Percy896's Tennis Forum

x.doublea · Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:00 pm Post subject:

Suzuki ws the one who made that match so entertaining. He played so athletically, although he does guess which sides the passing shots will go. He's a shorter Mirnyi will a lesser serve and a better volley.
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Adie · Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:08 pm Post subject:

I still see Fed getting by this match with not much difficulty.
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PSALT · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 7:42 am Post subject:

Robredo goes out 7-6 4-6 6-1 to Lee. Ancic and Henman go through. Federer beats a no-name 4-6 7-5 7-6. Federer has not been playing well at all.
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dav6789 · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:08 am Post subject:

What a close match for Federer. He blames it partly on his nightmare the night before, but Suzuki did extremely well, being ranked outside the top 1000! He should take alot of confidence from that. Most players outside the top 1000 would be lucky to get a game from Federer.

Henman has had a fantastic day today! He played first at 9:00 against Del-Potro and came back from 4-1 down in the first set to win 7-6 6-3. Then, his next match was around midnight and he thrashed Ancic 6-2 6-2! Well done to Henman, and I hope he can get to the final, if not win this tournament!

A new ATP record was set aswell. Benjamin Becker's win over Jiri Novak finished at 3:24 am, for the latest finish of a match ever.

PSALT · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:52 am Post subject:

PSALT · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:55 am Post subject:

oops about the Ancic match, I was looking at his RD16 win.
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Adie · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:56 am Post subject:

Woah, What a tough result for Fed. Great job for Suzuki to put up a tough fight.
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Playing like a girl doesn't mean what it used to!
My Record Last Year: 13-5

J-man · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:06 pm Post subject:

I don't believe Federer on the nightmare thing. It just seems to farfetched. He's in a slump in his game and he's not used to it so he's trying to find small excuses why he is having such tight matches. I don't expect him to not win this title but he is vernauble right now. This is a good chance to strike for other players that are playing well (ie Henman, Lee ect) mentally it could be bad for Federer.
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Adie · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:09 pm Post subject:

Fed is going to have one of those nightmares come true one of these days shortly if he keeps playing this way and making excuses.
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Playing like a girl doesn't mean what it used to!
My Record Last Year: 13-5

J-man · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 10:40 am Post subject:

Roger Federer will be looking to claim his 42nd career title Sunday at the AIG Japan Open Tennis when he takes on Brit Tim Henman.

ATP World No.1 Federer posted a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win over Germany's Benjamin Becker, while Henman defeated Hyung Taik Lee 6-4, 7-6(5) to book a spot in the final of an ATP event for the first time since Indian Wells in 2004 (l. Federer).

Federer and Henman will be going head-to-head for the 13th time in their careers. Although the series is tied at 6-6, Federer has defeated Henman in their last five clashes without dropping a set.

Federer improved to 48-2 on hard courts this year, after going 50-1 last year. Since the beginning of 2004 he has compiled a 230-15 record, with 30 titles in 45 tournaments. This summer he won titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open for the third straight year, a feat no one else has accomplished.

The Swiss star is 38-2 since the beginning of Roland Garros May 29, with his only two losses coming in the final of Roland Garros to Nadal and the second round of Cincinnati in August to Murray. Federer has won 19 semifinals in a row (13 this year). The last semifinal he lost was to Nadal at Roland Garros in June 2005. Federer has topped the INDESIT ATP Rankings for almost three years (see below). He is trying to win an ATP title in the 14th different country he’s played in during his career.

The 32-year-old Henman, who owns 11 ATP career titles, has advanced to his first ATP final of the year. In his two previous semifinal appearances in the season at Zagreb in February and and London-Queen’s Club in June he fell to Stefan Koubek and Lleyton Hewitt respectively.

The Brit is on pace for his 11th straight year with a record above .500, currently standing at 28-17. He also is headed for his 12th straight year finishing ranked in the top 100, as he is currently No. 55.

-atp tennis.com
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dav6789 · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 10:56 am Post subject:

Great tournament for Henman so far. First final since Indian Wells 2004. He has had a great run of form. He really should have done better in Bangkok, but a QF is still decent. At this tournament, he has had some great wins.

J-man · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:17 am Post subject:

Federer wins!!!!!!

Roger Federer won his ninth title of the year and the 42nd of his career with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Tim Henman.

The match took one hour and seven minutes. Henman was hurt by six double faults, including three in the sixth game of the first set that led to Federer's first break.

Federer also broke Henman twice in the final set. Henman won only a third of his second-serve points (7/21).

