Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Entries also close 10th October
Hi Everybody
Two competitions are approaching with entries closing on Sunday 10th October
1. For Juniors onlyThe Friday pairs comp starting Friday 15th Oct entries closing 10th Oct
2. For Seniors and Juniors
The Sunday pairs comp, 2 starting times 8am for B2 and below
10.30am for those B2 and above
Entries also close 10th October
Both formats provide 1 set of singles and 2 of doubles
Please use this link to put your entry in on line.
PS important reminder ; On Friday October 8th the Club will launch a new live music venue for the North Shore in our main clubhouse, to be known as Eastern Lounge . A great line-up has been confirmed. See details on our web site www.tennisvalley.com.au. Bring the family and bring your own snacks not drinks please they must be purchased from the club.
Were Your Talents Recognised in the Latest NSTA Regrading of Tennis Valley Juniors?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
benefits of membership
Tennis Valley is a modern, progressive club that embraces tradition but moves with the times. We realise that most people these days are ‘time poor’ and have therefore implemented flexible membership categories to suit all situations.
For example, while our annual fee remains the most cost effective option for those who play frequently and maximise their membership, we have brought in a new ‘pay by the month’ trial for those considering full membership… so they can make sure the club suits their lifestyle before signing up for a full year.Each category has its own list of benefits, but as an overall snapshot, when you join the club you can take advantage of:
- 10 synthetic grass courts (incl. two slower red courts imitating clay)
- Overhead lights on every court for night play
- Shaded outdoor viewing areas to sit and watch the tennis
- Weekend competitions – Saturday and Sunday
- Night competitions 4 nights per week
- Organised Sunday social tennis every week
- Annual Club Championships for all playing standards and ages – from juniors to vets.
- Clubhouse facilities including:
- fully licensed bar
- hot food and coffee
- men’s and ladies showers and change rooms
- lounge area and pool table
- Coaching from qualified professionals with special rates for members
- Pro. shop for restrings, new gear, balls, etc.
- Family area with kids’ cubbyhouse and playground
- Regular members and friends BBQs
- Regular social functions (parties, Family Days, ‘chicken comps.’, trivia nights, charity fundraisers, etc.)
- Ample car parking
Tennis Valley wins Ladies Badge Club of the Year… again!
For the sixth year in succession, Tennis New South Wales has again pronounced Tennis Valley the Ladies Badge Club of the Year!
With teams entered in 5 divisions, we returned the outstanding results of two winning teams, one runner-up and two teams who finished just outside the semis.Congratulations to our awesome teams in Division 1.1 and 1.2, neither of whom was ever threatened for the title. Our top team, captained by our Ladies Badge Captain, Sue Deller featured the big guns in their 5-2 Final win over Parklands 1… Nicole Nissen, Bree Calderwood, Lucia Gonzalez and Stephanie Bengstrom. The team was simply unstoppable.
The 1.2 team captained by Elise Taylor and featuring Stephanie Asprey, Tracey Garrett, Simone Massie, Robyn Rickard and Kaye Nealon were under-graded. They should have been competing in the top grade but instead, simply coasted through the comp. without ever being challenged… in fact Tracey never lost a set until the Final, which the team won 5-2 against Royal Sydney!
We had a second team in 1.2. that contained players of the future in Alix Ho (16) and Rebecca Jones (14). While not finishing in the money, they were competitive against most teams in the grade and the teenagers are definitely better players for the experience.
Our 1.3 ladies made a late run and only just missed out on a semi-final berth and our 1.4 team were also unlucky to finish just outside the top four. In Div 2.2, Louise Dortman’s team (Louise, Penny Reid, Celine Paillart, Joanne Pickhaver, Corinne Court, Serena Potts and Jane Conner) played gallantly all comp. gutsing out an incredibly tight semi-final win against Neutral Bay before falling in the Final to Beecroft.
Congratulations to all our ladies on a sensational effort once more. Tennis Valley’s reputation continues to be enhanced by your efforts.
