AO 2015 - Day 7

Order of Play - http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/schedule12.html

Live Scores - http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/index.html

Day 7 Preview -http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2016-01-23/day_7_preview_a_collision_course.html


(Hopefully the preview writer(s) will use some version of collide/collision/collusion - at some point tomorrow ).

Update: My front and back yard- Thanks Jonas!

A crackerjack first up as long as nishis wrist is ok. The two main men probably have easy matches today

Yeah, agree with that. Kei v Tsonga could be a stormer.

Kei seems to take ages starting his matches. Both this one and GGL started at 20 past.

No sign of any wrist problem with a huge forehand winner but JWT starts with an easy hold to 15. Haven't seen any of Jo so far but he looks like he is timing it well.

Kei breaks, courtesy of some stunning groundies and successive dfs from Jo from deuce. Jo needs to avoid long rallies here as he's getting outgunned in those.

Nice house pics Laver!

This looks like it could be quick.  Nishi playing as well as I have recently seen him play.  Tsonga's serve is the only thing that can keep him in it.  To have any chance he needs to serve like crazy - certainly cannot have those doubles.  Even then, I am finding it hard to see how he wins.

Hopefully Nishi can keep it up for the rest of the night, and then again in the QF against Simon.

Just as I thought the first set was in the bag, Nishi plays a couple of loose points and allows Tsonga to get a break back.

Suddenly a massive game for Kei. Being pegged back to 5-5 after leading 5-1 and 5-2 40-0 will cause real concern.

summerblues wrote:
Hopefully Nishi can keep it up for the rest of the night, and then again in the QF against Simon.

Could be a cracker http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/fedex-head-2-head/gilles-simon-vs-kei-nishikori/SD32/N552

Does look totally on his racquet though. A Djokori Qf could be very tasty.

Love hold this time around. Nicely done.

Sharapova with 34 winners (Bencic had 5) in taking the first set 7-5.

Born Slippy wrote:Nice house pics Laver!

Thanks, BS.

Wish Tsonga had as much application as talent! Right now he just seems a shade better than Gulbis.

So this is meant to be the most competitive of today's matches?

Kei too good today. Big statement ahead of the Qf.

I've switched to the Sharapove match. Entertaining as she passes 50 winners but match still finely poised!

Born Slippy wrote:Kei too good today. Big statement ahead of the Qf.

IIMVHO, it is Tsonga who is abysmal. But credit to Nishikori for keeping things together.

That was easy.

Agree LF that Tsonga was quite poor, but Nishi looked very good too.

Statistically, Tsonga has 28/36 W/UE, which is a negative differential.

The appearance of the trainer is a bit of a concern vis-a-vis Nishikori. With 25 UEs in 173 points, it may not be good enough to beat Djokovic (the most likely winner from the other side and his opponent).

Djokovic breaks to love; 3:1 in the first set. Maybe not an upset tonight.

Mhmm...Simon breaks right back.  I will put-off my bedtime for a bit.

37 shot rally....

Djokovic a bit off-color. Simon has 5 (or was it 4?) BPs for a second break but Novak holds in the end.

But now Nole breaks and will be serving for the set.

And Djokovic serves it out, but not before Simon has two more BPs.  Nole very subpar so far, but he still manages to take the set fairly comfortably.

This is it for me.  Good night.

Djokovic way below par but Simon not willing to really push hard for winners is helping him. Novak blowing more cold than hot but is getting the job done and leads 6-3 1-2. It is weird though. Novak looks very out of sorts.

Simon does not give much to work with.

Djokovic will just patiently rally for UEs. If he makes any errors, Simon can make it very hard for him.

Forehand is Novak's problem but looks like it is improving. I still fully expect Djokovic's greater self-belief and conviction to see him through.

Djokovic squanders more break points and just looks non-plussed. Djokovic serving to stay in the set.

1 Ace, 2 Winners in a 15-point game at 4-4. Rest of the points are won/lost on UEs. Complete risk-averse, ball-pushing tennis.

Simon's problem is his game becomes ragged when he tries going for winners. He is most comfortable playing to keep the ball in court. Djokovic holds to love 5-5.

Djokovic hopes for a TB and UEs.

And Djokovic forges more break point chances but cannot take them (has spurned 11 in this set). Simon leads 6-5 in the second set.

Out of 159 points played (6-3,5-6), 67 UEs, 38 Winners.

BA up a break on Berdych. Too soon perhaps for an upset.

Simon wins the tie-breaker 7-1 to win his first set against Novak (in five set matches). Djokovic is in a mess on all fronts. He nèeds to shake himself out of this mediocre spell fast or he will be in deep trouble. Highly unexpected this.

Very poor the TB from Djokovic. First lost set at AO 2016.

Bautista Agut serving for the first set. It doesnt totally surprise me as he has been on an upward curve in his career in the last year or two with some decent runs in slams.

Djokovic breaks early in the third set and leads 6-3 6-7 1-0.

Djokovic holds to love and perhaps that will settle him down. Bautista Agut leads Berdych 6-4.

Simon breaks back to love - 3 more UEs from Novak - up to 50 now!

This is mind-blowing. Djokovic broken to love and we are back on serve in the third set. Djokovic has ravked up half a century of unforced errors in two and a half sets. Surely, there is something amiss with him?

This is terrible from Djokovic. Worst I've seen from him since Cincinnati.

HM Murdock wrote:This is terrible from Djokovic. Worst I've seen from him since Cincinnati.

Only since Cincinatti??

CaledonianCraig wrote:

HM Murdock wrote:This is terrible from Djokovic. Worst I've seen from him since Cincinnati.

Only since Cincinatti??

Ha! Yes, I suppose that's not long ago.

A couple of the Cincy matches were unwatchably awful but this is pushing them close.

This has to surpass them. This is a slam at which he has owned for so long and unforced errors could pass a century by the end of this match at this rate - I cannot recall anything as bad as that at Cincinatti.

Cincy was the same sort of problem as this - not playing well, so retreating into a passive, pushing tennis but still racking up the errors. Horrible stuff.

But you're right. Cincy is a court that has given him problems down the years. RLA is his second home, so perhaps this is worse.

Not totally surprising for me. Looks like he's struggling to adapt to harsher playing conditions in the sun, his first in this tourney. Simon took Fed to 5 sets in an early round in 2011. He's still grinder par excellence at 31. Can be very dangerous. But I expect Djoko to survive.

I do suspect physically all is not well. He just seems non-plussed. Even thst fist pump there was lame like he is lacking energy. He holds to lead 5-4 in the third set.

The sun is an important factor. Novak is often poor in hot sunshine.

There's a bit of shade coming over the court now, so we may (hopefully) see an improvement in Novak's game.