DUBAI 2012 Draw and Matches live!

First topic message reminder :

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/Tournament-Draws.aspx

I always liked Dubai as a tournament. Lots of money at stake and to me it;s the equivalent of a TMS.

The draw is interesting:

It's Djoko / MUrray on the same half (looking forward to a revenge there.

And It's Federer v Llodra first round. I am sure, you can bet on this that the are going to make Llodra play early Monday...Tuesday at the latest to give Federer max chance of winning that one.

The top draw is certainly the toughest with Berdych and Davydenko on top of Nole and Andy.

Just realised that Federer has Delpo again....but I am sure Delpo will start to feel it in the legs.

Anyone following Delray Beach.

Troicki, Cilic gone and Memphis champ Melzer looking at being beaten.

laverfan wrote:Anyone following Delray Beach.

Troicki, Cilic gone and Memphis champ Melzer looking at being beaten.

I forgot it existed

Who's beating Melzer?

Melzer gone.

noleisthebest wrote:

laverfan wrote:Anyone following Delray Beach.

Troicki, Cilic gone and Memphis champ Melzer looking at being beaten.

I forgot it existed

Who's beating Melzer?

Tim Smyzcek 64 26 75

PS: Nieminen beat Cilic, Darcis beat Troicki.

laverfan wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

laverfan wrote:Anyone following Delray Beach.

Troicki, Cilic gone and Memphis champ Melzer looking at being beaten.

I forgot it existed

Who's beating Melzer?

Tim Smyzcek 64 26 75

PS: Nieminen beat Cilic, Darcis beat Troicki.

Cilic really going down the pan....and Melzer? Amazing how most players just fizz out after a good tournament. All the years of hard work, win stg and then just kind of let it go...no mental cruelty to just keep your head down and plough like the very top; makes them truly admirable.

Fed leading 6:0 5:4. Second set much better.

6:0 7:6, tight TB, Llodra had a 5:4 and serving..

laverfan wrote:Melzer gone.

No surprise! flying from Menphis on Sunday, we could not expect him to be on form 2 days later.

noleisthebest wrote:Cilic really going down the pan....and Melzer? Amazing how most players just fizz out after a good tournament. All the years of hard work, win stg and then just kind of let it go...no mental cruelty to just keep your head down and plough like the very top; makes them truly admirable.

I am very about Cilic and the injuries that he has been beset with. Would like to see him become an important part of the tour and keep his promise. Gulbis is another one, who improved but is back in doldrums again.

Tenez wrote:

laverfan wrote:Melzer gone.

No surprise! flying from Menphis on Sunday, we could not expect him to be on form 2 days later.

He could have asked for a better schedule. Unlike Llodra's flight from Marseilles to Dubai, Memphis to Delray is about 2.5 to 3 hour by flight.

Cilic is just another Ancic, probably with a bit more potential just cannot recover from injuries.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Cilic is just another Ancic, probably with a bit more potential just cannot recover from injuries.

At least, his career has not been blighted by Mono/GF. Soderling with GF/Mono as well. What a tragedy for Ancic? Hope Soderling recovers fully.

Despite being professionals, career-threatening injuries are always sad. I would not wish it on anyone. A healthy tour is a competitive tour, do you agree?

Watching Roddick v Petzschner. On-screen score is so big it almost blocks out the player at the far end.

Petzsch up a break and consolidates.

ryan86 wrote:Watching Roddick v Petzschner. On-screen score is so big it almost blocks out the player at the far end.

The last link (on LSH) seems to be a widescreen link. Try that, a bit better.

6-4 to Petzschner.

Tenez wrote:It's a jet lagged Llodra v a rested Federer. Nothing surprising really.

Del Potro won Marseilles and then beat Dolgopolov in Dubai. Dolgo is no Federer, yet DelPo survived.

I hate saying x or y should retire, but I find it quite sad to watch Roddick like this, not just this game, but probably the best part of the past year.

ryan86 wrote:I hate saying x or y should retire, but I find it quite sad to watch Roddick like this, not just this game, but probably the best part of the past year.

As long as he enjoys his time on the court, he should continue.

Ryan, I'd be surprised if Roddick played next year frankly, his level is way down.

Roddick may have another slam in him when they speed conditions up.

break_in_the_fifth wrote:Roddick may have another slam in him when they speed conditions up.

Very optimistic to say that. Only problem, there will also be Federer. And we know how many slam wins Roddick might have had, but for that man.