Friday, September 17, 2010
LIVE MUSIC venue - FRIDAY 8 OCTOBER
Your invitation to the launch of Sydney's latest LIVE MUSIC venue - FRIDAY 8 OCTOBER
You, your friends and family are invited to Opening Night at the North Shore's latest LIVE MUSIC venue - Eastern Lounge (within the Tennis Valley club - 325a Eastern Valley Way) on Friday October 8 from 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm).
Established as a place for both emerging and established musicians to showcase their talent, it's also a unique space for punters from Kirribilli to Killara and beyond who love their music LIVE. A prestigious line-up has been booked for the launch of Eastern Lounge including:
Aleyce Simmonds - winner of the Telstra Road to Tamworth
Mimesis - a good-time string covers band with powerful harmonies; and
Little Fury - playing moving piano lines and soul-touching guitar
Eastern Lounge will showcase new artists every month... a wonderful community-based opportunity for quality musicians to entertain appreciative audiences. A warm and welcoming café-style venue, Eastern Lounge is the ideal place to relax with friends after a long week at work, grab a drink from the bar and soak up the sounds of some of Sydney's best musicians.
Entry is only $12 at the door, OR you can pre-book a table of four, six or eight and pay just $10 per head! Bring your own snacks and enjoy 'an indoor picnic' but please note that Eastern Lounge is a licensed premises, so all drinks must be purchased from the bar.
See you at the launch... and please, spread the word.
Dave Keogh
Perfect Pitch & Tennis Valley
www.easternlounge.com.au
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Federer and Nadal: Fit of Laughter During Shooting
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the world's No. 2 and No.1 tennis players, are arch rivals on the courts, but friends outside of the courts. During the shooting of the promotion video for 'The Match for Africa' they had loads of fun.
"
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Roger Federer US Open Presser: Against Me, Novak “Hasn’t Been Able to Get it Done”
Roger Federer US Open Presser: Against Me, Novak “Hasn’t Been Able to Get it Done” [Video]: "Roger Federer talked to the press after his big win over Robin Soderling Wednesday night at the US Open.
The impressive performance avenges Soderling’s upset at the French Open and lifts Federer’s record against the Swede to 13-1.
Among the highlights, Federer talks about playing in the wind: “Yeah, I think by now I do. Because I see it as a challenge and I see it as an opportunity to play differently. It’s not easy, you know. It’s cold. Everywhere it’s blowing. You feel like it’s blowing through your ears and into your eyes. But I think I used to dislike it so much that I’m on the other side now. And I was able to turn it around and kind of take enjoyment out of playing in the wind, actually.”
And he also opens up about playing Novak Djokovic, his semifinal opponent on Saturday: “I think this kind of [surface] favors his play the most, kind of a faster hard court because he can pick up some incredible balls and half volley them, redirect them. It helps maybe serve a bit more, and on the return he can zone in a bit and all of a sudden he’s really tough to pass when he’s returning. That’s what makes him one of the best players in the game right now and especially on this surface he’s obviously in the Top 3 or 4 and That’s why he’s been able to play consistent here at the Open. He’s obviously waiting for a breakthrough where he can win this title but for the last three or four years he’s gone through me and he hasn’t been able to get it done. I’m looking forward to it. He’s a good player, had good luck in Toronto. We’ll see how it goes on Saturday.”
The impressive performance avenges Soderling’s upset at the French Open and lifts Federer’s record against the Swede to 13-1.
Among the highlights, Federer talks about playing in the wind: “Yeah, I think by now I do. Because I see it as a challenge and I see it as an opportunity to play differently. It’s not easy, you know. It’s cold. Everywhere it’s blowing. You feel like it’s blowing through your ears and into your eyes. But I think I used to dislike it so much that I’m on the other side now. And I was able to turn it around and kind of take enjoyment out of playing in the wind, actually.”
