U.S Open 4th round Blake vs Haas
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anointedone
Banned
Haas beat him in Australia this year though, and was up 2 sets to 0 on his last year but Davydenko fought back.
What I find really interesting is that Haas put on a red (the colour of aggression) shirt for the last game & subsequent tie-break. And won the match.
Just as Federer changed into a white shirt (a surrender colour) and promply lost the match to Safin in AO 02.
Remember that, all you club players. Colour wins matches.
Just as Federer changed into a white shirt (a surrender colour) and promply lost the match to Safin in AO 02.
Remember that, all you club players. Colour wins matches.
Fedace
Banned
unless it's just a paintjob
It sure looks like Aerogel 300 and plays like it too from tommy's win today.
Fedace
Banned
Oh tommy changed to red cause he won the Grojean match with it on. and he also thinks he is tiger Woods on sunday.
Grandslam05
Rookie
What? If you consider a fifth set tie break with two shot makers having twice as many winners as unforced errors diving at volleys and hitting shots over their heads boring then you have something wrong with you.
Breaker
Legend
Fed also wore black (colour of death? sith lords? ninjas?) and destroyed his opponent in round 2, there is definitely a connection.
Tennis_Monk
Hall of Fame
I like HAAS game. Awesome. Not that i dont like JB. Both are excellent Shot makers and fun to watch them ripping shots.
Between them though i wanted Haas to win (did predict it one of the threads strictly by favoritism).
Good Stuff. watching the Tie breaker again in DVR.
Between them though i wanted Haas to win (did predict it one of the threads strictly by favoritism).
Good Stuff. watching the Tie breaker again in DVR.
WillAlwaysLoveYouTennis
Hall of Fame
Just a sideline thanks to everyone for play by play on the match!
no prob, but it was mostly alex haha. i just like adding my worthless 2 cents.
ilovecarlos
Professional
Yeah, me too...could be that he had already received 1 warning for the very loud F bomb he screamed in the first set
Still a great match...I really wanted Tommy to win but thought he'd blow it...he almost did....Man, Mary Carillo sure loves to blab what she knows about people's girlfriends, doesn't she?
Fedace
Banned
Yeah, me too...could be that he had already received 1 warning for the very loud F bomb he screamed in the first set
Mary is hot for Tommy's girlfriend, i detected it in her voice
consigliere
Rookie
What did she say ?
Blake made at least 4 unforced errors in that tie break. And his mind was obviously not there in the 4th set blow out. Mentally, he has to be much stronger to make it to the semis. And the USO and AO are probably his best opportunities. OTOH, Haas showed his mental strength overcoming 3 match points with strong serves and on a few other key points.
Hey, that was a great match, very exciting and dramatic. I never saw Haas that mentally strong, remaining focused and calm despite the three match points against him. The two "challenge" decisions at the end were really a letdown though. What an anticlimax to a great game.
I also liked seeing two Dunlop players delivering such a good show... sadly you don't see that very often these days.
I also liked seeing two Dunlop players delivering such a good show... sadly you don't see that very often these days.
rfprse
Professional
Well, he did get tight under the pressure and ended up losing his serve game.
I'm glad he managed through for the rest of the set.
Nice win.
M
Morrissey
Guest
All I have to say is Blake is 1-10 in 5 set matches. Nuff said, he blew 3 match points. Somehow, I still thought he would blow it anyway. In the end that's a terrible record that will define his career in a nutshell. Flashy player but too inconsistent and mentally weak. BTW, he is waaay overrated. All this hype and attention for a guy who hasn't won a Masters event or get past the 4th Round of a major except for the US Open QF one time in 2005.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
Good points there. But. Hey now, I think Tommy's serves had a LITTLE something to do with those match points. No?
anointedone
Banned
I agree but he has made some strides at this U.S Open. He won his first 5-setter ever vs Santoro. He was outplayed by Koubek, and the stats after 3 sets were heavily in Koubek's favor in every way, winners, unforced errors, points won, and he still found himself up 2 sets to 1. Today he was down 4-2, 2 break points and fought back to be up those match points at 5-6, and the match points he lost were atleast on Haas's serve and Haas hit really good serves on them.
