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our bracketologist's wimbledon picks

June 22, 2007 By Leave a Comment



Tennis Served Fresh is hosting former TennisJuicer JNP as a guest blogger. JNP can be reached at tenniscbh AT gmail DOT com.

My predictions for the women’s draw (full draw available in PDF):

Quarterfinal picks:

– Henin over Serena. Serena playing doubles with big sis Venus shouldn’t be a major distraction, imo. She has a shot to win the whole thing, but she’ll need Henin to lose earlier in the tourney.

– Jankovic over Krajicek. Look for Krajicek to get hot during this tournament, but she’ll go down to Jankovic in straight sets.

– Mauresmo over Ivanovic. Mauresmo needs to return to form to get this far; I see it happenin’.

– Sharapova over Kuznetsova. Maria might need three sets to beat Svetlana.

Semifinal picks:

– Henin over Jankovic. I’ll side with the stats: Jankovic has yet to beat Henin in any tournament.

– Mauresmo over Sharapova. Look for another three-set battle. Sharapova will probably fall apart midway through the third set a la Wimby 2006…

Final picks:

– Henin over Mauresmo. Justine Henin has a determination like no other player on either tour right now. Mauresmo can beat her, but needs to come into the match with a confidence high. Sharapova has the tools to beat Henin, too, but like Amelie, she also needs to be in the zone. If Henin wins Wimbledon, the Serbs (i.e, the ones currently on hot streaks) will need to do something quick before she becomes the Roger Federer of the WTA Tour.

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What about your picks?: Do you agree with JNP? Tell us.

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>> Tennis Served Fresh’s Wimbledon coverage
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>> Craig Hickman’s Wimbledon predictions

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roland garros/french open 07: predictions update, mid-tourney review, and the women's round of 16

June 3, 2007 By 6 Comments



So far, so good for my predictions to this point in the tourney:

Venus Williams was a non-factor like I said, improving Italian Tathiana Garbin made big strides, and Lucie Safarova beat Amelie Mauresmo. My Elite 8 are all still in the tournament and playing very well. Sharapova, Jankovic, and Ivanovic have all played really solid, champion-quality tennis. Henin and Serena will most likely battle in the quarters (a match we won’t see this early in a Grand Slam again for a while).

Here’s my match by match analysis and previous predictions:

Justine Henin vs. Sybille Bammer: Henin. This match is a given, but let me tell you that if somehow Sybille Bammer wins, she does have a win over Serena this year.

Dinara Safina vs. Serena Williams: Serena. Would not be suprised if this went to 3 Sets.

Jelena Jankovic vs. Marion Bartoli: Jankovic; Have no clue how Bartoli gets wins on the tour.

Tathiana Garbin vs. Nicole Vaidisova: Vaidisova. Though I never know when it comes to this woman.

Ana Ivanovic vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues: Ivanovic. Picked her to win from the beginning. She’s got game. Ana, don’t let the clay master bring you down!

Shahar Peer vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova: Kuznetsova. Peer beat Svetlana twice recently, but I’m thinking Svetlana will take it in two. The Russian is on a run this week so far; I like her movement on clay.

Lucie Safarova vs. Anna Chakvetadze: Safarova. This is a toss up, but I’ll give it to the girl who I had winning this match since the beginning of the tournament.

Maria Sharapova vs. Patty Schnyder: Sharapova. Simply the best when she is determined… I’ve given her alot of bullsh*t over the years, but honestly, if she is mentally ready, she can win this thing.

Here are my earlier predictions from my previous post:

Women’s quarterfinals: Ivanovic over Kuznetsova, Sharapova over Lucie Safarova, Serena over Henin, and (another) Serbian Jelena Jankovic over Nicole Vaidisova

Women’s semis: Ivanovic over Sharapova, Serena Williams over Jankovic.

Finals: Ana Ivanovic wins against Serena Williams, making me look like a total genius.

- JNP

P.S. As for the men, the predictions are in the same post. I was wrong about Fernando Gonzalez, but my longshot Carlos Moya made it this far.

(Do you agree with JNP’s picks? Tell us.)

Tennis Served Fresh is hosting former TennisJuicer JNP as a guest blogger. JNP can be reached at tenniscbh AT gmail DOT com.

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>> JNP puts in his two eurocents about the French Open draw
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Filed Under: french open Tagged With:

JNP puts in his two eurocents about the French Open draw

May 26, 2007 By 14 Comments



It’s that time of the year again! The time when dirt, grit, and, wit determine who will be champ. Roland Garros 2007 starts this Sunday, with Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin both going for their 3rd straight French Open titles. Nadal will likely face Roger Federer in the finals. Both have lots at stake: R-Fed could complete a “Roger Slam” (i.e., win all four Grand Slam tournaments consecutively) if he triumphs in all of the seven matches on the terre battue. And if Nadal wins the championship, he will extended his world-record clay winning streak on the surface’s biggest stage.

