It's all over Down Under

Posted by BESS: Several days, by which I mean nights, have passed, and the 2013 Aussie Open is now complete.  I missed talking about a lot of matches, and I also missed a lot of matches.

I did, however, see a good portion of the Murray/Federer five-set semi-final. Was really rooting for Fed in that one. But, alas.

I did NOT see the MTO heard 'round the world... Azarenka's questionable medical time out right after choking away five match points in her semi-final against Sloane Stephens.  After leaving the court and seemingly regrouping, Aza went on to win the match and lose just about any support she might have had. The fans, the media, commentators, other players, the Twitterverse... everyone was in an uproar.

By all accounts it was a rough two days for Azarenka, preparing for the final while dealing with the fallout of that questionable sportsmanship. So tension was high as she and Li Na took the court for the women's championship. What then transpired was riveting TV. 

Three sets complete with a heavily partisan crowd (seemingly all supporting Li), strong play, two medical time outs (unquestionably legit) by Li for rolling her ankle--one combined with slamming her head on the court and being assessed for a concussion, a 10-minute break for Australia Day fireworks outside the stadium, and frequent shots of Aza's box where LMFAO's Redfoo, her friend/perhaps boyfriend, wore a neon, leopard print ensemble with a T-shirt proclaiming "Get your grunt on."

In a word (or three), it was bizarre and unexpected and entertaining, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Until the very end, when Azarenka won.

It marked one of the oddest winning moments I can remember in a grand slam final. She won, and the crowd barely reacted. Here she is, your women's champion, and... tepid applause at best. Reluctant.

Her celebration was, to her credit, muted. She sobbed heavily into her towel, then jogged over to celebrate with her team--getting reassurance from them more than anything else.

So Aza leaves Melbourne with another trophy, and Li Na leaves with a kabillion more fans (conservative estimate.) She's a clearly improved player, and her unending popularity stems as much from her impressive play as for her humorous candor during every single interview. Simply charming.

Well done, Li Na. Hoping the rest of 2013 is just a little bit better than this tournament ended up for you.
 
As for the men's final. Well, I was frankly bored by Murray/Djokovic. And tired. So I took a break after the first two sets (which they split) and then just couldn't be bothered. Something like 28 straight games without a break of serve? Oy.

It was a final between two players I don't really care for, so I wasn't so much rooting for someone as I was rooting against the Djoker. And when it seemed he had taken control of the match, my heart wasn't in it. Especially at 5 a.m.

I'll just say that it wasn't the best match from either of them. And had Murray not played a tough five-set semi just the day before, the result might have been much different.

I did see the end and the trophy presentation (had to wake up for Andre!). The upside: Djokovic didn't rip his shirt off while staggering around court screaming like the Hulk. So there's that.

Also, perhaps my second-favorite tweet from the tournament: SI/CNN/Tennis Channel's Jon Wertheim's random observation and stellar verb usage last night:  "Murray really sausaged his body into his clothes this event."  Hahaha. Nice. (And true.)

Housekeeping
So... it's been fun. But I've missed Dave arguing with me over my dislike of Djokovic or Venus's fashion choices. Perhaps when the French Open rolls around Dave won't find himself quite so busy/sick/out of the country (a bad combination as far as blogging goes.)

I look forward to putting the "mixed" and the "doubles" back into Mixed Doubles.

For those keeping score, both Dave and I picked DelPotro and Sharapova as singles' champions. So clearly, we failed.  Better luck next time, Juan Martin and Maria. Also, Dave and me.

Until Paris... (and, God willing, Rafa...) A bientot!

Back in the saddle again (minus Rafa)

Posted by BESS: Holy crap. Have we seriously not blogged since last May? Such slackers! Understand that this has not gone unnoticed. Dave's students have accused him of being a hypocrite... preaching about the proper way to maintain a blog and then letting his own blog languish. 

Luckily, I have no students. And none of my friends really care about tennis. So I've been flying under the radar.  But for Dave's professional credibility alone, it's time we get back to it.

Let's be honest. My lack of interest in blogging may perhaps have coincided with the six-month absence of my perennial fave, Rafa Nadal. Injured for months, he was set to return at the 2013 Australian Open, but here we are again... up all night watching the action down under... and... no Rafa.

I should get credit for the amount of "soldiering on" it takes for me to even care without him involved. ;-)

But soldier on I must.

SPOILER ALERT: At the moment, I'm watching American Brian Baker withdrawing from a match due to a knee injury.  He's a great 2012 story, finally making it back into the ATP tour after five surgeries and a stint volunteer coaching for a college team in his hometown. Man, it just doesn't seem fair. The wheelchair has arrived to take him off court.  With Roddick retired and Mardy Fish still unwell, he was my pick for an American man to root for. Darn the luck.

Speaking of players we're rooting for, Dave and I completed our brackets independently and without any previous discussion.  For the first time ever, we both selected the same men's and women's champions!  Especially impressive since neither of them is the odds-on favorite to win. Mind you, they're no slackers, but conventional wisom doesn't really show Juan Martin Del Potro and Maria Sharapova raising the trophies overhead two weeks from now.

