 |  |  |  |  |  |  | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
01-02-2012, 02:14 PM
| #1 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 4,521
  | 2012 Brisbane International
OK, so I know there are only a few tennis fans here, but what the heck...there's no LPGA action now so here's some tennis action (the season is already underway...very little rest for the ladies!). BTW, Serena and Kim being seeded 4th and 5th is due to their rankings slipping because they were out for an extended period with injuries. more pics and video on my blog: Kim Clijsters Rolls In First Round Of 2012 Brisbane International; Daniela Hantuchova Upsets 8th Seed Dominika Cibulkova Fairways and Forehands Kim Clijsters  Former world #1 Kim Clijsters took the first step back in yet another comeback with a convincing 6-1 6-4 victory over 47th ranked Simona Halep in the first round of the 2012 Brisbane International. Breaking Halep 4 times, including a critical break after Halep broke Kim to even the 2nd set 4-4, 4-time Major winner Clijsters attacked Simona's serve throughout the match. It was vintage Kimmie in the first set, winning 5 straight games from 1-1 to blitz through the first set 6-1. The matches get tougher from now on for Clijsters. If the seedings hold up, and that’s a big if in the beginning of the year when games can be a little rusty, Kim would face Ana Ivanonic, then Samantha Stosur and then Serena Williams. Any of those three could potentially take Kim out. But for today, Kim is a winner and moves on. Daniela Hantuchova  Not moving on is 8th seed Dominika Cibulkova, who fell 3-6 6-4 6-3 to Daniela Hantuchova. Although on paper that is an upset, most tennis fans would probably say Cibulkova had the toughest draw in the first round with countrywoman (both are from Slovakia) Hantuchova. Daniela can be ordinary on any given day or, like Caroline Wozniacki found out at Roland Garros 2011, can be brilliant on any given day. I wouldn’t say this was a brilliant day, as both players dropped serve a combined 13 times, 7 for Cibulkova and 6 for Hantuchova. However, to me the more dangerous player for future opponents advanced. Hantuchova could face Serena in the third round, if both win out to get there. While Serena is the overwhelming favorite in that potential match, I give Hantuchova a better chance at pulling the upset than Cibulkova. Kim Clijsters  Dominika Cibulkova  Singles – First Round (3) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Ksenia Pervak (KAZ) 44 ret. (migraine) (5) Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. Simona Halep (ROU) 61 64 Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. (8) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 36 64 63 Iveta Benesova (CZE) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 26 75 75 Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d. (WC) Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 64 62
__________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/ Last edited by bangkokbobby; 01-02-2012 at 02:24 PM. |
|  |
|
01-02-2012, 02:20 PM
| #2 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 4,521
|
more pics and video on my blog: Ana Ivanovic Wins First Round Match At 2012 Brisbane International, Sets Up Showdown With Kim Clijsters Fairways and Forehands Ana Ivanovic  It’s only the 2nd day of the WTA season and already we have a match-up that might give us a hint at where the games are of two of the tour’s biggest stars. One day after former world #1 Kim Clijsters easily advanced to the second round of the 2012 Brisbane International, she was joined by another former world #1 Ana Ivanovic, who defeated Tamira Paszek 6-3 6-3 to set up a showdown of two elite players trying to climb back to the top of the rankings.  The first reaction would be that Kimmie is the clear favorite, but the 4-time Major winner’s physical status is still untested, after a long layoff since August, only playing an exhibition in December. Meanwhile, Ana comes off a season-ending title at the 2011 Commonwealth Tournament of Champions at Bali, where she successfully defended her championship from 2010. And more importantly, if Ana can get her nerves under control down the stretch, she has shown she possesses the game to play with Clijsters. At the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, Ana was up 5-1 40-0 on Kimmie in the third set, one point from victory, until Ana totally collapsed with victory in sight. If she has Kim down again like that, don’t expect a repeat Clijsters comeback. On the other hand, if Kimmie is healthy and has found her form, it could be trouble for Ana. Can’t wait to see which way this one goes!  Ana Ivanovic  Samantha Stosur  Singles – First Round (1) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Anastasiya Yakimova (BLR) 62 63 (2) Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Shahar Peer (ISR) 76(2) 16 63 (4) Serena Williams (USA) d. Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 62 63 (6) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 64 62 (7) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Polona Hercog (SLO) 61 41 ret. (low back injury) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. Tamira Paszek (AUT) 63 63 Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (Q) Alexandra Panova (RUS) 75 36 62 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) d. (WC) Olivia Rogowska (AUS) 62 46 64 Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) d. (Q) Vera Dushevina (RUS) 60 60 (Q) Vania King (USA) d. Melinda Czink (HUN) 63 64 (Q) Nina Bratchikova (RUS) d. Klara Zakopalova (CZE) 16 64 75
