AO 2015 - Day 8

Order of Play - http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/schedule13.html

Live Scores - http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/index.html

Day 8 Preview - http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2016-01-24/day_8_preview_vikas_cause_for_celebration.html

My predictions...

Wawrinka in 4 close TB sets.

Murray comfortably in 3 sets.

Ferrer in 5 sets.

Want to see Kuznetsov move up and beat La Monf, perhaps in 4 or 5.

Raonic in 4
Ferrer in 4
Monfils in 5
Murray in 4

Raonic in 5 (please)
Murray in 4
Monfils in 5
Isner in straights. (Let me dream)

Let us see how Raonic v Wawrinka turns out with morning Ladies matches completed. Kerber and Azarenka through.

Monfils v Kuznestov tied at 1 set apiece.

Wawrinka is playing some pretty bad stuff. Very Raonic has been the better player so far, for a set and a half. Raonic up a break in the second.

I am only following the scores as am at work but I am surprised to see Roanic two sets to love up on Stan.

Wawrinka somewhat below par, but Raonic is delivering a tactical masterclass and the variety to his game is joyous.

The Canadian is brimming with confidence and no wonder.

Just tuned in. Looks like Raonic will lose this in 5.

Yup, does look that way. Stan has previously come back from 2 sets down 6 times in GS matches!! By constrast Rao doesn't look quite slam-tough.

Barely a soul in the crowd!

Ive only been watching 15 minutes but I'm very impressed with Raonic. He's not the one-dimensional player he was, some of his retrieving is great (basing it less on running and more on a giant wimgspan).

Yep, very impressive.

If he was playing Federer next I'd be concerned.

I put it down to the new hairstyle; it's clear he's put aside the extreme rigidity of the old one in favour of a more nuanced cut. Also, he seems to be using a lot less control and letting the hair have some flexibility, whilst remaining in a controlled framework. This probably came to the fore during that crucial 5th set where Stan had grasped the momentum.

Waw, sorry, not this time; Rao, congrats, proved me wrong, you passed a big test! clap:

Nit many people watching the Aussie on Margaret Court.

Fed has the afternoon session tomorrow, Novak the evening.

I think that definitely helps Novak against Nishi.

Probably doesn't have a huge impact on Fed v Berd.

Konta to serve for the match!!

Ah you beauty!! Konta does it!!

Congratulations to Jo Konta - possibly the most improved player on the WTA over the last year. To be honest she made hard work of this, as from what I saw in the first set she had plenty of chances to kill it off, especially for the double break for 4-1, but missed several BPs and then immediately dropped serve (as often happens after a long return game).

And now (less surprisingly) Murray moves 2 sets ahead of Tomic.

A few interesting stats for Murray's career -

1 - Has never lost to an Australian player in an ATP event (16-0)
2 - Has only lost once to a home player at a Grand Slam, that being Monfils in France a decade ago. Record is 13-1

Stan disappoints again

Murray at least kicking ass.

Not being argumentative or anything, but surely Konta is an Australian who happens to have moved here? I mean, by what measure that means anything (parentage, birthplace, upbringing) is she British?

Accent seems to be the most compelling reason to me.

HM Murdock wrote:Fed has the afternoon session tomorrow, Novak the evening.

I think that definitely helps Novak against Nishi.

Probably doesn't have a huge impact on Fed v Berd.

Probably not. Berdy has the power to hit through on nights anyway so Federer has to expect them firing fast. It probably helps Federer really.

This means Novak is out of days for good now, what with the semis    played at night.

Based on what I saw, I think Raonic could do Murray if they meet. I know Andy is great on return and he'll get some bites, but it's still the Raonic serve we're talking about here. The difference is that I can see Raonic getting a lot of interest on his return games.

I was most impressed with him today, he really looked impressive in that his game has moved on.

Agree, Raonic till today was broken only twice this year, he can blast Andy away, is Andy starts with his nerves and talking to himself.

I am sure a stiff breeze will come and throw Raonic off his game.

Murray's route opening up nicely.

