Tennis

2012 SAP Open

February 20, 2012 by mc

I don’t have much good to say about the SAP Open this year, so I’ll keep this brief.

I was really looking forward to the doubles exhibition on the first night, my all-time favorite player John McEnroe, plus my current favorite player Gael Monfils were squaring off, each partnering with a young American player.

John McEnroe (USA)

Gael Monfils (FRA)

Steve Johnson (USA)

Jack Sock (USA)

The big name this year was Andy Roddick, who apparently has not grown up since this nonsense.

Andy Roddick (USA)

Sam Querrey (USA)

I didn’t have as much luck with the panning shots this year, but this one of Matthew Ebden worked out:

Matthew Ebden (AUS)

Dudi Sela (ISR)

Kevin Anderson (RSA)

Dimitar Kutrovsky (BUL)

Denis Kudla (USA)

Ryan Sweeting (USA)

Seems that Monfils is not the only French player with big moves on the court:

Julien Benneteau (FRA)

Ryan Harrison followed up his solid Davis Cup showing with a run to the semifinals:

Ryan Harrison (USA)

Istomin took out Roddick…

Denis Istomin (UZB)

…but came up short in the final to defending champion Milos Raonic:

Milos Raonic (CAN)

A word about the multiple exposure pictures: These were all done in-camera (Nikon D3/D3S) with no manipulation.

Best of 2011 Slideshow

January 13, 2012 by mc

Click here for my Best of 2011 slideshow. 125,000 pictures cut down to my favorite sports pictures of the year. Enjoy!

2011 Bank of the West Classic

August 1, 2011 by mc

Kind of a dramatic change, going from bull dropping showers to shooting the ladies of the WTA tour, but that’s the beauty of this life. It was Bank of the West Classic week at Stanford, and with Serena Williams on the comeback trail from injuries and in the draw, it was sure to be an interesting week. I honestly don’t know enough about tennis to write much about it, (for that you should go read the excellent writing of Chris Oddo at The Fan Child’s Two Cents, especially this post on what it’s like to watch Serena play in person) but I will say that the opportunity to watch one of the best ever do her thing was a privilege. In an era where players in all sports try to stay cool and act as if success is no big deal, Serena doesn’t even try to mask her emotions. More than just giving it up after big points or big wins, in heated rallies, Serena’s expression gets even more intense from shot to shot. Action is great, but emotion is king, or in this case, queen.

Serena Williams - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Serena Williams (USA)

After the final, Marion Bartoli said some nice things about Serena, and Serena nearly broke down:

Serena Williams (USA)

Then she posed with the trophy:

Serena Williams (USA)

Serena’s father Richard Williams was present all week, supervising her workouts and cheering her on from the stands.

Richard Williams

2009 BotWC champion Marion Bartoli had an easy path to the final, playing just three sets total due to injuries to her opponents. Still, despite getting off to a fast start in the final, she couldn’t match Serena’s power, and was slowed by a hand injury in the second set.

Marion Bartoli - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Marion Bartoli (FRA)

2010 BotWC champion Victoria Azarenka didn’t play as well this year in singles, but she and partner Maria Kirilenko mowed down the doubles field to take the title.

Victoria Azarenka - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Victoria Azarenka (BLR)

Sabine Lisicki rode a huge serve to the semifinals, but admitted that she tightened up against Serena.

Sabine Lisicki - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Sabine Lisicki (GER)

Dominika Cibulkova played well, but succumbed to an abdominal injury and pulled out before her semifinal match.

Dominika Cibulkova - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)

Marina Erakovic - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Marina Erakovic (NZL)

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (SVK)

Christina McHale - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Christina McHale (USA)

Julia Goerges - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Julia Goerges (GER)

Neither of my two favorites (Kirilenko and Ana Ivanovic) made it very far in the singles draw, but Kirilenko did end up winning the doubles title.

Ana Ivanovic - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Ana Ivanovic (SRB)

Maria Kirilenko - 2011 Bank of the West Classic

Maria Kirilenko (RUS)

Some early clips:

Maria Kirilenko at the 2011 Bank of the West Classic on Sports Illustrated Snapshot

Serena Williams at the 2011 Bank of the West Classic on Sports Illustrated.com

SAP Open – Day Seven – Singles Final

March 12, 2011 by mc

Sunday was the final of the SAP Open featuring Fernando Verdasco of Spain
and Canadian Milos Raonic. On paper, the match between defending champion
Verdasco and world #84 Raonic (who needed a wild card just to get into the
field) was a mismatch. But Raonic’s serve – approaching 150mph – was just
too much for Verdasco to handle, and the day ended with Raonic taking his
first tournament with a 7-6, 7-6 win.

Following up his heavy serve and solid baseline game with a few trips to the
net, Raonic gave Verdasco no room to paint the lines in the manner that got
him to the final.

Despite the closeness of the match on the scoreboard, Raonic dictated play,
and Verdasco was in the unfamiliar position of alternately chasing and having
to fight off serves.

The second set tiebreaker was tense, with more mistakes than great shots. But
for the first time all week, there was genuine emotion on both sides of the net.

After the match, Verdasco was almost despondent in his press conference,
speaking about the near-futility of playing against guys who can serve
150mph. He’s going to have to figure something out quickly, because in a
scheduling irony due to Raonic’s low pre-SAP Open ranking, the two will have
a rematch on Wednesday at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in
Memphis.