And he also opens up about playing Novak Djokovic, his semifinal opponent on Saturday: “I think this kind of [surface] favors his play the most, kind of a faster hard court because he can pick up some incredible balls and half volley them, redirect them. It helps maybe serve a bit more, and on the return he can zone in a bit and all of a sudden he’s really tough to pass when he’s returning. That’s what makes him one of the best players in the game right now and especially on this surface he’s obviously in the Top 3 or 4 and That’s why he’s been able to play consistent here at the Open. He’s obviously waiting for a breakthrough where he can win this title but for the last three or four years he’s gone through me and he hasn’t been able to get it done. I’m looking forward to it. He’s a good player, had good luck in Toronto. We’ll see how it goes on Saturday.”
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Roger Federer Lindt Chocolate “Airport” Commercial [Video]
by Tom Gainey
The last of my commercial catch-ups today is from Roger Federer who puts on another comical show in this new spot from Lindt Chocolate.
In the new commercial dubbed “Airport”, Federer is in an airport security screening when two female security agents can’t keep their hands off the Swiss and his Lindor Truffles. The agents eventually confiscate the Truffles after giving them a taste and Federer so some remarks.
“You move very well, you must work out a lot,” the agents fawn.
“I am excited to continue to grow my partnership with the leader – and my top choice – in premium chocolate,” Federer said. “I am also thankful to Lindt for their support of the Roger Federer Foundation. This is a cause I am very passionate about, and it is great to know my potential success on the court will have a positive effect on children in need.”
Lindt also announced a special partnership with the Roger Federer Foundation that will help raise awareness and funds for the non-profit in conjunction with the US Open. For every match Federer wins during the Open, Lindt will donate $1,000 to his foundation.
Federer is on today and in the lead right now against Paul-Henri Mathieu in the third round at the US Open.
Here’s the commercial:
The last of my commercial catch-ups today is from Roger Federer who puts on another comical show in this new spot from Lindt Chocolate.
In the new commercial dubbed “Airport”, Federer is in an airport security screening when two female security agents can’t keep their hands off the Swiss and his Lindor Truffles. The agents eventually confiscate the Truffles after giving them a taste and Federer so some remarks.
“You move very well, you must work out a lot,” the agents fawn.
“I am excited to continue to grow my partnership with the leader – and my top choice – in premium chocolate,” Federer said. “I am also thankful to Lindt for their support of the Roger Federer Foundation. This is a cause I am very passionate about, and it is great to know my potential success on the court will have a positive effect on children in need.”
Lindt also announced a special partnership with the Roger Federer Foundation that will help raise awareness and funds for the non-profit in conjunction with the US Open. For every match Federer wins during the Open, Lindt will donate $1,000 to his foundation.
Federer is on today and in the lead right now against Paul-Henri Mathieu in the third round at the US Open.
Here’s the commercial:
The US Open Tweeners: Roger Federer, Francesca Schiavone Trickshots [Video]
During the first week at the US Open tennis championships we’ve seen two quite remarkable “tweeners” or between-the-legs shots. Five-time US Open champion pulled off one his best tweeners of his career Monday night in a win over Brian Dabul.
Federer hit an even more memorable last in his semifinal win over Novak Djokovic.
Said Federer of the two, “Obviously the importance of last year’s was probably a little bit more important just because I think it was Love‑30 to go Love‑40, two points away from the match, and it was a semifinal. So obviously that has a little bit of an impact, too. But maybe in terms of difficulty maybe this one was harder, because I had the feeling I had to run a longer distance and I was further back somehow, I felt. I had to really give the last big push at the end. I didn’t have time to set it up. So I felt like this one was incredible again. I turned around and couldn’t believe the shot landed in the corner.”
Here’s Federer’s tweener from his 2009 US Open win over Djokovic:
And from his win Monday over Dabul:
They both are pretty sick, but the Djokovic is the better shot.
Yesterday, French Open winner Francesca Schiavone made her own tweener in her win over Alona Bondarenko.
“Is instinct, I think,” Schiavone said. “When you calculate that it’s good time to do it and good ball to do it, you do it. So is nothing program. Is just instinct. Is art. Is something that is coming from inside, and you have just to take in a good timing, otherwise the ball fly.
