Link for the Safin/Kimmie match, anyone? There was one on atdhe, but it's blank at the moment.

thanks.

Thanks Pete. Four or five languages, WOW!

Three breaks in a row. C'mon guys!

Cincinnati Order of Play:
Elena Dementieva defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-2,6-1
Dinara Safina vs Kim Clijsters at 2:15 PM
Flavia Pennetta vs Daniela Hantuchova
Jelena Jankovic vs Sybille Bammer at 7 PM

ESPN2 will have delayed coverage from 5-7 PM
Tennis Channel will have delayed coverage from 9 PM to 1 AM

Montreal Order of Play:
Andy Murray leads Nikolay Davydenko 4-2. Match is live on ESPN2
Roger Federer vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on ESPN2
Andy Roddick vs Novak Djokovic at 7 PM on ESPN2
Juan Martin Del Potro vs Rafael Nadal

Murray holds. Davydenko to serve 2-5

Davai, Kolya!

As a sweet Caroline Wozniacki fan I am not pleased. Elena has been a very bad girl.

looks like murray has bagged the first set. c'mon kolya, give him some sort of fight!

Well I was confident about Murray but I was hoping Davy could keep it close. Maybe he will come back in the second?

MAndy with the first set :-(
Davai, Kolya!

How many times has Kolya held serve in this set? Mmm...kay. That's mah boy Andy. Passive shmassive.

Murray 1st set 6-2

Though both players have been making too many u/e

Kolya serves needs to improve ASAP

Pspace, going by your own explanation yesterday, it's all down to Kolya's poor serving. ;-)

god, what is up w/ kolya? tooo many UFE's

Psapce yes Murray has been too Passive at times,sorry all the commentatos have been saying the same thing.

Pspace: Umm, as Robby so eloquently explained, you get an idea of how much the Fed attacks the ball when his game is a tiny bit off, when other players games are off they miss lines, the Fed shanks miles out or dumps into the bottom of the net...in any case the Fed still has to get through Zonger first and sitting pretty with 15MS you guys can have Montreal, we don't want to come off as greedy, no?! (insert evil laugh here)

sigh - kolya not playing a nice crisp game here, too many errors. :(

murray looks pretty good though - he looks to be in good form for the hard courts.

Also Murray gets Cup Cake draws all the time as well.

ooh - now this is interesting. at deuce first game.

and FWIW, i do totally heart cahill. just sayin. :)

Don't bet on Nicoly!

Grr.. Kolya's annoyed at himself for sending that one long.

Kolya return game has gone off too

Aah Pete, did you see my comments about this particular subject yesteday when I stated that it is all well and good for people to say that Kim is here to save the WTA. She is coming in at the tail end of the Season (calculated ploy) and she knows that by this time of the year most of the players are nursing little niggling injuries, fatigue, motivation etc. For my money the only people who do well at this part of the season are those who have not done well during the long haul - the hard/clay/grass portion of the Season. 3 of the majors have already been played and this is the first time in a long while that many of these players have taken a break. For my money Kim is doing what she has always done, taken advantage of opportunities when they are presented to her. I am like you as well Pete, I have never bought into the whole "she is so nice". Maybe I am just a cynical person, but anything or anyone that looks too good to be true, is usually too good to be true.

ok- so C Note confirms that Todd MArtin is with the Djokovic team..
http://cowbell.typepad.com/forty_deuce/2009/08/birds-of-a-feather-flock-together.html

I can't believe that ESPN 2 isn't going to show the Clijsters/Safina match. It's by far the most attractive match-up in Cincinnati with both Williams sisters out of the picture. Sometimes, I wish that actual tennis fans were in charge of programming what tennis matches are shown on TV. Some of these decisions make absolutely no sense.

Well, if Clijsters feels she can fill a void in the women's game for whatever reasons (lack of competition etc.), I'm all for it.

AM, who are these commentators? And, what the hail do they know about Lestat's game? This is new tennis...few ppl understand it.

VC, hehe. Kolya has been serving badly...I don't know the stats but can't remember the last time he put a good first serve in. Every point is being played.

This is new tennis...few ppl understand it"

hehe... ah the priveleged few :)

Phew! Davy holds.

"AM, who are these commentators? And, what the hail do they know about Lestat's game? This is new tennis...few ppl understand it."

He he Pspace, I've seen the light now. ;-) Why bother when you can wait for the other guy to make errors? ;-)

Beckham, what's so eloquent about that explanation? Yeah. Fed attacks. He'll shank it all if plays Muzz. Your point?

Your pet peeve with the semantics of 'retiring' seems a little like pointless ranting for its own sake in an effort to be provocative. I mean it as a compliment when I say that this is well below your standards. There are some great stories in tennis this week... how about the top seeds in 'la belle province'. Some great match-ups lined up there...should be fun (I know I overuse the triple dot...please don't pick on me!)

you can wait for the other guy to make errors? "

Well to be fair he hasn't had to wait too long today :)

Seriously though, from what I saw yesterday against Gonzalez I didn't think Davy had a real chance against Murray.

