Day 14 AO! WOW!

Words cannot explain what happened this morning! Enjoy the highlights!

AO Men's Final Preview!

Here we are! #1 & #2 going at it. The Djoker vs The Bull. A 10 time GS champ vs a 4 timer. These two heavy weights will square off again tonight and it should be fireworks. Rafa has a BAD taste in his mouth from the man who beat him 6 times last year, all in finals and two of them in GS finals. Imagine if Djoko had lost Wimbledon and The Open to Nadal. We would see Rafa at 12 GS, 2 away from Pete and 4 away from Fed. Definitely would jump in the conversion as the greatest player ever. Instead we saw a great year from Djokovic which we will like to build on this year, if that's even possible. So strap on your seat belts and get ready for a great, iconic match tonight!

Day 13 at AO! Women's final, VIKA!

Wow, wow & wow! That is all I was left with the the women's final last night. Victoria Azarenka, Vika, came out nervous giving the very 1st game away off double faults and unforced errors. The 2nd game was a bit better but she still went down. At this point, Maria was in full flight and it looked that Vika's night was going to be short and she would be lose her 1st major final. Before anyone can even get settled into the match, Vika put on the breaks and turned the match a complete 180. Her groundstrokes were phenomenal along w/ her hands at the net when she came up. Her serve was superb & most importantly her return brought her the 1st major in her career.

Vika's domination over the great Sharapova was nothing short of spectacular. The way she ran away with 12 out of the last 13 games left me flabbergasted. I had not seen Maria out-powered and outclassed in this fashion before. Credit all goes to Vika as she showed that she is up to the challenge and has become the #1 player in the world.

Lastly, Maria's speech at the end of match was CLASS. She showed the maturity of a champion and gave credit where it was due. Players should look at her not as the graceful loser she was last night, but the graceful champion that she is. Thomas Berdych can learn a thing or two from her. Thank you Maria and congrats Vika!

Women's Final Preview AO!

Day 12 at the AO! Classic!

Djoko again showed the world why he is #1! Andy Murray gave The Joker a run for his money but couldn't close the deal. Andy had a 2 sets to 1 lead and was not able to deliver a blow to the world's top player. Instead lost the next 11 out of the next 14 games before waking up in the 5th set. At a 5-2 Joker lead, Andy resurrected and delivered some drama winning the next 3 games. At 5-5 and the crowd back into it, Nole decided to finish the comeback and won the next two games.

At the end the day, the tournament played out extremely well; setting us up with the #1 & #2 players in the world squaring off for yet another major. Murray was close again but falls short & Federer cannot get by his biggest obstacle his career, Rafa Nadal. And for the rest of the field, we see how special this time is as the top 4 players are almost unstoppable.

Day 11 at the AO! The Great Federer goes down!

It was thrilling but the quality of tennis from the great Federer dropped in the 2nd and went back up only a bit in the 3rd and 4th. Rafa survived the storm on the 1st set as Roger came out firing, on top of the baseline, attacking Rafa's ad side to open up the deuce. Going into the the 2nd, 3rd and most of the 4th it was as he wanted to change that strategy by 180 degrees. Patrick McEnroe echoed the sentiment of the room here wondering over and over and OVER again why Fed would not keep the strategy he utilized so well in the 1st. We were as confused here and saw an outlook that would not favor Fed.

Rafa fought hard not having his A game bc of Fed's strategy but as the match went by, he was able to push back Roger and start to make him move. I must say, it was one of the best serving performances from Nadal I have seen. His serve was spot on and caught Roger cheating a couple of times. His strategy against Fed on the serve is always the same, take it to the BH. Last night, he did that, but snuck in a couple to the FH on 2nd serves which earned him some easy points. Great adjustment.

As the match went on, the belief that Fed has on beating The Bull disappeared. Any apprehension or disbelief that Rafa had also disappeared and his confidence was in full display. At the end of the match a dejected Fed left the court as Rafa, the gentleman that he is, clapped in recognition. His post match interviews praised Federer and this is why a Federer fan can still love to watch and support Rafa Nadal!

Could We see this tonight at the AO?

Day 10 Down Under!