I think the tournament needed that result from Raonic, because it's felt pretty flat to me so far.

Verdasco served up a headline but then didn't back it up. Novak was pushed to five but in a way that produced a terrible match rather than a good one.

Everything else has been so routine.

Monfils is in the QF without having played a seed. Ferrer has not dropped a set yet. Nobody in the QFs are under 25.

I have a hunch that there may be some headlines in the QFs though...

Yeah, I like that perspective. Let's hope for something of value. Trouble (for you, HMM) is that the only interesting result that would auger well for the sport is if Nishikori beat Djokovic;

- Berdych beating Federer would hardly rejuvinate tennis, probably more fun that a veteren runs on
- Raonic beating Monfils is essential but expected
- Ferrer beating Murray; see Berdych above.

Tennis probably needs a Nishikori / Raonic final.

Good example from Raonic today of how effective serve volley can still be on a medium hard court against most of the tour. Stan had no idea what to do and should really have been disposed of in 3.

Born Slippy wrote:Good example from Raonic today of how effective serve volley can still be on a medium hard court against most of the tour. Stan had no idea what to do and should really have been disposed of in 3.

It certainly is, if your serve is the hammer of Thor and you can move!

Some great quirky trivia there from dummy_half re Murray's winning record v Aussie players, and indeed home-grown players at any Slam.

Despite his now ritual defeats of Aussies, the Melbourne crowd really do give him great support. But no surprise perhaps, given how much they respect hard work & effort ; both of which have been in evidence through all his AO campaigns. Well done Andy today, with those recent off-court distractions etc.

I commented that victory over Federer in Brisbane was something of a watershed moment for Raonic. He is becoming a genuine threat to all & sundry these days and seems much more confident in his game overall.

Berdych a big challenge in every way for the Fed. He's dumped him before at Slams of course and last year sent Rafa home here.

Have to agree with bogbrush re Konta. Didn't she actually represent Australia for several years ...? Which part of her is British ...? Where does the truth lie on this ....?

bogbrush wrote:Not being argumentative or anything, but surely Konta is an Australian who happens to have moved here? I mean, by what measure that means anything (parentage, birthplace, upbringing) is she British?

Accent seems to be the most compelling reason to me.

She moved to the UK in 2005 I think, so more than ten years ago, when she was 14. This means she probably learnt to play tennis in Australia and put the finishing touches on her game in the UK. As such, I think she could comfortably call herself British or Australian really, it scarcely matters. If she feels more British due to having spent her more adult life here or whatever, then surely that's a perfectly reasonable position?

In any case, very well done on reaching a QF to back up her 4th round at the US last year, hopefully showing that last year was not a flash in the pan, but the start of a steady rise. Her game's got lots of good elements, one of the stronger serves on the women's tour, and solid groundstrokes capable of doing damage of both wings.

In all likelihood she'll play Madison Keys in the QF, which is tough, but winnable IMO.

bogbrush wrote:Tennis probably needs a Nishikori / Raonic final.

I'd probably agree with that.

I don't want Novak's results to dry up, as I think tennis needs the established stars to chip away at the record books.

But I'd be perfectly happy to see his dominance wane as a result of the chasing pack improving their level.

I have a feeling (that I think is based on more than fan boy pessimism!) that Nishikori may do the business tomorrow. He's playing well and he sounds up for it in his interviews. His chances are certainly plausible.

Does David ever have trouble beating the serve machines? I guess he doesn't actually.

Andy will have to serve very calculated with lots of spin to hold his serve.

Stan losing early just so he can prepare to defend his FO crown

bogbrush wrote:Yeah, I like that perspective. Let's hope for something of value. Trouble (for you, HMM) is that the only interesting result that would auger well for the sport is if Nishikori beat Djokovic;

- Berdych beating Federer would hardly rejuvinate tennis, probably more fun that a veteren runs on
- Raonic beating Monfils is essential but expected
- Ferrer beating Murray; see Berdych above.

Tennis probably needs a Nishikori / Raonic final.

