Forty Deuce

Pic This: I Wants It.

I think I still prefer the Daveed ones from last year. 

But you cannot go wrong with pictures of Feli and lion cubs.  I wonder if it's the same one?

Hakuna Matata!

Oh, Jesus. More Tennis.

The ladies have Fed Cup responsibilities this week but the boys are back in business.

Johannesburg:

Gael is the top seed in Johannesburg, as Jo won't be there to defend his title. 

Draw.

Zagreb:

Over in Zagreb, it's Croatpalooza.  As an extra bonus, Janko, Viktor, and EvG are there, too.

Draw.

Santiago:

Gonzo, Pico, Chucho, oh my!

Draw.

Pic This: Championship Weekend

You don't know where that koala's been.

 You did that for two and a half hours, Andy.  You can stop now.  Match is over.

Sweet.


The dominatrix look is actually apropos.

Seriously, these guys come up with moves that make Bel Ami blush. 

Sadness, Part I.

 

Sadness, Part II.

 

Heh.

Sweet.  Where's Mama?

 

I think it's adorable that Muzz gave Fed's a head's up that he was going to cry.

"Is she gay?  Please God I hope she's not gay."

That flag is a lot heavier than you think.

Aw.  Na Li is a Muzz fan!

"ZOMG, I WON!!!  ZOMG, I GOTTA PEE!!!"

Scratching it will totally help, Justine.  Just keep doing that.  

Serena's ode to Rafa.

It's not a Heisman, Fed.  Though, you'd probably win that too. 

Asshole.

The Highest of Highs, The Lowest of Lows

Perhaps it's because of the increased presence of social networking sites in tennis, or because my posts were particularly depressing, but I got a lot of questions from FD readers asking why/how I could be a fan of players who, at the moment, in a relative sense, suck.  How can you stay a fan of Ana?  Dina's never going to be good again, you shouldn't torture yourself.  Or, the more surprising question that I got from a number of people: "Isn't it just easier to root for Fed/Serena/Justine?  Why do you put yourself through it?"

I suppose these questions struck a chord because they simply made no sense to me.  I couldn't really understand why someone would ask that.  To me, being a sports fan isn't about just celebrating the wins.  It's not about what's "easiest".  Isn't that the definition of being a fair-weather fan?  And aren't fair-weather fans...just repugnant?  It's, like, the easiest type of sports fan to be.  You didn't suffer through the shit-times like I did.  How dare you stand next to me and celebrate as fervently as I am?  You didn't earn that right and you can't appreciate what this means.

For me (and I don't mean this is how it should be for everyone) the joy in being a sports fan *is* the suffering.  It is the heartbreak you experience over and over again, every season, every tournament, and yet *choose* to endure, and inexplicably come back for more.  You want to know why I do it?  Why, despite any rational reason to do so, I still wake up at odd hours to search for a stream of a first round Ana match knowing that odds are she will lose (and lose badly)?

Hope.

Hope that it won't happen.  Hope that maybe this year or this week, things will change.  For all my jokes about being a cynical misanthrope, I'm actually, at my core, hopeful.  My cynicism keeps me grounded, but hope is what gets me out of bed to watch Andy Murray disappoint a nation at 4am.  And my hope reminds me, as I lie crumpled on the floor in the middle of my living room after Andy muffed that backhand volley for the break (true story), that this lowest of lows will be the highest of highs when he finally breaks through.

I mean, does anyone doubt that if Ana wins another Slam that Curtis will be the #1 most happiest person in the world?  And would anyone argue that he would deserve it?  I think back to when Elfie won the USO.  Literally, my first thought after he won was of Gauloises of New Balls, Please, who was an Elf fan when it wasn't cool and who endured a lot of ribbing and disappointment for her die-hard love for that guy.  When he finally won I could not have been happier for her.  She deserved it.

All this is to say, keep the faith, tennis fans.  There are so many questions about 99% of the field right now.  And it would be very easy to abandon ship.  I actually don't begrudge anyone who, in the interest of self-preservation, chooses to do so.  That sounds pretty fucking rational, actually.  But sticking it out has its privileges.

Air Quotes: Alrighty Then.

Q. How do you keep doing it year after year, Grand Slam after Grand Slam? You make it look so easy, and obviously it isn't.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, look, there's no secret behind it. You know, I mean, definitely a very talented player (laughter). I always knew I had something special, but I didn't know it was like, you know, that crazy.

"Sorry, I'm Done."

Video of Muzz's choked up "pathetic excuse for a tennis player" speech here.

British self-deprecation at its finest.

Pic This: One Man On An Island

I just feel so much for Muzz.  He has the weight of a nation on his shoulders.

 

 

 

And it's already started.  He's 22!

The Architect of My Discontent

63 64 76(11)

 What to say, really, other than the fact that Roger was simply better in all aspects today.  I prayed and hoped that Andy would come out with the aggressive, attacking game that he showed Rafa.  Alas, we saw counterpunching Muzz.  I guess he didn't learn the first time that you can't counterpunch Roger in a Slam.  Hopefully he learns his lesson for the next time.  Because, oh yes, there will be many many "next times".

This is not to say that Andy didn't haven't his chances.  He had some chances to break in the first but Fed's serve was clutch today, getting him out of a lot of jams.  Andy disappeared a bit in the second set but the third set was drama-filled.  Andy actually served for it at 5-3 but he couldn't do it.  He held on to force an awesomely tense tie-break that Fed won 13-11.  Andy had 5 set points that he just couldn't convert.  Bottom line, he just couldn't step up and take it when he needed to.  I hate to say it, but he choked on a small handful of points that could have secured him the set.  And I don't mean that as a slight to Fed.  It's not like Fed won those points because Andy choked.  He won them because he *didn't* choke.  So, you know, congratulations and fuck you for that.

But what I will take away from this match is the hope that the Muzzard gained a few fans during this fortnight.  If he didn't do it through his pretty spectacular play throughout these two weeks, he surely gained a few in his surprisngly heartfelt and emotional "loser" speech.  The dude cried.  Not blubbered.  Just shed a few tears when he talked about being thankful for the support he's received.  More importantly to me, he seemed to get really choked up when he started apologizing to the "people back home" for not being able to secure the title. 

Then he threw down this gem:

"I can cry like Roger - it's just a shame I can't play like him." 

