

Premier title (470 points)
International final (180)
Premier Mand semi (390)
Premier final (305)
Premier Mand final (650)
Grand Slam QF (430)

She's pretty much going to have to maintain that until Wimbledon just to stand still, and even an average 6 months would see her crash right down the rankings. Of course, there will be very little to defend after that but still, she has been highly ranked for a while now despite this horror run and it will be a rapid fall. Konta could go a similar way if she has a poor Sunshine Double in March.
 
MarcoG said:
Men's tennis isn't really in a good place at the moment. A 36 year old with an iffy back shouldn't be winning Slams easier than he did in his prime. Last two Slams have been rubbish, Jack Sock just beat Krajinovic in Bercy because none of the elite could be bothered to turn up to a Masters and Dimitrov beat Goffin in the Finals. Meh.

Kristina Mladenovic has lost her last FIFTEEN singles matches and yet this week has moved up to her career best ranking and has just won the doubles. Bit odd.
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Aye, it's a transition period for the men. I don't recall a time when so many potentially top ranked players were injured or rushing back for a Slam. Even in the semis, Chung went out injured and Edmund was hampered by some sort of problem in the last set.

Interesting article on the BBC website about Edmund and his longer term prospects, along with some of his other young rivals:

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They're definitely expecting Shapovalov to be a major contender. A lot have plenty to prove though (particularly at the very top). Zverev has reached the top 5 and has yet to go beyond the last 16 in a slam, Kyrgios has temperament issues. Pouille seems promising but has never got beyond round 1 in Australia in 5 attempts.
 
I wouldn't be too surprised if Wozniacki retired not long after she wins her first major. Although just 27, she's been on the tour for 11 years now, mostly at the higher end so is an 'old' 27 and has won pretty much everything there is to win bar that elusive slam. She is getting married to her millionaire ex-sportsman fiance soon who is 34 so they may want to start a family and I've read a few sources saying they don't expect her to have too long left in the game. Have you heard anything like this in Denmark @alexander?

If that is true you could look at it in 2 ways - it would be a fitting end (or close to it) if she was to go out with that slam secured, but at the same time, it would be a bit of a shame for the tour going forward losing a champion and would remove the potential slam winner match ups in future slams which generally get bigger build ups.

I'll have to make sure I'm up by 8.30, may actually watch it on a 30 minute delay so can fastforward the many breaks.
 
The Bridge Lad said:
I wouldn't be too surprised if Wozniacki retired not long after she wins her first major. Although just 27, she's been on the tour for 11 years now, mostly at the higher end so is an 'old' 27 and has won pretty much everything there is to win bar that elusive slam. She is getting married to her millionaire ex-sportsman fiance soon who is 34 so they may want to start a family and I've read a few sources saying they don't expect her to have too long left in the game. Have you heard anything like this in Denmark @alexander?

If that is true you could look at it in 2 ways - it would be a fitting end (or close to it) if she was to go out with that slam secured, but at the same time, it would be a bit of a shame for the tour going forward losing a champion and would remove the potential slam winner match ups in future slams which generally get bigger build ups.

I'll have to make sure I'm up by 8.30, may actually watch it on a 30 minute delay so can fastforward the many breaks.
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Are you watching the darts marra
 
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