Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan d. Eric Butorac/JulienRojer – 6-7(6), 6-2, 10-7- Though still chasing Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic for the No. 1 doubles ranking, Bob and Mike Bryan left every active doubles team in the dust Sunday, clinching the record for most team doubles titles after earning No. 62 on their hometown courts. As Mark Woodforde elegantly put it during the trophy presentation, they are now “in rarefied air.” Showing their own reverence and respect for tennis history, the Bryans dedicated their win to the late great Jack Kramer, who would have turned 89 on Sunday.
- “It’s been an emotional ride,” Bob Bryan confessed, “We couldn’t get the pickle out of the jar… legs felt like jelly, arms spaghetti.” The Bryans had worthy adversaries in the team of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer, and were clearly feeling the pressure of the moment. “It kinda[sic] just hit us during the match,” Mike said. “You start counting down the points, and it gets in your head a bit.” But the brothers have a weapon not every other team can count on – each other. “We never give up on each other,” Bob stated emphatically. It also helped to have a lot of friends and family in their corner. “We were only missing two family members. It was like Thanksgiving,” Bob smiled.
Knock me down, it’s all in vain- I’ll get right back on my feet again!
- The Southern California crowd was clearly on native son Sam Querrey’s side during his semifinal match Saturday afternoon. The Thousand Oaks resident rewarded them almost three hours later with the win, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-4. These UCLA courts Querrey loves have been a battlefield for him all week, the semifinal having been his third three-setter at the Farmers Classic. He has come dangerously close to getting dumped from the draw more than once, but has persevered.
- The American brought out the big guns, his serve and forehand, against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, playing aggressively throughout the match. The only drawback to that style was a tendency to overhit, causing balls to sail long or land in the net. For the most part, patience and persistence paid off for Tipsarevic. Using strong defensive skills and a few booming serves of his own, the Serb worked on keeping the Querrey on the move, waiting for an opening to hit a winner. Those tactics helped him win the first set in a tiebreak and took him to match point in the second. Querrey had to dig deep to stay alive at 4-5 and again down a 1-5 deficit in the tiebreak. A few great serves and superior shotmaking under pressure from Querrey cost Tipsarevic the lead, the set, as well as a racquet, and took the match into the final stretch.
And another one gone and another one gone...
Queen may not have been talking tennis when they wrote “Another One Bites the Dust,” but read the lyrics and you will see they're pretty apropos. There are no second chances in tennis; a player either gets the job done or he's done, even if it isn't perfect or pretty. Although Janko Tipsarevic has won his three matches in straight sets, it took three tough sets for both Sam Querrey and Feliciano Lopez to land a spot in the Semifinals. The ride has been equally bumpy for the top seed and World No. 4, Andy Murray. Wednesday night, the Scotsman struggled against American qualifier Tim Smyczek, showing some rust on his shotmaking since his last tournament appearance in the Wimbledon semis. Still seeking a title in 2010, Murray seems to be doing battle more with himself than with his opponents. “I hadn’t been training that much since Wimbledon,” he commented. “Obviously, a change of surface, not playing a lot… I think it’s a combination of three or four things, really.”
Murray's challenge in the Quarterfinals was getting past Colombian Alejandro Falla, the man who almost caused one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history by nearly knocking Roger Federer out of the First Round last month. Though neither player could find any real consistency, Falla took advantage of his opponent’s error-prone game early on, keeping the scoreline close and threatening to steal the first set. The Scot had to dig his way out of more than one service game, managing to save two set points in the process and finally clinched the lead in a tiebreak. Unfortunately for Falla, the wheels came off in the second set. Too many errors and some poor shot selection offered Murray several break opportunities and he capitalized on just enough of them to close out the match, 7-6(3), 6-1.
