ATP World Tour 2017

First Grand Slam of the season coming up, here are the tournament details:

Australian Open - Melbourne, Australia

Surface: Outdoor Hard

Total Financial Commitment: A$22,624,000

Seeded players

1 A. Murray

2 N. Djokovic

3 M. Raonic

4 S. Wawrinka

5 K. Nishikori

6 G. Monfils

7 M. Cilic

8 D. Thiem

9 R. Nadal

10 T. Berdych

11 D. Goffin

12 J. Tsonga

13 R. Bautista Agut

14 N. Kyrgios

15 G. Dimitrov

16 L. Pouille

17 R. Federer

18 R. Gasquet

19 J. Isner

20 I. Karlovic

21 D. Ferrer

22 P. Cuevas

23 J. Sock

24 A. Zverev

25 G. Simon

26 A. Ramos-Vinolas

27 B. Tomic

28 F. Lopez

29 V. Troicki

30 P. Carreno Busta

31 S. Querrey

32 P. Kohlschreiber

Day one matches at the Australian Open and the odds at NetBet:

Andrey Kuznetsov [RUS] vs  Kei Nishikori [JPN]

7.50 - 1.09

Alex De Minaur [AUS] vs  Gerald Melzer [AUT]

2.50 - 1.52

Bernard Tomic [AUS] vs  Thomaz Bellucci [bRA]

1.40 - 2.95

Tomas Berdych [CZE] vs  Luca Vanni [iTA]

1.04 - 13.50

Andy Murray [GBR] vs  Illya Marchenko [uKR]

1.004 - 28.00

James Duckworth [AUS] vs  Paolo Lorenzi [iTA]

1.86 - 1.95

Jerzy Janowicz [POL] vs  Marin Cilic [CRO]

7.75 - 1.09

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [FRA] vs  Thiago Monteiro [bRA]

1.01 - 22.00

Steve Darcis [bEL] vs  Samuel Groth [AUS]

1.60 - 2.30

Bjorn Fratangelo [uSA] vs  Noah Rubin [uSA]

1.47 - 2.65

Gastao Elias [POR] vs  Nick Kyrgios [AUS]

8.00 - 1.09

Stan Wawrinka [sUI] vs  Martin Klizan [sVK]

1.03 - 15.75

Jurgen Melzer [AUT] vs  Roger Federer [sUI]

13.50 - 1.02

Good luck!

It's a very entertaining draw, so we will have some great matches in the fourth round already if everything goes as planned.

No major upsets on day one at the Australian Open, but there have been a few surprises as the likes of Lucas Pouille and Albert Ramos lost so early in the tournament.

(1) GBR Andy Murray DEFEATS UKR Illya Marchenko 75 76 62

(4) SUI Stan Wawrinka DEFEATS SVK Martin Klizan 46 64 75 46 64

(5) JPN Kei Nishikori DEFEATS RUS Andrey Kuznetsov 57 61 64 67 62

(7) CRO Marin Cilic DEFEATS (PR) POL Jerzy Janowicz 46 46 62 62 63

(10) CZE Tomas Berdych DEFEATS (Q) ITA Luca Vanni 61 (RET)

(12) FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga DEFEATS BRA Thiago Monteiro 61 63 67 62

(14) AUS Nick Kyrgios DEFEATS POR Gastao Elias 61 62 62

(Q) KAZ Alexander Bublik DEFEATS (16) FRA Lucas Pouille 60 36 63 64

(17) SUI Roger Federer DEFEATS (Q) AUT Jurgen Melzer 75 36 62 62

(19) USA John Isner DEFEATS RUS Konstantin Kravchuk 63 64 67 61

ARG Diego Schwartzman DEFEATS (22) URU Pablo Cuevas 63 63 60

(23) USA Jack Sock DEFEATS FRA Pierre-Hugues Herbert 64 76 63

(Q) SVK Lukas Lacko DEFEATS (26) ESP Albert Ramos-Vinolas 46 75 16 64 63

(27) AUS Bernard Tomic DEFEATS BRA Thomaz Bellucci 62 61 64

(29) SRB Viktor Troicki DEFEATS BIH Damir Dzumhur 64 64 26 26 63

(31) USA Sam Querrey DEFEATS (WC) FRA Quentin Halys 6710 76 63 64

FRA Jeremy Chardy DEFEATS ESP Nicolas Almagro 40 (RET)

BEL Steve Darcis DEFEATS (WC) AUS Sam Groth 36 63 62 62

(WC) AUS Alex De Minaur DEFEATS AUT Gerald Melzer 57 63 26 76 61

DOM Victor Estrella Burgos DEFEATS GBR Aljaz Bedene 76 75 06 63

GBR Daniel Evans DEFEATS ARG Facundo Bagnis

USA Ryan Harrison DEFEATS FRA Nicolas Mahut 63 64 62

TUN Malek Jaziri DEFEATS (Q) JPN Go Soeda 63 64 63

USA Steve Johnson DEFEATS ARG Federico Delbonis 63 64 64

RUS Karen Khachanov DEFEATS FRA Adrian Mannarino 64 36 76 63

SRB Dusan Lajovic DEFEATS FRA Stephane Robert 63 63 63

(Q) USA Noah Rubin DEFEATS (Q) USA Bjorn Fratangelo 67 75 36 62 62

(Q) RUS Andrey Rublev DEFEATS TPE Yen-Hsun Lu 46 63 76 63

ITA Andreas Seppi DEFEATS FRA Paul-Henri Mathieu 64 76 67 75

GER Mischa Zverev DEFEATS ESP Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 63 76 64

Tonight's Australian Open matches and the odds at NetBet:

Alexander Zverev [GER] vs  Robin Haase [NED]

1.09 - 7.00

Nikoloz Basilashvili [GEO] vs  Philipp Kohlschreiber [GER]

4.50 - 1.20

Jared Donaldson [uSA] vs  Rogerio Dutra Silva [bRA]

1.23 - 4.10

Gilles Simon [FRA] vs  Michael Mmoh [uSA]

1.15 - 5.35

Thomas Fabbiano [iTA] vs  Donald Young [uSA]

2.50 - 1.52

Dustin Brown [GER] vs  Milos Raonic [CAN]

11.25 - 1.04

Radu Albot [MDA] vs  Carlos Berlocq [ARG]

1.90 - 1.90

Yoshihito Nishioka [JPN] vs  Alex Bolt [AUS]

1.50 - 2.60

Reilly Opelka [uSA] vs  David Goffin [bEL]

5.90 - 1.13

Frances Tiafoe [uSA] vs  Mikhail Kukushkin [KAZ]

1.58 - 2.35

Pablo Carreno-Busta [ESP] vs  Peter Polansky [CAN]

1.20 - 4.45

Kyle Edmund [GBR] vs  Santiago Giraldo [COL]

1.27 - 3.75

Aleksandr Dolgopolov [uKR] vs  Borna Coric [CRO]

1.80 - 2.00

Florian Mayer [GER] vs  Rafael Nadal [ESP]

10.25 - 1.05

Dominic Thiem [AUT] vs  Jan-Lennard Struff [GER]

1.28 - 3.65

Blake Mott [AUS] vs  Richard Gasquet [FRA]

18.25 - 1.02

Dmitry Tursunov [RUS] vs  Radek Stepanek [CZE]

5.25 - 1.15

Mikhail Youzhny [RUS] vs  Marcos Baghdatis [CYP]

2.30 - 1.62

Roberto Bautista-Agut [ESP] vs  Guido Pella [ARG]

1.07 - 9.00

Gilles Muller [LUX] vs  Taylor Harry Fritz [uSA]

1.34 - 3.25

Ivo Karlovic [CRO] vs  Horacio Zeballos [ARG]

1.30 - 3.45

Adam Pavlasek [CZE] vs  Andrew Whittington [AUS]

1.43 - 2.80

Jordan Thompson [AUS] vs  Joao Sousa [POR]

2.50 - 1.52

Daniil Medvedev [RUS] vs  Ernesto Escobedo [uSA]

1.42 - 2.85

Gael Monfils [FRA] vs  Jiri Vesely [CZE]

1.29 - 3.55

Hyeon Chung [KOR] vs  Renzo Olivo [ARG]

1.20 - 4.45

Tommy Haas [GER] vs  Benoit Paire [FRA]

4.50 - 1.20

Fabio Fognini [iTA] vs  Feliciano Lopez [ESP]

2.00 - 1.80

Denis Istomin [uZB] vs  Ivan Dodig [CRO]

2.00 - 1.83

Omar Jasika [AUS] vs  David Ferrer [ESP]

5.70 - 1.13

Fernando Verdasco [ESP] vs  Novak Djokovic [sRB]

9.75 - 1.07

Grigor Dimitrov [bUL] vs  Christopher O'Connell [AUS]

1.02 - 14.50

Good luck!

After first Grand Slam tournament for the year is already under-way and I would like to see how the mighty duel  between Murray and Djokovic will continue after the tough half a year for the Serbian, he already defeated Andy once this season and maybe he would be back?

Or maybe Nadal, Federer could still be a contenders, or maybe someone else could step up..?

Strange 2nd set between Djokovic and Verdasco, neither player can hold their serve. :)

Djokovic and Nadal are through, Karlovic won a monster-match against Zeballos.

(2) SRB Novak Djokovic DEFEATS ESP Fernando Verdasco 61 76 62

(3) CAN Milos Raonic DEFEATS GER Dustin Brown 63 64 62

(6) FRA Gael Monfils DEFEATS CZE Jiri Vesely 62 63 62

( 8 ) AUT Dominic Thiem DEFEATS GER Jan-Lennard Struff 46 64 64 63

(9) ESP Rafael Nadal DEFEATS GER Florian Mayer 63 64 64

(11) BEL David Goffin DEFEATS (Q) USA Reilly Opelka 64 46 62 46 64

(13) ESP Roberto Bautista Agut DEFEATS ARG Guido Pella 63 61 61

(15) BUL Grigor Dimitrov DEFEATS (WC) AUS Christopher O'Connell 76 63 63

(18) FRA Richard Gasquet DEFEATS (Q) AUS Blake Mott 64 64 62

(20) CRO Ivo Karlovic DEFEATS ARG Horacio Zeballos 67 36 75 62 22-20

(21) ESP David Ferrer DEFEATS (WC) AUS Omar Jasika 63 60 62

(24) GER Alexander Zverev DEFEATS NED Robin Haase 62 36 57 63 62

(25) FRA Gilles Simon DEFEATS (WC) USA Michael Mmoh 61 63 63

ITA Fabio Fognini DEFEATS (28) ESP Feliciano Lopez 75 63 75

(30) ESP Pablo Carreno Busta DEFEATS (LL) CAN Peter Polansky 60 36 36 62 30 (RET)

