Who would've thought her nightmare season would end in her biggest title yet? Petra actually made her work for it in the end, and historically Aga's tended not to have the answers in those situations.
May she follow in the footsteps of Novotna and Mauresmo and ride a YEC victory to a Slam title the following year...
― lex pretend, Sunday, 1 November 2015 12:54 (eight years ago) link
Fedal XXXIV!...Federer just consolidated an early break despite some v ill-advised net rushes
― lex pretend, Sunday, 1 November 2015 14:15 (eight years ago) link
Have spent most of this match thinking Federer should lead by more than he does - Nadal has played his best defensive match in ages - but finally, we're here and he's serving for it
― lex pretend, Sunday, 1 November 2015 15:43 (eight years ago) link
63 57 63, a lot closer than I thought it would be. Federer reduces overall H2H deficit to 11-23 but extends indoor H2H lead to 6-1. More evidence that if they'd played as many times indoors as on clay (15) that overall H2H might not be as lopsided.
― lex pretend, Sunday, 1 November 2015 15:51 (eight years ago) link
I did a little analysis a while back of every event they played while they were continuously #1 and #2 and I think Nadal came out ahead by two or three (whereas he was 8-9 clear in the H2H over the same period). Nadal failed to keep their final date more often than Fed, esp early on, so the H2H should really be closer.
― Michael Jones, Sunday, 1 November 2015 17:43 (eight years ago) link
Wait, can someone explain the justification for what I presume is a wildcard for Zheng in Zhuhai?
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Tuesday, 3 November 2015 13:06 (eight years ago) link
Same as for Pironkova and the sundry Pretty Girl WCs in Bali/Sofia for the past few years I guess ie there is none
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 3 November 2015 13:50 (eight years ago) link
That is egregious particularly because the format actually halfway makes sense compared to Bali/Sofia. Not that I'd expect her to win any matches.
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Tuesday, 3 November 2015 13:56 (eight years ago) link
Definitely not when drawn into the Venus/Keys group.
The event still has a bit of an underwhelming consolation prize feel, I don't feel like I need to see these players fight for scraps (or...700 points while being guaranteed not to face a Top 8 opponent) any more this year.
Meanwhile, Bouchard breaching Twitter and social etiquette all over the place: https://twitter.com/geniebouchard/status/661303458402799616
Particularly enjoy how she immediately assumes spam/hackers when she sees a colleague wishing another colleague well.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 3 November 2015 15:07 (eight years ago) link
(neither does it surprise me that Wozniacki is the type to send multiple needy messages over the course of several months despite being rudely ignored every time)
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 3 November 2015 15:09 (eight years ago) link
that's heartbreaking
― cerealbar, Tuesday, 3 November 2015 16:47 (eight years ago) link
also, hilarious
― I Am Curious (Dolezal) (DJP), Tuesday, 3 November 2015 16:55 (eight years ago) link
damn kev anderson kinda choked trying to close rafa in straights…on to the 3rd
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 5 November 2015 22:14 (eight years ago) link
Rafa getting through so many aggravating matches on ~fighting spirit and opponents choking nowadays
― lex pretend, Friday, 6 November 2015 07:27 (eight years ago) link
It was pretty hilarious to see Saisai Zheng SABRing on Venus's second serves yesterday and succeeding btw
https://twitter.com/philousports/status/661663679063179265
― moans and feedback (Dinsdale), Friday, 6 November 2015 09:00 (eight years ago) link
dam berdych got from 3-5 down in this tiebreak v novak to set pt in v impressive fashion
― johnny crunch, Friday, 6 November 2015 21:18 (eight years ago) link
the pressure to keep redlining/going for every winner is tuff to maintain rip berd
― johnny crunch, Friday, 6 November 2015 21:26 (eight years ago) link
berdych is now 2-20 v novak
stan got a coffee mid 1st set (it was like 11p local time btw), won the set
commentators have referred to it it like 8 times now and just as nadal went up 2-1 and as they went to commercial said "no coffee, but he's rafa-nated" lol kill me
― johnny crunch, Friday, 6 November 2015 23:22 (eight years ago) link
stan has done real well this match considering his past history vs rafa and how this match started. he was getting pushed back and rafas depth and spin was controlling him; now hes put nadal on the defensive and really punishing rafa's looping short balls
― johnny crunch, Friday, 6 November 2015 23:44 (eight years ago) link
why does everyone choke against Rafa ugh
― lex pretend, Friday, 6 November 2015 23:54 (eight years ago) link
stan had a few easy volleys on his serve where he shdve won this match, rafa is lucky xp yup
― johnny crunch, Friday, 6 November 2015 23:55 (eight years ago) link
those horrible shanked BHs for no reason
― lex pretend, Saturday, 7 November 2015 00:03 (eight years ago) link
haha now nadal is choking
― johnny crunch, Saturday, 7 November 2015 00:06 (eight years ago) link
redeemed himself in the TB :)
― lex pretend, Saturday, 7 November 2015 00:12 (eight years ago) link
2-1 game second set of stan/novak was amazing, stan got a break back
― johnny crunch, Saturday, 7 November 2015 17:17 (eight years ago) link
novak drops his first set in his last 30 sets.. he hit some out of character errors but stan also elevated his play
― johnny crunch, Saturday, 7 November 2015 17:40 (eight years ago) link
Sharapova swing volley fail on SP against Kvitova :)
Love watching her look overpowered and as if she has no say in the outcome like this.