I think the last point is where I'd love to agree, but I think back to the US Open 2014 and what a flat match that final was. I would agree if this happened a couple of years ago when age wasn't such a factor. Also the rivalry hasn't had any matches that stand out which would make it a classic.

The old guard's shadow casts even further across sadly.

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Not being argumentative or anything, but surely Konta is an Australian who happens to have moved here? I mean, by what measure that means anything (parentage, birthplace, upbringing) is she British?

Accent seems to be the most compelling reason to me.

She moved to the UK in 2005 I think, so more than ten years ago, when she was 14. This means she probably learnt to play tennis in Australia and put the finishing touches on her game in the UK. As such, I think she could comfortably call herself British or Australian really, it scarcely matters. If she feels more British due to having spent her more adult life here or whatever, then surely that's a perfectly reasonable position?

In any case, very well done on reaching a QF to back up her 4th round at the US last year, hopefully showing that last year was not a flash in the pan, but the start of a steady rise. Her game's got lots of good elements, one of the stronger serves on the women's tour, and solid groundstrokes capable of doing damage of both wings.

In all likelihood she'll play Madison Keys in the QF, which is tough, but winnable IMO.

Very tough to beat Keys if Keys wins her tie. You can bet if Konta gets past her the Aussies will be claiming Konta as one of their own.

legendkillarV2 wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Yeah, I like that perspective. Let's hope for something of value. Trouble (for you, HMM) is that the only interesting result that would auger well for the sport is if Nishikori beat Djokovic;

- Berdych beating Federer would hardly rejuvinate tennis, probably more fun that a veteren runs on
- Raonic beating Monfils is essential but expected
- Ferrer beating Murray; see Berdych above.

Tennis probably needs a Nishikori / Raonic final.

I think the last point is where I'd love to agree, but I think back to the US Open 2014 and what a flat match that final was. I would agree if this happened a couple of years ago when age wasn't such a factor. Also the rivalry hasn't had any matches that stand out which would make it a classic.

The old guard's shadow casts even further across sadly.

Disagree. Pretty much everyone of their matches has gone the distance and they are good to watch imo. 5 setters at US open, davis cup and good matches at Brisbane and tokyo twice.

LuvSports! wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Yeah, I like that perspective. Let's hope for something of value. Trouble (for you, HMM) is that the only interesting result that would auger well for the sport is if Nishikori beat Djokovic;

- Berdych beating Federer would hardly rejuvinate tennis, probably more fun that a veteren runs on
- Raonic beating Monfils is essential but expected
- Ferrer beating Murray; see Berdych above.

Tennis probably needs a Nishikori / Raonic final.

I think the last point is where I'd love to agree, but I think back to the US Open 2014 and what a flat match that final was. I would agree if this happened a couple of years ago when age wasn't such a factor. Also the rivalry hasn't had any matches that stand out which would make it a classic.

The old guard's shadow casts even further across sadly.

Disagree. Pretty much everyone of their matches has gone the distance and they are good to watch imo. 5 setters at US open, davis cup and good matches at Brisbane and tokyo twice.

Going the distance isn't something I attribute to quality.

Can't say I have heard a clambering for whole great their encounters are.

Good set (pardon the pun!!) of Men's quarters

I think Nishikori will pull off the shock of the (any!!) tournament and beat Novak, Roger and Raonic to go through

Worried about Murray's match. Not convinced his mind's on the Tennis, given the extra-ordinary off court distractions. Murray's rubbish at overcoming even a change of Tennis court - never mind major things like an ill father in law and the birth of your first child

I'm talking about the sport needing some sign of moving forwards. I can get good or bad matches any day of the week - what I can't get is any sense that this sport can provide genuine surprise or forward momentum. It's the same old names every time. It needs to move on!

Technically the highest quality final would probably be Federer v Murray (we all know Djokovic v Murray is better than Diphenhydramine) but the sport imho needs more than just that. It needs a reason to belive the old orders days are numbered small.

Look at what Leicester have done to the football this year! Or to a lesser extent West Ham, Stoke or even Watford. Constrast that to the annual Chelsea / Man U tedium & foregone conclusions.