(32) GER Philipp Kohlschreiber DEFEATS GEO Nikoloz Basilashvili 64 36 76 64

CYP Marcos Baghdatis DEFEATS RUS Mikhail Youzhny 63 30 (RET)

ARG Carlos Berlocq DEFEATS MDA Radu Albot 64 76 57 76

KOR Hyeon Chung DEFEATS ARG Renzo Olivo 62 63 62

UKR Alexandr Dolgopolov DEFEATS CRO Borna Coric 63 64 36 76

BRA Rogerio Dutra Silva DEFEATS USA Jared Donaldson 36 06 61 64 64

GBR Kyle Edmund DEFEATS COL Santiago Giraldo 62 75 63

(Q) USA Ernesto Escobedo DEFEATS RUS Daniil Medvedev 75 46 76 61

(WC) UZB Denis Istomin DEFEATS (Q) CRO Ivan Dodig 61 64 36 75

LUX Gilles Muller DEFEATS USA Taylor Fritz 76 76 63

JPN Yoshihito Nishioka DEFEATS (Q) AUS Alex Bolt 64 16 62 64

FRA Benoit Paire DEFEATS (PR) GER Tommy Haas 76 64 (RET)

(Q) CZE Radek Stepanek DEFEATS (PR) RUS Dmitry Tursunov 62 76 63

AUS Jordan Thompson DEFEATS POR Joao Sousa 67 46 63 62 61

(Q) USA Frances Tiafoe DEFEATS KAZ Mikhail Kukushkin 61 67 63 62

(WC) AUS Andrew Whittington DEFEATS CZE Adam Pavlasek 64 46 62 63

USA Donald Young DEFEATS (Q) ITA Thomas Fabbiano 64 761 64

Second round is about to kick off at the Australian Open, here are the odds at NetBet:

Jeremy Chardy [FRA] vs  Kei Nishikori [JPN]

7.50 - 1.08

Malek Jaziri [TUN] vs  Alexander Bublik [RUS]

1.47 - 2.65

Tomas Berdych [CZE] vs  Ryan Harrison [uSA]

1.15 - 5.30

John Isner [uSA] vs  Mihail Zverev [GER]

1.43 - 2.80

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [FRA] vs  Dusan Lajovic [sRB]

1.07 - 8.25

Lukas Lacko [sVK] vs  Dudi Sela [iSR]

2.60 - 1.50

Paolo Lorenzi [iTA] vs  Viktor Troicki [sRB]

3.85 - 1.25

Stan Wawrinka [sUI] vs  Steve Johnson [uSA]

1.30 - 3.50

Noah Rubin [uSA] vs  Roger Federer [sUI]

15.00 - 1.01

Karen Khachanov [RUS] vs  Jack Sock [uSA]

3.55 - 1.29

Diego Schwartzman [ARG] vs  Steve Darcis [bEL]

1.66 - 2.20

Alex De Minaur [AUS] vs  Sam Querrey [uSA]

3.75 - 1.27

Daniel Evans [GBR] vs  Marin Cilic [CRO]

4.75 - 1.18

Andreas Seppi [iTA] vs  Nick Kyrgios [AUS]

6.95 - 1.10

Bernard Tomic [AUS] vs  Victor Estrella Burgos [DOM]

1.05 - 9.25

Andy Murray [GBR] vs  Andrey Rublev [RUS]

1.01 - 20.25

Good luck!

Smooth sailing for Murray, Wawrinka, Nishikori and Federer, but Cilic, Isner and Kyrgios are out.

(1) GBR Andy Murray DEFEATS (Q) RUS Andrey Rublev 63 60 62

(4) SUI Stan Wawrinka DEFEATS USA Steve Johnson 63 64 64

(5) JPN Kei Nishikori DEFEATS FRA Jeremy Chardy 63 64 63

GBR Daniel Evans DEFEATS (7) CRO Marin Cilic 36 75 63 63

(10) CZE Tomas Berdych DEFEATS USA Ryan Harrison 63 76 62

(12) FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga DEFEATS SRB Dusan Lajovic 62 62 63

