Australian Open

[stroke]

Well the Tsitsipas backhand flashing warning signals. Sinner is now definitely getting to it backhand to backhand exchanges.

[stroke]

Well that was a really impressive 3rd set by Sinner, showing the level of tennis he is capable of. He really leveled up his game and took it, Tsitsipas did not drop off. Tsitsipas' backhand seems to me to be more effective than ever. I have not seen the winners vs errors stats off that side, but so many times his stats off that side are bad. It does not seem that way tonight.

[stroke]

Just saw a stat on this match I have never seen, "sprints". Thus far it is 40 for Sinner, 21 for Tsitsipas. Both are working very hard out there, but I guess that stat shows Sinner has had to work even harder. Probably the biggest advantage Tsitsipas has over Sinner is net play. Sinner is just not technically good at net play, and it starts with his footwork up there.

[stroke]

Extraordinary match thus far by Tsitsipas, up 2 sets to 0. Sinner has played very well, but Tsitsipas in full flight with his swashbuckling aura. Odds are now at Tsitsipas 87.5% implied probability of winning the match. He still has work to do, as Sinner is not going anywhere, he like Tsitsipas is very mentally strong. Tsitsipas as DB pointed out is just a superb athlete, it would be hard to imagine anyone with a better tennis build. FAA is close I guess, but that is about it for guys 6'4" or so. Medvedev is certainly right there also speed wise but he is just not as powerfully built as Tsitsipas and FAA. It would be a very interesting 60 yard dash between those 3. Probably the most telling stat in this match thus far is the break point conversations. Sinner has produced more break points but less breaks.

[don_budge]

2023 Australian Open...Men's Round of Sixteen (Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Jannik Sinner)

I just did to see if I still had it in me. The header. It used to be my trademark for my posts. A thoughtful clue for what was about to be. Here it is. My one thought regarding this contest is there are actually two thoughts. Number one...Tsitsipas holds a 4-1 head to head advantage. Advantage Tsitsipas. Number two...it is the question about the serve as well it should be in men's tennis. Ladies too come to think of it. Who has more gas in the tank when it comes to the serve? For a while there I was impressed with Sinner's commitment to improve his motion, but it appears to have come to a standstill. After some initial improvement...nothing. So far to my eye. Tsitsipas on the other hand has not lived up to his full potential in the serve department, yet he cannot be ruled out due to extraordinary athletism. This match will come down to the stronger serve.

Sebastien Korda through after rattling his opponents cage.

[stroke]

Hopalong! Priceless ... I can't tell what's real or not with him any longer.

But he can close the deal.

Yes the screams of anguish a nice touch. I like it. Joking aside, this is getting very interesting. It certainly appears that these guys like Korda, Rune, Sinner, Tsitsipas, are on the cusp of getting past Hopalong. We will see. Even this next match vs the demon, demon probably the best court coverage on the tour, which is saying something. Very interesting.

[jimlosaltos]

Match of the day, Tsitsipas the favorite at an implied probability of 66% of winning vs Sinner. Seb Korta, is the favorite with an implied probability of 61% vs Hurkacz. The Tsitsipas backhand is going to have to be effective it seems to me. The ol 2 or 3 winners and too many errors off that side is probably not going to get the job done. Seb vs Hurkacz, the match seems to be on his racquet. Hurkacz is a very good all court player, much like Seb, but he certainly does not have the firepower off the forehand side Seb does.

Not relevant to the match but I enjoyed this exchange: Radek Stepanek has joined Sebi as a coach. Semi's father Petr had coached Radek.

Sebi on the Circle of Tennis Life: roughly "Perhaps I'll coach Radek's daughters after my playing days and keep the circle going." <g>

[jimlosaltos]

Hopalong in 3 vs Grigor. He has added some new grunting/streams of anguish to his repertoire.

Hopalong! Priceless ... I can't tell what's real or not with him any longer.

But he can close the deal.

[arturohernandez]

Just classic and vintage Novak "Novax" Djokovic so far against Grigor "The Bulgarian Playboy" Dimitrov. Novak failed to serve out the first set and looking rather gimpy on his bandaged left leg at 5-4. But he recovered to play a highly intelligent tie-break to take the first set. He called for the physio after the set and now he looks as if he played to old "rope-a-dope" on Grigor the first set. Gone is the gimpy leg and he looks to be focused on the finish line here in the round of 32. Alex De Minaur waiting in the next round and with a partisan and rabid Aussie Crowd behind him it will be like a Davis Cup venue. Not that Novak cares in the least. He has experienced all sort of negative crowds in the past and like everything else in match play...he has learned to manage the dysfunction. He has the ridiculous ability to turn just about any negative into a positive. Somehow he manages these niggles and injuries to inspire his performance. His mental toughness is second to none. Including the MIA Rafael Nadal. Novak serving for the second set now and Grigor must feel like it has slipped from his grasp when he failed to take the first set from a gimpy legged Djokovic.

