Topic: The Tennis Thread - Sponsored By Melt-downium

[Crosby Nick]

I know she was not 100% in this match but don't think she will come close to winning a slam for a few years that was way ahead of schedule to many seasoned and hungry players on the WTA tour right now who will share the slams, then you have likes of Barty and Osaka who will always be favourites.

Emma needs to grind on the WTA tour for a few years and slowly build herself up.

I doubt she thinks any differently. She’s ahead of where she’s thought she’d be at this stage and whatever else happens she has a Grand Slam to her name.

[Barneylfc∗]

Organisers need to start fucking people out of the arenas if they're going to get on like utter c*nts with this siu bollocks. Anyone over the age of 8 doing it needs a good kicking.

[Barneylfc∗]

God, I love the Aus open crowd so lively better than the boring posh farts at Wimbledon.

Couldn't disagree more. Littered with wankers. Akin to a Sky Sports darts crowd.

[RedForeverTT]

Couldn't disagree more. Littered with wankers. Akin to a Sky Sports darts crowd.

Those dicks with their vomit-inducing siuuu...I hope they fall down from the stands and never come back again.

[RedForeverTT]

I know she was not 100% in this match but don't think she will come close to winning a slam for a few years that was way ahead of schedule to many seasoned and hungry players on the WTA tour right now who will share the slams, then you have likes of Barty and Osaka who will always be favourites.

Emma needs to grind on the WTA tour for a few years and slowly build herself up.

I blame her coach and trainer. They should have taken care of her health shouldn't be making her train till she got blisters. Besides, there are finger tapes and why hasn't her trainer look into that? Really ruin this tournament for her.

[GreatEx]

Just caught the end of Kyrgios-Medvedev. I'd only ever seen this "siuuu" thing in print before now. If that is what they were shouting, fuck, how obnoxious is that? And to keep it up while Medvedev was trying to do his interview, just terribly disrespectful.

Anyway, always a relief when that fuckwit Kyrgios gets knocked out, such an embarrassing child, an insult to his supporters and profession the way he dissolves under pressure.

[BarryCrocker]

Couldn't disagree more. Littered with wankers. Akin to a Sky Sports darts crowd.

It's the bogans tennis tournament of choice.

[Nick110581]

Just caught the end of Kyrgios-Medvedev. I'd only ever seen this "siuuu" thing in print before now. If that is what they were shouting, fuck, how obnoxious is that? And to keep it up while Medvedev was trying to do his interview, just terribly disrespectful.

Anyway, always a relief when that fuckwit Kyrgios gets knocked out, such an embarrassing child, an insult to his supporters and profession the way he dissolves under pressure.

Medvedev didn’t care and his class shone through

[GreatEx]

Medvedev didn’t care and his class shone through

From his interview it seemed like he cared a lot, and it seems a lot of foreign players are finding this year's crowds particularly annoying. Medvedev showing what a champion is by playing through it. If the shoe was on the other foot, Kyrgios would be challenging crowd members to go at it in the carpark, and would lose 6-0 6-0 6-0.

[elsewhere]

Damn, just saw the score. What went wrong for Andy?

[elsewhere]

That Jannik Sinner fella looks the least Italian person I've ever seen or heard, including the name.

[Gerry Attrick]

Damn, just saw the score. What went wrong for Andy?

Having a second serve like Sara Errani. Daniel played good tennis to be fair but Murray is just inconsistent these days for obvious reasons.

[Persephone]

Just caught the end of Kyrgios-Medvedev. I'd only ever seen this "siuuu" thing in print before now. If that is what they were shouting, fuck, how obnoxious is that? And to keep it up while Medvedev was trying to do his interview, just terribly disrespectful.

Anyway, always a relief when that fuckwit Kyrgios gets knocked out, such an embarrassing child, an insult to his supporters and profession the way he dissolves under pressure.

This. The player I hate most on the tour with the exception of Zverev but that's for other reasons entirely.

[scatman]

won't Raducanu actually move up the rankings?

[Gerry Attrick]

won't Raducanu actually move up the rankings?

Yeah, but she’s got monster points holding it up from Grand Slams. She’d better hope for some decent runs in Miami and Indian Wells because she ain’t winning in New York and I doubt she’ll replicate what she did at Wimbledon either.

[Fitzy.]

