The first big upset of the US Open. Tomas lost in straights to Llodra.

I still cannot believe Berdych is out of the USO. He had such amazing runs at RG and Wimbledon that I guess
I was expecting the same to happen now. I don’t know what happened there, if it were the high expectations,
an injury or Llodra’s serve. Maybe a combination of everything.

Honestly, there’s not much to say. It was only the second time this season that Tomas has lost in the opening round at a tour-level event. Llodra saved all three break points he faced and was able to convert two of the eight chances created. He served and volleyed like a mad man. Insane stuff. Berdych really didn’t get the chance to play his game.

Also, let me just say Michael Llodra is an idiot. I’ll explain. Apparently he got really pissed that Isner didn’t withdraw from USO because that would have given him a seeded place in the draw. Seriously. What a nice opportunity he lost to keep his mouth shut.

And in other news, this totally opens the draw for Muzz. Seriously, if he doesn’t reach SF now, there’s no hope for him (No pressure!). So, get yourself together, dude. Just do your thing.

Ana won. Again. Into the 3r round after kicking Zheng’s ass.

What can I say? I am so pleased and proud. It’s great to have one of my favorite players doing good again after such a slump. There was a time I wasn’t sure if Ana was ever going to come back. Not because she wasn’t good enough or didn’t have the game but I felt she wasn’t totally aware of the magnitude of the problem. I always thought it was all mental and once she got that fixed, things would get better. It took a while. A lot of first round losses, many tears and sleepless nights, but she’s here now. And hopefully back for good.

She took out Zheng in 56 minutes. And it was AWESOME. If you follow Ana closely and watched her match, you know what I mean. She still needs to improve, but her fitness is much better, she’s more relaxed and with the serve working well, all of her game flows. There’re still a few wonky ball tosses but overall I’m impressed.

She converted 5/6 break points and was pretty much dictacting every point. The only time I noticed some nervousness from her was at 5-1 and serving for the set. She got broken but when she had the chance again, she closed out the set. From that moment on, Zheng really couldn’t do much. Ana was hitting winners, fist pumping like crazy (she’s so cute) and being all happy on court.

I honestly couldn’t stop smiling during the entire match. It’s amazing what a good team can do. Props to Heinz and Marija for the good work. It’s paying off. Btw, have any of you seen her interviews to ESPN and ES? Dear God, how adorbz was she?

I know I may look like an idiot being this happy, but the truth is, from now on, Ana can only go up. She already defended all the points until the end of the season! AJDE!!!

Wow. Tipsy ousted A-Rod in four sets to reach the 3rd round for the first time.
This is the earliest exit from a Slam to Andy since Wimbledon 2008. Ironically, he also lost to Janko there.

I’m not a Roddick fan, never have been. I felt sorry for the guy after the Wimbly final, but again, who didn’t? I’ve tried really hard to like him but damn, he makes it difficult sometimes, mainly because of his on court behavior. That’s exactly what happened. Just like Serena last year, Andy was penalized for a foot fault.
Instead of continue to play and put that moment behind him, he kept arguing and well, you know it ended. It’s a shame because he really had a doable draw with good chances of reaching SF. I don’t care what some people might say, but when you’re a pro athlete you need to be ready for this kind of stuff to happen and stay focused and calm. I know, easier said than done.

Later, A-Rod said what really had bothered him was that the lineswoman wouldn’t acknowledge that she was mistaken when she blamed his right foot for the ruling, when in fact was his left foot that crossed the line.

Anyways, major props to Janko. What a win. I didn’t watch the entire match (I blame you, time difference!) but it seems the Serbian played amazingly. Tipsy smacked 66 winners, won 81 percent of his first-serve points and saved 3 of the 5 break points he faced. He was terrific from the baseline and also took advantage of Andy’s poor net game, which is always a smart thing to do.

After the match Roddick told him “If you lose early I’m going to freaking kill you”. I totally agree so, do not even dare, Janko.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like what happened to Vika.
Ana was playing at the same time, so I wasn’t paying much attention to the other matches. All of the sudden people on twitter started talking about her, so I went to check it out.