ITA Andreas Seppi DEFEATS (14) AUS Nick Kyrgios 16 67 64 62 10-8

(17) SUI Roger Federer DEFEATS (Q) USA Noah Rubin 75 63 76

GER Mischa Zverev DEFEATS (19) USA John Isner 67 67 64 76 9-7

(23) USA Jack Sock DEFEATS RUS Karen Khachanov 63 64 64

(27) AUS Bernard Tomic DEFEATS DOM Victor Estrella Burgos 75 76 46 76

(29) SRB Viktor Troicki DEFEATS ITA Paolo Lorenzi 63 16 76 36 63

(31) USA Sam Querrey DEFEATS (WC) AUS Alex De Minaur 76 60 61

BEL Steve Darcis DEFEATS ARG Diego Schwartzman 63 63 26 64

TUN Malek Jaziri DEFEATS (Q) KAZ Alexander Bublik 62 63 75

(Q) SVK Lukas Lacko DEFEATS ISR Dudi Sela 26 63 62 64

Second round at the Australian Open continues tonight, here are the matches and the odds at NetBet:

Donald Young [uSA] vs  Philipp Kohlschreiber [GER]

3.05 - 1.37

Pablo Carreno-Busta [ESP] vs  Kyle Edmund [GBR]

2.10 - 1.71

Carlos Berlocq [ARG] vs  Richard Gasquet [FRA]

17.00 - 1.02

Gilles Simon [FRA] vs  Rogerio Dutra Silva [bRA]

1.07 - 9.00

Roberto Bautista-Agut [ESP] vs  Yoshihito Nishioka [JPN]

1.06 - 8.50

Grigor Dimitrov [bUL] vs  Hyeon Chung [KOR]

1.11 - 6.55

Ernesto Escobedo [uSA] vs  David Ferrer [ESP]

3.95 - 1.25

Gilles Muller [LUX] vs  Milos Raonic [CAN]

4.30 - 1.21

Radek Stepanek [CZE] vs  David Goffin [bEL]

3.85 - 1.25

Denis Istomin [uZB] vs  Novak Djokovic [sRB]

26.50 - 1.006

Gael Monfils [FRA] vs  Aleksandr Dolgopolov [uKR]

1.23 - 4.15

Alexander Zverev [GER] vs  Frances Tiafoe [uSA]

1.19 - 4.70

Benoit Paire [FR] vs  Fabio Fognini [iTA]

2.10 - 1.71

Ivo Karlovic [CRO] vs  Andrew Whittington [AUS]

1.35 - 3.15

Marcos Baghdatis [CYP] vs  Rafael Nadal [ESP]

9.25 - 1.06

Dominic Thiem [AUT] vs  Jordan Thompson [AUS]

1.21 - 4.40

Good luck!

Who decided to bet on Istomin, got their money! Shocking result, shocking play.... and not a good way to start your day.

I guess that final against Murray in Doha was an anomaly.

So far this year Verdasco has been his best friend, gave him two wins. And when you make Istomin look like a tennis powerhouse then it is obvious than you are doing something wrong.

Plus, i had to go through listening to British commentators for five hours. :D Yes, player who's never been in top 30 destroyed Djokovic's game.

One good thing about this defeat is that it could be a reality check for Djokovic, because he really needs to decide what he wants to do. As I said many times before, he could stop playing tennis now, and that would be his right - he did so much already,  but if he decides to play, than he has to buckle down and work his a** off... and eat. :D

Wow! I watched the first four sets, then I had to go to work. I've rarely seen Djokovic make so many mistakes, a huge amount of double faults, unforced errors aplenty... Istomin probably played the best match of his career, but even so he would have never beaten the usual Djokovic.

I think he should do what Ronnie O'Sullivan did in snooker, just quit the game and then if you miss it come back with renewed motivation and prove how good you are.

Biggest upset of the tournament so far, Djokovic lost to Istomin and leaves the door wide open for Murray to go all the way.

(WC) UZB Denis Istomin DEFEATS (2) SRB Novak Djokovic 76 57 26 76 64

(3) CAN Milos Raonic DEFEATS LUX Gilles Muller 63 64 76

(6) FRA Gael Monfils DEFEATS UKR Alexandr Dolgopolov 63 64 16 60

( 8 ) AUT Dominic Thiem DEFEATS AUS Jordan Thompson 62 61 67 64

(9) ESP Rafael Nadal DEFEATS CYP Marcos Baghdatis 63 61 63

(11) BEL David Goffin DEFEATS (Q) CZE Radek Stepanek 64 60 63

(13) ESP Roberto Bautista Agut DEFEATS JPN Yoshihito Nishioka 62 63 63

(15) BUL Grigor Dimitrov DEFEATS KOR Hyeon Chung 16 64 64 64

(18) FRA Richard Gasquet DEFEATS ARG Carlos Berlocq 61 61 61

(20) CRO Ivo Karlovic DEFEATS (WC) AUS Andrew Whittington 64 64 64

(21) ESP David Ferrer DEFEATS (Q) USA Ernesto Escobedo 26 64 64 62

(24) GER Alexander Zverev DEFEATS (Q) USA Frances Tiafoe 62 63 64

(25) FRA Gilles Simon DEFEATS BRA Rogerio Dutra Silva 64 61 61

(30) ESP Pablo Carreno Busta DEFEATS GBR Kyle Edmund 62 64 62

(32) GER Philipp Kohlschreiber DEFEATS USA Donald Young 75 63 60

FRA Benoit Paire DEFEATS ITA Fabio Fognini 76 46 63 36 63

Third round coming up, here are the odds at NetBet:

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [FRA] vs  Jack Sock [uSA]

1.55 - 2.45

Steve Darcis [bEL] vs  Andreas Seppi [iTA]

2.25 - 1.64

Mihail Zverev [GER] vs  Malek Jaziri [TUN]

1.66 - 2.20

Stan Wawrinka [sUI] vs  Viktor Troicki [sRB]

1.13 - 5.80

Andy Murray [GBR] vs  Sam Querrey [uSA]

1.001 - 18.75

Bernard Tomic [AUS] vs  Daniel Evans [GBR]

1.68 - 2.20

Lukas Lacko [sVK] vs  Kei Nishikori [JPN]

15.25 - 1.03

Tomas Berdych [CZE] vs  Roger Federer [sUI]

2.35 - 1.58

Good luck!

