Tennis League All Thread

[n0ne]

Sabalenka won the title in Madrid by beating Swiatek in 3 sets 6:3, 3:6, 6:3. Quite an unexpected result if you ask me, my bet was on Iga (see post above). Sabalenka started very agressively, first set was rather easy. In the beginning of the second, Iga managed to break her opponent and was leading 3:0. However the Belarussian managed to come back 3:3, only to lose in the ending 3:6. In the 3rd it was the other way round - Aryna got ahead 3:0 and Swiatek managed to come back and make it 3:3 but then lost 3:6. Congrats to the Belarussian, who turned 25 earlier in Madrid. Nice birthday present, huh?  

Men's final tomorrow.

Myself had similar thought, Swiatek to be the champion of Madrid Open. Looking the score Sabalenka is strong and dominant from the beginning. Second and third sets were really different from the regular game. In the second set Swiatek have made a comeback and won the set. In the third set same as that Sabalenka have won the set and lifted the trophy. Earlier these two met in the WTA finals 2022 and Swiatek lost in the similar way as 2-6 6-2 1-6. Big birthday present for Sabalenka.

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[aoluain]

Sabalenka won the title in Madrid by beating Swiatek in 3 sets 6:3, 3:6, 6:3. Quite an unexpected result if you ask me, my bet was on Iga (see post above). Sabalenka started very agressively, first set was rather easy. In the beginning of the second, Iga managed to break her opponent and was leading 3:0. However the Belarussian managed to come back 3:3, only to lose in the ending 3:6. In the 3rd it was the other way round - Aryna got ahead 3:0 and Swiatek managed to come back and make it 3:3 but then lost 3:6. Congrats to the Belarussian, who turned 25 earlier in Madrid. Nice birthday present, huh?  

Men's final tomorrow.

Myself had similar thought, Swiatek to be the champion of Madrid Open. Looking the score Sabalenka is strong and dominant from the beginning. Second and third sets were really different from the regular game. In the second set Swiatek have made a comeback and won the set. In the third set same as that Sabalenka have won the set and lifted the trophy. Earlier these two met in the WTA finals 2022 and Swiatek lost in the similar way as 2-6 6-2 1-6. Big birthday present for Sabalenka.

In the end I didnt make a bet. Eventhough Swiatek was favourite the signs were
there that Sabalenka was a very capable opponent and that it has been shown
already this year that Swiatek is beatable.

After all Sabalenka is not no.2 in the rankings for nothing!

This was a great win it is getting closer now that there isnt just 1 top player, we
hopefully can look forward to similar battles between these two! In the interview
with the amazon prime courtside pundits Sabalenka hinted at the same point,
she wants to make the tournaments more interesting by being able to beat Swiatek.

[posi]

Myself had similar thought, Swiatek to be the champion of Madrid Open. Looking the score Sabalenka is strong and dominant from the beginning. Second and third sets were really different from the regular game. In the second set Swiatek have made a comeback and won the set. In the third set same as that Sabalenka have won the set and lifted the trophy. Earlier these two met in the WTA finals 2022 and Swiatek lost in the similar way as 2-6 6-2 1-6. Big birthday present for Sabalenka.

In the end I didnt make a bet. Eventhough Swiatek was favourite the signs were
there that Sabalenka was a very capable opponent and that it has been shown
already this year that Swiatek is beatable.

After all Sabalenka is not no.2 in the rankings for nothing!
This was a great win it is getting closer now that there isnt just 1 top player, we
hopefully can look forward to similar battles between these two! In the interview
with the amazon prime courtside pundits Sabalenka hinted at the same point,
she wants to make the tournaments more interesting by being able to beat Swiatek.

This was actually a great match. Not one sided at all. After the second set, it was absolutely hard to predict who will be able to win the match.

I absolutely agree with @aoluain that she is not so high in the rankings for nothing.
But I understand why people thought she might lose the match.

After all, this was going to be a really competitive match. And that's exactly what happened.
After the match, I think everyone could understand why it was so hard to predict this match.

[bitbollo]

Nadal announces forfeit, since he will not participate in the Internazionali in Rome.
a bad news for tennis fans (like me who will obviously follow some live matches ) but above all Its also a bad news for him since the player also risks to fall out from the ATP top 100 !

