Hegemony!

Men’s tennis isn’t as much a roulette as the women’s game is. For some time now, the Big Four have been ruling. But in the last two years a well-defined breakthrough brigade and an upcoming youngsters’pack have taken shape as well. In sport this is perhaps the most ideal of situations; of an emerging bunch keeping the big guns on their toes. It happens rarely and men’s tennis should be blessed for it.

In the women’s section, barring Serena Williams, the amount of flux is humungous. There is indeed novelty, but an overdose of it. For rivalries to build and evolve into competitive ones over years there needs to be some familiarity as well. Something similar to the men’s game might be tough to envisage, but a situation closer to it will do.

The past two weeks in Melbourne were a reiteration of the above two statements. The coterie of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray still have a strong grip. Djokovic took home his fifth Australian Open trophy following a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-0 win over Andy Murray. And on the other hand, it was, yet again, Williams versus the rest as she captured her 19th Grand Slam singles title.

“I do believe there is a group of guys right there that can make a break again and can do special things,” Federer said ahead of the Australian Open. “But, I just think it’s too early to say just because Novak and Rafa (Nadal) lost in Doha that there is something on the horizon.

“I don’t read into any of those results. I think they are going to be tough to beat and favourites for the Australian Open.”

And the reigning oligarchs did show how it was done. The one from the breakthrough group, defending champion Stan Wawrinka, fell fighting against Djokovic in the semifinal. Those from the emerging group, Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic, were dusted off after routine challenges by Murray, Wawrinka and Djokovic respectively in the quarters.

It is widely accepted that the current era is tough for the upstarts. How tough it is, is borne out by this fact: The bunch of Nishikori, Dimitrov, Raonic and Marin Cilic, all aged between 23 and 27, won 24 per cent of their maximum possible total of ranking points at the Masters and Grand Slam events in 2014. (Source: TENNIS ABSTRACT). The Big Four, at about the same average age in 2010, won 68 per cent.

In fact, until the 2014 U.S. Open happened, Juan Martin del Potro was the only man who is now under 27 and had played in a Grand Slam final. Federer had 12 Grand Slam titles before turning 27.

Modern day tennis is a war of attrition; of one eating away slowly at the other. It causes wear and tear — example Nadal — and ultimately leads to slow destruction. The fight is often in the mind or between the mind of one and the body of the other. This was best captured by Djokovic after his victory over Murray, which made it four losses out of four in finals down under for the Scot.

“We’re going to have a lot of long rallies and a lot of exchanges,” said Djokovic. “It’s going to be physical, but also mental. I get the feeling that if I get to stay with him and kind of, you know, work, work, and not get too loose and frustrated with points and not allow him to get into a big lead, I feel like there’s a point where I feel that I have that edge, you know, maybe physically.”

Margins are really that short and windows that small. An opening comes and if let go of, will never return. It happened to Murray when, after leading 2-0 in the third set, he won just one more game.

Of added relevance is also how those at the top cope when they are not playing their A-games; or even their B-games. In the semifinal against defending champion Wawrinka, Djokovic had 27 winners to 49 unforced errors. He didn’t hit a single winner in the fourth set and more curiously had connected only a single backhand winner, his bread-and-butter shot, till the start of the fifth. But he went on to bagel Wawrinka in the fifth set and did the same to Murray two days later in the fourth set.

“I didn’t play at the level I intended before the match,” Djokovic said after beating Wawrinka. “I’m proud of the fighting spirit I had, but the level of performance was not where I wanted it to be.”

This is perhaps the most important of reasons as to why the bunch has been tough to dislodge. Even when they play their C-games, the errors are still far fewer and their mental disintegration still slower than the rest.

For long, Djokovic himself was not believed to have such abilities. He was said to possess “a goofy sense of humour,” as the magazine The New Yorker put it in 2013, and questions were asked whether “he can act like a champion?”

In his book, Serve to Win, Djokovic writes, “There were two men in the world who were the best — Federer and Nadal — and, to them, I was nothing but an occasional annoyance, one who might quit at any moment when the going got tough.”

But it is now Djokovic’s 384th straight week in the Top-4 of the ATP rankings. He is now the undisputed number one, holder of eight slams, of which five are in Melbourne making him to the Australian Open what Nadal is to the French.

Also, the rankings will now seem more familiar: Djokovic at No. 1, followed by Federer, Nadal and Murray.

“Making one run is always a bit easier than having to defend it,” Federer had said. His fellow-Swiss Wawrinka will experience the bitter truth. For not getting into the final of a tournament he won last time, he is now down to ninth.

In 2011, the Big Four won 84 per cent of their maximum possible total of ranking points at the Masters and Grand Slams. Since then it has steadily fallen and came down to 66 in the aftermath of the 2014 U.S. Open.

So, yes, they are slipping. Their grip, though strong, is not a stranglehold anymore. But still they are not yet down and out.

http://www.sportstaronnet.com/tss3807/stories/20150214503200500.htm

Likely cellar dwellers

It has been close to two decades since the United Arab Emirates (UAE) played in a World Cup. The 1996 edition was its last appearance where it managed a solitary win over The Netherlands.

The present team is made up of a bunch of amateur cricketers and has two 40-somethings at the helm – Mohammad Tauqir the captain and Khurram Khan his deputy. The latter in particular is an interesting character. He works for Emirates Airlines and manages the odd cricket match in his spare time.

