[blue4578]

Thought I'd start a thread for non-Andy Murray related stuff since we had one for Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Draws were made today:

Men's singles

Women's singles


Qualifiers haven't been completed yet so there are a few blanks in the draws yet to be filled in. Of the men's top seeds, Djokovic is probably sitting with a very large smile on his face after seeing the draw. Murray's isn't too bad, although he does have Wawrinka (who beat him here last year in the third round) as a possible last 16 opponent. Nadal's draw is pretty favourable until the quarter finals, although he will be vulnerable before that unless he starts playing better.

ATP rankings and information on each player

On the women's side, having see some of Serena Williams' matches in winning her last two tournaments, if she stays fit it is going to be very hard for anyone to get the better of her in my opinion. Clijsters has won the last two US Opens, but is unable to play this year. Wozniacki is top seed, but in reality has very little chance of lifting the trophy.

WTA rankings and information on each player


Tennisform - a good site for links and other information

[peterbuck1995]

Murray remains the fourth most likely winner. Rate him a 11/1 shot, still hopehe does it.

[McKee]

I placed £5 on Djokovic at betfred 11/8 the other night. First bet I've ever made. Well I made 3 at the same time, but it still counts as the first ever.

[blue4578]

He is a little under 13/8 at Betfair after commission, 11/8 is the best available at traditional bookmakers now (6/4 Unibet) but I think you've missed the boat a little bit. If you recall my last post on the Wimbledon thread this year I was advising everyone to pile into the 2/1 that was widely available at the time. I went into a William Hill shop the next day and had slightly more than £5 on. Let's hope the shoulder recovers as well as Djokovic expects in time for next week.

[McKee]

blue4578, on 25 August 2011 - 22:50, said:

He is a little under 13/8 at Betfair after commission, 11/8 is the best available at traditional bookmakers now (6/4 Unibet) but I think you've missed the boat a little bit. If you recall my last post on the Wimbledon thread this year I was advising everyone to pile into the 2/1 that was widely available at the time. I went into a William Hill shop the next day and had slightly more than £5 on. Let's hope the shoulder recovers as well as Djokovic expects in time for next week.

I wouldn't have been old enough back then. I'm not long turned 18. I don't see myself being an avid gambler to be fair, only really put the bet on because betfred is across the road from the pub I was meeting people in before the Morton - St. Mirren match on Tuesday.

[blue4578]

Fair enough, was just saying. It's not a bad bet at that price given the draw. You could say that I'm quite an avid gambler, I've been betting since I was about 13 one way or another. I must try and keep the betting chat to the gambling forum though.

[McKee]

People are very excited for this, aren't they?

Best slam of the year too. Well, Australian Open seems to be where the best and most entertaining tennis is played, but I end up only getting to see about 5 or 6 matches of it each year.

edit: although one bad thing about the US open, I despise Super Saturday. Awful, awful tradition.

This post has been edited by McKee: 29 August 2011 - 00:32

[Skyline Drifter]

blue4578, on 25 August 2011 - 22:40, said:

Murray's isn't too bad, although he does have Wawrinka (who beat him here last year in the third round) as a possible last 16 opponent.

Yeah it could have been worse certainly. I'd rather he'd avoided Soderling in the last eight but Soderling on hard courts isn't the threat he is elsewhere. Certainly the better half of the draw.

[Eye Valley]

With Murray 4th seed and Djokovic 1st, it means they'd meet in the semis, a'd rather it was him than either Nadal/Federer.

[Skyline Drifter]

Eye Valley, on 29 August 2011 - 08:08, said:

With Murray 4th seed and Djokovic 1st, it means they'd meet in the semis, a'd rather it was him than either Nadal/Federer.

Nonsense. LOOK at the draw before posting

Not only does it not automatically mean that but in fact it doesn't mean that. He's due to meet Nadal in the semis if both get there. Can't meet either Djokovic or Federer before the final.

[H_B]

I've never really understood why it doesn't mean that to be honest...

There should be an advantage to being top seed. That should mean you avoid the number 3 in the semis and get number 4.

