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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 12, 2008 14:43:24 GMT
Thanks Jim, nice article. Sensible comments from Jamie Baker. Certainly the two Jamie's have the perfect attitude for boosting team morale. I'm sure with a home tie this team could do better, with or without Andy.
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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 12, 2008 14:44:17 GMT
I completely forgot it was on tv at the weekend! What was I thinking!
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Post by jimm on Feb 12, 2008 18:14:30 GMT
Open 13 Men's Tennis Update - Feb 12 Marseille, France Total Prize Money: $775,000 TUESDAY'S FIRST ROUND MATCHES
Andy Murray (4) def. Jesse Huta Galung, 6-4, 6-4 Juan Carlos Ferrero (5) def. Hyung-Taik Lee, 6-4, 6-1 Marcos Baghdatis (6) vs. Arnaud Clement Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Sebastien Grosjean Nicolas Mahut def. Michail Elgin, 6-3, 6-3 Julien Benneteau def. Andrei Pavel, 6-2, 1-0, retired Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Michael Berrer, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
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Post by jimm on Feb 12, 2008 18:15:03 GMT
I completely forgot it was on tv at the weekend! What was I thinking! LOL
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Post by jimm on Feb 13, 2008 20:38:33 GMT
Tsonga lost the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lost to Croatia's Mario Ancic in straight sets in the first round of the Marseille Open on Wednesday. The seventh seed suffered a 7-5 7-6 defeat with Ancic, the former world number seven, in scintillating form. Elsewhere, second seed Richard Gasquet cruised past Simone Bolelli 6-3 6-3, while number three seed Mikhail Youzhny saw off Marin Cilic 6-4 7-6. British number one Andy Murray faces Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round.
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Post by jimm on Feb 13, 2008 21:09:12 GMT
Marseille Open men's singles results Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:56pm GMT Feb 13 (Reuters) - Marseille Open men's singles first round results on Wednesday (prefix number denotes seeding, * new result) * 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Ivan Dodig (Croatia) 6-1 6-4 Mario Ancic (Croatia) beat 7-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 7-5 7-6(3) Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) beat Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-7(6) 7-5 7-6(4) 2-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Simone Bolelli (Italy) 6-3 6-3 3-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat Marin Cilic (Croatia) 6-4 7-6(3) Michael Llodra (France) beat Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-2 7-6(5) Gilles Simon (France) beat David Guez (France) 6-2 6-4
(Compiled by Infostrada Sports; Editing by Padraic Halpin)
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Post by jimm on Feb 14, 2008 19:36:02 GMT
Murray recovers to beat Wawrinka Murray fought back to win after losing the first set Andy Murray recovered from a set down to beat Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Open 13 in Marseille. Murray appeared to be in trouble after an opening set and a half which featured nine breaks of service.
But the British number one displayed huge resolve to force his way back in and claim a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 win in just over two hours and 20 minutes.
Murray will now face Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, ranked 44th, in the last eight.
606: DEBATE Your views on Murray v Wawrinka
As in Murray's first-round match against Jesse Huta Galung, serve proved difficult to hold and both players broke twice to take the score to 3-3 - Murray conceding the second with a double fault.
Wawrinka then consolidated and broke the 20-year-old Scot for a third time to leave the world number 32 serving for the set.
He had three set points before fourth seed Murray rallied to take the game to deuce, but Wawrinka finally claimed the set at the fourth opportunity.
Murray, nursing a niggling knee injury, continued to struggle at the start of the second and lost serve in the first game, but again he hit straight back.
Yet another Wawrinka break followed and this time the Lausanne-born player held to leave his British opponent deep in trouble.
After Murray finally held he levelled at 3-3 and, with the match settling down with no further breaks, a tie-break was required.
Murray took it 7-5 to take the match to a decider, and broke in the third, fifth and seventh games to progress in the tournament.
Murray recovers to beat Wawrinka Murray fought back to win after losing the first set Andy Murray recovered from a set down to beat Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Open 13 in Marseille. Murray appeared to be in trouble after an opening set and a half which featured nine breaks of service.