“The process is just to calculate how the ball is coming. If is coming too fast, you can’t do it. If is coming a little bit slower, you have the time to play a normal shot. But the instinct decide to play that shot. And after, of course you feel fantastic.”
Federer hit an even more memorable last in his semifinal win over Novak Djokovic.
Said Federer of the two, “Obviously the importance of last year’s was probably a little bit more important just because I think it was Love‑30 to go Love‑40, two points away from the match, and it was a semifinal. So obviously that has a little bit of an impact, too. But maybe in terms of difficulty maybe this one was harder, because I had the feeling I had to run a longer distance and I was further back somehow, I felt. I had to really give the last big push at the end. I didn’t have time to set it up. So I felt like this one was incredible again. I turned around and couldn’t believe the shot landed in the corner.”
Here’s Federer’s tweener from his 2009 US Open win over Djokovic:
And from his win Monday over Dabul:
They both are pretty sick, but the Djokovic is the better shot.
Yesterday, French Open winner Francesca Schiavone made her own tweener in her win over Alona Bondarenko.
“Is instinct, I think,” Schiavone said. “When you calculate that it’s good time to do it and good ball to do it, you do it. So is nothing program. Is just instinct. Is art. Is something that is coming from inside, and you have just to take in a good timing, otherwise the ball fly.
“The process is just to calculate how the ball is coming. If is coming too fast, you can’t do it. If is coming a little bit slower, you have the time to play a normal shot. But the instinct decide to play that shot. And after, of course you feel fantastic.”
Crazy Roger Federer Trick Shot a Viral Hit for Gillette [VIDEO]
A video featuring tennis star Roger Federer that plays on our collective fascination with “real or fake” hit the web earlier this week and has quickly gone viral, accumulating more than 700,000 views as of this morning.
The video, which was part of a Gillette commercial shoot in Switzerland, features Federer serving a tennis ball and knocking a can off the head of one of the crew members –- twice in a row. This is made particularly compelling because, well, if he missed … you get the idea. Supposedly, it was all filmed in one take.
In response to the “real or fake” question, a Gillette spokesperson tells Mashable, “All we’ll say at the moment is we’ll leave the ‘real or fake’ debate up to the viewers, but the evidence is there to see. Roger’s skill and ability is incredible (that’s why he’s a Gillette ambassador!) so of course it was filmed in one take during a shoot for Gillette Fusion
’s partnership with the British Skin Foundation.”
’s partnership with the British Skin Foundation.”It’s certainly conceivable that the video is real –- after all, Federer has pulled off some of the more remarkable trick shots in recent tennis history –- though we’ll let you all weigh in with your opinion in the comments.
Disclosure: Gillette is a Mashable sponsor
Friday, September 3, 2010
Roger Federer plays an incredible point against Brian Dabul at US Open first round
Roger Federer tweener US Open 2010: "
http://www.batennis.com
Roger Federer plays an incredible point against Brian Dabul at US Open first round. Gran willy de Roger. Rogers tweener Best point of the best player in history. Amazing shot between legs.
"
http://www.batennis.com
Roger Federer plays an incredible point against Brian Dabul at US Open first round. Gran willy de Roger. Rogers tweener Best point of the best player in history. Amazing shot between legs.
"
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Federer, Fish Win; French Surge; Djokovic Gets Nasty at US Open
World No. 2 Roger Federer defeated German Andreas in straight sets Thursday.
Yawn.
The real story on Wednesday was the outspoken and humorous Novak Djokovic, and the French, young and old, unseeded, who continue to tear holes in the US Open draw.
Richard Gasquet shocked No. 6 seed Nikolay Davydenko in straights sets, Paul-Henri Mathieu defeated countryman Guillaume Rufin in straights, and veteran Arnaud Clement also moved into the third round when Argentine Eduardo Schwank retired in the second set after injuring an ankle.
Hey, did you know Mardy Fish lost 30 pounds? Of course you do, because every f*****g media outlet mentions it in every story on Fish. The 28-year-old beat Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 on Thursday, taking over the mantle of American favorite after the exit of Andy Roddick.
