Week 4: Australian Open [Hall]

[SirBloody Idiot]

Good players are allowed to lose a set in the first round of a tournament, just ask Fed.

Excellent write-up, can't wait to take to the court tomorrow.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Good to get a disciplined win. Hopefully I can push Blanco a bit, take a set or two off him and you never know what could happen in the heat of the Aus Open.

EDIT: Absolutely awesome write-up, too.

 

[Simon]

Tough break for Bowenburg, always tough to come up against an Aussie in a night match at the open. Think of it like this, you just lost to Chris Guccione.

 

[NUFAN]

Wow, Bowenburg has sunk to an all time low.

Also what is with the scheduling of this Australian open, I can't see the ball once it gets past 1am in the morning. Crazy

It was "ridiculous" for me to have been scheduled to play at that time. I "should have won" against Rod had the Open's match scheduling committee granted my request for a day match in view of my age.

"For the people, I requested to play during the day, and it didn't happen, I think it's ridiculous," "Especially me, at my age, it's difficult."

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Think of it like this, you just lost to Chris Guccione.

I'm sure that consoles him...

Poor day for the island, really. Only Rivers impressed.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Wow, Bowenburg has sunk to an all time low.

Also what is with the scheduling of this Australian open, I can't see the ball once it gets past 1am in the morning. Crazy

It was "ridiculous" for me to have been scheduled to play at that time. I "should have won" against Rod had the Open's match scheduling committee granted my request for a day match in view of my age.

"For the people, I requested to play during the day, and it didn't happen, I think it's ridiculous," "Especially me, at my age, it's difficult."

MELBOURNE. Tennis Australia officials have demanded an apology from first round loser Rob Bowenburg following a sensational outburst at the tournament organisers. Bowenburg gave up a two-sets to one lead against Australian qualifier Rod Bosnar and eventually crashed out 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 in a match that finished after 1 a.m. the following day.

Bowenburg, 25, suggested it was "ridiculous" that he'd be scheduled to play at that time and that it was "ludicrous and absolutely lacking in logic" to schedule two men's singles matches in the evening. "Just because the WTA is inexplicably absent from where [the Sunday Times'] reporters are covering matches doesn't mean they aren't deserving of the attention.

"I requested to play during the day, and it didn't happen, I think it's ridiculous. Especially me, at my age, it's difficult."

Local officials have hit back at the German-bron West CWLander, with one suggesting Bowenburg was having a lend. "Is he for real? He's ****ing 25!" the official said. "We'd like an apology from him, or he dead set isn't coming back".

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

"Is he for real? He's ****ing 25!" the official said. "We'd like an apology from him, or he dead set isn't coming back".

Nice work, the Lob.

 

[ripper868]

Maxum would like to convey his support of the Bowenburg dummy spit.

 

[NUFAN]

Maxum would like to convey his support of the Bowenburg dummy spit.

Bowenburg is just like Anna Kournikova.

***y, fashionable, handy doubles player who never wins any singles tournaments.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I'm bringing ***y back.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
2nd Round (Wednesday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)

• It was a horror performance from 31st seed Heath Davis (1-3R) in the second round of the Australian Open as he was roundly thrashed by world No. 93 Julian Day in the upset of the day. The West CWLander had been impressive in his first round match, but so too had Day as he picked up a 6-1, 7-6(6), 6-1 victory against Ivars Emsis; a towering Latvian with a similarly powerful serve to Davis. Despite that, Davis would have believed he had a more rounded game than the tallest man on tour, but he was found sorely wanting by the aggressive American who managed to break service mid way through the first set. It was not all going his way, though, as Davis created a number of opportunities for himself but squandered them with some frustrating errors. After dropping the first despite having two break points at 2-1, Davis began to look for the lines in response to Day's tendency to work him around the court. The unforced errors flowed, and at 0-4 Davis broke his first racquet of the match. It seemed to light a fire under him as he earned a service break to be 2-4, but it was answered beautifully by Day who slotted a forehand winner to move ahead 5-2. After serving out the second set, Day grew in confidence and it did not help his opponent when a contentious call from the umpire resulted in the American going up yet another break early in the third. Without Hawkeye on the outside courts, a bewildered Davis was quick to air his grievances to the chair umpire at the change of ends and very nearly earned another code violation. He would not have much time to push the umpire any further, though, as he slumped to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 loss in a horror day for the world No. 31. That ranking is not likely to stay, either, after he managed to defend just 45 of the 180 points he earned last season.

