Match Commentary Thread

[Born Slippy]

First topic message reminder :

A thread to provide commentary on matches at tournaments which don't have their own threads (as I'm watching Ferrer v Murray).

[Dave.]

Somewhere out there, Ginny Wade does not approve.

[Jahu]

Yes, feel bad for Tommy, just because he was infront of home crowd.

But to be such a chicken player, with such a long life on tour, proves he is useless.

Andy needed this win for WTF, so a little easier on Paris now.

But it was a electric chair match and well done to both

[CaledonianCraig]

Wow. That was incredible to watch.

Surely he'll pull out of Paris now? He must have secured London, barring the most ridiculous results.

No I don't think he will. He is not guaranteed a WTF slot yet and he'll want to stack up as many ranking points as possible in pursuit of a far better ranking than he has at present. I am not sure where this win puts him in the rankings but he must be very close to breaking back into the top eight.

[Jahu]

Dimi will go if he goes to Final it seems.

Kei is on some calculations too.

[CaledonianCraig]

Murray winning today though doesn't make the Dimitrov match such a do-or-die match for Andy. He could lose and even if Dimi got to the final (very unlikely considering his form of late) then others such as Kei, Davis, Tomas and Milos would all need to go pretty deep as well. Highly unlikely I'd say.

[LuvSports!]

He'll go fifth i believe.

[banbrotam]

Wow. That was incredible to watch.

Surely he'll pull out of Paris now? He must have secured London, barring the most ridiculous results.

No I don't think he will. He is not guaranteed a WTF slot yet and he'll want to stack up as many ranking points as possible in pursuit of a far better ranking than he has at present. I am not sure where this win puts him in the rankings but he must be very close to breaking back into the top eight.

Also, he could quite probably seal this 4th place in the race (now Rafa is out) which would that he'd only get one of Novak / Fed / Stan in his half.

Having said that, the way Stan's playing - I'd argue that Murray is currently 3rd best (without Nadal) anyway and so it doesn't make much difference

[CaledonianCraig]

Wow. That was incredible to watch.

Surely he'll pull out of Paris now? He must have secured London, barring the most ridiculous results.

No I don't think he will. He is not guaranteed a WTF slot yet and he'll want to stack up as many ranking points as possible in pursuit of a far better ranking than he has at present. I am not sure where this win puts him in the rankings but he must be very close to breaking back into the top eight.

Also, he could quite probably seal this 4th place in the race (now Rafa is out) which would that he'd only get one of Novak / Fed / Stan in his half.

Having said that, the way Stan's playing - I'd argue that Murray is currently 3rd best (without Nadal) anyway and so it doesn't make much difference

I am more interested in Murray returning to the top four in the rankings though as it is key to getting better draws in slams.

[It Must Be Love]

https://i.imgur.com/oI9XSuu.jpg

[CaledonianCraig]

https://i.imgur.com/oI9XSuu.jpg

Yes great stuff that. All done and taken in the best spirit.

[Danny_1982]

I know what you're saying Craig, and I agree top 4 is the ultimate goal here... But i was thinking if he skips Paris and gets to the WTF semis, isn't that his best chance of big points? Certainly better than going deep in Paris.

He's played 5 weeks in a row. A 6th might be too much and he'd be toast for London.

[Henman Bill]

Hrash on Tommy Robredo. Great set of results in recent weeks by Murray though.

[Silver]

Hahaha, best post-loss reaction ever from Robredo. 'Ten match points, you jammy bastard!'

Fantastic match though, what drama. So close all the way.

[Mad for Chelsea]

wow what a match! Tommy had his chances but couldn't take them, a little too passive on the MPs I thought, the first one in set 2 where he was dominating the rally but hesitated to pull the trigger and eventually spooned one long. Then there was the one he hit a cracking return off a Murray second serve but then let Murray get back into the rally (admittedly Murray did superbly to even be in the rally after that return, but...). Murray by contrast saved two of the MPs at the net, another with an ace, and another with some heavy baseline hitting, it was only the first one which ended with a Robredo UE. He also was the aggressor on the final point, and in general throughout most of the final TB. For that alone, I felt he just about deserved the win.

Otherwise, another day, another Murray rollercoaster eh? Poor lad looks knackered, hopefully Paris put his first match on Wednesday to give him at least a couple of days off.

On the ranking, he's now 5th in the race, but honestly it doesn't matter that much where he is going into London, as he'll get one of Federer/Djokovic regardless, and Stan isn't playing well enough to be a tough draw. Two good tournaments could see him nudge above Stan though (he's about 500 points off right now I think...) which would obviously be terrific news for next year and the AO in particular...