Here are my predictions for the tournament:

Champion, Men: Federer. Originally I thought he would win in 2008, but after his shocking streak-ending win against Nadal, I think he can pull it off this year. On the other hand, I would not be suprised if Nadal won ten of these things.

Champion, Women: Ana Ivanovic. Look for a big break out this year for this Serbian, who has the game to beat an aging Henin, a mentally recuperating Sharapova, and a still out-of-shape Serena Williams. Venus Williams is a non-factor.

Sleepers, Men: Fernando Gonzalez! With all the hype and buzz surrounding Federer, Nadal, and Guillermo Canas the usually highly-regarded Gonzalez may be able to pull off a few upsets and go far in the tournament.

Sleepers, Women: Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova (I put her in the Sleeper category because everyone is convinced she is injured), Elena Likhovtseva, Italian Tathiana Garbin, Tsvetana Pironkova (who has a victory over Venus Williams), and Na Li all have a shot in my opinion.

BRACKETOLOGY:

Women’s quarterfinals: Ivanovic over Kuznetsova, Sharapova over Lucie Safarova, Serena over Henin, and (another) Serbian Jelena Jankovic over Nicole Vaidisova

Women’s semis: Ivanovic over Sharapova, Serena Williams over Jankovic

Finals: Ivanovic over Serena Williams

Men’s quarters: Novak Djokovic over Florian Mayer, Nadal over fellow Spaniard Carlos Moya, Federer over Filippo Volandri, and Gonzalez over Canas

Semis: Nadal over Djokovic, Federer over Gonzalez

Finals: Federer over Nadal

(Do you agree with JNP’s picks? Tell us.)

Tennis Served Fresh is hosting former TennisJuicer JNP as a guest blogger. JNP can be reached at tenniscbh AT gmail DOT com.

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>> flirting with punditry: Erwin’s picks for the 2007 French Open

Filed Under: french open Tagged With:

tennis and street wear collide

May 17, 2007 By 3 Comments



we-love-roger-plus41.jpg

To commemorate Roger Federer‘s upcoming attempt at his first French Open title, Plus41 (a street wear design house based in Switzerland) has produced a t-shirt bearing the phrase “We Love Roger!”.

What do you think of the shirt? Tell us here.

This, along with Billionaire Boys Club’s “A.T.P.” shirts and the Supreme x Fila collaboration (check out those headbands!) are among many tennis-related items being produced by the street wear industry lately. Im very glad to see a lot of hype surrounding this year’s French Open and hopefully these clothing items will help the sport grow and reach a new audience.

supreme-vans-fila-2.jpg supreme-vans-fila-3.jpg supreme-vans-fila-4.jpg

CHECK IT OUT: You can see more of the Supreme x Fila collection here, via HypeBeast.

Tennis Served Fresh is hosting former TennisJuicer JNP as a guest blogger. JNP can be reached at tenniscbh AT gmail DOT com.

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DirecTV a boon to The Tennis Channel, tennis

April 27, 2007 By Leave a Comment



Editor’s note: CBHM is hosting former TennisJuicer JNP as a guest blogger. JNP will contribute five posts between now and the end of the 2007 French Open.

Thousands of DirecTV-using tennis fans got their wish on Monday: DirecTV announced that they have reached an agreement with The Tennis Channel and will finally be carrying TTC starting this summer. Part of DirecTV’s plans include an agreement with ESPN to share U.S. cable TV and multimedia rights for the French Open and Australian Open through 2011.

TTC is currently estimated to be in about 10 million homes nationwide, and is projected to be in 6 to 8 million more homes once the channel is available on DirecTV. The growth of this channel will not only help avid tennis fans get their daily fix of coverage, but will hopefully lead to innovative techniques in covering matches and a better perspective of the international feel for the game. After all, doesn’t more match coverage mean more views from around the globe? What’s wrong with that?

This deal is coming at just the right time… Federer vs. Nadal is easily one of the most important and interesting rivalries in sports. TTC’s expansion can potentially lead to these big matches being available to many, many more people. This is a step in the right direction, even if you can’t afford DirecTV or Dish — you will have one more reason to work hard, improve your life, and, get the gift that is The Tennis Channel.

JNP can be reached at tenniscbh AT gmail DOT com.

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>> directv and the french open
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