TENNIS REPORTS FROM CINCY AND GOSSIP FROM ROS SATAR & 10SBALLS_COM

Written by: Staff on 21st August 2015

TENNIS REPORTS FROM CINCY AND GOSSIP FROM ROS SATAR & 10SBALLS_COM

epa04891658 Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland hits a return shot to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their quarterfinal round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 21 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland hits a return shot to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their quarterfinal round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 21 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY

Quarter-finals in sunny Cincy

Any doubts that Novak Djokovic might have had about his game evaporated in the almost noon-day sun in Cincinnati on quarter-final Friday. In a complete about face, Djokovic laid to rest any disappointment in losing the French Open to Stan Wawrinka, in the first match of the day.

Wawrinka had looked dialed back in to his form when he faced serve-machine Ivo Karlovic, but that sharpness seemed to have deserted him today after a fair few torrid days with controversy all around him.

“It’s just like I was sometimes a little bit between what I want to do and what I was doing, a little bit late, always a little bit between.

“He’s not playing his best, but he’s playing well enough to be there, for sure. As you can see this year he has amazing year again. He’s losing only few matches. He already won two Grand Slam. He’s there winning almost everything. So this guy, even when he’s not playing his best, he can beat me the way he did today.”

After scrabbling against David Goffin to halt the Belgian in his tracks, Djokovic finally seemed to have the measure of the tricky conditions in Cincinnati, that seem to flummox he of the elastic reflexes.

He said: “As I play more and spend more time on the practice court during the matches, as well, I allow myself to get back into the right routine and get back in the rhythm where I want to be.

“I felt like today, as well, that the baseline game was much more solid, more controlled. Whenever I needed to, you know, kind of hit the ball and take over the control of the rally, I have done so. It’s just, overall, from every aspect of my game was a much better performance than it was in first matches.”

In complete contrast, Serena Williams found herself battling against an inspired Ana Ivanovic – certainly at the start of the match, as the Serbian took the first set with some very solid hitting, and even looked to be pushing hard in the second set, before Williams ran off three games to level the match.

Ivanovic started the third set with a break but started to visibly wilt a little, as Williams spun off six games in a row to ‘pull a Serena,’ which she obligingly defined for us:

“It’s like when you’re down and maybe down a break in a set and a set, and you pull a Serena is when you come back and win.

Serena Williams of the US follows through on a return shot to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia during their quarterfinal round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 21 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY

“I think I just was a little lethargic in the first set, but I think Ana played really well. I think she was ‑‑ she was hitting winners on pretty much all my second serves. Even if I hit them like 95 or higher, she was still cracking them out. I just had to get used to that and just be determined to get those back, too.”

Ivanovic reckoned: I thought it was really high quality match. I really started well, very aggressive. I think I did really well to come back in the second set and had a lot of opportunities. Got a little bit unlucky I felt when I was serving at 4‑3.

“Then after that I really felt like she started to get more confidence. In the third set I started well, but I just felt like I couldn’t physically keep up that level. That made a difference at the end.”

There was more drama to come in the first episode of ‘The Run for the US Open No. 2 Seed’ saga, as Andy Murray once more laboured a little against Richard Gasquet, throwing in a sloppy game to give the Frenchman the advantage in the first set, before running away with the second, serving Monsieur Gasquet a baguette.

The decider was a more nail-biting affair as Murray was always serving from behind, but did just enough to set up a teaser with Roger Federer taking to the night match stage to decide the final place.

It has been a lot of matches for the Brit, who snapped his eight match losing streak against Novak Djokovic last week on the way to claiming the Montreal Masters title, and regaining the World No. 1 spot.

He told us after the match: “It was a lot shorter and not quite as many kind of shifts in momentum and stuff, so mentally it probably wasn’t as tiring. Obviously physically it was, you know, tough to feel great. I had a much shorter warm-up today. Only hit for like 50 minutes.

Andy Murray of Great Britain hits a return shot to Richard Gasquet of France during their quarterfinal round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 21 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY

“I also tried to practice much closer to the match than usual just to try and feel a little bit better at the beginning of the match. I think I did well to come through that one, because I wasn’t feeling great last night.”

He continued: “If the US Open was next week, yeah, then it would worry me. The good thing is that there is time after the event, you know, to have some light days.

“Played a lot of matches, a lot of late nights, as well, where my recovery hasn’t been perfect either. So I’m just happy I managed to fight through a lot of tough matches, difficult situations, and hopefully that will stand me in good stead for the US Open.”

The honours for closing out the men’s singles semi-final line up was left to Federer, although this was obviously not the Spanish leftie he was looking for (or the organisers for that matter).

It was dutifully routine and now this puts an interesting slant on the race for the No. 2 seeding race. Federer must win the title to take the ranking (and thus the seeding) from Murray, and in all honestly his level of play has touched the phenomenal scale this week, whereas we would describe Murray as his usual grittily determined self.

Cincy Tidbits

Tomas Berdych has been flying so far under the radar, he has all but flown the coup, after falling to Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets 6-4 6-2.

WTA Rising Star Elina Svitolina bounced Lucie Safarova out in a three setter to set up a clash with Serena Williams, 6-4 2-6 6-0.

Jelena Jankovic continued to prove that age is just a number with her advance to the semi-finals – not to mention announcing that she was ’30 and flirty’ in her on-court interview.

The Rozzington Food Challenge

Oh yes – this has grown to be far greater (Graeter?) than an ice-cream challenge now, my friends. But I must confess, my adventurous mojo took a walk today as I opted for a cheap and not at all cheerful burger in between quarter-finals to avoid the queues (weird for a Brit to avoid a queue, I know).

The ice-cream and butterscotch combo of the day was Dutch Chocolate – and beautifully smooth it was too.

So dinner had to go a long way to make up for a cheat’s way out for lunch, and it was time to hit the burrito stand and this is right up there with the gumbo tent. Along with a fellow British journalist, we sat and enjoyed the live music and the burrito is added to my list of things to have again.

Ros Satar is a first rate tennis correspondent. She is covering Cincinnati for us because she heard about the Graeters ice cream. She hasn’t been disappointed yet !

Check out her @britwatchSports

Topics: 10sballs_com, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Cincinnati Masters, Cincy Tennis, David Goffin, Ivo Karlovic, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Ros Satar, Serena Williams, Sports Update, Stan Wawrinka, Tennis, Tomas Berdych, Western and Southern Open

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10sBalls_com says:

August 21, 2015 at 9:58 pm

#TENNIS REPORTS FROM CINCY AND GOSSIP FROM @rfsatar & @10sBalls_com- http://t.co/2IG4k4KXDQ #CincyTennis #Cincinnati #atpcincinnati