Cincinnati SF preview and pick: Del Potro vs. Isner

Originally posted on The Grandstand:
John Isner will be back in Cincinnati action one day after stunning top seed Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Up next for Isner is a Saturday rematch of the Washington, D.C. final with Juan Martin Del Potro. Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner will be going head-to-head for the…

Cincinnati SF preview and pick: Nadal vs. Berdych

Originally posted on The Grandstand:
Fresh off wins over Roger Federer and Andy Murray, respectively, Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych will face each other on Saturday in the Cincinnati semifinals. The winner will go up against either Juan Martin Del Potro or John Isner for the title. Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych will be squaring…

WTA Cincinnati Predictions: August 16, 2013

Predicted Winners in BOLD Quarterfinals Serena Williams (1) vs. Simona Halep – I’ll take Serena. Victoria Azarenka (2) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (10) – Can the Great and Powerful Woz continue her rebound?  I think she pulls off an upset. Roberta Vinci (12) vs. Jelena Jankovic (14) – I think JJ wins a 50-50 match.

Tennis Masters Cincinnati Predictions: August 16, 2013

Predicted Winners in BOLD Quarterfinals Novak Djokovic (1) vs. John Isner – Novak should win this match.  If Isner holds with great frequency he always has a puncher’s chance, but I think Novak’s return game generates at least one break per set. Juan Martin del Potro (7) vs. Dmitry Tursunov – The Russian has earned a lot of computer points that…

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Tennis Masters Cincinnati Predictions: August 15, 2013

Predicted Winners in BOLD Third Round Milos Raonic (12) vs. John Isner – This should be a match full of long rallies and multiple service breaks.  This is a 50-50 match that will come down to tiebreaks and maybe one or two service breaks.  I’ll take Isner as Raonic has more or less backed up last week’s result….

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Cincinnati WTA Predictions: August 15, 2013

Predicted Winners in BOLD Third Round Agnieszka Radwanska (4) vs. Elena Vesnina _ Radwanska’s game is not typical of the WTA, but she is in the top 5 for a reason. Serena Williams (1) vs. Mona Barthel – Serena FTW Victoria Azarenka (2) vs. Magdalena Rybarikova – Vika needs a strong Summer season. Samantha Stosur (11) vs. Simona Halep – Stosur is playing well for the first…

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Cincinnati Day 2 recap and photos

Originally posted on The Grandstand:
Winning has not been the norm for Roger Federer of late, but it is the norm in Cincinnati. The five-time champion was up to his old habits with his old racket on Tuesday night as he opened with a straight-set win over Philipp Kohlschreiber. Federer played a stellar first set…

Cincinnati Masters Predictions: August 14

Predicted Winners in BOLD These have to be quick today Second Round Rafael Nadal (4) vs. Benjamin Becker – Rafa rolls Milos Raonic (12) vs. Janko Tipsarevic – Janko has been in a free-fall as of late. Tommy Haas (11) vs. Marcel Granollers – On a hard court, I am taking Haas. Juan Martin del Potro (7) vs. Nikolay Davydenko – Does JMDP begin a charge toward New…

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Quick Hits on Attending a Tennis Tournament

Be sure to spend a decent amount of time at the practice courts.  A lot of the best fan access and insights into how well ATP and WTA players hit the ball is to be had on the practice courts.  Not every practice session is as unique as Bartoli’s, but the practice courts are the…

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