please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image As Serena Williams chases history at the US Open, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou says he is "completely convinced" she is going to beat Steffi Graf's record tally of Grand Slam titles. Williams will become the first player to complete the calendar Grand Slam since Graf in 1988 if she wins in New York, and will also draw level with the German's Open era record of 22 major titles. "I'm completely convinced she is going to beat the record of Steffi, and maybe even the other one [Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slams]," Mouratoglou told BBC Sport.
Watson was out before i'd had time to read that ... total bottler blew all her big chances Nishikori, one of last year's finalists (lost to Cilic), has gone as well
please log in to view this image US Open 2015: Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal reach round two By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows US Open 2015 Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 31 August-13 September Coverage: Online radio commentary of Heather Watson, plus live radio and text commentary on every Andy Murray match and selected others. Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal lived up to their billing with victories in the first of this year's US Open night sessions. Top seed Williams needed just 30 minutes to begin her bid for a first calendar Grand Slam as Vitalia Diatchenko retired at 6-2 2-0 down. Nadal, seeded eighth, saw off 18-year-old Borna Coric 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4. World number one Novak Djokovic went through, but fourth seed Kei Nishikori was beaten. The Japanese player, last year's runner-up, lost 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to Frenchman Benoit Paire. "It's always very sad to lose in the first round, but I think he was playing good tennis so I don't think I played bad," Nishikori said. please log in to view this image Kei Nishikori lost to Marin Cilic in last year's US Open final Djokovic swept past Brazil's Joao Souza 6-1 6-1 6-1 to reach round two, and Nadal showed glimpses of his best form in beating Croatia's Coric. The Spaniard, 29, dominated the first two sets and then saw off a resurgent Coric in the fourth with a rasping forehand to earn the decisive break. "I think I started playing well," Nadal said. "The first two sets was a very high level for me, then I got a little bit tired. "The conditions here are very humid, I am sweating a lot and in those conditions I suffer a bit. I was able to play aggressive in the fourth. He is an amazing player and has a great future." There were several upsets in the women's draw, where Serbian seventh seed Ana Ivanovic was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-3 by Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, and she was followed out of the tournament by five more seeds. Brits on Tuesday (*approximate times, BST) 16:00 - Jo Konta v Louisa Chirico (US), court 11 18:00*- Laura Robson v Elena Vesnina (Rus), court 11 18:00*- James Ward v Thomaz Bellucci (Bra), court 7 18:00*- Aljaz Bedene v Ernests Gulbis (Lat), court 14 00:00 - Andy Murray v Nick Kyrgios (Aus), Arthur Ashe
Thank you for opening up a thread on this great tournament!! Wish Serena all the best in her quest to retain the US Open title and get the GS in a calendar year. Deserves to be awarded the Overseas Sports Personality of the Year by the BBC as she has been the standout sportswomen for a decade and in the past five years her she has been phenomenal. Bolt has already won this twice, so it would only be fair to share it around.
Does anyone on this site fancy doing a Rugby World Cup Thread and posting it on all the boards? It is going to be a fantastic tournament with a number of surprise results on the way. Want New Zealand to win but they often get quite tense, so going for Australia as I think they will be the one team to play adventurously in the tournament as they do not have the expectations of being favourites.
