Tag Archives: Simon
Heraclitus’ Children
French Open, Day Seven Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer both progressed to the Roland Garros quarterfinals today, defeating Viktor Troicki and Kevin Anderson in respective straight sets, but that wasn’t the story of the day. Nor was it Roger Federer’s … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
The Limits of Good Taste
Indian Wells, Day Five (Q) Gulbis d. (20) Seppi, 5/7 6/3 6/4 Ernests Gulbis has now won thirteen consecutive matches, an audacious streak that includes the Delray Beach title, as well as qualification for that event and the current one, … Continue reading
Obscure Trivia and the Pursuit Thereof
Rotterdam, Quarterfinals Momentous events are unfolding, at least as the term ‘momentous’ is understood within the constricting parameters of men’s professional tennis in February. Of the three events being conducted this week, two managed to lose their defending champions within … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Groove is in the Heart
Vina del Mar, Second Round Montpellier, Second Round Hajek d. (7) Troicki, 6/0 4/2 ret. My tennis day began boisterously on a sun-mottled clay court in coastal Chile and concluded in the electric shadows of Montpellier’s whimsically titled Arena. Diana … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Minor Records and Major Drama
French Open, Day Two Kukushkin d. Gulbis, 6/4 7/6 5/7 2/6 6/4 For the first two and half sets of his match against Mikhail Kukushkin in the Roland Garros first round, Ernests Gulbis played like a man killing time, and … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
The Flurrying Fog
Bucharest, Final (1) Simon d. Fognini, 6/4 6/3 Fabio Fognini, in his first tour final, fell to Gilles Simon in the final of the Nastase-Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest. For Simon, it is his tenth career title, three of which have … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
A Picturesque Picture
Monte Carlo Masters, Semifinals (1) Djokovic d. (6) Berdych, 4/6 6/3 6/2 ‘It’s hard to imagine a more picturesque picture than this,’ remarked Chris Wilkinson on the Tennis TV feed, his verbal inspiration failing him (and us) just when he … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Bad Scene
Cincinnati Masters, Third Round (2) Nadal d. Verdasco, 7/6 6/7 7/6 (10) Simon d. (5) Ferrer, 6/4 6/7 6/4 The pressing issue in Cincinnati today was crap tennis, which is a bad issue for a Masters 1000 event to have. … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
A Final Mix Up
Hamburg, Final (5) Simon d. (3) Almagro, 6/4 4/6 6/4 Somewhere between the week that was and the finals that weren’t, the finals that should have been were misplaced. The surprisingly enjoyable German Open taught us that second tier Europeans … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Game Over: Nadal and the Machine
Miami Masters 1000, Quarterfinals Nadal d. Berdych, 6/2 3/6 6/3 After some encouraging early success, the tennis engineers – or ‘Tengineers’ – who are responsible for maintaining and upgrading Tomas Berdych have had a difficult time of it. There have … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour