World Tour Finals Thread - Match & Prediction Thread

[Guest]

First topic message reminder :

So the ATPs premier showpiece event hits the O2 on Sunday. The sixth showing at the O2 and yielded only 3 different winners. Very interesting this year. 3 virgin qualifiers in Cillic, Raonic and Nishikori. Can we see a new winner? Can Nishikori and Raonic win the biggest title of their careers to date? Federer will have an eye on the DC like his compatriot Wawrinka, though he is woefully out of form of late. Has Murray much left in the tank to win his first title here at the O2? Can Berdych do a Davydenko and strike out of nowhere? Will it be a routine Djokovic victory?

For me the 2 that qualify from each group will be:

Group A

1) Djokovic
2) Raonic

Group B

1) Murray
2) Federer

Djokovic/Murray final

Winner: Djokovic

[Jahu]

Can Kei break? 30:30.

[temporary21]

Darn it, another straight sets thumping, Muzz had better turn up tonight.

[Jahu]

BP! come on Kei break once.

[CaledonianCraig]

Agree Lags,

Fed doesn't look sharp at all. Sluggish and making lots of errors.

Kei's been woeful.

Sharp enough to be handsomely beating Nishikori though - that is the key.

[lags72]

And that's all she wrote.

[Jahu]

All done.

Yet to see a good WTF match fight.

[CaledonianCraig]

Roger Federer wins 6-3 6-2 and surely seals a semi-final spot.

[It Must Be Love]

Clinical from Fed; Kei though has to sort out his injury problems over the season break.

[Calder106]

Needs to sort out his serve as well.

[lags72]

Don't think I've ever heard a sports anchor come out with so much auto-pilot waffle as Ms. Barker

"Well, we have run out of time here"

Oh really Sue ...?

And what if the match had gone to a decider ....??

Perhaps on this occasion she had a producer yelling in her ear, but nonetheless it's symptomatic of her lazy use of words.

[temporary21]

I imagine sorting out the injury will go hand in hand with the serve. This is a chance though for Muzz and Raonic. Milos know knows if he beats Murray that hell onyl need beat an ailing Nish in the third match to go through. Muzz really needs to take out Milos easily, soo he has a buffer in terms of games and sets when he tries to turn over federer in the final one.

[Jahu]

Sue might be getting old, but Patchey and Greg fighting neck to neck.

[Silver]

I imagine sorting out the injury will go hand in hand with the serve. This is a chance though for Muzz and Raonic. Milos know knows if he beats Murray that hell onyl need beat an ailing Nish in the third match to go through. Muzz really needs to take out Milos easily, soo he has a buffer in terms of games and sets when he tries to turn over federer in the final one.

That's a good call actually. Pressure's on Murray to win in straights tonight if he possibly can, to put himself neck & neck with Kei. From there, taking a set off Federer (or beating him) might just be enough to sneak through. Either way he needs sets and games on the board.

[sirfredperry]

Well, another quick match. This tournament has hardly set the pulses racing. Fed takes a 3-2 lead over Nishi in their h2hs and must be close to the semis (can't work it out).
  From the posts above it doesn't sound like a great match. Was Nishi poor and Fed didn't have to do too much, or what? Looks like the intense last few weeks have been too much for some of the players.

Latest: This is from the ATP official site - Federer qualifies on Tuesday if:
- Federer defeats Nishikori and Raonic defeats Murray
- Federer defeats Nishikori in two sets and Murray defeats Raonic in three sets.

[Silver]

30 UEs for Kei, sirfred. He started very well but couldn't capitalise on some early BPs, then Fed snatched the break from nowhere to go 4-1 up and the errors began to flow. Fed didn't miss much after that, but wasn't going for much either.

Fed wasn't exactly stellar himself, but kept it solid and did enough. He'll have to serve better going forward though...nearly all players have been under 60% this week, strange for an indoor tourney.

[Guest]

Pfffttt.

Still waiting for a decent match where both players turn up!

[laverfan]

Nishikori. His injuries are a major stumbling block to potential achievements.

Old Man did well to pull this one off. If he tops the group, he may have an easier semifinal and may meet Djokovic in the final.

Looking forward to Murray tonight. Can he get to a respectable place?

