China Open, Beijing Men’s Semifinal: [CR6] Tomas Berdych (CZE) vs. [CR56] Martin Klizan (SVK) Klizan was riding a wave of confidence after his win against Rafa and he had given Berdych fits their last encounter. Berdych had to play a tidier match to prevent Klizan from getting another upset. His indifferent play at times is bothersome, which Berdych would…
Continue reading →China Open, Beijing Women’s Semifinal: [CR4] Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. [CR9] Ana Ivanovic (SRB) Ivanovic could not find her game the entire first set against Sharapova, it completely disappeared; her serve was absent, forehand and backhand shots were flying long and even easy volleys landed in the net. It looked to continue in the second set when she…
Continue reading →China Open, Beijing Women’s Semifinal: [CR3] Petra Kvitova (CZE) vs. [CR21] Samantha Stosur (AUS) There was a slim chance that Stosur could defeat Kvitova, if she played consistently, went for her shots, and capitalized on her opportunities. Stosur’s year has been disappointing, she has not made it to any finals because she is not playing with conviction. …
Continue reading →There is mounting evidence that [CR2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) is having a confidence crisis. Nadal is known as Rafa and “The King of Clay”; his symbol is “The Bull”. He earned his title as “the King of Clay” because there was period of time when he rarely lost on that surface. He was so dominant on clay that few expected him to…
Continue reading →China Open, Beijing Will [CR21] Samantha Stosur (AUS) be lucky this time, or will [CR1] Serena Williams (USA) prevail? Some of their matches have been very competitive and some have been one-sided affairs. Serena was tested today by Safarova and that should get her ready for Stosur; however, you never know what to expect from Serena. Is she going…
Continue reading →China Open, Beijing World number one, Serena Williams, encountered technical difficulties today against [CR15] Lucie Safarova (CZE). Her left knee was taped and she was slower in getting to the balls, her serve was off, and even her outfit malfunctioned. Serena started the match aggressively, hitting the balls hard and repeatedly aced her opponent. The second set was a different story, Safarova…
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