The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. It is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from 1905 to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard courts. Mats Wilander is the only male player to have won the tournament on both grass and hard courts.

Like all other Grand Slam tournaments, there are men's and women's singles competitions; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; and junior's and master's competitions.

The two main courts used in the tournament are Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena and feature retractable roofs, which can be shut in case of rain or extreme heat. It is the only Grand Slam tournament that features indoor play. However, work has already commenced on a retractable roof for Wimbledon's Centre Court, which is expected to be completed by 2009.

Held in the middle of the Australian summer, the Australian Open is famous for its notoriously hot days. An extreme-heat policy is put into play when temperatures (and humidity) reach dangerous levels.

The Australian Open typically has very high attendance, with the 2008 Australian Open achieving the highest ever day/night attendance record for any Grand Slam tournament of 62,885. The event is worth around $38 m to the Australian economy.



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Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open with the old Rebound Ace surface. Rod Laver Arena, the centre court, in the background.

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Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne. The main location of play.

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Panorama of Margaret Court Arena.

GRAND SLAM
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Australian Open
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French Open
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UK - Wimbledon
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US Open


The 2009 Australian Open is scheduled to start on January 19, 2009...:banana:

wow!! who will be your bet?

^^
my bet for the men's: the current title holder, Novak
my bet for the women's: the chinese one (forgot the name and hopefully bumalik or sumali siya ngayon), small but terrible yun siya...though i miss Sharapova...:)

^^jieng zhie ba? yung semifinalist sa wimbledon?

ako, for men's, big fedex fan ako so i will place my bets on him. although i think andy murray and rafa nadal will also be very, very, very strong contenders. i don't think djoko will win it for the second time.

sa women's side naman, ito yung mga pangalan na naglalaro sa isip ko: the williams sisters and jelena jankovic. yun lang. although i will not count maria sharapova out since usually, malakas siya at the start of the year.

mens: nadal... he must win a hardcourt gs. ao court is naturally slower than uso court. nadal can do it! if not, tsonga!

womens: venus williams. she should win gs aside from wimbledon (5x) and uso (2x). she had a blast on her last 3 tournaments this year (all hardcourts).

mens: nadal... he must win a hardcourt gs. ao court is naturally slower than uso court. nadal can do it! if not, tsonga!

womens: venus williams. she should win gs aside from wimbledon (5x) and uso (2x). she had a blast on her last 3 tournaments this year (all hardcourts).

ah yes, i forgot UK's Murray and France's Tsonga...hmmmm...

^^jieng zhie ba? yung semifinalist sa wimbledon?

ako, for men's, big fedex fan ako so i will place my bets on him. although i think andy murray and rafa nadal will also be very, very, very strong contenders. i don't think djoko will win it for the second time.

sa women's side naman, ito yung mga pangalan na naglalaro sa isip ko: the williams sisters and jelena jankovic. yun lang. although i will not count maria sharapova out since usually, malakas siya at the start of the year.

ah y,,, thanks for that...Jieng Zhie, kasi nakita ko siya sa 2008 Australian Open, iba eh, maliksi hehhe...although Jelena the current world no.1 malakas din...at andyan ang mga william sisters...

i doubt if jie zheng can win though she might make it further on the draw. im really excited for this event. in the junior category, hopefully the lone pinoy bet will make it.

^^
di natin masabi yan, malay mo ang Chinese Player can convince her opponents to eat food rich in Melamine prior to the game...:lol:
talaga may pinoy? whats the name? para naman maipag dasal natin...heheh

good luck to him/her...

his name is francis casey alcantara ranked 39th in the world jr. we have young upcoming players... sana sa roland garros dalawa na silang maglalaro.

^^
sila ang mga future Federer ng World Tennis...can't imagine to see the philippine flag and name attached to their names...:)

im just hoping na e air ito, kasi parang snap shots lang pag junior eh..

Wow, bilis nyo ha. Di pa nagstastart ang season.
Anyways, it's a giveaway that I'm all for Sharapova to win. :cheer: Hopefully she's all ok now. Venus and Serena coming in in close 2nd. But I'm sensing a further rise from the young ones: Cibulkova, Radwanska, Wozniacki (especially her), and Azarenka. Ivanovic... again... not gonna go there.

Men's side: Murray and Nadal. Plus del Potro and Gilles.

davenport just withdrawn from the aussie open. she's preggy.

sharpie must win if not she will drop further in the rankings. she is the champion and has to defend so many points.

sharpie must win if not she will drop further in the rankings. she is the champion and has to defend so many points.

thanks for the freaking reminder!

i think she'll be good for at least a semis seat.

his name is francis casey alcantara ranked 39th in the world jr. we have young upcoming players... sana sa roland garros dalawa na silang maglalaro.

kasama pala si niño? okay yan!

thanks for the freaking reminder!

i think she'll be good for at least a semis seat.

No no no no.:nono: She'll go all the way I tell you. It's only the shoulder that I'm having a doubt with.

go RF!!!!!!:rock:

NADAL all the way!!!

^^
i saw it on tv...nadal playing other isport...aside sa tennis ano paba nilalaro ni nadal?

men's: nadal, federer, murray, djokovic...?
women's: william sisters, jelena(current no.1), sharapova, ivanovic...?

who will grab the title of next years first Grand Slam event?:)

^^
i saw it on tv...nadal playing other isport...aside sa tennis ano paba nilalaro ni nadal?

men's: nadal, federer, murray, djokovic...?
women's: william sisters, jelena(current no.1), sharapova, ivanovic...?

who will grab the title of next years first Grand Slam event?:)

nadal plays soccer like murray, fedex and others

NEWS:

The Defending Champion, Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Australian Open 2009 because of shoulder injury...:ohno:












:banana::lol:

lagot ka kay custer. hahaha! sharapova fan pa naman yun.

lagot ka kay custer. hahaha! sharapova fan pa naman yun.

sayang lang kasi hindi niya ma idefend yung title niya...and ma miss out niya ang isang Grand slam title.:ohno:

^^
oo, sayang yun

^^
yeah id love to hear her scream again...:lol:

^^
matagal na ba yung shoulder injury niya?

i actually dont know...siguro dinadala na niya yan from her previous matches...well, its good naman, health first before anything...:)

dapat lang :)

dapat lang :)

kaya ikaw mag practise ka ng mag tennis para may pambato na ang pinas sa mga international tennis tournaments...:banana::nuts:

^^
sa table tennis lang ako :)

From what she said on her site, her shoulder is totally healed now. The reason as to why Maria withdrew is because she wasn't match ready and not yet fully prepared to play in that level (Grand Slam). She gave herself an allowance of 3 weeks to get back. So that's good enough. Can't wait to see her hit some balls again.

For now I'm rooting for Venus. And I'm starting to like Dementieva a bit. I'm predicting Wozniacki will go deep into the 2nd week this year.

Wozniaki is a bombshell !

Amen. And the girl has some game I must say. She made Serena run for her money the other day at the Medibank International Sydney quarterfinals.

^^ no i meant she'll bomb-out early :lol: just kidding saw how dedicated she is i guess she'll be the next Ana ;)

^^ no i meant she'll bomb-out early :lol: just kidding saw how dedicated she is i guess she'll be the next Ana ;)

which ana? kournikova, chakvetadze or ivanovic?

she's got kournikova and chakvetadze blond hair. but if you are referring to either of the three's tennis skills? its not really a compliment though.

^^wow! Kournikova still exist joke! hehe i'm just teasing brownman for mentioning Ivanovic instead of Sharpie as the tennis glam girl.