Federer claimed his 77th match win of the year and is now just five wins away from topping his personal-best record of 81 wins, set last year. He won 11 titles a year in 2005 and 2004 and needs just one more victory this year to again reach double figures.

"I knew what to expect, because I played Tim at Wimbledon this year, I played him at the US Open," Federer said. "I knew that this one might be the most dangerous because it's only best of three sets. The surface is faster than the US Open. It's different than Wimbledon where I had a great day. I'm very happy with the way I played. He was tough today, because I had to come up with passing shots at the right time. Looking at it harshly, those three double faults cost him the match."

As for Henman, he said, "I tried to get forward, but his ability to hit passing shots so well and consistently makes it difficult to play against him. At times I played some great tennis, and you still end up losing the point. That's when you have to say it's too good. I'm not the first guy to lose to Roger in the final, and I won't be the last. I would have loved to have won today, but he was too good. It's been a fantastic week for me. The level I've played, it's a great motivation for me. I've been working hard and doing all the right things for my body and game, and you want a little proof in your results."

The Records

With his sixth straight win over Henman, Federer took the lead in their career meetings 7-6. Federer improved his 2006 record to 77-5, while Henman slipped to 28-18.

The Race for Shanghai continues to heat up, with the top eight finishers in the INDESIT ATP 2006 Race making it to the Tennis Masters Cup there in November. Federer already has set a new points record for the race with 1,374, breaking the mark of 1,345 he set last year. Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal already have clinched spots in Shanghai.

Federer, 25, continues to amaze. He is 49-2 on hard courts this year, after going 50-1 last year. Since the beginning of 2004 he has compiled a 232-15 record, with 31 titles in 46 tournaments. This summer he won titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open for the third straight year, a feat no one else has accomplished.

He is 39-2 since the beginning of Roland Garros May 29, with his only two losses coming in the final of Roland Garros to Nadal and the second round of Cincinnati in August to Murray.

Federer has played in 13 finals this year. That’s a career high for him after 12 last year and 11 in 2004. For his whole career, Federer has won 42 of the 55 finals in which he has played for a winning percentage of 76.4. That compares to 72.7 percent for the great Pete Sampras (64/8 Cool

, 71.3 percent for hall-of-famer John McEnroe (77/108) and 70.5 percent for hall-of-famer Bjorn Borg (62-8 Cool

.

The Swiss tennis genius made his debut in Tokyo this week and is penning the blog on ATPtennis.com (see link below). Federer has won a title in 14 different countries.

Henman's Numbers and Thoughts about Federer

Henman, 32, was playing in the 28th final of his ATP career and fell to 11-17 in those matches. He hasn't captured a crown since the ATP Masters Series event at Paris in 2003 (d. Pavel). That was the biggest tournament he ever won.

Henman is on pace for his 11th straight year with a winning percentage of at least 56, currently standing at 60.9 percent (28/46). He also has a chance for his 12th straight year finishing ranked in the top 40, as he was No. 55 coming into Tokyo and will move up thanks to his performance there. Henman has a career record of 8-4 in Tokyo.

Asked after the match which elements of Federer's game are hard to notice without playing against him, Henman said "the consistency and variation of his first and second serves and his athleticism -- not only how fast he is moving to the ball, but his balance and footwork moving around the ball."

Asked to compare Federer to Pete Sampras, Henman said, "He has a more complete game than Sampras. Sampras had a bigger first and second serve. In the conditions Pete was playing, it was easier to be more aggressive all the time. Now with the courts and the balls much slower, Roger is so effective because he has so many attributes to his game."

Asked how long Federer can stay No. 1, Henman said, "I think it will still be a few years. One question when you get older is health. His game is economical. It doesn't take a lot of stress out of him. So I wouldn't be surprised if he's on top of the game for a few years yet."

-atptennis.com
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Adie · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 9:02 am Post subject:

Chalk up another tournament of Fed. Still a great run for Henman. Congrats to both.
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Playing like a girl doesn't mean what it used to!
My Record Last Year: 13-5

dav6789 · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 9:05 am Post subject:

That is still a great tournament for Henman, especially the thrashing of Ancic in the QF (a player he had never beaten before). This should give him alot of confidence going into the indoor season, where he has done so well in the past. I look for him to make big runs in Basel and Paris. He has a chance to get back into the top 40 before the season is over.

3rd seeds Ashley Fisher and Tripp Philipps beat Paul Goldstein and Jim Thomas 6-2 7-5 to win their first title together. It is the 3rd final this year that Goldstein and Thomas have lost, they are still without a title.

Hannah The Banana · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 11:52 am Post subject:

Henman must have played his butt off this tournament. He has always been a quality player in my book. I am glad that he is still hanging in there as he is getting older.

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