It was a tremendously humanizing moment for Andy.  A reluctant and very public acknowledgment that he *does* want to do this for Britain.  That he feels the pressure to do this for the country.  I always got the sense that Andy walled that off, that he didn't care really whether Britain had a drought or not.  He was just doing this for him and his team.  Clearly that's not the case and it makes his story a bit more tragic. 

So congrats to both gents for a job well-done.  A shame Muzz couldn't take it to a fourth.

Pic This: Hey Kid, Guess What...

There is no Santa Claus.

Pic This: Does That Thing Vibrate?

Pic This: Brothers Don't Shake Hands, Brother's Gotta -- WHAT THE FUCK?

So...they won.

...

...

I think you have to pay $29.95 to see how the rest of this played out.

The Brits Crack My Shit Up

This article is hilarious.  For all the right and wrong reasons:

Tennis is the only sport that is really all about sex. There is nothing new or controversial in this. As a popular sport tennis has its roots in hair-oiled country house flirtation, its rhythms perfectly suited to the honeyed repartee of romantic pursuit. You can tell it's all about sex because the English spend most of Wimbledon tittering and giggling. Plus it's the only professional sport where men's and women's competitions are unquestioningly bonded at the hip. A solely male grand slam would be deathly and, like an unrelentingly men-only Friday night in the pub, oddly pointless.

For Murray, this conjoinedness has expressed itself most recently in his winching into place alongside Laura Robson as a furnished and burnished and excessively giggly boy-girl public relations figurehead for the labouring juggernaut of British tennis. It has become standard at this point to say that Robson is "good for" Murray, a scenario that paints Murray as a seductively stifled all-court Mr Darcy, raw with unrelieved tension. There is something vaguely Jane Austen-ish about the pair of them together, jousting their way through another press conference, the courtly Mr Murray suddenly boyish beside free-spirited Ms Robson. And let's just say it right now. If you don't, on some level, want to see Murray and Robson one day get married and live in a big house in the country where they keep horses, then you're barely human.

Although, if this were ever going to work as an Austen-style narrative Murray would have to unsmilingly evade Robson's initial earnest advances, causing her to veer off tearfully and become infatuated with some mustachioed brute, perhaps the Bosnian world No 33, who would then string her along in dishonourable fashion while a narrow-eyed Murray hoovered up grand slams – but never, crucially, Wimbledon – before seeing the folly of his haughty ways, rescuing her from the brute, winning in SW19 after learning to love again/express his truest feelings and maybe appearing on celebrity Mr and Mrs with Vernon Kay.

Air Quotes: Reason #11

Q. Have you got a thought on tomorrow night's match at all?

JUSTINE HENIN: I'll be flying at that time, so... Well, I'm sure it's going to be a great match. For me, maybe the two best players of the world at the moment. I don't know, Andy Murray is such a smart player. What he's doing on the court is just fantastic.

Roger, what can we say more than what he's doing? I mean, I have so much respect. I still think he's gonna win. But I hope and I'm sure it's going to be a great battle.

Air Quotes: And That's How Serena "C"s it.

Q. Who's your winner [of the Men's final]?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Hmm? I always go for the underdog. But at the same time, I always root for the champion. But I like Andy 'cause he's really sweet. But I like Roger 'cause he's really nice. So I don't know.

Q. Perfectly clear now.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Exactly (laughter).

Q. You seemed so emotional at the end of the night. Did you consider climbing into the box?

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, I did. If you saw me, I did a pull‑up, but my muscles freezed because there's no chance I could lift my weight in a pull‑up. There was no chance I would have made it up. I was like, Okay, that's a hopeless cause.

Q. Difference between Kim and Justine?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, hmm. I'm going to keep that to myself.

Q. Have you got any spare Super Bowl tickets?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I do, but they're for sale. Hello. They're like $10,000. They're nice suite seats.

Shazam.

64 36 62. 

5th Australian Open Title (most in Open history), ties BJK for 12 Grand Slams, doubles and singles titles defended, ends at #1.  Not a bad two weeks for the Queen of Scream.

Weird but entertaining match.  The match started quite nervously for both.  Serena faced break points on what seemed like every single serving game, but her clutch serving was able to get her out of trouble.  In fact, it was her big serving that was able to stem the tide after Justine somewhat inexplicably ran off 5 straight games and 15 STRAIGHT POINTS to take the second set and the first game of the third.  Once Serena was able to stop the bleeding she dialed in and Justine started missing again.  The rest, as they say is history.

People will argue about Justine's, I mean, Carlos' game plan for a while (contemplating "Carline").  She seems hell bent on trying to stand toe to toe with the big hitters and play big babe tennis.  She was so aggressive.  Too aggressive if you ask me.  She was gunning for winners when she had no business doing so.  There was none of the finessed point construction that built her legacy.  Because of that, this match didn't have that much rhythm.  In fact, the streak that she went on was *because* she stopped missing and started grooving winners.  All of a sudden they started going in.  And they didn't.  And so she lost. 

But she seems hell-bent on sticking with it.  She definitely never reverted to a Plan B.  It was redline from start to finish.  But it sure makes her less fun to watch.  To the extent I ever had fun watching her in the first place.  I guess Carlos has convinced her that this is the game she needs to play to win Wimbledon, so they might as well work on it now.  We'll see.

A genuine congrats to Serena.  As everyone knows, I'm not a fan, but she really flipped the switch in this match.  Beware when Serena starts yelling at her fist.  It's like Over The Top.  Switch, flipped.  After this pic was taken, Justine didn't win another game.  So thanks, Serena for not letting my two hours of rooting for you go to waste.  But that's over.  Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Here's her "G" moment.  Yes, she mentioned Gatorade in her speech. 

Aw, Why'd You Have To Ruin It With Kobe?

Totally cute Nike video for their "Lace Up For Lives" campaign, designed to fight AIDS in Africa.  Dork!Masha's adorable in her pigtails.  Didier is hot as always, as are Marco Materazzi and Fabio Cannavaro.  But the star of the show is Andrei Arshavin.  Adorbz.

You can support the cause by purchasing the Nike Red Laces for $4 at Nike.com and 100% of the profits will go towards the cause.

Robbie Watch 2010: You're Never Gonna Beat A Chick With A Thigh Tattoo. Fact.

