US Open Tennis- Page 2

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/11/20 at 3:55pm

Jennifer Brady is quite impressive. I thought she might take that match. I was rooting for her. Watched her throughout the tournament.

It was a great night of tennis last night. Can't wait for Saturday. 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/11/20 at 11:25pm

"I'm anxious to see whether or not Thiem can finally break thru this year. Does anyone know if he's scheduled to compete in the upcoming French Open??? I suspect he will if he wins the US Open."

Thiem beats Medvedev in 3 sets to make finals against Zverev, should be great match. Thiem's best surface is clay although he has really improved on hard courts so you would think he would compete in the French Open. That being said, it will not be easy to play in the final Sunday, fly to Europe and be ready for another Slam in two weeks. In addition, he has had no clay court season so he would have to adapt real quick.  I think if he wins US Open, he just might enjoy his win and take a pass on the French Open until 2021.

"Now, onto Serena and Clijsters. I'm very fond of both ladies but if they want to return to their winning ways they're going to have to rededicate themselves to fitness. Both have improved in that regard immensely since their most recent returns to the tour. "

The ESPN "talking heads" kept saying for two weeks how this is the most fit they have ever seen Serena in a long time. Plus, for her she had a lot more matches under her belt than she usually has entering Grand Slam tournaments.  I don't want to be mean but Clisters really did not look good physically at all, her ball striking was surprisingly better than I expected.

"She's my sentimental favorite going into the women's final. If Nervous Naomi shows up for that final, Vika could be leaving Flushing Meadow with some new hardware for her trophy case and a humongous check.

I want Vika to win also, I think it all comes down to how well Osaka serves.  The championship check is still 3 million dollars which is pretty awesome considering there are no fans and all that lost revenue.

"One last thing...I LOOOOOVVVVEEEEEEEEEE Jennifer Brady's game. We Americans tend to hype the hell out of any American player who has a deep run at a major. It's so obvious that Jennifer took the time to develop a complete game, by today's standards. She has good instincts and displayed a ton of court savvy during the couple of matches that I was able to catch. If she stays focused on tennis she should be able to at least duplicate Sloane Stephens' success which is a subject for another day."

I hope Brady continues her excellent tennis, got a feeling she will stay focused on her tennis and be a solid player for years. Stephens is sadly a "head" case and you never know how she will perform. My gut feeling is she does not love the game, it is a job that can pay well and her interest seems to come and go. Another disappointment to me is Madison Keys, so much ball striking ability and she can never seem to put it together for more than a couple of matches. Her one final appearance, she choked and was embarrassingly bad.

Updated On: 9/11/20 at 11:25 PM

[javero]

Posted: 9/12/20 at 12:14am

"Thiem beats Medvedev in 3 sets to make finals against Zverev, should be great match."

Congrats, Thiem & Zverev...tough luck, Medvedev & Carreno-Busto. I doubt that I'll watch the first 2 sets of the men's final on TV. Just not in the mood to sit through a potential 5 set match featuring 2 players camped out 15 ft behind the baseline. Thiem was surprisingly efficient in his semi. The improvements to his game, especially his court positioning, are very notable. I do believe that he's been the biggest beneficiary of Andy Murray's physical decline.

Thiem could shut a lot of mouths if he wins the men's final, including mine. He has an interesting head-to-head record against the Big Three. Specifically, Fed is the only one with a losing 2-5 record against Thiem including a loss in a masters final. However, Thiem still has losing records of 4-7 and 5-9 against Djoker and Rafa respectively including no wins in finals.

So, I have to ask this group, just what does Thiem do better on court or between the ears than the Big Three???

I will concede this is backhand is better than Fed's. However, both Rafa and Djoker have been able to neutralize his forehand by taking the ball early and robbing him of time to set up, making him hit 3 or 4 backhands in a row to wear down that side, and serving bigger & better than Thiem at clutch times on the biggest stages. An unpopular opinion of mine is that Thiem needs to get in the gym and bulk up a lil from waist up. He can't hit through the Big Three like Stan Wawrinka when he's at this best.

Updated On: 9/12/20 at 12:14 AM

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/12/20 at 4:15pm

I have a feeling Azarenka is going to take this.

Edited during 2nd set: Or maybe not. But I am rooting for her.

Updated On: 9/12/20 at 04:15 PM

[javero]

Posted: 9/12/20 at 6:37pm

Leave it to me to not check the schedule. I thought the women's final would be a night match for some reason. I know the result but won't spoil it for others.

Edited after the fact: I just watched the entire match on the Tennis channel. Vika showed up in incredible shape. They both were going for their shots on the final point. Sadly only one could win the title. I didn't really miss the fans in the stadium until the trophy presentation ceremony which was kinda flaccid. Hopefully the French Open planners will figure out how to give theirs a lil more oomph.