please log in to view this image US Open 2015: Andy Murray beats Nick Kyrgios in first round please log in to view this image After losing the first set, Kyrgios was slumped in his chair during the changeovers Kyrgios makes his mark While Kyrgios provided evidence of his extraordinary talent with some huge winners, several casual shots between his legs and one stroll up to a smash, Murray hit more aces and winners and made fewer errors. The suspended ban hanging over world number 37 Kyrgios does not relate to Grand Slams, so he was free to vent his feelings - within the usual boundaries. He had good reason to complain to the umpire as early as game four, when he was broken after a lengthy delay to allow incoming spectators to sit down. "Unreal" was his verdict. er losing the first set, Kyrgios was slumped in his chair during the changeovers
please log in to view this image US Open 2015: Serena Williams made to battle against Bertens By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, Dates: 31 August-13 September Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on every Andy Murray match plus selected matches. Serena Williams took another step towards her first calendar Grand Slam with victory over Kiki Bertens in the second round of the US Open. The world number one trailed 4-0 in the opening tie-break but came back to win 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Top men's seed Novak Djokovic had little trouble overcoming Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-4 6-1 6-2. But eighth seed Rafael Nadal was tested during his 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 7-5 victory over Diego Sebastian Schwartzman The Spaniard, who trailed 5-3 in the first-set tie-break and fell a break behind in both the second and third sets, admitted he had to fight for the victory. Elsewhere, defending champion Marin Cilic returned to the Arthur Ashe stadium for the first time since winning the title last year with a 6-2 6-3 7-5 win over Evgeny Donskoy. please log in to view this image Grigor Dimitrov made another early Grand Slam exit as the 17th seed, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2014, was beaten 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 2-6 4-6 6-4 by Mikhail Kukushkin, the world number 56. Tenth seed Milos Raonic overcame a back problem to beat Fernando Verdasco 6-2 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-1), women's 25th seed Eugenie Bouchard beat Polona Hercog 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3, while Venus Williams saw off Irina Falconi 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2. Two down, five to go The scream after the first set and the grimace at the end of the match were evidence that Williams was far from her best, but the 33-year-old is now five wins from her 22nd major title and the first calendar Slam in 27 years. Bertens, ranked 110th, took an early lead and served for the first set but could not convert, and the Dutch qualifier then let a 4-0 lead slip in the tie-break. Williams has spent much of her Grand Slam year fighting back from slow starts, however, and said afterwards: "It definitely doesn't worry me. I think being down a lot, I know I can try to make a comeback." The six-time US Open champion would end the match with 10 double faults, and 34 errors to 23 winners, and was just happy to get the job done in straight sets. "I've been really relaxed, but today I was a little tight and and I think it showed," she said. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
please log in to view this image US Open 2015: Andy Murray fights back to beat Adrian Mannarino By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York; Dates: 31 August-13 September Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on every Andy Murray match plus selected others. Britain's Andy Murray fought back from two sets down to beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino and keep his US Open hopes intact. The third seed was in serious trouble before recovering to win 5-7 4-6 6-1 6-3 6-1 in stifling conditions at Flushing Meadows. Murray goes on to face Brazilian 30th seed Thomaz Bellucci in the third round on Saturday. British number two Aljaz Bedene lost 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 to American Donald Young. In the women's draw, Briton Jo Konta had a stunning three-set win over ninth seed Garbine Muguruza that lasted three hours and 23 minutes. Murray by numbers Murray has now won eight times from two sets down during his career First time he has come back from two sets down since Wimbledon 2013 against Fernando Verdasco Murray has spent exactly six hours on court over two rounds Played 282 points, hit 39 aces, 91 winners and 58 unforced errors Feeling the heat in New York Murray had not lost in the first week of a Grand Slam since 2010, but he flirted with disaster against world number 35 Mannarino. With the temperature around 32C and humidity at 50%, Murray looked like the most uncomfortable person in Arthur Ashe Stadium for much of the afternoon. "It was an extremely tough match," a sweat-drenched Murray said afterwards. For the best part of two hours he struggled to find any rhythm, took one pile-driver from Mannarino between the shoulder blades, wrapped an ice towel around his neck at the changeovers and castigated his team in the stands. Failure to convert six of seven break points in the first set, including from 0-40 at 5-6 down, only added to the Briton's frustration. Mannarino, by contrast, looked calm and increasingly capable of pulling off only the second top-10 win of his career to create a huge shock. "I just had to kind of tell myself that I would get there eventually," said Murray. "I managed to turn it round." please log in to view this image Mannarino has lost all six of his Grand Slam matches against top 10 opponents Fightback sees off Mannarino A flat performance was in danger of becoming Murray's last at a Grand Slam in 2015 when he lost 11 straight points to fall two sets down. However, a break at the start of the third jolted him into life, the Scot fist-pumping as his support team, including mum Judy, got to their feet. The 2012 champion was in control from then on, taking the set as his will to win and supreme fitness overcame a nagging lack of consistency in his game. One point of miraculous scrambling by Murray at the start of the fourth brought the crowd to their feet, urged on by the Briton, and he would break for a 