• In contrast to Davis, seventeenth seed Randy Smeltz (1-QR2) looks in fine form as he continued through to the third round with a straight sets thrashing of Ion Andueza. Andueza has had some surprising successes on the hard courts, but in a generally unattractive match fought at the baseline could not outlast Smeltz. The 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline suggested a quick win for Smeltz, but although he was dominant all three sets lasted the best part of an hour as a number of long rallies characterised the war of attrition. Smeltz, despite a small hiccup in Kooyong, is in good form and probably deserving of a top sixteen ranking. With seven breaks of service, it was always going to be difficult for Andueza to win as the DR CWLand No. 2 surged into the third round. There he will face fifteenth seed Henry Charles (1-2R) who was made to fight for a 7-6(2), 7-5, 7-5 win over Ecuador's Néstor Moreno (1-1R). Charles has not dropped a set this week, but he struggled to make his own pace against Moreno who plays a similar style to Smeltz although without the weapons and not as well.

• Friday will see the first Trans-CWLand clash in Grand Slams after both Spas Delev (1-QR2) and Jojo Mustard (1-QR1) recorded extremely impressive victories. Just two days after causing the upset of the week by beating Radivoj Daneu, Sweden's Björn Donaldson (1-1R) came crashing back down to earth in a disappointing defeat at the racquet of DR CWLand's Delev. Delev survived a five-set thriller on Monday, but came out with fresh legs as he and Donaldson battled it out in an error-ridden first set. With both faltering on service and returning rather well, there were six breaks of serve as the set went to a tiebreaker. There Delev got the better of the Swede after saving a set point with a clutch winner, and took out the breaker 8-6. The second set continued in much the same vein, but whilst Delev started to find his serving rhythm the Swede continued to struggle as he fired down a calamitous five doubles faults. One of those brought up three set points for Delev at 5-4; the DR CWLander securing a two sets to love lead with an awesome forehand from outside of the court. From there it was elementary for Delev who booked his place in a maiden Grand Slam third round 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-2.
• Mustard, meanwhile, had a tougher match but again pulled through in straight sets against German No. 2 Alex Peters (1-1R). Peters had produced a Houdini in the first round by coming from two sets down to beat Pat Hewitt, and looked in good touch against Mustard as he took an early break to lead 3-2. But Mustard managed to hit back immediately; the 29th seed in cruise control as he fired up to take the first set 7-5. The German, whose early season form was abysmal to say the least, would not lay down, though, and continued to fight hard despite Mustard asserting his control over the contest. The World No. 28 found himself in a bit of trouble as he gave up a 5-2 lead to allow Peters into a tiebreaker, but he surged free and never looked back as he booked a third round clash with Delev 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(1) in a solid display, if not quite as convincing as his first round win over Gunther Heug.
• In the last of the CWLand contingent to be in singles action on day three, Jamee Hancianu (1-QR1) was unable to really get going as he was tamed by World No. 9 Illya Altman (1-QF). The World No. 35 has never really found his feet off the clay, but hoped that turning twenty might coincide in a change of fortunes. It didn't. The Ukrainian star, whose first round performance against Harry Thompson left a lot to be desired, was in mint form as he controlled the rallies with Hancianu and left his younger opponent hoping for the Ukrainian to make errors. They did not come until the third set where Hancianu had an opportunity to take it to a fourth at 5-3 and 40-15, but he was scuppered by a couple of clean winners from Altman who came home with a wet sail and four games to boot to secure a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win and a blockbuster third round clash with Wimbledon semi finalist Zoltán Varga (1-3R).

• Potentially the pick of Friday's third round matchups will be a rematch of a third round clash from last year between Aussie David Champion (1-3R) and sixth seed Darcy Cowan (1-SF). Cowan, who has been in a slump since his shock victory at Wimbledon last year as 19-year old, overcame a tough fixture against Luxembourg's Oliver Engel (1-1R) with aplomb. Engel provided a big test for Cowan following a semi final in Chennai and a quarter final in Auckland, but did not trouble the super talented youngster as he was beaten 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. Local hope Champion, meanwhile, took four sets to beat Englishman Oscar Highsmith (1-3R).
• Elsewhere, top seed and defending champion Jason Hall (1-W) continues to stutter through his early rounds and was nearly taken to five by a South American clay courter. Chile's Jefferson Quezada (1-1R) had two set points in the fourth and was on the verge of a huge upset before Hall powered up to take it in a tiebreaker and to seal passage through to the third round 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3). 25th seed Sanchez Emelio (1-3R) was stunned by Aussie qualifier David Jones (1-2R) 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-4, whilst in undoubtedly the match of the day Italy's Antonio Bachunelli prevailed in five against tenth seeded American Dwayne Murdoch (1-QF). Murdoch's loss marks the first time he's fallen before the fourth round of a Grand Slam after a semi and two quarters last year.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Heath Davis;
  
