Tennis: Wimbledon 2024

[kihei]

Lorenzo breaks for 2-love....and breaks again for 4-love....and easy-peasy the rest of the way for 6-1.

Maybe the least engaging five set match I have ever seen as only one set was competitive as each player took turns having the upper hand in the other sets.

Obviously a huge win for Lorenzo, though, by far the biggest of his career.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

That was Fritz’ best chance to go deep in a tournament in his career and he lost to Musetti. Very disappointing.

I guess he still has more prime years left, but to blow a chance like that to a weaker opponent after he just took out a high seed for the first time in his career is a big disappointment.

 

[VMBM]

Good to see cry baby Svitolina lose! ZZZZZZZZZ

Settle down, Russkie.

 

[kihei]

That was Fritz’ best chance to go deep in a tournament in his career and he lost to Musetti. Very disappointing.

I guess he still has more prime years left, but to blow a chance like that to a weaker opponent after he just took out a high seed for the first time in his career is a big disappointment.

You might have a hard time convincing Fritz that Musetti is a weaker opponent, seeing as how Musetti has defeated Taylor twice this year, once on clay (Monte Carlo) and now on grass, evening up their head to head competition 2 and 2.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

You might have a hard time convincing Fritz that Musetti is a weaker opponent, seeing as how Musetti has defeated Taylor twice this year, once on clay (Monte Carlo) and now on grass, evening up their head to head competition 2 and 2.

I wasn't even meaning it in the way of who is better, although let's be fair, Fritz still is a more accomplished player overall than Musetti and grass is probably Fritz' best surface and arguably Musetti's worst.

I was saying it more in the sense that if you are one of these guys that gets seeded like 7th-15th in all these slams and Musetti is your quarterfinal matchup, you are loving that chance to win. It's not Djokovic or Alcaraz or Sinner. It's not even like a Zverev. He took care of Zverev the last round. To beat the 4 seed and then lose to the 23 seed is disappointing.

 

[kihei]

I wasn't even meaning it in the way of who is better, although let's be fair, Fritz still is a more accomplished player overall than Musetti and grass is probably Fritz' best surface and arguably Musetti's worst.

I was saying it more in the sense that if you are one of these guys that gets seeded like 7th-15th in all these slams and Musetti is your quarterfinal matchup, you are loving that chance to win. It's not Djokovic or Alcaraz or Sinner. It's not even like a Zverev. He took care of Zverev the last round. To beat the 4 seed and then lose to the 23 seed is disappointing.

Let's ground this in reality. Grass isn't Musetti's worst surface; in fact, it is very close to his best. His career winning percentages are .595 on clay, .591 on grass; and .452 on hard courts. By comparison, Fritz's career record on grass is .569. So there is that. On paper, while it may look like a deceptively favourable match-up for Taylor, Musetti presents a specific skill set that Fritz wasn't able to counter. For starters there is that slice backhand and the fact that Fritz prefers to hit it and retreat to the baseline rather than to come forward to the net. That cost him dearly because he was always hitting up on these returns while generating very little pace allowing Musetti to dictate most of the exchanges. Then there was the fact that Musetti moves with much greater fluidity around the court than Fritz does, further limiting the solutions that Fritz could come up with. All of this might have been mitigated to some degree if Fritz had a great service day, but he didn't. And finally there is the fact that the margin between the currently 11th best player in the world and the 16th best player in the world is an exceedingly thin one that should provide no surprise when the lower ranked player beats the higher ranked player on any given day. Sure, you can call this an upset, but it was one that even I could see coming.

 

[kihei]

An absolutely superb opening set from Vekic, 6-2. She kept the pressure on Paolini's serve from the first point, never allowed her to establish any rhythm at all, and calmly dominated the vast majority of points.

 

[VMBM]

Watching Paolini—Vekic now. Paolini utterly unconvincing thus far, and Vekic wins the first set easily 6—2. She is really taking advantage of P's weak 2nd serve.

This is the first time I've seen Paolini in this tournament; is she just having a bad match, or Vekic simply a wrong kind of opponent for her?

 

[kihei]

The veteran Vekic has had a very good career, though one somewhat marred by her losing record and general ineffectiveness in Grand Slam matches, the major reason that she has never been ranked higher than #19 despite a healthy winning percentage elsewhere. I keep thinking nerves are going to eventually raise their ugly head, but it sure didn't happen in the first set.