For more than a decade, he has been the country’s most outstanding cricketer and as captain played a stellar role in getting his team through to the World Cup. Yet, the UAE selectors replaced him as captain with Mohammad Tauqir, in what they described as a chance for Tauqir to “showcase Emirati leadership.” Khurram is an expatriate from Pakistan.

Still, much of the team’s chances will depend on Khurram. Going into the World Cup, the 43-year-old has been in excellent form. He scored more than 1000 runs in limited overs cricket in 2014. But he will also seek assistance from wicketkeeper-batsman Swapnil Patil, who was his team’s second-highest scorer at the World Cup Qualifier.

Ever since Aaqib Javed took over in 2012, the team has steadily risen, with his partnership with Khurram working well. It even qualified for the World T20 last year for the first time ever.

So, how the change in the top leadership will affect the chances is yet to be seen but Javed believes that the team can deliver on the goal of two wins at the World Cup.

But grouped as it is with India, South Africa, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, West Indies and Ireland, it looks highly unlikely.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/world-cup/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015-likely-cellar-dwellers-uae-team-preview/article6845569.ece

Slayers of giants

Ireland is arguably the best of the Associate nations. So, the natural progression would be the chance to play more international matches. In that context, the 2015 World Cup is its biggest chance to stake claim more forcefully.

Its bid to make a significant impression on the world stage will be led by captain William Porterfield, who will be participating in his third World Cup. His experience will be supplemented by Ed Joyce, both of whom have had good county seasons.

In fact, close to 10 of the 15 members have decent county experience, which should stand them in good stead, for the conditions in Australia and New Zealand will present ample assistance to bowlers.

In addition to Porterfield and Joyce, the O’Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, and all-rounder John Mooney are also appearing in their third World Cup. Kevin, the maker of a famous, belligerent century against England in 2011, and Niall, who is Ireland’s leading run scorer in World Cups with 421 runs at 30.07, will need to come good.

In the bowling department, the retirement of Trent Johnston towards the end of 2013 and the loss of Boyd Rankin to England will hurt. So will right-arm seamer Tim Murtagh’s withdrawal due to a foot injury. The 33-year-old has been one of the most reliable of new-ball bowlers in county cricket and an important member of the Middlesex attack.

“It’s fantastic to be leading Ireland in another global tournament,” Porterfield said recently. “We’ve produced some wonderful performances over the years in World Cups, and there’s no reason why we can't claim further successes in Australia and New Zealand.”

These performances over the years have been giant-killing acts – the victory over Pakistan in 2007 and England in 2011. But for a successful tournament here it certainly needs a third successive giant-killing act and a bit more.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/world-cup/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015-slayers-of-giants-ireland-team-preview/article6845558.ece

Towards total cricket

It’s that era in sport in which teams covet multi-skilled players. Be it in football or cricket.

A multi-skilled genius is often a mystical figure. That’s why a Sir Garfield Sobers or a Jacques Kallis or an Adam Gilchrist is once-in-a-generation. So are Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer, who are pioneers of Total Football.

But, in sport, no tendency is as strong as the desire to win and this is what drives every team’s quest to locate that final piece to complete the jigsaw. Two by-products of this process are the wicketkeeper-batsman and the bits-and-pieces cricketer.

“We have been trying to find a regular wicketkeeper who will contribute with the bat,” said the then India captain Sourav Ganguly in 2004. “It is for that reason Dravid was made to keep wickets and if you have a look at our one-day performances (since the Natwest Trophy in 2002), a number of games have been won by batsmen batting at number seven.”

In large measure, the roots to this strain of thought can be traced to the legendary Australian Gilchrist. For long, a wicketkeeper’s identity was independent of his batting skills. The runs that came from his willow were always considered a bonus, even as late as the 1990s.

But, with Gilchrist doing what he did — destroying attacks at will — Australia had a merry run in 1999, 2003 and 2007. Every team wanted someone who could do the same.

The limited-over format’s increasing appeal influenced this drive to make the team as a whole seem greater than the sum of its parts. So much so that even Test selections were made on these considerations. The best example was the selection of Geraint Jones for the 2005 Ashes, ahead of Chris Read, who was widely considered the best gloveman at that time.

In the time before Gilchrist made his debut, the ’keeper-batsmen had an overall aggregate of 25,124 runs in 1130 matches at 20.09, with a strike rate of 69.31. In the days since then, a total of 1,09,457 runs have been scored in 2462 matches at 30.34, with a strike rate of 78.37.

The re-defining of the role of a wicketkeeper is also backed by statistics: in the ’70s, wicketkeepers scored at an average of 18.17 and a strike rate of 61.37. In the ’80s, it rose slightly to 18.62 and 67.77. An increase to 23.70 and 72.64 was seen in the next decade. In the first 10 years of the millennium, it was 29.53 and 77.42 and since 2010, it has gone up to 34.47 and 82.38.

It is no coincidence that a major part of the careers of some of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen stretch over the last 15 years, the period in which one can notice a significant explosion in the averages and strike rates.

Of the seven designated wicketkeepers with a minimum of 4000 runs, five have their careers dating to this period: K. Sangakkara (2000-2015; 353 matches, 12800 runs, 42.66 average, 79.34 strike rate), Adam Gilchrist (1996-2008; 282, 9410, 35.64, 96.94), M.S. Dhoni (2004-2015; 253, 8245, 52.51, 88.97), Mark Boucher (1998-2011, 294, 4680, 28.71, 84.93), and Brendon McCullum (2002-2013, 184, 4057, 30.73, 90.37).

