Forty Deuce

Chunnel, 2 Tickets, Please.

Anxious to get home to Kim, I see.

A tired Muzz fell to Steps in three, 16 63 64.  Hungover from the Marat celebrations, perhaps?

For better or worse, Andy wasn't the only seed to fall today, as Kolya and FeVer both lost.  The good news for Kolya?  Fer's loss guarantees Kolya the 7th spot in London.  So watch out, ladies.  Kolya's coming to London and he's...oh, Irina's coming too?  Uh, nevermind.

Fernando's in a tougher position.  He'll have to see how Paris plays out to determine his fate.  If I read the ATP's chart right, Fer is eliminated if Sod makes the finals, or if Jo wins the tournament.  Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Formulaic

It's #1 vs. #2 in Kuala Lumpur, as Kolya rallied to beat General Sod 16 76 62, and Fer took out Gonzo 64 75.

 

Gonzo was...not pleased.

"Sleepless long nights, that is what my youth was for."

 

While Tokyo's tourney director is probably still in the hospital recovering from a panic attack, KL's tourney director has to be feeling pretty darn good right now.  They've done a great job with the promo stuff and now they've backed it up with quality tennis, as the top four seeds have made the semis. 

Nice run by Reeshard, by the way.  Some quality wins on the way to the quarters and he gave Fer a tough match.  Good job, Coke Head.

On a somewhat unrelated note, check out this remix of "1234".  I hear at at Barney's with the best gay and we may have had a little dance party in the men's shoe department.

Pic This: Still Flossing The Fuzz From My Teeth

To answer your question, no, that was not me.

 

Wha happen?

 

Sigh.  If only Serena listened.

You're cute.

 

Rough night.

 

It's ok, honey.  Have a danish.

Adorable little bumblebee.

 

Nice crowd.

The beginning of the end.

 

Va.  Mos.

"I Wanna Rock With You, All Night..."

Aww...Tax does her best Michael Jackson impression.

 

Ooga Chakka Ooga Chakka Ooga Chakka...

 

Focus on your tennis and stop practicing making out with your girlfriend, Tomas.

 

You know what, dude?  You deserve to lose if you're going to wear those sunglasses.

Pic This: Leapin' Leprechauns

The higher they go, the harder they fall.  Sad for Elfie. 

But he was WAY cute in his presser.


They don't call him Gonzo for nothing.

I actually think I would enjoy watching the Williamses play doubles live.  Not on TV when there's other interesting and important tennis going on, but you know, at other times.

Just because I know boys read this blog.  You're welcome.  I guess.


Sigh.  If only he flipped it.  Next time.


"Uh...hello."


Hey, it's *that* guy!

Most of the time Momo's pics look weird, primarily because she comes under the ball (heh) so much on her forehand and then her one-handed backhand looks nuts if you don't catch it right. 

But then there are pics like this.  Love.


*Yeah* you're in.  My vagina.

Hey, Upper East Siders.  Looks like S dropped in and braved the hot sun in support of Lonely Boy.  All kidding aside though, I've always really liked Kim Sears.  And I *need* that purse.

Nooooo.  No vest.  Bad Muzz.  Bad.

The Sex is in the house, people.  Respect.

Pic This: It's All About the Angles

The bad news?  You lost your match.  The good news? The FFT would like to put your work "Racquet Sculpture" on display in the Roland Garros on-site museum.

Has anyone else ever noticed that every single match she wins, there's at least one picture of Dina like this, pigeon-toed beyond belief?  Adorably awkward, but my knees and hips hurt just looking at it.

Why why why does anyone ever want these people's sweat-soaked towels and wristbands?  It is seriously one of the most disgusting things I can think of.

Erm... scary.

Just really liked the way this one was shot.

It took me awhile to figure out what this one was: Victoria Azarenka, as seen between the legs of a linesman.  Uh... okay.

Andy's left arm/shoulder look seriously whack here.

Player and Racquet: A Study in Three Parts

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

I really kind of meant it in a "lookit all those straight set wins" kind of way, but then I found this...

... and this...

Ha.

That, of course, is the pride of Great Britain, taking a dive on his way to a tough 4-set victory over Potito Starace.  It's a good sign that he could tough out a win on a surface he's clearly uncomfortable on, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that RG 2009 is not where Muzz is going to have his Grand Slam breakthrough.  His next match, where he'll face either F-Lo or Tipsy, could be a real struggle for him.

Back to all those straight setters... Nando, Gilly, Marin, Gonzo and Victor Hanescu (okay...) are all through to the third round in straight sets.  Nando, Gilly, Gonzo and Marin had almost absurdly easy times of it out there, with Gilly in particular picking up speed as the match progressed.  Good for him, it would be great for him to be able to turn around his season a little at his home Slam.  Arnaud Clement, C-Roch and Nico Almagro are through in 4, the latter meaning that-- of course-- we must say goodbye to Ernie.  Oh Ernie.

