US OPEN, Flushing Meadows, NY, USA, GRAND SLAM (Men)

[teddytennisfan]

Kuznetzov made an effort for one set, but Rafa totally out-classed him. Good hitting off of both wings. Some great serving, some not. Hasn't dropped a set yet.

this is what is so GREAT about tennis...we can literally see with their performances season by season how careers are born, grow, rise, and decline - and how generations challenge for their turn...

 

[Tennis Fan]

And the Daniel Evans train keeps 'a rollin'. Sasha Zverev is out.

I'm not that familiar with Daniel Evans. I was shocked!

 

[Tennis Fan]

Yup, I noticed he changed his positioning when serving from the ad side at the Olympics. Unfortunately he's still doing it.

As far as which side is the ad side and which one is the deuce side: Let's say the server is serving from "down" your screen. The ad side of the court is when he's serving from the left. The deuce side is when he's serving from the right. The first point of the game is always served from the deuce side, which means that every point at deuce will occur from that same side.

I always wanted to understand that too. Thank you.

 

[Tennis Fan]

so true. kuznetsov can keep building on an already pretty solid young career as mcenroe pointed out -- and one of the best ways is to learn from meeting a Living Legend on fire.

I thought Kuznetsov played well, but he isn't used to playing an entire match with such intensity. He was tired at the end, but he's got the tools, now he needs experience.

 

[Tennis Fan]

Order of Play - Friday on the Showcourts

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Monica Niculescu (Rom) v Caroline Wozniacki (Den),
(8) Madison Keys (USA) v Naomi Osaka (Jpn),
(1) Novak Djokovic (Ser) v Mikhail Youzhny (Rus),

(4) Rafael Nadal (Spa) v Andrey Kuznetsov (Rus),
Catherine Cartan Bellis (USA) v (2) Angelique Kerber (Ger)

Louis Armstrong Stadium

(7) Roberta Vinci (Ita) v Carina Witthoeft (Ger),
(26) Jack Sock (USA) v (7) Marin Cilic (Cro),
(14) Petra Kvitova (Cze) v (22) Elina Svitolina (Ukr),
(20) John Isner (USA) v Kyle Edmund (Gbr)

Grandstand

(9) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Fra) v (23) Kevin Anderson (Rsa),
(13) Johanna Konta (Gbr) v (24) Belinda Bencic (Swi),
(10) Gael Monfils (Fra) v Nicolas Almagro (Spa),
Jonathan Erlich (Isr) & Santiago Gonzalez (Mex) v (3) Bob Bryan (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA)

That Naomi Osaka is one to watch. She held her composure almost to the end, but it's just another stepping stone in her maturation process. I loved her game.

 

[Tennis Fan]

i want this KYLE EDMUND to take down Isner

i just really don't like isner at all. i find him annoying.

stevie johnson, jock sock, donald young i like and i often root for them...-- but not isner. ugh..what ugly tennis, as far as i'm concerned. and its NOT about his height even - i can appreciate KARLOVIC anytime...

i RARELY really ''dislike" a player for no good reason -- and there are two

for no good reason or good reason -- i just really have a visceral dislike of them - their style, their demeanor -

unreasonable , i know -- but i dislike them -- so i mus tVENT...

JOHN ISNER AND AGNIEWSKA RADWANSKA...

Ha ha ha. Aggie? Aw.

I know what you mean about the visceral dislike of certain players. I don't know why but I can't hardly stand Madison Keys; something about her irks me.

 

[Carol]

Fortunately Rafa is not the same player that he was in Doha when he was mentally "in another world' and the Kuznetsov and anyone gave him a rough time

 

[Tennis Fan]

of course no one can be someone else. he's who he is.

but that doesn't mean we have to like him. lol. same as others don't have to like us the way we are. hehe.

but i just grate when i see him on court. delpo is 6'6...that's 'only' 4 inches 'shorter" and they belong among the giants in the sport

whether anyone likes that or not or feels it's ''unfair" (as TOMMY HAAS once joked about karlovic) -

to ferrer a 6 footer is ''so tall" - so it goes across the spectrum that there are just people with characteristics that make some things easier - like serving..

BUT HAVING all that said:

what is it with isner i dont like? if its unfair height -- i should dislike janowic at 6'8. or delpotro against nadal.

but i don't ..so -- it can't be height i dislike.
is it the big serve? I LOVE big serves -- MY queen serena has the greatest pair of serves - man or woman . i loved pete sampras for his amazing serves BACKED UP with a GREAT game parlayed against AMAZING varieties of styles and great differences of courts in his time.

so -- it can't be his serves..per se...

so - why don't i like him with a Passion LIKE never towards any others in the ATP ALL the years i've followed tennis?

SIMPLE -- HE IS BORING!!!

nothing in the way he puts his game together is INTERESTING to me.

BORING, BORING, BORING!

and i realize just now TWO things i really dislike in players

THE BORING ONES and the OVER HYPED ones.

