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Post by bangkokbobby on Aug 14, 2016 10:57:04 GMT
Congratulations, Monica! She was hitting it strong and deep against Kerber. Inspiring story to win it for Puerto Rico. Yes, it was. Funny thing is, players from Puerto Rico have the option to play their careers under the United States flag. Puerto Rican Gigi Fernandez did so. Had she chosen instead to represent Puerto Rico, they would already have 2 Gold Medals in tennis. Gigi won 2 doubles Golds, but since she decided to play under the American flag, those wins were credited to the United States. It means a lot to Puerto Ricans that Monica Puig has openly been adamant about always representing Puerto Rico, even though she lives and trains in Florida...and has for a long time. Interestingly, had Puig decided to play under the American flag during her career, she would not have even qualified to be on the team as she is ranked lower than Serena, Venus, Madison and Sloane. By the way, LPGA tie-in to this discussion: Gigi Fernandez is married to former LPGA player Jane Geddes. They have two children together. Jane Geddes on left, Gigi Fernandez on right...with their children...and a friend who acted as a donor (they were having fertility issues)
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Post by bangkokbobby on Aug 15, 2016 0:32:01 GMT
more pics on my blog: Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina Win Women’s Double Gold At 2016 Rio Olympics; Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock Bring Mixed Doubles Gold Home To AmericaEkaterina Makarova and Elena VesninaJust a quick dropshot post giving congratulations to the ladies taking doubles and mixed doubles Gold Medals home from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Elena Vesnina continued a resurgent year by pairing with longtime doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova to bring Golden glory to Russia in women’s doubles. Elena won mixed doubles with Bruno Soares at the 2016 Australian Open, was runner-up in women’s doubles at Roland Garros and Rome with Makarova, won in Montreal with Makarova and had her best ever Major performance in singles, a semifinal at Wimbledon. She and Kate took out Timea Bacsinszky and Hall of Fame legend Martina Hingis in the Rio final, 6-4 6-4. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack SockIt was an all American affair in the Rio 2016 mixed doubles final as Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock outlasted Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram in a super-tiebreak 6-7 (3) 6-1 [10-7]. While it’s tough to see another Hall of Fame legend like Venus Williams go down in what is likely to be her last Olympics (although you never know), I am thrilled to see what Bethanie Mattek-Sands has become. I remember when Bethanie was equally, if not moreso, known for her…curious…fashion choices on court than her results. She has turned herself into a 2-time women’s doubles Major champion, a 2-time mixed doubles Major champion and now, an Olympic Gold Medalist. And great credit to Jack Sock. An aspiring singles player for the United States, he too has become an amazing doubles champion. He won the 2011 US Open mixed doubles with Melanie Oudin and teamed up with Vasek Pospisil of Canada to upset the Bryan Brothers and win the men’s doubles crown at Wimbledon 2014. All congratulations to Bethanie and Jack (dubbed the team of “Socks and Sock”) on a terrific performance bringing home the Gold. MIXED DOUBLES GOLD MEDALISTS: BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS/JACK SOCK (UNITED STATES) WOMEN'S DOUBLES GOLD MEDALISTS: EKATERINA MAKAROVA/ELENA VESNINA (RUSSIA) www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Tennis+Olympics+Day+9+bS4KjcP36FMl.jpg
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Post by mr3putt on Aug 16, 2016 19:10:30 GMT
Although Mozo is in her own league...Puig has a bit of Belen sex appeal.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Aug 16, 2016 20:31:16 GMT
Although Mozo is in her own league...Puig has a bit of Belen sex appeal. Here she is off court with her hair down giving CNN an interview.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Aug 21, 2016 8:48:41 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Angelique Kerber Reaches Final Of 2016 Western & Southern Open With Chance At #1 RankingAngelique KerberEarlier this week I mentioned to a friend of mine who claims to be a tennis fan that the women’s singles #1 ranking could change hands at the 2016 Western & Southern Open. He was incredulous. Who could possibly supplant Serena Williams at the top of the WTA mountain? Ah…I should be familiar by now with “tennis fans” who really only follow one or two players or just watch finals at Majors. Even so, if they were paying attention to big time finals, Majors and Olympics, they would have noticed that Angelique Kerber won the 2016 Australian Open, was runner-up at Wimbledon 2016 and was the Silver Medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After defeating Simona Halep 6-3 6-4 in the Cincinnati semifinals the world #2 from Germany has a chance to reach a ranking once held for many years by her idol, Steffi Graf. Angie will need to get by the hard-serving Karolina Pliskova, who powered past Garbine Muguruza, 6-1 6-3. I’ve been looking for more consistency from Pliskova. She has great tools that few players can stand up to…when she’s on. But Kerber loves power players. Karolina would be well served to mixed in some of her slices, at which she’s adept, to keep Angie off-balance or there will be a new world #1 at the end of the final. 15 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. 4 Garbine Muguruza, 6-1 6-3 2 ANGELIQUE KERBER d. 3 Simona Halep, 6-3 6-4