^^wow! Kournikova still exist joke! hehe i'm just teasing brownman for mentioning Ivanovic instead of Sharpie as the tennis glam girl.

ivanovic is a joke!

nah i guess Helena Jankovic is a joke currently #1 playerw/out a grandslam title last year! hehe

do you agree that JJ is hot from neck down?

^^ lol i totally agree! but AI is HOT head to toe!:lol:

just dont make AI do her signature fist-pumping. i find it OA and annoying!

well JJ is annoying when she start questioning umpire calls or an injury time out when she's losing lol

you don't want us to start mentioning things about annoying things top players does huh? :lol::lol::lol:

uhm, start with rafa?

@ dinabaw: trick of the trade. it always work.:okay:

^^ nah i guess it's unfair for the player on the other side of the net.

It's a tactic I guess. It's been an age-old question as to when is the right time to allow a player to have his/her medical timeout. Recently the governing body of tennis (ITF) together with the ATP and WTA has loosen up when it comes to allowing injury timeouts. That's why most players now are exploiting this due to lack or not enough rules and regulation that bounds this area of the game.

SAYANG!!!!!!!

di natalo si ivanovic kanina...

^^^ nope she won!!!

kaya nga. i wanted her to lose.

ay pareho tayo. squeaky clean kasi sya. excited na ako sa juniors next week.

di bale, she wont get past the quarters. i see venus getting a higher ranking over ivanovic after the AO.

She was really struggling with her serve. Very evident during the 1st set. And seems like she's not handling the temperature issue as well. Good for her.:lol:

On another front, look at how Hantuchova mastered Dellacqua. She was hitting every ball and taking all the winners on her stride. As long as she keeps on doing that, she might do the same feat she made last year or even better.

Too bad for Kirilenko tho.:ohno:

hmmm watch out for Ana if she pass the 3rd round her game will ultimately change she's a slow starter FYI

btw her double fist pumping w/ a 360deg turn makes her sooooooo sexy! bwahaha

Her movement is always been a weakness eversince. But I see she's working on it. We'll see when the 3rd round comes, that's where her first test is coming if #29 Kleybanova goes thru.

She was really struggling with her serve. Very evident during the 1st set. And seems like she's not handling the temperature issue as well. Good for her.:lol:

On another front, look at how Hantuchova mastered Dellacqua. She was hitting every ball and taking all the winners on her stride. As long as she keeps on doing that, she might do the same feat she made last year or even better.

Too bad for Kirilenko tho.:ohno:

well you mentioned Huntchie...she's not good in closing a game ..last year she was 6-0 2-0 in the semi but she was beaten by the surging Ana, she's lucky w/ Dellaqua she won on millimeter line calls!:D:lol:

True. Daniela is always been known to be erratic. She's playing her best tennis at one tournament and bowing out in the first round the next. But the match between her and Ana last year was full of controversy that alot of critics thinks that Daniela was deprived of her first Grand Slam final just for a simple line call mistake made by the linesman. But yea, Ivanovic should also be given credit as she played well towards the end. But that line call was controversial.

i still can't get over that simple volley she (dannie) netted at 4-4 during the 3rd set against ana.

btw her double fist pumping w/ a 380deg turn makes her sooooooo sexy! bwahaha

Natawa naman ako dito hehe! Pero I like Ana, too! I like her to win this time :banana:

^^ sumobra ata ng 20degs ganyan pag excited si Ana lol

^^check na lang natin ang 3rd round match niya on friday against kleybanova.

magaling ba si kleybanova? i'm having an amnesia attack w/ this russian & east. european netinvasions lol

magaling ba si kleybanova? i'm having an amnesia attack w/ this russian & east. european netinvasions lol

teenager pa sya. siguro, yung biggest claim to fame nya was beating hantuchova and sugiyama sa wimbledon last year. kinonsulta ko pa si mister wikipedia for that.

btw nanalo ba si LU against Nalbaldian di ko kasi natapos kanina...ng umalis ako Lu is leading 7-6 5 all

btw nanalo ba si LU against Nalbaldian di ko kasi natapos kanina...ng umalis ako Lu is leading 7-6 5 all

oo. panalo yung taiwanese. 5 setter.

sayang si bernard tomic. the williams sisters were totally invincible during their doubles match.

for those na walang access sa Australian Open ito po ang brief(?) news sa Day 3 ng Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia...:)

Australian Open - Day 3
By Lochlann Mac a' Bháird

Day three of the Australian Open, and while the temperatures have dropped, the action is starting to heat up.

After below-par performances on the opening day, both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have responded to the challenge laid down by Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, with much-improved displays in their second-round matches.

Federer, now outright favourite with most bookies, wasted little time in despatching Evgeny Korolev, winning in straight sets, and inside 90 minutes.

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Korolev, a cousin of Anna Kournikova, never troubled the former world number one, and the 20-year-old made a series of errors which Federer was quick to punish.

There were signs that the great Swiss is making a return to the sort of form that has seen him claim 13 Grand Slam titles, with some breathtaking shots. Two in particular; overhead returns from Korolev smashes, which eluded the young Russian, and brought the crowd to their feet.

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Federer seemed to be enjoying the match, and acknowledged the roar of support from the crowd on more than one occasion.

Before the tournament, after Federer expressed surprise that Andy Murray had been installed as joint favourite, the Scot responded: 'Umm...I think Federer wants to be favourite, so I'd probably give it to him.'

Murray's comments seem to have been vindicated, with Federer today saying that while the hype surrounding him before his record spell at number one was at times exaggerated, he would like to recreate that aura of invincibility.

'It (the level of expectation on Federer) went overboard there for a while.

'Every match I played, when I lost a set it was incredible. It was kind of just a bit exaggerated from everybody.

'I'm happy I created that monster; I was very successful and still am, so I hope I can create it again.'

As predicted from the outset, Federer will now meet 2005 Australian Open champion Marat Safin in the third round.

Safin, one of the most colourful characters in tennis, beat Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straight sets, and while he goes into the match with Federer as the underdog, he is capable of an upset if he produces his best tennis.

They've met twice before in Melbourne, with Federer beating the Russian in the 2004 final, before Safin earned his revenge the following year, defeating the defending champion in the semi-final on his way to the 2005 title.

Reminiscing about their vastly different career trajectories since that meeting, Safin said after his match today: 'We went in different ways. He got much more confident throughout the years, and I had to recover from injury. So I want to be in his shoes.'

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Safin, known for his extremely volatile temper and tendency to break racquets when decisions or close rallies go against him, has recently vowed to adopt a more laid-back approach to tennis.

'I don't want to get stressed. I don't want to plan anything. I want to play and be relaxed. At least I want to enjoy it. I don't want to suffer anymore. No expectation. No stress. No drama. Just play, enjoy. Whatever comes, it's great. If it doesn't, it doesn't.'

It will be interesting to see if he can maintain that cool come Friday, when he comes up against the seemingly reinvigorated Federer.

Djokovic, meanwhile, appears aggrieved that Andy Murray is receiving more attention than he is. Speaking after his comfortable victory over France's Jeremy Chardy, the Serb said: 'He's done a lot in the last couple months, and he's a very talented player and we can expect him to win some Grand Slams in the future.

'But you cannot put him as the favourite next to Roger and Rafa and myself here.'

Unlike his opening match, Djokovic started slowly against the Frenchman, and just avoided a tie-break in the opening set with a late break.

But the second and third sets proved very different, with last year's winner asserting his superiority, and an upset never looked likely.

http://dynamic.rte.ie/00020197-150.jpg
Djokovic seems none-too-pleased with the media at present, and waved away enquiries about his new racquet - blamed by some for his disappointing beginning to 2009.

