Saturday, August 23, 2008

Cilic Serves Fish

I'm following the live scores as I write this, and right now my boy Marin Cilic is up 5-2 in the third set against Mardy Fish and is serving for it. I'm very proud. Boy, do I know how to pick 'em!
*
I was doing a bit of hunting through the Challenger archives for this year, and I found out what Jeremy Chardy has been up to - well, for a week, anyway. He won a Challenger in Graz in late July, so maybe I'm being a bit unfair when I say he's the worst performer of my little Stars fold. He hasn't been splashing about on the ATP circuit like my boy Marin, maybe, but he's working hard. Good boy, Jeremy. (Condescending, me?)
*
Speaking of Marin, he just won! One day, I'm going to be able to say that I picked him out before he was famous. I don't know if he's ever going to be #1, but top ten for sure, I think - and he's one of mine. I don't think I can really claim that I jumped on the del Potro bandwagon before he became all good and stuff, but I sure picked Marin early. Go me. And go Marin! Now all I need is for Ernests Gulbis to win a tour title and I'll be extraordinarily pleased with myself.
*
Going back to the Challengers, another star performer was Thomaz Bellucci, who has won four of the things this year. I'd love to see him make a splash on the ATP circuit - but we might have to wait till next year, as I think he's a bit of a claycourter. Still, claycourters can sometimes do other stuff... look at Rafa.
*
I promised a US Open preview, I do believe, but I might save that for tomorrow, when I will have nothing at all to talk about, as there will be no tennis. It's the US Open's version of Boring Sunday - but I suppose two weeks of awesome tennis after that might make up for it!
*
Oh, and today's shout out goes to Lucie Safarova (aka Madame Berdych.) After a stellar run a while back - I remember her beating Mauresmo (I think) at the Australian and really doing well - she lost form, so much so as to be unseeded at a Tier IV tournament. I think she's ranked about #80 or something now. Anyway, she won that selfsame Tier IV tournament in Forest Hills pretty handily. She's really a lovely player - very watchable - so I'm quite pleased. Nice one, Lucie!
*
Oh, and I apologise for the title of today's post. Really, I do.
*
*
Today's Results
*
Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)
*
Men's Draw
*
Marin Cilic def. Mardy Fish, 6-4 4-6 6-2
*
*
Women's Draw
*
Caroline Wozniacki def. Anna Chakvetadze, 3-6 6-4 6-1
*
*
Forest Hills Tennis Classic (Forest Hills)
*
Lucie Safarova def. Peng Shuai, 6-4 6-2

No comments: