I think Rafa played really well today and the faces were largely because he was being a perfectionist and had the odd sloppy miss.

For this stage of the season, I'm very impressed with Nadal's form. I don't remember him playing this well this early for a number of seasons.

Hmm, Rafa. I have seen Starace play much better than he did today. What's with all the face pulling?

sorry abt the errors, i blame the frazzling

I heard that GH and some of those shots-especially the one you referred to in that last game had some amazing pace to me. I feel good about Rafa's game.

I have no idea why he was so expressive today. Maybe he is just trying to do his part since we no longer have Marat and the Magician. ??? ;-)

When did he double fault?

64% 1st serves in. 81% 1st serve points won. 50% on 2nd.
31 winners (3 aces), 17 ufes (1 df)
4/5 bps converted. No bps faced.

57:36 total points won.

says the live stream.

So Fed and Rafa rock on. My poor Potito got mashed. Fed plays Ernsie next, no? Whatever will Crazyone do? I know what I will do...frazzle some. Kid is very talented and already seems to be in a better place than last year.

Who does Rafa play next?

OK. Congratulations to Nadal fans, commiserations to Starace fans. Nadal won 57/36, or 61% to 39% - a thumping. Didn't see the match, but seems like a very efficient evening's work.

I want to hit with Rafa. *pouts*

Well, he is certainly smiley now.

Rafadoc, just read fr the AO fb page that Santoro looks very interested in playing Melbourne

heh, r'doc. but Mr. Magician will be back for the AO I hear.
can't lie, am excited!

Awww, I love that smile!!
Cute moment there smiling all the time while hitting with the young boy

GH Thanks.His serve especially on first serve points won was good

His serve has been really consistant which it has to especially on a h/court

Rafa plays Darcis next.

Commiserations to fans of Potito.

Glad for the win and that Rafa's game looks to be in good shape.

Thanks for the stats GH! I don't remember the DF either.

Yes, he is all smiley again. I have to go and shower - it is almost 1200 noon and I'm still in my nightclothes! I wouldn't do that for anyone but Rafa ... see you later guys.

Thanks GH and Mina. I didn't know the Magician will be in Melbourne. Well, good. I enjoy him. :)

Comments talking and praising GH's fave: Lucas Kubot ;-)

Gulbis and Seppi up next

I meant to say *commies*

GH he d/faulted in that crap service game in the 2nd set

Bye Lynne!

I have to run too. Enjoy the tennis everyone. See you all later.

me too. gotta run. back later.

That was more comprehensive than I thought it would be...seems like a lot of errors though. Lovely fast rally to end the match.

Still...he got to the QF last year, no? So I guess that means those points are defended at least. I don't remember him playing particularly well in Doha last year, either.

Hi Jewell, I also remember his play last year in Doha wasn't great.
This year I'm really hoping for a Fedal here. Hope I don't jinx either of them

Well Rafa/Marc won the doubles in Doha,not a bad result

Anway too early in the season

I read at RF.com that it was really windy which may have affected the quality of play somewhat.

So, wait...Gulbis isn't through yet? Ooop...must try and keep up.

Are there still any linkys for Doha...would be curious to see Gulbis and Seppi.

Hiya Tfactor! How are you?

That would be lovely, it's been a long time. :)

I see that both Rafa and Roger had easy times today - pretty much expected. Actually unless Rafa breaks his leg, there is no way he doesn't make the final. I think even the Rafa fans realize that the bottom half is markedly easier than the top half. If Roger makes the final, he will most likely have to go through either Davydenko or Karlovic. Even Roger's next match is no gimme with either Gulbis or Seppi, although I would expect him to get through. Rafa should skate past Darcis (who?).

CL,
http://www.justin.tv//poipoi283#r=FT0RY1w

CL The conditions have been very windy

I hope Young Earnie can have a better year this year,he has soo much talent

Ok CI where are you,also Beckham

Jewell,
I'm Ok. Hope you're keeping warm. I read where you said you're snowed in.

Yes it's been a long time but I know I shouldn't get ahead of myself. Hoping they both get the most out of this tournament as they look forward to AO.

AM, he did? I missed a few shots right then, was on phone.

At least 5 of those ufes were sitter volley misses. Don't know what was going on there.

Wait, did Ernie shave off his ghastly beard from his prev. match?
Ernie and Fed have not played each other yet, have they?

No greenhopper, Roger and Ernests have never played each other.

GH Rafa has to take some pace off the volley I think,to me thats a reason he stuffed up those volleys

Gulbis is another person that I like and would like to see do better this year (can't get much worse than 09). He's very talented and fun to watch. Showed a lot of promise in USO 09 match with Murray, thought he might have an upset in the making there for a while.