When asked why he had made the switch so close to his defence of his maiden Grand Slam title, he responded: 'This is the 235th time I've been asked this question in the last couple of weeks.'

He also refused to answer questions about his personal life, preferring to concentrate on his chances of holding his title.

With a third-round encounter against Bosnian-born American Amer Delic, ranked 127 in the world, Djokovic will be confident of progressing.

The pair met in Wimbledon in 2007, with the current world number three emerging triumphant in a four-set encounter.

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The first major upset of the tournament saw Argentine David Nalbandian slump to a five-set loss to Chinese Taipei player Yen-Hsun Lu.

Lu, who knocked Andy Murray out of the Beijing Olympics in the first round, could barely contain his delight after pulling off an astonishing win (and ruining my accumulator on last night's games in the process.)

Nalbandian was stunned when his opponent, ranked 50 places below him, claimed the first set.

The natural order appeared to be restored when the Argentine claimed the second and third sets, but Lu rallied to take the fourth - causing his 10th seeded opponent to smash his racquet in frustration - before going on to win the fifth set and the match.

Afterwards, he said: 'Maybe tonight I won't be able to sleep.

'This is the first time I've beaten a top 10 player, and it's in a Grand Slam.'

(Nalbandian is actually ranked 11 - he is 10th seed because of the injury-enforced withdrawal of world number five Nikolay Dabydenko - but let's not begrudge Lu his moment.)

There was a win for another Argentine though, with Juan Martin Del Potro, many pundits' tip to be the outstanding player in 2009, cruising past German qualifier Florian Meyer in straight sets.

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Del Potro is certainly a talented player, and if he can avoid succumbing to the persistent niggling injuries which have hampered what has nevertheless been an impressive start to his career, he could certainly become one of the stars of the future.

He also has an intense personality, and droves of female fans, so he is a favourite with the media. If you have not yet seen his run-in with Andy Murray at last year's Rome Masters, where the Argentine insulted the Scot's mother, you should certainly seek it out.

If both players continue their current form, they could go on to form one of the most entertainingly bitter rivalries in sport.

Andy Roddick, keen to point out that he isn't ready to draw the old-age pension just yet ('I'm 26 so I'm not quite over the hill'), recovered from an opening-set loss to Xavier Malisse, powering his way into the third round, where he will meet France's Fabrice Santoro.

Having beaten the Frenchman in three of their four encounters at major events, the last time being a straight-sets win in the early rounds of the 2008 US Open, Roddick will again be strong favourite to beat his opponent, ranked 60 in the world.

After the elimination of home favourite Lleyton Hewitt, Aussie hopes were placed on the shoulders of 16-year-old Bernard Tomic, making his first appearance at a Grand Slam event.

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Hewitt does not seem best pleased that there is a young pretender to his throne as the Wizard of Oz of tennis, saying yesterday: 'I could be retired by the time he gets to top 100. Who knows how long that will take.'

But the crowd were more than happy to get behind 'The Tank', as he faced up to Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.

Muller is no giant of tennis - at 87 in the world he is unlikely to trouble the top stars any time soon - but he was still an overwhelming favourite going into this match.

Tomic is so new to the circuit that the official ATP site doesn't even have a photograph of him, and his career earnings to date - $14,226 - is probably less than the likes of Federer and Nadal have earned in interest since I started writing this sentence. (If that seems like a huge exaggeration, I should point out that I made a pot of tea half way through)

But expectations were high nevertheless, and when he claimed the first set, his fans could barely contain their excitement.

A huge upset looked possible, but the youngster, ranked 768 in the world, simply could not deal with Muller's huge serves, the Luxembourger chalking up 27 aces on his way to an eventual four-set victory.

Tomic can take solace from an impressive Grand Slam debut, and from the excitement he aroused in the spectators - he is one to look out for in the future.

He showed flashes of brilliance in the early stages of the match, and certainly has the potential to develop into a great player, but Australians would do well to lower their expectations for the time-being.

Other notable results saw Croatia's Marin Cilic edge past Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in one of several matches blighted by sectarian chanting in sections of the crowd, with rival fans from the former Yugoslavian countries exchanging insults; while Marco Baghdatis edged past Sweden's Robin Soderling.

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11th seed David Ferrer recovered from a poor opening performance - which saw him play five sets in extremely hot conditions - to see off Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty in straight sets.

Tipsarevic, one of the most eloquent and engaging players on the circuit, (he has a tattoo of a quote from Dostoevksy's The Idiot on one arm: Beauty will save the world), spoke after his match, saying: 'Both the Serbs and the Croats were a little bit incorrect, singing songs that had nothing to do with the tennis but to do with the history we have between each other.'

With several matches still to come pitting players from the Balkan states against one another, organizers will be keen to avoid a repeat of the unsavoury display.

Looking ahead to day four, there are once more plenty of intriguing stories to keep an eye on.

First up is Australian Chris Guccione against sixth seed Gilles Simon, again, shortly after midnight Irish time.

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Simon enjoyed a very good 2008 season, and will be expected to see off the Australian without too much trouble - but Guccione, who has never made it past the second round in his five previous attempts, will be hoping that the home crowd can spur him on to something special.

Next up is Rafael Nadal, and after the Spaniard's blistering first-round performance, Croatia's Roko Karanusic will need a miracle if he is to stop Nadal progressing.

Nadal, like Federer, seems to be enjoying himself again after a slump in form and spirits towards the end of last year, and his opening-day performance seemed to dispel any worries about his new look hampering his playing style or confidence.

My friend Carl believes I pay too much attention to sports fashions, but so far this year it is the story that just won't go away, and speaking ahead of tonight's match, Nadal said of his new look: 'You like it or do you prefer the other one? I felt well, no? I felt good. At this moment I'm going to play like this. You never know in the future. But right now I'm fine like this.'

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Andy Murray, meanwhile, has his own wardrobe issues, commenting that 'since I stopped wearing a cap I've played much better. I used to always wear a cap for matches because if I had really long hair it would obviously get in my eyes. But when I keep my hair short, I don't think it makes a huge difference.'

The Scot will face his first meaningful challenge early tomorrow morning - when he takes on Marcel Granollers of Spain. That match won't get underway before 9.30am Irish time.

Other matches to look out for include Latvia's Ernest Gulbis taking on Russian 18th-seed Igor Andreev, and in-form Tommy Haas of Germany against Italian Flavio Cipolla.

Gulbis is another player who could have a big season in 2009, and Haas could be a dark horse for this tournament - I don't expect him to win, but he could cause problems for some of the bigger names.

With James Blake, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all in action, another enticing day of tennis beckons.

Venus down and out.:(

oo. panalo yung taiwanese. 5 setter.

oo nga!galing nung Taiwanese parang ginawang ping pong ang tennis hehe

natalo si venus williams kanina.

^^ see her na lang sa wimbledon. better skip the french open na rin hahaha.

magaling ba si kleybanova? i'm having an amnesia attack w/ this russian & east. european netinvasions lol

If she beats Ana today, magaling nga...

Third Round
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) V.S Ana Ivanovic (SRB)

^^ Anything can happen. Look at Williams yesterday. I remember this Suarez-Navarro girl made quite a stir from Roland Garros last year by reaching the quarters and demolishing Mauresmo and Pennetta on the way.

With the inconsistency trend still going on and plaguing almost all the top players, I say it's anybody's game really.

^^ see her na lang sa wimbledon. better skip the french open na rin hahaha.

parang sinabi mo na ring wala siyang pag-asa sa Roland Garros nyahaha

Alize Cornet 4 6 6
Daniela Hantuchova 6 4 2

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/60/fullj.bce04a1710d94b337ab656c02c627d15/bce04a1710d94b337ab656c02c627d15-getty-83057329wj224_2009_australi.jpg

i'm happy coz jelena dokic, marcos bagdhatis and kleybanova all won

am sad coz hantuchova and wawrinka both lost.

and am happy coz ivanovic is out.

