WTA Istanbul

It was Samantha Stosur's second match at Istanbul,Turkey when she faced World #4 Victoria Azarenka. Stosur beat Maria Sharapova 6-1 7-5 in her first match in the Red Pool and was thought to be entering this particular match with a great deal of confidence and momentum on her side. Azarenka who won the toss and elected to receive serve was soon rewarded for her decision to do so perhaps when she saw an early break to lead 2-1, regardless of Stosur's good shot-making and aggressive kick first serve. Stosur's first serve was proving not to be as consistent as was on the night of her match against Sharapova. Azarenka took full advantage of Stosur's frustration over losing rhythm on serve. The serve, a big part of Stosur's game,could not expose Azarenka's weaknesses in the opening set,as Azarenka rushed to serve the set out at 5-2. The first point of the eighth game produced a rally where all sixteen shots were accurately placed and well-timed. Azarenka stretched Stosur at the baseline from side to sideand ultimately had the open court for the forehand winner. Azarenka clinched the opening set 6-2. Stosur looked determined at the beginning of the second set when she raced through points and moved forward to create quick winners at the net. This was quickly overturned by Azarenka's momentum and speed on court. She broke the Australian nearly as early as she had in the first set. Stosur hung on in the rallies as she did in the match,although arguably struggled to calm her nerves. She held the seventh game of the second set and. It was at this stage in the match where the board read 5-2,seeing Azarenka with the opportunity to serve out the match. Stosur endeavoured to put up a decent fight but Azarenka would land her first matchpoint at 40-30. Minutes after, she struggled with the ball toss and subsequently squandered her first matchpoint. After two matchpoints came and left,it was Stosur who would greet her first break point in the set. It quickly disappeared as did the second one that followed moments after due to a couple of forehand errors. Azarenka eventually prevailed and won the match in straight sets 6-2 6-2

Words words and more words

Whenever I write, my words take me to wherever my heart desires to be then. As my thoughts flow onto a white sheet of paper, old memories of a younger me creep into my mind; that child that didn’t know much about anything really. I try to shake off that little girl off from the back of my head, and very nearly manage to disembody her presence…but she didn’t dare leave before reminding me of all my gifts; the gift of life being right up there. I remembered all those moments when words came through for me when I needed to offload; when I desperately longed for the truest friend. Words have been there in the past when I chose to believe in something, if only for those minutes of scribbling down a poem quickly. I remembered all those nights I stayed up with a small circle of light of a burning candle. Words held me and I held on too. They loved me during days I had no clue as to what was happening around me. They never allowed by any means, for my image to fade away like smoke. They carried all my intricacies and delicacies with them; to handle me with care like a new book off the shelf. They became a home I went to after a long night. They’re always there…so many of them; existing and ready to be used in any given case. I’ve put it off for so long- my thank you letter to the words that helped bring me up, nurse my wounds and enhance my outward beauty by putting a smile on my face. It may look silly to a stranger passing by, but it means more to me since it stems from the heart. Well, I guess it should, could only mean much to me being the author and all. But I’ve come to realize that there are many others who share the same sentiments and warm opinions regarding words. I write this for them as well. Where would we be, what would we do without words.

‘I have seen on my long journey people who behave in ways fit for the asylum. I have seen people who bow down to cows and paint their houses with cow dung, and beggars, thought holy as saints, walking naked in the market, their fingernails long as knife blades, their uncut beards and hair covering their private parts. Until you sail beyond the Mediterranean, you have not seen the fullness of humanity’.

‘Cousin, I can imagine you talking back to my letter, pestering me to move quickly over markets and city streets and speak of things of greater import. I am afraid the women of this city will disappoint your fantasies. I thought the wives and concubines of the Peguan sailors, whose presence on ship I found unseemly and indecent, were singularly ugly and maybe not a fair example of their kind. I was wrong: the women here, despite whatever natural beauty some may possess, are worse in appearance than the cheap women who bare their breasts near the Church of San Samuele or the oddest painted courtesan you might find in the forbidden places you sometimes frequent. I am afraid white teeth remind these people of dogs, and the pointed canines we are born with are filed smooth to separate their kind from the wild animals of the jungle. Their foreheads are painted with yellow powder to protect them from the sun. It certainly has no allure for any but a heathen. What you may have heard is true: these women walk about naked from the waist up. But I am afraid reality comes a far second to the imagination’.