2-1 lead. The turnaround was effectively complete when Murray won 11 of 12 points in the decider to take a 3-0 lead, and he closed it out after a punishing three hours and 17 minutes. "I thought he played some really, really good tennis," said Murray. "He has such an unorthodox game, I didn't really feel that comfortable at many points out there in the match. "But I was happy, very happy, with the way I fought through that and finished the match stronger than him." BBC Sport's tennis correspondent Russell Fuller: "Mannarino predicted before the match that it was going to be very complicated, but he didn't mean for Murray. The world number three's powers of recovery are renowned, but this one seemed far from certain after two sets. "Murray seemed listless and out of sorts until he once again managed to rediscover that spark, and brush Mannarino aside without further fuss. He has, though, already spent six hours on court; Novak Djokovic just two hours and 40 minutes." please log in to view this image Bedene falls short of Slam best Slovenia-born Bedene's wait to reach the third round of a Grand Slam continues after Young fought back from losing the first set in front of his home crowd. The world number 57, who switched allegiance to Britain in March, is ranked 11 places higher than Young and looked to be in control when he led 2-0 in the second set. But Young, 26, instantly broke back as Bedene lost his rhythm to eventually succumb in two hours and 42 minutes
please log in to view this image US Open: Serena Williams rallies to beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, Dates: 31 August-13 September Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on every Andy Murray match plus selected others. Serena Williams was two games from defeat before recovering to beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands and keep her Grand Slam hopes alive at the US Open. The world number one came back to win 3-6 7-5 6-0 in round three at Flushing Meadows. Williams, 33, is aiming to become the first player to win the calendar Grand Slam since 1988. Men's top seed Novak Djokovic progressed, with former champion Rafael Nadal to play later on Thursday. "I'm not trying to live on the edge," said Williams after another tense victory edged her closer to making history. Williams' fightback against fellow American Mattek-Sands, ranked 100 places lower, means she remains on course to meet older sister Venus in the quarter-finals in New York. Two-time champion Venus Williams, the oldest player in the draw at 35, upset 18-year-old 12th seed Belinda Bencic in a 6-3 6-4 win. Screaming Serena eventually finds rhythm For the fifth time in her last six matches she fell a break behind, and for the 13th time this year she dropped the first set, but once again Williams found a way to win. With Mattek-Sands, 30, showing the attacking skills that won her the Australian and French Open doubles titles this year, Williams could not find her feet for the first hour. The 21-time Grand Slam champion was visibly tense, repeatedly screaming "Come on!" and looking pleadingly at her support team as 11 of 12 break points slipped by. please log in to view this image Mattek-Sands made one unforced error, in contrast to 14 by Williams, on her way to the first set Her edginess was clear for all to see when two double faults saw her broken when serving for the second set, but three rasping returns finally got her over the line. Williams, 33, had won all nine of her deciding sets at Grand Slams in 2015 and an early break set her on course to making it 10 out of 10. Mattek-Sands was swept aside in a final set that lasted 25 minutes, and Williams said: "Players come out really strong - I don't think I came out too slow. "I was finally able to get some rhythm going in the second. I said, 'You know what Serena, just keep going, keep trying.'" Williams will next face another American, 19-year-old 19th seed Madison Keys, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 6-2. Serena stats 31-match Grand Slam winning streak back to 2014 Wimbledon 24-match US Open winning streak back to 2011 US Open 47-match hard-court winning streak in the United States 51-2 record this year (only losses to Kvitova and Bencic) Sisters on collision course Swiss teenager Bencic was only six months old when Venus Williams, unseeded and ranked 66th, made a stunning run to the 1997 final before losing to Martina Hingis. Eighteen years on, the Swiss great was watching from the stands on Arthur Ashe Stadium as part of her teenage compatriot's team. Bencic is the only player to have beaten Serena Williams on a hard court this year, but if both sisters remain on course it could now be Venus who provides the major obstacle to her sister's hopes of a calendar Grand Slam. "Of course I have thought about playing her, and I would like us to have that moment so we can see how it is," said Venus, who has only beaten her sibling once in their seven meetings since 2009. "We both have to get there. I think we both have a great opportunity to do so, but there are no givens." please log in to view this image The Williams sisters last played each other when they met at Wimbledon in July, Serena winning 6-4 6-3 in their last-16 tie Djokovic dizzy, Cilic struggles World number one Djokovic served out against third-round opponent Andreas Seppi at the second attempt to win in straight sets. The Serb, 28, lost his serve at 5-4 in the third set, only to instantly break back against the 25th-seeded Italian. please log in to view this image Top seed Djokovic is bidding for his second US Open title after winning in 2011 Seppi earned two more break points in what turned out to be the final game, only for Djokovic to rediscover his first serve at the perfect time to close out a 6-3 7-5 7-5 victory. Djokovic revealed afterwards that he had been feeling dizzy on court, saying: "At the beginning, first set, I was struggling. I managed to break through and felt better after that." Defending champion Marin Cilic saved two set points against Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin before winning 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 in four hours and 11 minutes. Top-10 ranked players Milos Raonic and David Ferrer were both eliminated, with Ferrer's conqueror Jeremy Chardy remaining on course to face fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - who eased past Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets - in the quarter-finals.