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Post by bangkokbobby on Aug 21, 2016 23:01:16 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Karolina Pliskova Wins 2016 Western & Southern OpenKarolina PliskovaDenied! Angelique Kerber’s chance to supplant Serena Williams as the #1 ranked women’s tennis singles player in the world was emphatically turned away by an inspired effort from Karolina Pliskova. The 24-year old Czech blew away the reigning Australian Open champion and Olympic Silver Medalist, 6-3 6-1. Honestly, it didn’t even feel that close. The higher ranked of the tennis playing identical twin Pliskova sisters (although I must say Kristyna is showing great improvement) raced out to a 4-0 lead, lost her way for a few games, then hit her stride again after an on-court visit from her coach. Was Angie a bit lethargic and error-prone (32 unforced errors in only 16 games)? Yes. But did Karolina also play very well, smacking clean winners and dominating rallies? Also, yes. Plus, there are no excuses at this level. Everybody is responsible for making their own schedule and getting sufficient rest. All credit to Karolina. Keep in mind that not only did Pliskova beat three top 10 seeds this week (Svetlana Kuznetsova [7], Garbine Muguruza [4] and Angelique Kerber [2]), they are also all Major winners. Two of them (Kerber, Muguruza) won a Major this year. This title was legitimately earned by Karolina. Barbora Strycova/Sania MirrzaI have to admit to feeling a bit happier than usual to see what happened in doubles, as Sania Mirza won a head-to-head (sort of) showdown between her and recently separated former doubles partner Martina Hingis. Mirza teamed up with Barbora Strycova to defeat Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe, 7-5 6-4. Martina is a legend, but I just thought she should have stuck it out a little longer with Sania instead of dumping her when they had some trouble. Maybe (probably) Hingis was miles ahead of other doubles partners she has had in the past so I don’t blame her for looking to better her situation. However, Sania Mirza is an ace doubles player, a world #1. She deserved better. 15 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. 2 Angelique Kerber, 6-3 6-1
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Post by bangkokbobby on Aug 28, 2016 2:59:34 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Agnieszka Radwanska Wins 2016 Connecticut OpenAgnieszka RadwanskaWith the US Open about to get underway, Agnieszka Radwanska comes in with a flying start after capturing the 2016 Connecticut Open. Her 6-1 7-6 (3) victory over Elina Svitolina marks the 19th WTA singles title for the Polish star. I sometimes worry about top players that go deep in tournament the week before a Major, particular somebody like Aga who depends on movement. Two weeks and 7 matches is a lot to win a Major. But that’s something to worry about tomorrow. Today is for celebrating Radwanska’s second WTA singles title of 2016, following her win in January at the Shenzhen Open. 1 AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA d. 10 Elina Svitolina, 6-1 7-6 (3)
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Post by bangkokbobby on Sept 1, 2016 5:31:54 GMT
more pics on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 3: Naomi Osaka Advances, Sets Up Showdown With Madison Keys; Garbine Muguruza Bows OutNaomi OsakaAh, the luck of the draw. It affects the players the most, obviously. But it also affects the fans. With each passing tournament, Naomi Osaka of Japan is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. As much as I am a fan of American Coco Vandeweghe, I was very happy to see Naomi upset the 28th seed in round 1 of the 2016 US Open. I was even happier to see Osaka take out Yingying Duan of China on day 3 in round 2. There are only two or three players in the women’s singles draw for whom I would root against Naomi in round 3. Unfortunately, not only does she face one of those select few, she faces my favorite active player, the 8th seeded American Madison Keys. Maddie blew through 16-year old Kayla Day 6-1 6-1 in impressive fashion. Don’t feel too badly for Kayla. She won the 18 and under Nationals. As a 16-year old, this was a learning experience. She looks to have the power and variety of shot to be another great young American player in a few years. Right now, she just isn’t a match for Keys. We will see if Naomi Osaka is or not. Garbine MuguruzaThe post-Roland Garros 2016 slump continues for Garbine Muguruza of Spain. With all due respect to Anastasija Sevastova, giving her full credit for her 7-5 6-4 win, Mugu didn’t look good early on in the 2016 US Open first round against Belgium’s Elise Mertens. Garbi pulled away in the second and third sets. Against the Latvian Sevastova in round 2, it was like watching a completely different player than the one who reigned in Paris. Again, she seems to be channeling her inner Li Na (or maybe Ana Ivanovic) at the moment. Like those two, I hope Garbi eventually pulls herself out of this tailspin. She has the total package on and off the court to be a superstar in the sport. 