“This is the spot that I want to be in,” said the No. 19-seeded Fish, who dropped 14 aces on Cuevas. “You want to be the favorite and winning a lot.”
Fish will next face Clement.
“He’s playing unbelievable this tournament,” the Frenchman said of the American. “I know it’s gonna be very difficult. So I have no you know — I was supposed to lose first round here. Now I’m third round and I’m playing Mardy Fish. So it’s just gonna be maybe outsider in this match, and I’m gonna try to do my best. That’s only thing I have to do.”
Unseeded James Blake also advanced, winning from a set down, taking advantage of a cushy draw against Canadian Pete Polansky. Taylor Dent was not so lucky, running up against No. 5 Robin Soderling and losing in straights.
“He’s a dangerous player, especially on faster surfaces like this,” Soderling said of Dent. “But I was really happy with the way I played, and to beat him in straight sets shows that I’m playing good.”
In other matches of note unseeded Kei Nishikori melted down No. 11 seed Marin Cilic 6-1 in the fifth to advance, No. 13 Jurgen Melzer fought off junior star Rich Berankis 7-5 in the fifth, and South African Kevin “Mr.” Anderson edged No. 26 Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 in the fifth.
In the final night match No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic defeated German Philipp Petzschner in three tight sets.
“He’s a very good player, you have to give him credit,” Djokovic said. “He was changing up the pace and not giving me a lot of rhythm.”
Asked by Brad Gilbert in the on-court interview if he had the “tweener” between-the-legs shot like Roger Federer, Djokovic said, “No I have something else between my legs…don’t worry I won’t show it to you tonight.”
Friday’s matches to watch for in Flushing Meadows are (4) Andy Murray vs. Jamaican van-traveling sensation Dustin Brown, (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Uzbek Denis Istomin, Swiss Marco “Chud” Chiudinelli vs. (18) John Isner, (20) Sam Querrey vs. Marcel “Granola” Granollers, last week’s New Haven champion Sergiy Stakhovsky vs. American upstart Ryan “The Racquet Thrower” Harrison, (12) Mikhail Youzhny vs. Dudi “Where’s My Car?” Sela, an all-Spanish encounter in Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia-Lopez vs. Nicolas Almagro, the resurgent Gilles Simon vs. (29) Philipp Kohlschreiber, and an all-American doubles in the (1) Bryan brothers vs. Bradley Klahn/Tim Smyczek.
Yawn.
The real story on Wednesday was the outspoken and humorous Novak Djokovic, and the French, young and old, unseeded, who continue to tear holes in the US Open draw.
Richard Gasquet shocked No. 6 seed Nikolay Davydenko in straights sets, Paul-Henri Mathieu defeated countryman Guillaume Rufin in straights, and veteran Arnaud Clement also moved into the third round when Argentine Eduardo Schwank retired in the second set after injuring an ankle.
Hey, did you know Mardy Fish lost 30 pounds? Of course you do, because every f*****g media outlet mentions it in every story on Fish. The 28-year-old beat Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 on Thursday, taking over the mantle of American favorite after the exit of Andy Roddick
.“This is the spot that I want to be in,” said the No. 19-seeded Fish, who dropped 14 aces on Cuevas. “You want to be the favorite and winning a lot.”
Fish will next face Clement.
“He’s playing unbelievable this tournament,” the Frenchman said of the American. “I know it’s gonna be very difficult. So I have no you know — I was supposed to lose first round here. Now I’m third round and I’m playing Mardy Fish. So it’s just gonna be maybe outsider in this match, and I’m gonna try to do my best. That’s only thing I have to do.”
Unseeded James Blake also advanced, winning from a set down, taking advantage of a cushy draw against Canadian Pete Polansky. Taylor Dent was not so lucky, running up against No. 5 Robin Soderling and losing in straights.
“He’s a dangerous player, especially on faster surfaces like this,” Soderling said of Dent. “But I was really happy with the way I played, and to beat him in straight sets shows that I’m playing good.”
