GoNads Gone

How often does Ray-ray say 'It's hard to explain unless you're out there' or 'I don't know if you can tell on TV but on the court...' He likes to make a point that we're not there doesn't he?

Ok, many sporting things have been happening. Tennis first. GoNads had a torrid time on court this morning against Ferrer after pulling a muscle in his thigh very early on in the match. He soldiered on but lost 6-4 6-2 6-3 to a sympathetic but focussed and impressive Ferrer.

So Ferrer's through to face none other than our own Ray-ray. He fought off a spirited display by this year's pick of the bunch, Dlog, (Is that what I called him last time? I can't remember! Darn...) eventually coming through 7-5 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3. First match for Ray-ray over two hours, first set lost, first real test... all good things seeing as he came through it, and admirably. He's lost that set so won't feel like it's a particularly big deal should it happen against Ferrer. A little toughness can only be a positive if you keep winning.

Kimmy Clijsters and Vera Zvo will face each other in the ladies semi decided last night. Zvo beat a misfiring Kvitova and a sub-par 'heavy-legged' Clijsters fought off Radwanska to book a repeat of the US Open final last year. Should be a great match.

Henin has retired from professional tennis, again. Her elbow problem was a lot worse than she'd been letting on and has cut short her (second) career.

ARGH! Just looked at the time. More tomorrow!

I'll keep you blogged...

Tennis Times

Ray-ray through? Check. He comfortably beat a rattled Melzer 6-3 6-1 6-1 in a sun-drenched match. He was philosophical of his performance afterwards, saying it was one of the best games he'd played all year and then two seconds later saying form comes and goes overnight and he'd have to practice hard and keep on top of his game to have a chance of going through to the semi's. He's definitely getting better at the whole speaking thing though - he was fluent and composed and, more than that, willing to speak. He was offering up more information and thoughts than the questions directed, which I think is progress indeed, and very nice to see. He seems like a nice man.

GoNads through? Check. A potentially difficult match was squashed early on by a free firing GoNads (eurgh) as he took a tight first set 6-2 - a deceptive scoreline indeed. Cilic's first serve percentage was nowhere near good enough and GoNads punished his second nearly every time. He came out of it 6-2 6-4 6-3 and says he felt physically 'perfect' for the first time since picking up a virus in Doha.

Ferrer through? Check. He came back from a set down to win 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-4 against Canadian qualifier, and giant killer, Milos Raonic, who beat Llodra (22) and Youzhny (10) on his way to the quarters. Despite a good start he couldn't maintain his big serving/big hitting and saw the next three sets slip away. Still, a stella performance from a very exciting talent for the future. Remember the (beautiful) name folks; this kid's gonna be big!

Sod through? Uhh... no. HUH? I hear your furrowed brows. He played Dolgopolov (hereafter to be referred to as GLOP - I just like how it sounds, ok?), the crazy, unorthodox Ukranian who is, for me, the surprise of the tournament. It was a tense five-setter which Glop eventually claimed 1-6 6-3 6-1 4-6 6-2 - the biggest win of his career. The Sod looked mighty peeved, I have to say.

So we have our top half quarter finals:

GoNads to play Ferrer and Ray-ray to play Glop. Of the two I think GoNads has the better opponent; yes, Ferrer is ranked and dangerous, but Glop is an unknown quantity, runs like a march hare, and can make bizarre physics-defying shots from all over the court. Should be a very interesting match.

In the women's draw Clijsters and Zvonareva both progressed along with Kvitova and Radwanska after an epic game against China's Shuai Peng in which she saved two match points. Clijsters plays Raddy and Zvo will meet Kvitova in the quarter finals. I reckon Clijsters in straight sets and Zvo in three tough ones.

Now to tonight and The Fed takes on danger man Wawri, whilst Djoko takes on the mighty Berdy. Petkovic plays in-form-hasn't-yet-lost-this-year Li Na and Wozza must drag Scary Schia out of bed (after her marathon 4 hours and 44 minutes match against Kuz... Get it??) in order to beat her and take one step closer to winning her first ever Slam and slamming those doubters' mouths shut.