^^ LOL at least i cant forget the name kleybanova ! now it's JJ time to shine.. i hope no "cloudy" sky !:lol:

^^ LOL at least cant forget the name kleybanova ! now it's JJ time to shine.. i hope no "cloudy" sky !:lol:

mas magaling naman talaga si JJ kay ana!!!

^^ head to head record Ana leads Jelena 6-1 ;)

although admittedly, ana's got the winning record over jelena, she's more consistent (obviously) than ana. jelena's got a 5-4 edge over venus williams while ana's got a 1-5 losing card over the former number one williams. while both ana and jelena are on the losing side against serena williams, jelena has won thrice in seven meetings while ana has never won over serena williams.

^^ head to head record Ana leads Jelena 6-1 ;)

its 7 and 2

im so happy squeaky clean is out!!!

i see a pattern here. serena won in 2005 and 2007... 2009?

sana talaga si serena ang pinili ko sa fantasay league na sinalihan ko.

ana's fist pumping over opponent's error ay nakakainis. you only fist pump when you make a winner.

i think serena will win, hands down.

but i hope jelena jankovic or dementieva will win their first GS very soon. maybe the french perhaps?

http://www.australianopen.com/images/pics/large/b_Kleybanova_23_1.jpg

Kleybanova sends Ivanovic packing (http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/match_reports/2009-01-23/200901231232704995406.html)

Quick facts

Ivanovic made 50 unforced errors to Kleybanova’s 44, 24 of which came in the opening set alone

The Russian had 36 winners to the Serbian’s 23

Kleybanova’s fastest first serve was timed at 185km/h

Ivanovic won six of the seven points when she approached the net; Kleybanova was 23-for-30 (77 per cent) on net approaches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Malakas pumalo itong teenager na ito, mas malakas lang ang palo ko, ... :lol: lampas sa baseline parati.. :D

^^ this girl was beaten by venus during USO last year. she was all powe. i dunno if she can sustain her winning streak against finesse players.

:cheers: to Kleybanova she deserved the win for double hard work in beating Ana hehe

although admittedly, ana's got the winning record over jelena, she's more consistent (obviously) than ana. jelena's got a 5-4 edge over venus williams while ana's got a 1-5 losing card over the former number one williams. while both ana and jelena are on the losing side against serena williams, jelena has won thrice in seven meetings while ana has never won over serena williams.

meron tawag sa laro kontra pelo , i guess bec Ana trained in US maybe the same training (Boleteiri ?) with the William sisters , the real test is mano a mano err womano a womano for the best female Serbian tennis player hehe

^^ It's actually Jelena who trained at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. While Ivanovic trained in makeshift courts from old swimming pools in Belgrade.:)

im so happy squeaky clean is out!!!

i see a pattern here. serena won in 2005 and 2007... 2009?

sana talaga si serena ang pinili ko sa fantasay league na sinalihan ko.

ana's fist pumping over opponent's error ay nakakainis. you only fist pump when you make a winner.

tennis-pool?

i think serena will win, hands down.

but i hope jelena jankovic or dementieva will win their first GS very soon. maybe the french perhaps?

Totally agree. But I recline to Serena and Dementieva more tho.

^^ this girl was beaten by venus during USO last year. she was all powe. i dunno if she can sustain her winning streak against finesse players.

Davenport beat her at the US Open 3rd rd lastyear. Venus beat her at Wimbledon '08 during round of 16.:okay:

Women's singles third round clash between Australia's Samantha Stosur and Russia's Elena Dementieva

http://www.australianopen.com/images/pics/large/b_stosurvsdement_24_01.jpg

^^Pretty Elena won the match.

I'm surprised no one's talking about the comeback girl of the year, Jelena Dokic. I saw her play in Stanford years ago before she took a break from tennis.

Davenport beat her at the US Open 3rd rd lastyear. Venus beat her at Wimbledon '08 during round of 16.:okay:

i mixed my history again. thanks for the correction.

nadal won over haas. very consistent play. i want him to win.

i don't like ivanovic's tennis "dress". it makes her left boob extra big.

^^Pretty Elena won the match.

I'm surprised no one's talking about the comeback girl of the year, Jelena Dokic. I saw her play in Stanford years ago before she took a break from tennis.

She's playing wonderful to the delight of the Aussies I must say. 2 Top 20 wins in a GS is quite impressive given that she came off from wildcard playoffs.

i mixed my history again. thanks for the correction.

nadal won over haas. very consistent play. i want him to win.

i don't like ivanovic's tennis "dress". it makes her left boob extra big.

:rofl:
I gotta agree.

Marion Bartoli ousted Jelena at the round of 16. How disappointing.

Dinara through to the QF.:banana:

...Marion Bartoli(#16) just beated Jelena Jankovic(#1)!!!...
...With an impresive 1-6(Bartoli)1st round and a 4-5(Bartoli) on the second round!!!...

...Marion Bartoli(#16) just beated Jelena Jankovic(#1)!!!...
...With an impresive 1-6(Bartoli)1st round and a 4-5(Bartoli) on the second round!!!...


Ginawa bang omelet? :lol:

^^
...He he he...
...May other term pa ba??

^ it's bitten LOL

glad for JJ :cheer::cheer::cheer:

^^
...Kinagat???
...He he...

...Bat glad ka kay JJ...Natalo nga siya eh...

http://static.flickr.com/3235/2358498339_c9972d7033.jpg

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

This big dude would be a household name in tennis if he keeps everything into a nice perspective. Wag lang mag dudurog ito, baka mag champion na. :D

Federer is currently being dismantled by Tomas Berdych at Rod Laver.
6-4 7-6 in favor to the Czech. Sweet.

:cheer: Go Thomas! :cheer:

yeah Thomas! LOL

Well I guess not.
Federer won in 5 sets.:bash:

^^
...No doubt he's number one...

^^ He's number 2

^^
...Rafael Nadal yung number one???

^^Yes.

ghee sabi ko na ba magalin talaga sa comeback si federer buti pa yung even sila after 4th set mas malaki ang percentage matatalo si Federex LOL

haha sa tagal ba naman pag ka no.1 ni Federer some still believed he's no. 1

^^
...Even me...I thaught number one parin si Federer ngayon...

And she did it again...
Jelena Dokic is through to the QF.:cheer:

It's starting to look like she's the fairytale story this year.

^^
...I think she's the biggest gainer...

And she did it again...
Jelena Dokic is through to the QF.:cheer:

It's starting to look like she's the fairytale story this year.

:D Go Jelena! :cheer:

^^
another win for her? :cheers:

Yea she beat Kleybanova yesterday 7-5 5-7 8-6 to reach the quarterfinals.
Next for her is Dinara Safina.

^^
wow that was a close match
good luck to her in next round :)

i'l go for Dinara! i dunno some people find her too "manly"...but she's sexy for me!

Gael Monfils retired from his match against Gilles Simon.
Gilles is now through to the QF.:cheer:

Gael Monfils retired from his match against Gilles Simon.
Gilles is now through to the QF.:cheer:

yes...just saw it now...:)

right now...Azarenka vs. S. Williams...
up next Nadal vs. Gonzales...

:banana: walang tulugan ni...

You mean Serena Williams.:okay:
I'm kind of rooting for Victoria.

^^ i thought you're all the way for Serena ..hmmmm anyway the Frenchy guy is still playin?