[BitcoinAccepted]

Alcaraz has won the tournament again. Still impressive what he has shown again. He is so consistent, and in long rallies he is almost always the better one. There are few players who can keep up with his level. I'm afraid we won't see Nadal again in Paris. Nadal would prefer to only play Paris, but that's not how it works with top sport. He needs to prepare and get match rhythm. But how will he do that if he suffers from injuries and is not fit in time? Alcaraz is the favorite in Paris in my opinion. Andy Murry also won another tournament, the first in 4-5 years. Still a huge achievement. It used to be one of the best tennis players in the world, do you think he could find the connection again?

[aoluain]

Nadal announces forfeit, since he will not participate in the Internazionali in Rome.
a bad news for tennis fans (like me who will obviously follow some live matches ) but above all Its also a bad news for him since the player also risks to fall out from the ATP top 100 !

Thats not good and a bit worrying that its taking so long for that hip injury to heal
and for him to get back to fitness.

Alcaraz has won the tournament again. Still impressive what he has shown again. He is so consistent, and in long rallies he is almost always the better one. There are few players who can keep up with his level.

Yes good win by Alcaraz and Struff in fairness gave a very good account of himself,
managed to take a set from Alcaraz but in the end Alcaraz showed his class eventhough
Struff as suggested tried the serve and volley tactic.

[serveria.com]

Nadal announces forfeit, since he will not participate in the Internazionali in Rome.
a bad news for tennis fans (like me who will obviously follow some live matches ) but above all Its also a bad news for him since the player also risks to fall out from the ATP top 100 !

Thats not good and a bit worrying that its taking so long for that hip injury to heal
and for him to get back to fitness.

Alcaraz has won the tournament again. Still impressive what he has shown again. He is so consistent, and in long rallies he is almost always the better one. There are few players who can keep up with his level.

Yes good win by Alcaraz and Struff in fairness gave a very good account of himself,
managed to take a set from Alcaraz but in the end Alcaraz showed his class eventhough
Struff as suggested tried the serve and volley tactic.

Agreed, Struff showed his best tennis. But to be fair, he missed some good break opportunities and who knows what the outcome would have been if the German would be a bit more confident.

Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova pulls out of Rome with a foot injury: https://www.flashscore.com/news/tennis-rome-wta-singles-miami-champion-petra-kvitova-withdraws-from-italian-open/tU92YLAt/

[bitbollo]

Agreed, Struff showed his best tennis. But to be fair, he missed some good break opportunities and who knows what the outcome would have been if the German would be a bit more confident.

Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova pulls out of Rome with a foot injury: https://www.flashscore.com/news/tennis-rome-wta-singles-miami-champion-petra-kvitova-withdraws-from-italian-open/tU92YLAt/

Struff played really well in the second set and also in the first set he was able to worry the Spanish player.
But this is not enough, Alcaraz's performances are simply "aliens". His tennis is really of another level

[n0ne]

Agreed, Struff showed his best tennis. But to be fair, he missed some good break opportunities and who knows what the outcome would have been if the German would be a bit more confident.

Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova pulls out of Rome with a foot injury: https://www.flashscore.com/news/tennis-rome-wta-singles-miami-champion-petra-kvitova-withdraws-from-italian-open/tU92YLAt/

Struff played really well in the second set and also in the first set he was able to worry the Spanish player.
But this is not enough, Alcaraz's performances are simply "aliens". His tennis is really of another level

Struff gave good fightback, and this could've gone even closer. The young Alcaraz have once again proved he's stronger than others.
For Struff this is a big progress, because in most of the tournament he leaves at the quarter finals. Moving to the finals and losing could give confidence to perform well in the upcoming tournaments.

Also for Struff it is a big opportunity, he should've made some additional efforts to win the match avoiding small mistakes.

[aoluain]

Italian Open - Rome

The rounds of 128 get under way today and I notice that there are a lot of Italian players
in action today, 5 today who have made it through the qualifiers, another 6 in action
tomorrow. I think tennis in Italy is becoming stronger and stronger.

Lets see how the top italians do this year, big things expected of Sonego, Musetti and
of course Sinner.

Eyes will be on Alcaraz of course, along with Djokovic but its really Alcaraz' tournament
to lose.

[shogun47]

Italian Open - Rome

The rounds of 128 get under way today and I notice that there are a lot of Italian players
in action today, 5 today who have made it through the qualifiers, another 6 in action
tomorrow. I think tennis in Italy is becoming stronger and stronger.

Lets see how the top italians do this year, big things expected of Sonego, Musetti and
of course Sinner.

Eyes will be on Alcaraz of course, along with Djokovic but its really Alcaraz' tournament
to lose.