Each of these wicketkeeper-batsmen can hold his place in the team, either as a wicketkeeper, or a batsman alone. But, with not every country as blessed, there is now a disturbing trend to look for a batsman-wicketkeeper instead.

The bits-and-pieces cricketer is no different. A thin line separates him from a genuine all-rounder, and in most cases, the former is expected to mould into the latter over time. But, evidence shows that many start as a jack of all trades and end up as masters of none.

England is still looking for its next Ian Botham — with due apologies to Andrew Flintoff — and India for its next Kapil Dev.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/world-cup/towards-total-cricket/article6840193.ece

Nowhere to hide

Michael Lewis’s best-seller, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, published in 2003, had as its premise how long held conventional wisdom wasn’t always the ticket to success. The protagonist was Billy Beane, manager of the Major League Baseball team Oakland A. With a budget less than most other teams’, he had to win the League.

Conventional wisdom would have told him to rely on pitchers with powerful arms. Instead, he chose ones who got a lot of ground outs (getting to the ball and throwing it before a batter reaches the base).

A parallel can be drawn to cricket here. For long, batting and bowling were considered the only arts which separated teams. But, over time, as the teams’ talent quotient converged, newer ways had to be discovered to stay ahead of the curve. So, the need for entrepreneurial skills became important even in sports. And this manifested itself in better fielding techniques and improved running between the wickets.

“If each guy saves me one run, it gives me 10 runs,” said Jonty Rhodes, the man, who, with his incredible stops and amazing catches, revolutionised fielding in the early 1990s, in an interview to Sportstar. “Margins in many games come down to that.”

For long, a talented bowler or batsman could get into the team on the basis of his major strength. But now, the ones lumbering along on the field are sure to be found out. These days, quality fielding is more a norm than an exception.

“The limited-over set-up has had an effect,” said Rhodes. “You used to have four or five really slow guys. Nowadays, with shots like the Dil Scoop and reverse sweep, you really can’t hide such fielders.”

What this has done is to increase the requirement for one to be an all-round fielder. Being a specialist in one position is no longer enough. As much as fielding at slip and cover are important, so are boundary-line catching and fielding.

“With T20 cricket and better bats, the batsmen take on the fielders,” said Rhodes. “So defending your boundary has become very important. Kieron Pollard fields in the ring in the initial overs and moves to the boundary later on.

“In my days the best fielders used to field at positions like the backward point. People like me and Herschelle Gibbs were good in the ring, but not as good at the boundary. Now you see them at mid-on, long-on, long-off, or wherever the ball goes. From David Warner and Suresh Raina to A.B. de Villiers, when he is not keeping...”

Another of the fielding innovations has been the relay throw, where the lack of a bullet-arm forces two players to team up and get the ball back. On the big grounds of Australia, it’s a much quicker way to return the ball from the boundary.

But, it was New Zealand, in the 2003 World Cup, who first used it as a deliberate ploy to get a batsman out. The first victim was none other than Brian Lara.

“That was our first fish,” said the then captain Stephen Fleming. “And it’s a pretty big fish to fry. It [relay throw] creates confusion. Today, it won us the match.”

Even in running between the wickets, it takes two to tango. In the early days of one-day cricket, taking quick singles and twos was just an afterthought for many top-order batsmen. Not until a Dean Jones or a Michael Bevan came along did one realise the importance of it.

Writing in ESPNCricinfo, former India opener Aakash Chopra had this to say about Jones’s running: “He would hold the bat high on the handle so as to use its length to the optimum, and while turning, he would stay low and stretch fully. While staying low helped him generate the necessary thrust to turn quickly and gain momentum again, stretching the arms and the body allowed him to run at least one step fewer.”

Not so long ago, a player was never termed bankable based only on his fielding, or running between the wickets. These days team selections hinge on them. That’s how much the game has evolved.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/world-cup/nowhere-to-hide/article6831917.ece

World Cup venues: Eden Park, The Gabba

AUCKLAND

Auckland is the economic capital of New Zelaand

Situated in the North Island, Auckland is New Zealand’s largest and most populous city. Known for its pristine beaches, hiking trails, volcano cones and fine wine, it's the most cosmopolitan of all cities in the country, which also boasts of a sizable Asian population.

With its mild climate, excellent educational and job opportunities and plenty of leisure activities, it is often rated as one of the best cities in the world to live. No wonder the indigenous Maori people call it ‘Tamaki Makaurau’ -- a maiden desired by a hundred lovers.

EDEN PARK

Capacity: 50,000

Playing Area: NA

Highest Total: 340/5 (NZ vs. Aus, 2007)

Lowest Total:73 (NZ vs. SL, 2007)

Highest Score: 140 (Glenn Turner)

Best Bowling:6/30 (Waqar Younis)

Home to New Zealand’s first Test victory in 1955-56 against the West Indies, Eden Park has witnessed matches since 1929. It plays host not just to cricket but also rugby (Auckland Blues' home ground) and holds the distinction of becoming the first stadium in the world to have held two rugby World Cup finals -- 1987 and 2011. But it was also here that the Black Caps collapsed for 26 against England in 1955, its lowest-ever Test total.