Extracts from The Jewel Trader of Pegu, a novel by Jeffrey Hantover

Djokovic/Berdych Analysis; Semi-Final 2

Djokovic/Berdych Analysis; Semi-Final 2

ATP Masters 1000

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Open

Centre Court

The stage was set for a mouth-watering 2^nd semi-final which saw the World #1 Novak Djokovic meet Tomas Berdych, seeded #8 in the tournament. Berdych, as one could imagine, would come into this match up with a world of confidence…being fresh from a win against former World no. 1 Roger Federer, having played (in his description), the best hard court match he has played this season.

Novak also faced a tough opponent in Gael Monfils in a Quarter-final clash where Gael Monfils won the opening set 6-3. Novak rose to the occasion to take the following two sets 6-4 6-3 disappointing an out of steam Monfils.

Both men held their opening games almost effortlessly; Djokovic holding comfortably at love and only managed to get one point during Berdych’s opening game. Djokovic held the 3^rd game of the match to put 2-1 on the board regardless of producing the 1^st double fault in the match. An 18 stroke rally during Berdych’s service game gave Novak half a chance at breaking serve after what appeared to be a textbook forehand from Berdych saw the net.

What was turning out to be the longest game of the match yet, it was Djokovic who would get the 1^st opportunity to break serve after deuce #3. Berdych held after 10’ 35’’ with the help of a couple good 1^st serves in. A 2^nd double fault from Novak came during the 7^th game and gave Berdych a glimpse at a chance to break the World #1 serve at 0-30. Berdych broke to lead 4-3 after a rally which produced fine strokes from both players. Novak was out of position during the rally although worked his way back into it, while Berdych on the other end kept coming at him, pushing him further back behind the baseline.

Berdych consolidated the break of serve in a game which could have easily gone the other way considering his 1^st double fault of the match crept in. Novak then served to stay in the opening set at 3-5. He had a fairly comfortable hold to put the pressure on Berdych in the attempt to close out the set.

Djokovic received 2 chances to break back immediately at 15-40. And when Berdych double faulted at 30-40, the board read 5-5, back on serve 1^st set. Novak held to love to lead 6-5, leaving Berdych to force the tie-break. Berdych, who had been stretching his right shoulder since the beginning of the match several times, asked for some painkillers also from the trainer, became more and more exposed during points. Djokovic had 3 set points and claimed the set 7-5 to put a struggling Berdych out of his misery. Berdych retired after that game.

Djokovic will meet Andy Murray in the final.

Second Week Wimbledon 2011

Roger Federer arrived at Wimbledon in good spirits after being absent the Halle tournament to recover from a groin injury suffered during his run to the Roland Garros final. After winning Wimbledon six times in his glorious career, it is not startling that Federer delights in his trips to the All England Club and has a good feeling about his bid to draw level with Pete Sampras's record of seven Wimbledon titles in the Open Era. Now into the second week of Wimbledon, the round of sixteen, Federer met Mikhail Youzhny and won that match in four set Mikhail having taken the first set. Bernard Tomic, the young Australian has had a terrific run so far at The All England Club that has guaranteed him the seeding as Australia’s number at the end of the tournament. He won what many critics assumed would be his toughest match yet against Xavier Malisse and will meet Novak Djokovic in an interesting quarterfinal clash. Novak defeated Michael Llodra comfortably in straight sets. Llodra had a decent run at Roland Garros this year by reaching the semifinal with Serbian doubles partner Nenad Zimonjic. Last year’s runner-up at the All England Club Tomas Berdych fell at the hands of the American Mardy Fish. Fish is the only American man left standing after Andy Roddick was eliminated by Spain’s Feliciano Lopez in the third round. The defending champion Rafael Nadal met the giant aggressive Argentine Juan-Martin Del Potro, who has also played himself back to form since struggling with a hip injury. Andy Murray dismantled Frenchman Richard Gasquest in straight sets 7-6 6-3 6-2 and he will meet Feliciano Lopez who made an impressive comeback in his match against Kubot, winning 3-6 6-7 7-6 7-5 7-5.

