Wimbledon Day 9 - Anything is Pospisil. Maybe even a Cilic in time saves nine...match points

Order of play
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/22713811

Murray in 3
Novak in 4
Fed in 3
Stan in 5

Reckon we are getting top 4 SF come Friday.

All the QFs seem fairly predictable. Cilic has a chance IF he finds back his US Open form, but it's 10 months since he last produced that level of tennis...
Both Murray and Federer have been in impressive form and with Berdych out there are no roadblocks left.
Gasquet has the advantage of low expectations and no pressure, but for the sake of an more exciting semi I hope Stan wins this.

Fed's match may not be as straightforward as some think. Simon looks in good form. Fed came unstuck at this round at Wimbledon in '10 and '11 and has not really been in a scrap so far.
Djoko will be fine today after the Anderson scare. Stan will see off Gasquet and I'm tipping Murray to win in straight sets.

sirfredperry wrote:Fed came unstuck at this round at Wimbledon in '10 and '11 and has not really been in a scrap so far.

True, but these two losses - and in fact most of Fed's other "early" losses in Slams like Cilic at the US Open last year - have come against powerful servers / big hitters who managed to blow him off the court. Simon is a totally different kind of player and I think Fed is secretly quite happy Simon took care of Berdych :-)

Anyone thinking this is a stroll for Federer hasn't watched their matches. Simon is quite a tricky match-up for Roger; he stays in points those extra shots that often lead Federer to bad places; if you're tempted to wait for him to make the mistake you'll be a while, and he has some good stinging shots himself.

He's also mentally quite tough and isn't afraid of Federer (and has said so).

This could go long and Federer will have to get onto the front foot.

Davis Cup round on Court 1 - repeat of Final '14.
Not a bad training for the frenchies before the UK-FR match

Indeed BB, Simon is not the kind to be afraid of a big player (that would be Gasquet's part) and he's very sound tactically. If he finds a way to annoy Roger, there will be trouble.

And how about the risk of life-time performance from Vasek? As JHM rightly said: Anything is Pospisil!

Gasquet is in great form and meeting Stan on his worst surface - tricky one here too. It comes down to Gasquet's serve (to match to his mindset)

Djoko should go through quietly, boosted he is from a tough victory and facing an opponent who's yet to reach his highest level (but anything, again, is Pospisil)

From most to least likely to lose at this round:
Cilic
Pospisil
Simon
Gasquet / Wawrinka (50-50 for me)
Federer
Murray (would be the least likely to leave, but Pospisil may have a surprise factor)
Djokovic (12-0 means he knows the player quite well)

Murray should on current form win in straights, though a mid match walkabout is usually par for the course. Can Pospisil handle the CC experience playing a home player?

Federer and Simon. I know Fed fans are greeting this with caution, but this is on Federer's best surface and they have never played on Grass. I feel if Simon plays too short of a length on his groundies, Federer will pummel him.

Djokovic you feel will shift up a gear and take Cilic out in straights. Hard to see Cilic find the reserves to take 3 sets off Novak.

Gasquet and Stan. It's a question of who can hold their nerve.

Wimbledon QFs are not supposed to be a stroll (not even for Federer), but I guess there's a reason why Simon has reached only one Slam quarter final in 10 years on the tour. Solid player but when push comes to shove he tends to lose.

bogbrush wrote:Anyone thinking this is a stroll for Federer hasn't watched their matches. Simon is quite a tricky match-up for Roger; he stays in points those extra shots that often lead Federer to bad places; if you're tempted to wait for him to make the mistake you'll be a while, and he has some good stinging shots himself.

He's also mentally quite tough and isn't afraid of Federer (and has said so).

This could go long and Federer will have to get onto the front foot.

I agree, this is not going to be easy. This year Federer has had more success against Berdych but with TB you don't know what you will get so I was torn between who to root for. Simon has always been a nightmare for Federer from that very first meeting back in 2008. He seems to have hit some great form so I would not be too surprised if he makes life very difficult or even wins.