The ground resembles a baseball diamond and in the early 1900s was used only for cricket. Later on, an agreement with the rugby administrators allowed for its further development into the largest stadium in New Zealand. It now sports two giant modern-day grandstands with a contrastingly old pavilion. A $256 million redevelopment programme was completed in 2010.

BRISBANE

The city is named after the Brisbane River on which it is located.

The river, in turn, got its name from Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.

Capital of the state of Queensland, it’s Australia’s third most populous city and showcases the best of the country’s flora and fauna. The natural beauty of the Botanic Gardens, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Kangaroo Point Cliffs for rock climbing and the Australia Zoo, made famous by Steve Irwin all stand testimony to this.

Did you know: The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, established in 1927, was the world’s first for Koalas.

THE GABBA

It was first set aside for cricket in 1895 and interestingly the first-ever match played in 1896 was between the Parliament and the Press. After that, it hosted its first Test match in 1931, played between Australia and South Africa. Since then it has seen sports as diverse as Australian Rules Football (home to the Brisbane Lions), cycling, rugby, baseball and greyhound races.

Situated in the suburb of Woolloongabba, the Brisbane Cricket Ground, popularly called the Gabba, is one of the best modern-day stadiums. It once boasted of grassy banks and dogtrack, which have now been replaced by concrete structures. Though it has lost some of its old-world charm, Gabba has the perfect blend of tradition and modernity.

The greatest moment in the stadium’s history is the tied Test between Australia and the West Indies in 1960-61.

Capacity: 40,000

Playing Area: 170.6m long, 149.9 m wide

Highest Total: 324/7 (Aus vs. WI, 2010)

Lowest Total: 71 (Pak vs. WI, 1993)

Highest Score: 163 (David Warner)

Best Bowling: 6/45 (Chris Woakes)

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/world-cup/world-cup-venues-eden-park-the-gabba/article6825702.ece

Players who will have their swansong in 2015

Not many are blessed with a chance to bow out in style. Even the best of them all, Sir Donald Bradman, needing four runs in his last innings to finish with a perfect average of 100, fell for nought.

But as time flows, this adds to their everlasting appeal.

So it does for the few who actually go out in style. As far as World Cup swansongs are concerned, no one could have had it better than Imran Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. The former, at the grand old age of 39, and the latter, barely a month shy of the same age, won their first and only winner's medals in 1992 and 2011.

The 2015 event in Australia-New Zealand will also have its share of players dreaming to finish on a high. A look at some of them:

Kumar Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardene (both 37): Gentleman’s Game, cricket might no longer be, but if it has to associate that with some of the ilk it will most definitely be the legendary Sri Lankan duo. The two have lived through four World Cup final defeats – 2007 and 2011 in ODIs, and the 2009 and 2012 in T20s. They finally got hold of the 2014 World T20 trophy. Does the ODI crown beckon this time around?

Shahid Afridi (34) & Misbah-ul-Haq (40): Common wisdom suggests that one should never see the words - Afridi and retirement - in the same breath. But the man has said, at least for now, that his fifth appearance in the quadrennial extravaganza will be his last. So has Misbah, who, though, can be expected to keep his word. As captain, he is only a year older than when Imran won in 1992!.

Dale Steyn (31): “We are just trying to be a part of that puzzle, that when it's finished, it has a big W on it. If I can win that World Cup without taking one wicket, I can still have a winner's medal around my neck,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Steyn as saying. That’s how desperate he is to win the ultimate prize. It may be his last chance, but with a team as well-rounded as the one South Africa possesses, his best.

Brendon McCullum (33): Few men can hurt a bowling attack like the Kiwi. The most recent example was the blistering 134-ball 195 against Sri Lanka in Christchurch. If the last year is anything to go by, he, as an astute captain, has turned the New Zealand side into the most-improved lot, and with that has come the tag of 'dark horse.'

Younis Khan (37), Chris Gayle (35), and Daniel Vettori (35) are the others who will be keen to bow out with a bang.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/world-cup/last-chance-saloon-players-who-will-have-their-swansong-in-2015/article6821556.ece

Swiss roll

At 29, Stan Wawrinka is in an interesting phase. Among the ‘Big Four’, only Roger Federer is older than he is. However, it does not earn him a tag worthy enough to sit alongside the very best.

“No, I am not,” said Wawrinka when asked if he is among the best. “They have been winning for ten years, but I have only had one amazing year.”

However, Wawrinka is not a novice either, having been on the tour for over a decade, to be clubbed along with the next set of emerging youngsters.

So what does a breakout year at 29 do? It does two things: for the pack behind him, he is an agent of hope, and for the one in front, a source of threat. In addition, it lends an air of uncertainty — which is so essential in sport — to a men’s section devoid of the flux that characterises women’s tennis.

After the Aircel Chennai Open-Australian Open double in 2014, he has now added more meat to the storyline by capturing his third title in Chennai and arriving in Melbourne in the best possible shape to defend his crown.

There was much at stake for Wawrinka at the start of the season. Because for all the highs that he reached last year, he didn’t seem entirely at home in the company of the elite. A consistent streak to add to his titles in the early part of the year was missing. The Swiss’ form waxed and waned. A first Grand Slam, a first Masters title and a first Davis Cup came alongside early losses in Miami, Indian Wells and Roland Garros.

Still, by the end of the year, he reached a career high No. 4, continuing his trend of consistent upward mobility of the last few years: No. 21, No. 17, No. 17 and No. 8.

