Day 14 Picks

Day 13 recap:

 

Another disappointing non-performance:

Nadal def. Gonzalez 7-6, 7-6, 6-0

After almost 2 days of rain, this match finally got back on court. Nadal came out focused and determined to earn the match win without expending too much energy. Gonzo, to the disappointment of the fans that patiently waited out 2 days of rain, didn’t even show up. Shanking forehands left, right and centre it was a miserable non-performance from Gonzo. The fans should ask for a refund, because this wasn’t even a match.  For Nadal, after a good 30 min workout, waltzes into the semis, fit and rested for his encounter with the hottest hard court player of the season.

Bizzarro on court tirade overshadows a fantastic performance:

Cljisters def. Williams 6-4, 7-5

Before we get into the bizarre incident that occurred at the end of this match, how about giving Cljisters big props for a fantastic performance out on Ashe tonight? Coming into this match, Cljisters was 1-7 head to head against Serena and had been away from the game for almost two years. Tonight, she came in focused and hit the ball with ferocity. She took it to Serena from ball one, punishing her 2^nd serves, hitting deep, penetrating ground strokes to keep Serena on her heels all match long. She took control of the middle of the court and used her forehand to run Serena ragged from corner to corner. Most importantly, Cljisters played with desire and her intensity never let up. Tonight, she outplayed Serena from all parts of the court and would have come out the winner regardless of the incident. Well done Kim! Welcome Back!

The Incident:

Incase you missed it: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4469048&categoryid=2378529

Let’s discuss the incident in two parts:

Foot fault? What foot fault?

After watching countless video replays of the 2^nd serve at 5-6, 15-30, we honestly can’t see the foot fault. They have video replay for the line calls, so why not this? This incident calls for a rule change. On a side note, how ballsy was it for the lineswoman to call a foot fault at such a crucial point in the match, in the “de-facto woman’s final”, on one of the biggest stages in tennis, in front of millions of people? We hope to God that she made the correct call.

Serena’s profanity laced melt down followed with an Oscar worthy performance in the post-match press conference:  

In short, she’s a seasoned pro, multi slam winner who should have known better. We understand her frustration and anguish, but after all the epic matches she’s been through, we would have expected her to keep her cool. How about a big hand to her managing people for keeping the cameras away and calming her down before her post match press conference? Serena went in there no more than 10 minutes after the match all smiles and jokes. She nonchalantly brushed off all questions related to her on court tirade. Ms. Williams, you truly are one of a kind.

Day 14 preview:

Federer vs. Djokovic

This will be 3^rd straight US Open meeting between these two. Djokovic appears to have found his game again in New York. He’s steady from the baseline and will be looking to draw Federer into extended rallies with his deep, penetrating ground game. There head to head stands at 8-4 with the most recent meeting in Cincinnati. If Djokovic want to win he’ll need to be aggressive with the return of serve and look for opportunities to break open the points with his backhand down the line.

With all the attention on Oudin, Federer has quietly gone about his business making his way through the draw. He’s showed flashes of his brilliance during the quarterfinal encounter with Soderling but has also suffered uncharacteristic lapses in concentration. Against Djokovic, Federer will need to serve well. Djokovic’s defence will try to tempt Federer into to rushing the points by going for too much to early. This match will be a close but we’ll take Federer in 4 tight sets.

Nadal vs. Del Potro

DelPo has been scotching through the draw relatively unnoticed. He’s played excellent tennis to get to this stage and looks poised to reach his first career major final. While it’s easy to see DelPo bullying lesser players around the court with his huge ground game and much improved serve, taking out Nadal in a best of five encounter is an entirely different animal. Nadal is a grinder who doesn’t mind putting in the hard yards to win the match. While we can see DelPo imposing his big ground game for a few sets but Nadal will ultimately out steady DelPo from the baseline and force DelPo to go for too much. As much as we love DelPo, we’ll take Nadal for the win!