ATP World Tour on Any Sport Any Time
Sunday, June 9th, 2013
Rafael Nadal (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
Rafael Nadal defeated David Ferrer in an all Spanish final 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday. However the real story will be about the complete lack of security.
In the second set with Nadal leading 5-1, a man ran on to the court with a white mask, without a shirt, and carrying a fiery flare.
The man seemed to be a protester, but he came dangerously close to Nadal. Five topless protesters were also arrested for calling for the resignation of the French president and another four were seen yelling about children’s rights.
It was simply a peculiar final and one where the protesters seemed to overshadow Nadal’s excellence on the court. It was too bad because Nadal will go down in history as one of the greatest tennis players ever and the greatest clay court tennis player ever.
However organizers of major sporting events must learn from this. Protesters cannot be taken lightly and the athletes’ safety needs to be maintained at all cost.
Tags: david ferrer, french open, RAFAEL NADAL
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Saturday, June 8th, 2013
Serena Williams (Fergal Carr, Wikimedia Commons)
For the second time in her tennis career, Serena Williams of the United States has won the French Open. On Saturday, she defeated defending champion Maria Sharapova of Russia 6-4, 6-4.
Williams has now won 16 major titles in her career. But, it was also only her first French Open title since 2002, when she beat her sister Venus Williams, 7-5, 6-3.
John McEnroe and Mary Carillo of NBC both stated that this was Serena Williams’ best French Open performance. I disagree. Serena was just as dominant in 2002 and had more difficult opponents in winning the championship. She defeated Jennifer Capriati, Vera Zvonareva, Mary Pierce and not to mention her sister.
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Tags: french open, jennifer capriati, maria sharapova, mary pierce, serena williams, venus williams, vera zvonareva, wta
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Friday, June 7th, 2013
Serena Williams (Katherine Shann, Wikimedia Commons)
Back in 2004, Russian newcomer Maria Sharapova shocked the tennis scene when she beat the great Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4 in the final of Wimbledon. Sharpova, who was only 17 at the time, proved her victory was no fluke when she beat Williams at a tournament in Los Angeles later that summer.
However over the last nine years, it has all been Williams in their head-to-head battles. Serena, who is currently ranked number one in the world, has defeated Sharapova, currently ranked second, twelve straight times. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Williams gave Sharapova a 6-0, 6-1 beatdown in which it was quite possibly Williams’s best tennis match ever.
Now Williams has not won the French Open since 2002 when she beat her sister Venus, but should go into the final as the clear favourite (Saturday, NBC, 7:00 a.m.).
Here are the other events I’ll be watching:
Saturday & Sunday–LPGA Championship–Golf Channel–1:00 p.m.–Women’s golf second major is this weekend from Rochester, New York. Once again, a South Korean is in the lead. Currently in first round action, Chella Choi at -6 leads American Morgan Pressel by two strokes. Choi is trying to become the fourth consecutive South Korean to win a major, following Na Yeon Choi, Jiyai Shin and Inbee Park. Round one was on Friday because action was rained out on Thursday. Organizers are expected to have round two on Saturday and then 36 holes on Sunday.
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Tags: 2012 olympic games, boston red sox, canadian grand prix, chella choi, Chicago Blackhawks, cn reliability grand prix, david ferrer, david ortiz, equestrian, eric lamaze, fernando alonso, french open, inbee park, jeff carter, jiyai shin, kent farrington, los angeles angels of anaheim, los angeles kings, lpga championship, maria sharapova, max decugis, Miami Heat, mike napoli, morgan pressel, na yeon choi, nico rosberg, okotoks dawgs, patrick sharp, peter loubardias, RAFAEL NADAL, san antonio spurs, saskatoon yellow jackets, sebastian vettel, serena williams, slava voynov
Posted in Amateur Sports, ATP World Tour, Ladies Professional Golfers Association, MLB, More, NBA, NHL, Western Major Baseball League |
Friday, June 7th, 2013
Rafael Nadal (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
John McEnroe simply said it was the greatest tennis match ever played on clay. NBC’s Ted Robinson stated he was honoured to be alive.