So the goal for 2015 would have been to offset the mid-season slump and maintain a steady level for the whole season. For this, a start as good as last year was necessary. What he delivered in Chennai was even better. He did not lose a set — like last year — but played at a level much higher than before.

Borna Coric, 18, a rising youngster from Croatia, was brought down to earth. David Goffin, a promising Belgian, was stopped in his tracks. And finalist Aljaz Bedene, a qualifier, but one with top-50 potential, was shown his place.

All of this was achieved with a high-percentage single-handed backhand — which is everybody’s envy — ably assisted by his much improved serve and return game.

“A perfect week for me,” was how he described it after the final. “Really happy with my level (of play). It’s tough to win an ATP title. The last one I won was in April last year. So it feels great.”

Nonetheless, there is no escaping the pressure that comes with defending a Grand Slam title. Especially for first-timers, it can be an unnerving experience.

“I’m not putting my goal to win a Grand Slam. I know I can do it, that’s not the question,” he said in his pre-tournament press conference in Australia. “But it’s a long way for that. For me most important is to be ready for the first match. I know how it is. I’ve been playing so many years to know the deal. You have to be ready, take match after match, and see where you can go.”

At the start of the 2015 season, it seems there’s no place to hide in men’s tennis.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray seem at full strength. Rafael Nadal is back on court and is injury-free. Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori are no longer surprise packages. Even Juan Martin del Potro looked set to join the party before pulling out of the Australian Open to rest his battered wrist.

It is beating this field that poses Wawrinka his biggest test yet. If in 2014 he raised expectations, in 2015 it will be his challenge to live up to them.

http://www.sportstaronnet.com/tss3805/stories/20150131507205400.htm

Wawrinka’s reign continues

The top-4 in world tennis is a tough place to break into. If you do, it’s an even tougher to stay there; more so when you are not Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray.

After finishing at No.4 last year, it was important for Stan Wawrinka to not start this season on the wrong foot. A backslide into the path of a bunch of emerging youngsters would hardly be an auspicious beginning, especially after a breakout 2014.

However, by winning his third Aircel Chennai Open title following a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Slovene Aljaz Bedene on Sunday, Wawrinka ensured that the year started on the best possible note.

“A perfect week for me,” was how he described it after the final. “Really happy with my level [of play]. It’s tough to win an ATP title. The last one I won was in April last year. So it feels great.”

For all that Wawrinka did last year, not much suggested that he was comfortable in the company of the elite. There was a constant search for consistency but without too much success, after the early part of the season.

But, based on the past week’s performance here, one can safely say that he has hit a patch which is a notch above his 2014 form. Like last year, he romped home without conceding a set, but without any of the jitters and nerves.

One of the noteworthy things about Sunday’s final was how he played the big points. In each of his five service games in the first set, Bedene had him at 30-30. But every time he came up with a big serve.

So high was his confidence that — unlike Bedene’s earlier opponents who had relentlessly attacked his backhand — Wawrinka routinely hit to the Slovene’s forehand.

But such was the precision, depth and work on the ball that it was almost always a yard away from Bedene’s strike zone.

Wawrinka needed just two breaks of serve, one in the sixth game of the first set and the other in the seventh game of the second. Bedene didn’t earn a single break-point.

“He was really good,” said Bedene. “Unfortunately I was a bit tired. I didn’t hit the ball clean as well.”

“But I am satisfied with my performance over this week. I was really excited as it was my first final. I couldn’t sleep yesterday. But I think ill get used to it,” he said with a laugh.

When Wawrinka won in 2014, the narrative was about novelty. But with time and performance grow expectations, and he will undoubtedly feel the pressure as the defending Australian Open champion.

How the Swiss handles it will be known over the next few weeks, but he has certainly got the start he would have desired.

Later, Leander Paes lost his first Chennai Open final in seven appearances in the title round, as he and Raven Klaasen went down 6-3, 7-6(4) to Jonathan Marray and Yen-Hsun Lu. 

“It was great week for me,” Paes said. “We’ve played good matches, and it’s good for our new partnership.”

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/wawrinkas-reign-continues/article6778960.ece

Bedene storms into the final

There is something cavalier about Aljaz Bedene’s persona. In the way he approaches the game on court and in the manner he speaks off it. It often borders on nonchalance. It can well be misconstrued for arrogance, but on the day, when it comes off, there is no better sight.

Saturday was one such day. After two hours and 42 minutes of marvellous tennis, and four match points saved, he became the first qualifier to reach the final of the Aircel Chennai Open, beating Spanish third seed Roberto Bautista Agut. 

He will meet defending champion Stan Wawrinka in Sunday’s final. The top seed came through 7-5, 6-3 against Belgian fourth seed David Goffin in a tight affair. “I am not someone who waits for the opponent’s mistakes,” Bedene said after the 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(8) win. “And, it has worked. So far, so good.”

In Bautista Agut, he had an opponent in the typical Spanish grinder’s mould, whose game gives an impression of an iterative method to solve mathematical problems, where one obtains successive approximations to the solution itself.

This was evident in the way Agut pinned Bedene to his backhand through monotonous crosscourt exchanges, shifted position with each shot until Bedene was almost beyond the tramlines and was forced into an error.

While the match saw much action, often going back and forth, this was essentially the contest — of Agut trying to exploit Bedene’s backhand and the Slovenian finding a way out of it.