Phew. Bring. It. On.

Pick of the matches for me? Reeeeaaaallly tough because I have a feeling Djoko/Berdy could be a screamer, but I'm going to have to go with the all-Swiss team of The Fed v Wawri. I think we could see an upset... I don't want to think it, but it's there in the back of my mind. Humdinger; that's all I can say.

I'll keep you blogged...

Straussism...

"KP's groin is just something we are going to have to manage..."

Amazing.

I'll keep you blogged...

Wawrinka/Roddy

Wawrinka has just beaten Roddy in straight sets. I had a feeling that would be the case. Wawri just looks really good. His serve is huge and his backhand incredibly accurate and devastating. Rod was not really present for much of the match - his shots lacked penetration, accuracy and any real sting. He looked, and I hate to say it, out of touch. Like his style of tennis just isn't good enough anymore to beat not only the top players but the younger up-and-coming players. He needs to do a Federer, I think, and rethink his game plan. His style of tennis. It's going to be interesting to see what he does now, how he bounces back from this.

Meanwhile Wawri lives on to set up the first all-Swiss quarter final in a Slam, as he plays The Fed (who beat Robredo to secure his 27th consecutive last-eight spot in a Grand Slam to equal Jimmy Connors' record) on Tuesday. There's something I don't like about Wawri - I can't work out what it is. There's something brutish about him. He reminds me of a grumpy mountain goat.

Elsewhere in the Men's draw Djoko and Berdy came through, both rather impressively in straight sets against potentially dangerous opponents. Djoko crushed Almagro 6-3 6-4 6-0 and Berdy comprehensively defeated Verdasco 6-4 6-2 6-3. Those should be two amazing quarter finals.

There was some excitement in the Women's draw as Scary Schia and the new slim-lined Kuz took part in the longest women's-match in Grand Slam history. Scary Schia took it 6-4 1-6 16-14 in 4 hours and 44 minutes. Schia will now meet Wozni in the quarter final - lets hope she's not too exhausted!

Elsewhere in-form Petkovic beat Sharapova 6-2 6-3 and hot-to-trot Li Na defeated the screamer, Azarenka, in straight sets 6-3 6-3.

Bring on tonight!!

I'll keep you blogged...

Henin/Kuzny prediction

Watching Henin/Kuzny... I reckon Kuzny could do it. It's 3-3 in the first set but Kuzny is looking slim, fit, ready and raring to go. Henin's backhand is awesome but Kuzny's power seems to be overwhelming her slightly. Could this be a major upset? Must sleep now but I look forward to finding out the result when I awake. Shall be back for the evening session.

I'll keep you blogged...

Aussie Open, Day 5

Bye bye Jankovic. Somebody told me today that if I wanted to make some money I should bet on Jankovic and Ivanovic going out in the early rounds of any Slam. I think that may be a little harsh but I can see where they're coming from. They are, after all, both out now and it's not even near the second week. I remember when they both burst onto the scene, a few years before Djoko, and they were awesome. Jankovic I remember especially. She was brilliant - so feisty and animated and positive. She giggled a lot too, which I always loved. She had real life to her. She hasn't been like that for years.She doesn't seem to enjoy her tennis as much anymore.

I'll keep you blogged...

Aussie Open 2011, Days 1-4

The Aussie Open has begun and I can officially say the colour of 2011 is GREEN (with a little bit of yellow) which makes me very happy indeed. I am currently watching Clijsters demolish Suarez Navarro. She is most definitely the one to beat this year. She looks completely hardcore - game face on from the very beginning of the match. No exhibition stuff, just clean, powerful, accurate hitting. She looks in scary form.

Henin, who crushed British no. 1 Elena Baltacha yesterday, is looking pretty good too, but it's only her first tournament back after her elbow injury and I don't reckon she's going to be beating Clijsters any time soon.

