ATP World Tour on Any Sport Any Time
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Rafael Nadal (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
In one of the greatest tennis matches of all time, Rafael Nadal has qualified for the Australian Open Men’s Final.
On Wednesday, he defeated Roger Federer 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 in a classic semi-final. Nadal is now looking for his second Australian Open crown, having defeated Federer in five sets in 2009, while Federer is a four-time champion.
A major turning point in the match came in the second set, when Nadal seemed out of a particular point, but ran from one end of the court to the other and hit the cross court winner. When he made contact with the ball, the fans in the stands could have reached out and touched him.
(more…)
Tags: andy murray, australian open, novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL, ROGER FEDERER
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Maria Sharapova (Andrew Huse, Wikimedia Commons)
We now know who will be the two female finalists of the 2012 Australian Open.
Last night, Maria Sharapova of Russia, the fourth seed, defeated Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the second seed 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the semi-final– a rematch of the 2011 Wimbledon Final, where Kvitova won her first Grand Slam final.
In the other semi-final, we learned that there will be a new Australian Open champion this year. Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, the 11th seed, lost in three sets to Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, the second seed, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
If Sharapova hopes to beat Azarenka in the final, she will have to work on her serve. It was erratic throughout the match, as she had ten double faults, compared to Kvitova’s four. But a key reason why Sharapova was able to win the match was because she was able to limit her unforced errors, where she had 30, compared to Kvitova’s 41.
For Clijsters, she lost a devastating match because it looks like this will be her final season in tennis. There are reports she wants to have another child with her husband, American Brian Lynch, who played at the University of Villanova, and is currently coaching professionally in Belgium.
Tags: brian lynch, kim clijsters, maria sharapova, petra kvitova, victoria azarenka
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
Stephanie Dubois (Robbie Mendelson, Wikimedia Commons)
It was a solid Monday for three Canadians at the Australian Open.
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ontario, Stephanie Dubois of Laval, Quebec and Aleksandra Wozniak of Montreal, Quebec have all advanced to round two.
Yesterday, Raonic, seeded 23rd, defeated Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in 91 minutes. Raonic had 13 aces and 13 winners to Violandri’s none.
In women’s action, Dubois defeated Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and Wozniak defeated Shuai Zhang of China 6-3, 6-3. Toronto’s Rebecca Marino lost to Greta Arn of Hungary 6-4, 6-2.
Raonic will now play Philipp Petzschner of Germany in the second round. Petzschner beat Raonic in the quarterfinals of Halle, Germany last year 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
Wozniak will now play the 27th seed, Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Dubois will play the 30th seed, Angelique Kerber of Germany.
The upset of the tournament so far came from Simona Cirstea of Romania, who beat U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6, 6-3. Stosur, a fan favourite, was the sixth seed.
The best match of the tournament I have seen so far came on Sunday night. Australian Bernard Tomic, who is only 19, beat Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.
Tags: aleksandra wozniak, angelique kerber, australian open, bernard tomic, fernando verdasco, greta arn, maria kirilenko, milos raonic, philipp petzschner, simona cirstea, stephanie dubois
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
Tom Brady (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
We are down to eight teams left now in the National Football League.
In the AFC, the New England Patriots (13-3) will host the Denver Broncos (8-8) this evening (CBS, 6pm) in the most anticipated game of the weekend.
Tebownmania is larger now than it ever has, and possibly ever will be. But the bottom line is how many championships in the NFL has Tim Tebow won? The answer is zero and he will be up against a quarterback that has won three Super Bowls, is a two-time MVP and is a seven-time Pro Bowler in Tom Brady. And oh yes, the Patriots hammered the Broncos 41-23 in Denver on December 18, as Brady threw for 320 yards, including 129 yards to underrated tight end Aaron Hernandez. I’m picking New England in a rout.
(more…)
Tags: Aaron Rodgers, australian open, baltimore ravens, bernard tomic, calgary flames, david hearn, denver broncos, drew brees, fernando verdasco, green bay packers, houston texans, los angeles kings, matt every, michael cammalleri, milos raonic, new england patriots, new orleans saints, new york giants, phoenix suns, rene bourque, san antonio spurs, san francisco 49ers, t.j. yates, tim tebow, tom brady, tony parker
Posted in ATP World Tour, More, NBA, NFL, NHL, PGA | No Comments »
Sunday, January 8th, 2012
Milos Raonic (Wikimedia Commons)
Milos Raonic has won his second tennis tournament of his career.
