TENNIS: US Open week 2
Sep. 12th, 2017 07:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllI followed the second week of the US Open, mainly by reading news reports and listening to the radio, and despite the attempts of the commentators to create word pictures, it’s still not the same, especially when my hands run out of busy work.
But hasn’t it been an unexpected ride? Venus beat Kvitova, and became one of four American women semi-finalists (none named Serena Williams). I didn’t expect the two finalists to win, going by experience and type of game. I heard the final, and it was obvious the crowd was torn, but Stephens was the better player throughout, with Keys giving away unforced errors and not fighting until the last couple of games when it was truly too late. But apparently Stephens was injured, having an operation in January and not training with a ball until May, nowhere in tennis terms until the last few weeks. I can’t say I ever thought she was a future grand slam champion = there seems to have been more talk about Keys - but Ostapenko has broken the mould and made anything possible this year. Pliskova had a chance to back up her no. 1 ranking, but like Kerber, blew it. And I don't think anyone will be scared of facing Halep in a grand slam either.
Still, you’d expect the unexpected on the women’s side, but in some ways, so was the men's. Although one half of the men’s draw was still stacked with former finalists – Federer, Del Potro and Nadal – the other one was so not. I hadn’t heard of the other Spanish semi-finalist!
I heard Nadal put the last Russian youngster standing in his place in the questers, and doubted that, having beaten Thiem with the flu and then Federer, DelPo would have enough to beat him. One always has a soft spot for DelPo (unless if he’s playing Murray) because at his best he could stand up to the big boys, but for much of his career, thanks to injury, he simply hasn’t been there. I also hadn't realised that Federer and Nadal have never played in the US Open, which is amazing given their long rivalry.
Meanwhile, Nadal is world no. 1 because of the vagaries of points, needing at some level to prove it (in a way, Muguruza is in the same position). No offence to Anderson, but I didn't expect any other result than that a fit Nadal, who hadn't been unduly challenged, would win. And at the end of the year, he and Federer had divvied up the Grand Slams between them, which would not be so strange in years gone by, but is after last year. But all the injuries plaguing so many top players must make them all pause and think.
But hasn’t it been an unexpected ride? Venus beat Kvitova, and became one of four American women semi-finalists (none named Serena Williams). I didn’t expect the two finalists to win, going by experience and type of game. I heard the final, and it was obvious the crowd was torn, but Stephens was the better player throughout, with Keys giving away unforced errors and not fighting until the last couple of games when it was truly too late. But apparently Stephens was injured, having an operation in January and not training with a ball until May, nowhere in tennis terms until the last few weeks. I can’t say I ever thought she was a future grand slam champion = there seems to have been more talk about Keys - but Ostapenko has broken the mould and made anything possible this year. Pliskova had a chance to back up her no. 1 ranking, but like Kerber, blew it. And I don't think anyone will be scared of facing Halep in a grand slam either.
Still, you’d expect the unexpected on the women’s side, but in some ways, so was the men's. Although one half of the men’s draw was still stacked with former finalists – Federer, Del Potro and Nadal – the other one was so not. I hadn’t heard of the other Spanish semi-finalist!
I heard Nadal put the last Russian youngster standing in his place in the questers, and doubted that, having beaten Thiem with the flu and then Federer, DelPo would have enough to beat him. One always has a soft spot for DelPo (unless if he’s playing Murray) because at his best he could stand up to the big boys, but for much of his career, thanks to injury, he simply hasn’t been there. I also hadn't realised that Federer and Nadal have never played in the US Open, which is amazing given their long rivalry.
Meanwhile, Nadal is world no. 1 because of the vagaries of points, needing at some level to prove it (in a way, Muguruza is in the same position). No offence to Anderson, but I didn't expect any other result than that a fit Nadal, who hadn't been unduly challenged, would win. And at the end of the year, he and Federer had divvied up the Grand Slams between them, which would not be so strange in years gone by, but is after last year. But all the injuries plaguing so many top players must make them all pause and think.