That being said he is probably nearing the end of opportunity for him. Isnt he almost 30 now?
psamp14
Hall of Fame
blake is 27....
M
Morrissey
Guest
Now having said all that, his best chance at making any mark in a slam was here and he will have to wait until next year. By then he's 29. At least he still moves good.
M
Morrissey
Guest
He turns 28 this year.
Fetus Gerulaitis
New User
I agree with Mary Carillo, Federer has a great defensive game to compliment his offense. Blake could really benefit by not going "balls out" on each and every shot. Play defense (on occasion) until he is in a position to hit a killer forehand. Instead, I saw many instances of just trying to crush each and every ball.
M
Morrissey
Guest
Well, that's how he plays all the time. He just doesn't seem to want to put himself in any defensive position whatsoever, even when he's on the run he goes all out for the winner. He may be the most brain dead player on a tennis court outside of Roddick & Gonzo. No strategy? No problem, just blast every ball.
sportsfan92
Rookie
AGREED! i like blake - but geez - those people drive me nuts!
FuriousYellow
Professional
I was thinking the same thing watching the match and I agree with Carillo's description of Blake's style of tennis as being too "swashbuckley". I lost count of the number of times Blake tried to hit passing shot winners from out of position on Haas' approach shots instead going for a simple defensive lob.
I'm not a fan of Haas because of his on-court behavior, but I really admired the way he changed his tactics during the match and had Blake befuddled.
He was 26 last year.
always_steffi
New User
this is dumb
always_steffi
New User
wonder how his career would have shaped up if he had a decent coach. Some like Tony Roche or the likes.
His current coach has been with him what since he was in his teens. What does that say about the coach if after all this time he still cannot get Blake to play percentage tennis.
Every time the camera focuses towards Blake's section of seats, his coach has this dead look, almost as if he is sleeping with his eyes open. Would it hurt to yell something to blake once in a while ?
His current coach has been with him what since he was in his teens. What does that say about the coach if after all this time he still cannot get Blake to play percentage tennis.
Every time the camera focuses towards Blake's section of seats, his coach has this dead look, almost as if he is sleeping with his eyes open. Would it hurt to yell something to blake once in a while ?
James Blake is also supposedly one of the best returners in the game. And it's not like Haas is Pete Sampras or anything.
Dimonator133
Banned
point at 3-3 in the 'breaker is hands down the best point I've ever seen in person.
but still trying to recover from the loss. In fact I'm still wearing the J-Block hat as I type in denial of the outcome.
but still trying to recover from the loss. In fact I'm still wearing the J-Block hat as I type in denial of the outcome.
M
Morrissey
Guest
That's funny, you'd have said that no matter who was in the draw. He's won the U.S. Open 3 years in a row and the Australian open the past 2. He owns hard court majors...who exactly poses a hard draw for him? Nadal? On clay yes, other surfaces no.
Any draw is an easy draw for Federer.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
Maybe you did not watch that last part of the 5th set. Those two or three serves were' Sampras-esque. I think even Pete Sampras would agree. At ad out, there was a forehand approach following a heavy wide serve that was also simply world-class.
Blake, as hot a returner as he can be at times, did not have the answer. Tommy Haas had something to do with that.
Pete.Sampras.
Semi-Pro
Any draw is an easier draw for Fed than it is for other players but it's never really an easy draw for anyone in a Grand Slam...
Also, Haas is one of the guys that can really give Fed some competition on a good day. Dawidenko could have a small chance too - he had his chances against Fed at last year's US Open but sure, he didn't use them. Nadal... I don't know. Roddick needs a high percentage of first serves and even then it'll be hard for him to become a real threat for Fed. Djokovic is still in and he defeated Fed just a few days/weeks ago. Sure Fed is the best at the US Open right now but it's not like it'll be too easy for him I'd say
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