Seppi has reminded me why I have a natural aversion to players wearing Fila-- ghastly. Not nearly as bad as that weird yellow and red w/ pinstripe number some of them were wearing this past summer though.

lol, true, AM. He's prolly taking the being aggressive thing very aggressively.

Benji Becker is up a set on the rapper. Watch out, world.

Jason said that Seppi has a worse serve than somen women in the WTA?

Ouch!!!

Earnie serve is just soo fluid and the bext technical serve going.Its a joy to watch

Thanks TFactor.

Dr. Ivo - ugh. And not in any personal way...but just ugh.

Isee Feds trainer is here to watch this match

Earnie still looks about 15 to me lol!

Great serve game Earnie,that 2nd serve Wow!

I feel guilty for moaning about the cold, Tfactor, now that Andrew's mentioned -21 C. ;-) But it is cold for here...at least, that's my excuse. :) The power has stayed on so keeping warm is easy for the moment.

I guess that's the main thing, AO preparation.

Aussiemarge - Luthi?

Poor Ernsie and Seppi - not only are there hardly any people in the stands, but even the live streaming chat room is empty. lol.

Do you guys think Tomic will win a match at this year's AO? Who was it he beat last year, Starace or Fognini? And what's the latest news in Australian gossip news about the feud with Hewitt?

CI Yes,he must be doing some scouting for Roger.Though no worries.I think Roger can easily work out both guys games.

Starace and it very much depends on the draw.

Observer. Well from what I read from Fox sport news which I posted.The Fued is still going on.Lleyton said he dosent worry about it and dosent lose sleep over it either.

Typical Lleyton comment.He is the elder one here and for the sake of unity in our DC team should show some type of maturity and leadership and sort things out Now.

Blah,Earnie gets a break,then gets broken back in his next service game.mmmm.

I must say I love their choice of music in these breaks.

Ahh my stream has frozen,with the score 5-4 Earnie

Would like to see Ernie get thru - but then hope Fed smooshes said Mr E big time.

Match kinda interesting.......

But think will go to bed soooooon.

Who's playing today (tonight USA) in Aussie Land?

Roddick?

Ernie takes it on a DF.

Boy does he (Gulbis) look hyper - what gives??????????

Flyer Not quite sure when Andy plays next

He played day session Wednesday against Ball of Australia.

Today being Thursday here.

Flyer Also its only 4.47am here lol!

What does -21C translate as F? Because our temperature has fluctuated wildly, (not) between 0F and 15F now for nearly 6 weeks. Also, it has snowed every day for about a week. Not all that much each day...people up in Burlington got blasted by 33 inches in just 2 days...but enough to add up. Of course it makes for nice xcountry skiing so I can't complain too much...and there is no wind so the snow is sticking to EVERY single branch and twig...it looks like one of the elf homes from LOTR. Exquisitely beautiful, but....brisk.

Why is Kim Time? being used as Your Call if it is as red-meat/on-topic as, say, The Elite, Part 4? As I said somewhere else, what's funny about the (re)introduction of the Watercooler concept is that it was meant to make it clear what is on-topic and what is not, and also to give the 'right' image of the site to newcomers... but the fact is that we 'regulars' still find it often difficult to locate where the 'action' is (ask Or et al.)...

Furthermore, the "action" (match calling / real-time commenting) will happen at one place or another, because it is difficult to refrain us people from it (ask AM!), so why not clearly mark a place as "where the action currently is"? Otherwise TWibers might even go somewhere else (i.e. where they can comment freely).

Anyway: I saw both Fed's and Nadal's matches. Both played supbar but well enough to beat their opponents authoritatively. Korolev played better than Starace imo, but that means little at this stage of the tournament.

Oh, I was using Kim Time as the talking thread because it's the one tennis.com links to from the site under Pete's column still. I didn't even know there was a newer one.

Kwaku - I agree about site non management situation. What seems to be happening is that the peasants just take their posting pitchforks and start match calls where ever and when ever seems most appropriate. Like now, it seems more appropriate to do match calls and discussions here rather than at Andrew's Elite/Stats thread. But we need to leave each other messages about where the match calls have gone to. Of course it SHOULD be up to Pete and his 'team' to create a more coherent format, but perhaps they are busy with other things and/or adjusting to the new layout themselves. (I... ALMOST... always give them the benefit of the doubt since it IS their party...as I sometimes have to remind myself...***cough, cough**)

BTW -did anyone see the Byrdy Baggy match? Seems like it was a real beatdown which is a bit surprising since Baggy seemed to be playing better at the end of last year. Bismarck would know, but he doesn't show up here much anymore. ***sulks***

This has become soo confusing

What post are we suppose to be on then?

