Unforced Error

2012-02-10 1 note

A home crowd left the Forum Fribourg stunned after the United States took a 2-0 lead against Switzerland in their first round Davis Cup World Group clash, as John Isner shocked Roger Federer 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 and Mardy Fish defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 9-7 in a 4 hour 26 minute showdown.

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Davis Cup Stunner in Switzerland - Isner upsets Federer, Fish outlasts Wawrinka to put U.S. up 2-0 | Tennis Panorama

I’m less shocked that John Isner beat Roger Federer—though let’s face it, that’s pretty shocking!—but rather that he did by breaking Federer’s serve. I didn’t know Isner knew how to do that.

Source: tennispanorama.com

Is it just me or has Djokovic/Nadal become a more anticipated battle than the classic Nadal/Federer? It’s more than just the high stakes of playing a final and battling to be considered the best in the sport. There are still legacies at stake here. Federer has firmly cemented his place as the greatest of all time, but where do Nole and Rafa fit in?

Nadal has been primed to have his own Federer-like reign the moment Roger showed the slightest decline. but thus far that reign has been shockingly short-lived. Now Nadal has his own Nadal—the one player he just can’t seem to beat—in the form of Djokovic. Problem is, no one else can beat Djokovic either. So final after final, Nadal has returned to bridesmaid status.

What’s at stake in the AO final? The stuff of legacies. If Nadal wins, the narrative of 2012 becomes Nadal’s breaking of the Nole Curse, and his gradual re-ascent to #1. If Djokovic wins, all claims of a brilliant but fluke year go to pot. The sky, again, is the limit.

Both players have looked phenomenal all tournament. Nadal looked slightly more invincible in his semifinal against Federer than Djokovic did against Andy Murray, but that goes out the window in their head-to-head. Djokovic beat Nadal six times last year, all in finals, on three different surfaces. He’s in Nadal’s head. The only way I can see Nadal overcoming his mental block against Djokovic is if he overwhelms Nole with sheer physicality. Easier said than done these days.

Prediction: Djokovic in four.

2012-01-26 1 note

quick update

The url for this site is now http://unforcederror.net.

Those of you following on tumblr will still be seeing everything in your dashboard - you don’t have to change anything.

Also, I’ve begun tweeting strictly about tennis at @ErrorUnforced, to spare my music-loving friends all the tennis spam, and my tennis-loving friends the music spam. (If you don’t know, my main, non-tennis twitter account is @pgwp)

2012-01-23 2 notes

Quarterfinal Preview, Part I

Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3] vs Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [8]
Azarenka is on a not-so-short list of women poised to finally break through in the WTA. In fact, Radwanska is on that list too, if a little further down. I don’t think this is the year for either of them, quite frankly—though I think Azarenka’s disappointment will wait for another couple of days.

Prediction: Azarenka in three.

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [1] vs Kim Clijsters (BEL) [11]
Well, the match of the tournament so far goes to Kim Clijsters in her miraculous victory over Li Na. The question at hand is whether her rolled ankle is still bothering her now the adrenaline has worn off. Wozniacki is playing great and I think if she sees even the slightest open door against Clijsters, she’s going to go through.

Prediction: Wozniacki d Clijsters in straights

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) [11] vs Roger Federer (SUI) [3]
Del Potro has yet to return to his pre-injury prominence, when he beat Federer in the US Open and charged his way into the top 5. By all signs he’s in top form right now, having lost only one set in the first match of the tournament. Federer is no slouch though; he too is playing as well as he’s ever played in the last few years. Federer has not really been challenged thus far, so we’ll see in this match whether his effortless style of play is due to his form or due to the fact that it simply hasn’t yet taken a lot of effort. This is going to be the match of the day.

Prediction: Federer in five.

Tomas Berdych (CZE) [7] vs Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2]
Why is everyone still playing? Berdych already took the title. Wait, they weren’t competing for “most hated man in the draw”? Oh, I see. Prepare for schaedenfreud.

Prediction: Nadal in straights.

