The week before the US Open, there will be two tournaments, a premier event in New Haven and an international event in Dallas. The event in Dallas isn't part of the US Open Series. However, it still has a very strong field - especially for an international event. Read on for my predictions.
Showing posts with label Lisicki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lisicki. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Shahar Peer def Sabine Lisicki 6-4 7-6 (4)
Cincy First Round Shocker:
Shahar Peer def Sabine Lisicki 6-4 7-6 (4)
It seems like Shahar Peer is getting back to the form that almost took her into the top 10. Peer will face Victoria Azarenka in the second round. Read on for my analysis of the match.
Shahar Peer def Sabine Lisicki 6-4 7-6 (4)
It seems like Shahar Peer is getting back to the form that almost took her into the top 10. Peer will face Victoria Azarenka in the second round. Read on for my analysis of the match.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Week In Review II
Throughout the week, we were treated to some great tennis. Because of that, I spent most of my time watching tennis instead of writing about it. That said, I'm still writing this recap of the week. Read on to see what happened this week and to see my thoughts on Serena Williams's comeback.
San Diego Preview
The Mercury Insurance Open at San Diego is a 56 entrant premier level event. The winner of the tournament will receive 111,000 dollars and 470 ranking points. The draw came out last night, and it didn't disappoint. Although Kim Clijsters, Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew, there are still some big names coming to the Mercury Insurance Open. The top seed at San Diego will be Vera Zvonareva, the third ranked player in the world.
Read on for my analysis of the contenders for the title and for some possible matchups.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Stanford Preview
The Bank of the West Classic at Stanford is the first event of the US Open Series for the WTA. It is a premier event that will feature four members of the top ten as well as six more players in the top 32. Serena Williams will also be competing in Stanford. Last year at Stanford, Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova in the finals, 6-4 6-1. Will Azarenka be able to defend her championship and capture her third singles title of the year?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
An Introduction to "Generation Suck"
Generation Suck is the name many tennis fans have given to the new generation of tennis players. Why is the new generation called Generation Suck? Well, the biggest reason is that they have failed to achieve the success that they were expected to have. And they haven't been able to push out the older players despite growing older themselves. Furthermore, Generation Suck currently only owns one Grand Slam- Wimbledon 2011. However, as more and more of the Old Guard are playing less and less or even retiring, these women are becoming the future of the WTA. The members of Generation Suck are:
Compare those players with some of the Old Guard like Elena Dementieva, Justine Henin and the Williams sisters. Now you see why we call this new crop of players Generation Suck right?
How are the members of Generation Suck determined? As you can see, the deciding factor for entry into Generation Suck is not age. Notable young tennis players who aren't in Generation Suck include Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic who enjoyed success prior to the beginnings of Generation Suck (which is a name, a group, a period of time and so much more.) Generation Suck belongs to the players who are young and who really started to experience their success starting in mid-2009. These players have just started to become household names (in a select few households I might add.)
Over the next week and a half to two weeks, I will analyze each of these players. Enjoy.
Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka
Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova
Andrea Petkovic
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Yanina Wickmayer
Sabine Lisicki
Alisa Kleybanova (Adida Kelybanova)
Compare those players with some of the Old Guard like Elena Dementieva, Justine Henin and the Williams sisters. Now you see why we call this new crop of players Generation Suck right?
How are the members of Generation Suck determined? As you can see, the deciding factor for entry into Generation Suck is not age. Notable young tennis players who aren't in Generation Suck include Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic who enjoyed success prior to the beginnings of Generation Suck (which is a name, a group, a period of time and so much more.) Generation Suck belongs to the players who are young and who really started to experience their success starting in mid-2009. These players have just started to become household names (in a select few households I might add.)
Over the next week and a half to two weeks, I will analyze each of these players. Enjoy.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wimbledon Semifinal Picks- Part I
[5] Maria Sharapova vs [WC] Sabine Lisicki
It will be the oddsmakers' favorite against the girl who defied all odds to get this far. Although on paper, Sharapova goes in the overwhelming favorite, I feel it could go either way.
Sharapova has been playing with authority for the whole tournament. She routed Cibulkova in the quarterfinals 6-1 6-1. She will be looking to punish Lisicki's second serve which is often in the 70-80 MPH range. Sharapova will go into this match with confidence knowing that she won their only match 6-2 6-0. However, she knows that Lisicki was just coming back to the game in March of 2011 when Sharapova routed her. In order to win, Sharapova will need to get a high percentage of first serves in as she has a very low-margin second serve that is prone to breaking down. Sharapova has been doing a great job of keeping her double faults down.