Federer also has to deal with the new surroundings of court 1. He has played there before but, to come out adjust and take on a strong opponent won't be easy. Can't understand why he didn't play his 4th round on court 1.

Either way this is a tough one to call.

I agree with those who say Federer may have a tough time with Simon today.

I expect Federer to ultimately prevail but Simon is in good enough form to be typically frustrating.

It's on Federer's racquet but that racquet will have to be somewhere near its best.

Murray has really landed on his feet with the way the draw has panned out.

It should - should! - be a straight set breeze for him today, setting him up in perfect condition for the final two games.

The easiest of the QF matches is Murray's. The others may be a little interesting but I do not see Pospisil mounting any sort of challenge. Murray is in too good form to lose here. Cannot see it going 4 and to be honest, no disrespect to Pospisil but I doubt he will be able to break him either.

Duty281 wrote:Murray has really landed on his feet with the way the draw has panned out.

It should - should! - be a straight set breeze for him today, setting him up in perfect condition for the final two games.

Opened up for him in this round but that is it. Karlovic in the last round was a real test so its not like it has opened up miraculously. Federer fans were sweating about having to play Monfils or Berdych and that never happened.

I would be surprised if Simon gets much more than 10 games today. Yes, he has pushed Fed in the past but the Fed of today is more equipped to deal with the likes of Simon (whilst conversely being slightly more vulnerable to power players). This is grass and, well though Simon has played, I don't expect him to make any impact on the Fed serve. I predict 64 62 62.

As I stated beforehand, Fed's draw always looked a breeze to the SF. It looks likely that both he and Murray will make to the SF without undue stress. Really think that could then be a classic.

I'd be extremely surprised if Federer doesn't beat Simon with the minimum of fuss. Simon's slam record says it all.

Murray in 3
Djokovic in 4
Federer in 4
Stan in 4

Tough day for me with the ashes on. Here's hoping for top 4 wins.

Great day to have no 1 court tickets. Of course, British interest will create some atmosphere on CC, but it's unlikely to reach fever pitch unless Murray is pushed. For some reason, I'm convinced that Novak will win easily. Cilic has been under the radar for me, so maybe he'll surprise me.

Reckon both no 1 court matches could get very interesting, although I do think the surface gives Rog a big edge over Simon. Simon did trounce Berdych in the last round, but I didn't catch much of that, so not sure if Berdych was just terrible.

What's the Gasquet-Wawrinka H2H like?

Aut0Gr4ph wrote:What's the Gasquet-Wawrinka H2H like?

I was amazed to see that they have only played each other twice before!

It's 1-1.

As I suspected Roger chewing up and spitting out Simon. He leads 3-0 and Murray leads 3-1 as rain stops play.

Good starts for the blockbuster semi final then. The ashes are a bit tetchy, so it's nice to see this go to plan

Roddick in the studio.  He's pretty good

HM Murdoch wrote:I agree with those who say Federer may have a tough time with Simon today.

I expect Federer to ultimately prevail but Simon is in good enough form to be typically frustrating.

It's on Federer's racquet but that racquet will have to be somewhere near its best.

That's a pretty good assessment of how their matches tend to go. I always recall the AO match where Fed was cruising at 2-0 sets and it went to 5. Simon is intelligent and crafty.

Let's see if CC rescues the schedule should rain be a thorn in the side.

temporary21 wrote:Roddick in the studio.  He's pretty good

Quite - bright, honest, personable, and not pompous. What's not to like?

So, forgive me for asking the obvious, since I am at work and should not even be on this site (*glances furtively over shoulder*)

The roof should be closed and play set to resume soon, right?

rain has stopped

Djokovic will be pleased to have gotten centre then. Although, I believe once closed, the roof cannot reopen? May suit Cilic.

