MADRID MASTERS 2012, 7-13 May: Main thread - info & entry list. ANDY OUT WITH A BACK INJURY!

[Sallydaisy]

MUTUA MADRID OPEN

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5dW7sLOGKV8/Tby3iQGy5iI/AAAAAAAAOZI/upNgUF3rpm8/s1600/madrid+open+logo.png

CAJA MAGICA (The Magic Box - has a roof), C/CAMINO DE PERALES S/N, 28041 MADRID
WEB SITE: www.madrid-open.com (http://www.madrid-open.com)

56 DRAW (Q28)
SURFACE: BLUE CLAY
BALL: DUNLOP FORT CLAY COURT

Dates: SUNDAY 6–SUNDAY 13 MAY, 2012
Qualifying draw: Friday, May 4, 9:00 p.m.
Main draw: Saturday, May 5, 2:00 p.m.
Doubles draw: Saturday, May 5, 2:00 p.m.

SINGLES ENTRY LIST
Entry deadline and ranking on March 26, 2012
Seeding based on rankings on April 30, 2012

1 Djokovic, Novak SRB 1
2 Nadal, Rafael ESP 2
3 Federer, Roger SUI 3
4 Murray, Andy GBR 4 OUT :crying:
5 Ferrer, David ESP 5
6 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried FRA 6
7 Berdych, Tomas CZE 7
8 Fish, Mardy USA 8
9 Tipsarevic, Janko SRB 9
10 Isner, John USA 10
11 Del Potro, Juan Martin ARG 11
12 Almagro, Nicolas ESP 12
13 Simon, Gilles FRA 13
14 Monfils, Gael FRA 14
15 Lopez, Feliciano ESP 15
16 Nishikori, Kei JPN 16
17 Gasquet, Richard FRA 17
18 Dolgopolov, Alexandr UKR 18
19 Mayer, Florian GER 19
20 Verdasco, Fernando ESP 20
21 Monaco, Juan ARG 21
22 Melzer, Jurgen AUT 22
23 Cilic, Marin CRO 23
24 Granollers, Marcel ESP 24
25 Stepanek, Radek CZE 25
26 Raonic, Milos CAN 26
27 Troicki, Viktor SRB 27
28 Anderson, Kevin RSA 28
29 Wawrinka, Stanislas SUI 29
OUT Soderling, Robin SWE 30
31 Youzhny, Mikhail RUS 31
32 Chela, Juan Ignacio ARG 32
33 Benneteau, Julien FRA 33
34 Roddick, Andy USA 34
35 Kohlschreiber, Philipp GER 35
36 Tomic, Bernard AUS 36
37 Berlocq, Carlos ARG 37
38 Andujar, Pablo ESP 38
39 Bogomolov Jr., Alex RUS 39
40 Davydenko, Nikolay RUS 40
OUT Ljubicic, Ivan CRO 41
42 Baghdatis, Marcos CYP 42
43 Llodra, Michael FRA 43
44 Istomin, Denis UZB 44
45 Seppi, Andreas ITA 45
46 (Q)
47 (Q)
48 (Q)
49 (Q)
50 (Q)
51 (Q)
52 (Q)
53 (WC) Ferrero, Juan Carlo ESP
54 (WC) Marti, Javier ESP
55 (WC) Nalbandian, David ARG
56 (WC) Ramos, Albert ESP

Alternates
IN Young, Donald USA 46
IN Bellucci, Thomaz BRA 47
1 Nieminen, Jarkko FIN 48
2 Ferrero, Juan Carlos ESP 49 (WC to MD)
3 Nalbandian, David ARG 50 (WC to MD)
4 Kubot, Lukasz POL 51
5 Rochus, Olivier BEL 52
6 Haase, Robin NED 53
7 Karlovic, Ivo CRO 54
8 Fognini, Fabio ITA 55
9 Ramos, Albert ESP 56 (WC to MD)
10 Giraldo, Santiago COL 57
11 Volandri, Filippo ITA 58
OUT Lu, Yen-Hsun TPE 59
12 Dodig, Ivan CRO 60

DOUBLES ENTRY LIST
Advance entry deadline: April 23, 2012
On-site entry deadline: May 5, 2012
Seeding: April 30, 2012

1 Bryan, Bob (USA)/Bryan, Mike (USA) 2
2 Mirnyi, Max (BLR)/Nestor, Daniel (CAN) 6
3 Llodra, Michael (FRA)/Zimonjic, Nenad (SRB) 11
4 Lindstedt, Robert (SWE)/Tecau, Horia (ROU) 17
5 Paes, Leander (IND)/Stepanek, Radek (CZE) 20
6 Fyrstenberg, Mariusz (POL)/Matkowski, Marcin (POL) 22
7 Dolgopolov, Alexandr (UKR)/Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 24
8 Bhupathi, Mahesh (IND)/Bopanna, Rohan (IND) 25
9 Gasquet, Richard (FRA)/Monfils, Gael (FRA) 32
10 Anderson, Kevin (RSA)/Isner, John (USA) 43
11 Cermak, Frantisek (CZE)/Polasek, Filip (SVK) 44
12 Marrero, David (ESP)/Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) 45
13 Granollers, Marcel (ESP)/Lopez, Marc (ESP) 45
14 Cabal, Juan Sebastian (COL)/Schwank, Eduardo (ARG) 51
15 Marach, Oliver (AUT)/Peya, Alexander (AUT) 51
16 Raonic, Milos (CAN)/Troicki, Viktor (SRB) 55
17 (OS)
18 (OS)
19 (OS)
20 (OS)
21 (OS)
22 (OS)
23 (WC)
24 (WC)

Alternates
1 Almagro, Nicolas (ESP)/Ramos, Albert (ESP) 56
2 Gonzalez, Santiago (MEX)/Kas, Christopher (GER) 57
3 Berdych, Tomas (CZE)/Kubot, Lukasz (POL) 58
4 Cilic, Marin (CRO)/Melo, Marcelo (BRA) 58
5 Butorac, Eric (USA)/Soares, Bruno (BRA) 63
6 Ebden, Matthew (AUS)/Tomic, Bernard (AUS) 107
7 Karlovic, Ivo (CRO)/Moser, Frank (GER) 112
8 Andujar, Pablo (ESP)/Garcia-Lopez, Guillermo (ESP) 116
9 Lopez Jaen, Miguel Angel (ESP)/Trujillo-Soler, Gabriel (ESP) 517

ATP Ranking Points
W: 1000, F: 600, SF: 360, QF: 180, R16: 90, R32: 45 (Seeds 1-8: 10), R64: 10 (WC: 0),
Q: +25, Q14: 16, Q28: 0

[Sallydaisy]

stevegtennis ‏ @stevegtennis (https://twitter.com/#%21/stevegtennis)
Juan Carlos Ferrero into Madrid Masters MD direct, Albert Montanes receives the WC



Good to see JCF is still alive and kicking!