When I saw her on the floor, I freaked out. Even more when they showed it again. It was awful. In the middle of a rally, Vika just stopped and collapsed on court. It really scared the shit out of me. They had to move her in a wheelchair and she couldn’t even hold her head.

At first, everyone thought it could have been due to heat exhaustion. She’s known for not being able to deal well with extreme conditions, but it was later diagnosed as a concussion.

Here’s her statement: “I was warming up in the gym prior to my match against Gisela Dulko, when I fell while running a sprint. I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court, and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell. I was taken to the hospital for some medical tests and have been diagnosed with a mild concussion.”

It sucks because Vika had a legit shot this year and was playing well.
Get well soon, girl.

Oh, and I’m sorry for the lack of posting, but I have exams so it’s difficult to keep up with everything.

Seriously everyone. Rafa’s kit alone deserves one post.

Thumbs up to Nike because they really did an excellent job with his night kit. It looks amazing. I wish he could play in it forever.

Back to tennis now. Rafa beat Gabashvili 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-3. It wasn’t an easy match for Rafa. It took him until the 7th game of the third set to break the Russian. Really, he needs to start converting those break points. It was a little frustrating. Overall, it was a solid performance by Rafa. The biggest difference was that he played better in the crucial moments. His forehand is solid but he’s still not that confident on the backhand.

Let me just point out what surprised me the most. 131 MPH serve. I’ll repeat it. 131 MPH. Where was that hidden, Rafa? That being said, it’s obvious Team Nadal has been working on the serve.

Of course there’s always room for improvement but Rafa is looking good out there. And he will get better. Trust me on that.

It’s only Day 3 and the US Open is already super crazy.

Soderling (I’m looking at you, being on Fed’s quarter, there’s no way energy can be wasted like that), Djokovic, Nalbandian and Verdasco needed 5 sets to win their 1st round matches. I don’t know about you guys, but I really didn’t need all the drama so early in the tournament. None of them played great tennis but all stepped up to the occasion when needed (well, some of the opponents chocked a bit). Also, it’s been insanely hot in NYC and although I don’t want to excuse any of them that probably played a role too. I don’t know how can they play in such extreme conditions.

On the other hand, Federer, Davydenko, Roddick and Ferrer had no trouble with their matches. They won in straights and seem strong. Not many upsets on the men’s side so far except for Hewitt and Marcos (Boo. He was doing so well.), but Murray, Ljubicic and Berdych are scheduled to play today.

Ana beat Makarova 6-3, 6-2.

Am I dreaming? A straight sets win. Not a single break point faced. Solid serve. Totally committed. I am so happy.

I’ve said this before, but this time I honestly feel Ana is coming back. Heinz and her new fitness coach were the best thing that happened in the last months. I used to feel Ana was sad on court, not enjoying, etc. Probably like most of her fans. That totally changed. She seems comfortable and confident in most of her shots and that is so nice to see. Also, how funny is that this is happening in USO? She usually doesn’t have great results there. It might be a sign.

She will face Zheng tomorrow. In my opinion, if Ana remains focused and calm she has a great shot of winning. Just breathe, girl. There’s still some ankle pain but it’s getting better.

Have you guys noticed how much she’s been smiling lately? Tennis needs her. It’s as simple as that.

Mel won. She beat Savchuk 6-3, 6-0.

I am so happy for her. It’s always tough when there’s so much pressure. She handled it pretty great and is on the 2nd round. People were expecting better results after last year’s QF but things didn’t go as well. Anyways, she definitely feels comfortable playing USO so I really hope she goes further on the last Major of the season.

I can’t believe it’s USO time already.

To be honest, it has always been my least favorite Slam. I don’t know exactly why, but I never get as excited as for the others. This year is different, though. I’m really looking forward to it.

Let’s start with…no Serena. We’re used to her skipping other tournaments but this foot problem is really serious to prevent her from playing a Grand Slam (The story behind it’s hilarious, though). Also, it’s safe to say Masha and Kim are the biggest contenders to win the title and thankfully they’re in opposite sides of the draw. I mean, it’s WTA I’m talking about so who knows what will happen there. I like Vika’s chances too. Her draw is pretty doable and she’s been playing good tennis. Nonetheless I’m confident we’re going to get a rematch of the Cincy final but with a different outcome. Masha wins a Slam every two years, so it’s time for another one. Let’s keep in mind that if JJ or Caro win the US Open (it is highly unlikely) there will be a new number 1.

