WTA Sydney - Women's Final
1 Agnieszka Radwanska d Dominika Cibulkova - 60 60
Whoopsie.
This is the first final round double bagel in nearly 6 years.
But wait, there's more.
This is Aggie's 2nd title of 2013 - and she is undefeated this year: 9-0.
I think one must call her an Aussie Open contender.
Mama is a solid #4 player.
Hold up. I haven't mentioned that she hasn't lost a set this year either.
The top 3 seeds better show up to play.
That's all I'm sayin'.
Sydney ATP 250 - Men's Final
Gilles Simon d 4 Viktor Troicki - 75 76(4)
From the looks of things this was probably a very good match.
This is Gilles 8th ATP title in just 10 finals played.
He extends his streak of at least 1 title a year to 5 - pretty impressive.
Simon will play Yen-Tsun Lu in the 1st round - H2H: 1-0/GS.
Tough luck: He is slated to face the GOAT in the 2nd.
Viktor is set to open against Dmitry Tursunov - H2H: 2-0/VT.
With Viktor having played the final today - this one could be a tussle.
Viktor is seeded to meet fellow Serb & friend Novak in the 3rd round.
Now that would be a quite a chop-lickin' match.
Photo: Getty Images
Sydney ATP 250 - Men's Final Preview
4 Viktor Troicki vs Gilles Simon - H2H: 0-4
In fact, Viktor has never even purchased a set off of Gilles.
But they haven't play in over a year & this is a new/improved Viktor.
Viktor is looking to add a 2nd title to the maiden one he just won in Moscow.
Gilles is seeking an 8th. Funny, I don't remember him winning 7 titles.
Lemme think. Ah yes, now I do. There was that lovely little run in '08.
Viktor is the 2nd ranked Serbian - Gilles the 5th highest Frenchman.
***
Semifinal Results
4 Viktor Troicki d Florian Mayer - 64 76(4)
Gilles Simon d 3 Ernests Gulbis - 76(1) 60
Um, Ernie... bagels are not on the diet.
Photos: Reuters
WTA Sydney - Women's Final
8 Li Na d 3 Kim Clijsters - 76(3) 63
Incredible - Li was down 5-0 in the 1st in about 15 minutes before, well...
The Kim-plosion. (I stole that from someone on Twitter.)
The 2nd time serving for the set saw Kim double-fault THREE times.
Turn-around queen: Li was also down 36 35 to Sveta in the Qf's.
She also becomes the 1st Chinese player to win at the WTA Premier level.
Li: I was 5-0 down and saw the time, it was only 15 minutes. I thought,
Yeah, the fans pay a lot of money & the match will be over in half an hour.
Kim: I think I just softened the quality of my strokes.
I wasn't hitting as deep or aggressively as before & she took over very quickly.
Ok ladies, off to Melbourne.
Photo: Getty Images
Bob tweeted this photo yesterday captioned: I was a hyper kid. Can you tell?
Obvs the Bryan Brothers are in Sydney where they are playing the Sf's today.
They are looking for their 2nd trophy in Sydney - adding to their title in '09.
They head to the Aussie Open as the top seeds and defending champions.
They will be going for a 5th Aussie title and 10th Slam overall.
With so many of the men's teams mixing & matching at the moment...
Double down: It would be foolhardy to bet against them.
Sydney WTA - Final Preview
3 Kim Clijsters vs 8 Li Na - H2H: 4-1
This will be their 3rd match in Sydney: 2-0/KC. And 1st tour final together.
Li's lone win over Kim came at Miami in '07. Li has taken 3 sets off of Kim.
A win by Kim in the final will move her up to #2 on the WTA rankings.
Kim could easily leave Australia as the #1 player in the world.
A ranking well deserved I might add.
***
Semifinal Results
8 Li Na d Q Bojana Jovanovski - 76(5) 63
Ok, this match was aired live on TC and I didn't bother to watch.
To be fair, I was riveted by the memorial service unfolding in Tucson.
And then The Middle. Yea, Li/Bo couldn't tear me away from The Middle.
3 Kim Clijsters d Alisa Kleybanova - 46 63 76(1)
Ugly match: Neither played particularily well yesterday.
At all.
Kim: Sometimes it's even better to win a match like this.
You can take more from it.
Not to be too snarky: Shouldn't Alisa at least try to look like an athlete?
Photos: Getty Images
Sydney WTA - 2nd Round
3 Kim Clijsters d Q Barbora Zahlavova Strycov - 61 64
So for all you number-crunchers out there for Kim to get to #1:
She needs to win one more match in Sydney & then reach the Aussie final.
Not a slam dunk but clearly doable - she always plays well in Australia.
She next faces Victoria Azarenka in the Qf's in Sydney - H2H: 3-1/KC.
They've played some close matches. Kim has won all 3 matches on hard court.
Also, the numbers are good for Vera Zvonareva to get to #1 as well...
It's a 3-way race for the top spot in Melbourne. Go.
Photo: Getty Images
Sydney WTA - 2nd Round
Dominika Cibulkova d 1 Caroline Wozniacki - 63 63
I wasn't paying attention but I think she lost a couple exo's last week too.
Like a real beat-down from Clijsters in Thailand for one.