For today let's keep it simple bc every blog after today will be detailed as the top players in Men and Women will be facing off. This tournament has become the paradise for any tennis fan!

Djoko vs Murray

Fed vs Nadal

Sharapova vs Kvitova

Clijsters vs Azarenka

The only upset has been Wozniacki but the woman that took her out is the defending champ in Clijsters. Again giving us a substitute that is more than qualified to make this tournament a dream for us. Strap on those seat belts and get ready to lose some sleep as these matches will be long and hard fought. Maybe the greatest weekend in GS history?!

Day 9 at the AO! Here come the Players!

Fed made Del Po seem like a routine early round match. Remember, this is a player that Fed has said should have been #1 in the world before his wrist injury and also has a major, which he took from Roger himself. The scoreline was 4, 3, & 2 with every set Fed becoming stronger and stronger. Sweet victory for Fed as it was his 1k match on tour winning it at a GS against a formidable opponent in Del Potro.

Rafa's match vs Thomas Berdych was more competitive as The Byrd Man took the fist set in a breaker from the Bull. The 2nd set also went to a breaker which Rafa did pull out and ultimately gave him the advantage to win the match in 4 sets. It was a good run for Berdych and I'm sure he is actually glad to get out of Australia ASAP due to his antic last round.

Clijsters' still alive and playing well. After her amazing comeback last match she gave the WTA's #1 (not after the Aussie) all she can handle and took her out 3 & 6. Wozniacki might actually be relieved that she will not be #1 anymore as this will stop those pesky reporters from asking her about her #1 ranking and no Slams.

Azarenka played a tough Radwanska in the 1st set and after it was nothing more than a steam roll. Radwanska's solid play but lack of power was no match for Azarenka as the match moved on.

All the big hitters are lining up for the semis of AO. We finally got Rafa vs Fed on a hard court which we have not seen in quite some time. This weekend will be exciting as matches will be extremely competitive with players looking to lengthen their legend.

Day 7 at the Open. Fireworks, Fireworks, & Fireworks!

Berdych made himself a target not only for Almagro but also for Aussie fans last night. A volley hit short by Thomas that was below the level of the net gave Almagro only one real high % shot, right back at Berdych. He was hit on the arm, fell down, and pretty much "cried" the rest of the match. Once Almagro say he hit Berdych, he immidiately went to check on him with no response from the Czech. At the end of the match, after Berdych won, no hand was extended to Almagro who left the court to the cheers of the crowd. Thomas Berdych on the other hand heard boos that have not been heard in the tennis arena in a long, long time. His post match interview was almost impossible to hear as Aussie fans, rightfully so, let Berdych here how disappointed they were in him. Poor Thomas' self inflected wound will cause him the support of whatever crowd he was going to have against Rafa next round.

As I just mentioned, Rafa moved on in straights along with Del Potro, Wozniacki, Azarenka, and Radwanska. These players all looked very good respectively.

Clijsters vs Li Na was probably the most dramatic match of the tourney. After rolling her ankle in the 1st set, no one knew if Kim would be able to continue. After a tape job and some sketchy movement after treatment, Kim continued valiantly. She did drop the first set but was able to get into the breaker in the 2nd and the roller-coaster ride begun. Li Na gave herself 4 match points that will resonate throughout her career, especially the last one. After an outstanding rally, Clijsters hit an ill advice dropper that fluffed up short for Li Na, unexplainably she hit her shot to the closed court allowing Kim to throw up a topspin lob for a winner. After that moment, everyone, including Li Na, knew that the set was lost. The 3rd set seemed to be a complete roll by Kim but things became interesting at 5-2 when Li Na pulled the next two games off, but too little and definitely too late. Clijsters was able to pull of the match at 4 in the 3rd. We can only hope that this is not a moment that will negatively define Li Na as she is a great face for the WTA.

The best for last! Fed train was in full effect last night. Tomic, the new Aussie hope, came out swinging, playing well, and at points dictated Fed but Rog's quality of play only increased as the match went on. Tomic played a great match for him but he now realizes there is some ground to make up if he will be able to play w/ the big boys. The Quarters are set and all the big boys are there!