Kim's a cute kid but let's stay on point here. The point being this....Will Mopey Murray's man-boobs get out of his way long enough to allow him to compete with the Glorious Roger? GOD says no!

i guess i figure if kimmie wants to come back and can compete with the top players, i'm all for it. hail, she is young, she's very talented, and is obviously over her burnot.

and finally kolya holds serve. and a break would be lovely now.

Jason The tennis Guru

Douggie Well I dont need to say anymore there surely?

Look my point previously,Murray in the last game of the 1st set,had Control of the point then continued to play all these shots when he should have gone for the winner and put it away,Kolya hustled and Won the point?

Pspace: I was trying to be haughty, I guess it was an epic fail...lol

"This is new tennis...few ppl understand it"
Exactly wonderful in 3 setters, epic fail in 5 setters (against the top guys of course) ;)

Kolya needs to get into the rhythm of holding a couple of service games comfortably to get into this match. Right now, it's not happening.

The cameraman is doing a good job focusing on some of the members of the crowd.

i just popped on the tennistv feed for the commies! or actually the lack of commies. much less distracting not to here the constant chatter.

Douggie loves the colour of Murrays racquet,he also plays with a bright Orange one.Thanks Doug good to know.

Nice inside-out BH from Murray. Kolya holds with a forehand winner. Encouraging hold, that.

Links to Cincinnati please!!!

Another hold by Davy. Keep it up!

Koyla loves to take the ball on the rise,agressive play from him

Great dictating point from Kolya for 15-15. Murray's defense is exceptional on this surface. And he's now getting free points off his serve.

AM, it's sorta like the argument for more net play. Sure a guy can hit 5 passers a set. But, can he hit 20 good ones? What about 30? Muzz makes a similar gambit from the baseline. He'll lose points where the other guy hits a great winner...did you see the shots Kolya had to come up with to get those points? He can't hit 30 of them in a set. The pressure keeps building up.

Anyways, Muzz's passivity is a popular opinion. I think it's wrong ;-). Feel free to disagree.

Wowser rally by both guys

Kolya wins,cause he took the ball early,Murray happy just to return the ball

Highpockets! my moniker has never been more apt, no? (referring to your lovely biblical metaphor on the other thread)

espn commies saying fed likes to take digs at murray and his game...

Kolya runs Murray ragged with another excellent, corner-to-corner rally. 30-30. Return goes long for 40-30. And again to give Murray the hold.

Beckham, hehe, we do not talk about best of 5 on Planet Lestat.

Pspace Murray has got a superior serve to Koyla thats where he gets a lot of free points,ok,take the serve away? sorry I feel at times when he is in control of the point especially on a hard court you put it away.Dont wont to get into long rallies on a h/.court.

We will have to agree to disagree.

I've never seen Davy stage a come from behind victory. would be nice if he could do that here.

AM, I have said 1000 times that Murray can't play the way he plays without a great serve. Why do you want to take the serve away? ;-) It's a good thing.

davai, Kolya!

"Anyways, Muzz's passivity is a popular opinion. I think it's wrong ;-). Feel free to disagree."

Pspace, it certainly works for him. I understand it's part of his makeup as a player, and hence, should not be over-criticized. But it always seems like he's holding back on a few of his options, because he shows every now and again that he's capable of playing aggressively. The defense-first approach always leads to questions about long-term sustainability and against in-form big-hitters that have stopped him at the Slams so far.

Good hold for Murray, I think he'll up the ante here...

well my link just switched to Dinara/kim, any new links for the men?!

Beckham, are you watching it on atdhe.net?

http://atdhe.net/8393/watch-atp-montreal-murray-vs-davydenko

"Muzz makes a similar gambit from the baseline. He'll lose points where the other guy hits a great winner...did you see the shots Kolya had to come up with to get those points? He can't hit 30 of them in a set. The pressure keeps building up."

The danger with this is that when a streaky player catches fire against him it turns into "hey, thanks for helping me find my range last set, gg".

Pspace Please put your sometimes wonderful brain back intact? lol!

I used that,take Murrays serve away where he does get free points as a example that it kinds of puts him back on a even playing field,when you are in control of a point use it to your advantage,put it away.

Douggie has tipped Roger to win this tournament.

Robbie has gone with Murray.

Kolya playing better this set. He seems to have adjusted a little, and playing more to Muzz's fh, while he was going to the bh more. Better serving as well.

a break would be nice here... Davai!

Kolya with a good hold for 4-4. Murray's serving has been too good in this set so far. Will he give Kolya a sniff?

Ahh... Kolya.. your touch at the net let you down there. Still a great pass from Murray.

Oy -- I don't know what is it about you and Champagne Kimmy.

So she was insincere about her retirement and planned her return as a calculated career booster right when the women's field is in total disarray?