^^
hehe Serena nga pala...edited na...
tanggal na nga pala si venus...

yun din sabi ng commentator, parang may kakaibang twist ang mangyayari DAW...pero lets see...leading si serena....

^^ i thought you're all the way for Serena ..hmmmm anyway the Frenchy guy is still playin?

I dunno. With all the upsets going on. I like her to win but a part of me says it'd be nice if the underdog takes the match. Besides Azarenka is capable of doing that.

Which French guy?

^^
hehe Serena nga pala...edited na...
tanggal na nga pala si venus...

yun din sabi ng commentator, parang may kakaibang twist ang mangyayari DAW...pero lets see...leading si serena....

Well anything could happen. At Hisense Arena Dementieva is one more game away from dismantling Cibulkova.

one thing for sure, di hahayaan ni serena na walang williams ang maiwan sa Aust open

Azarenka retired 6-2 2-4. So as Zhie Jeng 1-4 against Kuznetsova. What's up with all of these ladies. Darn it!:bash:

ngiii... natalo pala si JJ.. tsk..tsk..

^^huh? that's absurd Azarenka is leading...it's ok for Zhie she's behind 1-4 maybe the heat is very intense.

Azarenka retired 6-2 2-4. So as Zhie Jeng 1-4 against Kuznetsova. What's up with all of these ladies. Darn it!:bash:

oo nga eh...Zhie failed me...:ohno:
wala na akong manok,,,

Andy Murray just lost a 5 setter to Spain's Fernando Verdasco. So it seems that Nadal's path towards his first ever Aussie final is already clear. But then again, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is still a looming obstacle in his draw.

Our very own Francis Casey Alcantara was upset in the Boy's Juniors first round falling to Sweden's Daniel Berta 3-6, 4-6. Oh well, better luck next time.

Nakabawi rin naman kahit papano si Francis Casey Alcantara when he won his first round doubles match with Taiwan's Cheng Peng Hsieh. Alcantara and Hsieh won over Androic (Croatia) and Sitaram (India) in straight sets, 6-3, 6-5. Alcantara won all his service games. Congrats! Hope they reach the finals!

...Is Maria Sharapova joining the australian open???

...Is Maria Sharapova joining the australian open???

a good question! i guess she's a champion just waiting who will be her opponent in the final .

Bad bad Murray.:bash: He's clearly one of the favorites to win this year. Well on a better note, at least Ivanovic's Australian Open won't be that too much of a gloom as her beau is still in the draw.

ouch! murray...:ohno:
bye bye na sa australian open 2009 Andy Murray...he was beaten by Verdasco...

MY PREDICTIONS regarding the men's and women's singles QF:

Nadal over Simon (pero sana hindi!), Tsonga over Verdasco, Roddick over Djokovic (please!), Federer over del Potro

Zvonareva over Bartoli, Dokic over Safina (albeit improbable), Dementieva over Suarez Navarro, Williams over Kuznetsova.

^^ anything can happen. serena was almost gone but ladyluck is on her side. my sentimental favourite tsonga is clearly hurt but still keeps on winning. roddick over djoker please. i hate serbians!!!

super funny yung interview ni serena at roddick.

i don't think serena was going to lose that match. she was up 4-2, just as azarenka was losing steam.

and yeah, i like tsonga's chances. dementieva's as well!

i thought of that too but the first set was obviously will never be hers. she can't get those power first serves. in the second set azarenka started to lose steam because of her sickness.

im hoping nino will go all the way in his doubles. i can say with his record that he is better in doubles than singles.

maybe he can join the main draw of the slams next year? hmmmmm, for sure, he will represent RP for 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. i just had this idea of watching his matches over there. I'm confident he can beat the Lees(KOR) and the Udomchokes(THA).

Hmmm... I've never heard of Nino Alcantara so I did a little research. :D He's the number 1 junior in the country pala. Hopefully, gumaling pa siya para naman may pambato na tayo sa mga international tennis tournaments.

What happened to that PJ Tierro guy?

Also, he uses Dunlop racquets like me :D

^^ he failed...

PJ Tierro is nowhere to be found. Whatever happened to him. He's quite active with Davis Cup tho.

Well let's give Serena some cred for being motherly to Azarenka when she retired. Altho she was really playing far from her game. Gotta say Azarenka would've taken the match.

Hmm... come to think about it. Ladyluck is really on Serena's side almost all the time. Remember that match between her and Hantuchova last year at Wimbledon? She was down and out with the cramps that needed major treatment and all. Then came the rain suspending play. Eventually she won the match in 3 gruelling sets. It was such a pain just watching her play that time.

Anyways, my predictions:
Simon over Nadal. Altho I kinda like Rafa too.
Tsonga beating Verdasco
Roddick over Nole
del Potro over Federer (sorry jerick!)

Zvonareva beating Marion
Dokic over Safina
Dementieva
Serena

Vera through to the semis.:cheer:

Wow, good job for Vera! :okay: She's doing well na rin lately. Siya yung iyakin dati, right? Yung umiiyak na lang bigla in the middle of her matches. :D

nag retire si Djokovic...:ohno:

^^
sayang yun ah :ohno:

davao4now what's the temp in Melbourne? the searing heat that "did" these players into retirement ..i hope it will not be the case in the Finals :ohno:

akala ko ba tapos na yung retractable roof?

davao4now what's the temp in Melbourne? the searing heat what "did" these players into retirement ..i hope it will not be the case in the Finals :ohno:

akala ko ba tapos na yung retractable roof?

very very very hot...kaya nga siguro maraming players ang wala sa condition this time...they cant stand the heat of the sun...yesterday t'was 28 C today is 30 something and tomorrow it'll reach to 41 C...

madaling mag lose ng fluids and bodies ng mga players at madaling mapagod ang isang tao if its really hot...

btw, the state government of Victoria, Australia predict that this week is the hottest week in 100 years...

yes tapos na sila sa roof, but im not sure sa ibang facilities because when i passed by the Melbourne Park, may structure pa na hindi natapos...

players who got matches scheduled night time are fortunate, they wont suffer...just imagine if its summer here the sun is still up till 9 pm...ramdam mo pa ang init ng araw kasi may araw pa hanggang 9 pm...

kinakabahan ako kay Dokic...

klaro pa ang nipples niya sa suot niya...:D

Wow, good job for Vera! :okay: She's doing well na rin lately. Siya yung iyakin dati, right? Yung umiiyak na lang bigla in the middle of her matches. :D

:yes: She had some issues controlling her emotions on court. But she managed to tame that part of her game now.

davao4now what's the temp in Melbourne? the searing heat what "did" these players into retirement ..i hope it will not be the case in the Finals :ohno:

akala ko ba tapos na yung retractable roof?

very very very hot...kaya nga siguro maraming players ang wala sa condition this time...they cant stand the heat of the sun...yesterday t'was 28 C today is 30 something and tomorrow it'll reach to 41 C...

madaling mag lose ng fluids and bodies ng mga players at madaling mapagod ang isang tao if its really hot...

btw, the state government of Victoria, Australia predict that this week is the hottest week in 100 years...

yes tapos na sila sa roof, but im not sure sa ibang facilities because when i passed by the Melbourne Park, may structure pa na hindi natapos...

players who got matches scheduled night time are fortunate, they wont suffer...just imagine if its summer here the sun is still up till 9 pm...ramdam mo pa ang init ng araw kasi may araw pa hanggang 9 pm...

Didn't they play at Rod Laver Arena? From what I know it has a retractable roof eversince. Not so sure tho when's the appropriate time for them to close it other than rain. As far as I know, if a match is started without the roofs, it'll stay that way until the end of the match, unless there's rain.

Anyways, yea I guess it must've been the weather that's hampering them players. Too bad for Novak.

