Tennis Thread

[CountryGirl]

So apparently throwing one’s racket twice and smacking it several times on the court is not even worthy of a warning?

Serena had a game taken away  

 

[CountryGirl]

Leylah SLAYED!

So awesome that two 18 year olds took out the #3 seeds!

[Medicine Crow]

46 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

So apparently throwing one’s racket twice and smacking it several times on the court is not even worthy of a warning?

Serena had a game taken away  

 

Maybe the Ump was afraid of putting the poor wee thing over the edge (again)!!

[Crashcourse]

Wow!  What a night for the young'uns!  I'm so happy for Alcaraz  beating Tsitsipas and Fernandez (whom I'd never seen before) beating Osaka.  

[Harry24]

Totally agree that Osaka should have been treated according to the rules.  WTF is that about, Alison Hughes!?!!  

However, I have a big sad that both my girls, Sloane and Naomi, went out.  I still have Mugu and Petra K to root for, but still ... sniff.

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

So apparently throwing one’s racket twice and smacking it several times on the court is not even worthy of a warning?

Serena had a game taken away  

Two different umpires. One of the long-standing issues in the sport is that many times the umpires apply the rules to their discretion. Some umpires make certain things fly and others are stricter with the rules.

My guess is, based on all the drama surrounding Naomi the past few months regarding her mental health, the umpire was either trying to be empathetic or was afraid if she gave her a code violation, social media would come for her.

And for the record, I'm not saying I believe it was right. Naomi absolutely should have been given a code violation for racket abuse. And she did finally give Naomi a code violation when her behavior became too much to ignore. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by truthaboutluv

[Medicine Crow]

Too bad the Collins / Sabalenka match is so late & conflicts with Rublev / Tiafoe.  Bummer!!!

[emmawoodhouse]

Rublev/Tiafoe is yet another gripping match. Lots of great tennis today! 

[blackwing]

13 hours ago, Harry24 said:

Very sad that Sloane couldn’t advance.  She has SUCH a gorgeous game.  It would be awesome if she could find her way back to the top.  That said, I’ve always liked Kerber.

Glad Muguruza took out Azarenka.  I like Mugu a lot.  She reminds me of a 40s movie star, like Irene Dunn.  Kind of cool, patrician and elegant.  And she’s very likable and has a great power game.

I like all four of them and I’m disappointed that all four could not advance.  I watched the first set of Stephens/Kerber... Sloane looked dominant.  So powerful, and her shot placement was fantastic, she was making Angelique run all over the place.  I know Angelique made the semifinals at Wimbledon, but I’ve been hoping for a a return to the top for her for a while.   She’s getting older and seemed a bit slower, but great job, I hope she keeps going deep into this tournament.  Hope she can do well against the 18 year old Leylah Fernandez.

I’ve been wanting the same for Garbine as well.  At 27 she’s still young and I’d love to see her win another Slam soon.  
 

Haha on Tsitsipas losing and holing up in the bathroom.  He’s kind of become a punchline recently.  

[emmawoodhouse]

Sloane received over 2000 harassing messages on Instagram.

There are really some sick assholes out there. ☹️

Edited September 4, 2021 by emmawoodhouse

[BlackberryJam]

8 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Sloane received over 2000 harassing messages on Instagram.

There are really some sick assholes out there. ☹️

I really believe that anyone famous should have someone else monitor their social media, just like famous people had people to open their fan mail back in the day. There are too many assholes out there. 

[TVbitch]

Yay for Brooksby! Good on him for working through his physical issues and grabbing that win.

Can't wait to see the other "young fella" play tomorrow. 

[Crashcourse]

Wow, and the upsets just keep coming.  I had never heard of Shelby Rogers before tonight's match, and she upset Ashleigh Barty.  Barty's a good sport though and I like how she waved to the crowd as she walked off the court.

[roseha]

Wow, Barty lost...and Naomi, and Sloane, and Petra...whom do I root for?   A new slam champion on the women’s side, to make it interesting?

I wasn’t able to stay up late to see Tiafoe win but am very happy to see his progress.  Glad that Felix is still in the tournament as well though I believe they play each other next.

[truthaboutluv]

Shelby was one of the American hopes a few years ago. She's had some big wins against top players and had a few moments but has just never been able to make it all the way. I think she did suffer some injury problems a few years ago as well. 