As for the men, well well well. It's been an intriguing first couple of games for some. Verdasco came back from the brink of defeat (or the jaws of humiliation) to beat a devastated Tipsarevic (he lost the fourth set breaker and the fifth set to love, not good). Verdasco's dodgy hair-do lives on another day. Hewitt took part in a classic Hewitt match in the first round against a porky, slightly crazed looking Nalbandian. Five sets of delicious tennis later and Nalbandian squeezed it 9-7 in the fifth. Absolutely why people love Hewitt. The Aussie's were in fine voice throughout and it was such a good match that it didn't really matter who won it in the end. It probably mattered to Hewitt actually, and Nalbandian for that matter, but as an impartial viewer it was excellent viewing.

What else, what else? Ray-ray came through the unknown Beck-factor admirably and easily. Djoko and GoNads (watching him now - crushing American Sweeting - just won the first set 6-2) both eased through their matches. The Fed had an easy first game and set up a second-round match with Giles Simon, a man he has played twice and never beaten (a stat I was surprised to discover). A Fed firing on all cylinders and looking back to his best and Simon back from injury, fresh, fast and ready to prove what a great player he is; it had the makings of a good match. And so it proved. Fed took the first two sets pretty easily before Simon stepped it up and took the third and fourth sets pretty easily himself. The deciding set was a nervy affair; both players had opportunities to break and press home an advantage. There were some epic rallies, what with The Fed's ability to always be in the right place and Simon's skinny but incredibly fast legs, both men were reaching some remarkable shots. It was The Fed who secured the break in the sixth game of the fifth set and went on to win a tight tight match: 6-3 6-4 4-6 4-6 6-3. Great match. The Fed marches on in defence of the one Grand Slam he still has.

Ray-ray plays his second-round match later on today (actually tomorrow morning) and I shall be dragging myself out of bed for it. Stay tuned for Ray-ray v. Marchenko (who?).

I'll keep you blogged...

Ashes Triumph

I have recovered from all the excitement of The Ashes sufficiently enough to be able to talk about it. I'm still buzzing though.

We must not underestimate the achievement of winning out in Australia. I know I've said it a million times but beating them at home for the first time in 24 years is a big big thing. After the 86/87 Ashes, England had been resoundly thumped by Australia for 18 straight years (ok, that's only 8 actual Tests but it's still a hell of a long time). 2005 was a great year for English cricket and winning The Ashes for the first time since the mid-eighties proved that, but the whitewash in Australia in 2006/07 brought us back down to Earth and it was clear it'd take something (someone) special to win away from home.

For me, Strauss was that someone special. His calm, no nonsense, relaxed but decisive captaincy, and his ability to lead by example (think the last Test and his explosive 60 from 58 balls), no doubt inspired the rest of the team to the greatness we knew they were capable of. And with the self-assured Cook likely to follow, the future, in my humble opinion, is pretty rosey.

The Aussie Open starts tonight which is very good news indeed. I've got a two hour tennis lesson from 8-10, then a couple of hours later I'll be snuggled up in front of my TV with The Fed for company.

I'll keep you blogged...

Straussism...

"...you've got to be very anal with the way you treat the ball and keep it dry."

Beautiful.

I'll keep you blogged...

Last Test: Day 4

England reached a magnificent total of 644, which is a record folks! The previous biggest score in Australia by us Brits was 636 in that stella 1928 Test, in which Wally Hammond made 251. Prior, Bell, and Cook all made centuries, and the tail enders heaped up an impressive amount of runs, with Swann at one point hitting 17 in one over off a crazily wayward Mitchell Johnson.

It was all set up, however, by a superb innings by El Capitan himself, Andrew Strauss. He stormed out of the blocks, set the pace, and left Cook to get another huge score. The rest of the boys followed his example nicely and all in all it was a beautiful day's batting.

The Aussie's came into bat and had to had to had to get a good start to have any hope of achieving the HUGE score they needed. Did they start well? Um, not really. Watson and Hughes had a comedy moment of 'to me to you' and a grinning Pieterson ran a bemused Watson out. Not great. And it didn't get any better. They finished the day 21...

00:56 - ENGLAND WIN THE ASHES BY AN INNINGS AND 84 RUNS!! TREMLETT BOWLED BEER OUT AND EVERYONE WENT A LITTLE CRAZY. MY BROTHER AND I JUMPED AROUND THE ROOM LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY.

