Saturday, October 4, 2008

Berdych's Big Break?

Well, well, could Tomas Berdych be going to make something of himself at last? It's probably a stretch to say yes, but at least he's proven that he still deserves to be in the upper echelons of the ATP. He hasn't been very impressive at all this year, but if he can win this title, that might really help him out. He has so much talent and so much promise, and after beating Federer at the Olympics in Athens and winning that Masters shield in 2005, I bet a few people had him on their Stars of the Future list. Largely, he hasn't come through - and it's not like this final in Tokyo changes that. But it is a positive sign.
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That said, it was a pretty tight match. It wasn't like Berdych came out and totally flogged Roddick. It was a third set breaker. But Berdych came away with the win, which is important for him... though I don't like his chances in the final. He's playing Juan Martin del Potro, and we all know how hot that kid is running right now. I certainly wouldn't bet against him, unless he were playing Federer or Nadal or someone. I suppose the real question will be whether or not he can maintain this hot streak. I hope, for his sake, that he isn't a player that has an amazing hot streak and then effectively burns himself out, never to be seen again.
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Meanwhile, I really, really hope that Jelena Jankovic takes some serious time off sometime soon, or I think her limbs might actually start falling off. I don't know if I can remember a tennis player so constantly injured. She had to have painkillers injected to make it through today's marathon match against Venus Williams. This is what she said:
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"When I saw the needles they were going to use ten minutes before the game started, I went white - I hate needles... I was screaming when the doctor put the needle in and I had to hold onto one of the physios, but I had to do it to get through the game."
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Personally, if I was in that much pain, I wouldn't have played. If the remedy is (for Jelena, anyway) worse than the cure, then surely your body might be trying to tell you something? But she knows best, I suppose... I have absolutely no knowledge of anything to do with sports medicine.
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Oh, and davai Dmitry! Tursunov is through to the final in Metz, and I would love to see him win... though unfortunately I can't be present this time, like I was when he won the tournament in Sydney. He faces Paul-Henri Mathieu, and though Paulo is seeded higher (and very cruelly took out the wonderfully named Adrian Mannarino) I think we all know Dmitry can take him.
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And congratulations to Jarmila Gajdosova, who unfortunately couldn't get past Caroline Wozniacki today, but who did make it to the semis nonetheless - nice one!
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Today's Results
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Open de Moselle (Metz)
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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Adrian Mannarino, 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-1)
Dmitry Tursunov def. Radek Stepanek, 6-3 6-4
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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)
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Men's Draw
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Juan Martin Del Potro def. Richard Gasquet, 6-3 4-6 7-5
Tomas Berdych def. Andy Roddick, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-3)
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Women's Draw
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Caroline Wozniacki def. Jarmila Gajdosova, 6-4 6-3
Kaia Kanepi def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-4
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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
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Jelena Jankovic def. Venus Williams, 6-7 (8-10) 7-5 6-2
Nadia Petrova def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-4 6-4
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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)
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Sabine Lisicki def. Peng Shuai, 5-7 6-3 6-4
Sorana Cirstea def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 retired

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