While it's fine to dampen the hype around Raducanu, I think making robust declarations about her career path are a little foolish given none of us had heard of her 12 months ago. Her trajectory has been incredible.

[Lastrador]

Has the AO crowd been hijacked by a bunch of 12-year-old wankers? Or why the fuck are they doing that Siuuu nonsense? It's bad enough to hear a grown-ass man do that shit but a whole crowd is beyond embarrassing.

[Scottymuser]

won't Raducanu actually move up the rankings?

So, her points total are, before the AO, 2595, and she didn't play the AO last year.  So by winning her first match and getting to R64, will give her 70 points - so a total of 2665. 

So, for her to go up, people above her would need to get fewer points than last year.  So going up a few places to check their totals:

• Svitolina has 2641 points, and got to the Round of 16 - she has already qualified through to the R32, where she will face Azarenka.  If she loses that match, she will lose 110 points, and will drop behind Emma ; otherwise is she wins she stays at 2641 unless she then wins her next match (so again, stays in position)
• Gauff is on 2655, and is dropping points due to being knocked out in the first round, so Emma will definitely go above her.
• Halep is next on 2657, and she reached the QFs, so needs to go one step further this time to gain points to stay ahead of Emma.
• Osaka is up next on 2696, and she obviously won last year's AO so if she doesn't, Emma will leapfrog her as well.
• Kenin is up next on 2762, and she got to the same stage last year, so will stay on 2762.
• Everybody above Kenin didn't get far enough to lost big enough points to drop behind Emma (next furthest got to R16, which is only 240 points, and nobody who got to that stage are in the rankings ahead of Kenin

So that's 3-4 players Emma could go ahead of.

As for those below her who could leap-frog her:

• To get to to the R16 is 240 points - so nobody on lower than 2445 could leap frog-her on lower than that just by getting the R16 - and that is if they didn't compete at all  last year in the AO.  The only 3 players on >2425 are Kerber, Kvitova (both already out) and Pegula (reached the QFs, so would need to get to the SFs as the #21 seed to leapfrog Emma).
• The next round, the QF, is 430 - opening this up means anyone on 2235 could theoretically leap frog her.  Including this gives us Bencic (out already), Kasatkina (got to R64, so QF would net her 360 points, enough for 2720 - she is playing #7 seed Swiatek next, then probably Pavlyuchenko in R16 before the QF). , and Fernandez (out already).  So only Kasatkina could move ahead of her, if she beats the #7 and #10 seeds.
• Reaching the SF gets 780 points, so anyone on >1885 could theoretically go ahead.  Players in this bracket are Azarenka (only got to R128 so could do it as 770 would be a net 710), Mertens (got to R16 so 720 points from a SF would only be a net of 540, which would take her to <2665, so would need a F appearance) , Ostapenko (got to R128 last year, so a SF would do), Brady (not in the AO), Collins  (got to R64 last time, so 780 would be a 710 point differential - not enough to go > 2665, so a F is required) and Mchuova (missing the AO)

Based on the list below, excepting someone below #31 getting to the final, the only players still in the competition that could go ahead of emma are Pegula (by getting to the SF), Kasatkina (by geitting to the QF), Azarenka (getting to the SF), Mertens (getting to the Final), Ostapenko (getting to the SF) and Collins (getting to the F).

So it seems very, very likely she will go up the rankings, even by only a couple places.

[The North Bank]

Ranking points are irrelevant, even results are. She’s got some amazing off court contracts and loadsa money.

As for Andy, time to retire .

[JackWard33]

While it's fine to dampen the hype around Raducanu, I think making robust declarations about her career path are a little foolish given none of us had heard of her 12 months ago. Her trajectory has been incredible.

Yup - and I'd bet people dampening them based on today didnt watch the match.
My opinion of her now and in the future went up - shes an incredbile thinker, tenacious .... shes got it all mentally
She's also already one of the two or three best returners in women's tennis
No idea if she'll have a deep slam run in the next year or two but she's more than good enough to be a solid top 10 player two years from now

[Persephone]

Rafa v Khachenov should be a cracker. Khachenov is a huge hitter and it will be a test of where Nadal is fitness wise and if he is a genuine contender for the trophy.

[elsewhere]

Damm how huge is Opelka, even Shapovalov looked like a kid next to him

[Persephone]

Damm how huge is Opelka, even Shapovalov looked like a kid next to him

 I googled...2.11m  Imagine trying to return that serve.