SO - that explains me about isner and radwa...

as for HER -- i already was NEVER taken by what people constantly say about her ''variety and intelligence" -- SEEN HINGIS -- and SHE'S better. lol. but more than that -- i never liked her ''vibe" on court...as if she's disdainful of her opponent...

and it just cemented it for me when she LOST in wimbledon finals and made a very dismissive ''handshake" with serena...

and LATER when serena was OUT early and radwa had HER chance at the finals AGAIN BUT STILL LOST, or was it semis? i dont' care -- was even WORSE in her POOR LOSER kind of handshake...wasn't that to KERBER who took out serena from PRECIOUS aga's way to her ''appointed crown?"

before kerber lost to - was it PETRA again in her second wimby? either way - i was happy radwa lost. lol. and i don't normally get THAT way either, EVEN towards players that take down MY serena.

THAT SHOULD stand up there in notoriety as HENIN'S famous ''what me? raise my hand??" at the FO over serena...

she just annoys the hell out of me..both her pushing style that everyone likes to translate as ''creative" (not -- it s just pushing that happens to be 'rythmless'' to CURRENT styles and has more to do with ''rarity" rather than REAL brilliance) and that is topped off with the cold, cold aura she exudes ...

so , i am NOT sorry to say -- i don't like her.

and THAT'S very rare for me to say about players UNEQUIVOCALLY ...

lol..

That's interesting and very good points. All that you say about her is true and I've seen it in the past as well, most notably the disdain, but she's still alright with me. Probably because she seems so ladylike, I like that. But her style is boring and no way is she in a class with Martina Hingis, they need to quit with that because Hingis took on the big girls as well as those in her weight class. M'kay.

 

[Tennis Fan]

i ADMIRE the way rafa always has something GOOD to say , i mean with SUBSTANCE , about his opponents. that's one reason i liked him from the beginning.

i remember VERY clearly still the VERY first time i saw him when he was winning some little tournament just before he went pro - on some news clip on tv...

he was interviewed to be ''a phenom" after he won a match -- and the first thing out of his mouth to the PRAISES about him:

"you should see my friends too - they are so good".

it was THAT very moment - and with his playing (going to NET so often!!)
that i consciously said to myself:

"i will be fan of this VERY talented yet modest young player".

I love that about him too. It's a very realistic approach. Some people think it's a lack of confidence, but when you're confident you don't have to pump yourself up. You know what you're capable of, and you also know that anything can happen.

 

[Carol]

I love that about him too. It's a very realistic approach. Some people think it's a lack of confidence, but when you're confident you don't have to pump yourself up. You know what you're capable of, and you also know that anything can happen.

Exactly, he is very natural, he doesn't need to show anything or to 'pretend' whatever and I love the good sense of humor that he has sometimes answering the press questions

 

[britbox]

Surprised at the Cilic result, he was my dark horse.

 

[Moxie]

Surprised at the Cilic result, he was my dark horse.

I think he was everyone's, even above DelPo. I didn't see the match, but by all accounts he was flat. And Sock has had the hot hand of late. Though so did Cilic, until today. I don't like to be rude, but I've never bought stock in Cilic. And just when it looked like he was going to find his 2014 form again, he falls flat. Whatever.

 

[Moxie]

Ha ha ha. Aggie? Aw.

I know what you mean about the visceral dislike of certain players. I don't know why but I can't hardly stand Madison Keys; something about her irks me.

You're both a very tough crowd. Everyone is entitled to her opinion, for sure, but John Isner is a perfectly nice young man, and Madison Keys is a smart woman with a big power game. I'm just putting in the word for them.

 

[britbox]

Results from the U.S. Open Men's Singles Round 3 matches on Friday

10-Gael Monfils (France) beat Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 6-4 6-2 6-4
1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 4-2 (Youzhny retired)
Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) beat Ryan Harrison (U.S.) 6-3 7-6(4) 1-6 6-1
26-Jack Sock (U.S.) beat 7-Marin Cilic (Croatia) 6-4 6-3 6-3
9-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat 23-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 6-3 6-4 7-6(4)
4-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) 6-1 6-4 6-2
Kyle Edmund (Britain) beat 20-John Isner (U.S.) 6-4 3-6 6-2 7-6(5)
24-Lucas Pouille (France) beat 15-Roberto Bautista (Spain) 3-6 7-5 2-6 7-5 6-1

 

[britbox]

Kyle Edmund (Britain) beat 20-John Isner (U.S.) 6-4 3-6 6-2 7-6(5)

 

[britbox]

10-Gael Monfils (France) beat Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 6-4 6-2 6-4

 

[britbox]

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 4-2 (Youzhny retired)

 

[britbox]

4-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) 6-1 6-4 6-2

 

[britbox]

26-Jack Sock (U.S.) beat 7-Marin Cilic (Croatia) 6-4 6-3 6-3

 

[Billie]

Good wins for the two Frenchmen. Finally I can watch a bit more over the long weekend.

I don't know what to think about Nole's position. Good that he had a bit of rest if he is ailing, but lack of competition can't be really all that good. I guess we'll see.