Errani / Vavassori fought for justice under pressure

[travlerajm]

Kudos to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori for upholding the honor of doubles specialists!

Make no mistake. They were heavily favored by the oddsmakers to win every match. The outcome should not surprise anyone who knows anything about doubles.

But with the shortened 4-game-no-ad format, the margins were slimmer.

They came through!

The US Open did their best to insult the world’s best doubles players. They allowed the defending champs into the draw as the only actual doubles players in the event.

The tournament they won should not be considered a real grand slam. But the victory for them must taste even sweeter.

They fought for justice and came through under pressure.

 

[LuckyR]

Sure they won. They didn't dominate (as doubles specialists commonly do), since Casper was playing legit doubles strategy and Iga was hitting really good groundies (while breaking many doubles "rules").

As to the win tasting sweeter, yeah it was a 500% boost as a payday, plus they played to a packed house of fans hanging on every swing of the racquet. Very sweet.

 

[TennisBro]

Kudos to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori for upholding the honor of doubles specialists!

Make no mistake. They were heavily favored by the oddsmakers to win every match. The outcome should not surprise anyone who knows anything about doubles.

But with the shortened 4-game-no-ad format, the margins were slimmer.

They truly were the only real mixed doubles team that's competed before. Oddsmakers could see the BS in the tournament and even the 4-game format didn't swing them or Sara and Andrea in the wrong direction. How could they not have been top seeded by the org? How did the USO org account for who'd be 1st and 2nd seeds? Absolute disgrace for the USO org.

As to the win tasting sweeter, yeah it was a 500% boost as a payday, plus they played to a packed house of fans hanging on every swing of the racquet. Very sweet.

I get the enthusiasm, enterpreneurship, entertainment but the expertness.

 

[JustMy2Cents]

Have they become stars in their own right?
will they [and by extension, doubles format ] attract crowds in their next tourney?

or is it all just another exho, fuelled by star power of singles players, not having any lasting effect on the doubles in tourneys?

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

It was better than playing on an outer court with 50 people sitting in the bleachers. Many of the doubles specialists don't play MIXED.

 

[BumElbow]

It was better than playing on an outer court with 50 people sitting in the bleachers. Many of the doubles specialists don't play MIXED.

FALSE. Many doubles specialists DO PLAY the MIXED.

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

They became pawns in their game of legitimising the new format. It’s all the more valuable for the USTA to have the team who most criticised the format be the winners. They won’t be complaining with 5x the prize money they won last year in their pocket.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

FALSE. Many doubles specialists DO PLAY the MIXED.

Certainly some do, but most tournaments don't even have mixed doubles competition.

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

Make no mistake. They were heavily favored by the oddsmakers to win every match. The outcome should not surprise anyone who knows anything about doubles.

If they were "heavily favoured" the oddsmakers got it all wrong because this match was competitive.
After a rough start Casper and Iga finally found their rhythm late in the second set. At one point winning 16/20 points despite 3 IGA double faults.
If they had played a full third set it would have been close.
Have to believe real-time odds had it at most 60/40 in favour of defending champs going into the third set 10-point tiebreaker.

This match was very winnable.

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

It was better than playing on an outer court with 50 people sitting in the bleachers. Many of the doubles specialists don't play MIXED.

Even with the lovely Martina headlining, there were only 18 people in the stands for the MIXED Final at Melbourne.

 

[TennisBro]

Certainly some do, but most tournaments don't even have mixed doubles competition.

That's been said and is clear. What's inconvenient is how 1st and 2nd SEEDS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED and how the TOP MIXED DOUBLES TEAMS from THE TOURNAMENTS PLAYED every year have been ignored. If I were you, I'd just bring in the word FUN that this tournament was about. Right?

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

That's been said and is clear. What's inconvenient is how 1st and 2nd SEEDS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED and how the TOP MIXED DOUBLES TEAMS from THE TOURNAMENTS PLAYED every year have been ignored. If I were you, I'd just bring in the word FUN that this tournament was about. Right?

Yes. It was entertaining. Maybe more people will watch mixed doubles with the added exposure.

 

[Bartelby]

Why not run the mixed doubles as a round robin event on one day of the regular slam in the second week?

Two groups of four teams and then the play-off.

Needless to say, the eight teams should be chosen by ranking and play three regular sets.

 

[travlerajm]

Sure they won. They didn't dominate

Actually, they won 8 out of 9 total sets in shortened no-ad format with no margin to spare. And only one of the sets they won besides the match tiebreak in the final even went to a tiebreak. And the only set they lost went overtime. Never even trailed by a break.

That’s utter domination.

They were supposed to dominate against the faux field of slow-handed singles pretty boys and overhead-challenged starlets, and the took care of business.