Sunday morning in Chennai, India, Raonic defeated Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in a three set match where there was not one break of serve.
Raonic recorded 35 aces in the victory and had ample of opportunities to break Tipsarevic’s serve, but Tipsarevic, nicknamed the Serbian Philosopher because of his thoughtful postmatch interviews, was able to save off nine break point opportunities.
The match was significant because it is one of three Australian Open tuneups this weekend. In Brisbane, Andy Murray of Great Britain defeated Alexander Dolgopolov 6-1, 6-3, and in Qatar, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France defeated Gael Monfils of France 7-5, 6-3.
Raonic, who will now definitely be seeded at the Australian Open, which starts next weekend, will probably see his ranking increase by five or six spots. Previously ranked 31st, he has a chance of matching his career best 25th ranking he had in May, before he injured his hip at Wimbledon. At the 2011 Australian Open, Raonic advanced to the fourth round.
Tags: andy murray, janko tipsarevic, jo-wilfried tsonga, milos raonic
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
Milos Raonic (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ontario has advanced to third final on the ATP Tour on Saturday.
In Chennai, India, Raonic, seeded fourth defeated second seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain today 6-4, 6-4 and will now play the top seed, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in tomorrow’s final.
Tipsarevic, nicknamed the Serbian Philosopher for outstanding post-match press conferences and interviews, defeated Japanese qualifier Go Soeda 6-1, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
In Raonic’s semi-final win, he posted 17 aces and was able to break Almagro once in each set.
The Chennai Open is running simultaneously with the Brisbane International and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. All three events are in the ATP World Tour 250 category. In the Brisbane final, Andy Murray of Great Britain is playing Alexander Dolgopolov of the Ukraine, and in the Qatar final, it will be an all-French final as Gael Monfils will play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
All three events this weekend are considered significant because they are tune-ups for the Australian Open that starts January 16 in Melbourne.
Tags: alexander dolgopolov, andy murray, gael monfils, go soeda, janko tipsarevic, jo-wilfried tsonga, milos raonic, nicolas almagro
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011
Milos Raonic (Matthew Stockman, Getty Images)
This morning I watched Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ontario for the first time since he injured his hip against Gilles Mueller at Wimbledon.
Raonic was playing French superstar Gael Monfils in the semi-finals of the Stockholm Open. Raonic, seeded sixth, lost in three sets to the tournament’s number one seed, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. Monfils will now play Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in the final.
I know it was a loss but there were some very positive signs from Raonic. His serve was working extremely well, and the flu bug that plagued him at the Davis Cup last month in Israel, didn’t seem to be an issue in Sweden.
Along the way to the semi-finals, Raonic beat three formidable opponents– former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, Philipp Petzschner of Germany, who beat Raonic in the quarterfinals in Halle, Germany in June, and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who was seeded number one in the world in juniors in 2008. With his semi-final appearance, Raonic should move up a couple of spots in the ATP Rankings from his current ranking of 29th.
Tags: gael monfils, grigor dimitrov, jarkko nieminen, marcos baghdatis, milos raonic, philipp petzschner
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Sunday, September 18th, 2011
Vasek Pospisil (Patricio Realpe, Associated Press)
It was a very proud moment in Canadian tennis history today.
Our country is off to the World Group of the Davis Cup for the first time since 2004.
In a dominating performance today, Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, British Columbia defeated Israel’s Amir Weintraub 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 to win the deciding match.
Pospisil’s serve was electric. Pospisil had 27 aces, while Weintraub only had one. Pospisil also collected 54 winners, while Weintraub only had 16.
Canada beat Israel three matches to two. Earlier in the day, Milos Raonic, who was still feeling the effects of food poisoning that plagued him earlier in the week, decided not to compete against Israel’s Dudi Sela. In came Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ontario, who lost in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Spain will play Argentina in the 2011 Davis Cup Final. Spain, led by Rafael Nadal, defeated France, while Argentina defeated the defending champion, Serbia.