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Sunday, 15 November 2015 12:01 (eight years ago) link
lolol Kvitova has one lousy game to lose serve after being rock-solid, then Sharapova plays an even worse one to give the break back including two failed drop shots.
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Sunday, 15 November 2015 12:38 (eight years ago) link
Really high-quality second half of set here.
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Sunday, 15 November 2015 13:06 (eight years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CT28BhTW4AIwiB-.jpg
― abcfsk, Sunday, 15 November 2015 17:10 (eight years ago) link
Full house for a doubles match as a closer is pretty amazing
― abcfsk, Sunday, 15 November 2015 17:48 (eight years ago) link
Vesnina choked
― abcfsk, Sunday, 15 November 2015 19:35 (eight years ago) link
stan looks injured maybe
― johnny crunch, Monday, 16 November 2015 21:25 (eight years ago) link
sudden realisation last night that the ATP's doldrums are happening right now, we just hadn't fully realised
I don't think there's even a match-up at the WTF I'm really hyped about? which is ludicrous. but basically almost every one is a) predictable b) a match we've seen a million times. Wawrinka is the only exception and after last night...
anyway yeah this year's WTF proceeding exactly along last year's flop lines so far. funny how the ATP WTF gets so much hype and reverence while the WTA's gets doom-mongering and mockery, yet...the WTA's...is...better these days?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 17 November 2015 10:32 (eight years ago) link
The WTA's was exceptionally good this year, I thought. Masha/A-Rad, A-Rad/Mug, Kvitova/Masha, Kerber/Mug were all good matches.
Also my belief that Berdych would look good in anything has finally been shaken by that ensemble he had on. Like, the shirt or shorts by themselves would have been fine paired with something white or bright, but it made him look like someone fashioned it out of a sack.
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Tuesday, 17 November 2015 13:31 (eight years ago) link
Gorgeous Fed drop-shot to take the first set.
And Djokovic shirt change!
― oh, boy, .GIF! That's where I'm a Viking! (edwardo), Tuesday, 17 November 2015 20:58 (eight years ago) link
They were both pretty great in the first set but both fell off in the second, especially Djokovic
Murray just cut some of his own hair off on the first changeover
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 18 November 2015 14:33 (eight years ago) link
2nd set was the worst novaks looked since like fall 2014
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 18 November 2015 14:37 (eight years ago) link
Murray is sooo tetchy today
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 18 November 2015 14:54 (eight years ago) link
ugh are we gonna have to deal with a Rafa resurgence then
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 18 November 2015 15:48 (eight years ago) link
So, assuming Fed beats Kei, Djokovic only needs a set vs Berdy, right? For someone who just got thumped in his 2nd RR match, Novak has about a 95% chance of qualifying... ND-TB has been a match-up at three of the last four WTFs and ND's margin of victory has only gotten wider each time.
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 19 November 2015 12:13 (eight years ago) link
Sorry, four of the last five. 3rd set t/b in 2011 (when Novak was spent, and subsequently lost to Ferrer and alternate Tipsarevic (who came within a point of making the semis)).
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 19 November 2015 12:20 (eight years ago) link
that Federer miss just now, oh my god
this looked like it was following the pattern of "fun first set, loser collapses in second" but Nishikori's won four games in a row from 1-4 down!
― lex pretend, Thursday, 19 November 2015 15:35 (eight years ago) link
For someone who just got thumped in his 2nd RR match, Novak has about a 95% chance of qualifying
one of the oddities of RR is that in a group with two significantly better players, assuming form holds the match between those two big names is one of the least important in terms of who gets out of the group
ie for Nole vs Fed to matter for anything other than group standings, either Nishikori or Berdych have to throw a spanner in the works at some point
― lex pretend, Thursday, 19 November 2015 15:39 (eight years ago) link
anyway this was the Federer miss, which gave Nishikori a BP, which he then took
https://twitter.com/Renestance/status/667366364395479040
― lex pretend, Thursday, 19 November 2015 15:40 (eight years ago) link
Ridiculous single-handed bunt pass from Kei
― lex pretend, Thursday, 19 November 2015 15:56 (eight years ago) link
Nishikori peaking from 1-4 down again, that stop volley!
― lex pretend, Thursday, 19 November 2015 16:15 (eight years ago) link
damnit Kei just fell away in the final couple of points
― lex pretend, Thursday, 19 November 2015 16:25 (eight years ago) link