Federer is one of my favourite players. Very rarely do I cheer against him but I did at the Wimbledon 2009 final. I can remember at one point in the match imagining his celebration if he won. I'm sure it would have been very emotional. I only hope Roddick himself didn't get carried away with such thoughts.

Everyone consoling Roddick afterwoods saying he would have more chances only made the loss appear more sad because I for one was not convinced...

much better from Murray so far today, playing with more aggression and hitting the ball much more crisply from both wings.

Chiudinelli is worse than James Ward.

Further to my post on the Dubai Wednesday topic, Tipsy, at one stage 0-3 down, is now serving for the first set at 6-5.
* Update. Whooops. Tipsy drops first set 6-7.

Just seen that Murray has won 6-3, 6-4 today. How did he look? I see from the stats he won a higher percentage of points on his second service than his first. Doubt whether that happens very often.

Nole time

He looked better than yesterday, though that can't have been hard. His serve on only one occasion (when a ball just called out, but overturned put him 40-30 instead of 30-40) looked like it may be broken and it looked as if he was playing well within himself and Marco C had upped his game, then Murray could up his as well, and the tail end of Set 2 sort of played that out.

sirfredperry wrote:Just seen that Murray has won 6-3, 6-4 today. How did he look? I see from the stats he won a higher percentage of points on his second service than his first. Doubt whether that happens very often.

Murray looked a bit better, but Chiudinelli was not very good today.

sirfredperry wrote:Further to my post on the Dubai Wednesday topic, Tipsy, at one stage 0-3 down, is now serving for the first set at 6-5.

Second set 6-1, up 4-1 in third is Tipsy.

noleisthebest wrote:Nole time

The Bendiest duo of (Nole and NiTB) on court.

Beautifully disguised and executed lob NOLEEEEEEEEE

Behold the beautiful backhand !

Wow, what a "lucky" return

Murray looked much better today, served better and hit it nicely off both wings. The one concern was the return of serve, which was off-kilter (quite rare to see him miss so many returns), but on the whole massive improvement on yesterday's effort.

Stakh is playing well and keeping up, with Djokovic not at his best.

A bit of a struggle for Djoko, Stakh doing some serve & volley and nice dropshots.

Stakh giving Djoko a run for his money and the number one now serving at 5-6.

Sublime volley from Nole!

pretty rubbish from Djokovic so far, but Stak has dipped in the TB

Very scrappy tiebreak with Stakh twice a mini-break up only for Djoko to take it 7-5

Nole

and Djokovic duly takes it as Stak fails to find a first serve and sprays a few errors. Enjoyable set, though the TB was pretty poor.

Mad for Chelsea wrote:pretty rubbish from Djokovic so far, but Stak has dipped in the TB

coo, you really hate him don't you...

Nole's taken his hat off, beware!

noleisthebest wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:pretty rubbish from Djokovic so far, but Stak has dipped in the TB

coo, you really hate him don't you...

not at all, but you have to admit by his standards he didn't play well in that set, there were quite a few poor errors in there (missing by some distance on some shots). He was solid enough in the TB and Stak made some errors which he hadn't been making earlier. I called Murray rubbish yesterday, and I don't hate him by any means.

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:pretty rubbish from Djokovic so far, but Stak has dipped in the TB

coo, you really hate him don't you...

not at all, but you have to admit by his standards he didn't play well in that set, there were quite a few poor errors in there (missing by some distance on some shots). He was solid enough in the TB and Stak made some errors which he hadn't been making earlier. I called Murray rubbish yesterday, and I don't hate him by any means.

I thought he was good, playing about 50%, got the job done. Strachovski is a quality player and is playing well.

noleisthebest wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:pretty rubbish from Djokovic so far, but Stak has dipped in the TB

coo, you really hate him don't you...

not at all, but you have to admit by his standards he didn't play well in that set, there were quite a few poor errors in there (missing by some distance on some shots). He was solid enough in the TB and Stak made some errors which he hadn't been making earlier. I called Murray rubbish yesterday, and I don't hate him by any means.

I thought he was good, playing about 50%, got the job done.

OK maybe rubbish was a bit harsh, but we'd agree he's playing some way below his best.

Stak breaks in game three of the second set with a nice BH pass. Mildly worrying times for Djokovic, he could do with stepping it up now...

No doubt Djoko not at his best as he slips 3-1 down in the second set