UPDATE: Safina won against Dokic 6-4 4-6 6-4.:(

:yes:
Didn't they play at Rod Laver Arena? From what I know it has a retractable roof eversince. Not so sure tho when's the appropriate time for them to close it other than rain. As far as I know, if a match is started without the roofs, it'll stay that way until the end of the match, unless there's rain.

Anyways, yea I guess it must've been the weather that's hampering them players. Too bad for Novak.

UPDATE: Safina won against Dokic 6-4 4-6 6-4.:(

i dont know with rod laver's roof.....yes they are playing at rod laver...but there are 3 or more courts inside the Melbourne Park...

oo nga eh, wala ng pangbato ang australia...

yes, too bad for Djoko...all of my bets are gone...:ohno:

Yes there's Margaret Court Arena, Hisense Arena which used to be known as Vodafone Arena, 2 show courts among other smaller courts. But it's only Rod Laver that has a retractable roof installed on it. There must be some technical glitch with the roofs if that's the case.

or maybe matindi talga ang init...:ohno:

in a way, sinabi ni vijay armritaj (whatever the spelling is), commentator sa star sports and used to be a tennis player from india na medyo kulang law daw sa preparations yung mga athletes na nagre-retire because of the heat. kasi daw, its been like that naman daw noon pa.

pero, i'm happy with the FEDEX win (sorry cus!). didn't expect a 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 trashing from my idol.

happy with dokic although she lost the QF to safina.

and extra, extra happy with the Djoker loss.

^^ super hapi rin ako that i'll no longer see any serbian from now on till the end of AO.

may galit sa serbs? croat ka ba o taga-kosovo?

im a muslim JOKE!!! diba muslim killer yung mga yun!?!:bash:

boring semis kanina excep for dokic-safina match.

^^Did Novak, Ana or any other Serbian tennis players kill muslims? Wag ka namang mag-generalize. :)

^^ totoo naman that the serbian army killed muslims in kosovo (mass killing). hindi ko naman sinabi na sila ang pumatay kasi nung mga panahon na yun busy sila sa training:bash:

ont: goodluck to my sentimental favourite tsonga and my fl bet nadal.

naku, maka-fedex pa naman ako.

^^ totoo naman that the serbian army killed muslims in kosovo (mass killing). hindi ko naman sinabi na sila ang pumatay kasi nung mga panahon na yun busy sila sa training:bash:

ont: goodluck to my sentimental favourite tsonga and my fl bet nadal.

Sorry OT na to, pero I just need to reply sa post mo.

Paano naman yung mga muslim terrorists? Madami silang pinatay, hindi lang mga Christians. So, hate mo rin sila?

Anyway, let's talk about tennis on this thread and nothing else. Ok? :)

It's beginning to look like a Nadal-Federer final will be in the offing. Nadal will have to beat an in-form Simon and most likely against Tsonga again in the semis. Federer should be the hot favorite over a much improved Roddick.

In the women's side, let's see if Russia will have its first all-Russian semifinals. Serena Williams will have a say about that. But over-all, whoever comes out of the lower half of the women's draw will most likely win it all. Dementieva-Williams will be an interesting semis draw.

Serena just won over Kuzzie in three sets, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.

wow! 2 lefty spaniards playing against each other for the final berth

Verdasco stunned Tsonga in the qrts.

Tsonga is OUT. He was booted out by Verdasco with the Spaniard winning in 4 sets: 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Next up: Nadal vs. Simon

wow! 2 lefty spaniards playing against each other for the final berth

Verdasco stunned Tsonga in the qrts.

^^ Nadal has not yet played his quarterfinals match against Simon.

God, Tsonga is out...lahat na lang ng bets ko nawala lahat...

Nadal Defeated Simon..

so it will be spanish vs. spanish up next: Nadal vs. Verdasco

I hope to see a Fed - Verdasco finale.

appeals are welcome.

God, Tsonga is out...lahat na lang ng bets ko nawala lahat...

Nadal Defeated Simon..

so it will be spanish vs. spanish up next: Nadal vs. Verdasco

well my prediction was right 2 lefty spaniards against each other.hehe

a Nadal vs. Federer will be favorable for Rafa for having an edge beating Roger 2 consecutive grandslams finals.

This is beginning to look like a funfilled ending between the two main draws. Well aside from what happened to Dokic. Good thing is, she crawled back into the top 100 just by reaching the QF. Good job for her.:okay:

I was a bit disappointed with Simon. Thought he could've worked Nadal for 5. But then again, Rafa was really on his game. And not bad for Verdasco too. He's been playing well since the mid-season last year. But I still don't like him because of Ana.:lol:

Now into the semis... hmm seems like all semifinal matches will be played today except for the Nadal-Verdasco clash. First off will be Elena and Serena. I really hope Dementieva will have the upper hand with this one. She has beaten the younger Williams in their last 3 previous meetings so I guess that'll be enough to boost her confidence. Somehow I have this inkling feeling of not wanting Serena to get her 10th GS title. I just don't like the sound of it. I just feel envious for the other girls.:lol:

On the other semis, I'm rooting for Vera to win. This has been a long time coming for her. And she really deserves a berth into the finals.

Roddick-Federer... puhlease... Andy!:cheer: Andy!:cheer: Andy!:cheer:

I played tennis today.

It's very very different from its cousin sports of badminton and table tennis, which I play both well.

Tennis was pretty hard. xD

^^It's hard at first but once you get the hang of it, you'll get addicted :D

Gotta agree. I actually played badminton and tennis in college. At first I had some trouble switching between the rackets you know with the weight, length and all that. But eventually got used to it. I haven't played both for the longest time. Altho when I went home last holidays went to hit some balls with a friend. I don't get to play tennis here since I arrived 2007.

We should have a tennis club here, SSC-Philippines Tennis Club he he! :D We can all meet up and play tennis. :D

Yeah, I kept playing and I eventually managed to answer serves.

We should have a tennis club here, SSC-Philippines Tennis Club he he! :D We can all meet up and play tennis. :D

why not?an NBA style "home and away"....lets have the inagural game in Mindanao !:lol:

^^
nakakapagod naman yan :D
sana ibalik nila ang Mindanao Games :D

GO! how much would be the prize?:D

S. Williams defeated Demetieva, thus williams advancing to the finals...

grabe naman itong si dementieva, shes the one making points for williams..:lol:

UP next: Safina vs. Zvonareva

Sayang naman tong si Elena. :(

Go, Dinara na lang ako hehe! :D

^^
Safina is through to the Finals, she will be facing S. Williams.

FedererExpress! Chug! Chug! Chug!

^^ FULL STOP AHEAD lol

I just have this feeling that Roddick may just pull off a surprise.

^^
suprise?
he was defeated by federer...

so federer now is just waiting for the finals...
would it be Fed vs. Nad or Fed vs. Verd....?

pusta? piso piso lang...:lol:

yey, Fedex won. Sorry Cus.

Meanwhile, let's support Francis Casey "Niño" Alcantara. He and his Taiwainese partner made it to the Junior Men's Doubles Semis. Quite a big feat for me though.

Go Niño!

go Dinara! :cheer:

i'd rather have dinara and elena slug it out for the Roland Garros crown. more realistic sya for me.

I feel sorry for Elena... and Vera too.:(

who won the games today? :D

^^
suprise?
he was defeated by federer...

so federer now is just waiting for the finals...
would it be Fed vs. Nad or Fed vs. Verd....?

pusta? piso piso lang...:lol:

FedererExpress!

What's the scoreline btw?

Williams sisters won the women's double finals...

