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numero-ocho
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 Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 9:25 am Post subject: 2019 Australian Open |
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Honestly, haven't watched a single match but just saw Naomi Osaka reached the Women's Finals showing her U.S. Open win was no fluke. Looking forward to a good finals between her and Petra Kvitova.
We could be headed to another showdown between Nadal and Djokovic on the men's side. This head-to-head is way more compelling than Federer/Nadal ever was.
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 9:54 am Post subject: Re: 2019 Australian Open |
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| numero-ocho wrote: | Honestly, haven't watched a single match but just saw Naomi Osaka reached the Women's Finals showing her U.S. Open win was no fluke. Looking forward to a good finals between her and Petra Kvitova.
We could be headed to another showdown between Nadal and Djokovic on the men's side. This head-to-head is way more compelling than Federer/Nadal ever was. |
I have been watching the tournament every night, night owl that I am. The Greek kid, Tsitsipas, beat Federer in the Round of 16 for a fantastic win. Then last night, Nadal gave him an absolute beatdown! During the warmup, Tsitsipas did something that ticked off Nadal; Nadal was at the net doing his volley warmup, and Tsitsipas was rifling balls at him as if the match had already started. Rafa fired a volley right back at him before leaving the net. He bageled the kid in the final set and was giving complete max effort for every ball even up 4-0 when he broke him again. NO MERCY! It does seem like we're on a collision course for a Rafa vs. Djoker final, and with both seemingly in good form, it would likely be a great final. If Rafa won it, he would win major #18 and he would be just two behind Federer's total of 20. If Novak won it, he would win major #15 and that would bring him to within two of Nadal's total.
Danielle Collins had a breakthrough on the women's side, getting all the way to the semifinals before losing to Kvitová last night. She was a star in college and is a bit cocky for my tastes, but we'll see if she has any staying power. I'm hoping that Kvitová beats Osaka. Her story is rather remarkable; for those that don't know, she suffered serious injuries to her left hand (she's a left-handed player) as a result of a home invasion in December 2017, and wasn't sure if she could ever play tennis again.
Of course, the shocking result of the tournament may have been Pliskova's win over Serena, when Serena was up 5-1 in the third set. |
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:15 am Post subject: |
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I've been losing soooo much sleep watching the AO, but it's my favorite major of the year so I always make the sacrifice (and work from home a lot  ).
I'm not sure Djokovic is going to be able to stop this Nadal in the final. Nadal has looked insanely good. |
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numero-ocho
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:21 am Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: | I've been losing soooo much sleep watching the AO, but it's my favorite major of the year so I always make the sacrifice (and work from home a lot ).
I'm not sure Djokovic is going to be able to stop this Nadal in the final. Nadal has looked insanely good. |
It would be hard to bet against Djoker in the AO. He's almost as dominant in Melbourne as Rafa is in Paris.
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:36 am Post subject: |
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| numero-ocho wrote: | | DuncanIdaho wrote: | I've been losing soooo much sleep watching the AO, but it's my favorite major of the year so I always make the sacrifice (and work from home a lot ).
I'm not sure Djokovic is going to be able to stop this Nadal in the final. Nadal has looked insanely good. |
It would be hard to bet against Djoker in the AO. He's almost as dominant in Melbourne as Rafa is in Paris. |
Yeah, I know. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried for him this year though. Nadal just looks stronger, and Djokovic has looked somewhat mortal since the USO (losing to Zverev in the ATP finals and RBA at Qatar). |
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adkindo
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:43 am Post subject: Re: 2019 Australian Open |
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| numero-ocho wrote: | Honestly, haven't watched a single match but just saw Naomi Osaka reached the Women's Finals showing her U.S. Open win was no fluke. Looking forward to a good finals between her and Petra Kvitova.
We could be headed to another showdown between Nadal and Djokovic on the men's side. This head-to-head is way more compelling than Federer/Nadal ever was. |
was wanting Serena and Osaka rematch....and I feel like it is Djokovic's to lose. |
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:49 am Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: | | numero-ocho wrote: | | DuncanIdaho wrote: | I've been losing soooo much sleep watching the AO, but it's my favorite major of the year so I always make the sacrifice (and work from home a lot ).
