WTF Day 2: My Kingdom for a Good Match

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

Well, here we go again.

"Jean Julien Rojer has never won a match at this event" is a sentence one could have correctly uttered yesterday. They could not do so today. He and Tecau have a chance to finish the year as the top-ranked pair, and they looked every bit the part as they dismissed 7th seeded Matkowski/Zimonjic 6-2, 6-4. At times, Zimonjic looked weary and aged. In the first set the 2nd seeds were fantastic but with the sudden death deuce, a set can turn on a dime. They won two of those points and that was enough. The next set was a little more of a struggle but the result never seemed in doubt. With four breaks to one, they took the match and control of the group.

In the second match in the McEnroe/Fleming group, there was quite the upset on the cards. Marcelo Melo has not lost in two months and he and Dodig can finish as the number one pair this year. The French pair of Herbert/ Mahut were up 6-3, 4-2 and on fire. They had two match points when their opponents served at 3-6, 4-5 but both were saved. Down 5-6 Dodig pulled off a fantastic ‘tweener to stay alive. Once the third seeds took the breaker 7-4, they rolled to a 10-7 victory in the final breaker.

Now for tomorrow. Murray/Peers have form and momentum on their side. After surviving a tricky encounter they have giant slayers Bopanna/Mergea to contend with. This is their first match against each other. I think the seeding stays true here and the fourth seeds come through, again in three sets. In the other match in Ashe/Smith, the Italian 5th seeds play the Bryans. I have to go with the twins. How can I not? Yes, I have my reservations, but I think the Bryans can still salvage a little pride. And they will want to do that.

In the singles in the same group, I like Berdych’s firepower. He should be able to out-physical the Japanese man. Nishikori has pulled out surprises before, however. He can also play some great stuff on this surface. Still, the pick is Berdych in three. In the biggest match, I like Djokovic. Federer will challenge and probably play the better tennis but Novak is impenetrable right now. If they meet again in the final, however, I have a feeling the result could be reversed.



McEnroe/Fleming : MURRAY D. FERRER
...Ferrer makes you play. He has a little variety and is an under-rated volleyer. But, really, what he does is he sits back and tries to grind you down. He makes you play every ball and win each points once, twice or even thrice. For players with spark and creativity like Murray that’s fine. Ferrer’s struggles against the top four are well documented. In the first set this time, Murray combined luck with intelligent tennis to take the opener. The Spanish 7th seed surrendered the first set on a double fault to go down 4-6. In the next set Ferrer tried to hold on to an early break but to no avail. He and Murray played a great straight sets match but Murray had enough to see it off 6-4, 6-4. He moved into first with the win. Should he go through he will likely face either Federer or Djokovic in the semis.
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ASHE/SMITH: NADAL D. WAWRINKA
...My kingdom, my kingdom for a good match here at the World Tour Finals. Please. Just something to get stuck into. Anything. I will give anything to have a good match. Wawrinka hit close to 40 errors in the embarrassing 6-3, 6-2 drubbing. Nadal hit just 12. Wawrinka had an early break in the first but Nadal just kept grinding until the Swiss star was nothing but dust. He took the first against an opponent who looked slightly injured. Then in the next Wawrinka had a break chance early but Nadal pulled a lob out of nowhere to remove it then took the game. From there on out there was only going to be one result. As Nadal got stronger, Wawrinka got progressively weaker.
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