Cause for concern? I won't be the one to start banging the 'it's over' drums.
I'll leave that to her distractors - who seem to number in the great many.
But a loss to Cibulkova is a pretty big upset.
Ranked #32 this win surely is enough to get her seeded at AO11.
Ha: My spellcheck gave me only one option for Cibulkova: Cybercafe.
Photo: Reuters
Sydney: Aravane Rezai d 6 Jelena Jankovic - 75 26 63
Hobart: 1 Marion Bartoli d Dinara Safina - 60 61
***
These are two ladies that are just hard to write about these days.
It wasn't long ago that each was the #1 woman on the WTA tour.
It's far too soon to write them off but both are struggling to find confidence.
Mightily.
And it's really hard to see either making much noise in Melbourne either.
Which saddens me. But hey, a decent draw and who knows...
Photos: Getty images
Sydney ATP 250 - 1st Round
W/C Juan Martin Del Potro d 6 Feliciano Lopez - 67(5) 76(9) 76(3)
What a way to tell 'em you're back. Saving a match point to boot.
And in shirt sleeves.
This marks his 1st win since his 4th round finish at AO10 last January.
He did try to comeback in Sept/Oct and lost 2 matches, finishing '10: 3-3.
He has fallen in the rankings to #259. Tho I suspect that will rise.
Quickly.
Photo: Reuters
Medibank International in Sydney
Marcos Baghdatis d. Richard Gasquet - 64 76(2)
Elena Dementieva d. Serena WIlliams - 63 62
Kooyong Classic Exhibition in Melbourne
Fernando Verdasco d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 75 63
Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand
John Isner d. Arnaud Clement - 63 57 76(2)
Hobart, Australia
Alona Bondarenko d. Shahar Peer - 62 64
Margaret Court had quite the tennis career. She was known as tall, athletic and very powerful. She is the holder of 24 Grand Slam singles titles which is the most of all-time (take that Roger). She also won the calendar Slam in 1970 and won 3 of the 4 in other four other years, '62, '65, '69 and '73.
Court won 11 homeland titles in Australia, 5 each at Roland Garros and the US Open and 3 at Wimbledon. She also earned the #1 ranking in 1973 - she would certainly have been #1 sooner but the official rankings began in '72.
Margaret was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979.
Photo: Getty Images
IT'S ON...
Phew, Serena got through a tough semi with Aravane Rezai, 36 75 64.
While Elena punished Victoria Azarenka, 63 61.
This sets up a nice looking final. H2H Serena leads their rivalry 7-4.
Including the last match at the Tour Championships, 62 64.
The last 6 matches have gone back and worth so it seems to be Elena's turn.
Photos: Reuters
Can she win in Melbourne this year? Afterall, it's an even year...
Who would bet against those crazy big arms?
Today Serena made a easy work of Vera Dushavina, 62 62.
Then she had the nerve to say this, "I definitely don't think I played my best, but that's comforting to know. Hopefully, I have a long way to go, which I think is always good."
I watched the match on Tennis Channel (delayed of course) this morning and got a kick at how commentator Lindsey Davenport kept talking about her feet when she served. Oh that September foot fault.
Photo: Reuters
UMMMMMM WHAAAAA?
Whatever gets you through your match, huh?
She beat Maria Jose Martinex Sanchez, 61 62.
Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Mmm, not good. 2009 was just so-so (or borderline bad) for Jelena and starting 2010 with a loss in Sydney has to really sting. Even harder to take is the fact that she served for it in the 3rd set at 54 - losing the match 57 61 75 to Agnes Szavay.
Jelena turns just 26 next month but suddenly she seems much older in tennis years. She has time to turn things around but she better get going on that like - now. Well, yesterday would actually have been a better time to begin.
She won 2 titles (Marbella & Cincinnati) out of 3 final round appearances in 2009 and finished the year at #8 but a closer look reveals some trouble... Of the 20 tournaments she played she made the quarterfinals in half of them and of those quarterfinal matches she only won 4 (she contested a 5th semifinal match losing to Venus Williams at the season-ending championships which doesn't have a quarterfinal round). This is from a gal who for a couple of years there she was a fixture on the weekend.
In theory she has a ton of points she can add this year but if her first match of 2010 is any indication Jelena and her fans (of which I am one) are going to have another rough year.
Not bad for an old fart.
Photos: Getty Images
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Bernard Tomic Wins His Maiden Title at Sydney
ATP 250 Sydney - Men's Final
Bernard Tomic d Kevin Anderson - 63 67(2) 63
Australia is back on the map, y'all.
Bernie gained his first ATP final and seized his opportunity.
And this is just the first of many. So get use to his face.
He now heads to his home Slam and possibly a 3 rounder against Fed.
*** Post match quote:
It's my first title, and I know I'll win a lot more if I keep this attitude up.
I'm happy for this year now. I'm so excited.
I'm looking forward to Melbourne. I feel unstoppable.
I feel like I'm playing great tennis. It's amazing stepping on court.
You're so confident. That's going to be taken down to Melbourne and
I'm going to use that for every match I play there.
Posted at 09:53 AM in Bernard Tomic, Commentary, Mens Tennis, Scores, Sydney Int'l, The 250's | Permalink | Comments (0)
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