That is true I have tried to understand the current situation in the ATP ranking. Is Alcaraz going to take the lead no matter what the outcome of this ranking is? I used one website that provides a forecast, but it also seems to use another starting point where Alcaraz already is on 1st rank. If I understand the ATP ranking correctly, Alcaraz is still 5 points down. When I search for ATP ranking after Rome, it puts Alcaraz in 1st rank anyway. Is it because Djokovic is dropping points from a tournament of all of those that he didn't play now?

[bitbollo]

Italian Open - Rome

The rounds of 128 get under way today and I notice that there are a lot of Italian players
in action today, 5 today who have made it through the qualifiers, another 6 in action
tomorrow. I think tennis in Italy is becoming stronger and stronger.

Lets see how the top italians do this year, big things expected of Sonego, Musetti and
of course Sinner.

Eyes will be on Alcaraz of course, along with Djokovic but its really Alcaraz' tournament
to lose.

as Italian I can only agree with you. I mean, until a few years ago the "top" was represented by Fognini (also known as Fogna - sewer by the "evil ones") or Volandri or Seppi. Certainly all capable players but really far from Sinner Berrettini Sonego etc etc... in short, new truly capable players are constantly emerging ... years ago anyone who was in the top 100 was already considered a sort of privileged now it is almost "normal"
I'm curious to see what Sinner will be able to do here in Rome. there is a lot of interst for his performance and he could surely make a very good tournament

[posi]

snip~
I'm curious to see what Sinner will be able to do here in Rome. there is a lot of interst for his performance and he could surely make a very good tournament

A good performance is certainly expected from Sinner. I feel like he is going to be the crowd favourite.
His last tournament did not have the best outcome for him. He could not play in the quarter-final of the Barcelona Open.
He is surely going to think that he has a point to prove in this tournament of course.
It is going to be interesting to see his progress in this tournament.

[tusandii]

Djere Laslo will be fighting Lestienne Constant later and I'm taking Djere Lasto's bet to win.
Laslo himself is a fairly reliable tennis player, having been ranked 27th in the men's singles world and won two ATP Tour men's singles titles.
Even though the odds are quite low, if you risk a more money then the return that you can get if you win will also be quite good.

[bct_ail]

What I wanted to say about the final between Alcaraz and Struff. It was a surprise that Struff made it to the final.
And the way he played it as well. At times he was even the better player. The second set was sensational from him. Especially the game number 5. That lasted 15 minutes. In the third set it was the audience that helped Alcaraz to win.

[Strongkored]

What I wanted to say about the final between Alcaraz and Struff. It was a surprise that Struff made it to the final.
And the way he played it as well. At times he was even the better player. The second set was sensational from him. Especially the game number 5. That lasted 15 minutes. In the third set it was the audience that helped Alcaraz to win.

At the Mutua Madrid Struff is the second player to take a set from Alcaraz and it shows that Struff is playing well enough to keep pace with Alcaraz who is the big favorite here. Alcaraz has good stats when he's playing and taking the first set was almost a win for him in straight sets but Struff took the second and made the match even longer as going through the decider was already a surprise, and playing in front of the public is an added advantage for Alcaraz and in my opinion only a player like Medvedev can cope well with the pressure of the crowd.

At the ATP Rome, Alcaraz will get a tougher match in my opinion, because several players who can challenge him will play in this tournament, apart from Djokovic although he has not shown anything good throughout this clay season, he will still be counted as a challenger for the title, moreover, he is the defending champion here. Also there is Sinner who is recovering from injury, and the Italian will be in the same draw as Djokovic so it is very possible to see him face Alcaraz in the final, but it is still too early because the surprise at the Mutua Madrid is still possible happened, where the unseeded player which actually goes a step further.

[bitbollo]

Italian Open - Rome

The rounds of 128 get under way today and I notice that there are a lot of Italian players
in action today, 5 today who have made it through the qualifiers, another 6 in action
tomorrow. I think tennis in Italy is becoming stronger and stronger.

Lets see how the top italians do this year, big things expected of Sonego, Musetti and
of course Sinner.

Eyes will be on Alcaraz of course, along with Djokovic but its really Alcaraz' tournament
to lose.

as Italian I can only agree with you. I mean, until a few years ago the "top" was represented by Fognini (also known as Fogna - sewer by the "evil ones") or Volandri or Seppi. Certainly all capable players but really far from Sinner Berrettini Sonego etc etc... in short, new truly capable players are constantly emerging ... years ago anyone who was in the top 100 was already considered a sort of privileged now it is almost "normal"
I'm curious to see what Sinner will be able to do here in Rome. there is a lot of interst for his performance and he could surely make a very good tournament

https://www.internazionalibnlditalia.com/news/in-evidenza/checco-meglio-di-fritz-maestrelli-abbatte-la-muraglia-zhang/
Another "italian" surprise!
Francesco Maestrelli (Atp 180) has won against n. 69 of ATP and chiese n. 1 Zhang!
Awesome win! Zhang was also able to play and win against Fritz! What a result for Italian player...lets see how It will continue his experience on tour.
the weather here in rome brings a series of rainy days...probably there will be /delays/games interrupted etc etc....