Oh noes! 

Robbie fought back in the second set to force a tiebreak, only to double fault on match point to lose 61 76(5) to Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic.

 

The fantastic Australian run by Robbie was halted by a girl with a leg tattoo.  Not an ankle tat, mind you.  A huge tat on the outside of her thigh.

 

Come on.  You're not gonna beat that.  But good on the kid.  She's played a ridiculous number of matches in a span of a month (Hopman Cup singles and doubles, AO qualifying, Senior doubles, and junior singles) and she really made a name for herself.  Ain't no shame in losing to a girl who's two years older.  And has a leg tat.  Did I mention that?

Unfortunately she won't be staying for the men's final tomorrow.  I could have really done with some Robbie in Muzz's box shots.  But she'll be back for the French and Wimbledon.  Good Lord, Wimbledon.  Good luck with that, Robbie.

For some reason, I loved this:

Q. Send [Andy] a little message before you leave?

LAURA ROBSON: No. Depends if I'm in a good mood or not.

Don't wait by your phone, Andy.

10 Reasons Why You Should Root For Roger Federer

In the interest of being fair and balanced, here we go:

1.  Because he wears shoes.

2.  Because his fans are awesome.

3.  Because he destroyed the spirits of Igor Andreev, Nikolai Davydenko, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.  And as we all know, those guys totally deserved it.  What assholes.

4.  Because he's such a nice guy that he doesn't even bother asking the ball kids to throw things away for him.  He just throws them on the ground.

5.  Because you don't mess with The Roger.

6.  Because he always wears interesting clothes.

7.  Because he's Swiss.  And we know how much the Swiss need this to erase their really difficult past.

8.  Because last time he lost he managed to make the entire ceremony about him.  So maybe if he wins he'll let the other person have the spotlight.

9.  Because whenever he wins he looks like he's been shot.  I mean, that's pretty amusing for that split second before you actually realize what's happened.

10.  Because if he wins there will be even more articles written about his greatness, and those are always really fun to read.

10 Reasons Why You Should Root For Andy Murray

Look, I get it.  Not many people like the kid.  But for one day, you should put that aside and actively root for him.  And if you won't do it for me, your loyal blogger who has stayed up until 7am to bring you the funnies, then you should do it for the following ten reasons:

1.  Because if Muzz wins a Slam the British press WILL FINALLY SHUT UP about their stupid-ass drought.

2.  Because he's ugly as fuck.  I mean, seriously, he looks like a weasel with a bad toupee who's been hit in the mouth with a hockey puck.  You can't hate on ugly people.  It's not cool.  Besides, ugly need love, too.

3.  Because this sign exists.

4.  Because according to Roger, this means more to Andy than it does to him.  Shit, if Roger doesn't want it, why should we root for him to have it?

5.  Because with Rafa out for four weeks, Nole puking all over the place, and Elf limp-wristed, we need someone to prevent the Fed cakewalk.

6.  Because Muzzard still owes L-Rob a diamond and he clearly is trying to save up the money to do it.  A winner's check would go a long way.

7.  Because if Fed loses he won't cry.  Not this time.  Instead he'll stand there and seethe and pout like a little boy who didn't get what he wanted for Christmas as Muzzard raises the trophy.  You know, like the classy sportsman that he is.  And really, wouldn't that be more entertaining?

8.  Because this guy is a Fed fan.

9.  Because his Mama, who raised two boys as a single mom, is awesome. And any cuteness that he has (which ain't much) clearly comes from her gene pool.  I think it's adorable that he looks like her.

10.  Because Jesus Christ!  He has 15 fucking Slams already.  What joy could you possibly gain from seeing him win one more.  I mean, did I mention this guy?

Come on, y'all.  For all the nerdy, awkward, shy, socially retarded kids in the world who get their one chance at glory against the smug, rich, nice head of hair'd assholes, root for Muzz.  It'll make you a better person.

I'm Sure There's A Long Line of Gents Willing To Help You Out With That

From Neil Harman's Net Post:

Ana Ivanovic's second-round defeat to Gisella Dulko was greeted with the predictable moans, groans and worries about the Serbian's state of game and mind. What was not known - probably because she didn't want to make it seem like an excuse - was that she had torn a glute muscle and had only been able to practise properly for four hours in the ten days before the event. The next time, perhaps, the 22-year-old will decide that letting people know that she is not properly fit is not a sign of weakness and could help prevent far less harsh headlines than those she was forced to endure.

Sigh.  Kid can't catch a break.  It is remarkable to think she endured that horrible presser without revealing the injury.  This sure does make Fed Cup more frazzletastic if you're a Serbia fan.

"We Won!" "We Did?"

I pretty much love this picture.

 

Much love to Venus and Serena for defending their doubles title by beating Bluber in straight sets.  I'm not Serena's #1 fan but it always brings me joy when the Sisters win doubles titles, mainly because I must imagine it's an awesome feeling to do something like that with your sister.

The match was not without drama.  Venus lost track of the score and actually didn't realize they had won:

Q. Venus, talk us through the last point or so, because it seemed that it was done and dusted and you were ready to go again.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I actually didn't know the score. I thought that it was 5‑2.

I really don't know how I lost track. So I was confused, but I guess that's just focus.

Q. What was going through your mind? Serena was happy...

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, yeah, I thought, She's really happy about this break. (Laughter.) I thought, Wow, I've never seen her this happy. But I'll go with it.

Q. Serena, were you stunned by the sort of lack of response you were getting back?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I thought, Okay, this is exciting. You know, we defended our title and she was like, What's going on? I'm like, The match is over. We're done now. It was funny.

Q. So you had no time to get nervous? What was your feeling?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. That's what I said. I was like, Serena, I guess it's easier to hold at 3‑2 instead of 4‑3. I thought it was breakpoint. I didn't know it was match ‑‑ I mean, I need to play all my matches like this without knowing the score. I think it would help.

Cute.

Robbie Watch 2010: One More!

Robbie's into the finals of the junior girls tourney, beating Kristyna Pliskova 63 61.  She'll play Kristyna's twin sister Karolina, who seems to be the better of the two seeing as how she's ranked #6, in the finals today.  She'll be the second match on Laver, right before the women's final.

COME ON ROBBIE!

You Better Be At Indian Wells, Rafa.

