Tag: usa

Isner vs Mahut – Final Stats

After 11 hours & 5 minutes of exceptional tennis, Isner and Mahut finally concluded their epic battle that began two days earlier. The match was the longest a Grand Slam has ever seen, both in time and number of games total. The match finally ended when Isner broke Mahut to make it 70-68 in the final set.

Here are some more stats for you:
Match length – 11 hours, 5 minutes
5th set length – 8 hours, 11 minutes
# of games total – 183
# of games in the 5th set – 138
Total # of points – 980
# of aces – Isner 112, Mahut 103

Other stats and highlights can be found on the Wimbledon website, which I have linked to above. There were other things that amazed me about this match besides the impressive stats, however. The records broken are all wonderful things, but what amazes me even more is the sportsmanship these two athletes showed, as well as the support they received from the crowd. Based on the sheer number of people in attendance you would have guessed this drama was taking place on Centre Court, not Court 18. Every single one of those people in attendance can consider themselves lucky, for they are now able to say they were a part of tennis history.

The other thing I liked about this match was it’s conclusion. Both players hugged each other instead of giving the usual handshake. Also, Wimbledon officials commemorated each player for their historical performance. Included in the ceremony was British #1 Tim Henman, who was one of my all-time favorite players to watch before his retirement. I cheered especially loud every time he came close to making the finals at Wimbledon, since the last time a British player made the finals of their Championship was Bunny Austin in 1938 and the last win was Fred Perry in 1936. I don’t know, I guess I thought they were due a win. That and Henman had more class than I thought was possible for one person to have. It is good to see him continue to take part in tennis, even if it is not as a player.

Again, congrats to both players for a spectacular performance. Special congrats go to Isner for giving America another win. You made the country (as well as your mother, if the interview she did was any indication) very proud. Go Team USA!

Wimbledon Men’s & Women’s Draw Announced

The draw for Men’s and Women’s Wimbledon singles matches has been announced. Here are the notables from each section.

Men:
Section 1 features Roger Federer, who looks to have a clear path to the Quarterfinals. Section 2 has a few potentials, including Novak Djokovic, Lleyton Hewitt, and Andy Roddick. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Taylor Dent or Mardy Fish make it through, although that is more of a long shot. Andy Murray should have a clear path in Section 3, although I will be routing for Robert Kendrick to surprise us all. As for Section 4, Nadal will probably take this section, but I will be cheering on James Blake and Robby Ginepri. Blake especially though, because he is my favorite of the American players. Not only is he a good player on the court, he has showed heart and strength off the court as well. His story is an inspiring one that I’ll probably do a feature on at a later date.

Women:
I honestly care less about the Ladies singles, but that is mostly because most of the players I used to route for either no longer play or have a very slim chance of actually winning. Usually the Championship goes to one of the Williams sisters, and I’m sorry but this is starting to get old for me. I will still predict winners based on likelihood rather than personal preference though. For Section 1, it will probably either be Serena or Sharapova (more likely Serena though, as Sharapova has dropped considerably in the rankings as of late). Section 2 doesn’t really have anyone worth noting that I can see, so I’ll go with the rankings and say Wozniacki of Denmark takes this section. Section 3 will hopefully go to Clijsters, although Petrova and Jankovic have a decent chance too. Section 4 will likely go to Venus Williams, but I will be routing for Sania Mirza of India. I have loved her since her first year appearing in the majors where she surprised everyone by making it all the way to the 4th round in the US Open. I said then that she had potential for greatness, and I’m really hoping this is the year we see that.

Those are all my notables for this year’s Wimbledon. The complete draw is available on the Wimbledon website. 1st round starts June 21st. Keep it tuned to News on Shuffle for all the latest in tennis news and highlights.

World Cup News – June 12, 2010

For those of you who don’t follow News on Shuffle on Twitter, the blog will be reporting as much of the World Cup as we can. This will sometimes include play-by-play action on the Twitter-feed, especially during USA matches. Here are today’s highlights:

The first match of the day was Korea-Greece. I unfortunately couldn’t watch this match, but the final score had Korea win 2-0. This was the first match from Group B

The second match from Group B was Argentina-Nigeria. I was able to follow this one partially online. Argentina had a strong start and was able to win 1-0.

The real big match for the day was England-USA. England scored within the first few minutes, but USA was able to get a lucky break just before the end of the first half to tie it up. The final score was 1-1. Both teams were in Group C.

The other match from Group C will be tomorrow between Algeria and Slovenia. That is the early match for the day (7:30 AM start time in the US). Other matches for tomorrow include Serbia-Ghana and Germany-Australia. Personally that last match is the one I am looking forward to most of all.

Have any comments on today’s World Cup action? Feel free to share your thoughts on any of today’s matches (or the tournament overall). Just remember – try to play nice. I would hate to feel the need to censor anyone for being inappropriate :/