Friday in the men’s semi-finals of the 2013 French Open, seven-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal defeated top seed and reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7, 9-7 in a marathon classic that took almost five hours to play.
It seemed like Nadal was going to beat Djokovic in the fourth set. Nadal was in the process of serving for the match, but got broken by Djokovic in the twelfth game. After Djokovic tied the set at 6, Djokovic dominated the fourth set tiebreak and early stages of the fifth set. Djokovic broke Nadal early in the fifth set and seemed in control himself, but saw Nadal tie the set at four games apiece with his own break of service.
What made this match stand apart from other five set marathons in the majors were the long rallies, and how difficult it was for Nadal and Djokovic to even record a single point.
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Tags: david ferrer, french open, jo-wilfried tsonga, john mcenroe, novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL, ted robinson
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Tuesday, June 4th, 2013
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (Charlie Cowins, Wikimedia Commons)
On paper one might have been surprised that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France upset the great Roger Federer of Switzerland on Tuesday 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in the men’s quarterfinals of the French Open.
Federer has won 17 grand slam career titles including the 2009 French Open, and 256 grand slam victories to only 38 defeats.
However the loss on Tuesday, should not be of great surprise. Tsonga actually went further than Federer at the ATP Masters Series in Madrid. Tsonga advanced to the quarterfinals, while Federer was knocked out in the third round to Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Ranked eighth in the world, and sixth at the French Open because of injuries to Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro, Tsonga will now play David Ferrer of Spain in the semi-finals in a very interesting semi-final on Friday.
Ferrer, who beat fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, is obviously pleased he will see Tsonga over Federer. All-time, Federer is 14-0 against Ferrer.
Tags: david ferrer, french open, jo-wilfried tsonga, kei nishikori, ROGER FEDERER, tommy robredo
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Sunday, June 2nd, 2013
Tommy Robredo (Nacho Martinez Castejon, Wikimedia Commons)
Tommy Robredo of Spain is creating quite the story at the second grand slam event of 2013.
On Sunday, Robredo, the 32nd seed, came back from two sets to love to beat Spain’s Nicolas Almagro, the 11th seed, 6-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round.
Ok. Many players come back from two love down in major tournaments to win matches. However, Robredo has now accomplished the feat in three consecutive wins at the French Open. Robredo defeated Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in the second round and then French star Gael Monfils, 2-6, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 in the third round.
Robredo becomes only the second player in grand slam tennis history to win three consecutive matches after dropping the first two sets. In 1927, Henri Cochet did the same thing as Robredo at Wimbledon. Robredo will now play David Ferrer in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the great Roger Federer, seeded second, defeated Gilles Simon of France after losing the first two sets. He will next face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals.
Tags: david ferrer, french open, gael monfils, gilles simon, henri cochet, igor sjisling, jo-wilfried tsonga, nicolas almagro, ROGER FEDERER, tommy robredo
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Friday, May 31st, 2013
For the sixth time since World Volleyball League action in 1991, Canada is in the world group. On Saturday, Team Canada faces the Netherlands (2:00 p.m. Mountain Time, Sportsnet) from Quebec City.
The team Canada captain is Frederic Winters of Gatineau, Quebec, while their top libero is Blair Bann of Edmonton. This will be Canada’s second game of the world tournament as they will play ther first game in Quebec City this evening.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching:
NHL–Western Conference Final–Los Angeles Kings @ Chicago Blackhawks–Game One Saturday–TSN–3:00 p.m. & Game Two Sunday–TSN–6:00 p.m.— The Kings, the seed are playing the Blackhawks in a battle of the Stanley Cup champions in two of the last three years. Offensively, the Blackhawks have been led by snipers Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp who each have 11 points. While the Kings are led by Mike Richards who has 10 points. But let’s not kid ourselves. The major reason why the Kings have advance to their second straight Western Final has been the play of goaltender Jonathan Quick who has a .948 save percentage.