In other matches of note unseeded Kei Nishikori
melted down No. 11 seed Marin Cilic 6-1 in the fifth to advance, No. 13 Jurgen Melzer fought off junior star Rich Berankis 7-5 in the fifth, and South African Kevin “Mr.” Anderson edged No. 26 Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 in the fifth.In the final night match No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic defeated German Philipp Petzschner in three tight sets.
“He’s a very good player, you have to give him credit,” Djokovic said. “He was changing up the pace and not giving me a lot of rhythm.”
Asked by Brad Gilbert
in the on-court interview if he had the “tweener” between-the-legs shot like Roger Federer, Djokovic said, “No I have something else between my legs…don’t worry I won’t show it to you tonight.”Friday’s matches to watch for in Flushing Meadows are (4) Andy Murray vs. Jamaican van-traveling sensation Dustin Brown, (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Uzbek Denis Istomin, Swiss Marco “Chud” Chiudinelli vs. (18) John Isner
, (20) Sam Querrey vs. Marcel “Granola” Granollers, last week’s New Haven champion Sergiy Stakhovsky vs. American upstart Ryan “The Racquet Thrower” Harrison, (12) Mikhail Youzhny vs. Dudi “Where’s My Car?” Sela, an all-Spanish encounter in Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia-Lopez vs. Nicolas Almagro, the resurgent Gilles Simon vs. (29) Philipp Kohlschreiber, and an all-American doubles in the (1) Bryan brothers vs. Bradley Klahn/Tim Smyczek.Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Angry Roddick Loses; Querrey Hits Opponent in Gnads at US Open
Andy Roddick, still apparently suffering the energy-draining after-effects of mono, in addition to a bout of foot faulting, crashed out of the US Open in the feature match on Wednesday night, losing to tattooed, sunglasses-at-night-wearing Serb Janko “Tipsy” Tipsarevic 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(4).
“I was trying [early] too much from positions on the court I should have been playing,” said Tipsarevic, who has been struggling with ankle injuries this summer. “I was out for three weeks so apparently I taped them too strong, but at the end everything worked well.”
Roddick frequently fought with linespeople and the chair umpire over foot fault calls during the match, and quickly left the court following his loss, tossing racquets into the crowd as he walked to the tunnel.
In other Top 10-seeded play, No. 4 Andy Murray breezed past Slovak Lukas Lacko in straights, and French veteran Michael Llodra serve-and-volleyed No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych onto the sidelines 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4.
“It wasn’t necessarily the best tennis, but tricky conditions out there,” Murray said. “It was very windy on the court. It was a guy I’ve never played against on the tour. I haven’t really seen much of him play, so took a little time to get used to his game. But I did enough to win in straight sets, and that was the most important thing.”
American qualifier Ryan Harrison had the ‘Where’s the next great American?’ critics’ tongues wagging after a four-set win over No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic.
“To win on this stage here and to take out a Top 20 player in the world is the biggest win of my career,” Harrison said. “I’ve always believed in myself. I have always had confidence in myself, so obviously I’m extremely excited and really pleased with what happened…Absolutely I want to be that guy [the next American star]. I have a ways to go. I’ve qualified and still have a ways to go to get there, but I’m definitely working has hard as I can. I’m really putting all the work in.”
Harrison also struggled to keep his temper in check at times during the match, on occasion letting the racquet fly.
“I usually do show a lot of emotion,” Harrison said. “I can usually get pretty fired up…You don’t want to get extremely fired-up early and start getting to a point where you’re stressing yourself out and burn off nervous energy that you don’t need to burn off. So at that point, I just tried to, you know, pick the right moments.”
The American “B”-squad seeds were also successful Wednesday, as No. 18 John Isner defeated Federico Gil in straights, and No. 20 Sam Querrey quelled a challenge from fellow American Bradley Klahn in four sets.
Querrey tattooed Klahn in the gnads during their match for good measure.
“That was an accident,” Querrey said. “I mean, he hit a dropshot, and I ran up there and it was kind of better than I thought. So I kind of got a little confused where I was going to hit it. I kind of went at him. I didn’t mean to hit it there. I felt bad because he’s my buddy.”
