Australian Open 2009 - A Summary: Quarters, Semis

I don't even care, at this point. I've been writing for ages and I can't imagine anyone, ever, EVER being bored enough to wade through half the crap I've already posted this evening. I can only assure anyone out there reading - anyone? really? no? damn - that this blog WILL. GET. BETTER. I have so many ideas. I thought the round-up would be a good one, but halfway through round two I realised most of the players I actually cared about had gone out, and with Murray and Baghdatis falling in the last 16, I lost any sort of emotional investment I had in the tournament and watchded it as a neutral, somewhat bemused, observer.

So, the quarter finals then. Easy - AGAIN- for Nads over Simon. I like Simon - he fights his arse off and wins matches against players twice his size, despite his skinny frame, but God that defensive style of play he has can be dull. At times I can just feel myself muttering irritably "Just f***ing go for it! Finish it off!" And he never does. Nadal-Simon matches are generally sleep-inducing. Glad I missed this one.

Verdasco-Tsonga. Now here's two entertaining players with exciting, go-for-broke styles. Unless they go off the boil, in which case it's a comedy of errors. I called the upset here; it was always going to be difficult for Tsonga to get to the final two years in a row, especially since he was talking about injury worries before the start of the tournament. Still think that this guy can do something special; if he stays clear of injuries could be just a matter of time.

Roddick-Djokovic. Djoke obviously affected by the heat. Still, it's pretty cowardly to give up the defense of your title with such a lame excuse as - what was it? - "general soreness". Come on, give it a bit of fight Nole. I might not like him, but at least I'd respect him more if he stuck it out and fought for it when things don't go his way, but he quits. Continuously. Could be wrong, but I think his gargantuan ego might have more than a bit to do with it. Anyway, 'grats to Roddick. Don't like hisgame and he acts like a brat at times on court, but without a doubt one of the funniest and most personable guys off it. In the interview room, at least.

Del Potro-Fed. Lol.

On to the semis. Nadal-Verdasco. Five hours of drama, tension, brilliant shot-making, comebacks, everything. You want an example of a classic tennis match, then here it is. There's superlatives about it all around the internet, and I can't really sum it up any better, than it already has been. Match of the Australian Open, and maybe of the season. Disappointed for Verdasco; of the final eight, he was the one I wanted to see break through and win, even though I knew it was unlikely. You could see how much he wanted it in this match. He needs to take the positives here and build on his form rather than fade away to mediocrity again. Still, finally made a name for yourself as more than just a pretty boy, eh, Fernando? Hats off to Nadal too. Played much more aggressively, fought like hell, and earned the win.

Roddick-Fed. Nothing much to post on this one on the other hand, other than what did you expect?

Australian Open 2009 - A Summary: Rounds Three And Four

I'm already wishing I'd found the time to post updates throughout the tournament - it's pretty tiresome posting in retrospect so-this-happened-then-that-happened-and-then-he-beat-him-and-took-five-sets and it's not making for a hugely entertaining read - we all know what happens at the end! Still, I can hardly ignore one of the four slams and, well, I've started, so I might as well finish.

Round three then (sighs). Nadal, Djokovic, easy wins, blah di blah, you know the drill. Safin ended his most successful slam with a straight-sets defeat to The Fed. Better than losing to some nobody, though, eh, in your final match? Another cruise-control match for Murray over Jurgen Melzer, while still-not back-in-top-10-form (and maybe never again) Mario Ancic faded out against Gilles Simon. Richard Gasquet, obviously attempting to emulate his countryman Mathieu from the previous round, played one of the matches of the tournament with Gonzalez, but despite a two sets to love lead and a match point in set three, eventually went down 12-10 in the fifth. Ho-hum, not my tournament, as I said before. Baghdatis continued to provide some cheer with a straight sets beatdown of the hated Fish. Woo-hoo!

Mauresmo lost early yet again to screechy bint Victoria Azarenka, and bang went my interest in the women's event - although I did watch the final out of a sort of morbid curiosity. More on that story later.

Round four. Nothing much to report here. Berdych blew a two set lead against The Fed (shock horror), Baghdatis's good run came to an end against Djokovic (annoying but inevitable) and the Great British Media Hype around Andy Murray came crashing down around our over-optimistic ears with a five sets loss to Verdasco. Okay, so he had a cold and ran into a opponent who had been crushing decent players left, right and centre, but there was a touch of the Henmans about it all - the build-up, the expectation, the seeming inevitability that it was finally his - our! - moment... and then, the end. Again. Still, months ahead to build it all up again for the French and Wimbledon, eh? In other results, EVERY OTHER ONE of the top eight seeds progressed. You bastards.