Other nations to advance to the 2012 World Group are the Czech Republic, Russia, Croatia, Italy, Japan, Austria and Switzerland.
Tags: davis cup, dudi sela, RAFAEL NADAL, vasek pospisil
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Saturday, September 17th, 2011
Adam Kleeberger (Bing Images)
It is a jammed pack weekend of sports coverage, and I will be keeping an eye on a wide variety of sports.
In rugby, Canada is looking for a second consecutive victory when they take on the mighty French. France has one more point in the Group A Standings because they were able to record four tries in their 47-21 hammering of Japan.
The Canadians meanwhile exemplified outstanding determination in coming from behind to beat Tonga. They were down 20-13 with about ten minutes left before the Canadians scored 12 unanswered points to win. The game can be seen at 2:30am on Sunday morning on TSN.
(more…)
Tags: andy ram, atlanta falcons, boston red sox, british columbia lions, buffalo bills, Calgary Stampeders, chris carpenter, cole hamels, dallas cowboys, daniel nestor, davis cup, jeff niemann, jim harbaugh, jon lester, jonathan erlich, michael vick, mike tolbert, new england patriots, oakland raiders, philadelphia eagles, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh steelers, rugby world cup, ryan fitzpatrick, san diego chargers, san francisco 49ers, seattle seahawks, st. louis cardinals, tampa bay rays, ted ginn jr., tom brady, vasek pospisil
Posted in Amateur Sports, ATP World Tour, CFL, Home, MLB, More, NFL, Rugby | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
Novak Djokovic (Wikimedia Commons)
After four grueling sets and incredible long rallies, Novak Djokovic has won the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, New York.
Djokovic, the number one seed from Serbia, beat Spain’s Rafael Nadal, the world ranked number two seed, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.
Djokovic now has won three major titles this calendar year, having already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Nadal, meanwhile won the French Open.
What was mesmerizing in watching the final, was Djokovic’s ability to break right back after he was broken by Nadal.
Nadal, actually broke Djokovic six times, but on the first four times Djokovic was able to break Nadal right back.
A remarkable statistic though was that Nadal was broken 11 times. When was the last time you saw the world’s number two simply not confident with his serve?
Nadal also had to work for many more points on his service game than Djokovic had to for his. The match just came easier for Djokovic, who improves to 64-2.
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Sunday, September 11th, 2011
Samantha Stosur (Diana Ross, Wikimedia Commons)
Samantha Stosur is the 2011 United States Open Champion, and on Sunday she displayed significant amount more poise, professionalism and class than her opponent, Serena Williams.
Early in the second set, Williams yelled out “come on”, as soon as Stosur was attempting to make a shot. Williams lost the point and was not happy about it. She then verbally attacked the chair umpire Eva Asderaki by calling her “unattractive inside”, “you screwed me over”, “you’re out of control”, and “don’t look my way”. Williams even refused to shake Asderaki’s hand at the end of the match.
The pro-American crowd also deserves some criticism for getting behind Williams as much as they did. It was Stosur that performed admirably and delivered fantastic patience under the situation.
Stosur had one more winner, 20 to Williams’ 19, and had thirteen fewer unforced errors.
It was sweet redemption for Stosur, who struggled in the 2010 French Open Final, in losing 6-4, 7-6 to Italy’s Franseca Schiavone.
The men’s final between Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic goes tomorrow.
Tags: eva asderaki, franseca schiavone, novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL, samantha stosur, serena williams, u.s. open
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | 1 Comment »
Saturday, September 10th, 2011
Serena Williams (Sascha Wenninger, Wikimedia Commons)
The finals have now been determined for the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, New York.
On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic of Serbia will take on Rafael Nadal of Spain Monday.
While on the women’s side, American Serena Williams takes on Australian Samantha Stosur tomorrow.
I didn’t mention the rankings for a reason. You can basically throw them out the window because they mean absolutely nothing. Tonight Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was the number one seed and was the overwhelming underdog against the 28th seed Williams. The veteran American is well on her way to win her 14th Grand Slam title after a convincing 6-2, 6-4 onslaught.
