ILE rolling non-slam Tennis thread

man Haas is playing so well, amazing to see

Stoked that Keys and Vekic have both reached the QF in Edgbaston. I really like Rybarikova, whom Keys plays next, but I'd be so hyped for a Keys/Vekic SF - the start of a great rivalry, perhaps. In scoreLiNa news, Cirstea d. Jovanovski 6-1 1-6 6-1. Please lose to Donna swiftly next.

Haas always plays so well in Germany - wouldn't be surprised if he went on to beat Fed again in the SF.

Genuinely surprised Vekic has received so little mainstream hype to date. I know she still hasn't had THAT big-stage result yet, but she's so far ahead of anyone else her age, and you'd think the GBR connection would get a few "adopted Brit" comments going.

I mean, the tennis press can stay pretending Stephens has a Slam-winning game if they want, but...

Weird stat: all 10 of Alison Riske's WTA level victories have come at Edgbaston. None anywhere else.

http://www.changeovertennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Dimitrov2.gif

You don't often get a double-bagel on the men's tour, but Fed might be about to do that to Zverev in the Halle quarters.

Yep, that happened. 39min.

He doesn't appear to be related to Zvereva...

#equalpay

I'm sure Zverev a) used to be somewhat good b) didn't use to be a serve-and-volleyer

Ranked #45, now down in the 150s. Was a junior #3 and has had wins over Robredo, Ferrero, Safin and Davydenko. Beat Goffin here, who is no slouch.

Just a bad day.

All these matches are irrelevant, urgently requiring a Haas title defence now.

Also requiring Petko to put Jankovic away. Any time she gets slightly off-balance, the ball goes into the net. But her groundstrokes otherwise look really good!

SO. MUCH. FUCKING. LIFE.

yeah so this happened

https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=anwWxJ6j8h8

and Gael told the press it was the most efficient way for him to hit the shot

also VEKIC TRASHING CIRSTEA, INTO THE SF LET'S GOOOO. Keys couldn't hold up her end of the dream SF though...

i really love vekic's accent

Lots to like about Vekic. The yellow visor is cute, her strokes are good grass weapons and the serve's not bad either. When out of position she hits some really high, wide balls though. Magda is FIGHTING though.

Impressive match for Vekic to come through, Magda is so difficult on grass. Obv the rain helped her a lot but I was impressed by the way Vekic played more aggressively to close out the tight first set, and to hit through her nerves when she looked consumed by choking in the last game. Great shot at the title tomorrow and I hope she gets it...

Terrific tie-break there from Youzhny in the Halle final. Proper backhand volleying!

OMG OMG OMG IVANOVIC IS BACK!!!!!!

Back to losing in the first round!

well, i've never been more disappointed in serena ;_;

We watch the news for a while, and the infamous Steubenville rape case flashes on the TV—two high school football players raped a 16-year-old, while other students watched and texted details of the crime. Serena just shakes her head. "Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don't know. I'm not blaming the girl, but if you're a 16-year-old and you're drunk like that, your parents should teach you: don't take drinks from other people. She's 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn't remember? It could have been much worse. She's lucky. Obviously I don't know, maybe she wasn't a virgin, but she shouldn't have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that's different."

why why whyyyyyyyyy is she so stupid :( what even goes through your head that you decide to think this bullshit, let alone BRING IT UP AT A ROLLING STONE INTERVIEW ;_;

ugh

just when i was ready to start serena stanning after her lovely speech tout en francais

really disappointed. I'd started to come round to her and appreciate her so much in the last year, and she seemed to have matured so much as well, and now...this is just so much more ignorant and wrong than anything else she's ever said. catty/childish is one thing but this is gross.

