Sunday 31 January 2010

He Did it Again!

Oh well, both Chinese ladies bounced out in their semi-final matches, but wow-I'm still very impressed with both Li Na and Zheng Jie. Li put on a fight too, eventually succumbing to Serena Williams 7-6, 7-6. Zheng, on the other hand, was blown out in her match, albeit to a very worthy opponent in Justine Henin.

And a couple nights later, Justine Henin failed to complete her comeback story, losing to Serena in a very exciting, three-setter. Henin looked dead in the first set before charging back to take the second. Serena, however, put on the finishing touch by taking the third 6-2. She's now won 5 AO titles-that's also VERY impressive!

And early this morning EDT, Roger Federer took his 16th title with a straight sets victory over Andy Murray. While Murray began to show some form late in the third set, it was too little too late as Federer rallied to an easy victory. This just proves how LEGENDARY Federer is on the court. And though Murray is still missing that Grand Slam trophy on his mantlepiece, I think he will capture it sooner rather than later.

So there's another Australian Open for ya-can't wait for the French. I hope Nadal returns to form and puts on a show in Paris.

-D

Wednesday 27 January 2010

Can It Actually Happen...

Wow! What can I say? Another day, another Chinese woman has made the AO Semis.

This is completely unprecedented-having two Chinese players in the semis of a Grand Slam. The excitement is just ineffable! Even sweeter is the fact that Li Na, the player who tenaciously knocked out Venus Williams yesterday, is from my hometown of Wuhan. When she came back to win that third set yesterday, I was jumping up and down!

I'm not saying that it will likely happen, but we COULD, POTENTIALLY see an ALL-CHINESE Grand Slam final. That would be the biggest sporting spectable in China since the Olympics! Fingers crossed that the miracle will happen, but it will be nonetheless very exciting to see Zheng Jie and Li Na take on their semi-final opponents today.

Bold prediction of the day: Marin Cilic will upset Andy Murray once again.

-D

Tuesday 26 January 2010

Now Things Are Interesting...

Oh the tennis! Where to begin?

After another high drama day on the courts at Melbourne Park, this AO is headed towards one very interesting ending.

The two highlight matches of the day - Nadal v. Murray and Cilic v. Roddick sure brought out some drama! The Cilic v. Roddick match went 5 sets, Cilic's third of the tournament, and third victory, no less. Roddick found himself two sets down early, but battled back in the next two to tie it up. However, the pain in his shoulder/arm bothered him throughout the match, and Cilic eventually came out on top in a marathoner: 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3.

In the primetime match, Rafael Nadal also succumbed to injury. He was never in form as Murray took the first two sets 6-3, 7-6 (2). Trailing 3-0 in the third set, Nadal retired, much to the disappointment of the crowd at Rod Laver. That certainly leaves the door wide open for Federer to add to his mantlepiece.

Justine Henin continued her sizzling comeback run in the women's quarterfinals. She beat Nadia Petrova effortlessly and moved on to the semis. I wonder if this story has the same ending as that last lady who made her comeback on the courts after a two-year absence.

On the other hand, Zheng Jie, from China (woot!), made her second semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament, beating Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-1, 6-3. Now, fingers crossed for that other Chinese player, Li Na (who is from my hometown, no less!) as she plays Venus Williams when day breaks in Melbourne.

Federer and Davydenko will duel it out today as well. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Novak Djokovic are slated to face eachother in a rematch of the 2008 final. Serena Williams is up against Victoria Azarenka in the quarters.

Things are getting real interesting down there in Melbourne...

-D

Saturday 23 January 2010

Down Under in Melbourne

We continue to see some great tennis going on down there in Melbourne.

This tournament has been a unique one-beginning with the Hit for Haiti campaign that was organized in a day's time, which raised almost half a million Australian Dollars.