:banana:

pero bilib talaga ako kay Sugiyama, very skiiful and shes using her head before hitting the ball.:)

just noticed Rafa is now wearing T-shirt and not the usual sleeveless and his shorts are more conservative now than before. maybe a tip from his gf Francesca hehe

^^
have you seen the "on-court" commentator yesterday, he asked Rafa to show his mucles 'cos a lot of girls daw missing his muscles, he was even questioned why he changed his fashion...:lol:

isa lang ang hindi nagabgo sa kanya, panay hawak parin sa behind...:lol:

Verdasco might win this game...

both rafa ang verdas are fortunate enough this afternoon, they are playing in court with a temp of 29 C kanina hapon umabot pa sa 43 C.....i reckon they disliked the australian summer..

The Rafa - Verdasco Match is still on. Amazing!!!!

Rafael Nadal is thru to the Australian Open final with a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 win over Fernando Verdasco in 5 hours and 14 minutes. Masterful display of endurance, talent, and brute strength from both guys. Just so amazing.

Verdasco hit 95 winners compared to Nadal's 52. While Verdasco had 76 unforced errors compared to Nadal's 25. All in all, Nadal had 193 points compared to Verdasco's 192.

It was so drama-filled, I thought it was better compared to the Nadal-Federer 2008 Wimbledon final.

Nadal faces Roger Federer next.

^^ It's actually the longest match in Australian Open history lasting for 5 hours and 14 minutes. Lucky for Rafael he got thru.

deep into the 5th set, wala na kong paki kung sino winner. it was that awesome.

Go Rafa!:cheer: Go Rafa!:cheer:

let's congratulate Niño Alcantara for making it to the finale of the Australian Open Junior Boys' Doubles Final!

wow a 5-setter win by Rafa !

strange things happened in Aust. open from too many upsets in the early rounds & to many seeded players succumbed to the punishing heat ..but when the smoke cleared it's nothing unusual...

Men's Final

No.1 player vs. the No.2 player

Women's Final

No.2 player vs the No. 3 player

my fantasy finals

Verdasco vs. Simon

2 excting players !

^^i agree.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/CurbsidePuppet/amazing-1.jpg

i can't get enough of the match. nilagay ko pa sya sa blog ko.

^^ they look like twins ! not only in physical features but also their style in tennis

mukha ngang pinoy si verdasco eh. mukha syang siga sa mga schools.

if Verdasco wants to beat Rafa it should have been in the 4th set ..Rafa is hard to beat in the final set .

actually, it come to a point wherein i didn't really care who would win that match. it was that good for me.

i miss the match but hooray for rafa!!!

let's congratulate Niño Alcantara for making it to the finale of the Australian Open Junior Boys' Doubles Final!

^^ Better to congratulate Niño once he becomes a Grand Slam Juniors Doubles champion. Already a great accomplishment to reach the finals but it seems he's on his way to more glory!!! Good luck.

I saw the replay early this morning and I'm so glad to see Rafa advancing to the finals. But I've got to credit Verdasco for that impressive performance. Good serving and big forehands! :clap: He's improved a lot! :okay:

Good luck to Nino Alcantara.

strange things happened in Aust. open from too many upsets in the early rounds & to many seeded players succumbed to the punishing heat ..but when the smoke cleared it's nothing unusual...


That's why Australian Open is my favorite grandslam. :okay:

Playing style wise there was nothing that seperates the two. Talking about looping groundstrokes and overly done topspins. Grabe, parang sumasayaw yung bola. But then, a better man had to rise to the occasion and it was Rafael. My affection for Nadal as a player even grew bigger when after the match he crossed the net and approached Verdasco with not just a simple handshake but a hug. One of the best matches if not the best I've ever seen so far.:okay:

^^ and when Vedrasco exited &passing Rafa he gave him a clap signifying his respect for his countryman.

I guess what seperate Nadal from the rest is his minimal unforced error( which is evident in the match) Vedrasco deep sharp and powerful groundstroke is a force to reckon with.

Francis Alcantara is currently playing at Margaret Court Arena. They won the first set 6-4. Currently they're in the lead 2-1 in the 2nd.

It's official. We have our first Filipino Grand Slam winner!:cheer:
Francis Alcantara won his Boys' Doubles Final with his partner Cheng Peng Hsieh of Chinese Taipei against Mikhal Biryukov of Russia and Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan 6-4 6-2.:cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

^^ Congratulations Nino Alcantara!!! They won the title without dropping a single set. That's awesome!!! Next up... French open!! Hope he gets to go deep in the Grand Slam singles in the future..... CONGRATS!!!

Serena Williams...Champion of the 2009 Australian Open Women's division...
The first Gram Slam Title Holder this year.
The New World Number 1...
Won the Women's double together with her sister Venus Williams...

Congratulations...:banana:

i was so happy when star sports announced that alcantara was the first filipino grand slam winner. Yehey! Almost felt like winning the olympic gold for me!

^^
yeah! its like winning gold medal in Beijing...:D

Gold Medal - Team Philippines...:banana:

but wait, why is it in tennis, national anthems of both players are not played...

Oh well, Serena is on the ascendancy. She has now 10 GS single titles. She reclaimed the number 1 ranking. What morecould she ask for? Aside from shedding some of those massive tush and jugs.:D Kidding! Happy for her tho.

umpisa na ba Rafa vs. Roger?

may youtube video of the alcantara?

umpisa na ba Rafa vs. Roger?

umpisa na!
with Fed leading...:)

Rafa won the 1st set

^^nakupo! What happened to Roger!?

:omg: Nadal won!:cheer:

^^
wow ang bilis ng mga taong ito naunahan pa ako.


congratulations to NADAL...

the 2009 Australian Open Champion...:banana:

oh i felt sorry for Federer...:(
he cried during the ceremony, maybe he cant accept that he was beaten by Nadal...:(
he cant even continue his speech, better luck next time Federer...

matagal natapos ang laro :D

I wasn't able to see the men's finals but I'm glad Rafa won. Vamos! :D

I'm happy for Alcantara as well! I'm proud of you :okay:

if Roger is a cut above the rest what about Rafa?

imo Roger cried not because he didn't get his 14th GS title to surpass Pete Sampra ( i have no doubt he can attain it) but the 3 consecutive grand slam defeat from Rafa is hard to accept .

Awww, he made me cry too.:(
gNZMdZRqAHQ

Alcantara ‘ripe’ for Davis Cup


By Marc Anthony Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:42:00 02/02/2009

Filed Under: Tennis


MANILA, Philippines—Francis Casey Alcantara, the newest toast of Philippine tennis, has been recommended for inclusion in the RP Davis Cup squad that will see action in Hong Kong from March 6 to 8.

The 16-year-old Alcantara became the first Filipino to triumph in a tennis Grand Slam event Saturday after teaming up with Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Cheng-peng to cop the boys’ doubles crown.

Though the decision to pick Alcantara outright for the RP team would come from the Philippine Tennis Association’s board of directors, Philta vice president Randy Villanueva said selecting him would be “easy to justify after winning a Grand Slam event.”

The Cagayan de Oro hero could play alongside Fil-American Cecil Mamiit and PJ Tierro.

Alcantara and Hsieh beat Mikhal Biryukov of Russia and Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan, 6-4, 6-2, in Saturday’s finals at Melbourne Park.

Alcantara turns 17 on Wednesday.

Alcantara, in a phone interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer before departing Melbourne for Manila Saturday, expressed delight over the news, saying that wearing the country’s colors in the David Cup is “everybody’s dream.”

Coach Junjun Toledo, himself a former Davis Cupper, said the experience of playing in the event will boost his ward’s confidence and give him much-needed experience.

