US Open: Day 6

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

We are really starting to get to the business end of the tournament now. As I write now, just 13 seeds remain. The lower half is still loaded, though Nadal looks the heavy favourite to go through. I don't think Isner could have beaten him over five but surely he would have worried Nadal more than Kohl will be able to. Gasquet/Raonic is going to be a big clash and the winner of that will make their first US Open quarterfinal. Gasquet is in another fourth round match. He knows the fourth round well, having made it there so many times before. Kohl is the lowest seed still in at 22, whilst seeds 1-5 are still in and of those Ferrer has looked shakiest, though Murray hasn't looked fantastic, either. Nadal and Djokovic look ominously good though they are yet to play opposition inside the top twenty. Nobody has talked much about Wawrinka or Berdych, but they are very dangerous and are dark horses. They play each other next up and that is going to be some match. Wawrinka needs to mix up the play, try to move Berdych around and make him uncomfortable. Drop-shots can work, deep low slices to both wings and angles can all work against Berdych, but I'm sure Stan the man knows what he's doing.

Cuevas/Zeballos beat an American duo 10-8 in a final set breaker to move through to face second seeded Peya/Soares, who eased past Kas/Marach 6-2,6-4. Baker and Ram were 6-4, 6-2 winners over seventh seeds Benny and Zimonjic and the Americans will play Murray/Peers. The fourth seeds, Paes/Stepanek, lost the opening set but eventually came back to win in a tight three setter against Brands/Oswald. The sixth seeded Bopanna/Roger-Vasselin needed two breakers to see off Davydenko/Elgin, but it was easier for Granollers and Lopez as they took advantage of a retirement from the Aussie team of Guccione/Tomic after just three games. The third seeded Spaniards play Huey/Inglot next. Also through are the fifth seeds Qureshi and Rojer, who beat Bautista-Agut and Gimeno-Traver two and three. They will face Lu and Sharan next.

But there has also been a lot of action in the singles, too.


BLOCKBUSTER BUST-UP: Kohlschreiber d. Isner, GER/USA
...The German needed two hours and forty-seven minutes to get past the American. He broke Isner 3 times, losing his serve just twice. He was 6-1 and 38-17 with regards to the ace and winner ratios, but his opponent easily out-muscled him. Isner was 26-5 and 65-40 overall. Surprisingly, Isner and Kohl both won 123 points and also surprising was that Isner served for the fourth set at 6-5 before being broken and then losing it in the breaker. Perhaps Isner just isn't a slam player. He, Raonic and Dimitrov are like that -- very good at 250, 500 and even 1000 level but suddenly at a slam they can't quite seem to make it work. Isner's average first serve speed here was 124, five miles short of his opponent's fastest serve. Isner's serve is a scary shot and it gives him the ability to beat any, and indeed every, one. Kohl faces Nadal and I do not think he can beat Nadal over five sets anywhere. At this slam he probably has the best chance, however. Only time will tell, though.
=============================
ROSOL MOMENT: (Vacant)
...I will now talk about the Gasquet/Tursunov match from an equal point of view, or attempt to. Tursunov has some incredible shots and he uses them. He uses a massive forehand and an absolutely colossal serve, and he out-hit Gasquet 25 aces to 14 with that serve, too. He frustrated Gasquet through all of their match. It may only have been two and a half hours, but it was still a great match. The Russian really bullied Gasquet's forehand and attacked his serve, which is the way to play Gasquet. However, recently, Gasquet has added some steel to his game -- he fist pumps, he is starting to develop a backbone, though not consistency, and he does sometimes get down and dirty and he is starting to really fight for matches these days. He hit the usual ridiculous backhand winners but also hit some sublime dropshots and angles that the commentator said he used his protractor to measure. Tursunov out-muscled Gasquet for easily 2 sets -he hit 56 winners to Gasquet's 34, but did have 26 more errors- and he really played the Frenchman close before retiring with an injury down 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 2-4. It cut short a very entertaining match, but not short by much you'd think.
=============================
ISNER-MAHUT WANNABE'S: (Vacant)
...Again, this is vacant as we have lacked real classics in the early rounds. I'll talk about the Lopez/Raonic match here. It was 23 against 10, and this match had classic written all over it. The flashy Spaniard never broke the Canadian's serve. Not once in the 2 hour forty seven minute contest. Lopez was 7-8 and 32-34 whilst his opponent was an astonishing 28-6 and 49-32. Raonic is really starting to play some big tennis and he did so here. He got 67 per cent of his first serves in then won 87 per cent of those points. Those are incredible numbers, as they always are, but they look even better when put next to a returner who is not so strong, such as Lopez. I watched this match and it was very entertaining. Raonic kept hitting to the Spanish backhand and kept getting the chip back, though this tactic will not work at all against his next opponent, and he also served well by mixing it up at times and generally making it difficult for his opponent to read his already difficult to return serve.
=============================
BLINK AND YOU MISS IT: Federer/Mannarino, SUI/FRA
...Fedex meeded just 81 minutes to send the talented French lefty packing. Fed had stats of 8-4 and 34-20 compared to his opponent's 1-0 and 8-14. His opponent won just 54 points in 23 games while Fed won 90 points in 23 games. Fed also came to the net 75 times and won the point 39 times, which is over fifty per cent. Fed never lost serve and broke six times to send the Frenchman packing. Fed has a sterner test in Robredo coming up, though.
=============================
HOME GROWN HERO: Baker/Ram , USA/USA
...It took the American pairing just 68 minutes to dispatch seventh seeds Benneteau/Zimnojic 6-4, 6-2. They were 3-0 in both their ratios whilst the other team was 5-3 in both of theirs. The Americans broke 4 times whilst being broken just once themselves. They also won 62 points, seventeen more than their opponents. They face Murray/Peers next, which is a winnable match.
=============================


Thanks and visit WTA BACKSPIN.

Read more!