Re: '24 Aus Open Doubles & Juniors Draws and Discussion
Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 3:29 pm
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My goodness, that was a great match. Match point was insane! Yiu have to look it up - Mertens/Hsieh d. Hunter/Siniakova.meganfernandez wrote:Hunters and Siniakova were up 4-0, 40-15 in the first set vs Mertens/Hsieh and lost it 7-5. Siniakova’s serve is hard to watch. She barely bends her knees. And she had the absolute worst attitude as they were struggling.
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TBH, I think it truly turned into a great match in the third set. There, of course, was plenty of great play in the first two sets. But, it was like the teams took separate turns playing great until that third set. Of all things, it felt more like Mertens had kept them alive for the first two sets. Hsieh, very understandably, looked tired, was not moving as well, and was a tad off her game the first two sets, at least by her standards. THEN- in the third set, slowly but surely, Hsieh the Magician woke up. The third set was absolutely outstanding from all of the players. Both teams saved multiple break points- 'twas nerve-wracking. THEN- the insane two shots that Hsieh hit that finally got them the break for Mertens to serve for the match....the insane shot Hsieh hit to save a break point- and then the INSANE!!!! shot that Mertens hit at their match point....Just incredible to watch. Hsieh has never won a title at the Aussie- and had never even made a Slam mixed final. Get those two titles Hsieh!!!!meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 6:52 amMy goodness, that was a great match. Match point was insane! Yiu have to look it up - Mertens/Hsieh d. Hunter/Siniakova.meganfernandez wrote:Hunters and Siniakova were up 4-0, 40-15 in the first set vs Mertens/Hsieh and lost it 7-5. Siniakova’s serve is hard to watch. She barely bends her knees. And she had the absolute worst attitude as they were struggling.
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I have seen her practice but not play! Would love to sometime. Yeah, it was see-saw till the third set, then they all played well at the same time. And it was fantastic! So glad Hsieh finally woke up! And the way Mertens finished it... So good. I felt bad for Hunter, in front of her home crowd. Not so much Siniakova, the way she was acting in the first set.nelslus wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 7:11 amTBH, I think it truly turned into a great match in the third set. There, of course, was plenty of great play in the first two sets. But, it was like the teams took separate turns playing great until that third set. Of all things, it felt more like Mertens had kept them alive for the first two sets. Hsieh, very understandably, looked tired, was not moving as well, and was a tad off her game the first two sets, at least by her standards. THEN- in the third set, slowly but surely, Hsieh the Magician woke up. The third set was absolutely outstanding from all of the players. Both teams saved multiple break points- 'twas nerve-wracking. THEN- the insane two shots that Hsieh hit that finally got them the break for Mertens to serve for the match....the insane shot Hsieh hit to save a break point- and then the INSANE!!!! shot that Mertens hit at their match point....Just incredible to watch. Hsieh has never won a title at the Aussie- and had never even made a Slam mixed final. Get those two titles Hsieh!!!!meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 6:52 amMy goodness, that was a great match. Match point was insane! Yiu have to look it up - Mertens/Hsieh d. Hunter/Siniakova.meganfernandez wrote:Hunters and Siniakova were up 4-0, 40-15 in the first set vs Mertens/Hsieh and lost it 7-5. Siniakova’s serve is hard to watch. She barely bends her knees. And she had the absolute worst attitude as they were struggling.
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TRUST me. If you ever get the chance to see Hsieh play live- do so. Seeing her in person (most recently, I got to see her and Wang Xinyu beat Gauff and Pegula last year in the US Open QF) makes it all the more impressive to watch the shots she can make.
LOL, I have seen Siniakova behave far more Drama Queen Petulantly so many times, her behavior in the first set barely registered for me.meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 8:43 amI have seen her practice but not play! Would love to sometime. Yeah, it was see-saw till the third set, then they all played well at the same time. And it was fantastic! So glad Hsieh finally woke up! And the way Mertens finished it... So good. I felt bad for Hunter, in front of her home crowd. Not so much Siniakova, the way she was acting in the first set.nelslus wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 7:11 amTBH, I think it truly turned into a great match in the third set. There, of course, was plenty of great play in the first two sets. But, it was like the teams took separate turns playing great until that third set. Of all things, it felt more like Mertens had kept them alive for the first two sets. Hsieh, very understandably, looked tired, was not moving as well, and was a tad off her game the first two sets, at least by her standards. THEN- in the third set, slowly but surely, Hsieh the Magician woke up. The third set was absolutely outstanding from all of the players. Both teams saved multiple break points- 'twas nerve-wracking. THEN- the insane two shots that Hsieh hit that finally got them the break for Mertens to serve for the match....the insane shot Hsieh hit to save a break point- and then the INSANE!!!! shot that Mertens hit at their match point....Just incredible to watch. Hsieh has never won a title at the Aussie- and had never even made a Slam mixed final. Get those two titles Hsieh!!!!meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 6:52 am
My goodness, that was a great match. Match point was insane! Yiu have to look it up - Mertens/Hsieh d. Hunter/Siniakova.
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TRUST me. If you ever get the chance to see Hsieh play live- do so. Seeing her in person (most recently, I got to see her and Wang Xinyu beat Gauff and Pegula last year in the US Open QF) makes it all the more impressive to watch the shots she can make.
I really did want to watch this match, too. I especially love watching all Slam doubles SF and F matches. I got to see much of the Bopanna/Ebden win. But, I couldn't tear myself away to watch any of this other men's doubles match- Hsieh cannot be denied. In both cases with the men's doubles SF matches, I was kind-of rooting for the teams that lost. For some reason, except when it comes to Rajeev/Joe matches- I love seeing out-of-nowhere doubles teams do well at the Slams. OF course, gotta be especially happy for Oldest No. 1 in the Modern Era Bopanna's win- especially with the class he showed during the 2023 US Open final.jazzyg wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 2:40 pm There's nothing I enjoy more in tennis than watching Hsieh play doubles, but I did not get that chance because I was watching the men's semi with Koepfer, the only player on tour I actually know personally. HIs match went to a third-set tiebreak, and his partner, Hanfmann, hit one of the most incredible volleys in the history of tennis to keep them from facing a match point at 4-5 in the third set. You have to google and watch his behind-the-back beauty and Koepfer's follow-up to win the point.
Alas, it wasn't enough. They were a makeshift team playing an experienced doubles team and it came through in the deciding tiebreak. Heck of an effort getting to the semis having not played together since 2021 and really not concentrating on doubles at all. Koepfer has a ton of talent but is combustive. He lost his cool when Vavasorri framed a volley for a winner on a crucial point and said something that rubbed Vavassori the wrong way. Koepfer, who had been the better of his tandem to that point, did not play as well in the final few games.
All that said, I guarantee the women's match was more exciting. Too many men's doubles points are settled by the serve.
EDIT: originally I posted "mish.t" and it was tagged as an expletive because of the final four letters. Funny.