Day 6 at AO! Bring out the Ax!

Zvonereva and Bartoli chopped down! Vera ended the match with tears in her eyes as her game is now sliding. She was ranked #2 in the world last year and is bound to go down after the AO. Bartoli met up with Jie Zheng who is no slouch. This GS semi-finalist took down the Italian in impressive form 3 & 3.

The last American, besides Serena, was booted out last night as Vania King lost to Ana Ivanovic. Not a bad tourney at all for king as she is now looking better and better as a singles player. As for Ana, she has secured a date w/ the odds favorite to win the tourney Kvitova.

Serena was finished under an hour, Maria also made quick work, and Kvitova was home by dinner time. These women look the best out of all so far.

The big serving Raonic who had not lost a service game until last round was ousted by a blast from the past, Lleyton Hewitt. The Aussie is making a run at this tourney as it might be his last one on home soil. Djoko, Murray & Tsonga took pages out of Serena, Maria, and Kvitivo as they put a whooping on their oponents. The big news on the men's side was the Frenchman Monfils bowing out to Kukushkin. I don't think too many people saw this happening. Lastly, the prettiest 1-handed backhand on tour moves on in Gasquet. The musketeer keeps moving through the tournament with an impressive win against top 10 player Janko Tipsaveriv.

What to look for tonight?!

Clijsters vs. Li Na

Tomic vs. Fed

Wozniacki vs. Jankovic

Berdych vs Almagro

Here comes the 2nd week. No room for error!

Day 5 Down Under!

-Fed & Nadal through in straights

-Berdych also moves on relatively easy

-Tomic keeps Aussie hopes alive

-Isner is chopped down

-All top woman move on; Wozniacki, Clijsters, Radwanska & Jankovic

Maybe the most subdued day in the fortnight. Good match with Isner and Lopez but nothing too dramatic in the 5th. Maybe the breaker in the 1st b/t Fed and The Doc Karlovic was the best stretch of drama. Calm day, but it was needed after a fiery start!

Day 4 at the AO!

Roddick's hair at the beginning of the fortnight was not the only surprise he would be throwing at us. His right leg injury was unfortunately another one for us and also for him. While playing Hewitt in the 2nd round of the AO, Andy hurt his right hamstring as he was changing directions. Hewitt won the point and ultimately the match as Andy retired after the 3rd set. No one wants to see a match end in retirement especially with Andy attempting to get back to the top 10. As for mixed doubs w/ Serena, that has yet to be determined.

Djoko, well, what can we say? 3, 2, 1! Gave up 6 games and looked solid. The end!

David Ferrer had a scare from American Ryan Sweeting. Ryan took him to 5 sets but came up short as the experience of Ferrer, a top ten veteran, was just too much. Ferrer is definitely a player that won't beat himself. Another top 10 player in Tsonga had an easy day as he breezed through his match.

There were a couple of upsets with Frenchman Simon going down to another fellow muskateer in Benneteau. Bogomolov, Troicki, and Granollers were all seeds who were sent packing.

Second seed Kvitova can breathe a sigh of relief! She was pushed and pushed and pushed, almost falling to Suarez Navarro. The pesky Spaniard was the bumble bee, Arantxa, reincarnate; tracking down every single ball making Kvitova hit more balls than she was planning. Never the less, the #2 seed pulled it off at the end. Serena looked as she was bored out of her mind in her 2nd round match. Going through the motions she was able to leave court pretty quickly moving to the next round. Zvonareva was pushed in her 2nd set but was able to come away with the 2nd set breaker to win her match.

The surprise of the day was Vania King upsetting Pavlyuchnkova. Not only is her name tough to pronounce it is also difficult to spell. Vania lost a tight 1st but was able to come back and win in 3. American women, even though we lost Sloan Stephens in a close match, have played very well so far.

Day 3 at AO! Marathons!!!