At least with the older site,we knew where we should be?

I am too old for this and its too early in the morning here

Master Ace If you are around can you please clarify this current situation ?

We should have a thread clearly Labled and Dated for: Match Calls/Reviews - and this should be on the front page.

The listing of the most recent 4 or so blogs on the front page was a much better method to keep track of what was happening on the site.

TW could still "highlight" the one each writter would like - but they should have the listings on the front page - too much hunting & pecking now to try and find out what's happening & if I'm up to date.

If I was new to the site - I'd be totally confused - and would probably opt to go to another site to find out what was happening with the matches.

BTW - where are all the Gulbis fans?

Thought he seemed to be getting a better following last year - no one around now?

Flyer My stream to his match died

have you a score pls?

Hi AM

Sorry - my system just went poof also - had to sign back onto the net and lost the transmission.

Happened when I tried to post on this thread - it now freezes my computer - have no idea what the hell has been going on the last few days but my patience is nearly at an end.

Flyer No worries

Last score I had was 5-4 Earnie 1st set

My most fav. player ever, Kubot, along with Darcis, just missed out on a great chance to beat the STB heroes Cermak/Mertinak. Can he do ONE thing right?

And I see Benji doesn't want the world to get too excited just yet. Smart move.

http://www.freedocast.com/forms/PopOut.aspx?sc=530C426A31DD213F109B

This one is working. Ernie took the 1st set 6/4 and is up 6/5 in the second with Andreas to serve.

Back at work.

Jewell,
Living in 90F (30C) weather year round I find anything cold :)

I agree it's very confusing right now on this site. I've seen posts which I was sure were read meat posts evolving into YC threads. In addition, I'm having problems refreshing/accessing the site at times. I hope things get resolved in time for the heavier traffic expected during AO.

I see Ivo got through. I thought for a moment there BB had a chance.
Since his first match I've also been wondering where Gulbis fans went.

AM:

Gulbis should have won - he was serving for the set - so unless "sumton" happened - he's in the locker room with a smile on his face.

Hmm - maybe not - according to "just A Note" match may still be going on.

Thanks Just a Note

No worries Flyer

Great game by Ernie to break and take the match. Elf-style Howitzer fh on match point. Can't wait to see him play Federer.

NOW

I really have to find out why when I use another browser - Explorer - (I'm on AOL now)- my posts do NOT get recorded.

Have asked this before and no one seems to know why - I've even tried FireFox and nadda.

The only posts that show up are when I come on via AOL.

I use to be able to post from multiple accesses - but no longer - wonder if the site is blocking me for some reason?

Wish I could get this corrected as the AOL often has problems.....

6-4 7-5 Gulbis, according to the ATP scoreboard.

Jimminy Cricket!

Won't be able to see Fed's match tomorrow.

Hope it is a lovely smooshing by Rog over Ernie........

Sorry Mr. E - if it was nearly anyone else I'd support ya - but forget it me bucko!

Also impressive was Ernie's movement. Some Rafa-esque side-to-side gets...well, almost. This could be the year...hehe.

Pspace,
Are you thinking of jumping from the Mandywagon to the Gulbis train? :-)

I do hope he does better this year, 2009 was not good at all.

I recall last year there was some discussion of Fed's vision technique, i.e., looking at the ball _through the strings_ at the contact point. Here's a nice pic that illustrates it:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47048000/jpg/_47048073_federer226.jpg

Pspace Stop with the "jinx".In the frist set Earnie broke and then his serve left the building and Seppi broke straight back.Earnie has to stop this,shades of last year.Though the kid has soo much talent.I hope 2010 is a better year for him

Though he still looks 15 to me lol!

We'll see. First Ernie has to consistantly turn up to tournaments.

Tfactor, hehe, no way. Not a huge fan of his game yet, as I don't really see anything unique about him. But, certainly like watching.

Well I just wanted to say something - not everyone owns Svetlana. She has respectable H2H records against Venus, Maria and Amelie. And all her matches against Serena are really tight, with Serena winning most because of her mental strength. The only players who've thoroughly outplayed Svetlana are Justine (15-2 or something!), Kim and Ana Ivanovic.

Kim and Svetlana happen to be my favorite players on tour. While I was really happy that you said such good things about Kim, the remark on Sveta made me a bit sad.

hong Kong pictures (mostly Masha and Vera)
http://www.gotennis.ru/news/?p=33461

Hehehe...this just cracked me up. ROFL.

"""
Rafael Nadal has signed an endorsement deal with Quely, a cookie and bakery products company. Nadal became the new brand ambassador on January 1, 2010.
"""

http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/1346

The man knows what he likes.