The start of the match was erratic. There were five breaks of serve in the first six games. But Agut’s three holds came at a loss of just two points and won him the first set 6-3.

In the second, Bedene recovered. He went 3-1 up by playing first-strike tennis, changing direction frequently and pulling the trigger with his inside-out forehand. The two then traded breaks before Bedene’s final two holds — both tight two-deuce affairs — gave him the set and squared the match.

In the third, it was Agut’s turn to march ahead 3-1. But a Bedene comeback always loomed and true to the pattern in the previous sets, the set was soon levelled at 3-3. 

From thereon, it should have ideally been Bedene’s home stretch. He twice had Agut at 0-30 on the latter’s serve — at 3-3 and 4-4. But he fluffed both chances. Then, in the tie-break, at 5-4, he had the match on his racquet. This was spurned too. 

He had to wait for his second match point at 9-8 to take the contest, not before Agut had four shots at the match — twice on Bedene’s serve at 4-5 and twice in the tie-break.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/bedene-storms-into-the-final/article6776288.ece

Wawrinka overcomes Muller, meets Goffin in semifinals

In a performance of calculated aggression, top seed Stan Wawrinka blunted a fierce challenge from Gilles Muller to enter the semifinals of the Aircel Chennai Open on Friday. 

He meets Belgian David Goffin, who came through in straight sets against Andreas Haider-Maurer.

On a day when his backhand didn’t necessarily fire when summoned, Wawrinka had to search for newer weapons — like the sliced and expertly redirected return winners — and also beat the elements, like the steady wind that blew across the court.

The first set scoreline of 6-2 suggests a mere routine for Wawrinka. But, both players initially struggled to control their shots. The breeze often caused the ball to drift away, flying off the racquet when not connected properly. 

It was then that Wawrinka curbed his natural instinct to go for power and instead loaded his shots with enough top spin to pull them back and hit the court earlier.

“The conditions were a bit windy,” said Wawrinka after the 6-2, 7-6(4) win. “I had to take it early and use more angles. I am happy I was able to do it.”

The Swiss also attacked Muller’s weaker side — backhand. It worked as long as the latter kept slicing and Wawrinka had the easy put-away.

However, in the second set, Muller changed his approach. The backhand slice was replaced by a proper double-hander.

His serve — so integral for someone who chooses to finish rallies quickly by knocking off volleys — got better.

A hold to 30 followed by a break to 30 gave him a 4-2 lead.

But, he surrendered it immediately by dropping serve.

In the next game, he had Wawrinka serving at 3-4 and 0-30, but again didn’t make it count.

This proved his undoing: the failure to subject his opponent to sustained pressure.

Wawrinka earned two break points at 4-4, but the 31-year-old managed to wriggle out and stretched the match to a tie-break.

He then stayed with the Swiss till 4-4, before the top seed dished out a backhand winner, a service winner and an ace in succession to finish things off.

In another quarterfinal, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, in a much-improved performance compared to the one in his earlier round, prevailed over Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu 7-6(7), 6-4.

He meets Aljaz Bedene, the qualifier, who defeated fifth Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in three sets.

Agut, the third seed, had to fight from a break and two set-points down in the first set. However, in the second, he proved to be a far better player. An early break to 2-1, followed by four of his best service games, handed him the match.

Paes-Klaasen in final

In doubles, Leander Paes, in the company of South African Raven Klaasen, reached his seventh Chennai Open final, beating the Spanish duo of Pablo Carreno Busta and Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-3 in under an hour.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/wawrinka-overcomes-muller-meets-goffin-in-semifinals/article6773564.ece

Bedene takes out Lopez

At 156, Aljaz Bedene’s ranking seems deceptively low.

For, he was once ranked as high as 71 and in 2013, on an outside court here, he ousted Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals and hustled Janko Tipsarevic in the semis.

In both matches he had shown, with mind and body in sync, he had top-50 potential.

But much of last year was lost to injuries even as his mind was preoccupied with talks of obtaining British citizenship.

On Thursday, it was a rediscovery of his old self as he limited Feliciano Lopez’s debut run at the Aircel Chennai Open to just one match by packing off the second seed 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 25 minutes.

Lopez is one of the few practitioners of the art of serve-and-volley tennis. Even on relatively less hospitable surfaces — like the slow hard courts in Chennai — he is more than willing to practise it. But, for it to succeed, the game has to flow from the serve and against Bedene he just couldn’t get it right.

“Nothing was working for me today,” said Lopez. “My serve and volley didn’t. I was also not moving well from the baseline.”

The world No. 14 endured a tough opening phase. Bedene’s murderous inside-out forehand meant that Lopez had to either find success with the body serve or drill it down the T.

In the first few service games he did neither. Yet, his instinct pushed him towards the net and he found himself wrongly positioned. A break for Bedene in Lopez’s second service game was its end result.

Lopez did show glimpses of how good his service can be, when, serving at 2-4, he followed up a body serve with two down the T and one service winner. Unfortunately, he could not keep it up.

Much of the time was spent remonstrating with himself. He missed routine backhand slices and his forehand lacked sufficient power.

If he had expected his fortunes to turn in the second, he was disappointed as the Slovene broke serve in the very first game, and as an add-on upped his level remarkably. In the five games the 25-year-old won on serve, he lost only five points.