Who decided to bet on Istomin, got their money! Shocking result, shocking play.... and not a good way to start your day.

 

I guess that final against Murray in Doha was an anomaly.

 

So far this year Verdasco has been his best friend, gave him two wins. And when you make Istomin look like a tennis powerhouse then it is obvious than you are doing something wrong.

 

Plus, i had to go through listening to British commentators for five hours. :D Yes, player who's never been in top 30 destroyed Djokovic's game.

 

One good thing about this defeat is that it could be a reality check for Djokovic, because he really needs to decide what he wants to do. As I said many times before, he could stop playing tennis now, and that would be his right - he did so much already,  but if he decides to play, than he has to buckle down and work his a** off... and eat. :D

You're completely right in all that you saying mate,  I'm just not sure there's too many punters brave enough to bet against Djokovic in this particular match.

Enough reality checks! ;)

Let's just hope he'll realize that he needs a juicy stake after that.

Istomin should be arrested by the fashion police!

Let's whole wide world celebrating, particularly Nadal and Roger fans, although there's should be celebrating only those of Murray!

I don't have doubts that if Djokovic has survived in that match he would play at least on the....final.

Wow! I watched the first four sets, then I had to go to work. I've rarely seen Djokovic make so many mistakes, a huge amount of double faults, unforced errors aplenty... Istomin probably played the best match of his career, but even so he would have never beaten the usual Djokovic.

It sucks when you have to go at work in the middle of an exiting match, right Johnny? :), don't now why but I though you're working from home.. I remember when I used to go at work in the mornings not able to see the third period of some of the  LA Kings games..maybe that's why I quit ;)

I think he should do what Ronnie O'Sullivan did in snooker, just quit the game and then if you miss it come back with renewed motivation and prove how good you are.

In fact I think that's the right idea Johnny, although I wouldn't compare Ronnie O'Sullivan to any athlete in any sport- for me he's just the ultimate talent - not the perfect character though ;)  anyway...there's of course the physical aspect in tennis which of course doesn't exist in Snooker so I think if Djokovic is unhappy or his thoughts are somewhere else of whatever happens with him, I  also think he have to take a break for a while..would be tough though to return at the top if he miss a year or more but few months could be a good idea...but I think he could overcome that (whatever it is) in progress..or at least I hope he could.

Still no problem for Murray, he eased into the fourth round, with Wawrinka, Nishikori and Federer also pulling through.

(1) GBR Andy Murray DEFEATS (31) USA Sam Querrey 64 62 64

(4) SUI Stan Wawrinka DEFEATS (29) SRB Viktor Troicki 36 62 62 76

(5) JPN Kei Nishikori DEFEATS (Q) SVK Lukas Lacko 64 64 64

(17) SUI Roger Federer DEFEATS (10) CZE Tomas Berdych 62 64 64

(12) FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga DEFEATS (23) USA Jack Sock 76 75 67 63

GBR Daniel Evans DEFEATS (27) AUS Bernard Tomic 75 76 76

ITA Andreas Seppi DEFEATS BEL Steve Darcis 46 64 76 76

GER Mischa Zverev DEFEATS TUN Malek Jaziri 61 46 63 60

Fourth round to be completed tonight, here are the matches and the odds at NetBet:

Ivo Karlovic [CRO] vs  David Goffin [bEL]

3.60 - 1.29

Dominic Thiem [AUT] vs  Benoit Paire [FR]

1.21 - 4.40

Alexander Zverev [GER] vs  Rafael Nadal [ESP]

2.95 - 1.40

Pablo Carreno-Busta [ESP] vs  Denis Istomin [uZB]

1.34 - 3.25

Roberto Bautista-Agut [ESP] vs  David Ferrer [ESP]

1.45 - 2.70

Gilles Simon [FRA] vs  Milos Raonic [CAN]

5.25 - 1.15

Gael Monfils [FRA] vs  Philipp Kohlschreiber [GER]

1.25 - 3.95

Grigor Dimitrov [bUL] vs  Richard Gasquet [FRA]

1.62 - 2.30

Good luck!

Federer was so good against Berdych who looks very tired somehow and it is only a beginning of the season.

Nadal and Zverev play quite an amazing match. It's the 5th set now. You can see Zverev is so young, he's slapping the ball the hardest he can, but it looks impressive nevertheless. :D really great potential.

Fourth round is over, Nadal had to work hard against young Zverev, Dimitrov displayed a confident performance, while surprise man Istomin pulled off another one.