[Maza1987]

Article on the change to blue clay.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/sports/tennis/03iht-tennis03.html

[Katie]

Andy's withdrawn from Madrid due to a back injury. :sad:

http://www.madrid-open.com/en/noticias-tenis-masculino/murray-no-estara-en-madrid/

[Alis]

Oh dear - I hope this is a precautionary withdrawal and Andy's O.K. for Rome and Rolland Garros.

[Linda]

I hope so too. It doesn't say anything about how or when the injury occurred, I really hope it's nothing more than a niggle. Of course back problems are fairly common among tennis players :(

[Jan]

oh no. hope it gets better quickly.

[Hawkeye]

I'm slightly relieved tbh.

[RoastLamb]

Oh no! Back injury. How long has that been going on? Hope he gets better soon.

[Manaus]

Oh dear, not good news at all. Hopefully nothing serious and that he'll recover quickly.

[JAMES4578]

Very disappointed but obviously for the best, hope Andy will be ok for Rome as ideally he'll want to play another tourney before the French.

[Linda]

This hopefully is just precautionary, it's probably better not to play back-to-back tournaments.

[LC the fan]

He must be concerned about it if he's withdrawn from a Masters. Wonder when/how that happened

[RoastLamb]

On twitter Tennis Canada has posted that Milos gets Nalby in the first round of Madrid then the winner of that gets Federer. But the draw is not up on the atp site. ???

[Linda]

The draw is up! http://www.madrid-open.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Masculino-Singles.pdf

[Linda]

It's a shame Milos meets Roger so early. I had been thinking (for Bracket purposes) that Fed might win this tournie, and that Milos might well go far - to at least the quarters. Now I have to decide which one will go through :(

[cazza99]

This hopefully is just precautionary, it's probably better not to play back-to-back tournaments.
better to back off with a back injury ;)

[ljs]

It's a shame Milos meets Roger so early. I had been thinking (for Bracket purposes) that Fed might win this tournie, and that Milos might well go far - to at least the quarters. Now I have to decide which one will go through :(

awww poor Andy , nothing worse than a back injury , was looking forward to seeing him play in Madrid :(

Linda I say " Milos for the WIN " :jitterbug:

[Linda]

OK I've sorted out my Bracket entry now, but not ended up with the result I expected. I didn't think Rafa would win here as he's been quite vociferous in criticising the blue clay. But having decided Fed over Milos, Fed then reaches the final. I don't see anyone who can beat Rafa before the final so I end up with a Fed-Rafa final. And of course Rafa owns Fed so Rafa wins. But that doesn't agree with my general feelings for the tournie :confused:

[RoastLamb]

It's a shame Milos meets Roger so early. I had been thinking (for Bracket purposes) that Fed might win this tournie, and that Milos might well go far - to at least the quarters. Now I have to decide which one will go through :(

I know whom I'd like to go through. ;)

[david1610]

Olympic year.... slippery surface.... wise move!

[karanga]

I'm relieved to hear Andy has withdrawn. Hopefully the injury is just a niggle and Andy is just looking after himself. He has a lot of points to defend over the next few months as well as the home Olympics.

I too was looking forward to seeing Andy play in Madrid but that surface sounds dangerous.

Best wishes to Andy. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[Golden Lady]

Sorry not to see Andy play next week but I'm glad that he's being cautious.

[Alis]

Interestingly, Neil Harman speculated that Andy was injured in Barcelona - he usually has a pretty good eye for these things. Sensible of Andy to give it a miss in my view - especially as players are saying it's slippery. I'm sure that injury to Benneteau is still very much in Andy's mind plus his ankle injury atRG last year. Give me grass any day!

[cazza99]

oop is out for today - http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536

[RoastLamb]

I'll say this for the blue clay: it's much easier to see the ball! :shocked:

[cazza99]

I'll say this for the blue clay: it's much easier to see the ball! :shocked:

Yup I suppose it is, but there are also lots of white marks on the court. I don't remember seeing lots of pale marks on the red clay.

[Linda]

Possibly the blue dye gets knocked off it as it gets scuffed up?

I think it looks ridiculous.

[DaveArneRiise]

Any of the british ladies in action?

[Alis]

All 4 are in France. Laura won her qualifying match - Heather presently playing her first match in the main draw.

[Linda]

Expecting Baggy v GGL to be a good match. It was one of those that I couldn't decide on in the Bracket.

[cazza99]

Beyond The Baseline ‏ @SI_BTBaseline

Looks like you can see the ball so much better on TV thanks to the blue clay that everyone stayed home. Marketing done right!
:rolling:

[Linda]

I wondered why there were so few people in the stands! :rolling:

[RoastLamb]

Milos on second on ASV court. That means it'll be on tennistv. Whoopee!

Tuesday's OOP (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536)

[cazza99]

oop out for Tuesday - http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536&Year=2012&Seq=5

[ljs]

Milos takes the 1st set 6 - 4 :cheer:

and Milos takes it 6-4 , 6-4 . Hope he can stay on form , and take out Fed !!

[DaveArneRiise]

Milos takes the 1st set 6 - 4 :cheer:

and Milos takes it 6-4 , 6-4 . Hope he can stay on form , and take out Fed !!

Cracking win for Milos. Do you know the Dog Andujar, Llodra Seppi and Rochus Wawrinka results mate?

