2015 Australian Open Quarterfinals: Wawrinka vs. Nishikori

[herios]

This guy isn't playing like a one slam wonder. Very very impressive

Exactly. This forum called him many times as such, because of his inconsistency, however exactly because of that, you never know what Stan can come up with and turns up the heat.
Tonight, Stanimal was in da house and closed the door in front of Samurai's nose

 

[tenisplayrla08]

This guy isn't playing like a one slam wonder. Very very impressive

Well, it never should have taken him til 28 or 29 to win his first slam. Showed promise way back in 2008 and then fizzled only to come back in 2013. Just finally found a way to use that amazing backhand of his even more effectively. His forehand is very powerful. Serve is huge. Commentators were saying he's improved his volley in the last year. So maybe wasn't so great at that before. He's certainly a victim of the big 4 era but more a victim of being a head case.

 

[August]

Fantastic time to be alive if you are Stan Wawrinka.
Best AO player in the world now.
Nobody hits through this court better than Wawrinka.

Yeah, he's been one of the best AO players since 2013, the only player really to test Nole at AO that year.

 

[pavlik89]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX9tCJIAe-Q[/video]

 

[auto-pilot]

Fantastic time to be alive if you are Stan Wawrinka.
Best AO player in the world now.
Nobody hits through this court better than Wawrinka.

Yeah, he's been one of the best AO players since 2013, the only player really to test Nole at AO that year.

Yep Wawrinka apparently very unlucky in that 2013 AO match versus Djokovic.
I didn't see the end of it but someone told me Wawrinka got a bad line call that if corrected would have given him the chance to serve for the match, but he didn't challenge it :speechless:

 

[Kirijax]

Too bad for Nishikori but Wawrinka was amazing today. He suddenly looks like a very real threat to take his second straight Aussie title. Hard to see Raonic getting by Djokovic so the semifinals should be very very interesting!

 

[pavlik89]

Stanislas Wawrinka vs Kei Nishikori FULL MATCH HD 1/4 Australian Open 2015

http://www.tennishdhighlights.com/australian-open/2015-2/

 

[TsarMatt]

Wawrinka could trouble Nole if he plays like he did today.

 

[Kieran]

So Stanley the Manly has swatted Samurai? Stan's beginning to remind me of Joe Johnson (know your snooker history!) who came out of nowhere to defeat Davis in 1986 and returned from nowhere to reach the final the following year. Stan has more pedigree than ole Joe, but the point being, he seems to like this place more than anywhere and it elevates him into the levels he can only dream of the rest of the year.

He'll be hard to beat, though I expect that he will be beaten...

 

[Federberg]

This guy isn't playing like a one slam wonder. Very very impressive

Well, it never should have taken him til 28 or 29 to win his first slam. Showed promise way back in 2008 and then fizzled only to come back in 2013. Just finally found a way to use that amazing backhand of his even more effectively. His forehand is very powerful. Serve is huge. Commentators were saying he's improved his volley in the last year. So maybe wasn't so great at that before. He's certainly a victim of the big 4 era but more a victim of being a head case.

He certainly has/had the talent. The difference between the Big 4 and the next 5 or 6 is more mentality than anything else. And Stan seems to believe now. No reason he can't win more

 

[brokenshoelace]

The forums have been greatly overstating Nishikori ever since that Madrid finals. He's a top 10 player who's dangerous and can cause the occasional upset. He's also consistent. But when the true elite are on their game, he's not going to beat two in a row or something like that to win a slam.

 

[Federberg]

^I wouldn't go as far as saying his abilities have been overstated. Kei is a guy who can beat absolutely anyone. It's not unreasonable to think he has slam winning potential because of that. He's still relatively young, so the better he gets at negotiating through the draw, the higher his future chances will be. Just saying I don't recall anyone saying he was the second coming, just that he was a contender

 

[isabelle]

Stan surprised me, he played a great piece of tennis

 

[Ilovetennis2]

The forums have been greatly overstating Nishikori ever since that Madrid finals. He's a top 10 player who's dangerous and can cause the occasional upset. He's also consistent. But when the true elite are on their game, he's not going to beat two in a row or something like that to win a slam.

I have to agree. I like what I see from him, but I remember reading on here (forget who said it) that Nadal was lucky he didn't get Nishikori at the French Open laydownlaughing) After seeing what Djokovic and Federer did to him at the WTF, I believe he has a way to go before winning a slam. Better players have gone their careers without winning a slam.

 

[brokenshoelace]

The forums have been greatly overstating Nishikori ever since that Madrid finals. He's a top 10 player who's dangerous and can cause the occasional upset. He's also consistent. But when the true elite are on their game, he's not going to beat two in a row or something like that to win a slam.

I have to agree. I like what I see from him, but I remember reading on here (forget who said it) that Nadal was lucky he didn't get Nishikori at the French Open laydownlaughing)

That has to be Front.

 

[Carol]

The forums have been greatly overstating Nishikori ever since that Madrid finals. He's a top 10 player who's dangerous and can cause the occasional upset. He's also consistent. But when the true elite are on their game, he's not going to beat two in a row or something like that to win a slam.

I have to agree. I like what I see from him, but I remember reading on here (forget who said it) that Nadal was lucky he didn't get Nishikori at the French Open laydownlaughing)

That has to be Front.

Are you kidding me? did someone say that?
I saw part of the match but after to see how many erros Nishi was doing and thinking that at his 25 years old if he is so good like some people think he should have more titles under his belt but sorry to say I don't see him winning GS and MS, maybe two or three? unless the other young players play even worse than him. Then I fell asleep, the match was boring :nono

 

[herios]

While I was watching last night, it clicked in my mind that this Kei - Stan match-up will pan out differently than at the USO because of the speed of the court.
Right after the match ended, Patrick McEnroe summed it up exactly how I thought, Kei did better at the USO than here against Stan, because his game is better suited for the fast HC. Here on Laver arena, Stan has more time to react and set up his shots and also here is no much wind to bother him like in the usually windy Ashe arena.

 

[auto-pilot]

^ I agree, that swirly Arthur Ashe wind is a big difference between USO and AO.
I've heard people over the years say that the USO and AO are too alike, but I don't agree with them.
Its cool how we have such different players succeeding at the AO compared to the USO.
Wawrinka is an absolute AO specialist, so is Djokovic.
Nadal looks way better at the USO (hence very unlucky to not play there in 2012 and 2014) than at the AO.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Well done Stan. The guy is a beast when he is on. Looking forward to the Nole match which again has the potential to be epic.