(3) CAN Milos Raonic DEFEATS (25) FRA Gilles Simon 62 76 36 63

(6) FRA Gael Monfils DEFEATS (32) GER Philipp Kohlschreiber 63 76 64

( 8 ) AUT Dominic Thiem DEFEATS FRA Benoit Paire 61 46 64 64

(9) ESP Rafael Nadal DEFEATS (24) GER Alexander Zverev 46 63 67 63 62

(11) BEL David Goffin DEFEATS (20) CRO Ivo Karlovic 63 62 64

(13) ESP Roberto Bautista Agut DEFEATS (21) ESP David Ferrer 75 67 76 64

(15) BUL Grigor Dimitrov DEFEATS (18) FRA Richard Gasquet 63 62 64

(WC) UZB Denis Istomin DEFEATS (30) ESP Pablo Carreno Busta 64 46 64 46 62

Fifth round coming up, last step before the quarter-finals. Four matches on Sunday morning (European time), here are the odds at NetBet:

Andy Murray [GBR] vs  Mihail Zverev [GER]

1.006 - 20.50

Stan Wawrinka [sUI] vs  Andreas Seppi [iTA]

1.07 - 7.75

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [FRA] vs  Daniel Evans [GBR]

1.22 - 4.25

Roger Federer [sUI] vs  Kei Nishikori [JPN]

1.57 - 2.40

Good luck!

:O What is going on?! I didn't watch the match because I though it would be a boring affair.

Did Murray see himself lifting the trophy already, after Novak's elimination and his easy third round win? Perhaps he let his mind wander instead of staying in the moment. As some other sports, especially individual ones, what's going on in your head is crucial in tennis, and that's what sets apart top players from others. 

I haven't watched it either, it was a bit early in the morning and I thought it wouldn't be worth it. So who's going to win it now, Federer? That would be great for him.

GER Mischa Zverev DEFEATS (1) GBR Andy Murray 75 57 62 64

(4) SUI Stan Wawrinka DEFEATS ITA Andreas Seppi 76 76 76

(17) SUI Roger Federer DEFEATS (5) JPN Kei Nishikori 67 64 61 46 63

(12) FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga DEFEATS GBR Daniel Evans 67 62 64 64

Good wins for Raonic and Nadal, Istomin's fairy tale came to an end, while Goffin enjoys a good spell of form as he knocks out Thiem. I guess Raonic has a pretty good shot at the title, he looks really solid at the moment.

(3) CAN Milos Raonic DEFEATS (13) ESP Roberto Bautista Agut 76 36 64 61

(9) ESP Rafael Nadal DEFEATS (6) FRA Gael Monfils 63 63 46 64

(11) BEL David Goffin DEFEATS ( 8 ) AUT Dominic Thiem 57 76 62 62

(15) BUL Grigor Dimitrov DEFEATS (WC) UZB Denis Istomin 26 76 62 61

First two quarter-finals coming up, should be quite interesting, here are the odds at NetBet:

Stan Wawrinka [sUI] vs  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [FRA]

1.62 - 2.30

Mischa Zverev [GER] vs  Roger Federer [sUI]

8.00 - 1.07

Good luck!

So who's going to win it now, Federer? That would be great for him.

Well..I hope not :) but this now certainly is a great chance for him..could be the last GS title chance...I think in the absence of Andy and Nole his confidence will reach the sky..his that kind  of  a character I think...but Nadal could be quite confident either, hope to see a new face at the top.

Federer has just beaten quite easily Zverev, who looked completely overwhelmed by the occasion,and perhaps to beat Murray and then Federer successively was a bit too much for him. Federer did look quite impressive at times - his movement, shot selection.

Easy wins for Wawrinka and Federer to set up an all-Swiss semi-final, should be quite a good match between these two.

(4) SUI Stan Wawrinka DEFEATS (12) FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 76 64 63

(17) SUI Roger Federer DEFEATS GER Mischa Zverev 61 75 62

Federer has just beaten quite easily Zverev, who looked completely overwhelmed by the occasion,and perhaps to beat Murray and then Federer successively was a bit too much for him. Federer did look quite impressive at times - his movement, shot selection.

I still can't understand how he beat Murray. OK, he's left-handed and plays serve-volley, tough to play against such an opponent, but Murray should have done a lot better.

Last two quarter-finals coming up, here are the odds at NetBet:

David Goffin [bEL] vs  Grigor Dimitrov

2.55 - 1.52

Rafael Nadal [ESP] vs  Milos Raonic [CAN]

1.68 - 2.15

Good luck!

I still can't understand how he beat Murray. OK, he's left-handed and plays serve-volley, tough to play against such an opponent, but Murray should have done a lot better.

I kept asking myself that question, too. Even in that second set when Zverev played a bit better, his volleys seemed weak, with no angle or sharpness. But the problem I think was that his approaching shots were mediocre, at best! So I guess that was the reason Federer had no trouble dealing with him on the net. 

Zverev doesn't have the biggest serve, so he needs angles, spins, slices, to keep the opponent guessing, which is great for serve/volley style, but against Federer his serve was useless.

But yes, Murray should have done better, he lost his serve 8 times, Incredible.

