Era, cuando no existía el coronavirus, el blog de Fernando Machuca, un aficionado a los deportes, con maestría y doctorado en informática, apasionado por el Big Picture integral de los deportes profesionales y las industrias deportivas como un motor de crecimiento mundial. Ahora este blog es mi trinchera en la guerra contra el coronavirus.
Increíblemente Dominique Thiem le ganó los 3 tie-breaks a Rafael Nadal. En un PARTIDAZO, de esos que dejan huella, Thiem supo dominar a Nadal en el plano mental. Una de las características de esta leyenda del tenis, Nadal, es que en los momentos de máxima tensión su excepcional fuerza mental lo lleva a hacer la diferencia. Esta vez no. La balanza a su favor la inclinó un maravilloso Thiem que llega como gran favorito a la semifinal contra Alexander Zverev.
Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem - Match Highlights (QF) | Australian Open 2020
Outplayed at his own brand of physical tennis for much of the match, Rafael Nadal finally claimed a set to try to start a comeback against Dominic Thiem. Thiem's 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory over the top-seeded Nadal lasted 4 hours, 10 minutes because of so many lengthy, electrifying points. One rather memorable one featured Thiem stumbling onto his backside before popping up and keeping the ball in play until Nadal made a mistake.
Coco Gauff no tiene techo. Su talento es maravilloso y su progresión imparable. Deja el Australian Open habiéndose ganado el corazón del público. Jugó de local. Fue derrotada por una brillante Sofia Kenin, 21 años, 14 en el mundo, quien supo mantener su excelente juego a lo largo de los tres sets. Coco arriesgó, jugó ofensivamente, y cometió errores que la llevaron a la derrota. Es todo aprendizaje para Coco. En su rueda de prensa confirma que su mente y su comportamiento están al nivel de su talento de FUERA de SERIE. La industria deportiva del tenis tiene en Coco Gauff a una súper estrella global en potencia.
Coco Gauff falls to Sofia Kenin, who reaches 1st Grand Slam QF | 2020 Australian Open Highlights
Coco Gauff: "I really, truly love it here!" | Australian Open 2020 Press Conference R4
Coco Gauff has been in the middle of another electric ride, this time at the Australian Open. Given how poised she is and the maturity of her game, it's easy to overlook the fact that she's still just 15, came into this match off matches against three tough opponents -- including Venus Williams and defending champion Naomi Osaka -- and did her best to handle all the hype surrounding her remarkable progress.
Both of these young women have versatile games, but where Gauff can back up her skills with explosive athleticism, Kenin must live by her wits. Kenin showed in this match how fluent she is with the entire tennis hymnal. In addition to 21 forehand unforced errors, Gauff also misfired with the backhand 17 times. By contrast, Kenin made just 12 unforced forehand errors and miscued on the backhand side a paltry five times.
ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe put it best late in the first set of the round of 16 match between 15-year-old Coco Gauff and Australian Open No. 14 seed Sofia Kenin. After a compelling rally filled with crisp shot selection by both players, he observed: "Both of these women have high tennis skills and high tennis IQs."
Forget those seven Gauff double faults that seemed to jump out of the television screen. She likes to go big on both serves, and the damage she did with powerful second serves more than compensated for the errors. The bigger service problem for Gauff was a so-so first serve conversion percentage against a player who's highly capable of exploiting second serves. Gauff put just 56% of her first serves into play yet won just 44% of her second-serve points. Kenin converted an outstanding 73% of her first-serve chances, which helped keep Gauff at bay. That ensured Gauff was able to convert just one of her break points, while Kenin made good on 5 of 12. Gauff's serve was more dangerous, but Kenin's was effective.
Es realmente increíble. Coco Gauf (15 años) ha eliminado a la FUERA de SERIE Naomi Osaka (22 años), campeona del Abierto de Australia 2019, en dos sets, 6 - 3, 6 - 4. En este duelo de tenistas FUERA de SERIE teóricamente toda la ventaja (e.g., experiencia, madurez física y mental) la tenía la prodigio japonesa. En la realidad del partido, Coco Gauff dio una exhibición de talento, osadía, estrategia y fuerza mental excepcional. La industria deportiva del tenis femenino no puede estar más feliz. Solamente estas dos FUERA de SERIE le garantizan un crecimiento maravilloso. Sus próximos duelos van a marcar la historia del tenis.
Naomi Osaka vs Coco Gauff - Match Highlights (3R) | Australian Open 2020
Coco Gauff: "What is my life?! This is crazy!" | Australian Open 2020 On-Court Interview R3
Naomi Osaka: "This one hurts a little bit more" | Australian Open 2020 3R
American Coco Gauff became the youngest player in the professional era to eliminate the reigning women's champion at the Australian Open, beating former No. 1 Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4 in the third round at Melbourne Park on Friday.
She is also the youngest player to beat a top-five opponent in a women's tour-level match since American Jennifer Capriati did it at 15 in 1991.
