TENNIS: Queen's quarter finals
Jun. 15th, 2013 03:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllCame home to watch Hewitt use all his craft to beat Del Potro, with the two underdogs in the seedings, but former champions, coming through. One beat a player coming back from injury and another beat a player who was knocked out of the first round of the French Open. After winning by default last year, I want Cilic to do well this year, and one has to root for Hewitt at this point in his career too. It’s to do with two things. Queen’s is a nice mix of players who know how to play on grass coming up against better all-court players.
Secondly, ‘old-stagers’ – the thirtysomethings who used to be old in tennis years, players we’ve seen year after year, doing well are always heartening.
I then half-watched Murray, who dipped enough to make the first set closer than it needed to be. I don’t know if it was the injury time-out and how Becker reacted to that or the conditions, as Murray suggested, but Becker was allowed into the second set too. Murray will probably lift his game in the semis given the competition.
Tsonga and Kudla was a more interesting match. Tsonga was always in control, but I liked the 20 year old’s play as soon as he settled down. It led to talk about why the young guns are so slow to break through, and all we’re getting is seeing glimpses of potential. Of course, the physicality and the depth of the game that are needed and experience lend are huge factors. (Perhaps more true of the men’s game than the women’s?)
So, thanks to the rain, the semis have been delayed and the BBC has been showing Murray beating Tsonga here in the past and – to my delight – the Olympics final, because I hadn’t seen it or grasped how much Murray dominated. I heard noises that I don’t think the club had ever heard before.
Secondly, ‘old-stagers’ – the thirtysomethings who used to be old in tennis years, players we’ve seen year after year, doing well are always heartening.
I then half-watched Murray, who dipped enough to make the first set closer than it needed to be. I don’t know if it was the injury time-out and how Becker reacted to that or the conditions, as Murray suggested, but Becker was allowed into the second set too. Murray will probably lift his game in the semis given the competition.
Tsonga and Kudla was a more interesting match. Tsonga was always in control, but I liked the 20 year old’s play as soon as he settled down. It led to talk about why the young guns are so slow to break through, and all we’re getting is seeing glimpses of potential. Of course, the physicality and the depth of the game that are needed and experience lend are huge factors. (Perhaps more true of the men’s game than the women’s?)
So, thanks to the rain, the semis have been delayed and the BBC has been showing Murray beating Tsonga here in the past and – to my delight – the Olympics final, because I hadn’t seen it or grasped how much Murray dominated. I heard noises that I don’t think the club had ever heard before.