Easy wins for Nadal and Dimitrov in the quarter-finals, I hope we'll have a fine semi-final match between these two because Dimitrov is in great shape at the moment.

(9) ESP Rafael Nadal DEFEATS (3) CAN Milos Raonic 64 76 64

(15) BUL Grigor Dimitrov DEFEATS (11) BEL David Goffin 63 62 64

Easy wins for Nadal and Dimitrov in the quarter-finals, I hope we'll have a fine semi-final match between these two because Dimitrov is in great shape at the moment.

 

(9) ESP Rafael Nadal DEFEATS (3) CAN Milos Raonic 64 76 64

(15) BUL Grigor Dimitrov DEFEATS (11) BEL David Goffin 63 62 64

Hopefully we'll have a match Johnny but I think at this late stages toughness is the main quality a player should produce and Dimitrov is not known for that.

I think Grigor's record against Nadal and Federer combined is something like 1win to 30 losses and  I'm not sure about that...1win :)

First semi-final coming up in about half an hour, here are the odds at NetBet:

Roger Federer [sUI] vs  Stan Wawrinka [sUI]

1.47 - 2.65

Good luck!

Roger Federer seems younger than ever, he survived a five-set battle against Stan Wawrinka and he has a real shot at the Australian Open title. It was a great match between the two Swiss players, some great strokes in there.

(17) SUI Roger Federer DEFEATS (4) SUI Stan Wawrinka 75 63 16 46 63

Great match indeed, except from that one Wawrinka's service game in the 5th set. But throughout the match, it was visible how uncomfortable Wawrinka is on this quick court. He spent  most of the time two meters behind the baseline. And also, we didn't see his trademark shot, backhand down the line at all, and he managed many times to open up the court with his backhand cross-court. So his tactics there was weird.

I think Grigor's record against Nadal and Federer combined is something like 1win to 30 losses and  I'm not sure about that...1win :)

And Dimitrov tomorrow.... he has one win over Nadal, last match they played in Beijing. And I think he has a great chance to win, but he must win one of the first two sets. If he goes 0-2 it will be almost impossible to win. I hope he's pumped for tomorrow. :)

Second semi-final coming up, here are the odds at NetBet:

Rafael Nadal [ESP] vs  Grigor Dimitrov [bUL]

1.33 - 3.30

Good luck!

Dimitrov missed a great opportunity I think. He was playing really well.... if only he managed to close that second set with 63 or 64.... but that's Nadal, always pushing, and it's not easy.

I guess people got what they wanted - a dream final between Federer and Nadal. I guess Nadal will win the first two majors this year. :)

I felt quite bad for Dimitrov, he was soooo close... I hope this defeat doesn't destroy his morale, he is a great player and he should win a lot more than he did up to this point.

(9) ESP Rafael Nadal DEFEATS (15) BUL Grigor Dimitrov 63 57 76 67 64

So, what a match between Nadal and Dimitrov, amazing battle and Grigor was really close although Rafa was always the favourite to go trough. I watched the match without first couple of sets but it was great really, I'm sure Federer is happy from that match length too.

I wasn't even upset  because he really did all that he could this time but it just wasn't his day. 

That awkward injury in the 5th set really break his movement and despite that he was almost a winner in the end.

I could predict Dimitrov should win a grand slam title sooner or later if he continues to develop, certainly the talent is there but that was never a secret.

I guess people got what they wanted - a dream final between Federer and Nadal. I guess Nadal will win the first two majors this year. :)

I hope you're right but why you're so sure Markotik, because of the history of their clashes?

I think Nadal spent a l lot of energy today and he's not like 21 any more, 5 hour match + a day more rest for Federer would certainly mean something at the final if the match continues more than 3 sets which is almost automatic.

I hope you're right but why you're so sure Markotik, because of the history of their clashes?

 

I think Nadal spent a l lot of energy today and he's not like 21 any more, 5 hour match + a day more rest for Federer would certainly mean something at the final if the match continues more than 3 sets which is almost automatic.

They both had long and tough matches on their way to the final, and two day break doesn't necessarily mean advantage. And I remember commentators saying that players who had those two days actually would lose in the finals, with one or two exceptions.  And with Federer you don't get those long, exhausting points like against Djokovic, or Murray.

What I think of as an advantage for Federer is the court. It's very quick, suits his game well, and if he manages to take time away from Nadal, only then he will win. And both Zverev and now Dimitrov showed that with quick and aggressive play you can trouble him a lot, and right now, Federer is perhaps the only one who can sustain that level long enough.

They are both fresh, didn't play for the most part of 2016, so it should be fun.

And about my RG prediction :D well, at this level Nadal on clay will be almost unbeatable. I don't know what's going on with Djokovic, and not sure if Murray is good enough for this Nadal on clay.

But you never now what's gonna happen. everyone expected Murray to dominate.

The big match is coming up, here are the odds at NetBet:

Roger Federer [sUI] vs  Rafael Nadal [ESP]

2.15 - 1.71

Good luck!

Federer won! Of course, by playing the only way that could bring him the win, quick and aggressive. It wasn't mesmerizing since the sets were more or less one-sided, but still, it was good, and lots of fun.