[banbrotam]

I think the fact that Murray's had a terrible year (by his standards) and the other three (of the Fab 4) have had average years (in comparison to their best) yet it's feasible that they could be the Top 4 come Australia 2015 - really says it all about them and the opposition

[summerblues]

Isn't it normally a Monday?

The last couple of years at least yes.  But historically it used to be on Sundays and - more importantly and happily - it will be on Sunday this year.

Would love to see Fed vs Nole with YE #1 on the line.  But even if it is a different match-up, Sunday at least makes it viewable for me.

[CaledonianCraig]

wow what a match! Tommy had his chances but couldn't take them, a little too passive on the MPs I thought, the first one in set 2 where he was dominating the rally but hesitated to pull the trigger and eventually spooned one long. Then there was the one he hit a cracking return off a Murray second serve but then let Murray get back into the rally (admittedly Murray did superbly to even be in the rally after that return, but...). Murray by contrast saved two of the MPs at the net, another with an ace, and another with some heavy baseline hitting, it was only the first one which ended with a Robredo UE. He also was the aggressor on the final point, and in general throughout most of the final TB. For that alone, I felt he just about deserved the win.

Otherwise, another day, another Murray rollercoaster eh? Poor lad looks knackered, hopefully Paris put his first match on Wednesday to give him at least a couple of days off.

On the ranking, he's now 5th in the race, but honestly it doesn't matter that much where he is going into London, as he'll get one of Federer/Djokovic regardless, and Stan isn't playing well enough to be a tough draw. Two good tournaments could see him nudge above Stan though (he's about 500 points off right now I think...) which would obviously be terrific news for next year and the AO in particular...

I agree with that MfC.

Murray edged it by playing the key points better than Robredo and when do that it titight matches it invariably carries you across the finishing line.

[bogbrush]

The test will come against one if the top guys. This was excellent drama but it was only Robredo, who blew at least one match point by staying back.

I wouldn't fancy his chances against Djokovic, and certainly not early in Paris. Might as well scratch, I think it's be the smart move.

[Guest]

What a gut check for Murray. Especially towards the end of that second set when he upped the aggression which set the tone for the TB.

I won't get carried away with this as further tests lie further down the line. Mentally though coming through such a match must boost his confidence, though part of me thinks just being a bit more clinical might not have resulted in such a long tiring match. The energy he must've spent in that natch will catch up with him. Good thing there is a week's rest between Paris and the WTF.

[CaledonianCraig]

Oh yes BB I totally agree. I won't see this as being Andy back at his best until he beats one of the big guns. Yes it would be very tempting for him to miss Paris I reckon but he is in desperate search of ranking points to nail down as good an end of season ranking as possible to set him up for a less difficult draw for the Australian Open plus he is still not mathematically certain of a WTF spot.

[lags72]

Guy on BBC sports news this morning says that with two more match wins (ie in Paris of course ....) his London qualification is secure.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Guy on BBC sports news this morning says that with two more match wins (ie in Paris of course ....) his London qualification is secure.

Yep that's right. I've put in a few situations in the "race" thread, essentially for Murray not to make London would mean: Murray losing before the QF, Berdych losing to Raonic in the SF, and either Dimitrov winning the tournament or Ferrer making the final alongside Raonic.

[sirfredperry]

Murray's scramble for points at the end of the season has merely emphasised the importance of doing well in the big-point tournaments. Andy's won 56 matches this season but, alas, there have been too few wins in the 2,000 and 1,000 pointers.
A number of posters have talked of the importance of getting back in the top four, providing better chances at the GS. I was confident that Andy would, somehow, get to the 02 this year and I am equally confident that he will finish 2015 in the top four.

[Born Slippy]

In fairness, its only been the fact the points have been shared out in the slams so much this year which has meant Andy is struggling. Normally QF SF QF QF in the slams would be a decent points haul to reach the WTF.

Had this happened last year then Fed would not have made the O2.

[lags72]

..........................................

Had this happened last year then Fed would not have made the O2.

Sacre bleu !

Quelle horreur

[Mad for Chelsea]

anyway, onto Paris. Janowicz, who's had a pretty ordinary year, has just been knocked out by Sam Querrey. Not a good result for poor Jerzy that...

Donald Young seems in decent enough form of late, and has nicked the first set against Verdasco.

[Jahu]

Dolgo Dolgo, what the heck is going on with you?

Lost to Thiem 6:2, 4:6, 6:0, come on!!! Wake up.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Paris looks pretty quick, low bounce too. Should suit Fed...

[laverfan]

Simon/Monfils fail to click as doubles in preparation for DC finals.