  Sanchez Emelio;
  
  Dwayne Murdoch.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Live sim for Delev/Mustard btw

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Live sim for Delev/Mustard btw

Not sure who to cheer for here

 

[Johnners]

Yesssss!

Just warming up, 4th round is in the bag.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
1st Round (Wednesday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)

• Fourth seeds Jefferson Drake & Martti Korpinen have made the perfect start to their campaign for a maiden Grand Slam doubles title with a convincing win over 17th ranked doubles pairing Sergiy Malachenko & Alexey Yarkin. The Russian duo came into the match on the back of a semi final in Brisbane, but looked a step behind the East CWLanders who ruthlessly dispatched them in straight sets. Drake, with a second round singles match tomorrow, looked like he wanted to be off court quickly; a sentiment supported by his partner as they took just sixty-nine minutes to advance 6-1, 6-3.

• The first day of doubles action also saw an all-CWLand affair as sixteenth seeds Rob Bowenburg & Jarkko Maxum took to court against wildcard entrants Randy Banks & Koal Kao. The sixteenth seeds were understandably raging favourites against the first time pairing, but were in a bit of trouble early as Kao, who next week will make an appearance in the boys' singles, played a rare backhand winner to give the wildcards a 2-0 lead. The favourites fought back, though, and with a break of both of their opponents' serves managed to close out the set relatively comfortably 6-4. That all changed in the second, though, as the Trans-CWLand team were rocked by a series of breaks by the FR CWLanders who were rapidly building in confidence. At 5-1, Banks served out a game thanks to some quick hands from Kao at the net that continued to be a thorn in the favourites' side. Sensing an upset, Banks nearly had an early break of service in the decider, but the overhead smash went just long and allowed the sixteenth seeds a reprieve. Whilst young Kao looked fragile on serve, he and his partner did enough to keep the rallies going and send the match deep into the third set. But it was the sixteenth seeds that finally snatched victory from the jaws of catastrophe; earning a big break of Kao's serve after two reflex volleys from Bowenburg at the next to set up a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win.

• Despite the unconvincing display, Bowenburg and Maxum will undoubtedly be buoyed by the upset of the tournament so far. Second seeds Hayden & Ross Onwye were scheduled to face the CWLanders in the third round, but they were stopped in their tracks in a shock defeat to Ashim & Seby Kumar. In a battle between two sets of brothers, the world's second best team failed in their quest for a maiden Grand Slam title at the first hurdle with the Indian duo playing inspired tennis and taking advantage of the Onwyes on an off day; winning 6-3, 6-4. In the most bizzare result, Frenchmen Pierre L'Estrange & Jean-Christophe Genghini somehow came back from a bagel in the first set to hand out a 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 thrashing to Ivan Češljar & Nilikar Midid.
• There was an expectation that the doubles contest on the Multi Purpose Venue between sixth seeds Tal Cohen & Raz Teper and Italians Carlo Amato & Antonio Bachunelli might produce one of the more exciting doubles matches with some star power. But much like their final at the season-ending Paris Masters, the Israelis were too good as they thrashed Amato and Bachunelli 6-2, 6-2. Bachunelli had been made to pull double duty, though, after a five set thriller over Dwayne Murdoch in the singles.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Hayden Onwye &
  
  Ross Onwye.

​

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Sim must be broken. Heef cannot have lost to a man called Julian. Sigh.

 

[Blewy]

Damn first round exits in singles and doubles...

Must admit the first up partnership between Banks and Kao looks very good.. To go so close to beating Bowenburg & Maxum was a pretty impressive effort...

Oh well will rest up now and get ready for the Challenger tournament at the Home Depot Center

 

[Simon]

Pretty good effort there for Smeltz, still hoping for a QF showing.

 

[Mister Wright]

Live sim for Delev/Mustard btw

When will that be?

 

[Goughy]

Great write ups for the doubles. Shame I choked. Bring on the boys (not a sentance I say often)