[DaveArneRiise]

Just found out

Dog beat Andujar 7-6 6-4

Seppi beat Llodra 7-5 6-4

Wawrinka beat Rochus 6-4 7-6

Earlier Del Bonis beat Ramos 6-3 6-2

Simon beat Fognini 6-7 6-3 6-3

Stepanek beat Tomic 6-2 7-5

Cilic beat Montanes 6-3 6-3

Verdasco beat Istomin 7-5 6-2

Monfils beat Kohlscreiber 7-5 6-7 6-3

Milos beat Nalbandian 6-4 6-4

Granollers beat Berlocq 7-5 3-6 7-5

[DaveArneRiise]

Melzer just beat Lopez in 3 sets, bit of a surprise considering Lopez's recent form.

[david1610]

I wondered why there were so few people in the stands! :rolling:
When I went there I noticed that the corporate boxes take a lot of space particular from the camera point of view.... the individual seats do go up a long way though. The second court is really, really small, relatively, though.

[JAMES4578]

Melzer just beat Lopez in 3 sets, bit of a surprise considering Lopez's recent form.

yeah, though just had a feeling it would be Melzer's day. Nole just had a right battle with Gimeno Traver(only ranked 137 atm) but upped it when he had to, going through 6-3 in the 3rd. Didn't seem too happy with the court! Good win for Milos in straights, wonder if he can really take it to Fed!

[cazza99]

oop for Wednesday is up - http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536

[Linda]

What a great lineup for tomorrow! So glad I have the day off :) Stepanek v Ferrer - a few years ago I saw a fantastic 5 set match between them at Wimbly, which Steps won, but Ferru ought to win on the clay (if, indeed, this blue stuff behaves at all like clay). Davydenko v Rafa - Nikolai leads the H2H 4-2 I believe, but he's not what he was so hopefully Rafa will prevail. Then Fed v Milos - that will be very interesting indeed!!! Also some interesting matches on the other courts.

[RoastLamb]

Can't wait for Milos. I don't think he'll take out Fed but Fed could be a mite rusty after being off for so long and this being his first proper match. We'll see. And Rafa too. I don't enjoy it too much when he plays Davy on clay.

Del Potro is playing quite well. Back to his old form, at last. Shame he's in Rafa's half.

[Sallydaisy]

What a great lineup for tomorrow! So glad I have the day off :) Stepanek v Ferrer - a few years ago I saw a fantastic 5 set match between them at Wimbly, which Steps won, but Ferru ought to win on the clay (if, indeed, this blue stuff behaves at all like clay). Davydenko v Rafa - Nikolai leads the H2H 4-2 I believe, but he's not what he was so hopefully Rafa will prevail. Then Fed v Milos - that will be very interesting indeed!!! Also some interesting matches on the other courts.
Think I'll be joining you on the tennis couch!!!
Had a busy working weekend and am only just getting back to normal.

[Sallydaisy]

OOP Wednesday, May 09, 2012

There are also doubles matches on the outer courts - see link here (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536)





MANOLO SANTANA Start 10:50 am



[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
v

Sara Errani (ITA)
WTA



Not Before 1:00 PM



Radek Stepanek (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/S694.aspx) (CZE)
v

[5] David Ferrer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F401.aspx) (ESP)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)


Not Before 3:15 PM



Nikolay Davydenko (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D402.aspx) (RUS)
v

[2] Rafael Nadal (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/N409.aspx) (ESP)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)


Starting at 7:00 PM



[1] Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
v

[13] Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
WTA



[3] Roger Federer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F324.aspx) (SUI)
v

Milos Raonic (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/R975.aspx) (CAN)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)




ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO Start 1:00 pm



[12] Angelique Kerber (GER)
v

[8] Na Li (CHN)
WTA



[15] Fernando Verdasco (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/V306.aspx) (ESP)
v

[Q] Alejandro Falla (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F444.aspx) (COL)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)


[11] Nicolas Almagro (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/A479.aspx) (ESP)
v

Marcel Granollers (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/G710.aspx) (ESP)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)


Mikhail Youzhny (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/Y061.aspx) (RUS)
v

[10] Juan Martin Del Potro (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D683.aspx) (ARG)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)


[9] Gilles Simon (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/SD32.aspx) (FRA)
v

[WC] Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/G476.aspx) (ESP)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)




STADIUM 3 Start 1:00 pm



[8] John Isner (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/I186.aspx) (USA)
v

Marin Cilic (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/C977.aspx) (CRO)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)


[Q] Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
v

[3] Petra Kvitova (CZE)
WTA



[WC] Ryan Harrison (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/H940.aspx) (USA)
v

[4] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T786.aspx) (FRA)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)


[Q] Federico Delbonis (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D874.aspx) (ARG)
v

[7] Janko Tipsarevic (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T742.aspx) (SRB)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)






COURT 4 Start 11:00 am




Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)
v


Roberta Vinci (ITA)
WTA




Not Before 1:00 PM




Stanislas Wawrinka (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/W367.aspx) (SUI)
v


Jurgen Melzer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/M762.aspx) (AUT)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



Not Before 2:30 PM







COURT 5 Start 11:00 am








Not Before 1:00 PM




[Q] Igor Andreev (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/A511.aspx) (RUS)
v


[12] Gael Monfils (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/MC65.aspx) (FRA)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)







COURT 7 Start 1:00 pm




[16] Alexandr Dolgopolov (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D801.aspx) (UKR)
v


Andreas Seppi (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/SA93.aspx) (ITA)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



Not Before 2:00 PM




Viktor Troicki (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T840.aspx) (SRB)
v


[14] Richard Gasquet (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/G628.aspx) (FRA)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)

[Linda]

Ferru won 7-6, 6-2. The first set was really tough but the second was much more straightforward.

Dolly in trouble against Seppi - Dolly serving to stay in the match.

Also a v.close match between Isner & Cilic - Cilic serving at 7-6, 4-5

[karanga]

Hope Cilic wins and disappointed to hear Dolly is in trouble - maybe his game isn't suited to clay.

[Linda]

Dolly's coach said in an interview last year that clay is his best surface!

ETA - Dolly has just taken the second set, also on a tb. So it's into a third! Vamos Dolly! :swingin: (Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a stream for this one, but anyway, Rafa will be on soon.)

[DaveArneRiise]

Cilic has beaten Isner 7-6 7-6 . Good win for him, played well!