Watching Paolini—Vekic now. Paolini utterly unconvincing thus far, and Vekic wins the first set easily 6—2. She is really taking advantage of P's weak 2nd serve.

This is the first time I've seen Paolini in this tournament; is she just having a bad match, or Vekic simply a wrong kind of opponent for her?

I'd give Vekic the credit so far, but if Paolini keeps cool she can make a match of it.

 

[VMBM]

A much more even match now, but it's not like Paolini has massively raised her game; Vekic not playing very well and her attempts at a drop shot suck atm.

 

[kihei]

What a volley by Paolini. That could provide the spark she needs.

 

[kihei]

At the moment Vekic looks like she is holding her emotions together with string and sealing wax, but when she needs a quality shot, she finds it, 3-all.

 

[kihei]

Jasmine finally sustains some pressure and Vekic cracks under the weight of it, 6-4.

 

[kihei]

Have to like Paolini's chances in the third with a head of steam.

So much for the head of steam as Vekic breaks in the first game. I have to remind myself that Jasmine hasn't been exactly killer in GSs either. In fact, before this year, she is 0-3 lifetime at Wimbledon.

 

[kihei]

Paolini breaks back--3-all in the deciding set. It seems so much like Vekic is the aging veteran and Paolini the bouncy up-and-comer but they are the same age, 28; Jasmine, befitting her name, is just a late-bloomer.

Can't convert, though. Nerves the dominant factor the rest of the way, I suspect.

Yep. Vekic broken at 15, self-inflicted. 4-all....firm, confident hold from Jasmine for 5-4. Tons of pressure on Vekic now.

Looking literally like she is on the cusp of a panic attack, Vekic somehow saves a match point and holds for 5-all.

Five deuces and two saved break points later, Jasmine holds for 6-5. By a couple of centimetres.

 

[VMBM]

Vekic is toast.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Is Vekic crying at 5 all?

 

[VMBM]

Vekic's first serve keeping her in the match. I think Paolini will really be kicking herself if she loses this one.

Terrible tennis at the moment.

 

[kihei]

Yay, Jasmine. For Vekic, no sport should be such an ordeal.

 

[VMBM]

Cor friggin' blimey, trying to pick a winner in women's game today... Roland Garros, that's maybe easy, but anywhere else: impossible.

 

[kihei]

Now, that's an upset.

 

[MsMeow]

At the moment Vekic looks like she is holding her emotions together with string and sealing wax, but when she needs a quality shot, she finds it, 3-all.

String and sealing wax! Love it!

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Really liked Vekic to beat Paolini but seems like her mental game wasn't there to end it in the third. Paolini's incredible year continues and wow at Rybakina losing up a set, women's tennis is the most unpredictable shit in the world.

Let's ground this in reality. Grass isn't Musetti's worst surface; in fact, it is very close to his best. His career winning percentages are .595 on clay, .591 on grass; and .452 on hard courts. By comparison, Fritz's career record on grass is .569. So there is that. On paper, while it may look like a deceptively favourable match-up for Taylor, Musetti presents a specific skill set that Fritz wasn't able to counter. For starters there is that slice backhand and the fact that Fritz prefers to hit it and retreat to the baseline rather than to come forward to the net. That cost him dearly because he was always hitting up on these returns while generating very little pace allowing Musetti to dictate most of the exchanges. Then there was the fact that Musetti moves with much greater fluidity around the court than Fritz does, further limiting the solutions that Fritz could come up with. All of this might have been mitigated to some degree if Fritz had a great service day, but he didn't. And finally there is the fact that the margin between the currently 11th best player in the world and the 16th best player in the world is an exceedingly thin one that should provide no surprise when the lower ranked player beats the higher ranked player on any given day. Sure, you can call this an upset, but it was one that even I could see coming.

Musetti has had a random knack of beating high tier guys on their preferred surface when he's on his game. He beat Shelton (LOL) on hard court in Miami, he's beaten Novak on clay (guy is insane everywhere). Fritz also seemed shot as that match went on, not taking anything from Musetti, but fatigue is a cruel witch in tennis.

 

[VMBM]

Medvedev winning the first set in a tie-break (7—1) in what almost feels like a mini-final (not that the winner doesn't have a tough match in his hands in the actual final).

For some reason, I'm hoping for Medvedev; I guess he just has too many bitter losses in big games.

 

[VMBM]

Alcaraz wins the 3rd and is basically cruising to the victory. He has bad phases in his matches sometimes, but this looks pretty unwinnable for Medvedev, unfortunately. Happy Friday.