I think it’s the first time I found more difficult to predict things on the men’s side.
I really wish Rafa would win USO this year (just to get the Career Slam and end up all the talking), but after what I’ve seen in Toronto and Cincy I’m not that sure anymore. That being said, I should have learned by now to never underestimate Rafa because he always ends to up to amaze me. On the other hand, I really don’t mind Muzz winning (If Rafa can’t make it. There, I said it). He has the game to do it, so what really needs to be working properly is his head. There’s also Fed. He’s never entirely gone. That’s only going to happen when he retires (and we need to wait until the Olympics for that). His timing to start playing good tennis again was perfect. When his game is on, I think it’s really difficult to beat it, especially at Flushing Meadows. Of course Berdych, Soderling, Nole, A-Rod and even Nalby can’t be forgotten but I really just don’t see them winning this year. I’m with Brodie on this one, I feel it’s going to be a Fedal final (don’t take my word too seriously, because last time I predicted something like this, Fed lost in QF).

As for my faves, my main goal is to see Ana reaching more than 2nd round. I saw some pics of her practicing and although the ankle is taped she seems to be moving well. That kid needs a break, so I’d appreciate Makarova to go away in straights. For reals. And that goes for Fognini too. I can’t take another heart breaking loss from Fer.

And last but not least, I just want to say I miss Delpo. I really do. He can’t come back soon enough.

Less than 24 hours for USO to start. Bring. It. On.

(Women’s draw breakdown here).

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Rafa, Fed, Nole, Muzz, Sod, Kolya, Berd, Nando

Top Quarter:

Rafa should more or less walk to the quarterfinals. Ljubs could be a threat but in 5 sets? Yeah, no.

The bottom quarter is hella juicy. Ferru/Dolg first round with Ernie, and then Fernando/Foghat first round with Nalby. Yikes. Your guess is as good as mine. 5 sets will be tough for Nalby, but I really think that he has been playing well enough to beat Nando and have a serious impact here.

Quarterfinal: Rafa vs. Headbandian

Second Quarter:

Some interesting match-ups here, as early in the first round (Jules/Steps, Youz/Golubev, Berd/Llodra) but at the end of the day, this quarter is all about Muzz and Berd.

A lot of people were jumping to conclusions about this half with Muzz and Rafa, but I say not so fast. First of all, Nalby has a legit shot against Rafa (hell, Ernie might too) and Berd is one hell of a problem for Muzz. Andy does love his beloved hard courts, but Berd has had some success on the surface this year with the Miami final, and of course has been delivering the goods in 5 set matches.

Muzz doesn’t love the big servers and can get far too passive against them at times. Did I mention that Berd has been dynamite in the past two slams?

Quarterfinal: Muzz vs. Berd

Third Quarter:

This is Nole’s quarter to lose, and in my eye, the weakest of the quarters.

The top half features Kolya and Dick, both of whom have been non-existent since… well, I don’t remember. Neither have had fantastic years, really. Gael remains the only real challenge to either of those.

The bottom half features Nole, Bags, and Fish. Nole gets lucky in that he’ll only have to face one of those. In 5 sets I kind of like Baggy, but Fish does have the home field advantage. Still think Nole will find his way past either of them regardless.

Quarterfinal: Dick vs. Nole

Bottom Quarter:

It’s not a cake draw for Fed, but it sure is pretty damn easy. Sod also faces a pretty easy draw, though if Marin decides to wake up, that could be tough.

Fed’s form of late has been pretty damn impressive. Sod’s has… not. He was cutting it close in 3 set matches in Toronto and Cincy, which is bad news for 5 sets. He’s probably ok to make it to the quarters, but unless he can find top form heading into a possible Fed match-up, he’s in trouble.

Quarterfinal:Sod vs. Fed

Semifinals: Rafa vs. Berd, Dick vs. Fed
Final: Rafa vs. Fed
Champion: Rafa