 

[LuckyR]

Actually, they won 8 out of 9 total sets in shortened no-ad format with no margin to spare. And only one of the sets they won besides the match tiebreak in the final even went to a tiebreak. And the only set they lost went overtime. Never even trailed by a break.

That’s utter domination.

They were supposed to dominate against the faux field of slow-handed singles pretty boys and overhead-challenged starlets, and the took care of business.

Sorry Charlie, splitting one break sets and winning a 10 point tiebreaker by 2 minibreaks isn't domination. BTW, the match was 66 points total to 65 (Ruud/Swiatek won 66).

 

[TennisBro]

Yes. It was entertaining. Maybe more people will watch mixed doubles with the added exposure.

I don't think that'll happen because people are smart enough to figure out they've been manipulated. Moreover, the complaints from pro doubles/mixed doubles players and perhaps even lawsuits may add to the "entertainment". What I believe is that the USO org has opened up a sort of Pandora Box that'll adjust the rules for how Mixed Doubles will be played soon. But be assured that it won't most likely be the way you are thinking.

 

[travlerajm]

I don't think that'll happen because people are smart enough to figure out they've been manipulated. Moreover, the complaints from pro doubles/mixed doubles players and perhaps even lawsuits may add to the "entertainment". What I believe is that the USO org has opened up a sort of Pandora Box that'll adjust the rules for how Mixed Doubles will be played soon. But be assured that it won't most likely be the way you are thinking.

In today’s idiocracy era, I’m skeptical of this.

 

[esm]

A win is A win, no matter the score and how they got there.
How embarrassing was this. LOL
The losing team needs to work on their sportsmanship… what was the talking during the speech of the champions - even more embarrassing…. LOL

 

[johnmccabe]

The mixed doubles specialists may face a real dilemma. If they go back to the old format, prize money and small audience, they'll feel very disappointed. If they decided to do it again like this year, the singles player team may be more serious, better prepared and win it.

 

[travlerajm]

The men’s doubles event at slams historically has had roughly 40% of the draw allocated for singles players.

But the singles players only win the tournament 3% of the time, while doubles specialists win it 97%.

 

[johnmccabe]

Sorry Charlie, splitting one break sets and winning a 10 point tiebreaker by 2 minibreaks isn't domination. BTW, the match was 66 points total to 65 (Ruud/Swiatek won 66).

This was a lot closer than I expected. I thought iga ruud would get destroyed easily

 

[A_Instead]

If the new US Open mixed doubles event is deemed successful, will the same formula be applied at the other Grand Slams? I suspect so..
It brought a lot of revenue to the event that otherwise would not have occurred..

 

[BumElbow]

Certainly some do, but most tournaments don't even have mixed doubles competition.

That's what makes the Slams so special and why the Mixed Doubles should continue to be played in full sets by the best doubles players in the world.

 

[A_Instead]

Have both formats of mixed doubles..
The Broadway show and also the competition.
Have best of both worlds.. why not..

 

[Roforot]

When do they do this mens and women’s doubles. I suspect the tournaments feel they dont need the doubles specialist and would rather have the big name singles players…

 

[Bartelby]

You could argue that the event functioned as a "teaser", which was based on the success of the Hopman Cup format, and that no further changes are required.

If the new US Open mixed doubles event is deemed successful, will the same formula be applied at the other Grand Slams? I suspect so..
It brought a lot of revenue to the event that otherwise would not have occurred..

 

[roysid]

Certainly some do, but most tournaments don't even have mixed doubles competition.

Right. Only slams and olympics have.
Not counting exhibitions

 

[canta_Brian]

Certainly some do, but most tournaments don't even have mixed doubles competition.

Men only tournaments or women only tournaments don’t have a mixed doubles event? I can’t even begin to imagine why!

 

[ghostofMecir]

If the new US Open mixed doubles event is deemed successful, will the same formula be applied at the other Grand Slams? I suspect so..
It brought a lot of revenue to the event that otherwise would not have occurred..

Purists and people following the game for a long time see why this was not good for those who make their living dong this, but it’s also undeniable that the attention this got and social media posts, etc., that mixed doubles or any doubles never gets means that everyone will do it.

 

[A_Instead]

Did the new mix doubles players get appearance fees?
They did put on a good show...it was fun to watch..

 

[ey039524]

Have both formats of mixed doubles..
The Broadway show and also the competition.
Have best of both worlds.. why not..

The USO did last year. Called the mixed invitation exhibition "Mixed Madness". Sold a lot of tickets.

 

[Bartelby]

The Hopman Cup, which contained a mixed doubles of high-ranking singles players, proved the entertainment value of this format.

 

[Shaolin]

In today’s idiocracy era, I’m skeptical of this.

My dad told me one ''never underestimate people's capacity for stupidity''. He will never know how right he was.