But the British number one displayed huge resolve to force his way back in and claim a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 win in just over two hours and 20 minutes.
Murray will now face Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, ranked 44th, in the last eight.
606: DEBATE Your views on Murray v Wawrinka
As in Murray's first-round match against Jesse Huta Galung, serve proved difficult to hold and both players broke twice to take the score to 3-3 - Murray conceding the second with a double fault.
Wawrinka then consolidated and broke the 20-year-old Scot for a third time to leave the world number 32 serving for the set.
He had three set points before fourth seed Murray rallied to take the game to deuce, but Wawrinka finally claimed the set at the fourth opportunity.
Murray, nursing a niggling knee injury, continued to struggle at the start of the second and lost serve in the first game, but again he hit straight back.
Yet another Wawrinka break followed and this time the Lausanne-born player held to leave his British opponent deep in trouble.
After Murray finally held he levelled at 3-3 and, with the match settling down with no further breaks, a tie-break was required.
Murray took it 7-5 to take the match to a decider, and broke in the third, fifth and seventh games to progress in the tournament.
Murray recovers to beat Wawrinka Andy Murray Murray fought back to win after losing the first set Andy Murray recovered from a set down to beat Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Open 13 in Marseille.
Murray appeared to be in trouble after an opening set and a half which featured nine breaks of service.
But the British number one displayed huge resolve to force his way back in and claim a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 win in just over two hours and 20 minutes.
Murray will now face Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, ranked 44th, in the last eight.
606: DEBATE Your views on Murray v Wawrinka
As in Murray's first-round match against Jesse Huta Galung, serve proved difficult to hold and both players broke twice to take the score to 3-3 - Murray conceding the second with a double fault.
Wawrinka then consolidated and broke the 20-year-old Scot for a third time to leave the world number 32 serving for the set.
He had three set points before fourth seed Murray rallied to take the game to deuce, but Wawrinka finally claimed the set at the fourth opportunity.
Murray, nursing a niggling knee injury, continued to struggle at the start of the second and lost serve in the first game, but again he hit straight back.
Yet another Wawrinka break followed and this time the Lausanne-born player held to leave his British opponent deep in trouble.
After Murray finally held he levelled at 3-3 and, with the match settling down with no further breaks, a tie-break was required.
Murray took it 7-5 to take the match to a decider, and broke in the third, fifth and seventh games to progress in the tournament.
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Post by jimm on Feb 16, 2008 22:37:41 GMT
Murray through to Marseille final Murray is trying to win the fifth title of his career Andy Murray crushed France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2 6-2 to reach the final of the Open 13 tournament in Marseille. The British number one broke serve twice in both sets and won every point on his own first serve.
Murray, seeking his second title this year, will face Mario Ancic in the final after the unseeded Croat beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4 6-2.
"I played really aggressively, hit a lot winners and didn't give any chances on my serve," said Murray.
606: DEBATE He comprehensively defeated local hope Paul-Henri Mathieu
Ruggers
"This was without doubt one of my best matches since my return from injury," said Murray, referring to the elbow and wrist injuries that dogged him last year.
"My serve was strong and my plan to force him to take the net worked perfectly."
The 20-year-old world number 11 is playing in his first event since controversially missing Britain's Davis Cup tie against Argentina.
Ancic has had a lot of illnesses and injuries and it's good that he's back on the tour
Andy Murray
The Scot missed the match in Buenos Aires because he did not want to risk aggravating a recurring knee problem by playing on clay.
Ancic, his opponent in Sunday's final, dropped out of the top 100 after missing most of last season with glandular fever.
His booming serve helped him see off Baghdatis and he will now be looking for his second win over Murray, having beaten the Briton in their only previous meeting in Auckland in 2006.
"It will be a tough match. He's played well," added Murray. "Ancic has had a lot of illnesses and injuries and it's good that he's back on the tour."
