Halle/Queens and Pre-Wimbledon Thread

[Guest]

Feel free to discuss all matters relating to the tournaments.

If you have Sky you are in for a treat like me!

[LuvSports!]

Hewitt out  
Feds takes first set!

[Born Slippy]

Kohli takes the second set. The better player so far but I suspect his level will drop in the 3rd.

[Henman Bill]

I see Ward took a set off Raonic.

Unlucky for Kohli to firstly draw Federer and secondly to lose 2 sets to 1 due to two tight tiebreaks.

[lags72]

Yes, Federer edged a tight one there, coming mighty close to his first R1 exit on grass in a long, long time (?) For Kohli, just the second set he has taken off him in their nine meetings.

[temporary21]

Dimi down a set and break... Racheed looking very worried now

[LuvSports!]

10 mins later and Dimi's serving for the set.

[temporary21]

Yeah that went sour for Sam very fast.  Does have a one set shootout at least

[YvonneT]

I don't think that's too uncommon with Querrey - suddenly seems unable to control his shots when he gets near the finish line.

Did any one catch John Inverdale commentating the Dimi match? I thought he was annoying as a presenter, but this was way worse - like being in the stands and having someone next to you pass remarks of the most inane nature to their companion after every point!

[temporary21]

not as annoying as the camera cutting to the ball girls nearly crying when Dimi loses a point

[sirfredperry]

Lags72 - The last first-round grass-court exit for Fed. Could it have been Ancic at Wimbledon in 2002? Of course, Rog was not to lose again at SW19 until 2008.
Saw some extended highlights of the Kohlschreiber match. Fed looked to be moving well. It was a pretty ghastly first round draw for both players.
Fab line up at Queen's today for anyone lucky enough to have tickets.

[lags72]

sfp - I think you must be right on that one. And....IIRC ... his next early exit at Wimby after that loss way back in 2002 would have been Stakhovsky in R2 a couple of years ago ; there might well be a grass re-match - if Stakhovsky gets past Gulbis in Halle. Will lightning strike twice ....??!

Yep, a stellar field at Queens today, and perfect weather to boot. What a great start to its newly-acquired 500 status

[Henman Bill]

Ah, did not realise Queens (and Halle) was a 500 now, probably deserved as it gets more top players than almost any 250 except maybe Doha.

[slashermcguirk]

For all the good that the grass court season brings, it also means one certainty:

Andrew Castle back in the commentating booth !!!!!! BOOOOURNS !!!

[lags72]

Ah, did not realise Queens (and Halle) was a 500 now, probably deserved as it gets more top players than almost any 250 except maybe Doha.

Most dramatic change .....? Prize money !!

Last year's champ Dimitrov took home 80K euros. Whoever wins this year will get .....380K euros

Well worth showing up ......

[summerblues]

Poor start from Rafa and a good one from Dolgo. Nadal was 0-3 and 15-40 down. He managed to hold in the end, but still a break down. Now 1-4.

[Guest]

Is the Nadal serve to blame?

[banbrotam]

It's early days, but this is not the same Rafa as yesteryear.

Yes, give him a half court ball and he'll murder it, be he seems to struggle to get into position fast enough for anything approaching remotely hard hit at him

I'm sure he'll win here because Dolgo (if only he could acquire the same temperament as Kei then we'd have a really good future) will of course have his usual dozy 30 minutes

[banbrotam]

Is the Nadal serve to blame?

Do you think? It seems more like slight hesitation in movement - which is fatal for him and Andy (as we saw last year) in particular

I've never thought the Rafa serve was that fantastic - what did the business for him, was his first shot behind it

[lags72]

Is the Nadal serve to blame?

Little wrong with the Rafa serve in this match, so far at least.

Dolgo got off to a great start, but all indications are that Rafa will just have too much for him.

[summerblues]

First set to Dolgo.

[lags72]

....er .....over three sets, I hasten to add ....!

[summerblues]

all indications are that Rafa will just have too much for him.

I do not see those indications - at least not yet. I agree that I would still make Rafa the favorite - but more on their relative history than on the indications from today's match.

[lags72]

Fair enough summerblues. I guess what I was saying (badly ...!) is that with players of the calibre of Rafa, you always sense that a period of match-changing quality play is just a moment away, whilst a lower-ranked guy enjoying a quickfire start will dip at some stage.

Uncle Toni - who rarely seems to exchange a word with anyone (anyone else in the stands, that is ....) - in animated discussion with The Special One, aka Jose Mourinho.

[LuvSports!]

Dolgo has outplayed Rafa more than anything imo. Just he may start missing at any point.

[summerblues]

In the first set, Dolgo was the better player. Now in the second set, he is the one who looks more likely to get broken.

[Guest]

Is the Nadal serve to blame?

Do you think? It seems more like slight hesitation in movement - which is fatal for him and Andy (as we saw last year) in particular

I've never thought the Rafa serve was that fantastic - what did the business for him, was his first shot behind it

It was in jest to the comment "You can win on grass with a good serve"

[lags72]

Tough to call this TB .....

[Belovedluckyboy]

Wow so close! Fantastic Rafa, manages to save MP and then wins the second set. That's my boy! The clutch Rafa has returned, though I have to agree that Rafa is no longer as quick around the court as before. The FH too needs more work. Vamos Rafa!

[summerblues]

That's my boy!

Wow.

[summerblues]

Dolgo got off to a great start, but all indications are that Rafa will just have too much for him.

I think I can buy this now. Rafa looked more solid on his serve in the second. I would love to be wrong, but I suspect Rafa will win from here on.

[lags72]

Dolgo had every chance to end it in straights there. But a combination of some vintage Rafa magic on the return + nervy UE's from Dolgo take us into a decider.

Rafa growing in confidence ..... surely on his racquet now ....?

[temporary21]

Very slow start but rafa had the break in the third   After some great retrieving

[lags72]

This has all the feel of one of those matches ( so many of them over the years ....) where, if you've taken the opening set v Rafa, you really have to finish him off in straights.

But either way, it's proving a good workout for Rafa on grass.

[summerblues]

Dolgo misplayed that point at 30-30 - perhaps because he did not expect Rafa to bring the ball back - and that cost him the break.

[kingraf]

Nadal has played really well here. His serving second set was quality.

[summerblues]

Yes, Rafa has looked quite steady on his serve after the first set.

[temporary21]

Yeah everything's working now. The slice has bite and the bhdtl is working too

[lags72]

Quite apart from needing some decent match practice for Wimbledon, Rafa would not have wanted to suffer a second consecutive loss to Dolgo.

[summerblues]

Wow, that break came out of nowhere.

[kingraf]

Well, that's that then.

[lags72]

And therein lies the whole problem with the TV warnings. The Umpire has waited till this stage of the match to issue one, whereas if the signal was sent out early in the match, Rafa would hopefully begin to mend his ways. I would be amazed if that really was the first violation.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Rafa makes a mess out of the last few games! His FH and BH not there yet! Hope he wins as he's the better player the last two sets.

[summerblues]

Dolgo made it harder than it needed to be, but held in the end. Quite intriguingly poised this one now.

[lags72]

Thriller of a finish ....... Will Dolgo crack ....?

[summerblues]

Yeah, agree, Rafa looked the better player most of the last two sets. So Dolgo a bit lucky to be here now.

[LuvSports!]

Dolgo!

[summerblues]

Yes!!!!!! Did not even need a TB.

Well done Dolgo.

[temporary21]

Well that's a shame. The crowd clearly didn't like the umpire affecting the outcome of that game the way he did.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Sad for Rafa, should be the one winning yet he manages to lose it! Same old story this year again!

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