[bogbrush]

If Federer wants to be #1 again he needs to hope to

1. Top his group
2. See Djokovic lose (to Wawrinka?) and probably come 2nd.
3. Beat him in the semis

That way #1 can be in his own hands, a bit like when he last regained it at Wimbledon 2012.

If he wants to win the thing you could argue he'd prefer Djokovic win and perhaps slip up to Murray / Raonic / Nish in the semi, but since I can't see any of them beating Djokovic here he might as well get on with it himself in the semi.

Not saying he'd be favourite of course, it's just this is a fact if he wants #1.

[bogbrush]

Well, another quick match. This tournament has hardly set the pulses racing. Fed takes a 3-2 lead over Nishi in their h2hs and must be close to the semis (can't work it out).
  From the posts above it doesn't sound like a great match. Was Nishi poor and Fed didn't have to do too much, or what? Looks like the intense last few weeks have been too much for some of the players.

Latest: This is from the ATP official site - Federer qualifies on Tuesday if:
- Federer defeats Nishikori and Raonic defeats Murray
- Federer defeats Nishikori in two sets and Murray defeats Raonic in three sets.

It's hard for Federer to fail to qualify now, it takes a strange convergence of straight sets results with emphatic scorelines.

[Guest]

Murray said fire up? I thought he said f**k off!

[Jahu]

Oi oi oi, dont be so defamatory and dormitory

Andy kicking Milo in the canadian nuts.

5:3 up, serving for the set.

[Danny_1982]

Murray playing a bit better. Still nowhere near well enough to concern Federer though.

Still. Baby steps.

[Guest]

3 winners all set.

Says it all really.

If Murray can't beat Raonic who is only getting 39% first serves in, there is no hope.

[Guest]

How does one win a set hitting just 1 winner??

[Haddie-nuff]

How does one win a set hitting just 1 winner??

By waiting for your opponent to make the errors... simples

[Danny_1982]

1 winner? Jesus! Playing the percentages then.

It's not the most exciting to watch.

[Jahu]

We had 2 matches with 3 winners, Berdy +Cilic.

[Guest]

How does one win a set hitting just 1 winner??

By waiting for your opponent to make the errors... simples

It's matches like this that make me want to go Serena on the players. With a ball and their throats!

[Jahu]

LK, dont be so sexist...

[Guest]

Oh wait...Murray just hit a winner. That's 2. Keep em coming!

[Jahu]

Where is CC? Having a beer at the Camden Docks and ignoring Andy?

[Haddie-nuff]

This is turning out to be the worst WTF I have ever watched ..jeeze
I think they have already gone home for Christmas.. these are just cardboard cut-outs

[Jahu]

Andy on fire, still with Egyptian fake carpet coloured trainers.

[Jahu]

Milo better at the net then Andy, her coach maybe not a fan of fishnets, not training Andy much at the net

[Guest]

That was plain awful!

[Haddie-nuff]

That was plain awful!

And some

[CaledonianCraig]

Where is CC? Having a beer at the Camden Docks and ignoring Andy?

Actually some of us have to work. I am on duty heading back north to Bonnie Scotland since you are so concerned.

[Guest]

Get someone out there with some guts!

[Danny_1982]

"You've destroyed my serve!!!" Roars Andy after getting broken.

Second time he's said that in recent weeks. What's he referring to, surgery? New service motion?

Any ideas?

[temporary21]

Its almost always when hes a break up, hes just losing concentration and intensity all the time when hes up

[Haddie-nuff]

Hell no but something's wrong. I still say its not physical he isn't moving badly.

[Guest]

I give Raonic his due. He is making it happen. Not just going to sit back and try and hit through Andy.

Your move Andy.

[Guest]

There's just something about that sleeve that bothers me!

[Guest]

Got to love Barry Millns. "Those lucky enough to have a ticket"

[Guest]

If I was Santa I would deliver Raonic a brain and a BH!

[Guest]

What a brain fart from Raonic. 0-30 up and he makes four simple errors.

[Guest]

That's twice in successive return games he was 0-30 up.

[Chazfazzer]

I've watched a good chunk of the second set, and the standard is pretty abysmal at the moment. With Raonic you feel like it's a 50:50 toss-up between him either hitting a winner or hitting it into the bottom of the net.

[Guest]

Pretty awful standard from both players so far.

[Guest]

My excitement meter just peaked a little bit with those returns by Andy.

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