8 MADISON KEYS d. Kayla Day, 6-1 6-1 3 GARBINE MUGURUZA lost to Anastasija Sevastova, 5-7 4-6 CAROLINE WOZNIACKI d. 9 Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4 6-4 NAOMI OSAKA d. Yingying Duan, 6-4 7-6 (3)
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Post by bangkokbobby on Sept 2, 2016 4:24:54 GMT
more pics on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 4: Shuai Zhang Takes Down Former Champion Samantha Stosur; Simona Halep AdvancesShuai ZhangComing into 2016, China’s Shuai Zhang, 0-14 in main draw Major singles matches, was contemplating giving up her pro tennis career and opening a coffee shop. After a quarterfinal run at the 2016 Australian Open and now moving into the 2016 US Open third round with a 6-3 6-3 win over former singles champion Samantha Stosur, Zhang’s career is starting to percolate. A tough match awaits in round 3 against Yaroslava Shvedova, but it is winnable for the top ranked active singles player from China. Simona HalepI was a little concerned for Simona Halep coming into Flushing Meadow. Her first two matches, against Kirsten Flipkens and potentially Lucie Safarova, spelled a possible upset in either match. The Romanian star was able to get by both in straight sets. It gets no easier for the 5th seed as she gets 31st seed Timea Babos next and, should Simona triumph, the winner of the Carla Suarez Navarro v Elena Vesnina match. Suarez Navarro is the 11th seed and Elena Vesnina is coming off a semifinal run at Wimbledon in the previous Major. Halep is often spoken of as a future Major winner. If that happens at this tournament, she will have truly earned it. 5 SIMONA HALEP d. Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-4 10 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. Montserrat Gonzalez, 6-1 7-5 6 VENUS WILLIAMS d. Julia Goerges, 6-2 6-3 26 LAURA SIEGEMUND d. Nicole Gibbs, 6-3 7-5 SHUAI ZHANG d. 16 Samantha Stosur, 6-3 6-3
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Post by bangkokbobby on Sept 3, 2016 3:05:40 GMT
more pics on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 5: Madison Keys Comes Back From 1-5 Down In Final Set To Win Third Round Match Against Naomi OsakaMadison KeysOh. My. Goodness. In her young career Madison Keys has shown power, skill and athleticism. On day 5, in her third round match at the 2016 US Open, the 8th seed escaped a spirited upset bid from another up and coming player, Naomi Osaka, by showing tremendous heart. Maddie appeared down and out at 1-5 down in the final set but instead stormed back to win 5 games in a row to get to 6-5. She would eventually complete the comeback in a tiebreak, finally getting by Osaka, 7-5 4-6 7-6 (3). After spending much of the match spraying too many unforced errors, Keys locked in when it counted the most, especially in the 2-5 8th game with a spectacular volley to win the opening point against Naomi’s serve. Like many hardcore tennis fans, I’ve learned a lot about Maddie over the past few years. Today I learned to never count her until the last point is played. Naomi OsakaWith her father looking on from the stands, Naomi shed tears on court as victory was slipping away. I imagine there might have been more tears shed after she left the court in defeat. However, Osaka should stand tall after the effort she gave on this day. More than that, the 18-year old’s game is starting to come together. There were times today…a lot of times, really…that Naomi was overpowering Keys, herself known for her strength of shot. If she continues to grow as a player, her future will be bright. I would love to see repeats of this match-up over the next 10 years. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI d. Monica Niculescu, 6-3 6-1 13 JOHANNA KONTA d. 24 Belinda Bencic, 6-2 6-1 14 PETRA KVITOVA d. 22 Elina Svitolina 8 MADISON KEYS d. Naomi Osaka, 7-5 4-6 7-6 (3)
