Tuesday, August 02, 2016
2016 Rogers Cup-Toronto
Under brilliant skies,
the men's semi final matches took place last Saturday at the Rogers Toronto
In order to get to the
semi-final, Kei Nishikori, the third seed, had to move past three opponents:
Americans Dennis Novikov (6-4 6-3) and Rajeev Ram (6-4 7-6), and Bulgarian
Grigor Dimitrov (6-3 7-5). He faced Stan Wawrinka from Switzerland
Stan Wawrinka
For Wawrinka, in the
vernacular, that was all she wrote. He lost the first games, and struggled in
the fourth game. He forced Nishikori into a weak high return, only to blow the
easy return. He mockingly pulled his shirt over his head in shame. He lost the
fourth game. Nishikori blasted two serves to close out Game Five, and went on
to take the final set 6-1. That earned him the right to play his first final in
Toronto
The evening semi-final
paired first seed Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils. Monfils, the tenth seed from
France, bested the last Canadian hope in singles, Milos Raonic, who was seeded
fourth. It was a straight set win, 6-4 6-4. Djokovic had breezed through to the
semi-final without losing a set. He started slowly on three occasions, relying
on his experience to take the first set in a tie break.
Djokovic, ready to return
Such was not the case in
the final. With a service break, Djokovic moved into a strong position at 4
games to 2. Trailing 40-30 in the next game, at a really critical juncture,
Nishikori miss hit a return to give Djokovic a 5-3 lead. With little
difficulty, Djokovich completed the first set 6-3.
Most observers believe
that Djokovic now should be considered one of the top five players of all time.
He has a tremendous work ethic, and focus. Even during the break, while sitting
at the side of the court, he replays points in his mind, tilting his racket
this way and that.
Serbian compatriots were
there in force to cheer on their beloved “Nole”. They wave their flags,
sporting Serbian caps and shirts. There are plenty of cheers and shouts of
encouragement which I do not understand. Preparing to serve, just before going
up 3-1, Djokovic heard a fan shout, “Hey Nole, will you marry me?” He smiled,
lowered his head, and shook off the interruption. “Definitely not,” was his
indication.
Djokovic’s sneakers
squeak from side to side on the court, grunts when he serves, and also when he
puts a little extra mustard on a shot. In the waning seconds of the match,
Nishikori again hit a poor shot to lose the match. Djokovic acknowledged the
fans with his traditional salute, and even sent a message to everyone. It is an
international game, he said, and it helps keep peace in the world. He asked all
of the fans to hug their neighbours at the court. Never a bad thing.
Simona, last year, with her fans!
Next year, the women
return to Toronto Montreal Toronto Rio , for
the Olympics. Never a dull moment, on the courts.
James Hurst
613.399.2278
sportslices.blogspot.ca
# posted by James Hurst @ 4:52 PM 
