US Open Saturday

The US Open on Saturday had a couple of pretty interesting match ups. Sam Querrey vs Ivo Karlovic, Nadal vs Troicki, and Blake vs Fish.

The Querrey/Karlovic match (nicknamed battle of the giants) was very close. Neither of the guys were able to break the other ones serve during the first two sets so each set went to a tie-break. The tie-breaks were also pretty close but Querrey managed to win one point on Karlovics serve in both sets and lead 7-6(5), 7-6(5). During the third set Karlovic started to fade and allowed Querrey to get the two breaks he needed to win the match. Querrey, is now into the 4th round for the first time at a major.

Nadal, was up next against Troicki. Nadal, seemed to be kind of subdued during the first set. The first six games went by very easily for the server. Troicki, kept Nadal from generating a rally by hitting aces on his service points. Nadal, eventually got two break point opportunities at 4-3 but failed to convert, he got another one at 5-4 and managed to close out the set 6-4. In the second set Troicki, went up an early break but his comeback didn't last long. Rafa, won 11 straight games and took the match 6-4, 6-3, 6-0. Real good performance from Rafa all the way through the match. if he plays like this on Monday he should beat Querrey easily.

Melzer's match against Murray almost turned out to be an upset. After winning the first set in a tie-break Melzer broke Murray to take the second set 6-4. The third set went to a tie-break which Melzer almost won but Murray hit some great shots which Melzer was unable to overcome. The tie-break might as well have been the end of the match because Melzer basically self-destructed for the rest of the match. Murray won the last two sets 6-1 and 6-3.

Fish pulled a surprising upset over James Blake. I didn't see this match but Fish won the match 6-3, 6-3, 7-6. I'm guessing Blake probably didn't play to well from that score line.

I'll be back later with more match coverage.

Federer into round 3 but is he playing well?

The US Open hasn't had many upsets yet and the top players have been progresing nicely through the draws but will it stay that way? I'm not sure that it will. Robert Kendrick, made it into the second round by beating Nicolas Mahut in four sets. You're probably thinking Robert Who? He's not a real well known player but he did take Nadal to five sets at Wimbledon in 2006. Kendrick's next opponent is Djokovic and although Kendrick is the obvious underdog, he is an agressive player and could take the match to a few tie-breaks. Who knows, maybe Kendrick could get an upset victory over Djokovic.

I've mentioned before how vulnerable Federer has been recently. Unfortunately, he showed signs today that that hasn't changed. he managed to win his match against Alves in straight sets but he had 46 unforced errors. Alves was ranked 137 in the world but he still found a way to break Federer in the third set. Federer's, first real test this tournament will probably come in the next round assuming Radek Stepanek wins his match against Chris Guccione. Stepanek, beat Federer earlier this year on clay.

Recap of Monday

The first day of the US Open went by with only a few (minor) upsets. First up was David Ferrer, against Martin Vassallo Arguello. The first set went to a tie break but from then on Ferrer dominated and won the match in three sets.

Nadal's match against Phau was pretty good. Phau really played well in the first set and Nadal's shots seemed to be a little bit off the mark so Phau was able to take it to a tie break Once there Nadal raised his game and took the first set. In the second set Rafa hit some great shots at 3-2 and broke Phau. The third set was pretty much the same as the first, they did exchange breaks at 4 all and 5-4 but the set still went to a tie-break which Nadal was eventually able to clinch.

Gilles Simon, struggled but managed to get past Marcel Granollers in four sets. David Nalbandian made it through easily to the second round and Del Potro is into round 2 after defeating Guillermo Canas.

The Donald Young/James Blake match turned out to be surprisingly competitive. It went the distance and Young played some great tennis towards the end of the match. Although Blake won the match it was good to finally see Donald playing well. Who knows maybe he's turning things around.

US Open draw is out. Nadal and Federer have good draws.

My pick to win the US Open this year is Nadal and while this may not come as a surprise I can't really see anyone except maybe Djokovic upsetting him. Since the clay court season began Nadal has dominated this year just like Federer used to he's won almost everything and he doesn't seem to be slowing down either. I took a look at his draw for the Open and it looks really good especially in the early rounds. The fourth round is where things could heat up if he has to face Berdych, potentially followed by a quarter final meeting with Blake. Although both players are big hitters neither one has ever been passed the quarter-finals of a major. Yeah, it looks like all of the stars are lining up perfectly for Nadal this year.

As for the other half of the draw. Federer, has a pretty good draw, Stepanek, Verdasco and Gasquet are all in his part of the draw. Because Federer has been so off his game lately I'm not going to speculate on how far he gets. I think he'll give the US Open his best try but who knows how far that will get him.

Djokovic's draw looks pretty easy although there are a few players that could give him trouble.
Tsonga and Safin are both in his part of the draw and if they have a good day either one could upset him.