I'm not necessarily shocked Barty lost, as I don't really feel like she's truly proven herself a formidable force on hardcourt (think clay may be her best surface). What I'm shocked about is HOW she lost. Never saw her as the type to blow a lead like that as she's often such a steely and steady player. 

I do think this year's Open is truly showing how much of a difference the crowd can make because I do think there've been a few upsets that may not have happened if the tournament had been like last year without the crowd. 

[Medicine Crow]

Sock/Zverev match was a monumental bummer, but both handled it as well as they could.  Zverev was very direct saying if it didn't work out he'd be on vacation in the South of France.  Good for him for seeing the bright side.  I hope Jack's injury is not serious.

[roseha]

This match between Leylah Fernandez and Angie Kerber is tremendous, it looks like Leylah is going to take it!

[CountryGirl]

Leylah has done it again! I’m sad for Kerber, but my goodness, Leylah was just outstanding!

[theatremouse]

I want to see Leylah win this whole thing. I wouldn't have thought it possible but since Barty's out too, seems totally plausible at this point. So I guess along with my previous comment on Felix, I'm all about the Canadians this tournament.

[CouchTater]

13 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I want to see Leylah win this whole thing. I wouldn't have thought it possible but since Barty's out too, seems totally plausible at this point. So I guess along with my previous comment on Felix, I'm all about the Canadians this tournament.

I was very neutral, at most, about Leylah.  But after the Kerber match, I'm very impressed.  I also loved her smiles when she would hit a great shot.  I prefer a big, genuine smile to the harsh screams of Kvitova - which brings me to my other point:  I just consciously realized why I root for certain players and not others.  I didn't want Kerber to win today.  I don't want Sabalenka to win today.  Along with many others, their grunting/screaming annoys me enough to not want to watch them.  Other than the grunting, I have nothing against any player and really just want to watch good tennis.  But some of the ladies are just too much.

Sorribes Tormo is another one, but her grunt is so over the top that it almost amuses me.

I'd like Pliskova to win this year.  I like her stoic demeanor and I'd like to see her finally win a major.  Go Karolina!

[Medicine Crow]

As a Canadian ... well, you know!!!

[theatremouse]

I expect Pliskova (or possibly Sabalenka) to win, but I am rooting for Leylah to win.

[truthaboutluv]

Kerber is nothing if not consistently inconsistent. I'm not particularly leaping for joy over Leylah but if she pulls of the surprise win, more power to her. That said, I'll like her dad/coach to keep his ass in his seat. 

Honestly, the last few days are showing me that maybe I didn't miss the crowd so much. I'm over people flailing their hands, begging the crowd to chant and scream for them. It's obnoxious. 

I'm watching the Felix and Frances match right now and I have nothing really against Frances per se. I quite like him most of the time. But I'm finding things a bit too showboaty with him and the crowd's increasing obnoxious cheering is just making me root harder for Felix. 

It may also just be a personality thing too as I'm more of a Felix type in my normal life - calm and even keeled. 

Edited September 6, 2021 by truthaboutluv

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, truthaboutluv said:

Kerber is nothing if not consistently inconsistent. I'm not particularly leaping for joy over Leylah but if she pulls of the surprise win, more power to her. That said, I'll like her dad/coach to keep his ass in his seat. 

Honestly, the last few days are showing me that maybe I didn't miss the crowd so much. I'm over people flailing their hands, begging the crowd to chant and scream for them. It's obnoxious. 

I'm watching the Felix and Frances match right now and I have nothing really against Frances per se. I quite like him most of the time. But I'm finding things a bit too showboaty with him and the crowd's increasing obnoxious cheering is just making me root harder for Felix. 

It may also just be a personality thing too as I'm more of a Felix type in my normal life - calm and even keeled. 

Agree on all counts.

I'm happy for Leylah and she seems like a good kid, but I'm not ready to engrave her name in the Hall of Fame. Plenty of players have one great tournament and then disappear into the abyss. The tennis world once thought Genie Bouchard was the Second Coming, and look at how that turned out.

I'm a huge FAA fan and I was thrilled he won. I want to like Tiafoe, but I'm just not quite there. 

