The Tennis Thread

[Bulldog1966]

Bet he got the lovely lass to massage them for him later..hopefully not Roger...

 

[Jabba the Mutt]

Ash Barty defeats Angelique Kerber to advance to Wimbledon ladies' singles final against Karolina Pliskova
By Paul Johnson
Posted 8h ago8 hours ago, updated 1h ago1 hours ago

Ash Barty celebrates making the women's singles final at Wimbledon.(
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
)
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After a nervous start world number one Ash Barty has moved into the Wimbledon final with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory over 2018 champion Angelique Kerber.
Key points:

• Ash Barty will play Karolina Pliskova in the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon
• It will be the second grand slam singles final for both players
• Barty is aiming to become the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980

With the win Barty entered into her second grand slam final, having previously won the French Open in 2019.
Victory in the decider would make her the first Australian woman to lift the Venus Rosewater dish at SW19 since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.
Barty began the match with a double fault, but played a dominant first set after breaking Kerber in the second game of the match, overpowering and outclassing the former world number one and three-time grand slam winner.
The Australian used her serve and forehand in particular to push Kerber around the court and frequently came into the net to pick off volley winners.
Kerber though, ever tenacious, kept in the set and had a point to break back as Barty served for it. Barty saved it with a big first serve and put away overhead before taking out the set with an ace.
But against a player as wily and experienced on the big stage as the 33-year-old German there is rarely room for relaxation and Kerber was beginning to read the play and pick up her own level.
See how the match unfolded in our live blog
Kerber began the second set hitting deeper and with more power, dragging her opponent from side to side.
And early on the momentum shifted as Kerber broke Barty for a 2-0 lead.
That break seemed like it would be enough.
Kerber repelled multiple break points at 3-1, finding the baseline once as Barty sunk to her knees and followed it up with an acute off forehand winner.

Angelique Kerber forced Ash Barty to her limit during the second set.(
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
)
But then as Kerber served for the set, she faltered as Barty once again got aggressive and broke Kerber to love.
It was pivotal, Barty reeling off 11 straight points as her confidence rose and Kerber's wilted before the German rallied and forced a tie-break.
But there again Barty was the more aggressive and dominant player as she took a 6-0 lead before Kerber, showing the fight that has made her a champion, saved three match points before Barty finally finished her off when a Kerber error gave her the match.
Barty described the win as one of the best of her burgeoning career against a player who has been near the top of the game for a long period.
"This is incredible, this is close to as good a tennis match as I will ever play," said Barty, wearing a dress similar to the one Goolagong wore in 1971 when she won her first Wimbledon title.
"Angie brought the best out of me today and it was a hell of a match right from the first ball and I knew I would have to play that well just to compete."
A picture of steely determination during the match, the smile could not be wiped off Barty's face as she spoke of achieving a childhood dream.
"I've had an incredible journey. I wouldn't change one moment. It's been unique, it's been incredible, it's been tough. Being able to play on the final Saturday here at Wimbledon is just going to be the best experience ever," she said.

"Very proud of myself and my team and now we get a chance to win the childhood dream."

Pliskova powers past Sabalenka

Karolina Pliskova celebrates making it to her second grand slam final.(
AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth
)
Barty will play eighth-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova, who the Australian owns a 5-2 win loss record over, in the final.
Pliskova was near faultless as she won one of the matches of the tournament, defeating world number two Aryna Sabalenka 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in a power tennis battle that had to be seen to be believed.
Both women served at a level that is not often seen on the WTA Tour in a match that it has to be said Sabalenka was unlucky to lose.
On most other days the 23-year-old Belarusian would have won as she belted 18 aces and 38 winners with just 20 unforced errors.
She even saved eight of 10 break points, but try as she might she had no answer for the flat power-hitting of the more experienced Czech.
Despite dropping the opening set after failing to convert on any of eight break points and producing a double fault to gift the set to Sabalenka on her only break point of the match, Pliskova kept her cool as Sabalenka threatened to lose hers.

Aryna Sabalenka was left frustrated by the high level of Pliskova's performance.(
AELTC/Ben Solomon - Pool/Getty Images
)
The Belarusian screamed in frustration several times during the match as Pliskova had every answer in the book including some ferocious winners, of which she hit 32 for the match and made just 17 unforced errors.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova said on commentary that it was "the best she had ever seen Pliskova play".
Pliskova agreed with that assessment.
"It was an amazing match from both of us, I got a bit frustrated but she was serving unbelievably — she was in a semi-final so had to play some great tennis," Pliskova said.
Saturday's match will be Pliskova's second grand slam final, 18 majors after her first at the 2016 US Open.


* All the best to Ash who's been a champion on and off the court!

 

[capt obvious]

Go get em ash, good win for dylan allcott!

 

[Psycho Doggie]

Really impressive tennis from Barty. Serving for the Championship now.

 

[D0GMATIC]

I like tennis,but i can't cop the incessant unnecessary grunting that more and more players do

 

[Psycho Doggie]

Good on her, a good win.

 

[SPEARTAKVIDREFS]

Love how she carries herself with dignity and great sportsmanship. She deserves this.