[karanga]

Well done Marin. Good to see him back after his injury problems playing well. :cheer:

[Linda]

Dolly has a break! Vamos! :cheer:

And Rafa is on court now! Vamos Rafa! :swingin:

Dolly won! :cheer:

[karanga]

Rafa romping this. Vamos!!! :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

Well done Dolly. :cheer:

[Sallydaisy]

First set to Rafa: 6'2

[Linda]

Great first set from Rafa, playing very aggressively, takes it 6-2.

Apparently Emilio Sanchez Vicario, who is commentating on Spanish TV, said that Rafa asked to play in his grasscourt shoes.

Confirmation of that story on tennis.tv, but apparently the tournament wouldn't allow him to wear them.

[karanga]

The British commentators on Tennis.tv have just spoken about it and said his request was declined because they have a stronger grip and would damage the playing surface. :)

[Linda]

When I posted the original comment, I also tweeted Robbie Koenig and Chris Wilkinson asking if it were true. And it was Chris Wilks who apparently came up with the answer - wonder if he was prompted to do so by my tweet?

Rafa wins 6-2, 6-2 :cheer: :cheer: :yahoo:

[karanga]

Hope he was prompted by your tweet, Linda. Well done if he was. :wave:

Well done, Rafa. I couldn't see all the match but what I saw Rafa looks in great form. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[Linda]

And now for possibly the most interesting match of the day - can Raonic beat Federer? On a totally new surface, anything could happen.

Even though I have Fed to the finals in the Bracket, http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd287/Granny_Linda/Smileys/AnyoneButFed.gif

[karanga]

This will be a very interesting match especially if they both play their best tennis. Been looking forward to it all day. :)

[Linda]

Raonic breaks! This reminds me of when Andy got his first win against Fed at Cinci.

Where is Fiona?

[Jan]

Just watched a couple of games - Raonic looks very good - and he has won 100% of his first serve points!

[karanga]

:clap: :clap: :clap: Milos. Hope he keeps it up. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[Linda]

Milos takes the first set. Vamos!

[karanga]

Hope Fiona is watching this. :wave:

[Linda]

Astounding point by Milos!

[ljs]

Its on TV here , so Im sure Fiona is watching

GO MILOS !!!!!

[Linda]

That was pathetic from Fed.

[Linda]

Wow, and a simply amazing lob from Raonic!

[Sallydaisy]

Eeep, just looked at ls and Raonic was *0-30 with Fed only needing to break him this game to take the 2nd set.
*15-30
*15-40 Oh no!!!! Feddy has 2 set points now!

[Linda]

Oh shhhh, Milos has made a couple of bad mistakes in this game.

Damn, Fed takes the set.

[karanga]

Shame Milos didn't make the most of his opportunities in that set. Hope Fed doesn't steam roll him now. :sad:

[cazza99]

oop for Thursday is out - http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536

[DaveArneRiise]

Milos 20 aces already, blimey. Really is a monstrous weapon.

[karanga]

Great challenge by Milos - I guess the Fed's greater experience told in the end. :sad:

[RoastLamb]

Great match even if Milos didn't win. Much, much closer than I expected. That first set was so perfect. And he had so many break chances but Fed has more experience let's face it. However, he's getting closer and closer to beating Fed. Good stuff!

Rafa was SUBLIME today. Really good.

PS I was watching on telly; daughter was hogging computer so couldn't go online at all until now.

[Sallydaisy]

OOP for Thursday 10th May





MANOLO SANTANA Start 10:50 am





Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
v


[Q] Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
WTA




[6] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
v


[9] Serena Williams (USA)
WTA




Not Before 3:15 PM




[15] Fernando Verdasco (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/V306.aspx) (ESP)
v


[2] Rafael Nadal (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/N409.aspx) (ESP)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



Not Before 6:45 PM




[3] Roger Federer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F324.aspx) (SUI)
v


[14] Richard Gasquet (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/G628.aspx) (FRA)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



[1] Novak Djokovic (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D643.aspx) (SRB)
v


Stanislas Wawrinka (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/W367.aspx) (SUI)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)





ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO Start 1:00 pm





[16] Alexandr Dolgopolov (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D801.aspx) (UKR)
v


[4] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T786.aspx) (FRA)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



Not Before 3:30 PM




Marin Cilic (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/C977.aspx) (CRO)
v


[10] Juan Martin Del Potro (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D683.aspx) (ARG)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



Not Before 4:30 PM




[11] Nicolas Almagro (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/A479.aspx) (ESP)
v


[5] David Ferrer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F401.aspx) (ESP)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



[9] Gilles Simon (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/SD32.aspx) (FRA)
v


[7] Janko Tipsarevic (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T742.aspx) (SRB)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)





STADIUM 3 Start 1:00 pm




[6] Tomas Berdych (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/BA47.aspx) (CZE)
v


[12] Gael Monfils (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/MC65.aspx) (FRA)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
v


Roberta Vinci (ITA)
WTA




[Q] Varvara Lepchenko (USA)
v


Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP)
WTA




[1] Bob Bryan (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/B588.aspx) (USA)
Mike Bryan (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/B589.aspx) (USA)
v


Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/Q019.aspx) (PAK)
Jean-Julien Rojer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/R513.aspx) (NED)
ATP




[5] Leander Paes (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/P269.aspx) (IND)
Radek Stepanek (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/S694.aspx) (CZE)
v


Richard Gasquet (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/G628.aspx) (FRA)
Gael Monfils (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/MC65.aspx) (FRA)
AT

[JAMES4578]

Yes Milos was pretty close last night but just couldn't win enough of the big points and Fed was able to step it up in the end. Still a lot of positives to take from the match! Meanwhile after Tsonga looked in control Dolly has fought back from 4-1 down to take the first 7-5, could be a bit of mileage left in it yet though!

[Sallydaisy]

Rob Koenig ‏ @RobKoenigTennis (https://twitter.com/#%21/RobKoenigTennis)
Watering the "blue clay" after every 5 games today to hopefully make it less slippery..


What a strange state of affairs!

[karanga]

Dolly wins the first set 7-5. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[DaveArneRiise]

Tsonga fights back and takes the 2nd 6-3! Allez Jo!

Earlier Berdych dispatched of Monfils 6-1 6-1

[Sallydaisy]

Rafa v Verdasco up on livescoreboard.

Dolly v Willy back on serve with the Doll ahead 4-3

[DaveArneRiise]

Rafa v Verdasco up on livescoreboard.