[Skyline Drifter]

H_B, on 29 August 2011 - 08:39, said:

I've never really understood why it doesn't mean that to be honest...

There should be an advantage to being top seed. That should mean you avoid the number 3 in the semis and get number 4.

I would imagine it was to prevent every tournament from effectively seeing the same draw, especially the ones close together.

[H_B]

Skyline Drifter, on 29 August 2011 - 09:09, said:

I would imagine it was to prevent every tournament from effectively seeing the same draw, especially the ones close together.

Possibly, but the rankings change quite a lot.

It probably doesnt matter that much, as they are all very capable, but if there was a huge difference between number 3 and number 4 in terms of ability or surface, I wouldn't be happy as the World Number 1 seeing the Number 2 get an easier ride.

[blue4578]

I love the US Open, largely because I'm not a very good morning person and am often half asleep (or occasionally fully asleep) when the French Open and Wimbledon start playing each morning. Not because I'm massive lazy, although I am, but because I'm betting baseball overnight from April - October till the wee small hours. The Australian Open is completely different as it requires nightshift hours for two weeks. For some reason for me, when betting I always lose a fortune on the French Open, win a fortune on the Australian Open and do OK on the other two.

Super Saturday is a nonsense in terms of the schedule. The second semi final winner could be almost dead on his feet for the final if the match goes long. Djokovic was lucky Sunday was rained out last year so he could at least give the final a decent shot, even though he ended up losing. Someone needs to tell the USTA that there is more to a tournament than getting better television viewing figures on a weekend.

As for the draw, personally I think the way they do it works best as there's always a little bit of unpredictability. The rankings, particularly lower down, are quite fluid, but there have been periods when the top players have stayed at the same ranking for two years or more lately.

[DomDom]

Quote

With Murray 4th seed and Djokovic 1st, it means they'd meet in the semis, a'd rather it was him than either Nadal/Federer.

Why? I dare say at the moment that Djokovic is the one player nobody wants to go near.

[blue4578]

And at the same time Nadal is struggling badly and Federer has had a couple of poor defeats recently. Murray should be very pleased to be drawn in Nadal's half.

This post has been edited by blue4578: 29 August 2011 - 15:07

[McKee]

Disgusting serving performance from Harrison in the first set. Brings back memories of watching Taylor Dent get reamed and defeated by Soderling in about half an hour at the French Open last year.

[lichtie23]

That's Laura Robson threw after her Japanese opponent retires in the 2nd

[yoda]

I'm a fan of the US Open, even if I'm restricted to watching very few games

I have - perhaps wrongly - bought into the the 'hype' from McEnroe about Mardy Fish and stuck £2 on him E/W at 25/1. Personally I think Djokovic has this sewn up already but that is hardly a bold statement to make at this point in time.

On the women's front, I've done my typical money on Sharapova for the win. I haven't seen her since Wimbledon so I'm not sure if her serve is still making her lose cheap points.

[lichtie23]

Is Djokovic not carrying a slight shoulder injury?

[McKee]

lichtie23, on 29 August 2011 - 19:23, said:

Is Djokovic not carrying a slight shoulder injury?

Yes but he's also spending a lot of time in a performance enhancing pressurized egg.


Legal blood doping

[#Gary]

Sharapova currently trailing 5-2 to Heather Watson and serving to stay in the first set.

[lichtie23]

Seems Watson has taken the 1st set

interesting

[lichtie23]

And breaks her in the 1st game of 2nd set

[blue4578]

Good effort from Heather Watson, but the match was played entirely on Sharapova's terms. When Sharapova was struggling on serve and missing the forehand, Watson managed to take the opening set. When Sharapova served a little better and missed slightly less off the ground, Watson had no answer, although she did win a few long points with excellent defence. Watson's second serve will hold her back if she doesn't improve it. People believed she could win today though; Sharapova traded at a high of 1.91 in-running on Betfair, meaning that Watson was close to being favourite at one point. Watson was also 5/5 on break points, but Sharapova totally dominated the final set.

Not really been the most enthralling day today, although Troicki and Bellucci just both threw away winning positions to lose in fairly unlikely circumstances.