[BALIK]

What I wanted to say about the final between Alcaraz and Struff. It was a surprise that Struff made it to the final.
And the way he played it as well. At times he was even the better player. The second set was sensational from him. Especially the game number 5. That lasted 15 minutes. In the third set it was the audience that helped Alcaraz to win.

At the Mutua Madrid Struff is the second player to take a set from Alcaraz and it shows that Struff is playing well enough to keep pace with Alcaraz who is the big favorite here. Alcaraz has good stats when he's playing and taking the first set was almost a win for him in straight sets but Struff took the second and made the match even longer as going through the decider was already a surprise, and playing in front of the public is an added advantage for Alcaraz and in my opinion only a player like Medvedev can cope well with the pressure of the crowd.

At the ATP Rome, Alcaraz will get a tougher match in my opinion, because several players who can challenge him will play in this tournament, apart from Djokovic although he has not shown anything good throughout this clay season, he will still be counted as a challenger for the title, moreover, he is the defending champion here. Also there is Sinner who is recovering from injury, and the Italian will be in the same draw as Djokovic so it is very possible to see him face Alcaraz in the final, but it is still too early because the surprise at the Mutua Madrid is still possible happened, where the unseeded player which actually goes a step further.

I also agree that in this tournament Alcaraz is going to get tough opponents. But the expectation is still going to be high from him. After all, he is the number one player in tennis right now. There are some players who will be very hard competition for him. But I also still expect him to be in the finals.

Surprises can happen in this tournament. But I don't think there will be any surprises about Alcaraz reaching the finals of this tournament. Djokovic vs Alcaraz, going to be a great final if it happens. It also feels like any other open and for either of them is going to be easy.

[shogun47]

What I wanted to say about the final between Alcaraz and Struff. It was a surprise that Struff made it to the final.
And the way he played it as well. At times he was even the better player. The second set was sensational from him. Especially the game number 5. That lasted 15 minutes. In the third set it was the audience that helped Alcaraz to win.

At the Mutua Madrid Struff is the second player to take a set from Alcaraz and it shows that Struff is playing well enough to keep pace with Alcaraz who is the big favorite here. Alcaraz has good stats when he's playing and taking the first set was almost a win for him in straight sets but Struff took the second and made the match even longer as going through the decider was already a surprise, and playing in front of the public is an added advantage for Alcaraz and in my opinion only a player like Medvedev can cope well with the pressure of the crowd.

At the ATP Rome, Alcaraz will get a tougher match in my opinion, because several players who can challenge him will play in this tournament, apart from Djokovic although he has not shown anything good throughout this clay season, he will still be counted as a challenger for the title, moreover, he is the defending champion here. Also there is Sinner who is recovering from injury, and the Italian will be in the same draw as Djokovic so it is very possible to see him face Alcaraz in the final, but it is still too early because the surprise at the Mutua Madrid is still possible happened, where the unseeded player which actually goes a step further.

I also agree that in this tournament Alcaraz is going to get tough opponents. But the expectation is still going to be high from him. After all, he is the number one player in tennis right now. There are some players who will be very hard competition for him. But I also still expect him to be in the finals.

Surprises can happen in this tournament. But I don't think there will be any surprises about Alcaraz reaching the finals of this tournament. Djokovic vs Alcaraz, going to be a great final if it happens. It also feels like any other open and for either of them is going to be easy.

Does the draw for a tournament always happen based on the players' rankings? Because I remember I read some news a couple of days ago and it said that it could be that Djokovic gets a lower seed and would then meet Alcaraz earlier in the tournament. Does the organizer have the last word when it comes to the seeds or is it definitely based on ATP points?

In this case it is good to know that we have a chance for a final between Djokovic and Alcaraz. Those are the games where it is worth taking some time off and watch it.

[serveria.com]

Watching Murray - Fognini now. Very entertaining encounter so far. It's 3rd set now, 6:4, 4:6 and Fognini leading 2:0 in the 3rd. Fabio managed to break the Brit early in the 3rd set. The battle of veterans is always fun to watch.