Tennis!

[naiwf]

Let's go Vika! Teach Shoulderpova a lesson in the 3rd.

I'll be stunned if Errani gets 4 games total against Serena.

[IAceI]

This match has been great fun so far, lots of big winners and two similar players playing at a high level. Great to watch before the expected Serena mauling of Errani. I need Sharapova to get to 4 games in this set for some money, but I think Azarenka will win the match given the last hour or so.

[naiwf]

It just started raining where I live in Manhattan. I'm hopeful that Azarenka can finish this before the rain hits Flushing.

[IAceI]

Job done for Azarenka, great third set.

[naiwf]

Excellent. Hopefully it rains for a few hours and Serena comes out flat tonight.

[IAceI]

No rain yet, which means I can watch before bed thankfully. Hopefully Errani puts up a challenge but I just can't see her consistency doing anything to damage Williams, she just has too much power to overcome nearly everything she can throw at her.

[naiwf]

Errani's game is embarrassing to watch when she plays someone with offensive firepower.

[IAceI]

I noticed that against Kerber she played the first set quite offensively, looking to get into the net and finish the points off and then she played the second set like some juniors round here do with loads of high looping balls and slowing the game right down and essentially playing not to lose - and it was evident in here winners per set stats they showed. Seemed odd that she played so slow in the first set against Serena, she had the slimmest margins of winning anyways and her best bet was to just go for it you'd imagine, especially with the way Serena wasn't missing.

[naiwf]

She's basically a smaller, less powerful version of Wozniacki. That defensive game can possibly get you to # 1 if you have a little bit of pop on your groundies/serve (Woz, Jankovic, Hingis) and play all the time, but it's not going to win Slams anymore. Hingis was 5-2 in GS Finals, but once power became incredibly important she finished 0-5 in her last 5 appearances and wasn't a legit threat to win any more major tournaments. The fact that Errani's just becoming a top 10 player as Wozniacki slips closer and closer to being out of the top 10 isn't a surprise.

[IAceI]

Agreed but that said after Serena, whenever she chooses to put the racket away for good, there isn't currently a player with the same sort of power. Players like Kerber, Azarenka and Sharapova all use power and Kuznetsova and others before them, but as we saw in the Olympic final - it still isn't comparable to the power that Serena has. So once Serena is gone there may well be a place for an Errani style game - who as I said can play more aggressively and do it well in terms of getting to the net and has a good varied game in that she can play volleys and drop shots - not to mention she seems a much tougher player mentally than many of the others on the tour - Wozniacki particularly since she was already mentioned.

Berdych v Murray coming up shortly. Should be a tough match and hope people aren't expecting it to be a coast for Murray because Berdych isn't Federer. That said I think Murray will do it in 4.

[Starvinho]

Murray will have to start a lot better today I think. Overall though, I think he'll have enough to get through to the final.

[IAceI]

Coverage delayed at the moment due to bad weather. The matches were moved forward to earlier in the day to avoid bad weather too, so not the greatest plan in hindsight. Hopefully it doesn't last too long.

[IAceI]

Wholly unsurprised that Berdych has the first set, Murray hasn't looked like he can play in these conditions at all and his game plan hasn't worked using them. Still think that Murray can come back and win though, and I think we all thought Murray would lose a set anyways.

Women's final has been postponed until tomorrow too, due to a forecasted storm.

[Starvinho]

Murray has made a better start to the second set, he's two breaks up at 4-1.

[Starvinho]

Second set to Murray 6-2.

[IAceI]

Much better from Murray that set but these conditions are pretty ridiculous at times and it isn't really allowing for a good match. Murray should be able to get the job done in the next two sets, but if the wind stays this influential it will be no more than 'doing a job' you feel.

[Starvinho]

As long as he gets through then that's the main thing. The wind is spoiling the match though.

Murray just took an early break in the third.

[therockbox]

Murray breaks in the first game of the third set.

This is ridiculous with the wind, though. I know they're both having to deal with it but at times it just feels like whoever gets the right gust at the right moment is going to win the point, regardless of the quality of shot.

[IAceI]

Double break now for Murray and he's well on the way to winning the third set already. His ability to adjust to the conditions and Berdych's inability to do the same is pretty much all there has been in this so far - but the difference it has made has been huge.

[Starvinho]

Murray takes the third set 6-1, he just have to play a smart game now and he's in the final.