Let's hope they do, just for the novelty of Dave and I both being right; with no trash-talking upon which to stake our friendship.

A few miscellaneous notes about the tournament so far:

• Brad Gilbert reports much too much yellow in the 2013AO tennis garb. I guess if you're going to wear bright yellow at a major, the AO is the place to do it.  But I agree with Brad that it's generally not a great look. Also not a great look? Brad Gilbert's lack of correct spelling, punctuation and grammar on Twitter. But he's a font of knowledge, so I stay tuned.
• Andre's scheduled to make an appearance at the tournament, and I for one, can't wait. Andre and I got much closer over the holidays with the surprise arrival of his autograph--a gift from a truly generous friend. (Thanks, J-Rad!)
• Serena's a bit questionable for today's practice and perhaps the overall tournament after rolling her ankle yesterday.  Although she managed a 6-0, 6-0 win, so I'm not yet convinced I should be concerned. And by concerned, I mean marginally interested.
• After a long stretch of not watching tennis, it's nice to be back among my good friends: Li Na, Aggie Rad, Venus, Mary Joe, Killer Cahill, the inimiatble Jon Wertheim, Tipsy, Baghdatis, Sugarpova, Monfils, Ferrer, Woz, and the amiable Aussie crowd. Ahhh.... it's like old home week. Let me soak it in as if I'm there basking in the bright, sunny, 100 degree day! 

Hello, 2013 tennis season. Hello again, dear readers. Despite Rafa's absence, this sentiment holds true... vamos!

Babyfaced assassains

Posted by BESS: Apologies for neglecting the blog. I have, indeed, been watching tennis. But I've also had a lot of cooking, subsequent cleaning and socializing to do. That done, I'll now return to thrilling you with my US Open recaps. (I'll just assume our one reader is thrilled.)

My good friend Jeff Winker is at the Open this weekend. This is particularly heartbreaking for me because the one and only time I attended the Open was with Jeff and his beautiful wife Heather. We had a fantastic time, and they got to meet--and stay with--my grandparents and great-aunts. All of whom are now deceased. In fact, Jeff's first email to me from the 2011 Open included this comment: "Alas, no Roma." (My grandmother.) Alas, indeed.

But I'm glad Jeff's having some fun, and I appreciate the opportunity to live vicariously through him over the weekend. Here's some of what he's been observing:

• First, here's the view from his baseline seats for Isner-Ginepri. His takeaway from this match was "Isner -- even taller in person. But slow."

• Jeff was then watching the Murray-Haase match. Jeff's a fan of Murray (I know, inexplicable), so I emailed him when it appeared Murray was down for the count. I asked what was up with his boy tanking and Jeff's response was, "He looks terrible. Like he just got off the plane, walked into the stadium and it was already the second set. Maybe he stopped at Carnegie Deli on his way in." Murray would go on to win the match, however.
  
  Jeff did comment that Haase looked "legit," though. I remarked that Haase's 'fro was more legit than Andy's, as well as his tennis. Jeff's response? "It's very powerful hair." That's the best hair-related phrase since my co-worker Derek brilliantly used the phrase, "Her hair looks like Las Vegas" to describe the hair of someone important at work. Who shall remain nameless.

• Jeff then moved to the nosebleed seats in Arthur Ashe stadium to cheer for Kansas City's own Jack Sock. A few notes, here. Jeff now lives in KC. And despite all the talk about Sock being from Nebraska (which he is) he actually plays in KC now. So evidently there are a few areas claiming him as their own.
  
  Jeff then shared this observation: "Arthur Ashe stadium may be the worst place to see live sports I've ever been to." As far as the nosebleed seats go, I'd have to agree. It's like climbing a ladder to get up there! But Jeff, Heather and I also had great seats in Ashe for a day session (when I got to see Andre play!) And from those seats I thought the action was great fun to watch. And the atmosphere is, indeed, electric. So the key is to pay up the wazoo for good tickets if you're going to be in Ashe. Otherwise you might as well be on one of the smaller courts with closer seats for less money. #tip

• The next day, Jeff got to see the match Berdych pulled out of. As well as Federer's match. And "awesome" mixed doubles (SQUEE! the name of our blog!) with Jack Sock/Melanie Oudin taking on Bob Bryan/Liezel Huber. Sock/Oudin pulled it out in a tiebreak, prompting Jeff's friend Barry to nickname them the "babyfaced assassains," which I love! Do you agree the nickname is apt?
  
  Here's Oudin:

And here's Sock:

• Today Jeff is in Ashe and got to watch Rafa play. He promised to alert me when the shirt came off. And he did. Good job, old friend. This is the same guy who made me give back his sports goggles many years ago when he discovered that I was just using them to check out Brooke Shields' hair... not to watch the match. Glad he's come to understand what's really important to me. :-)

I hope you're all having as fun a weekend as Jeff is at the Open. And that you're not as bored as Dave claims to be. Despite this post from just mere days ago...