Toledo said ITF events around Asia may be lined up for Alcantara, but a Davis Cup experience for the teenager “would be great.”

Villanueva said Alcantara may also be considered to play in the main team and not be part of the training pool like age-group stalwarts Joshua Kyle Dandan and Pablo Olivarez II.

“If there are concerns whether he’s ripe for it, this would be the answer,” Villanueva said.

Though Alcantara is primarily a singles specialist, his doubles experience can bolster the RP Davis Cuppers, who will miss Fil-Am Eric Taino, who got married recently.

Alcantara, according to Villanueva, can also be paired with doubles player Fil-Am Treat Conrad Huey who is set to play for the Philippines for the first time.

Awww, he made me cry too.:(
gNZMdZRqAHQ

I am in a state of grief as well. :cry:

Damn that guy with a big butt. :cry:

I am in a state of grief as well. :cry:

Damn that guy with a big butt. :cry:

:lol:

I am in a state of grief as well. :cry:

Damn that guy with a big butt. :cry:

...Ferer scratches his butt everytime he gets a ball in his pocket...:lol:

i feel sad for rafa for feeling bad and saying sorry by beating federer... again. ang drama ni roger nang-agaw pa ng limelight.

I'm glad Nadal won. Federer was well rested. Nadal came off a five-set match and came back on short rest and had another five-set match. Federer had no excuses and is a drama queen. I'm sure he will win again, but yeah too bad you lost on more rest to a guy who has beaten you on three surfaces and just came back really tired from a five set match.

kayo ha, inaaway niyo si federer.

eh drama queer naman talaga sya.

hindi na nya matatalo ang record ni sampras. i hope.

wag naman. may at least 3 years pa naman sya sa tour.

kelangan lang nya ng full-time coach and some trainers, something he hasn't done since end of 2003. he hired tony roche and that figueras guy for a short-term coaching para lang sa clay court season. but wala talaga syang coach for the past five years.

he deserves the kudos and the awwws he's got naman. didn't see anything wrong dun sa nangyaring pag-iyak niya. eh that was what he was feeling that time eh. and nung before pa sya tawaging magsalita nun, i really thought he was battling his tears then.

diba may history naman talaga sya sa pag-iyak pag trophy ceremonies?

during his first final loss way back in 1998 ata or 1999, he also cried then.

I love Roger,he's still my champion.
He's my fave like Steffi Graf and Goran Ivansevic.

I kind of just think it was distasteful for him to go up there, and then stop, and then the trophy is given to the champion and then he came back on again. Once he's off the stage and the champion is introduced, it's all the champion's stage. It's kind of disrespectful to the winner.

He had no excuses for the loss, the better man won the match that day. Maybe on another day he will beat Nadal but yesterday, Nadal was the better man..

I kind of just think it was distasteful for him to go up there, and then stop, and then the trophy is given to the champion and then he came back on again. Once he's off the stage and the champion is introduced, it's all the champion's stage. It's kind of disrespectful to the winner.

He had no excuses for the loss, the better man won the match that day. Maybe on another day he will beat Nadal but yesterday, Nadal was the better man..

well, he was not able to give his speech at first and the guy (whoever was he who did the emceeing) said that he(fed) could have his speech later on. the reason fed spoke again before nadal actually could speak was he thought the champion should have been the last person to speak there not him.

tama naman si fed. nadal should have had the last say kaya he opted to speak again before nadal could do his congratulatory speech.

I guess Roger is starting to feel the "bridesmaid syndrome" joke! lol

I've been playing tennis for three days now and tyronne was right! I'm alot better than when I started. Now I can play a pretty long rally. :D

And it IS fun!

wow a Filipino tennis champion! how fitting since I just took up tennis when I was in Manila:D

Alcantara should muscle up to make up for his stature, just a suggestion:D

when I was in Manila I went to the Rizal complex to learn, and the PSC tennis courts are in quite good condition. compared to synthetic grass (which are prevalent here in Sydney) hardcourt is so much better to play on, sand doesn't gather in your shoes and socks and I'm more comfortable with the bounce.

I've been playing tennis for three days now and tyronne was right! I'm alot better than when I started. Now I can play a pretty long rally. :D

And it IS fun!

Very good! For now, don't be too conscious about your form (stance, swing, serve, etc.) Just keep on practicing on how to get the ball back to the other side of the court. It doesn't matter if the shot is too long or too short, just keep it over the net. Also, start thinking about what you want to develop as your weapon (backhand, forehand, etc.) Keep it up! :D :okay:

Ako wala. I'm always on the bleachers. Although it's kinda enticing because my dad, brothers and cousins are all into it. Ang bigat ng racket at ang hirap tumakbo! :lol:

So there, I'm really starting off from scratch. Any tips for someone who doesn't know anything about tennis? Are the rules just the same as table tennis? 'Coz I've tried that when I was in college.

^^Iba yung rules sa lawn tennis. When I started, I also had no idea how the sport is played, well of course except for the fact that you have to hit the ball with a racket :lol: Eventually, you will learn the rules as you go along. I learned the rules from my uncle who taught me how to play the sport, from people I've played tennis with, from watching tennis games, and through the Internet. The racket is only heavy during the first few times and there are actually light rackets available in the market. :okay:

Alcantara now No. 18 in junior ITF rankings (http://www.mb.com.ph/SPRT20090207147563.html)

By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA

For his impressive performance in the doubles event of the Australian Open, Francis Casey Alcantara has jumped to No. 18 in the latest junior world rankings released by International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Alcantara, with Taiwan’s Hsieh Cheng-peng as partner, made history for the Philippines when he became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam title, although hehad to share the honor with Cheng-peng.

Alcantara racked up 545 points from his performance in both the singles and doubles this year.

That also made him as the No. 2-ranked player in Asia behind Taiwanese Yang Tsung-hua. Overall, the Taiwanese is seeded No. 3 with 911.25 points.

In December last year, Alcantara was ranked No. 41 with only 462.5 points.

His participation in the Grade 1 Optus Nottinghill International in Melbourne a week before the Australian Open also helped increase his ranking points despite reaching only the Round of 32 and Round 16 in the singles and doubles events, respectively.

Jun Toledo, Alcantara’s coach of three years, yesterday expressed delight at the young netter’s latest achievement.

"We’re both happy of the way things are going. Our goal is to push him more. He can still make it to the top," Toledo said.

Toledo said his main goal for Alcantara is for him to make it to the top four at the end of the year.

To make that happen, Alcantara plans to compete in the men’s tournament to earn more points.

"We wanted him to start playing more men’s tournaments and earn ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) points so he’ll continue to play better," Toledo said.

Alcantara will see action Grade 1 events in Malaysia, Thailand, Manila and Nagoya from March until the first week of April before competing on European tour in June.

If plans push through, Alcantara is also considering taking part in the French Open in June, Wimbledon in July and the US Open in September.

Alcantara is also being eyed to play for the RP Davis Cup team in the Asia Oceania Zone Group I tie against Hong Kong in March which bodes well with his dream of representing the country in the Davis Cup.

"His dream is also to represent the country in the Davis Cup. It will be an honor for him," said Toledo, who also competed in the Davis Cup from 1995 to 1998.

Very good! For now, don't be too conscious about your form (stance, swing, serve, etc.) Just keep on practicing on how to get the ball back to the other side of the court. It doesn't matter if the shot is too long or too short, just keep it over the net. Also, start thinking about what you want to develop as your weapon (backhand, forehand, etc.) Keep it up! :D :okay:

my mother filmed me playing tennis. I look horrible. But it certainly didn't feel horrible hitting the ball from the sweet spot.

going back to that piece of news - I hope Alcantara can successfully make the transition from juniors to men's.