Amazing. The leg is bad and then it is better. De Minaur runs all day. He is likely to make Novak run as well. This is where I always thought things would get tough with age for both Novak and Rafa. It isn't just having to win 2 out of 3 against one or two players. It is like an aging offensive line having to face a defensive line with fresh defenders pulled in on subsequent downs. The offensive line can hold for a while. But eventually all the fresh players will keep applying pressure.

Novak is amazing. He has done it before. The question is whether he can keep dealing with young, fresh, hungry players. Alcaraz is out. If not, I think Novak would not have a chance in a five set final.

The question is whether there is one opponent of his that will just make him stay out there for five hours. The more matches go the distance, the more likely Novak is to just finally have to give up. It happened in the US open against Medvedev.

Are there any players left out there that are as tough as Medi and will push Novak?

[stroke]

Match of the day, Tsitsipas the favorite at an implied probability of 66% of winning vs Sinner. Seb Korta, is the favorite with an implied probability of 61% vs Hurkacz. The Tsitsipas backhand is going to have to be effective it seems to me. The ol 2 or 3 winners and too many errors off that side is probably not going to get the job done. Seb vs Hurkacz, the match seems to be on his racquet. Hurkacz is a very good all court player, much like Seb, but he certainly does not have the firepower off the forehand side Seb does.

[stroke]

Hopalong in 3 vs Grigor. He has added some new grunting/sreams of anguish to his repertoire.

[stroke]

Just classic and vintage Novak "Novax" Djokovic so far against Grigor "The Bulgarian Playboy" Dimitrov. Novak failed to serve out the first set and looking rather gimpy on his bandaged left leg at 5-4. But he recovered to play a highly intelligent tie-break to take the first set. He called for the physio after the set and now he looks as if he played to old "rope-a-dope" on Grigor the first set. Gone is the gimpy leg and he looks to be focused on the finish line here in the round of 32. Alex De Minaur waiting in the next round and with a partisan and rabid Aussie Crowd behind him it will be like a Davis Cup venue. Not that Novak cares in the least. He has experienced all sort of negative crowds in the past and like everything else in match play...he has learned to manage the dysfunction. He has the ridiculous ability to turn just about any negative into a positive. Somehow he manages these niggles and injuries to inspire his performance. His mental toughness is second to none. Including the MIA Rafael Nadal. Novak serving for the second set now and Grigor must feel like it has slipped from his grasp when he failed to take the first set from a gimpy legged Djokovic.

Truth there. I have utmost respect for Roger and Rafael also, but they never ever had to deal with the lack of crowd support(to put it mildly) that Novak has dealt with in so many big matches. That to me makes Novak even more impressive.

[don_budge]

I have always liked Novak, but I liked him even more with his refusal to get vaccinated.

Just classic and vintage Novak "Novax" Djokovic so far against Grigor "The Bulgarian Playboy" Dimitrov. Novak failed to serve out the first set and looking rather gimpy on his bandaged left leg at 5-4. But he recovered to play a highly intelligent tie-break to take the first set. He called for the physio after the set and now he looks as if he played to old "rope-a-dope" on Grigor the first set. Gone is the gimpy leg and he looks to be focused on the finish line here in the round of 32. Alex De Minaur waiting in the next round and with a partisan and rabid Aussie Crowd behind him it will be like a Davis Cup venue. Not that Novak cares in the least. He has experienced all sort of negative crowds in the past and like everything else in match play...he has learned to manage the dysfunction. He has the ridiculous ability to turn just about any negative into a positive. Somehow he manages these niggles and injuries to inspire his performance. His mental toughness is second to none. Including the MIA Rafael Nadal. Novak serving for the second set now and Grigor must feel like it has slipped from his grasp when he failed to take the first set from a gimpy legged Djokovic.

[stroke]

The round of 16, Tsitsipas plays Sinner. Very interesting.

[don_budge]

Major League performance by Sebastian Korda. He sort of came of age with that decisive win over the number seven seed in Australia. Medvedev is getting that deer in the headlights look that so often comes when the expectations are mounting. He's had that look for some time now, not to mention some injury problems. Highlighting just how difficult it is to get to the top and then to stay there. So Korda is on the rise now and he single handedly changed the complexion of the top half of the draw. With the disappearance of Senor Skunk it is a wide open chasm now.

Meanwhile The Joker is setting the table. With the quasi injury he only adds to his mystique. He has been quite emotional as of late and he can almost smell this one now. Grigor Dimitrov is the next road block in his way but he has only managed one win in ten tries against Mr. Joke 'em if they can't take a fuck. He is all about revenge this time around. He can taste it. He's frothing at the bit. Having to sit it out last year didn't feel right to him and you can understand why. With all of the success he has had at this tournament...he practically owns it. At least part of it. Almost on a level with Nadal's ownership at Roland Garros. Speaking of the Skunk once more in this post...he didn't exactly come to Novak's rescue last year. One more instance where this cad reveals who he really is. He isn't hard to figure out. I had him pegged from the first time I saw him. Novak got the short end of the stick last year from the COVID Nazi's. He wouldn't take the mandatory vaccine. He's a hero. The pandemic of the unvaccinated my you know what.

Six Americans left in the southern half of the draw. We will see how many are left after it plays out tomorrow.