Dolly v Willy back on serve with the Doll ahead 4-3

4 breaks of serve already in this set, with the dog twice being a break up.

[DaveArneRiise]

The dog takes it in a final set tie breaker. Tsonga seemed to be struggling with his back towards the end of that set. His back caused him a lot of problems in the past, slipped disk. Operation. Seems a concern. Hopefully he will be OK for Rome!

[DaveArneRiise]

Nando serving for first set against Nadal!

[Sallydaisy]

Heck. Verdasco took the first set 6'3 against Nadal .......
:shocked:

[JAMES4578]

Pity for Jo but hopefully he can bounce back, certainly a good win for Dolgo though! Certainly most surprising Nando took the opener on a clay court , but of course he's never beaten Nadal in 13 previous attempts!

[Golden Lady]

Looks like Rafa is on his way now against Verdasco. Is that the first set he's dropped on the clay so far this season?

[JAMES4578]

Once Rafa had the 2nd it looked a bit ominous for Nando and over now, indeed it is first set Rafa's dropped on clay this year.

[Golden Lady]

Wow, Nando's fought back to even it up at 5-5 in the final set!

[karanga]

Can't believe what I'm seeing. :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

[DaveArneRiise]

Nando 2 points away!

[Golden Lady]

:shocked::shocked::shocked: Nando!!! Congratulations.

[DaveArneRiise]

Vamos Nando :cheer:

[RoastLamb]

Wow! That's a bit of a shocker. Nando behaved like he'd won the tournament not just the third round. :lol:

Rafa was pretty bad today though. Not sure what was going on there. :shocked:

[karanga]

Well done Nando - great victory for him. :clap:

Commiserations to Rafa - should imagine this loss will really hurt especially in front of his home crowd. His game seemed to desert him. :crying:

[Jan]

Crumbs that's a turn-up. Congrats to Fernando and hope Rafa is OK.

[DaveArneRiise]

Wow! That's a bit of a shocker. Nando behaved like he'd won the tournament not just the third round. :lol:

Rafa was pretty bad today though. Not sure what was going on there. :shocked:

No wonder considering the mannor he won it and also the fact he was 0-13 against Nadal before today!

[JAMES4578]

How wrong was I, didn't think Nadal could possibly lose from two breaks up! However, credit to Nando as he played some great tennis to get his first win over the best clay courter of all time, Rafa really did falter in the closing stages though.

[RoastLamb]

No wonder considering the mannor he won it and also the fact he was 0-13 against Nadal before today!

Also, I believe Nando is from Madrid so it's his home crowd.

[Alis]

Congrats to Nando - he found the belief to see it through - the victory must feel extra specially sweet in his home town. Taking nothing away from Nando - it was an odd match - I've never seen Rafa make so many mistakes on clay.

[JAMES4578]

In the PC apparently Nadal stated he won't play Madrid next year if its still blue clay, he also said Nando adapted better and derserved to win.

[DaveArneRiise]

Almagro Ferrer is an excellent match, Ferrer took the first set 7-6 but Almagro levelled in 2nd 6-3. on serve in the decider.

[Linda]

If Fed wins the tournament he will be no. 2. I hope someone takes him out. If only Raonic could have done it yesterday. :sad:

[DaveArneRiise]

Re Rafa's interview I think he has a point, the blue clay is pretty much a hard court, way faster than red clay. Doesn't seem right? You can understand where Rafa is coming from!

[Linda]

But it's not just that it doesn't play like clay - the problem is that it's so slippery. Tsonga twisted his back today due to the slippery court.

[DaveArneRiise]

Yea I saw that, hopefully Tsonga is OK? His back has caused him major problems in the past.

[Linda]

I really hope that he's OK. And that no other players get injured on this ridiculous surface. I'm glad really that Andy didn't play and that Rafa's lost, at least they are safe.

[DaveArneRiise]

Yes, wise move from Andy it seems!

Meanwhile Federer dispatches of Gasquet comfortably in straight sets.

[DaveArneRiise]

Such a good match this, Almagro is playing a blinder but Ferrer is like a brick wall as always and edges ahead in the decider 6-5. Almagro to serve to force the breaker!

[Linda]

Wow, that was an exciting match. I quite thought that there was going to be another upset there, but Ferru finally came through.

[LC the fan]

Wonder if Andy had all this in mind or whether its just a decision that's worked well for him. Either way, I'm gl;ad he's not there

[DaveArneRiise]

Ferrer won it 10-8 in final set tie breaker. Monstrous match that was, lights out tennis from Almagro at times but the brick wall stood firm saving 3 match points in the process!

[Linda]

During the Nole-Stan match, they just showed a man in the audience and he was captioned 'KAKA'. I thought, who is he and what sort of a name is that? So I googled 'KAKA' and found that there are not one, but TWO Brazilian footballers of about the same age known by the same nickname! How confusing is that? Absolutely ridiculous! (They are Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, born 1982, and Claudiano Bezerra da Silva, born 1981)

[JAMES4578]

Ferrer won it 10-8 in final set tie breaker. Monstrous match that was, lights out tennis from Almagro at times but the brick wall stood firm saving 3 match points in the process!

Seen the most of the 3rd set and Nico was no close, but just couldn't pull the final trigger. Awesome from Ferrrer again though! Certainly interesting with Nole and Stan thus far, just gone into the breaker.

[Linda]

Good grief, I shall have nightmares tonight. Nole's face with the jutting out chin when he won the set :hide:

[Sallydaisy]

In the PC apparently Nadal stated he won't play Madrid next year if its still blue clay, he also said Nando adapted better and derserved to win.
Seems Nole agrees with Rafa - this is a tweet from JonOverend at @5livetennis

My hunch was wrong. Djokovic follows Nadal lead and won't return to Madrid event unless return to traditional clay.

And there's this retweeted by Carole Bouchard:

Crise en Espagne ? Pas pour le tennis, la terre battue bleue utilisée Ã* Madrid coûte 6000 euros la tonne contre 150 euros pour l'ocre
Roughly translates as:
Crisis in Spain? Not because of the tennis but because the blue battleground (court) at Madrid costs 6000 euros per tonne compared to 150 euros per tonne for the 'ochre' (red clay).

[JAMES4578]

Good grief, I shall have nightmares tonight. Nole's face with the jutting out chin when he won the set :hide:

lol, was pretty straightforward after that, though Nole concentration slipped slightly at the finishing line.