I'm not sure Djokovic is going to be able to stop this Nadal in the final. Nadal has looked insanely good. |
It would be hard to bet against Djoker in the AO. He's almost as dominant in Melbourne as Rafa is in Paris. |
Yeah, I know. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried for him this year though. Nadal just looks stronger, and Djokovic has looked somewhat mortal since the USO (losing to Zverev in the ATP finals and RBA at Qatar). |
I agree with you that Nadal has looked dominant in this event. That said, he's had a remarkably easy draw. He got to play Tiafoe in the quarters and Tsitsipas in the semis. Tsitsipas is the highest-ranked player he's faced (he was seeded 14th), and the other only seeded player he's faced in this event was 27th-seeded youngster Alex De Minaur. Novak would be a significant step up from that. But I do agree that Nadal looks like he's playing better. Plus his on-court time has been less (even with Novak getting a retirement in the 2nd set of his last match from Kei Nishikori), and he also gets an extra day before the final. Ultimately, if it's Novak vs. Rafa, I think it will be a great matchup of two all-time greats that match up well against one another. At the moment, I give Rafa the very slight edge, as I think he could be due for a 2nd AO crown. |
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numero-ocho
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:57 am Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: | | numero-ocho wrote: | | DuncanIdaho wrote: | I've been losing soooo much sleep watching the AO, but it's my favorite major of the year so I always make the sacrifice (and work from home a lot ).
I'm not sure Djokovic is going to be able to stop this Nadal in the final. Nadal has looked insanely good. |
It would be hard to bet against Djoker in the AO. He's almost as dominant in Melbourne as Rafa is in Paris. |
Yeah, I know. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried for him this year though. Nadal just looks stronger, and Djokovic has looked somewhat mortal since the USO (losing to Zverev in the ATP finals and RBA at Qatar). |
It's remarkable Nadal is still able to play his style of tennis this long. He started having knee problems over 10 years ago and I thought his career would be over by 30.
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:12 am Post subject: |
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^
He looks like he has a little more zip on his serve in this tournament. |
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LongBeachPoly
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:43 am Post subject: |
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| numero-ocho wrote: | | DuncanIdaho wrote: | I've been losing soooo much sleep watching the AO, but it's my favorite major of the year so I always make the sacrifice (and work from home a lot ).
I'm not sure Djokovic is going to be able to stop this Nadal in the final. Nadal has looked insanely good. |
It would be hard to bet against Djoker in the AO. He's almost as dominant in Melbourne as Rafa is in Paris. |
That’s an exaggeration.
He’s won 5-6 titles and Rafa has won 11?
Nadal is 86-2 at the French Open (97.7%)
Djokovich is 61-8 at the Australian Open (88%) |
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Theseus
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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Nadal has changed his service motion to hit faster serves. He wants to shorten points on his serve.
Uncle Toni isn't on his coaching staff anymore, and he was against Rafa serving faster since he thought playing longer points/matches was in Rafa's favor thanks to his conditioning/athleticism. Worked really great for most of his career, but not when you're on the wrong side of 30 and playing best of 5 sets against 20 year olds.
Its a shame Roger didn't make it this far. He won the first set, but could not convert any of his break points. He said he will play the clay court season though, which should be interesting. |
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Theseus
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Tsitsipas was doomed from the getgo against Rafa. Righties with one handed back hands won't do well against Rafa typically. Impressed he made it this far, hopefully we will see more from him in the future, he has a nice game. |
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Theseus wrote: | | Tsitsipas was doomed from the getgo against Rafa. Righties with one handed back hands won't do well against Rafa typically. Impressed he made it this far, hopefully we will see more from him in the future, he has a nice game. |
Yeah he does. Modeled his game after Federer. I have no idea why he wanted to try to send Nadal a message in the warmup, though. You just don't see guys (or gals) hitting their groundstrokes as hard as they can at their opponent who is at the net volleying in the warmup. Nadal was pissed off, I promise you. Not like he needs extra motivation, but perhaps he was just a bit extra motivated to bagel him in that third set when he had the chance. |
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LongBeachPoly
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 5:54 am Post subject: |
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Djokovic-Nadal final. Man, if Djokovic wins, he could be going for his 2nd Tiger/Serena Slam at the French Open.
It's interesting how Federer-Nadal rose the last 2 years coinciding with Djokovic's demise. Now that he's back, Federer is slipping again.
