Williams And Djokovic Power Through In New York

The US Open Tennis Championship nears midway and we take a look at what’s been happening on the flushing meadows courts.

As we teeter on the verge of the half way point the US Open Tennis Championship in New York is already shaping up to be one of the best ever with some superb performances from the big stars and a few upsets further down the draw. Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams might have sailed through along with Britain’s Andy Murray but not everyone has had such an easy ride in this massively glitzy Grand Slam event.

US Open Tennis Championship 2014

• Mobile betting very popular in New York
• Djokovic, Williams and Murray all through
• Ana Ivanovic crashes out

The first top ten seed to bite the dust was Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska who was seeded fourth but fell in straight sets to the 39th ranked Peng Shuai’s dazzling backhand. This means the US Open remains the only Grand Slam competition in which Radwanska, 2012 Wimbledon runner-up, has failed to reach a quarterfinal. Peng goes on to a third round draw against 28th seed Italian Roberta Vinci who overcame her Romanian opponent.

Although it is perhaps the defeat of eighth seed Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 6-4 by Karolina Pliskova that will be making the gambling news. Going into the US Open having won three tournaments this year the former number one was highly favored but didn’t show it in her performance. “I really struggled to find my rhythm and made way too many unforced errors.” she said, “I had great lead-ups to every Grand Slam this year. I won a lot of matches, big matches as well. At the Grand Slams I just haven’t performed that well. It’s something that I’m definitely going to work on.”

It took a fair bit of work for Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, seeded seventh, to get past a tough Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 and she knows she’ll have to up her game if she wants to get through her next match. “I want to play better tennis in the next round but at least I have that chance” she said after her game against the Romanian. She is by no means alone as the third round starts to divide the wheat from the chaff as we start to decide the last 16.

Serena And Djokovic Are Through

As anyone who has been paying attention to the odds being offered by online sportsbooks in the US will know Djokovic is expected to do well and his straight forward victory over Paul-Henri Mathieu was a convincing argument in favor of backing him to win the Open this year. His masterful game simply outclassing the Frenchman 6-1, 6-3, 6-0, in just 87 minutes and sets him up for his next match against a familiar opponent Sam Querrey.

“Sam is playing in front of his crowd.” Djokovic admits, “I’m sure that he’s going to have some good support. But on the other hand, if we get to play on center court maybe in a night session, that’s where my experience kicks in. If he serves well he’s very dangerous. I saw a little bit of his match today and he played great. He’s in good form, good shape, and has nothing to lose. It’s going to be a tough one.” which might be the understatement of the tournament thus far.

Meanwhile that other tennis superstar Serena Williams brushed aside Vania King in a blustery match 6-1, 6-0 putting her on course for another Grand Slam win. It took her less than an hour to close out the match despite the windy conditions. “It’s so hard playing in the wind,” Williams said, “but I’m really happy to get through a solid match in the conditions today. You have to be able to adjust.” which she may have to do facing Lepchenko next.

Serena joked about hunting down her 18th Grand Slam win saying “I’m kind of stuck right now at 17, which to be honest is not a bad number to be stuck at. It’s better than 16.” In her current form few would doubt that she could well be looking at getting that next victory in the 2014 Open just under a month from her thirty third birthday, but should she fail to reach the quarter finals she’ll lose her spot as the female number one.

Murray Goes Through To Last 32

The windy conditions on Thursday that gave Serena cause to “adjust” were in evidence as Andy Murray, the man with the entire nation’s tabloid press awaiting to pounce on his every error, got by his German qualifier Matthias Bachinger, ranked by 235, in a businesslike 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to earn his place in the third round where he’ll face Russia’s strong fighter Andrey Kuznetsov who put out Fernando Verdasco after five sets.

“It was extremely windy.” The Scot made clear afterward, “That was the hardest part about the conditions, just very, very breezy and difficult to play close to the lines. But I hit the ball well considering, served better and obviously I moved a bit better today, as well.” It remains to be seen if the Olympic and Wimbledon champion will be able to take this variable game into the third round and earn a place in the last 16.

Showing nimble footwork off the court Murray was asked about Scots independence, a referendum on which is less than three weeks away, and if he could imagine for playing for Scotland in Rio 2016. Ever the able diplomat Murray responded in typically realistic fashion saying; “If it happened where, if Scotland became independent, then I imagine I would be playing for Scotland, yeah. I haven’t thought much about that yet because I don’t think it’s looking too likely that it’s going to happen.”

Which accurately reflects the odds on Scottish independence being offered by online gambling sites in the US and elsewhere, that don’t think it likely. Murray however might well go on to do rather well if the conditions continue to be quite so European, and it could be lifting the US Open Tennis Championship trophy at the end of the tournament. Of course Djokovic is still favorite with Federer close behind but stranger things have happened in this fabulous competition.