[Alis]

On reflection, I wonder if Rafa just decided in the third set that he'd had enough of the blue stuff and would throw in the towel and head for Rome. I can't think of any other explanation for him playing so badly. When have we ever seen him losing from two breaks up in the third? Even when he was on the ball he was missing shots he would normally make in his sleep!

[Linda]

About to watch DelPo v Dolly. Vamos Dolly! On the other hand, it would be lovely for Verdasco if he could win his home tournament, but somehow I doubt that he will.

[ChrisMac]

:cheer::cheer: Well done to Verdasco!!!!!! So happy for him. his first win over Rafa ever!

[Sallydaisy]

DelPotro takes out the Dog 6'3, 6'4

[Linda]

:sad:

[karanga]

^ ^ ^ Dolly and Nando out. :sad:

[Linda]

I hope Ferru wins it now! Vamos Ferru! Unfortunately I can't watch this evening as I am going out in a few minutes.

[JAMES4578]

Nando made little impression and Berdy just cruised through, though likely had a let down after the big win! Now Nole has lost the first on the breaker, come on!

[Sallydaisy]

Blimey Oh Riley!!!

Tipsy serving for the match against Nole at 7'5, 5'3.
He had 3 match points against Nole's serve but the #1 saved them all and served it out for a hold.

[Sallydaisy]

There it is; the defending champion out of Madrid!!!
Tipsy wins 7'5, 6'3.
:shades:

Leaves the field open a bit doesn't it ........

[RoastLamb]

So, Rafa loses to fellow countryman Nando and now Djokovic to Tipsy. World's gone mad. Meanwhile Federer is laughing. :grrr:

[Jan]

It looked as though Djoko had some tape on his arm (blue to match the court!) - maybe he isn't 100%. Only saw the last few points, so don't know anything about how the match was played.

[JAMES4578]

2nd set wasn't brilliant from Nole even if he had a chance to get back but Tipsy was strong! Nole though really wasn't happy with the court.

[karanga]

Vamos Daveed!!!

Let it be 13th time lucky. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[Alis]

So, Rafa loses to fellow countryman Nando and now Djokovic to Tipsy. World's gone mad. Meanwhile Federer is laughing. :grrr:

Now more than ever convinced that Rafa and Nole wanted out of Madrid and if they were going to lose early why not to one of their pals! I'm sure that these results will have no bearing whatsoever on Rome and Roland Garros. Can't see Fed doing the same though - if he wins here he'll go back to number 2 and he won't want to miss out on that. Go Daveed!!!!!!!

[Maza1987]

Delpo looking good.

[karanga]

No problems for the Fed and should get through to the final tomorrow. :grrr:

Haven't seen Delboy play much but from what the commies are saying he is playing well and could have a chance against Fed in the final should they both get through.

[RoastLamb]

Both Potty and Berdy are looking good. Shame one of them isn't meeting Fed in the semi.

[JAMES4578]

Whilst Fed was in form David was a disappointing really, never really felt he had the belief. Of course the tourney may not be particularly relevant regards the French.

[Katie]

Federer's such a tough matchup for David, his use of slice really disrupts David's rhythm on his groundstrokes. It would be great to see him get a win over Fed one day, though I think the conditions would have to be much slower than today for him to have a chance.

Out of the players left in the draw I think Berdych has looked the best - he's been racing through his matches and his aggressive style really suits these quick courts. He'd probably have the best chance against Fed if they both reach the final.

[Linda]

I don't particularly like any of the players that are left in so this tournament's now finished as far as I'm concerned.

The results here are totally irrelevant to anything else because the courts are nothing like elsewhere. It's like they'd been asked to play on moondust.

What a wise decision Andy made. It will stand him in good stead for Rome not to have had his clay game interrupted by this. Apparently Uncle Toni advised Rafa not to play either but Rafa felt that he had to.

[RoastLamb]

Can't wait for this tournie to be OVER and Rome has started.

[Alis]

Delpo looking good.

.......... and Berdych is looking even better.

[pabbers]

One thing that's good from Andy's point of view is that the points are much more widely distributed this year so he may have a real chance of catching up on the rankings points if he can match his last year's results from here on in and the others don't do quite so well or share the points more. I hate all these new power players - all crash bang wallop. Sampras ruined the game for me for years. Just relieved that the likes of Raonic (sorry RL...) Berdy etc can't seem to keep up the aces as well as he could. To me that's not tennis. I love Andy's crafting of points. Hey ho.

[Sallydaisy]

OOP Saturday, May 12, 2012MANOLO SANTANA Start 10:45 am









[1] Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
v


[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
WTA




[Q] Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
v


[9] Serena Williams (USA)
WTA




Not Before 3:30 PM




[10] Juan Martin Del Potro (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/D683.aspx) (ARG)
v


[6] Tomas Berdych (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/BA47.aspx) (CZE)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



Not Before 7:00 PM




[7] Janko Tipsarevic (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T742.aspx) (SRB)
v


[3] Roger Federer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F324.aspx) (SUI)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)



[5] Sara Errani (ITA)
Roberta Vinci (ITA)
v


Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
Elena Vesnina (RUS)
WTA






STADIUM 3 Start 2:00 pm





[7] Mahesh Bhupathi (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/B471.aspx) (IND)
Rohan Bopanna (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/B757.aspx) (IND)
v


[6] Robert Lindstedt (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/L335.aspx) (SWE)
Horia Tecau (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T749.aspx) (ROU)
ATP




Not Before 3:30 PM




[4] Mariusz Fyrstenberg (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F364.aspx) (POL)
Marcin Matkowski (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/M844.aspx) (POL)
v


[2] Max Mirnyi (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/M595.aspx) (BLR)
Daniel Nestor (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/N210.aspx) (CAN)

[Golden Lady]

Federer looked pretty sharp last night. It will be interesting to see what happens today but I have a feeling it will be a Fed/Berd final.

[Sallydaisy]

Berdych takes the first set against Del Potro 7'6(5) and breaks the Argie in the first game of the 2nd set.

[RoastLamb]

How come Fed never gets to play in the stinking heat like the others? It's laughable really. I must say, I'm rather bored watching this. Doing laundry at the same time.