On the women's side, Kristina Barrois is gunning for my personal "least favourite person" award for failing to take out Vika, even after being up two breaks in the first.  Oh well.  Agnes had an impressive 0 and 2 win over Lena V and Nails also had a competent win (1 and 4) over Timea Bacsinszky (known to me as the only player who wears more makeup than JJ).  The Cone managed to finish off her match from yesterday in 2, so good for her.  Pavs is also through, headband and all, in two sets over Julie Coin.

(Sorry for the rushed, picture-free quality of this post; I've got my goddaughter the rest of the day and somehow her mother didn't think "watch TV with Aunt Carrie" was the best idea for an activity.  Bummer.)

Confidences

Ugh, is this going to be this year's "karaoke"?  I guess it's a little better than the photo booth last year, but it's still not as good as Rafa bopping around to "La Bamba".  There's some interesting info, I guess (I didn't realize that Tomas and Lucie had been together six years already... aren't they like 14?) but so far The Cone's is definitely the best.

The Cone, child TV star. Who knew? 

Others:

Fernando Gonzalez 

Virginie Razzano

Tomas Berdych ("Where are we going?"  "It's up to you!"  Heh.)

Pic This: Mmmm. Nenad. Wet. Done.

Ah Lay.

Well Gilly made that look a lot easier than it should have been.  In what looked like it would be an uber competitive matchup, Gilly took out Average Mario in straight sets, 76 64 62.  Isn't this as far as he's ever gone in a Grand Slam?  Good for him. 

Unfortunately he'll run up against his good buddy LaMonf in the next round.  That match is going to have A LOT.  OF.  RUNNING.

Meanwhile, Jo's back is holding up well so far.  He overcame a lapse of concentration in the third set to easily beat Dudi Sela, 64 62 16 61.  He'll meet Blah in the next round.  Can you think of two more contrasting styles/personalities? 

Go Jo!

As for Reeshie, he fought valiantly against Gonzo.  In fact, it was a really good match with tremendous shotmaking.  But as is the trend with both these players, Reeshie won the first two sets handily, held match point in the third set tiebreak but couldn't convert, and Gonzo went Gonzo and started crushing winners from both sides to take the TB and then next two sets.  It was a marathon fifth set that really could have been decided by a coinflip.

Sad for Reeshie.  I was rooting for him in this one.  But this sets up a nice revenge match for Rafa in the next round.

Gonzo Downs Lawnmower Lleyton

Gonzo edged out a semi-resurgent Lleyton in five sets, 57 62 62 36 63.  Lleyton looked to have the momentum going into the fifth set when Gonzo called for the trainer for cramping.  That break in the action changed everything and Gonzo took control of the match and closed out the win.

Meanwhile, a few big names came through with little fanfare.  Jo, Ernie, and Fernando all came through easily in straight sets.  Mario also came through, beating Wayne Odesnik in four. 

I'll Give You $100 If You Hit The Opera House.

Gonzo posing with the biggest spitballer ever. 

 
I can never take Gonzo seriously. Too much Barry Watson for my liking.

Gonzo takes on Lleyton tomorrow.

Kooyong Roundup

Fed took his "kid brother" behind the shed handing him a 1 and 3 loss. 


Too bad, Stan.  But your Lacoste gear looked nice!

In the third place match, Fer notched another confidence building win, beating Gonzo 64 63.  I really hope Fer doesn't burn out, but his performances over the past two weeks are really encouraging.  Come on, Fer!  Second week (but please lose to Andy Murray)!

The Boys Try To Stay Warm In Kooyong

What a fun little group they've collected in for Kooyong.  I wish Rafa was there instead of Douchey but you can't always get what you want.  FLOVE me some Marin though.  Huzzah!


FERNANDO!  NO!  DO NOT LISTEN TO DOUCHEBAG CHUCK.  DO NOT TALK TO HIM, DO NOT LET HIS DBness INFLUENCE YOU.  STAY AWAY.


You too, Gonzo.  Earmuffs.


Aw...there's that double chin that I love. 


"I'm the best, blah blah blah.  Always will be, blah blah blah.  Even if I lose, I win, blah blah blah.  Just do it."
 

Another Excuse For a Marat Pic

 

Marat has withdrawn from the exo in Kooyong, citing a shoulder injury.  More likely than not it's just a tweak and he just wasn't feeling like going to Kooyong, before the AO.  Besides, he got some good matches in last week at HC.  He'll be replaced by Ivan Ljubicic.  Roger Federer, Stanislaw Wawrinka, Fernando Gonzalez, Fernando Verdasco, Marin Cilic, Carlos Moya and Marcos Baghdatis are all scheduled to play there.

He's in Melbourne practicing with all the other pretty drama kids (I'm referring to two separate people here, just to clarify), hitting at Melbourne park.  Clearly the shoulder ain't that bad.

