ILE rolling non-slam Tennis thread

finally, lame surrender: 2-2

and just about saves her game then breaks again: 4-2 williams. in a blink of an eye the match has turned, halep starts pulling more shots in the net, the crap challenge..

although my feed fucked up toward the end so couldn't get more detail, but it was on 1st bp for that game.

breaks back!! a df from sw (her 3rd) then Halep plays a great fh on 2nd serve to nail it.

Do expect Serena to have enough to (just about) struggle through a win on what I've seen so far.

3rd consecutive break.

SW wins the set - they are both struggling thru it.

set and a break from sw, disappointment sets in.

shit drop shot from Simona - you know she's disappointed too :-(

She should totally have tanked to Ivanovic. Can't believe she didn't. Her coach should have insisted.

no, she should have played better today. Looked like she started the more stable and accurate of the two but that lasted precisely three games. Missed those points to hold for 3-1 and then just didn't display anything. Woeful first serve % too. Serena was very on edge in the first set, understandably, but once she settled emotionally in the second that was that. Disappointing match really...

Felt like first serve % was pretty low for most of the players at this event, or that might just be going on some of those early horrorfests.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B05WjqSIgAAkgLq.jpg

ferrer/nishi 3rd set could be p good

great comeback here by nishi if he can close it out

KEI :D :D Shame about that other SF :( I take most of Federer's losses with the knowledge that he's like my age and can't win everything but losing to Raonic is the sort of thing that still hurts.

LOL at Pironkova going 0-3 in her group in Sofia in a year where she actually had a half decent case of being wildcarded beyond nationality in that she at least won a biggish tournament. The semis for it might actually be quite decent - Suarez, Pennetta, Muguruza, Petkovic.

LOL at yesterday's tennis. 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. Two days, five breadsticks. On the ATP, everyone is Bouchard! #goldenage

Nishikori just going for slightly too much throughout that set

Well, at least the doubles has been competitive.

Though I do fancy Murray-Raonic to go the distance.

Berdych and Cilic picking up exactly where they left off. First 8 points all UEs

11 UEs out of 12 points in that game. Berdych broke, then immediately bounced the ball on his foot, then smacked a drive volley into the stands

It didn't get any better. Not even possible to sugarcoat this tournament. Imagine being told during the Murray/Nishikori mess that opened it that, 3.5 days in, no other match would have approached its quality

Hopefully Stan vs. Nole will be at least somewhat competitive. I didn't know that Stan has only won 36 matches this year which seems insane for a slam champion.

Nole's response to going 0-2 down is to win 17 of 18 points. Could be another blow out.

Yep. This is getting daft now. Can we just have the Fed-Djokovic final extended to best of five to make up for some of this?

Welp.

From 0-2, Wawrinka won 4 more points in set one, and 7 points in set 2.

And the Bryans recovered from 0-4 in a champions' t/b to win and stay in the tournament. So, not a great day.

Raonic pulls out, saves the WTF. Nishikori/Ferrer is better quality than anything else so far

Looking good for Kei. I don't suppose Fed is in the mood to lose in two and hence give up the top spot in the group to Murray.

Kei's dropshots <3

Kei's BH <3

Decent match, though lol that we finally get a three-setter and a) the third set was a breadstick b) it should really have been straight sets if Kei hadn't inexplicably mini-choked in the first set

I p much assume the organisers encouraged Raonic to gtfo bc they knew Ferrer would provide a better match

Impressive stat: Nishikori is 21-2 in deciding sets in 2014.

fed is teeing the fuck off on murrays 2nd serve

Way to end the year, Andy.

lol this is amazing

^^

bloody hell

i was rooting for the double bagel by the end :(

i look forward to waving this tournament in the faces of anyone who starts whinging about equal pay tho

this Nole/Kei match is the first one I've bothered to stay up for, it had better be good.

Haha oh man, if you watch just one point from this, 6-1 3-4, break point to Kei.

(Novak just put on a total clinic in set one, broke to open set 2, then his serve went to shit.)

And after failing to convert two break points in the opening game, Kei has just collapsed himself. More ill-advised drop shots, barely any first serves..

And of course, ends on a DF.

this game stan tryna close out rog is crazy

Crazy shot selection from STan, in a bad way. Stop S-V-ing!

yea it was sweet how rog hit a drop return to force stan in also

wtf that was in?

That was proper.

feel badly for stan but that s/v on every match pt was bzarre so

typical that i miss the only classic! tennis twitter was doing its nut, my bf was texting me point by point updates and i was stuck on a train that resembled a circle of hell. selfishly rooted for fed from afar for a better chance of a good final, which i'm looking fwd to a lot. what a choke by stan tho.

really with those serving stats i'll be surprised if this is closer than like 6-4 6-3.