"the remark on Sveta made me a bit sad.'

+1

Hey Pete,
I didn't read all the responses to see if anybody else noticed this but: The Lion in the Wizard of Oz wanted COURAGE not a Heart. The Tin Man wanted a heart! If you're going to use an analogy, then use it correctly.

Pspace Thanks,but thats old news regarding Rafa and his cookies

Look to see him munch on those now in between points

Hmmmm......yummmmm. If Fed's Lindt chocolates meet Rafa cookies, I see...CALORIES!! lol. But yummy calories.

***waves to Pspace*** RF.com has tons of pictures after every Fed match and his ability to do the simplest, yet most difficult thing...WATCH THE BALL...is unparalleled IMO. I also noticed, that compared to most people on the tour...men and women...his face is remarkably relaxed at the moment of impact.

Thanks, sokol. I like Vera's kit. But what exactly is Masha wearing?
I remember JJ sporting tights last year. It must be pretty cold in Hong Kong.

Yes how we forget the RG 09 champion Sevta?

Kuzzy found her game and herself in that tournament,after a frustrating time.She went back to live in Russia,change coach.

I have always been a fan.I have seen her play live.She is a great athlete in the wommens tour.

I hope her 2010 season will be a good one.Hopefully winning her 2nd GS title will be a great confidence booster for her as well.

In Hopman Cup today Australia have to win all 3 ties to have a chance to make it to the final on Saturday.They will play Spain.

Vamos Spain.

Hey CL *waves back*. Yeah, that whole watching the ball is ridiculous. In fact, I've heard several coaches recommend that you shouldn't watch it that closely. From personal experience, I always feel a little disoriented when watching the ball on the strings, as the racquet head is moving fast...and it kind of hurts your eyes. "Through the strings" is my mantra for 2010. Although Fed (and Rafa) play the ball so far in front of them, due to their wristy technique....hard for mere mortals.

I think Zhenya is a liability for a team in Hong Kong :-), I wish Marat was there, it would have been a great team

In Brisbane later today we have

The Queen and Aussie Kim playing.

AM shows where her allegiance is at!
Did you watch Sam and Lleyton play doubles? I haven't yet, but read somewhere that they weren't communicating very well.

Thursday Order of Play

All times are USA EST

WTA: Auckland starts at 5 PM - QF: Peer/Kirilenko, Date Krumm/Wickmayer, and Pennetta/Cibulkova
WTA: Brisbane starts at 7:30 PM - QF: Pavlyuchenkova/Ivanovic, Hantuchova/Petkovic, and Czink/Henin
ATP: Brisbane starts at 7:30 PM - QF: Odesnik vs Stepanek
HOPMAN: Australia vs Spain at 9 PM in Perth - Stosur vs Martinez Sanchez to start session on first court followed by Hewitt vs Robredo
HOPMAN: Romania vs United States at 9 PM in Perth - Cirstea vs Oudin to start session on second court followed by Hanescu vs Isner
WTA: Auckland starts at 1:30 AM - QF: Schiavone vs Cornet
MIXED: Brisbane starts at 4 AM - QF: Clijsters/Safarova and Blake/Monfils
ATP: Chennai starts at 6:30 AM - Wawrinka, Sela, and Ginepri are scheduled
ATP: Doha starts at TBD - QF: Federer/Gulbis, Davydenko/Karlovic, Troicki/Kubot, and Darcis/Nadal

GH They played a great 1st set against USA,then seem to take their foot off the peddle and played too passive.Lleyton said he had not played doubles for ages and was rusty,mind the pun.

Not positive about the Doha OOP. But I heard that Fed/Gulbis is 3rd up. Not sure about anyone else.

Greenhopper,
Heard that about a lot of teams in Perth beside Australia? Aussiemarg can probably tell us who. Also, heard that Philipp is not performing well so far which is costing Germany as Sabine is playing Top 10 tennis. Daniel/Nenad start 2010 just like 2009(where they lost their opening match 9 times which cost them the top spot) while Lukas/Leander is taking care of business along with James/RAndy

Alexis,
Once I see OOP, I will rearrange Ace OOP to reflect this.

Phik K in the doubles yeaterday played some bad shots.His f/hand was bad.He said that himeself he has to do more work on his f/hand

Laura Robson was the star for GB in the mixed doubles.I think she is really enjoying this expierence and it showed more in the mixed doubles.

Elena D. serve? oh my can you imagine the results in her career with a more consistant serve,that dosent let her down on Big points.

Pspace - well, generally speaking, my racket head speed is so slow that it is not so much of a problem for me...lol. But I do agree that sometimes watching the ball 'THAT' closely can be disorienting. Still, I flove watchin' Fed do it. :-)