[Medicine Crow]

I agree about Bouchard!!  I was on her bandwagon until modeling, commercials & other endeavours reduced her "court time" & ability to successfully compete.  To say the least, I'm no longer a fan & very disappointed she was such a "flash in the pan".  She has the talent, but not the discipline.

I was disappointed that Felix didn't mention "Uncle Tony" (Nadal).  I'm sure he's played no small part in Felix' success.

[shok]

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

That said, I'll like her dad/coach to keep his ass in his seat. 

That's her fitness coach, not her dad/coach. Her dad had another commitment and couldn't/can't attend the USO. Maybe he'll be able to be there for her next momentous match. But yes, I agree, her fitness coach should sit his ass.

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I'm over people flailing their hands, begging the crowd to chant and scream for them. It's obnoxious. 

Amen. I've hated it ever since Stan Wawrinka got such laudatory press for getting the crowd all worked up. To me, they look pathetic, like they're begging for approval. I see Carlos Alvarez is doing the 'point finger at head' thing when he wins a good game, something else that annoys the hell out of me. If you're too stupid to know you have to think your way through a tennis match, you should stay home.

Oh, and just a little tidbit. The American media, or probably I guess the international media too, has lopped off half of Fernandez' name when they're talking to her/about her. Her name is Leylah Annie Fernandez and she's always been called Leylah Annie by the Canadian media. I must admit I personally find that a mouthful and Leylah by itself is a pretty name but I wonder if she doesn't have a p.r. person to correct the media.

[woodstock]

Unfortunately, we have reached the point where anytime someone uses a bathroom or medical timeout it can erupt into accusations of gamesmanship

[CountryGirl]

I guess I’ll sit alone on my bench of enjoying the players (Leylah, Carlos, Francis et al) getting the crowd into it. They are having the time of their lives and competing to a packed house after over a year and a half of minimal, if any, fans present and are making the most of the experience. They love seeing the crowd - period - whether they are cheering for them or their opponents and it’s a wonderful thing to see. 

Which is very different IMO than Novaxx’s “You must love ME (and only me)” antics. 

And if I were in the camp of Carlos or Leylah, I highly doubt I’d be sedately sitting in my seat. Heck, I was on my feet many times in my LIVING ROOM watching their matches. 🤣

 

[Crashcourse]

I don't mind the players getting the crowd into it as long as it's not over the top.  I like Tiafoe but I thought his antics were way too much and kudos to FAA for keeping his composure.  I also didn't like how Tiafoe acted when he lost.  I'm sure losing was a big disappointment but he just sulked off the court, shirtless, and I thought he could have done a better job of thanking the crowd that cheered so hard for him.   

I do prefer calmer players like Sinner.  That kid's got ice water in his veins.

[Jillibean]

I was at the Open yesterday and had the pleasure of seeing the first two Armstrong matches live. Fernandez/Kerber was such a thrilling match, but I'm not at all convinced Leylah has the form needed to win the whole thing, at least not without a lot of help. Her shot making is phenomenal, but her serve was a mess and she made a ton of errors. Angie's energy was very different, to the point where people sitting near me commented that she looked like she didn't care if she won or lost the point. She didn't play badly, but she also didn't look inspired to me. I think another player would have had a straight sets win based on how many mistakes Leylah made the first two sets. I'll also say, asking for the pump-ups from the crowd plays so very differently in person when you are a part of the atmosphere. It becomes so electric in there, especially during tight matches. Leylah plays every point so passionately and with such intensity; it makes sense to me that she would use that energy and elicit it. And honestly, if she hadn't, she probably would have been done when she was down a set and a break. It takes some real mental toughness to still believe you can win in that situation against a veteran player who has been demolishing you. 

Can someone tell me if we like Reilly Opelka? I haven't been paying attention and I don't want to root for him and then find out he's of the Isner/Sandgren mold. 

Also, apropos of nothing, it is basically impossible in person to tell if a ball was out or not because the calls are nowhere near as loud as the stadium white noise, and it makes a lot of points that end near a line more anticlimactic than they should be, with basically a whole stadium trying to use context clues to decide who won the point. 

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by Jillibean

[Danny Franks]

So I don't think I'm reaching here, but Emma Raducanu looks like a legitimately great player in the making.