Much has been said about how Sabine Lisicki needed to write a letter to the AELTC begging for a wild card. There has also been a lot said about her first serve. Lisicki's first serve is one of the best in the women's game. She has clocked the fastest serve at Wimbledon on the women's at 124 MPH. She is able to hit aces during high-pressure moments which was apparent when she served four un-returnable serves when she was down double match point to the Roland Garros champion, Li Na. However, her second serve will be a sitting duck. However, besides her serve, Lisicki has a lot going for her. She has penetrating shots, and her forehand will get her many winners. She has excellent drop shots and top spin lobs off both sides, so she will be able to move Sharapova around the court. Also, she doesn't need to face as much pressure as Sharapova, so she can swing freely.
Although this match is hard to call, I'll go with the upset. I think that Sabine has showed a great deal of mental toughness in her matches so far, and she has shown that she can serve herself out of danger. If she doesn't let the moment get to her, she will advance in three tough sets to her first major final.
It will be the oddsmakers' favorite against the girl who defied all odds to get this far. Although on paper, Sharapova goes in the overwhelming favorite, I feel it could go either way.
Sharapova has been playing with authority for the whole tournament. She routed Cibulkova in the quarterfinals 6-1 6-1. She will be looking to punish Lisicki's second serve which is often in the 70-80 MPH range. Sharapova will go into this match with confidence knowing that she won their only match 6-2 6-0. However, she knows that Lisicki was just coming back to the game in March of 2011 when Sharapova routed her. In order to win, Sharapova will need to get a high percentage of first serves in as she has a very low-margin second serve that is prone to breaking down. Sharapova has been doing a great job of keeping her double faults down.
Much has been said about how Sabine Lisicki needed to write a letter to the AELTC begging for a wild card. There has also been a lot said about her first serve. Lisicki's first serve is one of the best in the women's game. She has clocked the fastest serve at Wimbledon on the women's at 124 MPH. She is able to hit aces during high-pressure moments which was apparent when she served four un-returnable serves when she was down double match point to the Roland Garros champion, Li Na. However, her second serve will be a sitting duck. However, besides her serve, Lisicki has a lot going for her. She has penetrating shots, and her forehand will get her many winners. She has excellent drop shots and top spin lobs off both sides, so she will be able to move Sharapova around the court. Also, she doesn't need to face as much pressure as Sharapova, so she can swing freely.
Although this match is hard to call, I'll go with the upset. I think that Sabine has showed a great deal of mental toughness in her matches so far, and she has shown that she can serve herself out of danger. If she doesn't let the moment get to her, she will advance in three tough sets to her first major final.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Li Na [3] vs Sabine Lisicki
Lisicki defeats Li in three sets. 3-6 6-4 8-6
It really came down to Na self destructing. Her forehand completely deserted her in the last few games, and Lisicki realized it and started directing the majority of her shots to Li's forehand. Li had two match points, and that's where it became apparent how important a great serve is. Lisicki has such a great first serve, and in a typical Serena fashion, she served her way out of trouble. Lisicki has a great shot at reaching the quarterfinals again as she faces Misaki Doi in the third round and most likely Ivanovic in the Round of 16.
It really came down to Na self destructing. Her forehand completely deserted her in the last few games, and Lisicki realized it and started directing the majority of her shots to Li's forehand. Li had two match points, and that's where it became apparent how important a great serve is. Lisicki has such a great first serve, and in a typical Serena fashion, she served her way out of trouble. Lisicki has a great shot at reaching the quarterfinals again as she faces Misaki Doi in the third round and most likely Ivanovic in the Round of 16.
Wimbledon Womens Predictions for the tournament
Although Wimbledon is already well underway, I'm going to post my predictions for the WTA.
Quarterfinalists:
Wozniacki-Although she isn't the greatest player on grass (or at all, but that's for another post all together) she has a good draw with her two biggest threats coming in the fourth round with Cibulkova and Goerges, two women who hit the ball quite hard and have both beaten her this year.
Sharapova-Since the only threat that she has in her draw is Peng, she should get to the quarterfinals with ease.
Li-Although she has a tough second round match with Lisicki, she is still an amazing ball striker. However, Roland Garros champions tend not to fare well at Wimbledon a few weeks later.
Serena-Even though she's been out for eleven months, she is still Serena. She has a tough customer in Bartoli in the fourth round, but if she can shake the rust in her game, she should be fine.
Petkovic-I gotta be honest. I had Makarova getting to the quarters in this relatively weak eighth of the draw on the grounds that she won Eastbourne in 2010 and has a good game for grass. But she lost to McHale in the first round, so I'm going with Andrea Petkovic who has been in the quarterfinals of both majors this year.