Somehow, Federer knew it was his chance to win with Djokovic faltering. Now it looks like he's won his last grand slam.
If Djokovic wins:
Federer - 20
Nadal - 17
Djokovic - 15
If Nadal wins:
Federer - 20
Nadal - 18
Djokovic - 14
Seems like if Djokovic wants to catch Nadal, he needs to win this one. If Djokovic gets 2 Tiger/Serena Slams, I think he's the greatest ever. How far has Djokovic come? I remember when he was accused of throwing matches early in his career.
Last edited by LongBeachPoly on Fri Jan 25, 2019 9:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 8:57 am Post subject: |
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| Djokovic looked in top form. Only 5 UE, 2 of which were drop shots. 83 minutes. Total domination. |
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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Novak is a slight favorite in the men's final, -135/+115.
Kvitova is -115 and Osaka is -105 for the women's final tonight, so that's almost a pick 'em. |
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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| ChickenStu wrote: | Novak is a slight favorite in the men's final, -135/+115.
Kvitova is -115 and Osaka is -105 for the women's final tonight, so that's almost a pick 'em. |
Pretty amazing to see how far Kvitova's come back since her gruesome hand injury from that attack. I hope she wins it. Won't be upset if Osaka wins though, as she's super fun to root for too. |
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: | | ChickenStu wrote: | Novak is a slight favorite in the men's final, -135/+115.
Kvitova is -115 and Osaka is -105 for the women's final tonight, so that's almost a pick 'em. |
Pretty amazing to see how far Kvitova's come back since her gruesome hand injury from that attack. I hope she wins it. Won't be upset if Osaka wins though, as she's super fun to root for too. |
I'm definitely pulling for Petra. |
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 3:38 am Post subject: |
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| Well the women's final was a dramatic match, even if the tennis got a little sloppy in the 2nd set, but Osaka prevailed. She was up a set and 5-3 and had triple match point on Kvitová's serve and not only did Petra save those 3 match points, but she then went on a run to take the 2nd set, and Osaka was visibly rattled. But she got her composure back in the third set and outplayed Petra to win it 6-4. |
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LongBeachPoly
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 5:54 am Post subject: |
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| Naomi Osaka's US & Australian Open titles make her the first winner of 2 women's major singles championships in a row since the 2014-15 "Serena Slam." Williams won 4 straight: ‘14 US & ‘15 Australian, French & Wimbledon. |
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numero-ocho
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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I was expecting better movement from Kvitova with all that weight she lost but she still doesn't move well. Osaka was wrong-footing her quite a bit. Once she got the service return in play, it felt like she was in control of most of the points.
She's proven she's championship caliber on hard courts. Now, I'm curious to see how Osaka does on clay and grass.
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| numero-ocho wrote: | I was expecting better movement from Kvitova with all that weight she lost but she still doesn't move well. Osaka was wrong-footing her quite a bit. Once she got the service return in play, it felt like she was in control of most of the points.
She's proven she's championship caliber on hard courts. Now, I'm curious to see how Osaka does on clay and grass. |
For whatever reason, Petra's first serve speed dropped noticeably starting in the 2nd set. And on Osaka's second serve, which is vulnerable, Petra hit several winning returns. But she always got in trouble whenever she hit the return right back down the middle, no matter how hard it was. Osaka simply redirected the ball at an angle on those and if you get Kvitová moving, you are probably going to win the point. I thought those two things were the key to the match. I was impressed with both Kvitová's resolve when down 3 match points (and forcing a third set), and then Osaka's ability to overcome the collapse at the end of the second set to regain her composure. |
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:35 am Post subject: |
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| Djokovic. Nadal. A 53rd meeting between the two legends. A 15th meeting in a major. An 8th meeting in a major final. Legacies are on the line. Let's go! |
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DuncanIdaho
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| Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:58 am Post subject: |
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| Djokovic looks amazing right now, wow |
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ChickenStu
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| Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 1:30 am Post subject: |
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| DuncanIdaho wrote: | | Djokovic looks amazing right now, wow |
He looks locked in but Nadal has found his footing and is now in this match. Obviously, if Djokovic wins the second set too, Nadal is in major trouble, but I think Nadal is back in this thing right now. |
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