2012-01-21 2 notes

Matches to Watch, Day 7

Hmm, got almost all my predictions wrong yesterday (except for the expected Sharapova beatdown and the Kvitova win—though the latter did not go down how I thought it would.) With that grain of salt, here goes for day 7:

Kim Clijsters (BEL) [11] vs Li Na (CHN) [5]
If this were the final, I’d be stoked. Alas, we’re not even into week two, which kinda makes me even more stoked. This should hopefully be the best match of the day. Both are past champions, and neither has dropped a set so far. Should be a battle, but I think Li is the hungrier player.

Prediction: Li in three.

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [1] vs Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [13]
A marquee match… so why does it feel anticlimactic before it’s even begun? Jankovic was once one of the most exciting players in the WTA but her game (and her demeanor) are a lot less compelling these days. I’d love to see Wozniacki finally come through at a Grand Slam but I’m past the point of feeling like she actually will. It will be a tough match for both, and I think it’s Wozniacki who will hang on a while longer.

Prediction: Wozniacki in three.

Bernard Tomic (AUS) vs Roger Federer (SUI) [3]
Tomic has been the story of the first week—an exciting player with a weird, somewhat immature game and a refreshingly blunt personality. As an Australian the glare of the spotlight is already pretty bright—a win here would turn it up about 1,000%. I’m hoping for an entertaining match, but I doubt Tomic will still be the story in week two.

Prediction: Federer in straights.

Feliciano Lopez (ESP) [18] vs Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2]
Nadal has had no trouble whatsoever thus far, cruising through three rounds without dropping a set. Lopez will be his toughest challenge so far, for whatever that’s worth. Okay, so what is that worth? Not much.

Prediction: Nadal in straights.

2012-01-20 0 notes

Matches to Watch, Day 6

Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [27] vs Petra Kvitova (CZE) [2]
In 2012, watching Petra Kvitova flirt with disaster is the new watching Caroline Wozniacki flirt with disaster. Her 2nd round match was bonkers, for good or ill all on her racquet. The competition is only going to get tougher from here on out. I’d like to think she’s going to rein herself in today.

Prediction: Kvitova in three.

Angelique Kerber (GER) [30] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [4]
Standing by my prediction that Sharapova is going to crush everyone this year. I only want to watch this match in order to relish the pain she will inflict.

Prediction: Sharapova in straights.

Milos Raonic (CAN) [23] vs Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
The crowd’s gonna want their former #1 to take it, but they’ll have to settle for watching him continue his slow fade.

Prediction: Raonic in four.

Janko Tipsaravic (SRB) [9] vs Richard Gasquet (FRA) [17]
I first fell in love with Tipsaravic at the Australian Open, when he took Federer to five heart-stopping sets a few years ago. This tournament agrees with him, so I think he’ll stay. Look for Gasquet to make it difficult, however.

Prediction: Tipsaravic in five.

Other matches to keep an eye on… will Vania King upset Ana Ivanovic? Maybe. Will Michael Llodra upset Andy Murray? Probably not, but wouldn’t it be great if he did? Meanwhile Djokovic is going to continue to roll without trouble, as will Serena…. Frenchmen Tsonga and Monfils should be sticking around for the second week…Zheng/Bartoli and Benneteau/Nishikori could be fun though I’m not enamored of any of them…and I’d love to see Sorana Cirstea’s charmed run last a little longer. No reason why it shouldn’t.

2012-01-19 2 notes

Matches to Watch, Day 5

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs Roger Federer (SUI) [3]
Roger and his aching back should be well-rested after his second-round walkover. He’ll need a strong back to keep up with Karlovic’s scary ass serve—the biggest serve in the game. I saw Karlovic in person last year at Indian Wells and let me tell you, this dude is HUGE. He’s also eminently beatable since, other than his serve, he doesn’t have the greatest game—and certainly not compared to Federer. Like John Isner, Karlovic succeeds mostly because he’s difficult to break. But Federer is too good.

