Tonight (Friday Down Under) features three matches on Rod Laver Arena…
- The Mixed Doubles Semifinal featuring Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau (lost in the Men’s Doubles Semifinal to Bob and Mike Bryan today) vs. Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi
- The Women’s Doubles Final with Italy’s Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci vs. Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva
- Then the Men’s Singles Semifinal featuring 4th-seed Andy Murray vs. top-seed Novak Djokovic
Thursday’s play lived up to the hype…Bob and Mike were taken to the wire vs. Lindstedt and Tecau, winning a third-set tie break (7-5). The Bryans now play Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek for their 6th Australian Open Title and 12th Grand Slam win overall.
Bob’s wife, by the way, had to turn-off the match after feeling some contractions last night…Bob: “She turned it off in the third set because she was starting to feel a couple small contractions. I’ve been telling her, ‘Don’t watch the matches, it will get your heart rate going and you might spit that baby out.’ It’s going to be tight the next couple days, especially with the nerves. She’s not getting out of bed. She can see the finish line. She knows she’s a few days away from me coming home. She’s not going to risk it, not now.”
In Women’s Singles Semifinal action – both matches went the distance. Victoria Azarenka finished off Kim Clijsters (6-3) in the third set, while a determined Maria Sharapova defeated Petra Kvitova (6-4) in the third. And so Saturday’s Final could quite possibly be the loudest match ever played on Rod Laver arena with WHOOO-POOOO vs. AHHHHHHH!
The Federer vs. Nadal Semi certainly lived up to the hype, with Roger taking the first set in a tie-break. Rafa then came back to dominate the second set (6-2), then won the third in a tie break, and capped off the win with a (6-4) fourth set over the most decorated men’s player in the history of the game. Obviously, Nadal finds out if his Final opponent will be Murray or Djokovic after tonight’s match, and has to like the fact that he’ll be going into Sunday on two days rest.
SOMETHING WORTH SEEING…Nice grab from a ballboy while Federer was serving to force the third-set tie-break…
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AND FINALLY…WHAT?! (Just spotted this story from the Associated Press)
GOLD COAST, Australia (AP)—Police issued two traffic tickets to Bernard Tomic after waiting outside his home while he spoke to a lawyer in the latest episode of a feud between the teenage Wimbledon Quarterfinalist and local officers.
Australian media reported that officers tried to pull over Tomic, who did not stop but drove his BMW sports car back to his home at Southport on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Two officers went inside the house to speak to Tomic, who then sought legal representation, saying he wanted to make a complaint against police.
The 19-year-old Tomic, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, had previously complained about perceived persecution by local police.