In an ideal world for Pospisil, they'll go off for a nap every 7 games. He's been on court for 19 hours, and 31 sets this fortnight. Must be hitting critical mass soon.

I have muzz and the ashes on here.  Keep me posted on the overlords progress

I've never seen Murray's serve slower in a tournament since his first Wimbledon, very few aces considering it's on grass even the forehand on this surface which has been great especially 2012/2013 is absolutely non existant.

monty junior wrote:I've never seen Murray's serve slower in a tournament since his first Wimbledon, very few aces considering it's on grass even the forehand on this surface which has been great especially 2012/2013 is absolutely non existant.

Well he has had concerns over his shoulder - or not. Depends what you want to believe. Personally, I see it as his way of sort of protecting second serve by playing safe and rolling in the first serve more so he has less second serves to worry about. May be wrong though.

Just Murray's flat serve is a good 5mph at least slower than i've seen it and even when he's trying to spin it in he's still missing a lot. I think there's more to the shoulder problem than meet's the eye, i really hope not but you can't beat Federer and then Djokovic with no serve and that's where confidence comes from. A good serve.

Could be trying to shield the second serve. He's serving at 76%, so if so

1. It's working
2. It needs to work because he's second serve is being smacked

Now I may be a little on my own, BUT I do not really think Murray is playing slam winning tennis yet

He is shoveling over a lot of shots and not really going for much power. He has not been against anyone good yet and I worry that if he gets to Fed then he may actaully lose

He is crafty and good - but IMO hitting far too short

There's something about the roof that makes murrays shots look. Well a bit slow, or floaty.  I hope he doesn't think he can serve to roger like thid

Yea he talked about playing with more variety again like he used to, but that type of style also used to get him blasted off court in Grand Slams before he start being more aggressive. No problem at all bringing guys in to the net, lobbing, drop shotting etc but he has really regressed with short balls which he was so much better with under Lendl. Even when he's been ahead he's not been going after the double breaks with aggression like he has in the past. Worrying!

I mean I don't know how hard Rogers hitting it. But some of these shots and serves look very hittable

Feds brainfart

Breaks back straight away! Great game!

Don't close the roof guys. I won't rain again surely...

Riskysports wrote:Now I may be a little on my own, BUT I do not really think Murray is playing slam winning tennis yet

He is shoveling over a lot of shots and not really going for much power. He has not been against anyone good yet and I worry that if he gets to Fed then he may actaully lose

He is crafty and good - but IMO hitting far too short

I would agree with this. At present he is playing (in general) canny matches that are getting him the wins but he needs to be hitting aggressively to win matches against the likes of Federer and Djokovic. This current game plan will end in failure against the very top players. I always go along with the theory that switching to an aggressive style of play cannot be switched on and off like a light switch. You need to play yourself into that frame of mind and pattern and not hope it will come in the blink of an eye.

He was going well against seppi. INo though has put him back into bad habits

Agreed Craig, sure you can hammer the odd shot, i mean he probably hit the hardest forehand on CC this year earlier in the match but all the others just have nothing on them. Even the easy put aways he's just rolling in, he can't be lacking confidence after all these are guys he beat's all the time and usually fairly comfortably. But you will not win 6 set off the top 2 playing with no serve and a powerpuff forehand, i mean Murray can hit 3/4 aces in a game yet has hit 1 in almost 2 sets. That shoulder strapping worries me.

It seems to me that Murray is - consciously or unconsciously ? - protecting the shoulder a bit. Hasn't done him any harm so far ; but I take the point that it may be hard to switch on the power at the sharp end of the tournament.
On the other hand : by not blasting away for his first five matches he just might have enough left to produce the goods against the top dogs . Bit of a balancing act , perhaps...

Murray turns it on at the sharp end of the set and will serve for it. Good stuff.

better from Murray, more aggression, particularly with that service game at 4-5, and he's duly rewarded with the break. Pospisil hit with a TV at 30-30, but he's averaging 25 secs between points so surely can't complain too much...