[AndyMuller]

Decided to watch some this morning whilst working from home and that Giorgi is fit.

[Crosby Nick]

Decided to watch some this morning whilst working from home and that Giorgi is fit.

#analysis

[AndyMuller]

#analysis

 

That’s the best I can do when I don’t know who/how good they are, you seen her? Fit Italian. 

[AndyMuller]

And she's out 

[OzBomber]

Has the AO crowd been hijacked by a bunch of 12-year-old wankers? Or why the fuck are they doing that Siuuu nonsense? It's bad enough to hear a grown-ass man do that shit but a whole crowd is beyond embarrassing.

Kyrgios' matches, and ground pass matches attract the "January tennis fan" here in Melbourne. Young adults from 18-24 who go spend the majority of their time getting pissed at Grand Slam Oval, the majority won't even watch a single minute of tennis, but a lot will combine getting pissed with watching the likes of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis and just trying to be rowdy as fuck. As someone on Twitter said, the crowd doing "Siuu" are the same crowd that will keep doing it when they're told not to, hence why it didn't stop even in Medvedev's interview. The majority don't know tennis etiquette, hence the cheering of faults, "sui-ing" etc.

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis just knocked out the number 1 seeds in the doubles, so their fans will be coming to the tennis for the next couple of days at least.

[Ray K]

Naomi Osaka knocked out in 3rd set tie break by Amanda Anisimova. Huge boost for home favourite Ash Barty, who was due to play Osaka next.

[TheShanklyGates]

Bit of a capitulation from Dan Evans this morning against Auger-Aliassime. He was matching him throughout the first set, until the final game where he choked a forehand at the net on set point which was the first break point he had faced all set. Less said about the next two sets the better, his game completely fell apart.

Think he'll be angry with himself after that, his game isn't a great match up for Auger-Aliassime in my view but there was a bit of an opportunity there given Evans got a second round bye while Auger-Aliassime had had to come through two gruelling 5 setters.

All the Brits out before the second week, normal service resumed.

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

Cracking game by Rafa that was.

[Gerry Attrick]

Nadal should make the final now. Shapovalov might test him but can’t see a banged up Berretini, Carreno Busta, Monfils or Kecmanovic beating him in a Grand Slam semi. Anybody but Tsitsipas in the other half.

[Hazell]

Shapovalov looked impressive against Zverev so if he plays like that, he may give Nadal a game. But yeah, those other players should be swept aside (as much as I like Monfils, who just played a brilliant tie breaker in his match with Kecmanovic).

[Nick110581]

Nadal should make the final now. Shapovalov might test him but can’t see a banged up Berretini, Carreno Busta, Monfils or Kecmanovic beating him in a Grand Slam semi. Anybody but Tsitsipas in the other half.

Monflis playing well this year tho and think Shapovalov can trouble him.

[Persephone]

Zverev is so weak minded, he is absolute rubbish when the pressure is on. It gave me great joy to watch him get a figurative smack, the arrogant abusive twat.

Nadal/Shapovalov will be a fun match up but I think mentally Rafa is still so much stronger than him. Rafa in 4 sets.

[Gerry Attrick]

Hopefully Fritz has took enough out of Tsitsipas' legs there. Tough one for him next against Sinner who's in white hot form.

[Ray K]

Men's quarter finals:

Berrettini (7) v Monfils (17)
Nadal (6) v Shapovalov (14)

Tsitsipas (4) v Sinner (11)
Medvedev (2) v Auger-Aliassime (9)

I think everyone would be happy to see Monfils get to a semi - i mean the dream would be getting to a final - but Berrettini is very strong, on form and serving well.
Shapo isn't going to trouble Rafa too much.
Don't think Sinner has the all round game to beat Tsitsipas, and even though I like FAA, Medvedev will have too much for him like in Flushing Meadows.

[Gerry Attrick]

I reckon Berrettini, Nadal, Sinner and Medvedev will make up the semis. Medvedev and Berrettini have had medical timeouts during the tournament though, but I don't know how bad they are.

[elsewhere]

what a fight from Shapovalov to make this 2-2 in sets.

I think Nadal gets this set+match though.

[Persephone]

Sheer grit won that for Rafa, Shapavolov crumbled though. So many unforced errors. I really hope Rafa will be okay going forward, he looked really ragged there.