Looks like Rafa's out for about four weeks.  I think is good news.  His team is taking the injury seriously and giving him rest.  Lord knows he didn't get that much during the three week "off-season". 

But it does mean that he won't be in Rotterdam to defend his points, which means he'll slip to #4.  I think.

Pfft. Whatever.

  62 63 62 in 1 hour 28 minutes.  But don't let the scoreline fool you.  It wasn't even that close.

Honestly, I'm not gonna spend more time or energy in crafting this post than Jo did in that match.  Fed was en fuego, Jo was dumb (drop shots, dude?), couldn't find the court, and possibly a bit injured.  It was a sad semifinal performance.  The kid just couldn't even muster up the energy to care.

I'm over it.  On to the final that I've been waiting two weeks for:  Muzz vs. Fed.  Based on form and experience, I definitely give Fed the edge.  He's looking awfully comfortable out there and I still think his offense is better than Muzz's defense.  That said, I won't be shocked if Andy wins.  But I'll be surprised.  And ELATED.

Tough Life

Adidas MyStyle video with Ana, which looks to be shot in LA. Makes me cackle just thinking about what Dina's would look like.

NBD

Thanks to Mind the Racket for tracking it down.  It's all about Andy's reaction.

Pic This: Day 10 and 11

OH THE HUMANITY!!!!!!

"That was fun!  I want to go again!"

Game face.

"Hey Justine!  Can you sign my essay?"

The smile that lifted a thousand spirits.

This Mama don't sleep through matches.

Hah.  Too easy.

Suck my kiss.

You all know Lily's a "Chinese" fan.

So a few minutes after Andy won my Mom posted "Great Scot!" on my Facebook page.  I was completely confused because there is no reason she would know that phrase and that play on words.  Now I know.

It's ok, Jo.  It was just a tummy ache. He'll be ok.

Whee!

Aw, don't be like that, Marin.

Robbie Watch 2010: Still Truckin'

61 60

On to today's semifinal against Kristyna Pliskova, who upset the #1 seed yesterday.

AO Day 12: OOP

Do it for Maz!

Rod Laver Arena

15:00 Start Women's Doubles - Finals
Cara Black(ZIM)[1] /Liezel Huber(USA)[1] vs. Venus Williams /Serena Williams(USA)[2]

Mixed Doubles - Semifinals
Flavia Pennetta(ITA) /Marcelo Melo(BRA) vs. Ekaterina Makarova(RUS) /Jaroslav Levinsky(CZE)

Not Before:19:30
Men's Singles - Semifinals
Roger Federer(SUI)[1] vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(FRA)[10]

Margaret Court Arena

15:00 Start Legends' Doubles
Todd Woodbridge(AUS) /Mark Woodforde(AUS) vs. Guy Forget(FRA) /Cedric Pioline(FRA)

Legends' Doubles
Scott Draper(AUS) /Richard Fromberg(AUS) vs. Todd Martin(USA) /Thomas Muster(AUT)

Exhibition Doubles - Finals
Adam Hills(AUS) /Mats Wilander(SWE) vs. Dave Hughes(AUS) /Mansour Bahrami(IRI)

Mixed Doubles - Semifinals
Cara Black(ZIM)[1] /Leander Paes(IND)[1] vs. Lisa Raymond(USA)[7] /Wesley Moodie(RSA)[7]

Show Court 2

15:00 Start Junior Boys' Singles - Semifinals
Marton Fucsovics(HUN)[6] vs. Sean Berman(AUS)

Men's Wheelchair Doubles - Finals
Maikel Scheffers(NED)[1] /Robin Ammerlaan(NED)[1] vs. Stephane Houdet(FRA)[2] /Shingo Kunieda(JPN)[2]

Women's Wheelchair Doubles - Finals
Florence Gravellier(FRA) /Aniek Van Koot(NED) vs. Lucy Shuker(GBR)[2] /Daniela Di Toro(AUS)[2]

Show Court 3

15:00 Start Junior Girls' Singles - Semifinals
Kristyna Pliskova(CZE) vs. Laura Robson(GBR)

Junior Boys' Doubles - Finals
Justin Eleveld(NED) /Jannick Lupescu(NED) vs. Kevin Krawietz(GER)[2] /Dominik Schulz(GER)[2]

Junior Girls' Doubles - Finals
Timea Babos(HUN)[1] /Gabriela Dabrowski(CAN)[1] or Ulrikke Eikeri /Camila Silva(CHI)[4] vs. Eugenie Bouchard(CAN) /Luksika Kumkhum(THA) or Jana Cepelova /Chantal Skamlova(SVK)

Court 6

15:00 Start Quad Wheelchair Singles
Peter Norfolk(GBR) vs. Johan Andersson(SWE)

Junior Girls' Singles - Semifinals
Karolina Pliskova(CZE)[6] vs. Silvia Njiric(CRO)[5]
or
Hao Chen Tang

Quad Wheelchair Doubles - Finals
Nicholas Taylor(USA) /David Wagner(USA) vs. Peter Norfolk(GBR) /Johan Andersson(SWE)

Court 7

15:00 Start Quad Wheelchair Singles
David Wagner(USA) vs. Nicholas Taylor(USA)

Junior Boys' Singles - Semifinals
Tiago Fernandes(BRA)[14] vs. Gianni Mina(FRA)[2]

Air Quotes: Game, Set, Match, Tsonga.

“Q. Novak talked about his problems. He had some problems during the match. When did you first notice that he was having problems?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Five years ago. (Smiling.)”

It's Like Mulan. But, Like, She Dies In The End.

And thus endeth the Cinderella story that lasted for like...24 hours.

So we get our "dream final" (I don't know what "we" I'm referring to.  I was hoping for a Garbin/Kvitova final, myself).  Serena hobbles into the final, niggles all over, after quite a mental test against Nails (76 76).  Justine on the other hand probably needed to go out for another light hit after walking all over her #1 fan, Jay Z (60 61). 

None of that matters though.  It doesn't matter how hurt Serena is, or how easy Justine's had it.  In the WTA, more often then not, it's all about who is mentally stronger.  These two, whether I like it or not, are as strong as they come.  So bring it.

And go Serena *runsaway*.

"If It's Not Scottish...IT'S CRAP!"

MUZZAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Marin started strong in the first set, but as the match progressed those 18 hours on court started to get to him and Andy stepped it up.  It definitely wasn't the show of dominance that he showed against Rafa, but it was a fairly straightforward Muzzard-like win.  This was Muzz's third Slam semifinal appearance and will be his second Slam final.

I haz a happee. 

Pic This: "I've been alone with you inside my mind..."

"Hello?  Is it me you're looking for..."

(It has come to my attention today that I often take these pop culture references for granted.  I forget that a lot of you guys are significantly younger than I am (I learned to day that the NPR music intern had never heard Joshua Tree -- and I freaked out).  So please, I beg of you, watch that video in it's entirety.  It is very important that you're aware of it.  Besides, the joke doesn't make sense unless you've seen the video.)

30 Never Looked So Damn Good.

Happy 30th Birthday, Maratski!

In honor of Marat's milestone, I thought I'd tap Mrs. Saifn (appropriately) to say some words:

An unfortunate consequence of Marat’s retirement and Dinara’s... injury retirement is that we don’t get any awesome press conference quotes from either of them about Marat turning 30 today. I sincerely hope Dinara baked him a carrot cake.

Marat’s birthday is the perfect time to think about grateful I am for the two websites devoted to posting nothing but hot photos of Marat. I wanted to have his photo screened onto a body pillow so I could take him on a double date with James Franco and Kimiko, but there are too many pictures to choose from. So instead I’ll just watch my favorite Marat video over and over. And over.

Here's to 30 more, you sexy beast.

Pic This: For Every Cloud There Is A Silver Lining

These pictures kill me.  And I can hear in my head is this.

The hand on the waist, pulling him closer...

You just sense Muzz wanted to give him a squeeze.

"You khit to the bakhand, much spin, ok?"

"You play with much colm, no?"

Andy moved to tears.

Bros don't shake hands, bros gotta hug.

AO Day 11: OOP

Rod Laver Arena
11:00 Start Men’s Doubles – Semifinals
Ivo Karlovic(CRO) /Dusan Vemic(SRB) vs. Daniel Nestor(CAN)[2] /Nenad Zimonjic(SRB)[2]
Not Before:13:30
Women’s Singles – Semifinals
Serena Williams(USA)[1] vs. Na Li(CHN)[16]
Women’s Singles – Semifinals
Justine Henin(BEL) vs. Jie Zheng(CHN)
19:30 Start Men’s Singles – Semifinals
Marin Cilic(CRO)[14] vs. Andy Murray(GBR)[5]
Exhibition Doubles – Finals
Henri Leconte(FRA) /Patrick Rafter(AUS) vs. Wayne Arthurs(AUS) /Pat Cash(AUS)

Margaret Court Arena
11:00 Start Legends’ Doubles
Todd Martin(USA) /Thomas Muster(AUT) vs. Wayne Arthurs(AUS) /Pat Cash(AUS)
Legends’ Doubles 45 and Over
John Fitzgerald(AUS) /Anders Jarryd(SWE) vs. Henri Leconte(FRA) /Mats Wilander(SWE)
Men’s Doubles – Semifinals
Bob Bryan(USA)[1] /Mike Bryan(USA)[1] vs. Michael Kohlmann(GER) /Jarkko Nieminen(FIN)
Women’s Doubles – Semifinals
Lisa Raymond(USA)[6] /Rennae Stubbs(AUS)[6] vs. Venus Williams(USA)[2] /Serena Williams(USA)[2]

Show Court 2

11:00 Start Men’s Wheelchair Singles – Semifinals
Martin Legner(AUT) vs. Stephane Houdet(FRA)[2]
Women’s Wheelchair Singles – Semifinals
Jiske Griffioen(NED) vs. Florence Gravellier(FRA)[2]
Men’s Wheelchair Doubles – Semifinals
Satoshi Saida(JPN) /Martin Legner(AUT) vs. Stephane Houdet(FRA)[2] /Shingo Kunieda(JPN)[2]
Women’s Doubles – Semifinals
Cara Black(ZIM)[1] /Liezel Huber(USA)[1] vs. Maria Kirilenko(RUS)[15] /Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[15]

Show Court 3
11:00 Start Junior Boys’ Singles – Quarterfinals
Benjamin Mitchell(AUS) vs. Marton Fucsovics(HUN)[6]
Junior Boys’ Singles – Quarterfinals
Sean Berman(AUS) vs. Guilherme Clezar(BRA)[10]
Junior Boys’ Singles – Quarterfinals
James Duckworth(AUS) vs. Gianni Mina(FRA)[2]
Junior Boys’ Doubles – Semifinals
Justin Eleveld(NED) /Jannick Lupescu(NED) vs. Jason Kubler(AUS) /Benjamin Mitchell(AUS)

Court 5
11:00 Start Women’s Wheelchair Singles – Semifinals
Korie Homan(NED)[1] vs. Aniek Van Koot(NED)
Quad Wheelchair Singles
Peter Norfolk(GBR) vs. David Wagner(USA)
Women’s Wheelchair Doubles – Semifinals
Katharina Kruger(GER) /Annick Sevenans(BEL) vs. Lucy Shuker(GBR)[2] /Daniela Di Toro(AUS)[2]
Women’s Wheelchair Doubles – Semifinals
Jiske Griffioen(NED)[1] /Korie Homan(NED)[1] vs. Florence Gravellier(FRA) /Aniek Van Koot(NED)

Court 6
12:00 Start Junior Girls’ Singles – Quarterfinals
Timea Babos(HUN)[1] vs. Kristyna Pliskova(CZE)
Not Before:14:30
Junior Girls’ Singles – Quarterfinals
Ester Goldfeld(USA) vs. Laura Robson(GBR)
Junior Girls’ Singles – Quarterfinals
Silvia Njiric(CRO)[5] vs. Hao Chen Tang(CHN)
Junior Girls’ Doubles – Semifinals
Timea Babos(HUN)[1] /Gabriela Dabrowski(CAN)[1] vs. Ulrikke Eikeri(NOR)[4] /Camila Silva(CHI)[4]