Nadal 'Officially' the new #1

It's official, as of today Rafael Nadal is the new #1 player in the world. First of all congratulations, he ended the reign of one of the most dominate players the sport has ever seen. I'm curious to see how long he will be able to keep his ranking amongst the top players but most of all I'd like to see Roger come back next season determined to take back his ranking from Rafa. A rivalry for the #1 spot would probably be very good for the sport. Novak Djokovic, is also another contender for that rivalry. Although he hasn't done particularly well against Roger or Rafa (his head to head against both players is 6-16) he has the potential to be the #1 but in order to do that he's going to have to find a way to beat them. His biggest problem will be his fitness and ability to finish off an opponent after a long match.

Nadal, will probably be able to stay #1 for awhile (I think at least a year) but it's going to depend on how well his knees hold up. He can still get beaten by big hitters like Blake, Youzhney, and possibly even Roddick, although recently he's been finding ways to beat them even on the faster surfaces. The up-and-coming players could become another challenge for him. Del Potro has won four straight tournaments and he will be breaking into the top ten very soon. I'd like to hear what you think. I'm going to put up a pull today to see how long you think he will be #1. So please vote. Thanks.

Federer wins the gold can Nadal do the same?

After getting beaten in the quarters by Blake, Federer and his doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka fought through the doubles field including the Bryans and won the gold medals. While it's not a singles gold medal, I'm sure Federer is pretty happy to have one.

On the singles side, Rafa and Gonzalez will be going at it for the gold medal. Their head to head is tied at 3 wins each but Gonzalez won both of their hard court meetings. The finals will be 5 sets instead of 3 which will probably be better for Nadal because it will give him more time to wear down Gonzalez.

I'll go with Nadal in either 3 or 4 sets to win this match. I can't see Gonzalez, winning this for some reason but let me know what you think.

Murray gets upset at the Olympics, Nadal struggles with opener

Well, so much for my prediction. I thought for sure Andy Murray would be the favorite to win but I guess Yen-Hsun Lu had other ideas. Lu, is ranked only 77 in the world so naturally this came as a surprise. I didn't see the match so I can't say how Murray played but from what I heard Lu, played incredibly well. Murray, departing has left a big oppening in the lower part of the draw and will give Nadal a much easier quarter-final opponent.

Speaking of Rafa, he played his first round match against Italian player Potito Starace, today. Rafa was a little off his game because Starace, (who is mainly a clay court player) was able to take the second set from him before Nadal closed out the match in the third. Nadal, has made his vulnerability on fast hard courts apparent and Leyton Hewitt could force an upset if he plays well against Rafa tomorrow.

Also, Federer, finally has something to smile about. He beat Dmitry Tursunov, in a comfortable straight sets win 6-4, 6-2. Federer, played pretty well in the second set and hopefully this win will get him back on the right track. Novak Djokovic, beat Robby Ginepri, without much trouble 6-4, 6-4 and Giles Simon made it into the next round. Janko Tipsarevic, caused the other upset (in terms of seeding) by defeating David Ferrer in straights.

Olympic draw is out and it doesn't favor Nadal or Federer

Their comes a time during the career of every pro athlete when they realise that their window of opportunity to win championships is beginning to close. The Olympics really seems to magnify this because every athlete will only have a few chances at best to win a gold medal. Roger and to a lesser extent Rafael are probably thinking about this as they get ready for the Olympics. Federer, has openly stated that the Olympics are as important to him as Wimbledon and at 27 years old he doesn't have many more opportunities ahead of him to win the gold medal. Although Nadal is only 22, he will undoubtedly have more severe damage done to his knees in four years than he does now. Unlike Federer, Nadal's game pounds his body into the ground and ultimately shortens the amount of time that he'll be able to play tennis at the pro level. While this may not be their last opportunity to win the gold, they probably won't have a better time to win than now.


Anyway, onto the draw. Hmmm...well the Americans didn't get a very good draw this time. Robby Ginepri's first round opponent is Novak Djokovic and Sam Querry has Igor Andreev with Radek Stepanek lurking in his corner of the draw. Blake, should be ok until the quarter-finals he may have to face Giles Simon in the third but he should be able to get through that match if he has to. If Blake, does makes the quarter-finals he could face Federer.

Federer's draw is pretty hard actually. He has Dmitry Tursunov in the first round, followed by Berdych in the third and probably Blake in the quarters. Nadal's is also tough. After the first round he could encounter Hewitt, followed by Stepanek, Murray, Djokovic, and Federer. In fact the odds look pretty good that he'll face both Murray and Djokovic because both guys have relatively easy draws and neither will have to face more than one seed on their way to the quarter-finals.

I'll go with Andy Murray to win the gold medal because Federer's draw is pretty difficult and we all know that he hasn't been rising to the occasion recently. The Olympic courts are decoturf which is the same surface they use at the US Open so that won't favor Nadal and Murray has been able to beat the Djoker the last two times they played.