She's absolutely dominating Shelby Rogers, after overcoming early nerves, and just keeps hitting ridiculously good shots, including some of the best returns of serve I've seen in a while.

Obviously she's still got things to work on, but she's going to rocket into the top 100 on the back of the US Open and looks like that upward trajectory will continue.

[emmawoodhouse]

38 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

Can someone tell me if we like Reilly Opelka? I haven't been paying attention and I don't want to root for him and then find out he's of the Isner/Sandgren mold. 

 

Opelika is on his way out, so we don't have to worry about him yet. He was fined for bringing an unauthorized bag on court the other day, but other than that, I got nuttin'.

[Crashcourse]

I had never heard of Emily Raducanu before this Slam, but she was delightful in her post match interview.  

[TVbitch]

Compared to going to a NBA or NFL game, where the crowd screams at the top of their lungs constantly throughout the entire match time, tennis is still downright genteel! I'm glad there is still a measure of decorum, but I don't mind when the crowd goes electric. My most favorite Open match ever was Med/Rafa, where Med had been doing his pro wresting villain routine the whole tournament and had the crowd booing him, then won them back over as the match went on solely on the basis of his no-quit play. That was enormously entertaining. I kind of miss Evil Med. 

I'm sure Brooksby/Dj will be nuts and hopefully it will infuriate Novak! 

[Medicine Crow]

1 hour ago, Jillibean said:

Can someone tell me if we like Reilly Opelka? I haven't been paying attention and I don't want to root for him and then find out he's of the Isner/Sandgren mold. 

Lucky you to be able to attend the U.S. Open & get to see those games.  I'm green all over.

I don't know which "mold" Isner/Sandgren fall into.  Illuminate me please.  Also, I'd never heard of Reilly until just lately & he hasn't had time to impress me.

[Danny Franks]

46 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I had never heard of Emily Raducanu before this Slam, but she was delightful in her post match interview.  

She shot to fame in the UK by getting to the fourth round of Wimbledon, her first ever Grand Slam, a couple of months ago. She was then insulted online by Piers Morgan because she withdrew from her fourth round match through illness.

And she's risen almost two hundred places in the world rankings since July, set to go up a lot more regardless of how her quarter final against Bencic goes (let's be honest, it's a tall order).

[Harry24]

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

So I don't think I'm reaching here, but Emma Raducanu looks like a legitimately great player in the making.

She's absolutely dominating Shelby Rogers, after overcoming early nerves, and just keeps hitting ridiculously good shots, including some of the best returns of serve I've seen in a while.

Obviously she's still got things to work on, but she's going to rocket into the top 100 on the back of the US Open and looks like that upward trajectory will continue.

I only saw the last few minutes of the match, but Evert and the male Chris (forget his last name) were saying that Rogers basically had a complete mental meltdown and forgot how to play.  They said it was one of those nightmares that every player has at some point.  They seemed to attribute the score to how poorly Rogers was playing more than Raducanu being outstanding.  

That said, ER seems like a lovely, lovely girl, and I hope she is actually a new star at the top of the game, because she would be great to have around. 

[Danny Franks]

7 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

I only saw the last few minutes of the match, but Evert and the male Chris (forget his last name) were saying that Rogers basically had a complete mental meltdown and forgot how to play.  They said it was one of those nightmares that every player has at some point.  They seemed to attribute the score to how poorly Rogers was playing more than Raducanu being outstanding. 

Martina Navratilova credited Emma with bullying Rogers out of her gameplan and mindset, causing the meltdown. Rogers actually started really well, breaking Raducanu's serve in the first game, but Raducanu just forced her way into the match and took over. But I suppose it's six of one, half a dozen of the other and, either way, Rogers will be unhappy with how things went.

Bencic will be the first seeded player Emma has to face in a Grand Slam and it will be a real test.

[truthaboutluv]

10 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

I guess I’ll sit alone on my bench of enjoying the players (Leylah, Carlos, Francis et al) getting the crowd into it. They are having the time of their lives and competing to a packed house after over a year and a half of minimal, if any, fans present and are making the most of the experience. They love seeing the crowd - period - whether they are cheering for them or their opponents and it’s a wonderful thing to see. 