[JAMES4578]

Del Potty breaks back and holds for 4-3, so not over yet-seems to got a bit of confidence back!

[Linda]

Another tb!

[Linda]

Berdych wins! 7-6 7-6. Hope he can win the final tomorrow.

[JAMES4578]

Not much in it in the end but Berdy more solid on the key points. Del Potro lost his footing early in the breaker, one of many this week of course.

[Alis]

Berdych played the bigger points better and Delpo lost his cool over one or two line calls apart from that there was very little in it. I have to agree RL - quite a boring match - I think I even dozed off once or twice!

Can't see Tipsy beating Fed unless Fed falls over so it looks like a Berdy/Fed final. Much as I never hope for a Federer win - I really would rather not see Berdych bank 1000 points! Having said that, I don't want Fed to get back to number 2 either - what a dilemma!

[JAMES4578]

It was very straightforward for Fed,only dropping 5 games. Whilst expected result was hoping Tipsy would make Roger work for it but he dropped serve early on and was never in the hunt. Hopefully Berdy will be a tougher opponent but it's likely Fed will be No 2. Somewhat annoying that some of the commentators keep harping on about him getting the top spot back.

[Linda]

Yes, the Fed-worship was bad enough on tennis.tv but from what I hear it was far worse on Sky. And there were a lot of commentators worshipping Fed on Twitter too. Gaaaah! :grrr: I won't be able to stand it if Fed wins tomorrow - please, please, please let Berdy win!

[karanga]

Please, please Berdy win tomorrow. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: I won't be able to stand it either if Fed wins and gets the #2 ranking back.

Hope Berdy will remember that he has beaten Fed and he is playing good tennis.

[RoastLamb]

I'm away tomorrow so won't watch it. Won't tape it either. I shall be blissfully unaware of who wins.

[Sallydaisy]

OOP Sunday, May 13, 2012



MANOLO SANTANA Start 11:00 am





[6] Robert Lindstedt (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/L335.aspx) (SWE)
Horia Tecau (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/T749.aspx) (ROU)
v


[4] Mariusz Fyrstenberg (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F364.aspx) (POL)
Marcin Matkowski (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/M844.aspx) (POL)
ATP




Not Before 1:30 PM





[1] Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
v


[9] Serena Williams (USA)
WTA




Not Before 4:30 PM





[3] Roger Federer (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/F324.aspx) (SUI)
v


[6] Tomas Berdych (http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/players/BA47.aspx) (CZE)
H2H (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=1536#)

[Alis]

Please, please Berdy win tomorrow. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: I won't be able to stand it either if Fed wins and gets the #2 ranking back.

Hope Berdy will remember that he has beaten Fed and he is playing good tennis.

I don't want to see Fed back at number 2 etihr but there is a positive side to it. I think it probably would be better for Andy if Fed was seeded 2 at RG. It would then be impossible for him to meet Rafa before the final and I think he would stand a much better chance against either Fed or Nole in the semi should he get that far.

[pabbers]

I don't want to see Fed back at number 2 etihr but there is a positive side to it. I think it probably would be better for Andy if Fed was seeded 2 at RG. It would then be impossible for him to meet Rafa before the final and I think he would stand a much better chance against either Fed or Nole in the semi should he get that far.

I agree and also I don't want Berdy advancing on Andy in the ranking points battle. The confidence it would give him would be scary - I reckon the Madrid final is Mr Arrogant v Mr Arrogant!!! Difficult to tell the difference......

[Linda]

Come off it, no-one can match Fed for arrogance! :rolling: He should get a trophy for it . . . he'd probably boast about that, too!

[Katie]

I've never thought of Berdy as being arrogant before - he always seems to give credit to opponents in his interviews etc. I'd like him to win this afternoon - he's one of a small number of players who's capable of beating Fed though it won't be easy.

[Linda]

Well, he's beaten him on grass and this is supposed to play more like grass than anything else *fingerscrossed*

[Sallydaisy]

:lol:
Jonathan Overend ‏ @5livetennis (https://twitter.com/#%21/5livetennis)
Serena leaves the court just as they settle for the first point... Some sort of clothing malfunction I think
Barry Flatman ‏ @Barry_FlatmanST (https://twitter.com/#%21/Barry_FlatmanST)


Is that a first? Serena W broken bra strap stops Madrid final before it begins
One for Question of Sport's What Happened Next in years to come? Will the offending undergarment go in the Hall of Fame museum?

[Alis]

Serena has been known to leave the court before just about play is about to start - in the quarter final she went for a 'bathroom break'!

[Alis]

I've never thought of Berdy as being arrogant before - he always seems to give credit to opponents in his interviews etc. I'd like him to win this afternoon - he's one of a small number of players who's capable of beating Fed though it won't be easy.

Allegedly, Berdych is one of the least liked players in the locker room - there must be a reason for that.

[Linda]

Serena storming through easily. Must be boring for the spectators (I'm not watching).

[Alis]

Serena just destroyed Azarenka 6-1, 6-3. If she's this good on clay I can't see anyone else having a look in at Wimbledon or the Olympics!

[pabbers]

Allegedly, Berdych is one of the least liked players in the locker room - there must be a reason for that.

Yes I find him humourless and after the debacle with poor Almagro I don't think he endeared himself to anyone. I wouldn't be too quick to want him to beat Fed - he'd get 1000 points and Andy has been finding him difficult to deal with because of his power. He needs to be kept in his place - let Rafa sort Roger out in Rome (or Andy, or Nole!!).

[Linda]

Jonathan Overend @5livetennis

Wow. Tiriac and Santana getting jeered and whistled as they are introduced for presentation ceremony.

[JAMES4578]

Serena just destroyed Azarenka 6-1, 6-3. If she's this good on clay I can't see anyone else having a look in at Wimbledon or the Olympics!

If she maintains this form tough to stop, though nearly everyone thought she would win the Us Open and look what happened there. Azarenka was disappointing though. Of course whilst Serena has won 2 clay titles she has yet to play on red clay.

[Katie]

Allegedly, Berdych is one of the least liked players in the locker room - there must be a reason for that.

Yes I guess there must be - I didn't realise he was so unpopular. He always seems to come across well in interviews though, if anything he seems a little shy. He can let his temper boil over in matches (e.g. the Almagro incident) though so can lots of other players.