Nadal out to Fognini, a clay court player. He's done, cooked. More proof that Federer is the best of the best. When Rafa retires in the next year / two years we'll all see what a massive achievement it has been for Fed to keep playing for so long nevermind getting to finals of Slams (hopefully he'll win one more !!)
I still prefer Nadal . Federer is like the footballing equivalent of Giggs, wc, goes on forever and lasted 20 plus years. Nadal is like Ronaldinho, WC much better than Fed but career was too short to really attain that greatness level.
please log in to view this image US Open 2015: Serena Williams to meet sister Venus in quarter-finals By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 31 August-13 September Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on every Andy Murray match plus selected matches Serena Williams saw off a significant threat to her Grand Slam hopes with victory over 19th seed Madison Keys at the US Open. Williams, the world number one, beat her fellow American 6-3 6-3 to set up a quarter-final against her sister Venus. Serena, 33, is now three wins from competing the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988. Novak Djokovic overcame an in-form Roberto Bautista Agut, subduing the Spanish 23rd seed 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-3. The top seed, who has already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this season, will face Bautista Agut's compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the next round. Men's defending champion Marin Cilic and 19th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga both won and will meet in the last eight. Serena finds her serve please log in to view this image Keys hit more winners than Serena, but won only 10 of 28 points on her second serve Williams knew she faced a serious threat in the powerful 19-year-old Keys, and the six-time champion produced a clinical performance. She had looked nervous and on edge throughout the first week, with her normally impregnable serve vulnerable - the most dominant shot in tennis was broken five times in three matches. Williams hit the practice court hard after her third-round match, and she would not offer up a single break point against Keys. "I served much better today," Williams said afterwards. "I'm so proud I was able to serve better. "Obviously I had to - I knew I wouldn't have too many chances to break." In a match dominated by short rallies of fewer than four strokes, Keys cracked first with two double faults in a row to give up the break in game eight. Williams duly served out and kept the pressure up in the second set, missing a host of break points before converting the seventh to lead 4-3. She did not require any help, but a net cord handed Williams match point and a Keys double fault brought an end after 68 minutes. The next player in Serena's path is her 35-year-old sister Venus, who beat Estonia's Annett Kontaveit 6-2 6-1. please log in to view this image Serena stats Williams won 64% of points on the Keys second serve She won 79% of first serve points and 70% on second serve Rallies of 0-4 shots - 90; rallies of four or more shots - 21 Serena is fourth in the aces chart on 26, Venus leads on 33 She has spent four hours and 59 minutes on court in four matches Djokovic out-lasts Bautista Agut please log in to view this image Djokovic's racquet bore the brunt of its owner's frustrations in the second set Djokovic dropped a set for the first time in this year's tournament after routine wins over Andreas Seppi, Andreas Haider-Maurer and Joao Souza in the previous rounds. It briefly looked as if the 2011 champion could be in more serious trouble as Bautista Agut's forehand, helped by some indifferent hitting from the opposite end, delivered a stream of winners to wrestle the second set his way. However the Serb drew on his reservoirs of stamina and shrewdly focussed on his opponent's weaker backhand wing to prevail in three hours and three minutes. "I was a set and break up, could have gone 5-2 up in the second and didn't capitalise. He turned the match around," explained the 2011 champion. "He made me work for every point. I had to get in the rallies and it wasn't easy." Champion Cilic rolls on please log in to view this image Marin Cilic beat Kei Nishikori in the final of the 2014 US Open Cilic survived an examination from France's Jeremy Chardy, and a twisted ankle, to return to the quarter-finals. After winning the first set, the Croat