Australian Open 2012 - Day 5

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Order of play

Rod Laver Arena
11:00 AM Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Lukas Lacko(SVK) vs. Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2]
Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Ivo Karlovic(CRO) vs. Roger Federer(SUI)[3]
7:00 PM Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Alexandr Dolgopolov(UKR)[13] vs. Bernard Tomic(AUS)
Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Anabel Medina Garrigues(ESP)[26] vs. Na Li(CHN)[5]

Hisense Arena
11:00 AM Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[3] vs. Mona Barthel(GER)
Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[1] vs. Monica Niculescu(ROU)[31]
Men's Singles - 3rd Round
John Isner(USA)[16] vs. Feliciano Lopez(ESP)[18]
7:00 PM Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Kim Clijsters(BEL)[11] vs. Daniela Hantuchova(SVK)[20]
Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Yen-Hsun Lu(TPE) vs. Juan Martin Del Potro(ARG)[11]

Margaret Court Arena
Tomas Berdych(CZE)[7] vs. Kevin Anderson(RSA)[30]

Show Court 2
11:00 AM Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Nina Bratchikova(RUS) vs. Iveta Benesova(CZE)
Not Before:2:30 PM
Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Stanislas Wawrinka(SUI)[21] vs. Nicolas Almagro(ESP)[10]
Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Romina Oprandi(ITA) vs. Julia Goerges(GER)[22]
Men's Singles - 3rd Round
Alejandro Falla(COL) vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber(GER)

spuranik wrote:
You know, yesterday when I was watching Simon-Benneteau, I made a comment that each and every point looks to be on Benne's racquet. I feel the same here with Dolgo.

I got a very good reply saying that that what it looks like when a positive player plays a pusher...

That was tennis at Borg's time....and it's tennis now. Some things never change....except that since 2008 those physical players are awfull dominant and consistent.

The relentless defending style is as often paying off as the match goes on.

Dolgo losing a bit of his sharpness while Tomic's slices and push shots are less affect by exhaustion.

Dolgo loses to love teh second set TB.

Yes. Push, push and push some more...

Playing endless slices is playing smart and craft these days...

spuranik wrote:Yes. Push, push and push some more...

Playing endless slices is playing smart and craft these days...

Agree! gutless!

And when Tomic tries to hit a winner it goes miles out.

Looks like Dolgopolov likes to play 5 setters. A bit like Murray really: likes to get himself a bit in trouble and then see if he can still win it.

Nadal and Djokovic are very different in this respect: they try to win as convincingly as possible. Fed used to be like that too but not that much anymore.

Dolgo is tiring fast! This match just shows how irrelevant shot making is in tennis today. Tomic is playing soft BH and FH and can at the end get the better of a talented opponent by dragging him into long rallies.

Another thing...

Tomic's run at the AO can be described both by a partisan home crowd and the slo-medium hard-court.

I think on a fast hard-court or indoors players can simply outhit him!

Who dares to like Tomic's game?!!!!!

The thing is he is only 19. When he gets 23 he will be much faster, stronger and will be able to "push" harder. He is going to be tough to shake off.

HAving rallies of 25 sliced BHs at almost every point is going to be very dull.

Is that a trick to fall off when you deliver your opponent an easy volley to put away to put him off?

I woudl not be surprised.

Good time for Dolgopolov to find his first serve.

How disappointing lol... Tomic has hit some good shots though I only started watching this set.

Dolgo is a very quick player but lacks that split sec composure that Federer has to make a point easy. The way he lost that TB was not good. Wasted.

Depends whether he wants to give up now.

Del Potro appears to be having it pretty much all his own way in the other match. 6-2, 3-1

The big difference between tennis now and before 2007 I woudl say is that in the past a big frame like Tomic, Murray coudl have never been of teh retreiving style. It was impossible for them to outlast the lighter players.

Now with training and diet they can outlast the smaller ones. You will not find in the history of tennis a tall retriever. They used their size and heighth to hit through their opponents.

Same thing in a 100m. A tall guy would take too long to start off the blocks, whereas now Bolt can built enough muscle to have a decent start and then use his long legs to crush the past records.

Science at your service.

Seems to have been a fair few hissy fits this tournament. In addition to Baghdatis apparently not being too happy with his bats, there are twitter rumours that Nalbandian was fined for throwing water over a staff member after his loss v. Isner. Don't know if it has been confirmed though.

MTO for Dolgo. Thinks it is a nerve problem apparently.

Tomic not been the same since the MTO.

break_in_the_fifth wrote:Tomic not been the same since the MTO.

It can certainly throw the opponent off their rhythm.

In other news, Del Potro appears to be coasting - 2 sets to love up.

Finally Dolgo expressing his potential for longer than a 10 min period: exciting stuff

gosh

Delpo 3-0 in the third, they think it's all over..........................

what a honey!!

Amazing hold from Dolgopolov.

I wander why Dolgo trust so little his dhbh?? All this slicing is pointless

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:what a honey!!

Isn't she!?!

Tenez wrote:

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:what a honey!!

Isn't she!?!

Which one? There's 2.

if Dolgopolov can win this, he has the following potential path to his first Slam win: Federer, Del Potro, Nadal, Djokovic

Anyone ever won a Slam by winning 7 five-setters in a row?

ah you catch her too!! Dolgo's friend?

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:ah you catch her too!! Dolgo's friend?

Thought you meant her, just wanted to check. Yeah dark hair blue eyes.

prostaff85 wrote:if Dolgopolov can win this, he has the following potential path to his first Slam win: Federer, Del Potro, Nadal, Djokovic

Anyone ever won a Slam by winning 7 five-setters in a row?

Chances to win = nil!

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:ah you catch her too!! Dolgo's friend?

Yep...there is only one for me!

Looking like its Tomic's path now.

She is as pretty as Tomic's game is ugly.

Awful! When you think he will probably win this match! terrible.

yes dull player, is he?

Come on Dolgo!!

i don't think Fed will have much work to write him off.....

Tomic's game is alright from what I've seen. He has some good flat shots. It's just that Dolgopolov's game has more flair and uniqueness.

bagel for JMDP... Fed will have more trouble in the QF!

break_in_the_fifth wrote:Tomic's game is alright from what I've seen. He has some good flat shots. It's just that Dolgopolov's game has more flair and uniqueness.

But that's what's terrible. A guy like that shoudl go for more winners. He is only flattening it out when he is 100%, 9 out of 10 it's soft sliced BH or pushed FH!

Get the feeling its just not Dolgopolov's day.

Just reading through some of the comments, I hope that Tomic hasn't 'pushed' Dolgopolov out of the match. Either way I can't see Tomic getting past Federer.

Those kind of games are contagious. If you give easy points away going for winners while your opponent is only pushing the ball back, then you tend to be more conservative, especially as you tire away.

I think I might have been wrong, her eyes looked green.

At least he's flattening out though, probably more than some players might in the the whole tournament.

Unfortunate for Dolgopolov as I think he's the better player but well played Tomic.

break_in_the_fifth wrote:Unfortunate for Dolgopolov as I think he's the better player but well played Tomic.

That's the case for many matches nowadays.

But as Greg says, DOlgo threw his match away.

I feel for Dolgo. Not sure if he could've given a true account of himself against Federer after 3 5-setters though.

The commentators seem to think their games are identical... I figured your reaction would be like that because this effect has been more pronounced in other matches but I don't think that was too much the case this time from what I saw.