Serena was very impressive today, glad she won. Shows that there is still a matchup problem for Vika there.

[Linda]

One good guy on court. Molay :love:

[Linda]

Wow! Berdy 2-0 up straight away! Vamos! (I'm not bothered about him getting 1,000 points - he'll still be way behind Andy)

[karanga]

Now it's come to it. I'm not really bothered who wins it - don't like either of them. Whatever outcome is best for our Andy. :rolling:

[Manaus]

Wow! Berdy 2-0 up straight away! Vamos! (I'm not bothered about him getting 1,000 points - he'll still be way behind Andy)

Berdy one game away from taking the 1st set. Although it doesnt matter as much if Berdy wins this he actually moves to 4th in the race rankings. Hopefully Andy will up his levels and fight his way back up.

[Katie]

Such an impressive set from Berdych!

[karanga]

First blood to Tomas. Can he keep it going?

[Linda]

Great first set from Berdy.

[JAMES4578]

Fabulous first set from Berdy, but Fed breaks for 2-0 in the 2nd-come on Thomas!

[Mickey]

How can anyone want Berdy to win, he is so dishonest, remember when he got the balls changed in the middle of a game with Andy and didn't let him know, and Andy lost the set. I feel it will be better for Andy if Federer were to win.

[karanga]

Looks as tho Fed will cruise through to another title now.

I'd forgotten Berdy's dishonesty in the match against Andy. I remember well tho him accusing Almagro of hitting a ball against him and refusing to shake his hand in the AO this year. :grrr:

[Katie]

What an amazing break back point there by Berdych!

[Linda]

Incredible point from Berdy!

[JAMES4578]

Berdy was really gutsy there and whilst Thomas has some previous form, still prefer him to Fed. 5 all now.

[Sallydaisy]

How can anyone want Berdy to win, he is so dishonest, remember when he got the balls changed in the middle of a game with Andy and didn't let him know, and Andy lost the set. I feel it will be better for Andy if Federer were to win.
Ack! Feddykins has shown Andy much disrespect too.

For choice I'd rather neither of these 2 were in the Final but they are and tbh I'd like to see Berdy beat Feddy if only to see someone different win a Masters!!!

And Berdych probably has Rogi a little worried. The Swiss probably thought he'd got the 2nd set in the bag at 5-2 up but he ain't; Tomas held, broke Fed and held again so it's back on serve and this 2nd set could go to a tie-break now ...

[Linda]

:facepalm: One set all. Come on Berdy!

[Sallydaisy]

Rubbish time to serve a double-fault.
:hmm:

Berdy has to really sort himself out now if he wants to win this.

[Sallydaisy]

Lol Linda, if you change your asterisks to colons you'll get this chappie :facepalm:

[JAMES4578]

A few mistakes from Berdy andd Fed took his chance , hopefully Thomas can fight back again!

[Linda]

Lol Linda, if you change your asterisks to colons you'll get this chappie :facepalm:

Everywhere else uses asterisks! Why do we use colons?

[Sallydaisy]

Everywhere else uses asterisks! Why do we use colons?
They do? Are you sure? The VBulletin forums I go on all use colons as do several others.
Doesn't matter anyway - we use colons here 'cos that's what comes out of the tin.
:shades:

[pabbers]

Neither of me can cope with this match. There's the me that wants Berdy to win every time Fed has the advantage and then me that wants Fed to win when Berdy gets back into it...........*sigh*...........like Sally I'd rather neither of them was in the final. Think I'll go attend to dinner.

[karanga]

The thing I'm noticing most in this match is the Fed's supreme confidence and belief in himself and his game. It must be wonderful to have that and know that however well an opponent begins a match eventually he will give way to you and hey ho another victory and another title.

[JAMES4578]

Berdy had 3 bps this far in the decider but unbable to capitalise, Berdy needs to put that aside and hold firm. Thomas fouight back from 0-40 to deuce but throws in away in the end to trail 5-3. Looks like Fed's title now!

[Sallydaisy]

Golly, Berdy just broke Fedex when he was serving for the match.
:laugh:

[cazza99]

:rofl: :rofl:

[JAMES4578]

Well as they say not over till the fat lady sings and now 5 all! Hope Berdy can do it!

[cazza99]

I'm cheering Berdy on as its better for my bracket.

[cazza99]

Neil Harman ‏ @NeilHarmanTimes


Who texts more during a Fed match - Mirka or Annacone?

[Linda]

:sofa:

[Jan]

just reading through this to find out what happened, and I find it's not over yet! And I'm about to go out. Oh well, I'm not too bothered really. Will come on to find out later!

[cazza99]

Noooooooooooooooooooooo :crying:

[Linda]

:crying::crying::crying::crying::crying::crying::c rying::crying:

[karanga]

Boring and predictable final.

Really looking forward to Rome and seeing Andy in action. Very best of luck to him. Hope he will be in great form. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[JAMES4578]

oh no Fed wins, Berdy saved 3 mps but to no avail. Still suppose he made Roger fight for it.

[Katie]

Such a close match, I really enjoyed it. I had a feeling that Berdych wasn't going to be able to hold on at the end though, shame. Federer was very calm under pressure and really played the big points well.

Feels strange to think of Rafa as number 3 now!

[rouges]

One has to respect Roger while all was moaning about the blue stuff he just got on with his business, did not want him to be #2 but u have 2 give it to him. Hope Rafa wins Rome after all the fuss he made about the blue clay

[Jan]

ah so Fed won it I see. No matter what people might or might not think about him, his game is still up there and he can't be dismissed as a non-contender for titles.

[Alis]

I normally would never root for Roger to win but in this instance I think it's better for Andy that he did.

[cazza99]

I suppose it means that if Fed is ranked no 2 for the French Andy cannot meet Rafa until the final if all the top 4 are playing.

[Alis]

I suppose it means that if Fed is ranked no 2 for the French Andy cannot meet Rafa until the final if all the top 4 are playing.

Absolutely ................ and the other plus point is that Berdych doesn't bank 1000 points and a shed load of confidence to boot!

[Linda]

But the seedings for RG are done after Rome - Rafa will probably be back to no.2.

[Alis]

I suppose he will be if he wins it. How far did Fed get in Rome last year?

[Linda]

R3.