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Tags: agnieszka radwanska, ana ivanovic, angelique kerber, arizona diamondbacks, blair bann, boston bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, chicago cubs, frederic winters, french open, indiana pacers, jarome iginla, jonathan quick, LeBron James, los angeles kings, Marian Hossa, matt bartkowski, Miami Heat, mike richards, patrick corbin, patrick sharp, paul goldschmidt, Pittsburgh Penguins, svetlana kuznetsova, Volleyball, world volleyball league
Posted in ATP World Tour, MLB, More, NBA, NHL |
Thursday, May 30th, 2013
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (Albin Denooz, Wikimedia Commons)
One of the most interesting players on the WTA Tour quite possibly has come away with one of her most significant career victories.
On Thursday on a day filled with rain in the second round of the French Open, the eccentric Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States defeated 2011 French Open champion and sixth seed Li Na of China 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
The victory for Mattek, who is known for her different clothing styles, could be considered the greatest upset at the French Open so far.
On the men’s side, Canadian Milos Raonic has advanced to the third round after victories over Xavier Malisse of Belgium and Michael Llodra of France. Raonic beat each of his opponents in four sets, but was clearly the most dominant player in each of his first two matches. He will next play Kevin Anderson of South Africa, the 23rd seed in the third round.
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Tags: bethanie mattek-sands, ernests gulbis, french open, gael monfils, kevin anderson, li na, michael llodra, milos raonic, toma berdych, xavier malisse
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Saturday, May 25th, 2013
Arjen Robben (Wikimedia Commons)
This is the biggest weekend for the year in auto racing, soccer and junor hockey.
In soccer, Borussia Dortmund will play Bayern Munich in the championship of the UEFA Champions League today in London. It marks the first time ever that two teams from Germany will be playing for the championship.
Borussia Dortmund is led by Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored four goals in one game in Borussia Dortmund’s 4-1 win over Real Madrid in the semi-final. Bayern Munich meanwhile is led by midfielders Franck Ribery of France and Arjen Robben of the Netherlands, who have plenty of big game experience.The game can be seen on FOX at 12:45 p.m.
On Sunday, the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place with American Ed Carpenter on the pole. Carpenter has prior success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as he won an Indy Lights race in Indianapolis in 2003. He has also won twice in IndyCar, 2011 in Kentucky and 2012 in Fontana, California. However his best finish this year has only been 14th.
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Tags: alex rios, alex tagliani, annika sorenstam, arjen robben, bayern munich, borussia dortmund, boston bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, chicago white sox, crowne plaza invitational, david krejci, detroit red wings, ed carpenter, franck ribery, galo blanco, graham delaet, halifax mooseheads, henrik zetterberg, indianapolis 500, james hinchcliffe, jimmy howard, jonathan drouin, los angeles kings, matt kuchar, memorial cup, miami marlins, milan lucic, milos raonic, nathan horton, nathan mackinnon, new york rangers, Pavel Datsyuk, portland winterhawks, robert lewandowski, San Jose Sharks, seth jones, ty rattie, uefa champions league final, xavier malisse, Zdeno Chara
Posted in ATP World Tour, Indy Racing League, MLB, More, NHL, PGA, Soccer, Western Hockey League |
Saturday, April 27th, 2013
Milos Raonic (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
After a disappointing Monte Carlo Masters last week where Milos Raonic lost to Jarko Nieminen of Finland 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 in the second round, Raonic pulled off something magnificent on Friday at the Barcelona Open.
Raonic, ranked 13th in the world, won two matches in the same day. First he beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-2, 7-6 in the third round, before beating Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in the quarterfinals.
Raonic was forced to play two matches in a day because of the inclement weather they have been having in Spain.
Raonic’s test doesn’t get any easier however. He now has to face the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, in the other semi-final. Nadal has beaten Raonic twice before, but both wins have come on hard court in Tokyo.
The match was supposed to start an hour ago, but was postponed due to rain.
The other semi-final has Nicolas Almagro of Spain versus Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.
Tags: barcelona open, ernests gulbis, jarko nieminen, milos raonic, monte carlo masters, nicolas almagro, philipp kohlschreiber, RAFAEL NADAL, tommy robredo
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Sunday, April 21st, 2013
Novak Djokovic (Wikimedia Commons)
Novak Djokovic has put an end to Rafael Nadal’s remarkable winning streak in Monte Carlo.