Prediction: Federer in straights

Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) [13] vs Bernard Tomic (AUS)
The two most fascinating, most entertaining up-and-comers in the game right now (with Milos Raonic not far behind). Dolgopolov has been agonizingly inconsistent thus far, going five sets in both of his previous matches. Tomic has had his erratic moments too, but I think he’s feeling the buzz of being a hometown favorite to push him. Watch for wild swings in both players’ favor, but ultimately Tomic’s craftiness will win out.

Prediction: Tomic in five

John Isner (USA) [16] vs Feliciano Lopez (ESP) [18]
The last American man standing! If only I liked his one-dimensional game more. Lopez will be a bigger challenge than Nalbandian was (which is saying something, because Nalbandian was a challenge!), but the longer the match goes, the more I think Isner will pound Lopez into submission.

Prediction: Isner in four

Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) [26] vs Li Na (CHN) [5]
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [1] vs Monica Niculescu (ROU) [31]
Kim Clijsters (BEL) [11] vs Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) [20]
The already unpredictable women’s draw is only going to get more unprectable with each passing day—and we’re not even into the second week! Li, Wozniacki, and Clijsters are all favorites to win today, and to go deep in the tournament. Neither Li nor Wozniacki are the picture of consistency, and Clijsters is playing injured. At least one of these women is going to be upset tonight. Getting my dartboard out to decide who it will be…

Predictions: Li in straights; Niculescu in three; Clijsters in three

2012-01-18 0 notes

Matches to Watch, Day 4

We’re still in the early rounds of the Aussie Open, which means that what looks interesting on paper isn’t always the most interesting on the courts. The first three days of the tournament have had a slew of grinders and shockers, not always from the quarters you expect. With that said, here are three matches I’ve got my eye on today.

Carla Suarez-Navarro (ESP) vs Petra Kvitova (CZE) [2]
Per my comment yesterday on the state of the women’s game, I’m curious to see whether Kvitova can come through on the hype around her right now. She dusted Vera Dushevina in the first round 6-2, 6-0, but Suarez Navarro could be a different story. She’s a past top 25 player and she’s made it to the quarters in Melbourne before. I’m less curious about whether or not Kvitova will win—I think she will—but how commanding of a performance will it be?

Prediction: Kvitova in straights.

Milos Raonic (CAN) [23] vs Philipp Petzchner (GER)
Raonic had his Australian Open debut last year and noisily made it to the fourth round. This year he returns #25 in the world and a seed. Petzchner meanwhile destoryed his first-round opponent 6-0, 6-0, 6-2. He doesn’t have an especially noteworthy history in Slams—this is about the point at which he routinely goes out—but that’s a scary scoreline.

Prediction: Raonic in four.

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) vs Andy Roddick (USA) [15]
Battle of the former #1s/former slam champs/former toasts of their nations/future commentators. This will surely be a popcorn match—both players are passionate and competitive and have a lot of fan love. The stakes don’t seem quite as high as they would have were this, say, nine years ago, but it’ll be entertaining.

Prediction: Roddick in four.

1 note

What is this, the French Open?

Rough day for the American men yesterday. Hard courts are supposed to favor Americans, but yesterday’s bloodletting felt more like the clay season. Mardy Fish, the highest-ranked, flamed out spectacularly against Alejandro Falla; Donald Young surpassed my expectations by reaching the second round but then lost in four to a qualifier, Lukas Lacko. Maybe he just wanted to get a head start out of Melbourne since he would’ve had to face Nadal next had he won. Sam Querry lost to Bernard Tomic (in four sets, as predicted). Only John Isner snuck through yesterday, in a more hotly contested battled against David Nalbandian than I expected. Isner is the only American left on his side fothe draw.

Two more Americans are at play today in the top half of the draw: young Ryan Sweeting, who has the misfortune of taking on David Ferrer; and old reliable, Andy Roddick—no longer the statistically “best” American but still the one you can depend on to get the farthest in a Grand Slam. He’s got a tough-ish road ahead: Lleyton Hewitt (thankfully for Roddick someone whose career is further along in its decline), then possibly Milos Raonic, top-of-class in the current generation of up-and-comers. And if he manages through those, Mr. Djokovic awaits.

2012-01-17 0 notes

My dartboard prediction was right! Peng went down today.