__________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/ Last edited by bangkokbobby; 01-02-2012 at 02:30 PM. |
|
| |
|
01-02-2012, 04:59 PM
| #3 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 4,521
|
You know, just a thought...a friend of mine said he thought Samantha Stosur was bigger than Serena Williams and I looked at him like he was crazy... ...but I do see how one could think that...in photos and on tv she looks so ripped, like in the photo above...but she's really a little thing...you can see it when she's standing next to somebody...she's just ripped with little body fat...in pictures by herself, she looks bigger than she really is...here is a photo of her standing next to Yani Tseng at the US Open (both are sponsored by Lacoste)...  ...Samantha has some killer biceps, but is definitely not as big as Serena...by the way, Serena is built solidly, but isn't very tall...she is 5'9"...good height for a female tennis player, but way short of Maria Sharapova at 6'2" and Akgul Amanmuradova at 6'3". Incidentally, retired players Pam Shriver and Lindsay Davenport are both 6'2". Serena's sister, Venus, is 6'1".  ...she's little...relatively speaking...  w/Jelena Dokic 
__________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/ Last edited by bangkokbobby; 01-02-2012 at 05:24 PM. |
|
| |
|
01-02-2012, 11:20 PM
| #4 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 4,521
| Originally Posted by bangkokbobby
...make that both were sponsored by Lacoste...Samantha just signed with ASICS for her apparel...she had been wearing ASICS shoes for some time, so now she's picked up their apparel as well...
__________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/ |
|
| |
|
01-03-2012, 03:04 PM
| #5 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 4,521
|
more pics and video on my blog: Kim Clijsters Wins Showdown With Ana Ivanovic At 2012 Brisbane International Fairways and Forehands Kim Clijsters  It wasn’t quite the comeback that Kim Clijsters pulled out against Ana Ivanovic at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, but in a wild see-sawing contest, “Aussie Kim” (of Belgium) rallied from 0-3 and a break point away from 0-4 in the final set to stay unbeaten against fellow former #1 Ana Ivanovic, winning 6-1 1-6 6-3. Yet again Ana gave Kim everything she could handle and had the finish line in sight. In my last post, I said Ana would not let Kim off the hook if she had her down again. I was wrong.  “I knew that if I could just give myself the opportunity to get back into the match and rally for it and not give her anything for free, she really had to go for the winners and dictate the points. Maybe there was a chance that she would kind of be in the same situation as in Miami.” – Kim Clijsters It’s not a good thing when top players like Kimmie know Ana’s weakness, nerves and confidence. Put the ball in play and make her go for lines to beat you. If Ana misses one or two, she’s likely to start missing more. I give Ana a lot of credit. She came back from a terrible first set to outplay Clijsters for a set and a half. But when you have a champion on the ropes, you have to put them away.You can’t lose 6 games in a row to close out a match against anybody. Definitely not against the likes of 4-time Major winner Kim Clijsters. But…I am encouraged in the sense that Ana showed she could hit with Serena at the US Open and Kim on a few occassions. And she did win 9 of 10 games starting at the second set with Kimmie. Her success in Melboure could very well hinge on her draw. If she can make it into the 4th round with some momentum, maybe she can finish what she starts and reverse the outcome should she get a rematch with Kimmie at some point at the 2012 Australian Open. Singles - Second Round (2) Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 76(2) 60 (3) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) 64 64 (5) Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 61 16 63 Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. (Q) Vania King (USA) 46 62 63 Kim and Ana    
__________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/ |
|
| |
|
01-03-2012, 05:12 PM
| #6 |
| Senior Member Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 541
|
I don't know how I feel about Jelena training with her father again. She hasn't been able to recapture the form from the Aussie froma couple of years ago. I still wish Martina would come back at least in doubles.
