The Tennis Thread - Part 5

Day 1 and there's an upset brewing already: Kanepi leads Halep 6-2, 3-0. She better wake up *now*.

 

Nadal makes a solid comeback against Karen Khachanov in the 3rd round.

 

Del Potro is looking very dangerous.

 

Fed out!

US Open 2018: Roger Federer says he 'couldn't get air' during fourth round defeat

 

That was a shocker for sure. I expected a decent match, but when i woke up this morning i saw the headlines and i was shocked lol. Let's see how much steam Millman has against Novak.

Stephens was beaten by Sevastova quite easily, 6-2, 6-3, which also surprised me. Right now Delpo and Isner are one set each, starting the third. Tonight we have a huge match: Nadal vs Thiem, a rematch of the FO final. Both playing incredible and surprisingly enough, it will be the first time they will play on hard courts. I'm giving a slight edge to Thiem based on time on court alone. Last couple rounds Rafa has spent around 8 hours, so i just dont know how much he can handle with the heat and humidity also. Then again, it's Rafa, and the guy is capable of beast mode lol. So we'll see what happens.

 

I think if Rafa was to win this tournament then that would pretty much be it for Fed holding him off long term from the all time record (assuming Rafa doesn’t pick up a major injury or something). He has such a good chance at the French every year and a lot of years on Fed.

 

What the heck is Nadal made of? I went to bed thinking i would wake up to the news that he lost to Thiem, and instead find that he won. Darn. Sounds like it was a heck of a match and neither one deserved to lose. Tough one for Thiem cause seems he had his chances, but he's getting closer and closer to winning a grandslam for sure.

 

It's only a matter of time before he wins one. And yeah, close match. Wonder if Rafa can go all the way. I haven't seen the draw though. Do you know if he has a tough route to the final?

 

Thiem sure has stepped it up. I'd be surprised if he doesnt win a grandslam in the next two years.

Well, Rafa has Del Potro in the semis, again. Geez, they just keep meeting and meeting in grandslams only to make me suffer even more cause i love them both lol. Just this year i believe they met at the FO, Wimbledon and now US Open.

First semi is all set, how we wait for the second one. Today we have Nishikori vs Cilic and Djokovic vs Millman. The two winners will be the other semis. Semifinals will happen on friday, so at least Rafa gets more rest after that match last night. If Nadal manages to win again it would probably be his toughest tournament, cause he sure as heck has had it tough starting with Kachanov.

 

Thanks for that breakdown. I’d love to see Nishikora do something at the later stages one of these days. And Rafa and Del Potro are also 2 of my favourites so it’s a shame they don’t meet in the final more often (at least when Fed doesn’t make it). Who do you think will be the finalist from that side?

 

I have a feeling Del Potro will win the Open.

 

I have no idea, it's going to be a tough one i think. It all depends on how much Rafa can recuperate physically i think, cause he's had way more time on court than Juan Martin, so i'm giving a slight edge to Delpo. Although this is Rafa we're talking about, so one cant rule the dude out lol.

Interestingly enough, Nishikori beat Novak in the semis back in 2014 when Djokovic was #1 and on top of his game, so Kei is capable of pulling it together and surprising Novak. But who knows. Novak is well rested and looking well (although he looks way too skinny imo). It should be a great day for tennis today.

I'm a bit worried the men's semis wont be starting before 4:00pm, and Rafa vs Juan Martin is the first one. If that extends, Novak and Kei could wait a while before their match can even start, extending it well into the night.

 

I don’t think I remember that but good to know. And yeah, Novak is looking quite skinny these days.

Hope we don’t get a repeat of that match thatbjusy went on forever recently.

 

Yeah, we dont need another Wimbledon mess, although thankfully the US Open can play until the early hours of the morning, so that's an advantage.

 

Oh good to know.

 

Damn, the chances of Nadal defending a title outside of clay is gone. That quarterfinal match with Thiem really took a lot out of him and couldn't keep up the high performance needed against Del Potro.

 

Yep real shame. Was hoping that one would be a classic. Glad to see Del Potro in the final at least.

 

Osaka wins the first major for a Japanese woman against Serena Williams who has a big argument with the umpire.

 

Nadal quits on his stool and Serena Williams is a sore loser at the US Open. Some things never change

 

And I still maintain my stubborn stance that the US Open ruined itself by getting rid of Super Saturday. Especially since the USTA built the roof.

When it went right, it was the best day of the tennis year. Bring it back USTA!

 

Yeah, disappointing from them. Congrats to Osaka and I hope Del Potro Djok can be a great final (with Del Potro winning).

 

Serena is a complete embarrassment. Her reaction when things go wrong are so usual. Just like how Rafa is always "injured" when he loses. Her and her fans attempts to defend it are so insane. This has nothing to do with women's rights.

 

How can it have anything to do with women's rights anyway when her opponents are all women?