Azarenka-Azarenka has a good shot at reaching the quarterfinals in a major if she can stay healthy. The one person who can stop her is Daniella Hantuchova, otherwise known as Danielle Anotoxfa. She got to the finals of Birmingham defeating Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams before losing to Sabine Lisicki. If she doesn't choke, she can definitely beat Azarenka in the third round.
Kvitova-Kvitova is a great player who hits the ball very hard and very deep. She got to the semifinals of Wimbledon last year before falling to Serena. There isn't really anyone who can beat her in this eighth than herself.
Zvonareva-This final eighth of the draw is probably one of the strongest with Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova. Interesting matches will be a rematch of last year's Wimbledon semifinal coming in the third round and a match between the winner of that one and Venus Williams. I'd say that Zvonareva has the edge to get to the quarters on the grounds of Venus's lack of match play.
Semifinalists:
Sharapova-If she can minimize her double faults and her unforced errors, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. She has defeated Wozniacki in the past, and on grass, she'll have an even bigger advantage.
Serena-This was a really tough one to predict, but I think that Serena will have shaken off her rust by the quarterfinals and will prove to be too tough a challenge for Li. However, I think that the winner of this match has a great shot at winning the whole thing.
Azarenka-If she can get past her third round match against Hantuchova, she has a great shot at reaching her maiden semifinal.
Kvitova-She is such a great ballstriker that whoever she faces will have quite a lot of trouble dealing with her.
Finalists:
Serena-It's Serena... on grass... She has such mental toughness and can even overpower Sharapova. She beat her last year at Wimbledon as well.
Kvitova-She can beat anyone in the third quarter of the draw with ease.
Winner:
Serena-Although Kvitova can definitely challenge Serena in almost every aspect of her game, Serena is a 13 time grand slam champion and knows how deal with that pressure. However, as seen in last year's semifinal, Kvitova can put pressure on Serena, and if she can deal with the pressure, she might be the next winner of the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Quarterfinalists:
Wozniacki-Although she isn't the greatest player on grass (or at all, but that's for another post all together) she has a good draw with her two biggest threats coming in the fourth round with Cibulkova and Goerges, two women who hit the ball quite hard and have both beaten her this year.
Sharapova-Since the only threat that she has in her draw is Peng, she should get to the quarterfinals with ease.
Li-Although she has a tough second round match with Lisicki, she is still an amazing ball striker. However, Roland Garros champions tend not to fare well at Wimbledon a few weeks later.
Serena-Even though she's been out for eleven months, she is still Serena. She has a tough customer in Bartoli in the fourth round, but if she can shake the rust in her game, she should be fine.
Petkovic-I gotta be honest. I had Makarova getting to the quarters in this relatively weak eighth of the draw on the grounds that she won Eastbourne in 2010 and has a good game for grass. But she lost to McHale in the first round, so I'm going with Andrea Petkovic who has been in the quarterfinals of both majors this year.
Azarenka-Azarenka has a good shot at reaching the quarterfinals in a major if she can stay healthy. The one person who can stop her is Daniella Hantuchova, otherwise known as Danielle Anotoxfa. She got to the finals of Birmingham defeating Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams before losing to Sabine Lisicki. If she doesn't choke, she can definitely beat Azarenka in the third round.
Kvitova-Kvitova is a great player who hits the ball very hard and very deep. She got to the semifinals of Wimbledon last year before falling to Serena. There isn't really anyone who can beat her in this eighth than herself.
Zvonareva-This final eighth of the draw is probably one of the strongest with Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova. Interesting matches will be a rematch of last year's Wimbledon semifinal coming in the third round and a match between the winner of that one and Venus Williams. I'd say that Zvonareva has the edge to get to the quarters on the grounds of Venus's lack of match play.
Semifinalists:
Sharapova-If she can minimize her double faults and her unforced errors, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. She has defeated Wozniacki in the past, and on grass, she'll have an even bigger advantage.
Serena-This was a really tough one to predict, but I think that Serena will have shaken off her rust by the quarterfinals and will prove to be too tough a challenge for Li. However, I think that the winner of this match has a great shot at winning the whole thing.
Azarenka-If she can get past her third round match against Hantuchova, she has a great shot at reaching her maiden semifinal.
Kvitova-She is such a great ballstriker that whoever she faces will have quite a lot of trouble dealing with her.
Finalists:
Serena-It's Serena... on grass... She has such mental toughness and can even overpower Sharapova. She beat her last year at Wimbledon as well.
Kvitova-She can beat anyone in the third quarter of the draw with ease.
Winner:
Serena-Although Kvitova can definitely challenge Serena in almost every aspect of her game, Serena is a 13 time grand slam champion and knows how deal with that pressure. However, as seen in last year's semifinal, Kvitova can put pressure on Serena, and if she can deal with the pressure, she might be the next winner of the Venus Rosewater Dish.
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