In the women’s game Maria Sharapova has never been back in the final of Wimbledon after winning it in 2004; and that is a fact that many of her fans will probably find odd. Maria will play Cibulkova. She ensured her place in the quarterfinals after dispatching China’s Shuai Peng in straight sets in the round of 16. Neither Caroline Wozniacki nor Dominika Cibulkova has ever been to a Wimbledon quarterfinal but it was the Slovakian’s turn to advance through to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. Cibulkova broke the Wozniacki serve at five games all to serve for the match. Before then, there had been five breaks of serve in the decider, but the one that came at five games all would prove costly for World number one Caroline Wozniacki. Cibulkova played superb tennis, really raised her level of play after losing the first set 1-6. Three match points arrived for Cibulkova two hours later and she only needed to convert one. She won that thriller of a match 1-6 7-6 7-5 in the end. Tsvetsana Pirinkova met Venus Williams and beat her for the second consecutive time, 6-2 6-3 the final score read in the round of sixteen; and she went on to book her place in the quarterfinals to meet Petra Kvitova. The Bulgarian was relieved to come through victorious in the end there against Venus Williams saying in her post match interview that she is always relaxed when she comes to this particular slam. She also added that it wasn’t that Venus played below par, she pushed her and Venus made a few errors, that’s the nature of the game and she’s glad she was the winner of the match in straight sets. Sister Serena William’s returned to the women’s tour after a year of absence hoping to defend her title here and equal sister Venus’s five Wimbledon titles. She played a ridiculously entertaining match against Marion Bartoli of France and eventually fell short. Marion asked questions that needed answers with hard hit and well placed ground strokes and got the better of the former world number one in the long rallies. The defending champion fought back, played the big points well, and came up with some good serves when she needed to. Despite all her efforts ultimately she failed to take the match to a deciding set; Bartoli won 6-3 7-6, improving more and more on grass after reaching her fifth straight Eastbourne semifinal this year. She will take on the young talented Sabine Lisicki next.

AN ALMOST WIDE-OPEN ROLAND GARROS 2011…BUT THE CLICHÉ ‘ALMOST DOESN’T COUNT’ THEN MAKES FOR A WIDE-OPEN ROLAND GARROS 2011

World no.2 Kim Clijsters made her exit at Roland Garros in the second round when she fell at the hands of 20 year old Arantxa Rus. Rus played with more confidence as the match progressed while an out of sorts Clijsters gave away costly free points. Kim found herself down two service breaks in the deciding set, having made a double fault to practically hand Rus the lead. It was evident that the match-point that came and left during the second set had come back to haunt her as well as the many unforced errors she made during the match. Rus’s strengths surfaced during moments when it mattered and she kept the ball in play, in the end caused the biggest upset of the tournament so far. She said Kim was one of her favourite players and that she couldn’t believe it at first that she had beaten her. Kim’s last appearance at Roland Garros was in 2006, she missed the tournament last year due to injury and of course during 2007-2009 she had retired from the game. She reached the finals twice in 2001 and 2003 and even when she came into this year’s tournament with less matches under her belt and arguably not being 100% fit physically, many expected that her experience would just about pull her through. Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova are also very popular women said to be favourites to winning this year’s title. Maria Sharapova has worked as hard as her fans expected her to and has been rewarded with her biggest win on clay at Rome, which certainly gave her confidence a boost coming into the tournament. She won her first round match in straight sets 6-2 6-0 against twenty-nine year old Mirjana Lučić. The absence of Venus and Serena and Justine Henin of Belguim, who retired, now for the second time in her tennis career, makes for an interesting Roland Garros this year…an almost wide-open Roland Garros. World number 3 Vera Zvonareva saved a match-point against Sabine Lisicki and ultimately won that match 4-6 7-5 7-5 while Maria Sharapova was down a set and two service breaks down in the second and fought back to defeat Caroline Garcia of France 3-6 6-4 6-0.