More Melbourne practice pics from Gonzo, Baggy, and T Haas:

 

If an "Upset" Isn't Really an Upset Is It an Upset?

 
Jo Willy kept his strong fall run going but it wasn't easy against Grannollers.  Granola Bar pushed our boy to three sets and Jo needed a tiebreaker to get the job done, 36 63 76(5).  Eek!  That was too close for comfort.
 
Nole and Crazy Train benefited from a couple of retirements, as Victor Hanescu gave Nole a scare before retiring with a leg injury in the third set, 67(8) 76(6) 31.  JMDP had an easier go against Niemenen, taking the first set 64 before Jarkko retired at 42 in the second.

And now for the "upsets" of the day.  I use quotes because really, they aren't THAT surprising.  It never surprises me when Kolya loses early.  Losing to Ginepri 46 64 64 was a bit unexpected, but so it goes.  As for Gonzo, I think he ran into the same problem Blah did yesterday.  He's got a big game and goes for his shots, but against a good counterpuncher like LaMonf, he gets impatient and goes for too much, hitting UFE after UFE, losing 63 64 .  Bye Bye Gonzo.

Also losing today, the ever slumping Daveed, who lost to fellow Spaniard FeLo in straight sets, 64 76(4).

Stan and PEHK are deadlocked in the third set right now.  A-Rod and Fed still to play.

UPDATED: Spanish Dudes LOVE Ana Ivanovic.

Disco Tommy, Rafa, and now Tabasco?  At this point it's just comical. 

Hee.  This collage of pictures just makes me giggle.  All power to ya, Fernando.  Oh, and Sveta, take a hint.  Third wheel, much?

UPDATED: Seriously, Nando was spitting some SERIOUS game. 

\

Dude!  Baby Elephant's just trying to grub.  Leave the girl alone!

But really, how was he supposed to resist this delicate non-asian flower?

UPDATED: Don't you love how Ana runs away from boys and JJ just strips around them?

The Serbian Sisters in a nutshell.

 

More pictures from the "Opening Ceremonies" of the China Open, which was decidedly less fireworky, gymnasticy, and lip syncy than the actual Opening Ceremonies.  But it does look like the participants had way more fun (UPDATED with more pics):

And I normally don't post watermarked pictures on this site, but I just couldn't help it.  This one just warms my heart:

China Open Men's Draw Released.

 
 

For whatever reason I forgot that the China Open is a joint tournament.  Here's the men's draw.

Dahveed, Reeeeshard, Gonzo, and A-Rod are the top seeds.  I wonder how many withdrawals there will be.  Dahveed, Gonzo and A-Rod all had to play on clay (Gonzo and A-Rod playing twice) this weekend.  Seems like a VERY tough transition to have to fly to China to play on fast hardcourts.  Perhaps it bodes well for Reeshard?

Other notables playing Beijing: Tabasco, Disco Tommy, and Querrey California.

For shame, Barry Watson. No Seventh Heaven for you!

First, let me just say this.  Fernando Gonzalez looks like Barry Watson.  There's no way around it.  And Barry Watson has always creeped me out.  Something about him looks skeletal.  I think it's the nose.

Anyway, Gonzo beat James Blake today in a thrilling three setter that saw the last set go 11-9.  It was a tough loss for James, who just yesterday ousted The Mighty Fed in straight sets.  But what's pissing off James isn't the loss in and of itself, but a disputed point wherein Gonzo showed his true non-sportsmanlike colors.  From ESPN.com:

The incident that upset Blake occurred with Gonzalez serving at 8-9 in the final set. On the first point, Blake hit a backhand passing shot long but contended the ball ticked Gonzalez's racket before landing, as TV replays confirmed.

Blake appealed in vain to the chair umpire, and said Gonzalez should have conceded the point. He went on to lose the game to make it 9-all.

"Playing in the Olympics, in what's supposed to be considered a gentleman's sport, that's a time to call it on yourself," Blake said. "Fernando looked me square in the eye and didn't call it."

Gonzalez said he was uncertain whether the ball hit his racket.

"I didn't feel anything," Gonzalez said. "I mean, it's just one point. There is an umpire. If I'm 100 percent sure about it, I mean, I will give it. But I'm not sure."

Let me be clear.  Gonzo's cheating didn't cost James the match, much like Justine's infamous "Hand" incident didn't cost Serena the match.  In fact, Blake is retarded for letting it affect him as much as it did.  But it's still a horribly unsportsmanlike thing to do and I am a big fan of classy sportsmanship.  Replays of the incident clearly show that the ball hit Gonzo's racquet with enough pace that any world-class tennis player would have felt it.

I guess if you're busy staring at your Olympic medal you don't have to look at yourself in the mirror.  This isn't going to sit well in the locker room, that's for sure.