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Post by bangkokbobby on Jan 24, 2016 6:09:53 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: The Good News For Maria Sharapova: She Won Her Fourth Round Match With Belinda Bencic, The Bad News…Maria SharapovaGenerally speaking, if two tennis players have played each other as much as 20 times and you can name all the tournaments one of them has won against the other and the year those tournaments were played off the top of your head it usually means it’s a lopsided rivalry. One side has so few victories it’s easy to remember them. Unfortunately for Maria Sharapova, without even looking it up most hardcore tennis fans can tell you the 2 times she’s beaten Serena Williams, Wimbledon 2004 and the WTA Championship/Tour Finals 2004. So today is a happy day for Masha. She blasted a career high 21 aces to edge 12th seed Belinda Bencic 7-5 7-5 in the fourth round of the 2016 Australian Open. Bencic might be part of the future of the tour, but Masha is still part of its present. Now Sharapova gets to reprise last year’s Aussie Open final match against her nemesis, Serena Williams, this time in the quarters. Serena is playing like she’s a little peeved that so many people have picked Victoria Azarenka to win this event despite all that Serena has done in the Majors both in her career and the last couple of years. The world #1 can send a message with another romp against Sharapova. On the other hand, Masha can send the tennis world a message about her fight and resiliency by ignoring her 2-18 record against Serena and taking down the top seed. 5 MARIA SHARAPOVA d. 12 Belinda Bencic, 7-5 7-5
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 24, 2016 6:25:12 GMT
Masha'a moaning/grunting is obnoxious.
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 24, 2016 6:30:25 GMT
....more from Zhang Shuai Hmmmm....look at how many questions are asked to a broken English speaking Zhang....yet in a Merican women's golf media press conference...it might last 1 minute with 3 questions raised to an Asian pro....lol.
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Post by SoYeonFan on Jan 24, 2016 19:09:29 GMT
Masha'a moaning/grunting is obnoxious. Mute button, the only way I can watch her play.
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 24, 2016 21:05:59 GMT
Gavrilova....was a drama queen in her loss.....did she get a warning for kicking the ball?
I think Serena will dismantle Masha.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jan 25, 2016 0:59:03 GMT
Gavrilova....was a drama queen in her loss.....did she get a warning for kicking the ball? I think Serena will dismantle Masha. Dasha spoke about her behavior in her press conference: ...and later issued an apology via social media
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Post by 18majors on Jan 25, 2016 1:05:52 GMT
Too bad, Zhang and Keys won't start anytime soon.
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 25, 2016 1:25:58 GMT
Gavrilova's coach said Daria should get a sports psychologist to get her emotions in check.
Hmmmmmm....her coach's last name is Pratt...and The Lovely HYP's loop..now manager is an Aussie...Kylie Pratt....hmmmm....sisters? OK...BKB or Phil....see if you can find an answer?
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 25, 2016 1:27:38 GMT
Too bad, Zhang and Keys won't start anytime soon. Hopefully one of my countrymen can grease some umpire/official's palms.....#FIXEDMATCHES
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jan 25, 2016 19:15:06 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Cinderella Story Continues For Zhang Shuai With Fourth Round Win Over Madison Keys At 2016 Australian OpenZhang ShuaiRarely does my favorite active player lose yet I cheer a result. Well, maybe cheer isn’t the right word. I clearly would have preferred Madison Keys to win her fourth round match at the 2016 Australian Open against qualifier Zhang Shuai. That didn’t happen as Zhang took out a an injury hobbled Keys, 3-6 6-3 6-3. Despite my despondency with Maddie’s loss, the Cinderella story of Shuai is too inspiring for me to feel anything but happy for the budding Chinese star. And with Maddie’s injury, it would have been unlikely that she could have won the tournament. Although she doesn’t have the name recognition of the other players in the quarterfinals, Great Britain’s Johanna Konta is known to hardcore tennis fans for the way she has played over the last 6 to 8 months. Zhang Shuai will have to be ready for a stern test from Konta, who “upset” (not really) both Venus Williams and Ekaterina Makarova already down under. But so long as Shuai is still in it, I’ll root for her to win it. [Q] ZHANG SHUAI d. 15 Madison Keys, 3-6 6-3 6-3
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 26, 2016 3:04:58 GMT
...
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 26, 2016 3:38:19 GMT
Just watched Serena destroy Masha. It's kinda illegal that Serena plays on the women's tour...kinda like Spieth, Rory, Day or Fowler playing on the LPGA.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jan 26, 2016 5:47:01 GMT
First, let's hear from Zhang Shuai...the match ended early in the morning US East Coast time, so I didn't have time to do as full a blog post, as I had to squeeze it in at work: more pics and video on my blog: Agnieszka Radwanska Defeats Carla Suarez Navarro, Set For Semifinal Showdown With Serena Williams At 2016 Australian OpenAgnieszka RadwanskaThe match of the day at the 2016 Australian Open was arguably the Serena Williams v Maria Sharapova quarterfinal match. But that “rivalry” hasn’t had any steam for 12 years. As expected, Serena dispatched with Masha for the 19th time in 21 matches, including 18 in a row. The last time Sharapova beat Williams, The Incredibles was the #1 movie in the United States. So let’s see if Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-3, can fare any better. Admittedly, the last time Aga beat Serena was…never. But Radwanska won the 2015 WTA Finals (which Serena skipped) and won in Shenzhen to open 2016. Add in titles in Tianjin and Tokyo at the end of last year, all on hard court, and if there is ever a time for Aga to pull off the upset it’s now. Unlike Masha, The Ninja (as they call Aga) has a varied array of deft shots that rely as much or more on guile as force. Maybe a change of pace, similar to what Roberta Vinci did at the 2015 US Open against Serena, is what is needed to derail her. On the other hand, maybe we’re just headed to an inevitable Serena vs Vika showdown in the final. 4 AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA d. 10 Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-1 6-3
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 27, 2016 2:21:24 GMT
Bye Bye Vika.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jan 27, 2016 4:24:32 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Angelique Kerber Takes Out 2-Time Champion Victoria Azarenka At 2016 Australian Open, Advances To SemifinalsAngelique KerberI wonder if Serena Williams is somewhere having a bit of a chuckle. Despite all that she’s done in recent years, many tennis experts were picking Victoria Azarenka to win the 2016 Australian Open. Angelique Kerber didn’t get that memo. Playing with a bit more pop and pace on her shots than in the past, Angie overcame a winless record against the Belarusian star, including a lopsided final loss in Brisbane a few weeks ago, and took out the 2-time Aussie champion, 6-3 7-5. Kerber had to hold off an attempted Vika comeback in the second set which had Angie down 2-5 0-40. But she repelled 5 set points against her and roared back to win 5 games in a row to win a spot in the semifinals, where unseeded but highly dangerous Johanna Konta of Great Britain awaits. Here’s a recommendation to the tennis experts. Nobody wins every match. That’s true. And I know there were some questions about her knee coming into Melbourne. However, I’ve seen too many times Serena romp through draws when she supposedly wasn’t 100% physically. So until Serena starts to show significant decline in her game, it’s probably wise to begin every tournament with the world #1 as everybody’s pick to win it. 7 ANGELIQUE KERBER d. 14 Victoria Azarenka, 6-3 7-5
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