Wimbledon seedings

http://serenawilliams.com/blog/statement-2/

not very surprising response to all of this

lmao another apology which turns into an extended paean to herself à la USO 2009.

also "what I supposedly said" is curious - if she's accusing Rolling Stone of making shit up you'd think she'd do so in stronger terms, this just seems like mealy-mouthed hint-hinting

Someone posted on Facebook a rumour from a Czech tabloid that Stepanek and Vaidisova are getting divorced and Radek is leaving her for... no... please... no... Petra. There's really no in-between for that girl, if true. Small child, old man. I hope it's false!

ahem it's this time of year now WIMBLEDON 2013

Mahut 12-2 on grass this year with 2 titles, only one other main draw match the entire year. From outside the top 200 to #75.

Keothavong retired with immediate effect today, to precisely no one's surprise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Mhnqa0Ces

I always liked that we had a Hackney-born-and-raised daughter of immigrants at the forefront of British women's tennis for so long. Top 50 career high and five tour SFs is a decent career given her talent level and her injury issues. I'm fairly sure she'll become a familiar face/voice in the commentary booth...

Since Federer changed his racquet, I've put a lazy ten bucks against him each match. Totally cleaning up right now!

What is Federer doing playing Hamburg and Gstaad anyway?

Getting used to a new racquet and trying to get some confidence. Not very well! I figured after losing a set to Brands and then two to Delbonis, Brands was a near-certainty to finish the job.

isner/hewitt tiebreak for the match

radwanska saves a 5th champ pt vs cibu

cant save a 6th, wow good stuff there

stosur def. azarenka 6-2 6-3. 4th career title

that was one of the worst matches I have ever seen

I didn't watch it (obviously) but it ended in an Azarenka loss, so I refuse to believe that it wasn't joy on a stick.

Nine games in they'd hit 22 UEs each. It says a lot about Stosur that this was her best result of the year and all I can think is how disgusting that someone who shanks so many routine balls, who literally cannot hit a groundstroke properly, is near the top of the game.

Much better: Magdalena Rybarikova defending her Washington title. She has such superb touch, the half-volley winner at 4-1 in the TB was to die for. She beat Petkovic in the final - Petkorazzi back in the top 50 now.

denis istomin 6-2 first set on djoko!

ok, wtf @ get lucky dance routine

I think Djokovic is as normal and well-adjusted a person as anyone could possibly be with those two parents he has.

Not as dramatic as when Novak did it, but Raonic blatantly touched the net at a crucial point v Pony. The umpire missed it but then it got shown on a reply that was visible on court. Oops. Raonic got the point, broke back, then took out the second set scarcely without resistance. Dubious ethics, but probably for the best, don't hurt that back any more Pony.

http://tennis.si.com/2013/08/08/milos-raonics-win-over-juan-martin-del-potro-tainted-by-controversy/

"Hypothetically yes, technically no" is a ludicrous thing to say. You can tell from Raonic's initial reaction he assumed he'd lost the point. Terrible umpiring from Mo!!!

Gulbis was really good against Murray (who was pretty flat) earlier, hope he beats Raonic now.

Ivanovic choking from 5-2 up in the third against Li was hilarious and oh so predictable.

Aga was a bit sloppy against Stephens but still took her apart pretty easily.

What was with that nonsense of scheduling an ATP exo on centre court midway through a WTA tournament, anyway? So insulting to the women. I know the WTA will take some time to recover from those terrible few years in the late '00s (and its ongoing mismanagement and the WTA's own dreadful approach to PR) but it's disappointing to see tournament directors pull stunts like this. And if your solution to "a lack of WTA marquee names" is a LOPEZ-TOMIC EXHIBITION, well, just, well.

Anyway I see Lopez and Tomic were pullin' in crowds worthy of their $20k appearance fee each:

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BRME96QCcAAGj3P.jpg

maybe if Lopez had played shirtless

ugh, pretty terrible of Raonic - even if he got lucky when Mo missed it the first time, he should've just conceded once they showed the replay. esp shitty against someone like Pony, who in several matches I've seen has no problem conceding points to his opponents when he thinks they've gotten a bad call.

So A-Rad is hitting her forehand with some actual speed occasionally in this Errani match, and hitting a crapload of shots out wide.

37 winners, 34 unforced errors. Well, Wozniacki could never, at least.