The last few service exchanges just seemed customary before a netted backhand slice from Lopez ended matters.

Earlier, in the first match of the day, the Spanish third seed Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Peter Gojowczyk of Germany 6-3, 6-2.

The match was far closer than the flattering scoreline.

The world No. 15 was broken in both sets, saw his first serves go awry and endured trouble with foot-faults throughout. But his near-perfect stroke placement on crucial points saw him through.

Topsy-turvy affair

In doubles, Leander Paes and Raven Klaasen won an entertaining three-set contest against Mahesh Bhupathi and Saketh Myneni 1-6, 6-1, 10-7.

“It was topsy-turvy and more mental than tactical,” said Paes.

“And credit to Mahesh for playing so well in spite of not having had a full season.”

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/bedene-takes-out-lopez/article6769392.ece

Wawrinka dismantles the Coric challenge

Teenagers no longer win Grand Slams. But they sure do dent the odd reputation. Like Borna Coric did to Rafael Nadal at Basel.

The 18-year-old Croat was looking for a repeat act on Wednesday, this time against reigning Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka. But, for all the promise and the accompanying hype, his firepower was expertly doused by the Swiss with a 6-1, 6-4 win in the pre-quarterfinals of the Aircel Chennai Open.

In a sense, the two matched each other in most areas of the game. Both their first serve percentages were in the fifties. Wawrinka hit 24 unforced errors to Coric’s 23.

But the difference was in the number of winners: Wawrinka hit 22 to Coric’s nine.

Tough three-setter

Earlier in the day, fourth seed David Goffin came through a tough three-setter against Ricardas Berankis to enter the quarters. The first set of the match was a rout. Berankis won all of five points and it lasted just 16 minutes. That Goffin is an excellent returner is well-known. But on display was also his immaculate third shot, the return of the return.

Berankis’s serve was way off mark in the first set. And Goffin’s positioning on the return and his excellent transition from defence to offence saw him take the set 6-0.

Even Goffin conceded that he “didn’t expect to play at that level.” So with the bagel in the bag, he seemed to switch off. A break in the first game and a hold to love in the next gave Berankis a 2-0 lead.

The Lithuanian pegged Goffin way behind the baseline making it tough for him to transition to offensive positions. Having done that, Berankis executed some deft drops to run down which his opponent didn’t have the legs.

The 24-year-old Belgian did manage to earn a couple of break-points with Berankis serving at 4-3, but the latter weathered the phase and went on to square the match at a set apiece.

Berankis’s problems with his serve resurfaced in the third set. Till the sixth game, each of his service games was a struggle. But at 3-3, he completely turned the tables and put the Goffin’s serve under pressure.

The Belgian held on, and then broke Berankis to go up 5-3 with the match on his racquet.

Goffin’s serve isn’t the most potent of his weapons. But on the day it was clean and tidy for the most part. He was broken for only the second time while serving for the match.

The match had to eventually be decided by a tie-break, and it ended just the way the match had begun — in a canter, as Goffin dropped a single point.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/tennis/aircel-chennai-open-2015-wawrinka-dismantles-the-coric-challenge/article6764665.ece

Prashanth, Ramkumar and Devvarman fall in first round

Playing a top-100 player can be an experience in itself. For the three Indians in action on Tuesday it was, unfortunately, humbling. First, it was qualifier Vijay Sundar Prashanth, then 20-year-old Ramkumar Ramanathan and finally the top-ranked Indian Somdev Devvarman, who lost in straight sets to bring the Indian singles challenge to an end in the very first round at the Aircel Chennai Open here on Tuesday.

Prashanth lost to Czech Jiri Vesely (world No. 65) 6-2, 6-1, Ramkumar to Japan’s Tatsuma Ito (87) 6-3, 6-3 and Devvarman to Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu (38) 6-3, 6-4.

“Very disappointing,” said Devvarman after his loss. “Both of us lacked a bit of rhythm. Both lacked match practice. But in the end he played better.

“I didn’t put enough pressure. Like at 3-3 in the second set. But setbacks happen and the hard work has to continue. I now hope to do well in the Australian Open qualifiers where I have never got through,” said the 29-year-old.

For Ramkumar, too, it was supposed to be a new start. After an excellent 2014, which saw him win five Futures titles, make forays into the Challengers and take his ranking to the 200s, he was expected to be more than the surprise package that he was when he shocked Devvarman in 2014. During the year he also worked on strengthening his serve and enhancing fitness. 

But, on Tuesday, one of those two facets — the serve — just gave away. His first serve percentage was a lowly 51. In the first set alone it was 44. He did serve nine aces to his opponent’s two but they came at times which rarely changed the course of the game.

“He [Ito] played well,” said Ramkumar. “I went for a lot of winners and maybe I should have tried to rally a bit more.”

Ito’s performance was clinical. A solitary break in the fourth game of the first set gave him the head start he needed. He then moved Ramkumar end to end. Even as the youngster ran down balls, his non-existent backhand meant the run-around forehand had to be used. With this he ceded acres of space into which the Japanese planted winners.

The first few games of the second set were perhaps the only ones in which Ramkumar looked threatening.

A break by Ito in the very first game didn’t help, but he did well to earn two breakpoints in the fourth.And, thereafter Ito stepped it up. His shots were more forceful and consistently landed near the tramlines.

As a result, all Ramkumar could do was slice his backhand to keep the ball in play.