Updated On: 9/12/20 at 06:37 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 8:33am

Pretty good match, sad Vika did not win. I have missed no fans in stands because it adds to the excitement of the match and you can even feel it on TV. After the issue when Osaka won her first US Open, it would have been nice to have won this one with the fans really cheering her. Men's final is at 4pm. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 9:43am

I really enjoyed not having the fans there. The piped in applause reaction was done well and was just enough for me. The only time I missed the fans was during the final and the presentation at the end. Looking forward to the men's match today.

 

 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 10:56am

I will mix a little Broadway with tennis and think we should dedicate this song (This Is The Moment - J&H) to Dominic Thiem today -lol 

"This is the moment...
This is the day
When I send all my doubts
And demons on their way!
Every endeavor I have made ever
Is coming into play
Here and now, today...

This is the moment...
This is the time
When the momentum and the moment
Are in rhyme!
Give me this moment
This precious chance!
I'll gather up my past
And make some sense at last!

This is the moment
When all I've done:
All of the dreaming-
Scheming and screaming-
Become one!
This is the day-
See it sparkle and shine-
When all I've lived for
Becomes mine!

For all these years
I've faced the world alone!
And now the time has come
To prove to them: I made it
On my own!

This is the moment
My final test!
Destiny beckoned-
I never reckoned second best!
I won't look down
I must not fall
This is the moment-
The sweetest moment
Of them all! "

This is the moment!
Damn all the odds!
This day or never
I'll sit forever with the gods!
When I look back
I will always recall
Moment for moment-
This was the moment-
The greatest moment
Of them all! "

P.S. I think Thiem will finally win GS title with 4 set victory over Zverev.

Updated On: 9/13/20 at 10:56 AM

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 7:10pm

It was looking shaky for a while. We will now see (Typing this just as he evened up sets at the end of the 4th set).

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 8:22pm

Wow! One hell of a match.

 

Congrats to Thiem.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 8:27pm

Congrats to Thiem, glad he won Grand Slam title but boy did Zverev choke big time. Up two sets and breaks early in third set and goes on to lose the set. Serves for the match in 5th set at 5-3 and loses next three game. Hits a 2nd serve under 70MPH in tiebreaker - OMG.

[javero]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 10:16pm

Well done, Thiem!

I nodded off during the 2nd and 4th sets only to wake at the start of the 5th.  Thiem's big match experience got him over the wall.

Despite coming up short Zverev came take several positives from the match.  His net play has improved a helluva lot since the start of his career.  However, what separates the really great net rushers like McEnroe, Edberg, and Navratilova from Zverev is that they had the best "approach shots" on tour during their reigns.  Zverev simply bunted the backhand approach down the middle of the court on a few key points instead of carving it into a corner to keep it low.  He will rue his last approach shot in that 5th set tiebreaker for days.  He gave Thiem a regulation forehand passing shot.  Anybody can blast the ball into the open court but today's pros are rarely tested on threading the needle under pressure.  I'm anxious to see how well Zverev's newfound confidence & prowess in the forecourt will translate into success on grass at Wimbledon which has been his worst major to date.  If he can become a more consistent spot server, I can see him hoisting the trophy there some day soon.  Goran Ivanisivec basically served his way to a Wimbledon title after 3 losses in the finals.  Zverev was born a better player than Goran.

ETA: I'm really happy for Thiem. It's always exciting to witness a breakthrough. Which major do we think Thiem will win next???

Updated On: 9/13/20 at 10:16 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/13/20 at 10:39pm

yankeefan7 said: "Congrats to Thiem, glad he won Grand Slam title but boy did Zverev choke big time. Up two sets and breaks early in third set and goes on to lose the set. Serves for the match in 5th set at 5-3 and loses next three game. Hits a 2nd serve under 70MPH in tiebreaker - OMG."

But he played his heart out though. I actually teared up when he got emotional.

 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/14/20 at 2:04pm

"ETA: I'm really happy for Thiem. It's always exciting to witness a breakthrough. Which major do we think Thiem will win next???"

I would bet on him winning the French Open next, this year may be out of the question but think 2021 may be his year. BTW - I always enter the Tennis Channel Racket bracket and make my picks for the tournament. I had Thiem winning final over Djokovic and I had by best ranking ever which was 19 out of a few thousand entries.

 

Updated On: 9/14/20 at 02:04 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/14/20 at 2:06pm

"But he played his heart out though. I actually teared up when he got emotional."

Yes he did and I really feel bad for him. It is very tough to get that close and not win. I think it is a very good sign he got that emotional, it shows he really wants it !!

Updated On: 9/14/20 at 02:06 PM