Court 7
11:00 Start Men’s Wheelchair Singles – Semifinals
Shingo Kunieda(JPN)[1] vs. Robin Ammerlaan(NED)
Quad Wheelchair Singles
Johan Andersson(SWE) vs. Nicholas Taylor(USA)
Men’s Wheelchair Doubles – Semifinals
Maikel Scheffers(NED)[1] /Robin Ammerlaan(NED)[1] vs. Ben Weekes(AUS) /Stefan Olsson(SWE)

Court 8
11:00 Start Junior Boys’ Singles – Quarterfinals
Suk-Young Jeong(KOR) vs. Tiago Fernandes(BRA)[14]
Junior Girls’ Singles – Quarterfinals
Karolina Pliskova(CZE)[6] vs. Daria Gavrilova(RUS)[3]
Junior Boys’ Doubles – Semifinals
Liang-Chi Huang(TPE)[4] /Yasutaka Uchiyama(JPN)[4] vs. Kevin Krawietz(GER)[2] /Dominik Schulz(GER)[2]
Junior Girls’ Doubles – Semifinals
Eugenie Bouchard(CAN) /Luksika Kumkhum(THA) vs. Jana Cepelova(SVK) /Chantal Skamlova(SVK)

Pic This: At The Moment, Me, Myself Are Not So Good At Tennis

Ana's Spring "Me, Myself" Adidas campaign. 

They've done a pretty good job with the Adilibria line.  It's like wearable Stella McCartney stuff.

I tried doing this at the gym a few years ago. 

I fell and banged my head on some nearby equipment. 

So, you know, leave it to the pros, kids.

Robbie Watch 2010: Single!

 

Good news and, well at least to me, good news.  Robbie had a straight set win in singles to progress to the quarterfinals of the junior girls' championship.  But she and Sally Peers lost their doubles match to MaKiri and A-Rad.  Good thing though, as that match was scheduled late (it was supposed to go after the Nole match but they thankfully moved it to MCA) and she's set to play her quarterfinal match at 2pm.

And, as Lexi pointed out via Twitter:

Save the little children.

Pic This: First Round's On Pam

Q. To be top 10, the first top 10 in China, what kind of satisfaction is that for you?

NA LI: So exciting. Maybe I take the beer tonight.

Stay Away From The Vegemite

Out.  Both ends, actually.

Unbeknownst to anyone coming into the match, Nole was having stomach problems.  He had diarrhea before the match but soldiered on, splitting the first two tight sets, 67 76.  Jo got tired in the third and Nole was able to cruise to a 61 win. 

Then, during the third set changeover, while Jo ran off to the restroom, Nole started dry heaving.  I'm actually not convinced it was a "dry" heave at all, thanks to ESPN's HD coverage.  But he was clearly having problems during the next two games, breathing heavily and burping a lot.  After he dropped the second game he told the chair he had to go off-court because he had to throw up.  Apparently he did.

The rest was history.  He essentially gave the fourth set away to try and regain his composure, but when the fifth set rolled around, he wasn't the same Nole.  Jo took the final set 61.

Huge congratulations to Jo.  Though he lost his legs for a bit, he played well enough to win those first two sets, and had he, who knows.  He probably would have won it in straight sets.  He played well and he deserved the win.  I don't think anyone except the Nole die-hards would begrudge him this win.  Nole didn't go away in the fifth.  Jo just didn't let him get any momentum.

Not all is lost for Nole.  He gained some points here and, if Andy doesn't win the title, he'll ascend to #2.  Plus, as far as I could tell he's back to playing high quality tennis.  It's been a joy to watch him this week.

So we have two revenge semifinals, with Andy vs Marin (USO) and Jo vs Fed (Montreal).  If Jo brings his A game, the second one should be a cracker.

Pic This: AZN PRYDE

They are so full of awesome.  After years of toiling in the Chinese state-sponsored athletics program, wherein the State controlled where they played, where they trained, who they trained with, and of course, took a shitload of their money, Zheng Jie and Na Li broke away last year.  They demanded that they be allowed full control of their schedule, coaching, training, etc. 

Well look what happened.  A year later we have two Chinese women into the semifinals of a Slam.  Before Jay-Z made the semis of Wimbledon in 2008, we had never had a Chinese woman past the quarterfinals.  This is a remarkable story and one I hope the MSM pick up on.

Good on ya, Ladies.  No go all Mulan and bring home the Imperial Medal of Honor!

Or, you know, win.  Your choice!

Serena Can Make You Woozy.

It wasn't the heat this time.  It was Serena.

Serena found herself a set and 0-3 down to an inspired and flawless Vika.  Vika played great but Serena was definitely not herself.  A lot of that was Vika's quality hitting and surprising court coverage, which put more pressure on Serena.  On top of that, Serena was definitely not having the serving day she had against Sam and was unable to get a lot of free points on her serve and she was clearly feeling less than 100% physically.

So Serena did what A-Rod did yesterday.  She started hitting out and shortening points, taking cracks at Vika's weak serve, and it worked.  She quickly asserted herself and climbed back from the 0-3 hole to force tight tiebreak that saw her come out on top 7-4.  From there, you knew it was pretty much over.  Vika, to her credit (and you know how reluctant I am to ever give her anything but shit) did her best to stay with Serena in the third.  But after she was broken rather quickly you could see that she knew there was nothing she could do.  Credit to her for taking it like a champ and walking off with her head held high, racquets intact.  Nothing to be ashamed of here.

So the "dream final" of Serena vs. Justine is still a possibility.  But they'll have to get through China first.

Red Ring of Death.

Anyone who owns an XBOX 360 knows what I'm talking about.  In fact, I'm sitting here in my living room staring at a 360 console the RRoD'd me a few months ago, forcing me to go buy a new one.  It can happen at any time, sometimes when you power up, other times in the middle of a game.  But if you see it, you're toast.  Your XBOX is broken and there's nothing you can do.

I don't know what the PS3 equivalent is, but Kolya *totally* RROD'd.

The Playstation was cruising through a set and half, putting on a hitting and movement clinic.  He took the first set 63 and was up a break at 3-1.  With a chance to go up two breaks, Kolya had an easy backhand put away at the net and he muffed it to go to deuce.  No big deal, right?

Fed would go on to win 13 straight games.  Kolya didn't win a game for about an hour.  He would put up a big of a fight at the end of the fourth, but it was over.  Fed was grooving and Kolya looked like he didn't believe.