My issue is not with a cheering crowd (unless they start getting loud and obnoxious and start jeering at players because they're rooting for another player) and by all means, I love when the crowd appreciates an amazing point and amazing play.

It's the hands waving indicating for the crowd to get up, the fingers to the ears as if to say, "let me hear it," in Tiafoe's case for example, it's chest pumping and posing like he's in a wrestling match. It just for me quickly veers from passion and excitement to obnoxious. 

 

4 hours ago, TVbitch said:

My most favorite Open match ever was Med/Rafa, where Med had been doing his pro wresting villain routine the whole tournament and had the crowd booing him, then won them back over as the match went on solely on the basis of his no-quit play. That was enormously entertaining.

And this is an example of what I mean. The crowd was very into that match, there was loud cheering and chanting for some of the more amazing points. But unless I'm just forgetting about it, I don't remember Rafa or Medvedev gesturing for the crowd to get up, scream more or any of that stuff. 

No, they'd play an amazing point, the crowd would appreciate it and they'd move on to the next point. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by truthaboutluv

[truthaboutluv]

20 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

 They seemed to attribute the score to how poorly Rogers was playing more than Raducanu being outstanding.  

That may have been the case by the second set for sure but it was not for the first set, where as the poster above noted, Shelby actually came out playing quite well and Emma looked a bit tight and a little nervous.

She turned the first set around by playing some big moments fearlessly and she started hitting the lines with far more accuracy. So I don't think it's a completely fair assessment for Chrissie and company to make it seem like Emma's win was just Shelby's falling apart. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Shelby Rogers expects death threats on social media after her loss today.

[emmawoodhouse]

Come on, Brooksby! You've got the crowd. 👍

[Spunkygal]

1 minute ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Come on, Brooksby! You've got the crowd. 👍

I’m not too optimistic for the long haul, but hell yeah!

[Spunkygal]

Brooksby broke his mojo by changing shirts after the first set. 

[CountryGirl]

7 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Brooksby broke his mojo by changing shirts after the first set. 

I thought the same thing. Sometimes, I think Joker loses the first set on purpose as if he wants to play with his prey before devouring it. 

[theatremouse]

Sometimes I think he half asses the first set because he assumes he'll win it anyway; then when he loses that first set, comes roaring back all "how dare you think you can take a set off me".

[emmawoodhouse]

Damn it all, I jinxed Brooksby. 😭

[blackwing]

11 hours ago, woodstock said:

Unfortunately, we have reached the point where anytime someone uses a bathroom or medical timeout it can erupt into accusations of gamesmanship

I’m completely with Garbine.  I watched the end of that match and it was ridiculous.  Garbine had all the momentum and then Krejickova calls a medical timeout.  She comes back and wins seven points in a row.  Chris Evert even commented that Krejcikova looked like she was having a hard time walking in between points and yet it didn’t seem to affect her play at all.

Evert commented that it was puzzling that the serve clock hadn’t started on time (implying they were purposefully giving Krejcikova more time).  And then during Garbine’s serve, Krecjikova slowly walked over to the towel and slowly walked back.  Really?  Why would the chair umpire allow that?

I think medical timeouts should come at a cost, like they lose a point or something.  I watched the end of Berrettini/Otte.  Otte fell awkwardly trying for a ball and landed on his hand badly.  He did take a medical but it wasn’t abusive and when the commentators thought he might take a second medical to get the hand taped, he didn’t.  I think Berry was going to win anyways even before the injury, but I thought it was classy for Otte to want to finish the match as is, without delaying anymore and without retiring.

I am running out of players to root for on the women’s side.  Krejickova and her pinched face are dead to me now.

[TVbitch]

Ah, he's gassed. But he's learning what it's gonna take. ....go gluten-free, young fella! : D

[Jillibean]

5 hours ago, Medicine Crow said:

Lucky you to be able to attend the U.S. Open & get to see those games.  I'm green all over.

I don't know which "mold" Isner/Sandgren fall into.  Illuminate me please.  Also, I'd never heard of Reilly until just lately & he hasn't had time to impress me.

Well, I once watched Isner throw a hissy fit to the chair ump that his challenging of line calls wasn't going the way he wanted (i.e. he wasn't winning his challenges) and that the computer must be broken.