Question -- when is the women's field not in total disarray?

when is Dinara's match starting? I hope she can stop the "Magical run" of Kim :-))

Doug Adler?
He is a known Fedophile, who do you expect him to pick.

I say the final is going to be between the Andys, and this time MAndy comes out on top.

Great athletice ability by Murray there,

Kolya defended the middle of the court there,forgot the angle

Dosen't look like Davy can break...

Grant, true. But, there's danger with every strategy, no? I guess the reason that his strategy gets criticize is because the key to beating it is not perceived to be in his control. He doesn't think so. Anyways, against a streaky attacker, Muzz needs to serve well. If he doesn't, it's gonna be a slog.

Murray's serve too good again. Kolya really should have won the first point there, but after that Murray was clinical.

Moment of truth for Davydenko now. Let's see if he can hold to stay in the match.

"the final is going to be between the Andys'

an all-Andy final? let's see what Fed and Delpo have to say about it, and Rafa maybe...

Safina match coming up

I am off to raid the drug cabinet.

Safina throws in 3 DFs to donate the game to Kim...nice!!!

Come on, Kolya, hold... pleeaaaaase

Pete,

The ESPN link has a typo and needs correction (http://http//sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=bodo_peter).

Pspace See we do agree.Wonders never cease lol!

"Safina match coming up

I am off to raid the drug cabinet."

lol

I would be careful, as she plays often lately you can become an addict :-))

Does anyone have a Clijsters stream in English? I've been so used to being on site, it's touch having to adjust to streams again.

*tough

http://atdhe.net/7622/watch-wta-cincinnati-safina-vs-clijsters

Kolya dumps a volley into the net again... Murray takes the next point with an excellent rally. Alarm bells ringing for Kolya. 15-30.

I am glad Safina is showing her usual consistant form by serving 3 d/f in her match.Way to go Safina.

Koyla can't find a 1st serve, stick a fork in him, he's dead...

Oh boy live tennis on ESPN2! Priceless!

MAndy, please hurry up, finish Kolya off, I have a small window tl 3:30 to see Roger live. Please. Kolya fans, look at the positive side, if he loses he get extra days rest for Cincy, eh?

Nice piece, Pete, about Kimmy.

I like that part about she being the one to retire and unretire - ON HER OWN TERMS. If Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce follow suit and hit the tour successfuly again, that should say a lot about the durability of these womens' bodies after childbirth!

Good afternoon, TWibe.

Well, that's it then. Less of a match than I had hoped for.

Just like I imagined Andy breaks to take the match.

Mighty daddy is next.

"Safina throws in 3 DFs to donate the game to Kim"

oh no :-((((... Come on, Dinara, you don't have to wait until the match point against you to start fighting... start from the very beginning, it may be easier this way.

Удачи, Динара! Давай!

I've been waiting forever to see Fed/Tsonga play each other. I didn't see their first one. I hope it's a good one.

Murray comes through. Commies to Davy fans.

oh kolya. just dang. what the hail? too many easy shots missed - including that last one. sigh.

oh well, MAndy definately deserved it!

*hugs kolya*

fed / tsonga next. mhm. think i'll go get lunch while waiting.

And it's all over as I finsih this!

Congrats Murray and his fans. Commies to Kolya and fans.

And, Lestat breaks FTW.

Congrats to fellow Lestat fans. Commiserations to Kolya fans. Bring on the Swiss or Frenchie.

Hi Everyone!I think Safina will choke this match away because its Kim she's playing.And i hope Tsonga takes it to Fed;)

Game, set, match Murray. He waited for Kolya to throw him the slightest openings in every game, and pounced. Serving was excellent in the 2nd set, and when he cut off the UEs, he was able to make Kolya pay at the right times. Very good performance, and a favourite to reach the final.

Relax Dinara fans, she broke right back and now Kim can't handle the pace of her shots...

Congrats to MAndy and his fans. His win was expected, even though I thought Kolya would put up a better fight....

"Well, that's it then. Less of a match than I had hoped for."

I agree, I thought Kolya had it in him to make it much closer, but you can't afford 36 UEs against Murray.

Bring on the Fed! Have not seen him on a screen of any size since Wimby. I should just go home, 'cause I'm not getting any work done. Murray looked good, but not overwhelming -- Kolya had a bad day.

Not a lot of drama to that last match, and frankly I think Federer-Tsonga is going to be a stroll for Roger. He neutralizes the big hitters and then proceeds to artfully dismantle them. I don't see Tsonga presenting much of a threat, though if he DOES manage to go on a tear I can see him winning a set.

The real good matches are going to be tonight, I think. Roddick-Djokovic are pretty evenly matched and they usually provide (melo)drama, while you have a rusty Nadal and a nicked up Del Potro after that, one looking for revenge, the other looking to take advantage. I think tonight's matches might end up being the two best of the tournament.

"Relax Dinara fans, she broke right back and now Kim can't handle the pace of her shots"

thanks, Beckham, for the update... :-))

Murray too good,

Koyla made too many u/errors and his 1st serve let him down miserably