Can you say Marathon! Isner at it again vs a GREAT quality final set w/ some controversy. Fighting through cramps he pulled it off against the savvy veteran in Nalbandian. The 15th and 17th game of that final set were HUGE, having Isner come back from 15-30 down on both service games. Big John also faced break points in that 17th game but came away w/two backhand errors by Nalbandian. Isner pulled of a PHANTOM ace that he will take as it would have given Nalbandian a look at John's 2nd serve on break point. The big fellow finally finished the match off the next game as a rightfully frustrated Nalbandian lost his next service game. The Dog, Dolgopolov goes to a 5th set again, but pulls it out 8-6 in the 5th. And for a Marathon w/ a sprint at the end you had Almagro smoking Dimitrov in the 5th, 6-0.

The veteran Alejandro Falla came up with the biggest upset of the day taking out Mardy Fish in 3 hard fought sets. It would have been tough to imagine Falla pulling out the match if it went any further as he was beginning to cramp up. This would have spelled doom against a player as fit and good as Fish.

American woman Christina McHale did very well as she fought out of a tough 2nd set breaker and w/ guts won the match. The upset of the day could have been Wozniacki going down to Tatishvili but the Georgian could not pull off the 2nd set which was very close. The women upset was Schiavone going down to fellow Italian Oprandi. A shame to see her go out early as she is one of the most fun players on the WTA Tour.

We saw Nalbandian ticked off, Mardy release his anger w/ the umpire and Bahdatis break not 1, or 2, or 3, but 4 rackets in an AWESOME fashion! Great day as the AO is heating up!

2nd Day at Aussie leads to a BIG surprise!

Sam Stosur came in to the AO struggling but was hoping to have the support of the crowd to help her bring her game out of the slumps. After 1st and 2nd round losses coming in she made an early exit this time to Soana Cirstea. Hopefully she can pick herself up and have a great spring season!

Kvitova started slow but WOW!. She ran away with the final 12 games of the match. Sharapova was no slouch either destroying her opponent. It will be good to see these two face each other later on in the tourney.

Djoko looked as solid as ever as he made quick work of Lorenzi. I don't know what was more impressive, Kvitova allowing 2 games in 2 sets or Djoko allowing 2 games in 3 sets, UNREAL! It was a great showing by young Ryan Harrison but fell short to a very fit Murray. If we do get a Murray-Djoko semi it will be extremely exciting.

Great 2nd day, tonight we will see the other two best men in Fed and Rafa along with Wozniacki attempting to quiet down her doubters.

Day 1 Aussie Open recap!

What a Start! The Aussie Open has gotten off to a great start! Fed, Nadal, & Fish looked solid. Clijsters, Azarenka, and Wozniacki all played well. Del Po & Berdych struggled but made it through. Verdasco and Tomic had an epic match which will be remembered in the eyes of Aussies for years. Good 1st day, we will see what today's matches bring!

Men's Aussie Open Draw Preview!

The AO always has its surprises and fun-loving underdog run. That's the story of the 1st major of the year. So what can we expect at this year's Open? Mmmhh........

Djoko could have a tough first 1/4 of his draw with dangerous floaters like Starace, Petzschner, Haase, Seppi, and unranked Youzhni. It will be interesting to see if the shoulder and back are 100% and if he can continue his dominance.

Rafa's draw can be tricky as he does have big servers like Berdych, Kevin Anderson, Isner, Feliciano Lopez and Ljubicic out there that can affect his rhythm of play. Besides those players he also has the dangerous veterans, Nalbandian, Davydenko, Baghdatis, and Tommy Haas who can be trouble for any top player due to their savvy.

The Fed train is hot and he will be looking to carry that momentum into the AO. His draw is a mix bag as he has big servers, Karlovic and Tomic, past GS Champ in Del Potro, and the young and the restless in Tomic. Sandwiched in this mess he also has Querry coming back from injury, tricky Dolgopolov, and the best American in Mardy Fish.

Murray gets a test from the start; here comes Ryan Harrison! His draw also has the X-man, Xavier Malisse, coming from a resurrection last year. Gulbis was hot last summer and will be looking to make an early dent in the calendar. Lastly, the Scot will have to contend against the French Calvary. He has Simon, Monfils, and on ehot player in Tsonga. Watch out!

The Aussie Open looks extremely interesting and should have its share of surprises. T-minus a couple of hours and I can't wait!