Then, as early round action got underway, the rain came for a visit (it's January in Melbourne-it NEVER rains!) After the rain came the upsets. Sharapova was given a quick hike by her fellow compatriot Maria Kirilenko. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Robin Soderling, Flavia Pennetta, and Elena Dementieva all bounced by the second round.

Janina Wickmayer, the lady who fought her way into the semi-finals at last year's US Open, had reached the 4th round in Melbourne. Justine Henin, who is playing her first tournament in two years looks to be in great shape, beating seeds along the way to a 4th round berth. Her countrywoman Kim Clijsters hasn't had as much luck, losing yesterday to Nadia Petrova.

On the men's side, no big surprises so far. Del Potro had an exciting 5 setter earlier on, but everything's unfolding as expected. I would love to see Del Potro in the final again, but I really hope Federer will get to add to his 15 titles. That'll be exciting to watch!

-D

Saturday 16 January 2010

Australia!

Can't believe it's that time of the year again!!

The 2010 Australian Open is starting on Monday!

The big stars are lined up for the big show once again and there's plenty of them in action on Day 1, including Nadal, Del Potro, Jankovic, Sharapova, Clijsters, Murray, Safina, the comeback girl Justine Henin, and a whole host of others. Interestingly, Peng Shuai and Zhang Jie are to face eachother in Round 1 (you probably don't care unless you're Chinese).

I think my pick for this tournament's final will be Federer vs. Del Potro again. That should be real interesting to see, but of course, Djokovic and Nadal always have a decent shot. But then again, remember what happened 2 years ago?

How Andy Murray starts his year will also be fascinating to watch. As we remember, he ran out of steam against Marin Cilic last year at the US Open, which was quite pathetic actually.

Otherwise, should be real exciting! Maybe there'll be another story like Oudin?

-D

PS Sorry for not posting for so long. Been very busy with school and other things.

Friday 1 January 2010

New Year's Thoughts

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVERBODY!!!!

Here's a little something I wrote a couple days ago, thought you might be interested:

So tomorrow is another New Year's Eve and the world will once again march into a new decade. That means that we've now finally lived a FULL AND COMPLETE decade on this planet. And boy am I living a different life than when this one began.

I was not even 7 years old at the time and it's pretty hard to believe I'll be turning 17 in a couple of months. A lot has happened in the world this decade and I think you've probably watched enough flashbacks on TV in the past week. Right now, as I usually do at the end of a year, I find myself a little sentimental about the time, the events, and the people that have gone by, but this year, I feel sentimental (and proud) more so for how much I've grown and matured in the past 10 years.

There have just been so many changes in my life since 2000. I could write all night about those. But I find it fascinating to think about how those changes have shaped me and will continue to shape me. It's amazing the different people I've met that have helped in that process. One of the things that has shaped me and changed me the most is all the friends that I have. I am inspired by them every single day and they make me see the world in a completely new way. I am grateful they have supported me throughout 2009 and I can say I love all of them like family.

It's scary to think that 10 years from now, I will be 26 turning 27. Wow. I mean, I'm having so much fun right now I really can't imagine living in a different environment. I have the best family and friends in the world. I love going to school and doing all that I do there. But in 10 years, I will be expected to have a university degree, a job, and perhaps a home of my own. I don't know about you, but that's pretty daunting.

On the other hand though, I do have a lot of dreams and aspirations for the coming decade. There's a ton of things I'm definitely looking forward to, but again, I love my life so much now I think it might be hard to move on. But anyhow, now is now; later is later. I will just be grateful for all that I have and be optimistic about the future with the help of my dreams.

I've generally been not too bad in terms of New Year's resolutions. For 2010, I'd like to finish a few things I didn't get a chance to finish this year and just to make the most of everyday. I know that sounds so cliché but I do feel excited to get out of bed every morning. What more can I ask for?

If there is one thing different about this New Year's Eve, it's that I don't feel very excited about it. I don't think that's because New Year's is in any way less significant for me, I just think it's because now, I've begun to cherish every other day of the year a lot more.

-D