In between, he also made some desperate attempts to intimidate and unsettle the Japanese by following his serve to the net.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/prashanth-ramkumar-and-devvarman-fall-in-first-round/article6761777.ece

Craft takes Muller through

The city’s tennis fans have always taken some time to warm up to each edition of the Aircel Chennai Open. The latter half of the tournament has always elicited a better turnout than the first, mostly due to the extra sprinkling of stardust. 

On day one of this year’s tournament, even the tennis seemed to mimic the crowd. The Gilles Muller-Edouard Roger-Vasselin match was subdued and had none of the laborious baseline rallies and constant ball-pounding that characterise today’s matches. There were 33 aces in all. The points were mostly short. It was all guile and craft as Muller beat the 2014 finalist 6-7(11), 6-1, 7-6(3) in 2 hours and 23 minutes. 

But then, like the tournament has done in recent years, the day too ended with a flourish with Croatia’s Borna Coric, full of adrenaline and power, demolishing Dutchman Robin Hasse 6-2, 6-2.

“I am surprised at how well I played in the first match of the year,” said the 18-year-old after the match. He will meet top seed Stan Wawrinka next.

In the first match, both Muller and Roger-Vasselin displayed a penchant to get closer to the net and shorten the rallies. The only phase which appeared to be a stretch was the first set tie-breaker — a long-drawn, 24-point affair — which Roger-Vasselin won.

“I was pretty passive in the first set,” said Muller. “Then I got more aggressive in the next two. For me it is crucial to find ways to finish off points at the net as I can’t rally with guys from the baseline.”

In the second set Muller took off. It was wrapped up in less than half an hour even as the other two tie-break sets spanned close to an hour each.

The Frenchman tried to regroup early in the third and even had an opening with Muller down 0-30 on his serve. However, some excellent serving — which he did consistently, dishing out 29 aces — bailed him out.

“Edouard is a great returner. I had to mix it up. I sliced, employed the kick-serve, hit some flat. I had to give him different balls to play,” said Muller.

Then, a break to 4-3 gave Roger-Vasselin another opportunity, but he squandered that too with Muller coming up with two remarkable returns — the twitch returns with minimal racquet swing — and two unforced errors on his part. 

From thereon, the set was had easily, on a tie-break to three points. “This is not a good start to the year,” said Roger-Vasselin. “Last year I reached the final and today I am out in the first round. I must admit the tactic of giving up the second set so that I could be ready for the third did not work.”

In the day’s other results, seventh-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers retired in the third set against Andreas Haider-Maurer due to a knee injury with him trailing 3-6, 7-6(6), 2-0.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/craft-takes-muller-through/article6758460.ece

Tough to look beyond Wawrinka

For tennis fans in this part of the world, the Aircel Chennai Open is sort of a jamboree. It is an annual confluence of some of the world’s best tennis players, showing their wizardry in front of a crowd largely deprived of any quality tennis action otherwise. Nothing ever precedes or follows this event, which is in its 20th year.

But season-openers are rarely seen in isolation. When put on the world stage, their importance grows manifold. The tremors caused by players right at the start of the year reach far and wide, extending deep into the ever-growing tennis season. 

Under scrutiny

And with that comes scrutiny and endless days under the microscope entailing a complete dissection of one’s game.

Stan Wawrinka discovered that last year. It was considered his breakout season, quite odd for someone 29 years old.

When he won the Australian Open, he was credited with having opened the doors for players other than the ‘Big Four’ — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. 

A first Masters title and Davis Cup followed. But with every early loss — Miami, Indian Wells and Roland Garros — he was subjected to the sort of inquisition normally reserved for the world’s best. But he held on and finished in the upper tier.

Now, as he arrives in Chennai as the top seed, he is being welcomed by a seemingly tricky draw. A possible second round opponent could be the exciting 18-year-old from Croatia, Borna Coric. He is also drawn to meet the Belgian David Goffin in the semifinals.

The bottom half is led by the two Spaniards, Feliciano Lopez and Roberto Bautista-Agut. While the former is enjoying a resurgence in the autumn of his career, the latter is a vastly-improved player since he made the final here in 2013.

It is also in this half that the two Indians, both wild cards, Somdev Devvarman and Ramkumar Ramanathan, find themselves in.

For the soon-to-be 30 Devvarman, it marks the first step towards his goal of getting back into the top-100. For 20-year-old Ramkumar, a place in the main draw is a re-affirmation of his growing potential.

From a season-ending ranking of 704 in 2013, the youngster reached a career-high 211 and is now 241. In the last edition, a run which started in the qualifiers ended with the big scalp of Devvarman in the first round.

As a result, the 2015 event will give him his first taste of defending a substantial number of points; 32 in this case. He opens against the Japanese Tatsuma Ito and is drawn to meet Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Feliciano Lopez in subsequent rounds.

For the title, however, it is tough to look beyond Wawrinka. The world No. 4’s form did indeed wax and wane. Yet, the average level at which he played was a notch above his previous year’s as this career progression during the last five years suggests — No. 21, No. 17, No. 17, No. 8 and No. 4.

Still, one decent year never offsets years of underperformance. So, the need for consistency is all the more evident as he goes into the Australian Open with the tag of defending champion.

How much he would like an encore in Chennai before that?

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/tennis/aircel-chennai-open-2015-tough-to-look-beyond-wawrinka/article6754110.ece