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Post by bangkokbobby on Sept 4, 2016 3:36:22 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 6: Simona Halep Survives Upset Bid; Agnieszka Radwanska AdvancesSimona HalepAfter her 6-1 2-6 6-4 third round victory over Timea Babos at the 2016 US Open, there was a look on the faces of Simona Halep and her coach, Darren Cahill. I don’t know what they were thinking, but it sure seemed neither was pleased. Was it relief? Concern? Whatever it was, the #5 seed spent much of this match getting pushed around by the 31st seeded Babos. In the end, the Romanian star did what was needed to pull out the victory. However, up next is Carla Suarez Navarro, the 11th seed. I wouldn’t recommend Halepeno duplicate this performance against Carla if she wants to advance. As a fan, my dream final would be Madison Keys vs Simona Halep. However, both will need to improve on what they did in round 3 to have any chance of reaching the championship match. Agnieszka RadwanskaI worried about 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska playing a full week of matches at the 2016 Connecticut Open right before the 2016 US Open. So far, she hasn’t seemed tired as the Polish star took out 25th seed Caroline Garcia, 6-2 6-3. I have not heard a lot of buzz around Aga and perhaps that makes sense. The US Open is the only Major where the former Wimbledon finalist has not at least reached the quarterfinals. Her 4th round match with Ana Konjuh might be Radwanska’s best chance yet to reach the quarters at Flushing Meadow. 4 AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA d. Caroline Garcia, 6-2 6-3 11 CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO d. 19 Elena Vesnina, 6-4 6-3 1 SERENA WILLIAMS d. Johanna Larsson, 6-2 6-1 YAROSLAVA SHVEDOVA d. Shuai Zhang, 6-2 7-5 ANA KONJUH d. Varvara Lepchenko, 6-3 3-6 6-2 10 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. 17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-2 6-4 6 VENUS WILLIAMS d. 26 Laura Siegemund, 6-1 6-2 5 SIMONA HALEP d. 31 Timea Babos, 6-1 2-6 6-4
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Post by bangkokbobby on Sept 5, 2016 5:35:43 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 7: Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber Move Into QuarterfinalsCaroline WozniackiNot only did I watch two of my top three favorites (Madison Keys and Petra Kvitova) lose today on day 7 of the 2016 US Open, it was like watching the same match twice. Keys and Kvitova are two players with power, skill and tremendous serves. Unfortunately, those strengths are often negated by their propensity to commit unforced errors. Against a lot of players, they can get away with mistakes. Not today. Not against Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber. Styles make fights, as the saying goes. And for Maddie and Petra, there are probably no two players who are stylistically as much of a problem for both of them (well, maybe Agnieszka Radwanska). In her pre-match interview, Keys said she knew she would need to be patient but then went out and just tried to blast away as she does against everybody. That spelled 33 unforced errors for Maddie to only 7 for Caroline. Granted, Keys also hit 30 winners to just 12 for Wozniacki, but the problem is when you hit that many unforced errors, they will undoubtedly come at crucial points. They did. Same for Petra Kvitova. Although she didn’t try to rip the ball in half with every shot like Keys, Petra’s 43 unforced errors to only 8 for Kerber were the reason why Angie is moving on the quarters and Kvitova is not. Angelique KerberI give all due credit to Angie and Caro. They played smart tennis. And it leaves me wondering what is next for Petra and Maddie. I’ve said for years that Petra is the most skilled player on tour. When she is on, she can beat anybody…including Serena Williams. Check out last year in Madrid. And even in this match, during the second set, there was a stretch when she looked to be climbing back into it, hitting shots for which Kerber had no answer. Angie was even getting visibly frustrated at one point. However, the inconsistency crept back into Kvitova’s game eventually. I have said over the years that when Petra puts it all together she will be world #1. But it’s been year after year of me saying that…I wonder if time is starting to turn against her. Maybe it will never happen. I worry that Madison Keys might be the next Petra Kvitova; all the talent to be the best player in the world but all of the inconsistency to prevent it from happening. Thomas Hogstedt is a great coach. It seems Maddie’s natural inclination is to avoid long rallies. He has to get her trained to play 20, 25 even 30 shots in a row. She will rarely ever play that many shots in a rally, but the training will help her deal with players who just get the ball back into play and wait for Keys to make the error. That’s really all Alison Riske and Naomi Osaka were doing. That is going to be everybody’s playbook against her. She has to take that option away from opponents. If she can do that, I have no doubt the rest of her game is good enough to be a future world #1. 2 ANGELIQUE KERBER d. 14 Petra Kvitova, 6-3 7-5 ANASTASIJA SEVASTOVA d. 13 Johanna Konta, 6-4 7-5 7 ROBERTA VINCI d. Lesia Tsurenko, 7-6 (5) 6-2 CAROLINE WOZNIACKI d. 8 Madison Keys, 6-3 6-4
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2016 1:17:36 GMT
bangkokbobby, what is your best guess of Serena's current weight? Thank you.
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Post by mr3putt on Sept 6, 2016 3:29:29 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2016 5:27:40 GMT
Even bangkokbobby must think Serena outweighs Lydia by 7 kg. Maybe Serena is only 70 kg. Maybe 10 years ago.
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