 

[wendog33]

She has the full range of shots and that slice!

Humble Aussie champion

 

[Como Dog]

Nice to see a great win I was a little worried because she missed her chance to destroy Plishkova early on and run away with the final, but it was a good high quality match and the sportsmanship from both players during and after the match was admirable.

 

[Vlasnik]

Congratulations Nole 20th Grand slam title and well on the way to claiming G.O.A.T status Much love brother.

 

[wendog33]

Seems archaic.

Uproar over 'insulting' detail in photo of Ash Barty at Wimbledon - Yahoo Sport

Wimbledon has been called on to change an outdated tradition highlighted in a photo of Ash Barty. Read all the details here.

au.sports.yahoo.com

 

[alchemist]

Seems archaic.

Uproar over 'insulting' detail in photo of Ash Barty at Wimbledon - Yahoo Sport

Wimbledon has been called on to change an outdated tradition highlighted in a photo of Ash Barty. Read all the details here.

au.sports.yahoo.com

John Millman once had to send his father out mid match to buy him white underwear because whatever underwear he was wearing was too colourful and in breach of Wimbledon's all white policy... so, yeah, archaic

 

[alchemist]

Congratulations Nole 20th Grand slam title and well on the way to claiming G.O.A.T status Much love brother.

Novak's CV as of today reads -

* 20 Grand Slam titles (a joint all time record with Federer and Nadal)
* one of only three players in men's singles history to have won 4 straight Grand Slams and he is the only one to do it on three different surfaces (ie. grass, clay and hard court)
* only men's singles player to have made 6 or more finals in all four Grand Slam tournaments
* a record 9 Australian Open titles
* the only men's singles player in the Open era and only one of three players all time to win all four Grand Slams at least twice
* only player in the Open era to win 3 or more straight Grand Slams on 4 separate occasions
* a record 330(?) weeks ranked no. 1 in the world and counting
* 6 year end no. 1 finishes (a joint all time record with Sampras) --> and he would be favourite to make it 7 this year although Tsitsipas thinks otherwise
* 5 ATP Tour Finals victories (second all time behind only Federer with 6 --> Nadal has never won an ATP Tour Finals)
* 36 Masters titles (a joint all time record with Nadal)
* only player ever to have won all 9 masters tournaments and he has won all 9 masters tournaments at least twice
* a record 6 masters titles won in a calendar year
* a record 8 masters finals reached in the one calendar year
* highest ever accrued ATP ranking points in 2016 as holder of all four Grand Slam titles, the ATP Tour Finals, and a host of masters titles
* a positive head to head record against every major rival - 30-28 vs Nadal, 27-23 vs Federer, 25-11 vs Andy Murray, 19-6 vs Wawrinka, 18-6 vs Tsonga, 16-4 vs Del Potro, 17-2 vs Marin Cilic, 12-0 vs Milos Raonic, 9-1 vs Grigor Dimitrov, 16-2 vs Nishikori etc.

GOAT discussions should wait until this Big 3 have retired and/or cannot add to their legacies... but objectively speaking, Djokovic's all time status is going to take some beating

 

[CroydonDog]

Well, that US Open threw up some interesting results!

 

[alchemist]

Well, that US Open threw up some interesting results!

a changing of the guard... two teenagers in the women's final, Djokovic made the final but lost to Medvedev, the likes of Federer, Nadal, Del Potro, Wawrinka, Serena etc. missing the tournament etc.

the game needs new blood

hopefully, Djokovic gets to 21 Grand Slam titles though before the ATP Tour belongs to Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov, Sinner etc.

 

[CroydonDog]

a changing of the guard... two teenagers in the women's final, Djokovic made the final but lost to Medvedev, the likes of Federer, Nadal, Del Potro, Wawrinka, Serena etc. missing the tournament etc.

the game needs new blood

hopefully, Djokovic gets to 21 Grand Slam titles though before the ATP Tour belongs to Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov, Sinner etc.

Emma Raducanu is a marketers dream. Hopefully she keeps its all going.

 

[alchemist]

Emma Raducanu is a marketers dream. Hopefully she keeps its all going.

unfortunately for the women's game, none of the post Serena Williams players that ever won GSs were able to dominate for a prolonged period except for maybe Justine Henin... Sharapova, Safina, Ivanovic, Kvitova, Wozniacki, Muguruza, Halep, Azarenka, Kerber etc. all kind of fell away instead of going on and winning 6-7 GSs

even Osaka seems to be crumbling mentally even though she has the game to dominate the tour

 

[Dogmonster]

Boring, change the channel

 

[Bulldog1966]

Have it on for background noise mainly, but watching Millman close to getting owned by a Hungarian ranked nearly 300 in the world i.e a fucking Neville in the Davis Cup
(spoiler alert i'm fairly critical of aussie sportspeople when they underachieve bigtime)
Harden up you shuttlecock hitting quinceytnuc Millgirl, or give yor husband Lleyton the racket if you can't be stuffed beating a hacker like this puss

 

[Bulldog1966]

Sure enough got rolled in 3 sets, Dylan Alcott arguably goes as well in that match(plays in a fkn wheelchair)