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Don't look now but Bernard Tomic has put in 2 very good performances to move to the quarters here. He won a very good 3 set match vs Tiafoe and followed it up with a very good 2 set win over Aussie Ebden. He is serving better than I have ever seen him serve with a lot of aces and unreturned serves. He even hit a 93 mph forehand. He has some of the easiest looking power off that side I have ever seen when he chooses to use it.
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Last edited by stroke; 07-25-2019, 12:09 PM. -
Bernard Tomic...how much more of this can he take? How much success can he take? How much of an effort can he muster? This might be seen as an epic match coming up for him but with his rather dismal ranking of #104 compared to his talent my suspicion is that he may have had enough. Two good performances might just be good enough for the underachiever. The money he makes by making the quarterfinals may satisfy his expenses for the next week thus keeping him from having to find a real job. He just might be satiated enough to more or less let Alex de Minaur take the cake. de Minaur is one of Stotty's favourites and I sort of have a difficult time understanding why. I can understand grit and the ability to retrieve but seriously I almost fell asleep watching him warm up against Bradley Klahn yesterday. He's a snoozer waiting to happen.Originally posted by stroke View Post
But the clash between the two Aussies paints a picture of two polar opposites which often times makes for good contrast in a tennis match. de Minaur is the gritty retriever and Tomic is classic underachiever. Many times it comes down to who wants it more. It's going to be a hot day down there on the "Midnight Train to Georgia". But Australia is very hot as well. It actually could be interesting...stroke. -
I find it interesting db. De Minaur is so solid in from the ground off both sides. His backhand is about as good as his forehand, a la Novak. Vs Khan yesterday, I felt like the only real difference in the match was the backhands, but it was very significant in the outcome of the match. Hardly and errors for Alex. I have my doubts Bernard doing what it takes to win but who knows. The game in there.Comment
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Bernard retires in 2nd set with a back injury. Bernard's rope a dope style is just not effective against a player such as Alex who stays so focused and engaged all the time. Bernie is just going to have to train as a pro tennis player if he is to win these kind of matches, but we all know that is extremely unlikely to happen.Comment
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Opelka looks really good in his win today vs Evans, so good in fact I would say he is a dark horse at US Open. He plays Alex next, a very interesting matchup. Speaking of dark horses, I have always like Fritz' game and he is still alive in this tournament.Comment
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This is a very impressive match going on with Opelka vs "the demon". Alex I think has the best wheels on tour, at the very least on hard courts.Comment
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The demon is the real deal. And Rennae Stubb's is one of the very best commentators I have heard. So much better than Mary Carrillo, it is hard to even put into words.Comment
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Alex de Minaur, being just 6 feet tall, went through the Atlanta open without losing a service game. Thats damn impressive. Last player to do that was John Isner in Newport in 2017. Before that it was Tommy Haas in Memphis in 2007.
de Minaur lost only 7, yes SEVEN points on his first serve all week.
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca RatonComment
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Extremely interesting stat. He managed to carve through two players ranked in the 90's, one ranked 43 and the final Taylor Fritz ranked 28. A nice piece of work for the week but not enough to lead me to believe that he will contend at the Open. Holding serve the entire tournament is almost unbelievable for his level of serving. Alex without a game changer except for his grit...his flying feet. Which is can be a game changer in itself...in a sense. But I wonder about the three out of five format and if he should grind out a couple of five setters early in a draw. Well we all know how that ends up. Great week for "The Demon" to win his second ATP tournament this year. Both ATP 250's. Does he have the potential to bump it up a couple of notches?Originally posted by klacr View Post
He was recovering from an injury...wasn't he? It's a demanding way to play the game. Taxing on the physique. It will be interesting going forwards to see how he progresses. Alex Zverev had another tough loss in Hamburg. He continues to struggle to regain his mojo.Comment
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It was a good win...a good week for Alex de Minaur. He's got guts...real guts, and he move so well. My reservations are he doesn't have much class. He's workhorse through and through, a grinder. Going forward I wonder where the improvements will come. He can improve his serve for sure simply by turning his shoulders more. But what about the rest of his game? Does he have the class, the ability to go further? I hope so but there are question marks.StottyComment
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Novak is his template to me, just very solid on both wings and great movement, with a very good return of serve(Novak level there may not be possible). The demon is never going to be an easy on the eyes type player, but there is nothing wrong with being a workhorse, a la David Ferrer.Originally posted by stotty View PostComment
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Novak has class. He's an excellent, smooth shot maker from the baseline when put under pressure too. He's talented and his ball-striking is so clean. I am not sure De Minaur has those qualities in the same measure but I stand to be corrected. I would like to see him live to assess him better. The trouble with TV is it can be quite deceiving. Up close and personal is the only way for me.Last edited by stotty; 07-30-2019, 12:05 PM.StottyComment
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Kyrgios pulled off another win, hitting outrageous shots, baiting the crowd. Like him or not, his matches are entertaining.Comment
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