MOVING OUTSIDE THE BOX BY CHERYL JONES

Written by: Staff on 13th June 2014

MOVING OUTSIDE THE BOX BY CHERYL JONES

epa04251156 Switzerland's Roger Federer in action against Portugal's Joao Sousa during the ATP tournament in Halle (Westphalia), Germany, 12 June 2014. EPA/OLIVER KRATO |

Watching the progression of play at a tennis tournament is rather like opening a present that reveals yet another mystery package and yet another, until the final match is at hand. The time finally arrives where it is a surety that the last ribbon will be untied, and the unknown becomes a statistic in the record books.

The last American left the tournament when Stevie Johnson was moved aside by Kei Nishikori of Japan. Nishikori has a game that was honed in Florida at Bollettieri’s Academy. Although he and Johnson are the same age, (5 days separate them, with Johnson being the elder of the two), Nishikori has been on the tour since 2007 and Johnson for just a year.

Johnson seemed anxious to get the points played and Nishikori was patiently playing his own game, which has been strong ever since he stepped into the fray as a pro, with the objective that he would be the highest ranked Japanese player ever. That goal was reached, and earlier this year, he moved into the top 10. Now, he is ranked 12 and holds the distinction of being the highest ranked Asian player ever. (Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand owned that honor before Nishikori.)

Johnson’s match seemed as if it would be a wipeout as the first set was all Nishikori, 6-1. Then, it seemed as if Johnson awakened and began to play the kind of tennis that he was known for during his days at USC. But, a win in his corner wasn’t to be. Nishikori managed to take over the Tie Break by squeaking out a 7-6 win for the set and of course, the match. Johnson slipped several times in the same spot in a worn down to dirt area near the service line and after that he seemed reticent to step there after the third spill. The reluctance cost him the ability to take it to a third set.

Steve Johnson.

Actually, his impatience was the real culprit in the loss and with a few more tests on the tour he should be able to manage his play much better. His new coach this year is Craig Boynton and Boynton’s guidance should give Johnson the ability to play his own game and not try for the quick points that often eluded him today. He has the ability and the skill, but his experience Rolodex is short on informational cards. His next test will be Wimbledon and that will come soon enough. Aesop’s fables may have a bit of information that he could use – slow and steady wins the race.

Someone who knows that slow and steady story is home favorite, Phillipp Kohlschreiber. He spoke after a very exciting match with another home favorite, Dustin Brown. The match ended 6-4, 5-7, 7-6. Kohlschreiber said afterward that it was really tough match and he felt that his attitude had a good deal to do with the outcome. “I kept my calm, believed in it and worked hard.” That is stellar advice for anyone.

(Brown was the ouster of Rafael Nadal here yesterday. It gave him the biggest win of his career and in doing so, the world number 85 became the lowest-ranked player to defeat a world number one, since American, Mardy Fish, ranked at the time 98, knocked off Roger Federer in a semifinal match at Indian Wells in 2008.)

Kohlschreiber will face Alejandro Falla of Colombia who defeated German Wild Card, Peter Gojowczyk in a squeaker that led off today’s docket of tennis, 7-6, 7-6. The two men are both thirty but Kohlschreiber will have the advantage of being 42 places ahead of the Colombian and he’s got the crowd behind him because the crowd hopes for another German winner.

Nishikori will face Roger Federer in the Semifinal Round. Federer has had amazing luck this tournament, and it hasn’t been on the court. Today he was awarded a Walk Over when his opponent Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei withdrew with a back injury.

The spot in the Semifinals has a bit of familiarity for Federer since he has won it all here five times and is looking for his sixth. Nishikori has played all his singles matches. Federer has been on the singles court only once. It will be interesting to watch as the Asian wizard tries to unseat the undisputable “King of Grass”, who has been the most successful man on the surface, winning 87.2 percent of the matches he contested on lawns.

It’s almost an age versus experience outing. But my money is on the King.

Topics: Alejandro Falla, Cheryl Jones, Dustin Brown, Kei Nishikori, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, sports news, Stevie Johnson, Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

June 13, 2014 at 2:22 pm

MOVING OUTSIDE THE BOX BY CHERYL JONES – http://t.co/Yba7k7xHk5 #tennis @GerryWeberOpen #Germany @rogerfederer #ATP