Querrey will next play Spain’s Marcel “Granola” Granollers. Harrison will next face the Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky, the champion last week at New Haven, who came from a set down to defeat Aussie Peter Luczak on Wednesday.
Matches to watch for on Thursday include (2) Roger Federer vs. German Andreas Beck, another German in Philipp Petzschner vs. (3) Novak Djokovic, Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas vs. (19) Mardy Fish, Canadian Peter Polansky vs. slumping American James Blake, (6) Nikolay Davydenko vs. Richard “The Cocaine Kisser” Gasquet, (5) Robin Soderling vs. American Taylor Dent, (13) Jurgen “Tuna” Melzer vs. former junior world No. 1 Ricardas Berankis, Japan No. 1 Kei Nishikori vs. (11) Marin Cilic, and South African Kevin “Mr.” Anderson vs. (26) Thomaz Bellucci.
“I was trying [early] too much from positions on the court I should have been playing,” said Tipsarevic, who has been struggling with ankle injuries this summer. “I was out for three weeks so apparently I taped them too strong, but at the end everything worked well.”
Roddick frequently fought with linespeople and the chair umpire over foot fault calls during the match, and quickly left the court following his loss, tossing racquets into the crowd as he walked to the tunnel.
In other Top 10-seeded play, No. 4 Andy Murray breezed past Slovak Lukas Lacko in straights, and French veteran Michael Llodra serve-and-volleyed No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych onto the sidelines 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4.
“It wasn’t necessarily the best tennis, but tricky conditions out there,” Murray said. “It was very windy on the court. It was a guy I’ve never played against on the tour. I haven’t really seen much of him play, so took a little time to get used to his game. But I did enough to win in straight sets, and that was the most important thing.”
American qualifier Ryan Harrison had the ‘Where’s the next great American?’ critics’ tongues wagging after a four-set win over No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic.
“To win on this stage here and to take out a Top 20 player in the world is the biggest win of my career,” Harrison said. “I’ve always believed in myself. I have always had confidence in myself, so obviously I’m extremely excited and really pleased with what happened…Absolutely I want to be that guy [the next American star]. I have a ways to go. I’ve qualified and still have a ways to go to get there, but I’m definitely working has hard as I can. I’m really putting all the work in.”
Harrison also struggled to keep his temper in check at times during the match, on occasion letting the racquet fly.
“I usually do show a lot of emotion,” Harrison said. “I can usually get pretty fired up…You don’t want to get extremely fired-up early and start getting to a point where you’re stressing yourself out and burn off nervous energy that you don’t need to burn off. So at that point, I just tried to, you know, pick the right moments.”
The American “B”-squad seeds were also successful Wednesday, as No. 18 John Isner defeated Federico Gil in straights, and No. 20 Sam Querrey quelled a challenge from fellow American Bradley Klahn in four sets.
Querrey tattooed Klahn in the gnads during their match for good measure.
“That was an accident,” Querrey said. “I mean, he hit a dropshot, and I ran up there and it was kind of better than I thought. So I kind of got a little confused where I was going to hit it. I kind of went at him. I didn’t mean to hit it there. I felt bad because he’s my buddy.”
Querrey will next play Spain’s Marcel “Granola” Granollers. Harrison will next face the Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky, the champion last week at New Haven, who came from a set down to defeat Aussie Peter Luczak on Wednesday.
Matches to watch for on Thursday include (2) Roger Federer vs. German Andreas Beck, another German in Philipp Petzschner vs. (3) Novak Djokovic, Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas vs. (19) Mardy Fish, Canadian Peter Polansky vs. slumping American James Blake, (6) Nikolay Davydenko vs. Richard “The Cocaine Kisser” Gasquet, (5) Robin Soderling
vs. American Taylor Dent, (13) Jurgen “Tuna” Melzer vs. former junior world No. 1 Ricardas Berankis, Japan No. 1 Kei Nishikori vs. (11) Marin Cilic, and South African Kevin “Mr.” Anderson vs. (26) Thomaz Bellucci.
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