Q. What was going through your mind as you were losing all those games?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Pissed off. (Laughter.) What else? Yeah. Like say I'm pissed off of my serve. Pissed off. I didn't realize this point, I didn't realize this point. It's like everything was shit (laughter.)

But what else? Bad luck. Go home tomorrow, relax.

Tough way to lose but is there any doubt that Kolya comes out of Australia a winner?  All the media attention, a racquet contract (apparently the Prince contract *is* for the full year), rankings points (he didn't play here last year), and some cash.  Would love to see him back it up at IW and Miami.

"Rebel Girl, You Are The Queen Of My World."

Badass Motherfucker.

Ok, yes, the match royally sucked.  After the first set, neither Nails or Venus could hold serve.  To describe Venus' level of play as "shambolic" would be generous.  But at the end of the day, you have to have the nerve and the guts to take these matches.  Nails did that.  In the final set, when she was serving for the match she went for the lines and didn't just sit back and wait for Venus to fuck up.  All credit for that.

As for Venus, everyone's trying to figure out this horrible performance.  How the hell do you get broken eight times when your name is Venus Williams?  Serving double digit double faults doesn't help.  But for all the headscratching going on all I have to say is this: Venus is getting older.  Her age may not have determined this match, but it sure does explain her trend of choking in big matches that don't take place on grass.  She's simply not the player she once was and she has difficulty with her consistency.  And the thing about Venus, and the reason I like her more than her sister, is that she's self-aware and not insane.  Normal people don't forget these losses and they do affect your confidence.  And they creep up in the tight moments.  

So we have two Chinese players in the semifinals.  Pretty amazing.

Air Quotes: Monotone Muzz

Q. When you talk with your team after a win like tonight, do you smile more? Do you have a voice which sounds more happy than now? Now you talk almost like you lost.

ANDY MURRAY: Have you ever sat in this seat before? I mean, last year I played 80 odd matches and we do a press conference after every single match. We do one before every tournament. More for other bits and pieces.

Q. It's very boring.

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I don't know (smiling). You just get used to doing it. I don't get excited about doing them anymore.

THE MODERATOR: That's lucky because this one's over.

Robbie Watch 2010: "She's So Annoying!"

L-Rob came through a three setter against a 15 year-old Russian nutter.  According to BecTeh, it was a hilarious match, as Putintseva apparently has a reputation for being...something:

The diminutive but confrontational 15 year-old Russian has developed quite a reputation for herself in a short space of time and her penchant for intimidating umpires by persistent arguing and attempting to influence the calls of line judges have become notorious.

“She is a pit-bull, pure and simple,” said Peter McNamara, the former Australian doubles champion who now figures amongst the elite coaching team at the Mouratoglou Academy just outside Paris. “She will fight and scrap and do anything. The only person I’ve seen argue and try and intimidate umpires more consistently is John McEnroe.

Fuck, I'd love to see this kid.

Air Quotes: It Kills Me That I Can't Root For You

Q. Why are you playing such good tennis?

MARIN CILIC: 'Cause I'm a good player (smiling).

Air Quotes: Dumbest Question Ever, Courtesy of Bud Collins.

Q. Ever played in a match with so many twists and turns?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I'm sure I have. I can't remember right now. You know, that's the way it is sometimes.

Air Quotes: So...What's New With You...

Rafa's Presser:

Q. Could you let us know what the condition is, what the latest story is with the knee. It's very unusual for you to stop during a match.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, well, is not a lot of history because was during the match. Was in the end of the second set in one drop. And I feeled similar thing to what I had last year.

And, yes, after that I can't go down after that, no? So was impossible to win the match. When I have the chance to play, I never retired. Anyway, like I know I going to lose like I did in Rotterdam like last year. I say sorry to Andy for that.

I felt pain still there without no one minimum chance to do nothing, the same time is hard for me be five more games there without try nothing, no? So I don't know if I still playing can go worst or something. So I said, well, no repeat the same mistake like I had last year. I go to the limit, but not cross the limit, no?

...

Q. Is it the same sort of injury?

RAFAEL NADAL: I say before yes.

Q. Does it feel worse or the same?

RAFAEL NADAL: Worst?

Q. Does it feel as bad as it did last year?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? Is happen few minutes ago, no?

Q. It happened the end of the second set?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes.

Q. You were talking about your level of play today. When do you think you last played as confidently and as well as you were doing for the first two sets?

RAFAEL NADAL: I think last time was here last year.

Q. Here last year?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah. Because after that I played well few matches in Indian Wells. But after that started the pain. And after the pain, I didn't play bad, but far away from this level, no? I worked a lot at home. Lot of months working to play at this level now.

For sure for me is little bit disappointing have the pain on the knee because I think I am very close to start winning these important matches, no? And I think I gonna do soon.

Q. Are there any changes you're going to make to your training style or your playing style?

RAFAEL NADAL: Don't start, guys, with these questions right now. I think is not the right moment. I think I changed the style to play. If you see my matches 2005 or 2004, 2006, I run a lot compared to now, no?

So today I played against one of the best players of the world, and I think I wasn't run more than him. So I played aggressive. I played having the control of the point, a lot of the time with the forehand and the backhand, too, returning aggressive. If you see my matches three years ago, that's didn't happen, no?

Remember, we are playing on hard courts. Probably in this surface I have to play my best tennis, like today, if I really want to have chances to win. If not, then the opponents, there are really good players, and Andy's unbelievable. He's playing really well. You know, with these matches, I think I was very close today. But just little bit more calm when I had the break.

Q. How confident can you be that your knee problems are going to suddenly stop?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I worked a lot. I didn't have lot of problems for the last six months. And today is the first time, no? I felt something when I think is a bad movement. But is not, you know, because the knee is tired or has been a bad movement or gesture.

No, I think going to be okay.

...

Q. Are you worried how long your knee might keep you out?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no.

Q. You don't think it will keep you out for a long time?

RAFAEL NADAL: I repeat: I said before, I think is impossible to me to know after half an hour.

AO Day 10: OOP

A Rematch-tastic order of play.