CANNOT TYPE RIGHT NOW...

TOO EXCITED...

MORE LATER...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!

I'll keep you blogged...

On the verge...

England are on the verge of an historic victory in Australia. Having already retained the Ashes in the last Test, they are looking to win the Series in Sydney and win in Australia for the first time in 25 years.

Days two and three of the final Test couldn't have gone better, especially for Cook and, later, Bell. England have reached the ominous total of 488-7, a 208 lead at stumps. Strauss got England nicely into the groove with a very un-Strauss-like innings of 60 off of 58 balls. He went storming out of the blocks like a man possessed and had chalked up a very impressive score in no time at all. Twas a shame when he edged inside to hit his own stumps but the Captain definitely made a statement. Cook, scoring a lot more slowly than Strauss, took over the mantel and made steady progress as he saw Trott (0), Pieterson (36), Anderson - the Night Watchman (7), and Collingwood (13 - his last Test perhaps?) come and go. When Bell arrived, Cook was in desperate need of a long-term partner, and England were in need of a fair few more runs. Bell stepped up to the challenge. Together they put on 154 before Cook edged a drive to gully off Watson for 189.

Cook has now made 766 runs this Series, second only to Wally Hammond's 905 in the 1928/29 Ashes series. He's surpassed the likes of Geoffrey Boycott and Graham Gooch to become England's second highest run scorer in a single Ashes series. He's spent a record breaking 36 hours at the crease this series, which is just completely ridiculous. Not only has Cook smashed all these records, he's also 26, has an awesome name, has beautiful hair and possibly the best jawline in sport. I know, I know, I'm fickle and false - how quickly I've forgotten my Broad - but life is short and we all have to move on. I think Alastair's a better fit for me anyway. I've never really liked blondes...

After Cook went, Prior came on and together with Bell built an impressive 107 runs before Bell was finally despatched for 115. England ended the day on 488-7 and have all but secured at least a draw in Sydney, and therefore a win. YES PLEASE!!

I'll keep you blogged...

Last Test: Day 1

When I left you yesterday Australia were 53-0. They were scoring but not too heavily and certainly not quickly. The conditions were cloudy and there was some swing but it was a slow old start. Lunch was looming and not a lot was happening when Tremlett made the first breakthrough - Hughes edged to the safe hands of Collingwood for 31. That was a big wicket.

The Aussie's plowed on after lunch and reached 105-1 before Bresnan struck. He forced Watson (45) into edging a shot to Strauss who took a pretty comfortable catch. Swann took out new boy Khawaja (the first Muslim to play for Australia) for a respectable and exciting 37. Clarke, ready to impress in his new role as Captain, will be mightily disappointed that he went out for a measly 4. The Aussie's finished the day on 134-4 which I'm pretty sure they were not happy with. Lets see what tonight brings...

Oh, and a quick word about Darts (again, I know). John 'Boy' Walton and Martin 'Wolfie' Adams played the best, most exciting darts game I've ever seen this evening. Wolfie won the sudden death leg and scraped through into the quarters. Sudden death in darts (in this round) means they've reached 3-3 (sets), 5-5 (legs). That's a whole lot of darts thrown, I can tell you. It was awesome - so awesome, in fact, that I'm watching the highlights of it right now even though I watched it in its entirety earlier.

TENNIS: Aussie Open count down has begun... 13 days, people, 13!!

I'll keep you blogged...

Darts: Magic

Brother: I like O'Shea.

Me (instantly and with some intensity): The 'Silverback'? Oh yeah.

And yes, people, you heard it right - Ted 'The Count' Hanky is back from injury and will be battling with Scottie 'Too Hottie' Can't-remember-his-last-name tomorrow at 1pm. Be there or miss out on the bat-throwing madness.

The final Test of the 2010/11 Ashes has begun. The Aussie's won the toss and have chosen to bat first and are currently on 53-0. Come ON England!!

I'll keep you blogged...

Darts

"Alan Soutar is the fittest man ever to take on the oche." Rob Walker, 2011