FO 1/4 Finals !!!!

Seriously! It all starts now.....

Keep me/us updated!

Watching the Sharapova v Petkovic match. Sharapova taking the first 6-0. Sharapova breaks in the second. That is 7 consecutive games for the Russian. Not sure I am a fan of her 'grunting' because it sounds more pleasure going on than effort.

I can't get into women's tennis, anxiously waiting for the Nadal match. I have soderling pulling off the upset in that one.

Rafael Nadal 1.36

Robin Soderling 3.7

Time to put your money where you mouth is socal!

Quite windy out there and that is not going to help the high throwing of Soderling's serve!

I don't mind women's tennis. Some times you can be lucky to find an epic, but difficult when the 3rd set most times in women's tennis comes down to nerve.

A brave prediction socal going for Soderling. Nadal is 2/7 with bookmakers and Soderling is 5/2. Back in 2009 Soderling with some bookmakers was 1500/1 to beat him! How times have changed.

sod has been a bit unlucky at the FO, has been very good the last 2 years , only rafa at his best prevented him from winning last year. i see rafa winning this in 4 sets

Li Na has taken the first set 7-5 in her match with Azarenka.

legendkillar wrote:Back in 2009 Soderling with some bookmakers was 1500/1 to beat him! How times have changed.

Those bookmakers are long gone i guess

If Li Na defeats Azarenka, it will be the first time since the French Open in 2005 that none of the top 4 womens seeds made the semi-finals.

"legendkillar wrote:
Back in 2009 Soderling with some bookmakers was 1500/1 to beat him! How times have changed.

Those bookmakers are long gone i guess"

My suspicion is that they didn't lose much because no-one gave the Sod a credible chance of beating Rafa that day.

Interesting that there's a very good chance that the men's SF will be all the top 4, while the women's side looks like none of the top 4 might make it. Is this a sign of strength in depth int he women's game, or (more likely) signs of something of a 'weak era' where the highest ranked players have achieved their level by consistently performing quite well rather than being outstanding?

Tenez, I am going out on the limb and taking Robin, I just don't like the form of Rafa lately or the way he is talking its like the pressure is getting to him. Robin in 4 or 5 sets. I could be wrong, Rafa is in my the greatest clay courter ever but it seems to me that he is a bit rattled right now.

The women's game to me shouldn't be taken seriously after most of the best players Henin, Clistjers, Hingis, the williams sisters don't take the woman's tour seriously either retiring and coming back all the time or never playing a full schedule to begin with. The women's champions like Navaratilova, Everet, and Graf who were dedicated and talented seem to be long gone. Tenez how much are you willing to be me? Are you willing to give me 3 to 1 odds like the bookmakers?

Early break Nadal, Rafa looks like he is up for this matchup, maybe the prediction of his demise was premature.

Soderling 1st serve in the depths. I can't watch the mach, what's the problem with it?

Told you! The wind is pretty strong and very much affects Sod's throw for the serve.

robin just making too many errors and Rafa isn't making any and isn't dropping the ball short at all in this match.

Dammit, I still have no TV (on holiday and a big electrical storm knocked out the satellite while I was away).

All I can see is the slamtracker scores, suggesting Soderling is making a lot of mistakes. It's like watching a football match on ceefax, this.

It's very windy and that certainly doesn;t help Sod's confidence. The match could quickly change to Sod's advantage if he starts to feel confident..but not the case for now.

Nadal's fitness has improved two folds since the first round.

Rafa is a set and and break up in the match.

This match is over, 1st round match with Isner notwithstanding.

Sods ranking is going to collapse after this, no so much in # but in where he in in touch with. His brief period in the Sun, driven by those two FO finals, appears well and truly over.

He's going to find himself sustained only by the equally dramatic collapse of Berdych, and only 1000 points away from the morasse from Meltzer onwards.

"He's going to find himself sustained only by the equally dramatic collapse of Berdych, and only 1000 points away from the morasse from Meltzer onwards."

He's going to need to do a good job defending his points from the Masters Series event he won (Paris?), otherwise it looks like a fall back towards the lower reaches of the top 10.

Or worse.

Sod was a bit unlucky with the wind conds today.

he also paid the price for not starting well...but again that has lots to do with the wind.

He never played with confidence which is so important to his game.

Nothing to prevent a Nadal-Djoko final now.

Tenez wrote:Sod was a bit unlucky with the wind conds today.

he also paid the price for not starting well...but again that has lots to do with the wind.

He never played with confidence which is so important to his game.

Or simple explanation, Nadal totally outplayed him, just like the final last year.

Outplayed? Did we see the same match? I saw Nadal scrapping through right and left as usual praying for an UE! Frankly, you have got to be a big fan to see teh "outplayed" bit!

michael_o wrote:Nothing to prevent a Nadal-Djoko final now.

Apart from Murray or Federer perhaps.

Tenez wrote:Outplayed? Did we see the same match? I saw Nadal scrapping through right and left as usual praying for an UE! Frankly, you have got to be a big fan to see teh "outplayed" bit!

Nadal exerted too much pressure on Soderling and Soderling had to go for low percertage shots.

Not rocket science is it?

Exactly. That's what I call being outplayed.

Murray has been labouring against ordinary opponents and presents a lesser threat imo than Söderling.

Great matches from Nadal and Murray today. I was expecting Soderling to win today, but Nadal appears to have got used to the balls based on this performance. Totally outplayed Sod and forced him to go for high risk shots, just like last years final - same steady result.

I think the Mental aspect of Soderling vs Nadal on clay is well and truly Nadals now - 7-3 now in FO sets. Avenged loss and now consolidated

Can't see Fed holding a flag to Djoko unless Djoko is not the Djoko we currently know;)

Murray....... Well one thing i can say is Nadal never ever looks happy when he plays Murray - Murray can frustrate him, but if his ankle is causing him to start slowly as appears to be the case, then its possibly the worst guy on tour to start slowly against.

Still think overall Djoko has this title in his hands, hes certainly maxing his A-game at the minute

michael_o wrote:Exactly. That's what I call being outplayed.

Murray has been labouring against ordinary opponents and presents a lesser threat imo than Söderling.

Maybe when Soderling beats someone with one leg that comment might warrant merit