Rod Laver Arena
11:00 Start
Na Li(CHN)[16] vs. Venus Williams(USA)[6]
Serena Williams(USA)[1] vs. Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[7]
Roger Federer(SUI)[1] vs. Nikolay Davydenko(RUS)[6]

19:30 Start
Novak Djokovic(SRB)[3] vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(FRA)[10]
Maria Kirilenko(RUS)[15] /Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[15] vs. Sally Peers(AUS) /Laura Robson(GBR)

Margaret Court Arena
Arnaud Clement(FRA) /Jonathan Erlich(ISR) vs. Daniel Nestor(CAN)[2] /Nenad Zimonjic(SRB)[2]
Cara Black(ZIM)[1] /Liezel Huber(USA)[1] vs. Alisa Kleybanova(RUS)[7] /Francesca Schiavone(ITA)[7]

Not Before:17:30
WORLD TEAM TENNIS EXHIBITION
Exhibition Singles
Team International(INT) vs. Team Australia(AUS)

Show Court 2
11:00 Start Women’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Korie Homan(NED)[1] vs. Daniela Di Toro(AUS)
Legends’ Doubles 45 and Over
Peter McNamara(AUS) /Paul McNamee(AUS) vs. Henri Leconte(FRA) /Mats Wilander(SWE)
Men’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Lukasz Kubot(POL)[5] /Oliver Marach(AUT)[5] or Ivo Karlovic /Dusan Vemic(SRB) vs. Lukas Dlouhy(CZE)[3] /Leander Paes(IND)[3]
Mixed Doubles – Quarterfinals
Chia-Jung Chuang(TPE) /Filip Polasek(SVK) vs. Lisa Raymond(USA)[7] /Wesley Moodie(RSA)[7]
Mixed Doubles – Quarterfinals
Cara Black(ZIM)[1] /Leander Paes(IND)[1] vs. Elena Vesnina(RUS)[8] /Andy Ram(ISR)[8]

Show Court 3
11:00 Start Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
Jason Kubler(AUS)[3] vs. Sean Berman(AUS)
Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
Daniel Berta(SWE)[1] vs. Benjamin Mitchell(AUS)
Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
James Duckworth(AUS) vs. Oliver Golding(GBR)
Mixed Doubles – Quarterfinals
Raquel Kops-Jones(USA) /Dick Norman(BEL) vs. Ekaterina Makarova(RUS) /Jaroslav Levinsky(CZE)
Mixed Doubles – Quarterfinals
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova(CZE) /Oliver Marach(AUT) vs. Flavia Pennetta(ITA) /Marcelo Melo(BRA)

Court 5
11:00 Start Quad Wheelchair Singles
David Wagner(USA) vs. Johan Andersson(SWE)
Women’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Katharina Kruger(GER) vs. Aniek Van Koot(NED)
Men’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Stefan Olsson(SWE) vs. Robin Ammerlaan(NED)

Court 6

11:00 Start Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Karolina Pliskova(CZE)[6] vs. Risa Ozaki(JPN)
Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Laura Robson(GBR) vs. Cristina Dinu(ROU)
Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
Renzo Olivo(ARG)[11] vs. Marton Fucsovics(HUN)[6]
Junior Boys’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Arturs Kazijevs(LAT) /Mikelis Libietis(LAT) vs. Jason Kubler(AUS) /Benjamin Mitchell(AUS)

Court 7
11:00 Start Quad Wheelchair Singles
Peter Norfolk(GBR) vs. Nicholas Taylor(USA)
Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Yana Buchina(RUS)[16] vs. Hao Chen Tang(CHN)
Men’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Shingo Kunieda(JPN)[1] vs. Satoshi Saida(JPN)
Men’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Martin Legner(AUT) vs. Ben Weekes(AUS)

Court 8
11:00 Start Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
Tiago Fernandes(BRA)[14] vs. Mitchell Frank(USA)[4]
Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Timea Babos(HUN)[1] vs. Anna Arina Marenko(RUS)
Junior Boys’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Justin Eleveld(NED) /Jannick Lupescu(NED) vs. Tiago Fernandes(BRA) /Bruno Semenzato(BRA)
Junior Girls’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Ulrikke Eikeri(NOR)[4] /Camila Silva(CHI)[4] or Cristina Dinu /Melis Sezer(TUR) vs. Paula Kania(POL) /Anna Arina Marenko(RUS) or Hao Chen Tang /Kobkanok Upapong(THA)

Court 10
11:00 Start Women’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Annick Sevenans(BEL) vs. Jiske Griffioen(NED)
Women’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Lucy Shuker(GBR) vs. Florence Gravellier(FRA)[2]
Men’s Wheelchair Singles – Quarterfinals
Maikel Scheffers(NED) vs. Stephane Houdet(FRA)[2]

Court 18
11:00 Start Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
Guilherme Clezar(BRA)[10] vs. Kalle Averfalk(SWE)
Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Ksenia Kirillova(RUS) vs. Ester Goldfeld(USA)
Junior Boys’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Tom Allen(GBR) /Jack Carpenter(GBR) vs. Kevin Krawietz(GER)[2] /Dominik Schulz(GER)[2]
Junior Girls’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Timea Babos(HUN)[1] /Gabriela Dabrowski(CAN)[1] vs. Ester Goldfeld(USA) /Madison Keys(USA)

Court 19
11:00 Start Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
Arthur De Greef(BEL)[13] vs. Gianni Mina(FRA)[2]
Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Luksika Kumkhum(THA) vs. Kristyna Pliskova(CZE)
Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Silvia Njiric(CRO)[5] vs. Maryna Zanevska(UKR)[10]
Junior Girls’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Jana Cepelova(SVK) /Chantal Skamlova(SVK) vs. Yana Buchina(RUS) /Ksenia Kirillova(RUS)

Court 21
11:00 Start Junior Boys’ Singles – 3rd Round
Suk-Young Jeong(KOR) vs. Filip Horansky(SVK)[9]
Junior Girls’ Singles – 3rd Round
Grace Sari Ysidora(INA) vs. Daria Gavrilova(RUS)[3]
Junior Boys’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Victor Baluda(RUS) /Richard Muzaev(RUS) vs. Liang-Chi Huang(TPE)[4] /Yasutaka Uchiyama(JPN)[4]
Junior Girls’ Doubles – Quarterfinals
Eugenie Bouchard(CAN) /Luksika Kumkhum(THA) or Despina Papamichail /Yulia Putintseva(RUS) vs. Kanyapat Narattana(THA) /Grace Sari Ysidora(INA)
or Tamara Curovic /Sachie Ishizu(JPN)[3]