|
|
| |
|
01-04-2012, 03:09 PM
| #7 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 4,521
| Originally Posted by fetucinialfokcu
It's a complicated issue, but her father seems to have real mental issues even beyond the abusive relationship with Jelena, which is bad enough on its own...gotta hope Jelena knows what she's doing...
more pics and video on my blog: Samantha Stosur Stunned In 2nd Round Of 2012 Brisbane International; Serena Williams Withdraws After 2nd Round Win Fairways and Forehands Samantha Stosur  If you’re a fan of Samantha Stosur, here’s something to feel good about after she was booted out of the 2012 Brisbane International in the 2nd round by Iveta Benesova 6-4 6-2. Remember that last year she was similarly dismissed from Brisbane in the 2nd round by Jarmila Gajdosova, then playing as Jarmila Groth, also in straight sets. By the end of the year, Samantha was a Major winner. Early year upsets happen. Nothing to get too panicked about at this point. Let’s see what happens in Melbourne. Serena Williams  Serena Williams unfortunately had to pull out of Brisbane with an ankle injury. I never want to see any player hurt, and losing a marquee player here on the same day as hometown hero Stosur was dismissed is doubly unfortunate. However, it seems likely Serena will be ready for Melbourne. “I have been to hospital and it has been confirmed that I have a left ankle sprain that I probably shouldn’t play on. I’m going to take a couple of days off – not too many – and see how I feel. I’m still hopeful of playing the Australian Open.” – Serena Williams This opens up the draw for Kim Clijsters, who at the beginning of the week was facing the prospect of having to beat Ana Ivanovic, Samantha Stosur and Serena Williams in a row if she wanted to have a chance to win. With Samantha and Serena out, and having already beaten Ana, Kim now sees her side of the draw open up. However, she better not sleep on Benesova or Daniela Hantuchova or she could be given an early season upset like Samantha suffered. Singles – Quarterfinals Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. (4) Serena Williams (USA) w/o (left ankle sprain) Singles - Second Round Iveta Benesova (CZE) d. (1) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 64 62 (4) Serena Williams (USA) d. Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 62 64 (6) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (Q) Nina Bratchikova (RUS) 63 62 Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (7) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 60 63 Samantha Stosur  Jelena Jankovic  Iveta Benesova  Last edited by bangkokbobby; 01-04-2012 at 07:34 PM. |
|
| |
|
01-04-2012, 05:48 PM
| #8 |
| Senior Member Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 541
|
That's not Li Ning Jelena is wearing is it? I mean I thought that's what she wore but that logo doesn't look like it.
|
|
| |
|
01-04-2012, 05:48 PM
| #9 |
| Senior Member Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 541
|
and Samantha is wearing Oasics.
|
|
| |
|
01-05-2012, 02:52 AM
| #10 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 4,521
| Originally Posted by fetucinialfokcu
Jelena is wearing FILA. She was signed with ANTA, a Chinese apparel company for awhile...guess not anymore...she's also worn Reebok in the past, as well...check out the ASICS video of Samantha Stosur earlier in this thread...hope winning the US Open last year got Samantha some extra cash
from my blog: Serena Williams: I Don’t Love Tennis Today Fairways and Forehands This sounds more like an athlete who has had a long career, is tired in some aspects, has battled numerous injuries and has outside interests. She says she doesn’t love anything physical (and her condition has sometimes been called into questions, despite her enormous success). Yet she says she can’t live without tennis and has no plans of going anywhere anytime soon. Take this with a grain of salt. If she’s holding the trophy over her head at the US Open or Wimbledon, or wins a gold medal at the London Olympics, it will be a far different interview.
__________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/ |
|
| |
 |
« Previous Thread
|
Next Thread »
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
| |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:37 PM.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.3.2 PL2
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.3.2 PL2
| | ||