Congrats to Federer on winning the 18th Grand Slam! Really amazing.

He's nearly 36 years old but he pulled it off, his 18th Grand Slam title and 5th Australian Open title. Hats off to Federer, amazing tennis player.

(17) SUI Roger Federer DEFEATS (9) ESP Rafael Nadal 64 36 61 36 63

Well I think it wasn't surprising that Federer won it in the end, Nadal was exhausted from the 5 hour semi final with Dimitrov and it was really a time for Federer to break Nadal's dominance although it's been quite long ago when they meat each other at so late stage in a GS tournament.

In the end who knows maybe that wasn't been Federer last shot at so big tournament I don't know but I think it would also strongly depends from Djokovic, Murray and Nadal level of performance in future if Federer could win some more.

I know it's great for the Federer fans because maybe most of them didn't thought they could see him again winning  and even be part of a GS final...

Three tournaments this week, here are the details:

Ecuador Open - Quito, Ecuador

Surface: Outdoor Clay

Total Financial Commitment: $540,310

Seeded players

1 I. Karlovic

2 A. Ramos-Vinolas

3 P. Lorenzi

4 T. Bellucci

5 A. Dolgopolov

6 H. Zeballos

7 T. Monteiro

8 R. Olivo

Garanti Koza Sofia Open - Sofia, Bulgaria

Surface: Indoor Hard

Total Financial Commitment: €540,310

Seeded players

1 D. Thiem

2 D. Goffin

3 G. Dimitrov

4 R. Bautista Agut

5 G. Muller

7 M. Baghdatis

8 M. Klizan

9 V. Troicki

Open Sud de France - Montpellier, France

Surface: Indoor Hard

Total Financial Commitment: €540,310

Seeded players

1 M. Cilic

2 J. Tsonga

3 R. Gasquet

4 A. Zverev

5 F. Lopez

6 M. Zverev

7 M. Granollers

8 F. Verdasco

Today's matches and the odds at NetBet:

ATP Quito

Gerald Melzer [AUT] vs  Horacio Zeballos [ARG]

1.95 - 1.86

Benjamin Becker [GER] vs  Santiago Giraldo [COL]

4.35 - 1.21

Daniel Gimeno Traver [ESP] vs  Janko Tipsarevic [sRB]

3.90 - 1.25

ATP Sofia

Alexandar Lazarov [bUL] vs  Radu Albot [MDA]

5.70 - 1.13

ATP Montpellier

Marcel Granollers [sPA] vs  Jeremy Chardy [FRA]

2.10 - 1.74

Dustin Brown [GER] vs  Guillermo Garcia-Lopez [ESP]

1.48 - 2.65

Good luck!

Day one results from the three tournaments:

ATP Quito

Singles - First Round

G. Melzer (AUT) d [6] H. Zeballos (ARG) 67(4) 63 76(4)

[WC] G. Lapentti (ECU) d [7] T. Monteiro (BRA) 63 62

[WC] J. Tipsarevic (SRB) d D. Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 41 Retired elbow

S. Giraldo (COL) d B. Becker (GER) 64 64

ATP Sofia

Singles - First Round

R. Albot (MDA) d [WC] A. Lazarov (BUL) 76(0) 62

ATP Montpellier

Singles - First Round

J. Chardy (FRA) d [7] M. Granollers (ESP) 60 36 63

D. Brown (GER) d G. Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 76(4) 63

Today's matches and the odds at NetBet:

ATP Quito

Emilio Gomez [ECU] vs  Renzo Olivo [ARG]

3.65 - 1.28

Roberto Carballes Baena [ESP] vs  Rogerio Dutra Silva [bRA]

2.10 - 1.74

Agustin Velotti [ARG] vs  Matthew Ebden [AUS]

1.38 - 3.00

Aleksandr Dolgopolov [uKR] vs  Rajeev Ram [uSA]

1.23 - 4.10

Alejandro Falla [COL] vs  Alessandro Giannessi [iTA]

1.62 - 2.30

ATP Sofia

Gilles Muller [LUX] vs  Mathias Bourgue [FRA]

1.14 - 5.50

Cedrik-Marcel Stebe [GER] vs  Teymuraz Gabashvili [RUS]

2.05 - 1.76

Marko Tepavac [sRB] vs  Mikhail Youzhny [RUS]

4.15 - 1.23

Robin Haase [NED] vs  Dimitar Kuzmanov [bUL]

1.12 - 6.05

Andrey Kuznetsov [RUS] vs  Martin Klizan [sVK]

1.54 - 2.50

Maximilian Marterer [GER] vs  Steve Darcis [bEL]

2.65 - 1.47

ATP Montpellier

Illya Marchenko [uKR] vs  Quentin Halys [FRA]

2.05 - 1.80

Aljas Bedene [GBR] vs  Borna Coric [CRO]

2.55 - 1.51

Fernando Verdasco [ESP] vs  Gregoire Barrere [FRA]

1.13 - 5.70

Benoit Paire [FR] vs  Karen Khachanov [RUS]

1.74 - 2.10

Daniil Medvedev [RUS] vs  Tobias Kamke [GER]

1.47 - 2.70

Good luck!