Williams had 11 aces to Wozniacki’s one and Williams had 34 winners to Wozniacki’s five. The top seeded Dane had no winners in the first set.
The best match of the day was Novak Djokovic’s five set win over Roger Federer. Djokovic was down two sets to love and was down two match points in the fifth set when he delivered two remarkable return winners.
In the other men’s semi-final Nadal easily beat Murray in four sets. Murray, the fourth seed, constantly gets down on himself when things don’t go his way, and needs to show more positivity on the court if he hopes to crack the top three and win a major.
Tags: novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL, samantha stosur, serena williams, u.s. open
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Friday, September 9th, 2011
Rafael Nadal (James Phelps, Wikimedia Commons)
The top four players in the world will be on Arthur Ashe Stadium tomorrow for the semi-finals of the United States Open at Flushing Meadows, New York.
In the first match at 10am on CBS, the first seed, Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes on the third seed Roger Federer of Switzerland, followed by the second seed, Rafael Nadal of Spain taking on the fourth seed Andy Murray of Great Britain.
Head-to-head Federer has the 14-9 advantage on Djokovic, and beat him in their last meeting in the semi-finals of the French Open at Roland Garros, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.
As for Nadal, he has a 12-4 advantage over Murray, but we’ll have to watch Nadal’s fingers closely, as he recently burned two of them at a New York restaurant.
These are without a doubt the best tennis players on the planet and it a dream day for U.S. Open organizers even though there isn’t going to be an American involved.
The two remaining Americans, John Isner and Andy Roddick both lost on Friday. Roddick got hammered by Nadal, while Isner won a set and pushed Murray at times in losing in four sets.
The women’s semi-finals also go tomorrow with one match televised. World number one Caroline Wozniacki plays the favourite and 28th ranked Serena Williams of the United States at 6pm on CBS. Head-to-head Williams has the 2-0 lead, having beaten Wozniacki twice in 2009. The other women’s semi-final match between the ninth seed Australian Samantha Stosur and German Angelique Kerber, ranked 92nd in the world is not televised.
(more…)
Tags: andy murray, angelique kerber, asante samuel, atlanta falcons, baltimore ravens, caroline wozniacki, chicago bears, dallas cowboys, denver broncos, dominique rodgers-cromartie, jerricho cotchery, john beck, lee evans, michael vick, Mike Shanahan, new york giants, new york jets, nnamdi asomugha, novak djokovic, philadelphia eagles, pittsburgh steelers, RAFAEL NADAL, ray rice, rex grossman, rex ryan, ricky williams, rob ryan, ROGER FEDERER, saint louis rams, samantha stosur, serena williams, tony romo, u.s. open, washington redskins, willis mcgahee
Posted in ATP World Tour, Home, More, NFL | No Comments »
Friday, September 9th, 2011
Angelique Kerber (Robbie Saurus, Wikimedia Commons)
The women’s semi-finals are now set at the U.S. Open and there is a significant surprise in the final four.
Joining Australia’s Samantha Stosur, American Serena Williams and Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki is German Angelique Kerber, ranked 92nd in the world heading into Flushing Meadows.
But it is not like Kerber has had to deliver any huge upsets along the way. She has only had to beat two seeded players– 12th ranked Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and yesterday, 26th ranked Flavia Pennetta of Poland, 6-4, 7-6.
Kerber will play Stosur and Wozniacki will play Williams in the semi-finals tomorrow.
In the men’s quarters yesterday, Roger Federer would not lose to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga thrice in a row. He lost to him at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open, but knocked off Tsonga in convincing fashion, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 last night. He’ll be playing Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s semi-final.
In today’s men’s quarterfinals, American marathon man John Isner plays Andy Murray and American Andy Roddick plays Rafael Nadal.
Tags: andy murray, andy roddick, angelique kerber, caroline wozniacki, jo-wilfried tsonga, john isner, novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL, ROGER FEDERER, samantha stosur, serena williams, us open
Posted in ATP World Tour, More | No Comments »
Loading ...
