ATP WORLD TOUR - 2015 Season

[Y2J Paguro]

Perdych non si smentisce

[Y2J Paguro]

Non è partita malaccio la stagione

[Mds32]

83° torneo e 1000° vittoria in carriera...IMMENSO ROGERA!!!

[santinocena]

Quest'anno King Roger deve assolutamente vincere un torneo dello Slam.
Magari proprio gli Australian Open,chissà.

[TJ]

[Mds32]

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Il video tributo fatto dalla ATP in onore delle 1000 vittorie. Commoventi le parole dette su di lui da tutti questi immensi campioni.

[Talpone]

Ormai non c'è più nulla da dire.

[Y2J Paguro]

Daje, Del Potro ritorna nel circuito battendo Stakhovsky e si commuove in conferenza stampa

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[Y2J Paguro]

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2015


MEN'S SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
WOMEN'S SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Men’s draw: A sense of déjà vu?
The road to the men’s singles title at Australian Open 2015 looks familiar, but as last year proved, anything can happen in the year’s first major

During the Australian Open 2015 pre-draw ceremonies outside Margaret Court Arena on Friday, defending champion Stan Wawrinka insisted that “this is the first Grand Slam of the year, and everything starts at zero.”

That’s undeniably true, but as a result of Friday’s draw, a number of potential scenarios resemble what took place a year ago, when Wawrinka upset defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and went on to beat Rafael Nadal in the final.

This time, with Djokovic seeded No. 1 and Wawrinka No. 4, they could meet in the semifinals, with third-seeded Nadal possibly awaiting in the final.

Also, as in 2014, Roger Federer, seeded second this year as opposed to No. 6 a year ago, could again face sixth-seeded Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and No. 3 seed Nadal in the semis.

When 2014 women’s champion Li Na pulled the seeded players out of the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup on Friday, she generally provided the design for a balanced draw in terms of the major men’s contenders.

The draw: Australian Open 2015 key match-ups

With Nadal being a question-mark as he returns to action after playing just seven matches post-Wimbledon in 2014 because of left wrist and back issues as well as an appendectomy in November, his being in the same half as Federer and Murray is not the bottom-draw overload it might have been in years past.

The Spaniard has had a problematic start to 2015, losing to unheralded German Michael Berrer in Doha. If the 28-year-old is not up to par, No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych, a semifinalist a year ago before being stopped by Wawrinka, might be the beneficiary in the draw’s third quarter.

All the big names, as well as up-and-comers Kei Nishikori, seeded No. 5, and Milos Raonic, No. 8, would appear to have the kind of beatable early-round opposition that would allow them to play themselves into the event.

The one big shock first-round match that resulted from IBM, the official information technology partner of the Australian Open, randomly placing the unseeded players in the draw is Juan Martin del Potro versus combustible Jerzy Janowicz of Poland. The 2009 US Open champion only played 10 matches in 2014, and none after February, before having left wrist surgery.

He managed two wins in Sydney this week and is rounding into some kind of form. The same for Janowicz, who was on the Hopman Cup winning team with compatriot Agnieszka Radwanska last week and won a round (Nick Kyrgios) in Sydney this week. At 203cm, the Pole is the taller of the two giants – by five centimetres.

Friday’s draw was generally kind to the Australians, with the venerable Lleyton Hewitt, playing his 19th consecutive Australian Open, set to face Chinese wild card Zhang Ze in his opening match and possibly No. 25 seed Julien Benneteau in the second round.

A year ago, Bernard Tomic had the misfortune to play the top-seeded Nadal in his first match. Comparatively, German veteran Tobias Kamke for starters and then maybe another experienced German, Philipp Kohlschreiber, seeded No. 22, in the second round, has to be encouragement for the 22-year-old Queenslander.

The “Super K” young Aussies, Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, have interesting opposition in the first round. Kyrgios, 19, plays Federico Delbonis, a 24-year-old Argentine lefthander who has never quite lived up to his junior promise, while Kokkinakis, 18, plays the ever-enigmatic No. 11 seed, Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.

If the stars align as the ATP computer suggests in its rankings, which translate into the seedings, the quarter-final (top-to-bottom) line-up would be (1) Djokovic v (8) Raonic, (4) Wawrinka v (5) Nishikori, (7) Berdych v (3) Nadal and (6) Murray v (2) Federer.

In 2014, there were two first-time Grand Slam champions, Wawrinka in Australia and Marin Cilic (absent with a shoulder issue in Melbourne) at the US Open. The result of this year’s Australian Open should go a long way to determining whether the old axis of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic-Murray is still dominant, or the trend is continuing to a new world order in men’s tennis.

Women's draw: Azarenka adds to intrigue
Serena Williams is the woman to beat, but the first-round meeting between Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens leaps out of the draw

According to Li Na, the answer to this year's Australian Open women's draw depends on Serena Williams. Fulfilling the traditional role of draw ceremony honoured guest, the defending champion was asked if she thought Serena could win. “If she wants to,” Li quipped, bringing her inimitable charm back to Melbourne Park.

Whether she wants to or not, 130 days since winning her 18th Grand Slam singles title in New York, it is Williams who tops the draw at Australian Open 2015, the first major of the year, joined at the other end by Maria Sharapova, the No.2 seed.

Neither Williams nor Sharapova will be overly troubled by their first-round opponents, Williams meeting Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck while Sharapova faces a qualifier. But this draw is not without its intrigue, and as always, defining the eight quarterfinalists, let alone semifinalists and finalists, is no easy task. Just ask Li Na.

