Tennis: Wimbledon 2022

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Garcia could be a realliy tough out for Raducanu. 2-all in the first set. I like Caroline's chances a lot.

Garcia looking pretty dialed in breaks for 4-2....Garcia nabs it 6-3. That was so easy.

2nd set: Garcia gets a break for 3-2 and immediately tightens and loses her serve. If Emma has a move in her, now is the time to make it....she doesn't. She doesn't win another game.

Got to feel for Emma. She has some talent, but she is very raw. Just overmatched. It's hard to know how she will be able to escape the box that she is in.

This could be very messy over the coming years. That English media is going to go after her for not immediately being one of the best in the world. If she’s not mentally tough, winning that US Open may have ruined her whole career.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Here's how ESPN's headline about that abomination of a tennis match yesterday: "Serena is out of Wimbledon, but it was an epic, incredible match against Harmony Tan." Alternate universe stuff.

I view her situation like Tiger Woods. Great career, but this late in your career you can’t only show up to the biggest events and expect to compete to win. These nobodies you lose to are still practicing every day and playing a regular schedule. You aren’t good enough anymore to barely practice and not play any events regularly and then beat them in the biggest events. Not with a body that physically cannot compete anymore on a regular basis and is fragile enough that it may not hold up for the whole event.

If she’s serious about competing, let’s see her play a regular schedule. Until she does that, I doubt she can compete.

 

[kihei]

Another four set match for Nadal, this time against Berankis who played very well. Maybe not as quickly as he would like, but Nadal is rounding into form.

 

[kihei]

After a mere two rounds nearly half the seeds in the tournament have been eliminated, 16 on the women's side and 15 on the men's.

 

[kihei]

ESPN fantasy of the day.

The headline after Swiatek loses a set to the #138 ranked Kerkhove and looks shaky as hell most of the match: "Swiatek Dominates."

 

[Maverick41]

Your guy just beat Opelka. Looking good.

Lol. I actually overlooked Opelka in his path and was worried when I saw Tim was up against him next.
But he got it done, and he continued his success by cruising past Basilashvili in 3 sets.

Now it's up to Djokovic to do his part to complete the fourth round matchup I was expecting. And then he will probably beat van Rijthoven easily and prove me wrong.

 

[kihei]

Paul has a certain cool about him.

 

[kihei]

Lol. I actually overlooked Opelka in his path and was worried when I saw Tim was up against him next.
But he got it done, and he continued his success by cruising past Basilashvili in 3 sets.

Now it's up to Djokovic to do his part to complete the fourth round matchup I was expecting. And then he will probably beat van Rijthoven easily and prove me wrong.

The very fact your guy got this far is incredibly impressive. And looked good doing it. I don't think he beats Nole, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if van R gives him a really tough match. In some ways, he could be this year's Karatsev.

 

[kihei]

Sinner versus Isner on grass is an intriguing match-up but the match of the day might be Otte versus Alcaraz.

 

[kihei]

Alcaraz glides through the first set against Otte without breaking a sweat and now he is in Otte's head, too, as Oscar has trouble keeping a ball in play.

Sinner up two sets on Isner, looking increasingly comfortable on grass, too.

 

[kihei]

Sinner in straight sets over Isner and Alcaraz loses only six games in dispatching Otte. Singer and Alcaraz meet in the next round.

Norrie cruising two sets up against Johnson.

Everybody looking in form right now.

 

[kihei]

I nominate Steve Johnson for The Radek Stepanek Award given to the least charismatic player in men's tennis.

 

[kihei]

Yikes. According to the BBC, there have been a half million new Covid infections in Great Britain on the past week. The tournament could still be vulnerable to more withdrawals.

 

[Maverick41]

I don't understand how anyone that has watched or played tennis could think that was a great match. Harmony Tan looks like she's 40 and she's 24... she moves like a battleship and has horrible technical skills. She looks like a club player that somehow ended up on the big stage. That she dropped out of doubles an hour before the match speaks to how unprofessional and deconditioned she actually is... i hope she has a back up plan for a career choice.

And yet, her run continues. This is to bizarre.
I definitely did not see her making it to the 4th round (or even the 2nd). One would expect that it will end there, no matter who she faces next. Gauff or Anisimova.

 

[kihei]

After today, the men's round of 16 is going to look pretty surreal.

I was musing about whether Gauff is the women's tour answer to Felix on the men's side, i.e. someone who should be more dominant and more successful than she is. But, actually, she has way more big holes in her game than FAA, starting with that wonky forehand but including her second serve and tendency to nerves.

 

[kihei]

Swiatek broken in first game against veteran Cornet. Something is definitely not right with Iga....quickly followed by a second break. Cornet is doing nothing special except keeping the ball in play, 3-love.

Iga wakes up but Cornet hangs on to one of the breaks and takes the first set.

 

[MsMeow]

Iga isn't looking like herself.

 

[kihei]

The streak is over as is the aura of invincibility. Cornet beats Iga 4 and 2. That's Cornet's fourth win against a #1 player, the other three victories coming over Serena.

 

[Brunkmeister]

Iga isn't looking like herself.

She’s just mediocre at the surface. There are literally no woman out there who masters all surfaces. Simple as that. Now looking forward to the highlight of the day. Which Kyrgios are we going to see today?

 

[kihei]

Going against the concensus and picking Tsitsipas in this one,

 

[Brunkmeister]

Well this is going to be mental for Nick if he doesn’t take his chances. Can he handle it for once or will it end up in another breakdown?

 

[PanniniClaus]

And yet, her run continues. This is to bizarre.
I definitely did not see her making it to the 4th round (or even the 2nd). One would expect that it will end there, no matter who she faces next. Gauff or Anisimova.

makes no sense... has women's tennis fallen apart some?

No way should a glorified club player be in the 4th round of Wimbledon.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Tsitsipas just flipped out... i don't feel bad for him given his usual gamesmanship.. I do like Tsitsipas' game though... his backhand is a joy to watch.

 

[sfvega]

This Tsitsipas/Kygrios match, which should be an amazing skilled match on paper, is a downright mess of assholery.

Tsitsipas is coming unglued. Don't feel bad for him or Kygrios one bit. Nick seems to play better when he's being a giant jackass.

 

[kihei]

Of course, I'm listening to Nick's show here. It's quite a performance so far, and he seems to have driven Stefanos crazy. But these announcers represent why I don't listen more often. They have been ragging on Krygios from the word "go," like he is the antichrist or something. Nick has completely gotten inside their heads. Great tennis so far and extraordinary performance art, too. But enough of the vendetta.