Tennis: Australian Open 2017

[Tuggy]

The first major is almost here!

We've got new #1 seeds on both sides (Murray and Kerber) and the return of Federer. Draw is this week and should be very interesting. Raonic will come in as the #3 seed.

Qualifying will start soon. 3 Canadians on the Men's side.

http://www.ausopen.com/index.html

Defending champs are Djokovic and Kerber. Djokovic has won this title 5 of the last 6 years.

Click to read more...

 

[kihei]

Picking Nole to win his 6th Australian Open title. I think he is going to have a resurgent year.

 

[Loosie]

Pospisil and Diez lost in QR1, Polansky won. Polansky also overtakes Pospisil as the Canadian #2.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

Somebody is going to get a REALLY bad draw. Can Stan be in the opposite half of the draw as Novak? K, thanks.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Serena on the women's side... and I honestly have no clue on the men's side. Gonna go with Coric shocking everybody just for the heck of it.

 

[kihei]

Serena on the women's side... and I honestly have no clue on the men's side. Gonna go with Coric shocking everybody just for the heck of it.

Oh, you clever shape shifter you. I like the new avatar whatever the hell it is; beats the living daylights out of the sneezing horsey. Ballsy prediction, too.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Oh, you clever shape shifter you. I like the new avatar whatever the hell it is; beats the living daylights out of the sneezing horsey. Ballsy prediction, too.

My thought was anything horse related is a reminder the Broncos missed the playoffs... can't have that.

I think it was Andy Murray or Djokovic himself that said Borna reminded them of a younger Novak a year or so ago. His baseline play, fitness, backhand and mental fortuity are already pretty impressive for a kid his age, plays the game with a real tenacity too that reminds me of Murray or Ferrer. Think the forehand and serve still need to be shored up a tad but it'd be pretty cool to see everything come together and click at once at a slam.

Sort of off topic since they're so stylistically different, but who between Coric and Zverev Jr do you envision having more success, kihei?

 

[kihei]

My thought was anything horse related is a reminder the Broncos missed the playoffs... can't have that.

I think it was Andy Murray or Djokovic himself that said Borna reminded them of a younger Novak a year or so ago. His baseline play, fitness, backhand and mental fortuity are already pretty impressive for a kid his age, plays the game with a real tenacity too that reminds me of Murray or Ferrer. Think the forehand and serve still need to be shored up a tad but it'd be pretty cool to see everything come together and click at once at a slam.

Sort of off topic since they're so stylistically different, but who between Coric and Zverev Jr do you envision having more success, kihei?

Zverev, definitely. Alexander's gaining confidence and looks like he is just discovering how good he is. Next to Nick among the 21 and unders, I think he has the highest potential ceiling.

If Grigor is "Baby Fed" (not), maybe we should start referring to Borna as "Newborn Nole." Just a thought.

 

[BluesOne31]

If we don't get Stan vs. Kyrgios in the Round of 16, I will be very disappointed.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Zverev, definitely. Alexander's gaining confidence and looks like he is just discovering how good he is. Next to Nick among the 21 and unders, I think he has the highest potential ceiling.

If Grigor is "Baby Fed" (not), maybe we should start referring to Borna as "Newborn Nole." Just a thought.

Haha, it works. I like it.

Do hope that Nick gets his stuff together and realizes all that potential. It'd be good for the sport.

 

[Filppula]

Bencic/Serena first round! Ouch!

 

[Novak Djokovic]

Nole opens with Verdasco. Will be tricky. Dimitrov/Thiem/Raonic or Rafa on the way to Finals. Murray/Fed/Wawrinka in the other half.

 

[kihei]

For a 17th seed, Roger has about as good a draw as could be hoped for. Dunno, the potential roadblocks seem pretty evenly distributed this time on the men's side.

 

[Hadoop]

Bencic/Serena first round! Ouch!

Ugh. Hoping for the upset here although Bencic is not match-fit at all.

For a 17th seed, Roger has about as good a draw as could be hoped for. Dunno, the potential roadblocks seem pretty evenly distributed this time on the men's side.

Agreed. No 'quarter of death' at first glance.

 

[Tuggy]

Federer certainly got a nice draw to come back with (2 qualifiers in the first two rounds).

Verdasco is a very tricky first round opponent. Has the ability to pull off an upset for sure.

Raonic draws Brown, who can play big when he's on.

On the Men's side, boring prediction but I think it's Djokovic. Not expecting deep runs from Federer or Nadal but certainly adds more to the slam with them playing.

On the Women's side, I think we will see a winner not named Kerber or Williams.

 

[Loosie]

Fed has an easy draw, 2 qualifiers then Berdych.

Raonic has a decent draw and should make the QFs without too much effort. Then if Nadal is still there the real fight takes place as he would have Nadal, Djokovic, Murray should he go the distance.

Djokovic opening against Verdasco is hilarious given what happened in Doha.

 

[Filppula]

Federer was never going to lose early anyway. He's got Berdych 3R, Nishikori 4R, Murray QF. Nothing easy about that.

 

[rangerssharks414]

It's starting!

 

[rangerssharks414]

#4 on the women's side Simona Halep is struggling. She is down a break in the first set already.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It'd be nice if Jack Sock could get into the later rounds. He's been playing really well of late. By the end of the year, he should be the top American, and into the top 15.

 

[Tuggy]

Nishikori loses the first set.

 

[rangerssharks414]

Halep loses 3-6, 1-6.

 

[Filppula]

Halep is awful. 4th 1R exit in 7 AO appearances. Pitiful.

Muguruza really struggled with the right thigh she injured in Brisbane. After winning the first set she looked miserable as she looked toward her camp. She took a MTO, and fell behind 4-1 in the second set. With her class and power she somehow managed to turn it around by reeling off 5 straight games. Concerning signs though.

Puig looked great and won 6-0, 6-1 in under an hour. Plays Mona Barthel next. Halep was her scheduled 3R opponent so things have oppened up.

 

[rangerssharks414]

How in the world did Venus win that set? She looked horrible in that set.

 

[rangerssharks414]

Nishikori is headed to a fifth set against Kuznetsov.