Every sport needs newness. With all due respect to Federer and Djokovic, one of them should be being kicked down the rankings by now and the other should be hoping for a great year where he grabs two Slams, not having the calendar Slam more or less earmarked for him before we start because his two greatest rival are old or declining and there's nobody else.

I want change too, but still some kind of quality product.

What's refreshing about Leicester's run is that they do have some breakout and talented players and doing it with some swagger. Utd were always on the decline since 2013.

It is quite cumbersome that this prolonged stay at the top of the game is being done with some ease. I'd love for a Leicester like story.

True. I've got very excited by what I saw Raonic doing this morning. I've never seen him play like that, not even against Federer the other week. It wasn't just his usual robotic tedious hitting.

As I said earlier on the thread, I put this all down to the new hairstyle.

He could be your Leicester.

Agree with BB to a degree

It's a good point and of course the footie and the golf is better for a closeness of competition

But that doesn't mean the quality is better and quite frankly the Top 3 playing well is still oceans more entertaining (with the possible exception of Nishikori) than the others playing occasionally

And yes Roger v Andy, would be fascinating as here the conditions, with it been at night (evening) probably favour Andy - but then again there is their recent head to head!!

Josiah Maiestas wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Not being argumentative or anything, but surely Konta is an Australian who happens to have moved here? I mean, by what measure that means anything (parentage, birthplace, upbringing) is she British?

Accent seems to be the most compelling reason to me.

She moved to the UK in 2005 I think, so more than ten years ago, when she was 14. This means she probably learnt to play tennis in Australia and put the finishing touches on her game in the UK. As such, I think she could comfortably call herself British or Australian really, it scarcely matters. If she feels more British due to having spent her more adult life here or whatever, then surely that's a perfectly reasonable position?

In any case, very well done on reaching a QF to back up her 4th round at the US last year, hopefully showing that last year was not a flash in the pan, but the start of a steady rise. Her game's got lots of good elements, one of the stronger serves on the women's tour, and solid groundstrokes capable of doing damage of both wings.

In all likelihood she'll play Madison Keys in the QF, which is tough, but winnable IMO.

Very tough to beat Keys if Keys wins her tie. You can bet if Konta gets past her the Aussies will be claiming Konta as one of their own.  

Keys lost, though in fairness she was hampered with an injury. Konta will face Zhang in the QF, that one's eminently winnable...

Zhang is the great story of the tournament. Hard not to wish her the best.

I'm encouraged by how Raonic is playing so far this year.

It seems like it's finally dawned on him that being 6'5" with a huge wingspan makes him a presence at the net.

OK, he's not Stefan Edberg but he's far more effective coming forward than he is running along the baseline with the manoeuvrability of a wardrobe.

Not bad for a player who never won a 1st round match before.

I guess for Chinese players AO is easier to go deep in because of the travel and time zones being close.

Fed/Berd is 1st and Kei/Djoko is 2nd match on tomorrow isn't it?

Think I might have a solution for the "is Johanna Konta British or Australian?" conundrum ......

She should be (politely of course) requested to appear before a panel made up of 100% born & bred, true Brits who will quiz her about all things British, followed by an opportunity for her to recount her childhood memories.

The Panel Chairman ....?? Step forward, Tim Henman

Milos didn't beat a "good" Stan so don't think we should read much into it. I honestly can see Monfils making him look easy in the next round.

Konta is British?? Hmmmm. Didn't she only move to the UK when she was nearly 18 having grown up in and played for Australia??

lags72 wrote:Think I might have a solution for the "is Johanna Konta British or Australian?" conundrum ......

She should be (politely of course) requested to appear before a panel made up of 100% born & bred, true Brits who will quiz her about all things British, followed by an opportunity for her to recount her childhood memories.

The Panel Chairman ....?? Step forward, Tim Henman    

Robson, Budd, Rusedski, Bedne, .... (it is a long list...)

It is a bit strange to see such questions still being asked?