I may be Scots. and proud of i it, but I am British first. ( As the scars on this ol body will testify too)
He let our people down. So bollocks too him ( pardon me French)
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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 17, 2008 8:34:56 GMT
scars? I agree. Well said Jim Ancic is really a top ten player. So Murray shouldnt find it easy.
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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 17, 2008 21:06:46 GMT
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Post by jimm on Feb 17, 2008 21:09:57 GMT
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Post by jimm on Feb 21, 2008 12:39:59 GMT
Murray kocked out by Haase in Rotterdam ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -Sixth-seeded Andy Murray lost 7-5, 6-3 to Robin Haase in the first round at the ABN Amro tournament Wednesday, three days after winning his fifth career title at the Open 13 in France. Haase broke once in each set as Murray became the fourth seeded player to lose in the opening round at the hard-court indoor tournament. The others were No. 4 Mikhail Youzhny, No. 7 Juan Carlos Ferrero and No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis. ``I've won several important matches this year, but I've also missed a few opportunities,'' said Haase, a Dutchman ranked 94th. ``Luckily, it all came together today. Having 8,000 people in your corner certainly helps. Although Murray complained about the crowd, I'm happy for them to shout even louder.'' Also in the first round, Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-2, 6-2. In the second round, Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia defeated Nicolas Mahut of France 6-2, 7-6 (7).
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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 21, 2008 17:22:42 GMT
tehe He had boasted that his Marseille win vindicated his decision to withdraw from the tie with Argentina. lol.. down to earth with a *bump*
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Post by jimm on Feb 23, 2008 11:55:05 GMT
Ginepri blows past Blake
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—Robby Ginepri is quickly putting the disappointment of 2007 behind him.
Ginepri advanced to his second semifinal in as many tournaments this year, beating James Blake 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the SAP Open on Friday night.
“That was probably one of the best matches I’ve ever played in my career,” Ginepri said. “From start to finish the whole night was just explosive. I attacked the whole entire match. … When you feel that good out there it’s a lot easier to go for your shots and take some chances and risks. The whole night I felt comfortable out there. You wait for matches like this.”
Ginepri lost to Blake in straight sets last week in Florida and will take on fourth-seeded Radek Stepanek here in San Jose. Stepanek beat Lu Yen-hsun 6-2, 7-6 (5) in Friday’s first match.
Ginepri controlled his match from the start. He had slipped from a career-high ranking of 15th in 2005 to 135th coming into this week. After losing to Blake in the third round of the Australian Open last year, Ginepri didn’t win consecutive matches again until June.
But he has started his year with two straight trips to semifinals, ending an eight-match losing streak to top 10 players with the win over Blake.
This match was completely different than the one Blake and Ginepri played last Saturday at Delray Beach. Ginepri frustrated Blake with punishing groundstrokes and rolled to the easy victory. Blake was broken in his first three service games and only held serve twice in eight tries. As the match went on, Blake continually overhit balls, sending them into the net or well past the baseline.
“He looked a little off,” Ginepri said. “I kept putting so much pressure on him. I don’t think he had an answer for it. It’s extremely frustrating out there when you don’t feel you can do anything.”
Ginepri started fast and never slowed down against Blake. He broke serve to open the match and then took control of the opening set when Blake hit a backhand wide to lose his serve and fall behind 4-1. Ginepri closed out the opening set by holding at love, with three service winners.
Blake appeared to find his legs early in the second set as the players split the first four games. Then he hit a forehand more than 10-feet long to lose his serve at 2-all and that was pretty much it. Blake started overhitting after that and the match ended on Ginepri’s 112 mph ace.
“I don’t really enjoy matches like that when I just can’t seem to find anything,” Blake said. “Usually I’m able to find some sort of saving grace, either I’m serving well or I’m putting a lot of returns in the court or playing defense well or something. I couldn’t find anything that was working for me tonight.”