rolled his ankle in losing the second and was taken to a third-set tie-break. But he took that with the help of four aces and breezed through the fourth to complete a 6-3 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 win. "Jeremy played really well from second set on and I was having trouble with my movement after twisting my ankle," said Cilic, a first-time Grand Slam winner at Flushing Meadows last year. The ninth seed will next play Tsonga, who beat fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-4 6-3 6-4. Britwatch Briton Dominic Inglot's new partnership with Sweden's Robert Lindstedt has continued its promising start as the unseeded pair overcame Tommy US Open 2015: Serena Williams to meet sister Venus in quarter-finals By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 31 August-13 September Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on every Andy Murray match plus selected matches Serena Williams saw off a significant threat to her Grand Slam hopes with victory over 19th seed Madison Keys at the US Open. Williams, the world number one, beat her fellow American 6-3 6-3 to set up a quarter-final against her sister Venus. Serena, 33, is now three wins from competing the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988. Novak Djokovic overcame an in-form Roberto Bautista Agut, subduing the Spanish 23rd seed 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-3. The top seed, who has already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this season, will face Bautista Agut's compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the next round. Men's defending champion Marin Cilic and 19th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga both won and will meet in the last eight. Serena finds her serve please log in to view this image Keys hit more winners than Serena, but won only 10 of 28 points on her second serve Williams knew she faced a serious threat in the powerful 19-year-old Keys, and the six-time champion produced a clinical performance. She had looked nervous and on edge throughout the first week, with her normally impregnable serve vulnerable - the most dominant shot in tennis was broken five times in three matches. Williams hit the practice court hard after her third-round match, and she would not offer up a single break point against Keys. "I served much better today," Williams said afterwards. "I'm so proud I was able to serve better. "Obviously I had to - I knew I wouldn't have too many chances to break." In a match dominated by short rallies of fewer than four strokes, Keys cracked first with two double faults in a row to give up the break in game eight. Williams duly served out and kept the pressure up in the second set, missing a host of break points before converting the seventh to lead 4-3. She did not require any help, but a net cord handed Williams match point and a Keys double fault brought an end after 68 minutes. The next player in Serena's path is her 35-year-old sister Venus, who beat Estonia's Annett Kontaveit 6-2 6-1. please log in to view this image Serena stats Williams won 64% of points on the Keys second serve She won 79% of first serve points and 70% on second serve Rallies of 0-4 shots - 90; rallies of four or more shots - 21 Serena is fourth in the aces chart on 26, Venus leads on 33 She has spent four hours and 59 minutes on court in four matches Djokovic out-lasts Bautista Agut Quotes of the day "I don't see any broken racquet. The umpire asked me 'how do you feel?' I said 'pretty tired'." Novak Djokovic hides the evidence of a broken racquet in his win over Roberto Bautista Agut. "I don't think we're going to be, you know, like helmet to helmet hitting each other or anything." Madison Keys doesn't think tennis needs to take steps around concussion, following Eugenie Bouchard's fall in the locker room. "Awesome. It's been awesome." Venus Williams describes the experience of spending almost 20 years at the top
please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
FFS Dribs you start off a thread and then you do one to ****ing Heathrow and then Afrique ... you need to get some perspective, learn a sense of responsibility to the cause mi bambaataa I'll get the sodding thread in order then. Murray out to big Kev Anderson Mens' QFs are ... Djokovic v Lopez | Tsonga v Cilic | Wawrinka v Anderson | Gasquet v Federer Konta out to Kvitova Women's QFs are ... Serena v Venus | Mladenovic v Vinci | Kvitova v Pennetta | Azarenka v Halep