[Mad for Chelsea]

I don't think Simon/Monfils was ever a reallistic pairing really. I suspect had they gone well it would have made Clement's life easier when picking the team (he'd simply have gone with his top 4), but ultimately the two doubles pairings he's more interested in are the other two (Tsonga-Gasquet and Benneteau-ERV).

[laverfan]

I don't think Simon/Monfils was ever a reallistic pairing really. I suspect had they gone well it would have made Clement's life easier when picking the team (he'd simply have gone with his top 4), but ultimately the two doubles pairings he's more interested in are the other two (Tsonga-Gasquet and Benneteau-ERV).

My vote is for Benneteau/ERV. Tsonga and Gasquet will more than likely play Singles rubbers.

[The Special Juan]

I don't think Simon/Monfils was ever a reallistic pairing really. I suspect had they gone well it would have made Clement's life easier when picking the team (he'd simply have gone with his top 4), but ultimately the two doubles pairings he's more interested in are the other two (Tsonga-Gasquet and Benneteau-ERV).

My vote is for Benneteau/ERV. Tsonga and Gasquet will more than likely play Singles rubbers.

I agree with LF. Ben/ERV won the FO this year and seeing as the DC's on clay, this is the most sensible option.

[The Special Juan]

That Valencia trophy is the worst one I've seen, and I've seen the trophy thread in this section!!

[LuvSports!]

I dunno. They went with Tsonga & Gasquet against the very good doubles pairing of Banana Berd brain and stepanek and beat them in 4 I believe. That was on clay.

[It Must Be Love]

Gasquet really erratic there, a bit like the timings on this website.

[sirfredperry]

I see Tommy Robredo is at it again. Nearly two hours as he battles to 5-5 in the final set with (anything's) Pospisil.

Later....Tommy has won - on his third MP in the final set tiebreak. Fab win considering how knackered he must have been after the Murray marathon.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Pospisil clearly trying to apply the Murray route to beating Robredo which requires to save 5 MPs along the way, but only managed to save 2

Pleased Tommy won, you'd hate to think how he'd have been feeling had he lost another one after having MPs. Less impressed with his MTO before the final set TB, but I think we can forgive him that one in the circumstances...

[CaledonianCraig]

Djokovic wins the first set 6-3 against Kohlschreibber without having to get out of second gear. Wins earlier today for Goffin, Monfils and Verdasco amongst others and a shock defeat for Karlovic.

[Born Slippy]

Anyone see the Karlovic match? He was facing yet another of the big name youngsters (Pouille) and only won just over 50% points on his first serve.

On the face of it, that suggests that Pouille is one heck of a returner. It also would tend to suggest the courts are slow. The alternative option would seem to me to be that Dr Ivo was injured and not serving flat-out.

[Jahu]

Come on Kohli, induce some colic into Djoko.

[Jahu]

Omg, Kohli stop it, he just became a father.

[Jahu]

Djoko wins in 2 sets.

Good warm up.

[Jahu]

Court is dead slow. Who sad yesterday that courts are playing fast and suits Fed?

It's like mud.

[laverfan]

Anyone see the Karlovic match? He was facing yet another of the big name youngsters (Pouille) and only won just over 50% points on his first serve.

On the face of it, that suggests that Pouille is one heck of a returner. It also would tend to suggest the courts are slow. The alternative option would seem to me to be that Dr Ivo was injured and not serving flat-out.

IMO, the courts are slower. Pouille saved 3/3 Bps, but Dr. Ivo was broken 3 times.

[CaledonianCraig]

A nice test for Djokovic without being really pressed and he wins in straight sets.

[Guest]

A nice test for Djokovic without being really presdupresdured and he wins in straight sets.

I hope that never happens to me either.

[LuvSports!]

"Presdupresdured."
Is that Scottish Gaelic?

[temporary21]

Saw Dr Ivo's match. His opponent returned really well, just blocking it low and short. Though tbh Ivos serve isnt what I remember it, same kick but not the same power. He kept coming in but was too slow and ended up volleying at his toes too much

[Born Slippy]

Ivo's first serve was absolutely devastating against Fed on Saturday, albeit Fed isn't a great returner. Sounds like the Pouille kid played well. Real shame if the courts are slow though.

[laverfan]

Ivo's first serve was absolutely devastating against Fed on Saturday, albeit Fed isn't a great returner. Sounds like the Pouille kid played well. Real shame if the courts are slow though.

That is the difference between a fast (Basel) vs a slow (Paris) court even though it says "Hard: Acrylic on Wood", it has been painted with enough sand to make it like say Rotterdam now. It is probably close to IW now.

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