Osaka made 30 unforced errors, Gauff merely 17. This was a rematch from the third round at the US Open last September; Osaka won that one in straight sets, then consoled a crying Gauff afterward and encouraged her to speak to the fans.
Coco Gauff is only 15, still growing in every way, and still fresh to the world of professional tennis, but she can win this Australian Open. The precociously gifted young American once again flashed her prodigious moxie and talent on the biggest of stages. This time it was here at the Australian Open on a warm Friday night, Gauff plowing easily past No. 3-seeded Naomi Osaka on the very court where Osaka won the title last year.
Coco Gauff plays nothing like what her age, still just 15, or her ranking — 67th and rapidly rising — would suggest. Everyone keeps finding out that no matter an opponent's experience or accolades, no matter the stakes or the stage, Gauff plays with determination and delivers the goods.
Teenager Coco Gauff stunned defending champion Naomi Osaka with a 6-3 6-4 victory to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. The 15-year-old American needed just 67 minutes to beat the No. 3 seed and set up a meeting with either China's Zhang Shaui or compatriot Sofia Kenin. Gauff was totally dominant for large periods of the match and perhaps even surprised herself with the ease of her victory.
Cada vez que en una industria deportiva aparece un prodigio se celebra de forma alborazada. Coco Gauff es una tenista estadounidense de 15 años que reúne tanto el talento como el comportamiento de una deportista fuera de serie. La industria del tenis está maravillada. Los medios, particularmente los estadounidenses, la llenan de elogios extraordinarios mientras siguen su camino de tenista fuera de serie. Acaba de vencer en la primera ronda del "Australian Open" a Venus Williams, una fabulosa tenista con una enorme experiencia ganadora de 7 "Grand Slams". Paso a paso Coco va dejando su huella de fuera de serie.
Fifteen-year-old American Coco Gauff beat Venus Williams at the Australian Open on Monday -- the second time the teenager has dumped the veteran out in a Grand Slam first round. Gauff, ranked 67 in the world and a fast-rising star in tennis, similarly defeated the seven-time Grand Slam winner in the first round last year at Wimbledon.
Gauff surged into the second round in Melbourne with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory over the 39-year-old and will play unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea next.
She went on to win her first WTA title in October in Linz, Austria.
In her Australian Open debut, Coco Gauff battles Venus Williams in a tough first set but holds on 7-6. Then cruises in the second set 6-3 for the straight-sets win and her first career Australian Open win.
Teenager Coco Gauff defeated seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams 7-6 6-3 in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday, a rematch of the 15-year-old's grand slam debut at Wimbledon last year.
"I just want to say thank you guys, you guys were chanting my name and I only thought that would happen at the US Open," Gauff said to the crowd on Margaret Court Arena following her victory.
"To hear that here in Australia means a lot to me."
Gauff, 15, played Williams, 39, to begin her first appearance in the main draw at Melbourne Park, just like they matched up to start things off at Wimbledon about six months ago. And, just like at the All England Club, the youngest woman in the field got the better of the oldest woman in the field, with Gauff beating Williams 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Monday.
''I definitely was more confident this time. I think I was used to playing on big courts, so the crowd - I guess the size of the crowd didn't startle me as much as last time,'' Gauff said. ''Definitely a bit more positive coming into this match.''
Gauff already has demonstrated all sorts of terrific qualities on a tennis court, from her big, gutsy serves to an ability to track down opponents' shots. Now you can add stick-to-it-iveness to the list.
The match was held in Margaret Court Arena, one of three stadiums with a retractable roof, and that was a good thing. For all of the concern among some players entering the tournament about air quality because of wildfires burning in parts of the country, the big issue Monday was a heavy storm that arrived in the afternoon and suspended play on outside courts for hours.
Neither player displayed her absolute best abilities for stretches: They combined for far more unforced errors, 71, than winners, 42. One key was that Williams ended up with 41 of those miscues, 11 more than Gauff.
Clic para leer en Wikipedia la historia del Roland Garros 2018
Roland Garros, el abierto de Francia, comienza el 26 de mayo y hay dos extraordinarios eventos enfrentados que sólo uno de los dos podría darse:
El rey de la arcilla Rafael Nadal repita su triunfo del Master de Roma y gane una final contra Novak Djokovik o contra quien sea, conquistando su 12º título de Grand Slam de arcilla.
El actual número 1 del mundo, Novak Djokovic, que ha ganado los últimos tres títulos de Grand Slam, gane el abierto francés y logre por segunda vez en su maravillosa carrera ganar consecutivamente cuatro Grand Slam.
Nadal ha ciertamente ganado en Roma a Djokovik de una forma magistral. Por primera vez le ha ganado un set 6 - 0. Casi de no creerlo. Y el set final se lo ganó 6 - 1.
Djokovik tiene de qué preocuparse. Nadal ha vuelto alcanzando un pico de forma excepcional. Y el Abierto francés es para ya. Y el último ganador del Roland Garros fue el rey de la arcilla Rafa Nadal venciendo con enorme autoridad al talentoso Dominic Thiem, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2.