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Post by jimm on Feb 23, 2008 17:06:42 GMT
Court of King Andy can't disguise this charmless man Wouldn't it be strange if Andy Murray was the first British player to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry and nobody gave a toss? Simon Hattenstone February 20, 2008 12:50 AM Can Andy Murray and Jamie Murray really be related? Sure, the two Scotsmen have physical similarities, but look again - Jamie's smile, Andy's scowl; Jamie's rounded, pleasing face; Andy's dolichocephalic (eat your heart out, Will Self) Donald Duck features. Then there's the way they play. Think of Jamie winning the Wimbledon mixed doubles last year with Jelena Jankovic. If we'd put a speech bubble against him during that final, it would have said: "I get to do what I love for a living, get a suntan into the bargain, earn a decent whack, and get to hang out with some of the most gorgeous women in sport - Jesus, I'm a lucky bugger." Compare this to the younger, more successful Andy. He plays with his face frozen into a grimace. He blames everybody for his failings (mother, coach, the Davis Cup) but himself. There's a six-second sequence on YouTube that sums Andy up. He loses a game and sarcastically gives his then coach, Brad Gilbert, a thumbs up while muttering "You thingy" at him. He also famously screamed mid-match at Gilbert "You're giving me nothing". Actually, the Lawn Tennis Association has given him everything, only for him to throw it back in their face. In July 2006, the LTA appointed Gilbert, a world-class coach who masterminded Andre Agassi's great triumphs, to work with Andy - for a gobsmacking £750,000 a year. Andy was then 19 and ranked 36th in the world. Within a month he had beaten Roger Federer, and within nine months he was in the world's top 10. But within 16 months he had ditched Gilbert, swapped him for a "team of experts", stating that the time "has come to move on to the next stage of my career". A couple of years ago I met Andy's mother, Judy. She talked openly about the differences between her two boys. "Jamie is quieter, he's more sensitive than Andy, he's the good-looking one. He's the one who all my mum's friends fawn over. They love him. 'Oh, he's so polite, he's so nice.' They don't say that about Andy!" It endeared Andy to me. After all, it was about time British tennis had a ruthless winner. Then I interviewed him and he turned out to be one of the most charmless sportsmen I've met - believe me, the competition is tough out there. Surrounded by a coterie of minders, he was terse, impatient and sour. The one time he softened was when he talked about how he would love to be like Agassi, but he thought he didn't have the personality. Agassi was loved because he emanated warmth and cheek and passion. While the game has had its share of bad-tempered or po-faced champs, they have usually had something about them - Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe were rude but they had chutzpah and wit; Martina Navratilova and Bjorn Borg didn't smile much but they had soul. All Andy has at the moment is his petulance. Everything about him reeks of petulance - even his sideburns and bum-fluff tache. Earlier this month, the Murrays had a public falling-out after Andy withdrew from the Davis Cup matches against Argentina at the last moment as a precautionary measure, wrecking the small chance that Britain had of winning the tie. Worst of all, he didn't tell his brother or the team manager. He sent a message via his agent. Jamie made no attempt to disguise his fury. "It was a shock to me. It's a shame that he decided that it was best for him not to come here. It kind of affects the way we feel about him." A week later the Murrays were playing again, and on Sunday they both won their tournaments. Jamie triumphed in the doubles in Florida with Max Mirnyi. Meanwhile, Andy took his second title of the year and the fifth of his career at Marseille. Any ATP win is a fine achievement but it's hardly a grand slam. He didn't beat Federer or Rafael Nadal in the final; he beat Mario Ancic, who is currently ranked No92 in the world. I was delighted that Jamie won his tournament, but couldn't care less that Andy won his - just as he seemed not to care that he let down his fellow players in the Davis Cup team. After his injuries, Andy is once again in the top 10 and perhaps he will go on to be a true champion. But wouldn't it be strange if, after all the years of Henmania and near misses, he turned out to be the first British player to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in the mid-16th century and nobody gave a toss? Perhaps he'll learn one day that loyalty and affection have to be earned. Until then, we've always got Jamie to root for in the doubles." "Wouldn't it be strange if Andy Murray was the first British player to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry and nobody gave a toss?"Brilliant!!!
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