Donald Young finally wins a match

Donald Young snapped his losing streak with a surprise upset victory over Tommy Haas. I did not see the match but I know that Haas is a good player so he must have been off today for Young to win the match 6-2, 6-4. Still, this is a big win for Donald. It's his first victory over an opponent of any real credibility and it's the first time that he's won a match since Indian Wells. Unfortunately for Young things don't look too promising. He's got a match against Gicquel next and even if he manages to win that he'll have to play Roddick in the Quarters so I don't see him going much farther in the draw.

Andy, really has a good looking draw especially now that Verdasco is out of the tournament. I really can't see anyone spoiling his chances except for Marat Safin. Safin, has the most wins out of everyone left in the draw against Roddick and they're scheduled to meet in the semi-finals. Safin has been playing better recently so getting to the semis shouldn't be too much of a concern for him, although if they meet I'd still have to favor Roddick, he seems to play his best at US tournaments.

Nadal defeats Lapentti, to become the new #1.

It's official now. On either August 4th, 11th, or 18th Rafael Nadal will become the new #1. The date will be determined by his results in Cincinnati. Although it's exciting to have a new person at the top of the game for the first time in four and a half years it's also kind of sad to see Federer's game deteriorate to the point where he was no longer able to hold onto his position as the number one player. If anything I would have expected Federer's decline to be more gradual. Last year it was evident that he wasn't playing as well as he had been. He got upset a few times by Canas, he lost more frequently than he had in the past and it was the first time in three years that he hadn't won at least 10 titles but he still delivered at the majors. Sure, it was inevitable that at some point he wouldn't be able to swoop them all but you would never have expected 8 months ago that Federer would be potentially looking at a slamless year.

Here's a recap of Federer's year so far.

1.Federer loses at the Australian Open to Djokovic in the semi-finals. This was kind of a surprise because Fed was the two time defending champion but Djokovic is an up and comer and did pretty well at the US Open in 2007 and Federer was recovering from mono (or so he said) so I can let that slide. Tournament record, 0/1.

2. Loses at Dubai to Andy Murray in the first round 7-6, 3-6, 4-6. 0/2.

3. The veteran Mardy Fish, crushes Federer for a place in the finals 6-3, 6-2. Red flag, Federer has never lost to Fish before, in fact Fish had only won one set from Federer before the match. It's now becoming apparent that Federer's got some problems. 0/3.

4. Loses to Roddick the very next week at The Sony Ericson Open. Roddick ends his consecutive losing streak to Fed at 11. Something is seriously wrong if Federer loses to Roddick! 0/4.

5. Federer decides to enter The Estoril Open as his warm up for the clay events. He's obviously a whale in a small pond but that doesn't stop him from struggling all the way through the tournament. He played a tight match against Oliver Rochuse in the first round has another one in the semi-finals against someone named Gremelmayr and could have been in serious danger in the finals if Nikolay Davydenko hadn't been forced to retire with a leg injury. Still, it's a win for Federer and he gets himself on the board 1/5.

6. Plays at the ATP Masters Series: Monte Carlo and almost gets embarrassed against Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in the first round before coming back to win in three sets. Federer, then proceeds to make it to the finals where he gets snuffed out by Nadal 7-5, 7-5. Not bad from Federer (except for the Hidalgo hic-up) probably on par with last year. 1/6.

7. His next tournament in Rome, had a surprising result when defending Rafael Nadal loses early due to blister problems. The tournament was pretty much Federer's to lose but he still manages to blow it against Radek Stepanek in the quarters 6-7, 6-7. 1/7.

8. Federer loses to Rafa at the ATP Masters Series: Hamburg. The sad thing is that Federer was up 5-1 in the first set and still winds up losing the set. Come on Roger, pull it together. 1/8.

9. Roland Garros is the next tournament and if anything you'd probably think he'd crash out early here but Federer, surprises us and makes it to the finals pretty easily. Once he gets there it's a different story and he gets slaughtered by Nadal and walks away looking like a chump instead of a champ. 1/9.

10. Federer goes into the Gerry Webber Open knowing that if he's going to save the rest of the season from being a complete disaster he's going to have to start winning tournaments. Luckily he still has his grass court winning streak and he wins the Open without dropping a set. 2/10.

11. He enters Wimbledon with allot of talk about how he's been declining but he puts most of that talk on hold by storming into the finals without dropping a set. He meets Rafa in the finals and pushes him to his limit but in the end Nadal manages to squeak. No criticism for Federer here, he played an amazing tournament just got unlucky that it didn't go his way. 2/11.

12. Obviously the Wimbledon loss hit him hard and he proved that by losing in the first round to Giles Simon in Toronto. 2/12.

13. As the defending champion in Cincinnati Federer gets thing off to a shaky start against Robby Ginepri but he manages to win the match however Karlovic beats him in the next round. Federer also loses his #1 ranking in Cincinnati. 2/13.

While this hasn't been a good year for Federer, I think there's a good possibility that he'll be able to recoup during the time off between the Tennis Masters Cup and the start of the next season and if he gets himself a good coach he might be able to start winning some tournaments again. At least, that's what I'm hoping but for the rest of this season Nadal and Djokovic will continue to be the heavy favorites against him.