The draw: Australian Open 2015 key match-ups

First quarter

The match of the top quarter will undoubtedly be Victoria Azarenka v Sloane Stephens. Azarenka enters this year’s Australian Open with two Daphne Akhurst trophies to her name, but no seeding, the first time since 2007 that she has entered a Grand Slam not in the top 32. Stephens, meanwhile, has been struggling for momentum ever since her breakthrough tournament on these courts two years ago, storming her way to the semifinals in a blur of youthful confidence. It will be the pair’s third meeting, for the third year in a row, at Melbourne Park. Azarenka beat Stephens in an infamous semi in 2013, and again in the fourth round last year.

Others to watch are Caroline Wozniacki (8) against the precocious Taylor Townsend, of whom much is thought. Wozniacki has been nursing an injured wrist, but it is likely that her superior experience will be too much for the young American, as it was when they met in the fourth round in Auckland just last week.

Dominika Cibulkova (11), last year’s finalist, against Kirsten Flipkens is also worth a look. They are tied in their head-to-head 2-2, but this will be their first major meeting.

Li Na’s quarterfinal prediction? Serena Williams v too-hard-to-choose.

Second quarter

The Australians aside, there are three names which jump out of this quarter. Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova (4), looking to improve on reaching the semifinals here in 2012, starts with a qualifier, while Venus Williams (18), in the midst of yet another resurgence of form, plays Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, whom she beat in the first round at Wimbledon last year, their only previous meeting. Agnieszka Radwanska (4), with new coach Martina Navratilova in tow, has a rather tougher task against the very lively Kurumi Nara of Japan. The Pole will need to repeat their first meeting, a straight sets win in Cincinnati last year, to keep alive her hopes of breaking her Grand Slam duck. The other one to watch will be Donna Vekic versus Mona Barthel. In a battle of rising star against former rising star, it’s up for discussion which player needs the win more.

As for the Australians, they are fortunate not to be meeting any seeded players, but Sam Stosur (20) has the always tricky Monica Niculescu, Casey Dellacqua (29) the experienced Yvonne Meusburger, and Alja Tomljanovic probably the easiest of the three, against Shelby Rogers.

Li Na’s quarterfinal prediction? Petra Kvitova v Venus Williams.

Third quarter

Of the two highest seeds, Ana Ivanovic (5) will have a much easier go of things against a qualifier than Simona Halep (3), who meets the in-form Karin Knapp.

The player many will be curious to see will be Belinda Bencic (32), the young Swiss who announced herself here last year with a run from qualifying to the second round. She will have to get past a player who was once much-hyped in Julia Goerges. Meanwhile Karolina Pliskova (22), another in-form young gun, will have high hopes of a good two weeks when she lines up against a qualifier. Australian Jarmila Gajdosova, said to be in excellent shape, plays Alexandra Dulgheru.

And finally, Sabine Lisicki (28) v Kristina Mladenovic could prove interesting. Lisicki is still to catch fire at the majors outside Wimbledon. Could 2015 finally be her time? She leads their head-to-head 2-0.

Li Na’s quarterfinal prediction? Ana Ivanovic v Simona Halep

Fourth quarter

They say the most challenging year for a player is the year after making the breakthrough. So Eugenie Bouchard (7) will certainly be feeling the heat when she steps on court to play little-known Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany. Bouchard is viewed by many as a certain future Grand Slam champion. The question is whether 2015 will be too soon for her to climb that last hurdle.

Young meets old in the match-up between Svetlana Kuznetsova (27) and Caroline Garcia, once dubbed a future world No.1 by Andy Murray, and 17-year-old Ana Konjuh will be looking to repeat her first-round win here last year, on her Grand Slam debut, when she takes on Magdalena Rybarikova. Like their compatriots in the top half, Australians Daria Gavrilova and Arina Rodionova both have unseeded opponents in Kiki Bertens and Monica Puig respectively, and Maria Sharapova, as we know, meets a qualifier.

Li Na’s quarterfinal prediction? Eugenie Bouchard v Maria Sharapova.

[TJ]

Porco zio che sfiga Roger.

[Talpone]

Si parteeeee.
Credo che ci attenderà una gran bella stagione.

Nella note già Rafa. In mattinata Roger.

[Mds32]

Fortunatamente domani lavoro il pomeriggio quindi alle 9.00 potrò essere sintonizzato per vedere il Re.

[Y2J Paguro]

Ana Ivanovic subito fuori.
Va avanti la mia favorita, Halep.

[Mds32]

Subito vittorie facili per Federer (contro Lu) e Nadal (contro Youzhny). Tra le teste di serie avanzano anche Murray,Berdych, Gasquet, Karlovic,Dimitrov,Anderson,Goffin,Kohlschreiber,Mayer,Rosol,Chardy e Klizan. Fuori invece Gulbis (battuto dal giovane Kokkinakis) e Robredo (ritiratosi nel primo set contro Roger Vasselin quando era in vantaggio per 3-2).
Accedono al secondo turno anche Seppi (solita maratona di 5 set contro Istomin) e Bolelli (sconfitto Monaco). Ora se la vedranno con Chardy (Seppi) e Federer (Bolelli).

Nelle donne invece avanzano Sharapova,Halep,Bouchard,Makarova,Errani (se la vedrà con la Soler Espinosa),Peng, Pliskova,Diyas. Eliminate invece Ivanovic, Kerber, Safarova, Suarez Navarro, Pavlyuchenkova, Kuznetsova, Lisicki e Bencic.

[TJ]

No, Ana... E la Lisicki
Spiace anche per Tommy.
Gulbis sempre il solito, niente da fare.

Dei vari Seppi-Istomin finiti al quinto ormai ho perso il conto. Ed il fatto è che ogni tanto quell'uzbeko rompicoglioni ha pure vinto. Ad ogni modo forza Andreas, che contro Chardy ce la si può fare
Bolelli invece