This morning, Djokovic, the number one player in the world, defeated Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 7-6.
What is remarkable is that prior to Nadal’s loss in Monte Carlo today, he had not lost at the tournament since losing to Argentina’s Guillermo Coria in 2003. Nadal won the event eight consecutive years from 2005-2012.
Djokovic dominated the first set after it was postponed because of a rain delay. The second set was significantly closer as Djokovic and Nadal broke each other twice to force a tiebreak, which was completely dominated by Djokovic.
Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open champion, won easily 7-1. Another major reason for Djokovic’s victory is that he won 60% of points on his second service, while Nadal only won 31% of the possible points.
The Monte Carlo Masters is the first of three Masters Series events on clay leading up to the French Open. There are significant events scheduled still for Madrid and Rome.
Tags: french open, guillermo coria, monte carlo masters, novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Saturday, April 20th, 2013
It looks more and more like the Edmonton Oilers will not make the postseason in 2013. However, there is a still a mathematical chance after their impressive 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
The Oilers played a complete hockey game Friday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Jordan Eberle scored one goal and two assists, while Justin Schultz and Magnus Paajarvi had multi-point games.
The Oilers are now eight points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets with five games to go in the season. The next game on their schedule will be Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks (Sportsnet, 6:00 p.m.). It is basically simple. Their remaining five games, of which four are at home, are mandatory for the Oilers to win.
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Tags: boston celtics, brad richards, bryce harper, carmelo anthony, Chicago Blackhawks, colorado avalanche, denver nuggets, detroit red wings, dwight howard, Edmonton Oilers, george karl, gio gonzalez, golden state warriors, John Buck, jordan eberle, justin schultz, los angeles lakers, magnus paajarvi, manu ginobili, mark jackson, monte carlo masters, new jersey devils, New York Knicks, new york mets, new york rangers, novak djokovic, phoenix coyotes, RAFAEL NADAL, san antonio spurs, stephen curry, tracy mcgrady, ty lawson, Vancouver Canucks, washington nationals
Posted in ATP World Tour, MLB, More, NBA, NHL |
Monday, April 8th, 2013
Milos Raonic (Christopher Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
It was an historic weekend for Canada in Davis Cup. For the first time since 1913, Canada is off to the semi-finals of this extremely interesting annual tennis team event.
On Sunday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, Milos Raonic, the top Canadian in the world at no.16 defeated Andreas Seppi, the top Italian in the world at no. 18, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Canada defeated Italy on the weekend three matches to one and will now play the mighty Serbian squad in September. The Serbs are led by Novak Djokovic, the number one ranked player in the world.
A major reason for the Canadian success was the surface. The fast court that Tennis Canada selected for the weekend paid dividends as Seppi and Fabio Fognini had a difficult time adjusting.
Czech Republic, the defending champions, will take on Argentina in the other semi-final.
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Tags: davis cup, milos raonic, novak djokovic
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Sunday, April 7th, 2013
Daniel Nestor (Wikimedia Commons)
This is an outstanding time for Canadian tennis at the moment. For the first time in exactly 100 years, Canada is on the brink of qualifying for the semi-finals of Davis Cup.
This is not Davis Cup qualifying. This is the real thing.
On Saturday afternoon in Vancouver, Daniel Nestor of Toronto and Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver beat the Italian duo of Fabio Fognini and Daniele Braccaili in five grueling sets, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 15-13.
With the win, Canada now leads Italy 2-1 and can advance to the semis if Milos Raonic defeats Andreas Seppi this afternoon or if Canada wins the fifth and deciding match. Right now Pospisil is expected to play Fognini, but don’t be surprised if Canadian coach Martin Laurendeau gives the assignment to Jesse Levine, because Pospisil has played ten sets in the last two days.
It was also a great week in Canadian women’s tennis as Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Quebec defeated Laura Robson of Great Britain and former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina before losing to Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals.
Tags: andreas seppi, daniel nestor, daniele braccaili, davis cup, eugenie bouchard, fabio fognini, family circle cup, jelena jankovic, jesse levine, laura robson, martin laurendeau, milos raonic, samntha stosur, vasek pospisil
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
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