Predicted Winners in BOLD [6] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) vs. Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) – Pliskova has all of the qualities of a Grand Slam Champion, can being seeded 6th help her cause? [1] Simona Halep (ROU) vs. [WC] Destanee Aiava (AUS) – Halep has handled the #1 ranking reasonably well, but a 1st major would give her…
Tag: Australian Open
Australian Open Memories – Safin v Sampras 2002
Safin avenged his 2001 US Open semifinal loss to Sampras as both players brought out the best in each other.
Australian Open 2018: Day 1 Men’s Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD [3] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs. [Q] Dennis Novak (AUT) – How will Dimitrov deal with increased expectations? I am not sure, but he should win this match. [1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) – Rafa has a very workable draw Down Under. [16] John Isner (USA) vs. Matthew Ebden (AUS) –…
Australian Open 2018: Day 1 Women’s Singles Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD [7] Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) vs. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) – This is not the easiest draw. Each player has won Roland Garros. Still, Ostapenko should win. [5] Venus Williams (USA) vs. Belinda Bencic (SUI) – Another interesting draw, but I think Venus’ solid 2017 earns her the benefit of the doubt. [23] Daria Gavrilova (AUS)…
Australian Open 2017: Federer Changed the Narrative
History Roger Federer’s career has been marked by a lot of record setting. Yet, his head-to-head deficit versus Rafa Nadal has been the source of a lot of debate. Roger won their first 5-set major final by taking the 2007 Wimbledon final in an epic fashion. The 2008 Wimbledon final was a sequel that surpassed…
Australian Open 2017: Federer vs. Nadal – Championship Prediction
#RogerFederer showers praise on #RafaelNadal before #AusOpen final, declaring he’s Rafa’s No. 1 fan! >> https://t.co/ApstH0M3Iv pic.twitter.com/A3OZXGVLBk — Live Tennis (@livetennis) January 28, 2017 Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal This match is a blast from the past and historically significant. Federer and Nadal have only played twice since Roger switched racquets. Nadal won a…
Australian Open 2017: Serena vs. Venus One More Time
Hey, let’s do this again in 2017 Championship Match: Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams Venus Williams holds 7 major singles titles and an 8th would be a great capstone for a career that shines. Serena Williams is seeking sole possession of the all-time singles major total in the Open Era. One way or another the…
Australian Open 2017: Rafael Nadal vs. Grigor Dimitrov Semifinal Prediction
Rafael Nadal vs. Grigor Dimitrov Grigor Dimitrov is riding a 10 match winning streak, is 6’3″, has a big serve, is a shot-maker, and beat Rafael Nadal in their most recent meeting. That all bodes well for the Bulgarian. What does not bode well are his 6 losses to Nadal, the 3 of 5 set…
Australian Open 2017: Roger Federer vs. Stan Wawrinka Semifinal Prediction
ROD LAVER ARENA [4] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs [17] Roger Federer (SUI) Stan Wawrinka ended 2016 with a bit of a wobble after winning the US Open in September. Roger Federer missed the final 6 months of the 2016 season. I did not expect either man to be in the semifinal, but I am only mildly surprised…
Australian Open 2017: Venus Williams vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
ROD LAVER ARENA [13] Venus Williams (USA) vs CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) Each player enters this semifinal with a head of steam. I think CoCo has played a tougher slate of opponents to reach the semifinal round. Venus has an experience edge and has been in many major semifinals. Therefore, we could be looking at a 50-50 match. Venus…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 